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Gary Neville fancies Anthony Martial to succeed as a striker

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has backed Anthony Martial to succeed as a strike for the Red Devils. The France international started his United career with the job of leading the line but over the past three seasons, he has been occupying the left side of the attack where he has come up with mixed performances.

For the current campaign, Martial has been entrusted with the striker’s role by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after handing him with the number nine shirt and Neville believes the Frenchman now has the chance to prove that he can excel in the centre-forward position, he said: “Martial has not realised his potential on the left side for three or four years and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is probably thinking he wants to play centre forward, he’s a good finisher, I have to give him that chance. You could argue it’s to the detriment of Rashford, but if he can get his head around playing on the left and be comfortable and Martial can be a centre-forward then it’s worth giving him that chance. I think now is the time for Martial to deliver it.”

Manchester United defender content at the club amid Barcelona speculation

Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof has said that he is content with the proceedings at the club amid the recent speculation regarding his future. The Sweden international is widely regarded as one of the most consistent players in the current United squad and of late, he has been associated with a surprise move to Barcelona.

Amidst this, there has been concerns expressed from some of the United faithful but the defender has happened to rubbish the prospect by showcasing the commitment towards the club, he said; “I’m very, very happy to be a Manchester United player. I’m excited for new season to start. That’s my answer. I’m very happy here.”

United had banked on Lindelof and Chris Smalling for the central defensive duties during the previous campaign and the latter was a disappointment with the inconsistency in terms of form. As such, the club have taken the step to pursue a new central defender and Harry Maguire from Leicester City has been earmarked as the prime target.

According to reports, United have already failed with an opening bid worth £70m for the centre-back and they are now preparing a renewed offer worth £80m. The proposal is still expected to be below the Foxes’ £90m valuation for the central defender but United are hopeful of pushing through the deal by taking advantage of the impatience of the player.

Maguire has remained committed to the Foxes over the past 12 months but he is currently said to be desperate to make the switch to Old Trafford. The Red Devils won’t be able to offer him with the Champions League football he may crave for, but he has the platform to build upon and potentially guide the club back to the glory days. An outcome over the Maguire transfer saga could be known during the next few days.

David de Gea issues apology after Manchester United’s defeat at Everton

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has issued an apology following the club’s embarrassing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Everton on Sunday. The Red Devils had gone into the game with a good chance of closing on the top four places, but instead they suffered one of their worst-ever results in the Premier League era.

Speaking after the game, De Gea went on to Instagram to say sorry to the away supporters, who had witnessed the lack of effort from the team, he penned: “Difficult to put what I am feeling today into words. As captain I want to say that the performance of the team today, on top of the result, was not up to the standard expected when you pull on this shirt. We know that we have to improve but words mean little: we have to give everything for this club. Thank you for your unconditional support.”
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Manchester United confirm permanent appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United have confirmed the permanent appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their head coach. The Norwegian was initially handed with the caretaker role shortly after the dismissal of Jose Mourinho in December and the progress made with the club since then has convinced the hierarchy to reward him with the permanent managerial position on a three-year contract.

“It’s truly an honour. I think everyone knows, and I’ve spoken about it in the last few months, that this is the dream job for any football-interested man, especially anyone who has been involved with Man United. Being given the opportunity now to move the club forward, with all the potential there is, it’s fantastic.” he told the club’s official website.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits Manchester United lacked intensity against Wolves

Manchester United interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that the Red Devils lacked the intensity on the playing field as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup quarter-final. The Red Devils had nearly two-thirds of the possession in the Cup tie, but they were outwit by a Wolves side, who managed to score goals with the counter-attack.

Speaking after the game, Ole acknowledged that the result was very disappointing and the performance is probably the worst by the team under his interim management, he said: “It was very disappointing. All in all, they deserved to win because they had the better of the chances. Yes, we dominated possession but we never really felt in control and I never really felt that we put them under pressure. It seemed like they were happy with how the game went in the first half and then, of course, it’s disappointing giving easy goals away. What was missing? Quite a lot actually. Today was the poorest performance we’ve had.”
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MANCHESTER UNITED SWEATS OVER POGBA’S FITNESS

Manchester United could be sweating on the fitness of star player Paul Pogba, after the French midfielder limped away,during Tuesday night’s draw with Burnley.Pogba, who scored an 87th-minute penalty to spark United’s late comeback, will be assessed by the club’s medical staff, after being subjected to an array of heavy tackles in the hard-earned draw with Sean Dyche’s side. Victor Lindelof went on to rescue a point for United in injury time, as the team failed to wina game for the first time since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge

United would be looking to return to winning ways, having not dropped a point in eight of their first nine matches under new manager Ole Gunner Solksjaer,when they travel to Leicester on Sunday, but Pogba appeared to throw his participation in that match into doubt by limping through the mixed zone at Old Trafford after the Burnley game.
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Romelu Lukaku refuses to compare Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has refused to compare between Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the aftermath of the club’s 3-1 triumph over Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round. The Belgium international has generally been a bench warmer under the guidance of Ole but he was handed a rare start at the Emirates where he grabbed the man of the match with a couple of assists.

Speaking after the game, Lukaku was asked to compare the managerial qualities of Mourinho and Ole but he happened to restrict himself from doing so. He added that he has plenty of respect for the recently departed Mourinho, who brought him to Old Trafford in the first place, he said:“I’m not going to compare the two managers. I believe that Mourinho has done a lot for his club. He won trophies, so I have a lot of respect for him. He is the coach who signed me.”
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Mourinho proud of his players

Jose Mourinho stated that he is proud of his Manchester United players following the draw against Arsenal. He said that his players were ready to fight on the pitch and they created enough opportunities to win the game. He said that this is a good performance especially during this difficult period that the team has been through.

The Portuguese manager chose to leave Lukaku as well as Pogba on the bench as he wanted to bring in more fighting spirit in the team. He said that the players that he has chosen have not let him down and that they have given their best on the pitch.
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Michael Owen heaps praise on Marcus Rashford after showing at Southampton

Former Liverpool and Manchester United star Michael Owen has heaped praise on the performance of Marcus Rashford following the Red Devils’ 2-2 Premier League at Southampton on Saturday. Jose Mourinho’s side experienced the worst start to the game after conceding two goals within the opening 20 minutes but they managed to level the scores before the break after a couple of assists from Rashford.

Speaking on BT Sport, Owen highlighted that Rashford was outstanding throughout the game and him conceding the free-kick for Cedric Soares’ goal could be termed as the sole negative from the match, he said: “I thought he’s been outstanding today. He made two mistakes for the free kick for Southampton. But he’s the one player, we spoke before the game about running, it’s very, very simple but in this day and age you have to run and run fast and be direct and make things happen. I think that Rashford by and large is the only player in the Manchester United team that does that. I thought Ashley Young had a good first half. But Rashford runs at players and it causes havoc, it changes the picture all the time.”
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Manchester United legend expects decision on Jose Mourinho’s future

Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Rio Ferdinand has indicated that there should be some sort of discussions regarding Jose Mourinho’s future at Old Trafford following the club’s poor start to the league campaign. The Red Devils suffered their third defeat of the season against West Ham United on Saturday afternoon and this has already put them nine points behind the lead of the table.

As a result, the supporters have already voiced the concern regarding Mourinho’s position at the club and Ferdinand feels the hierarchy should not withstand the club’s woeful league run any longer, he said: “There will be conversations at the top level about the future of the manager and the squad. The basics are not being done and something has to be said. You can’t let a situation like this continue throughout the season – wars in the press, leaks, players on one side of the dressing room, Mourinho and his staff on the other. If that continues this will be one of the worst seasons in the club’s history.”
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