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Amorim: What Mourinho said to me

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Amorim: What Mourinho said to me

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Friday 22 November 2024 14:20

Ruben Amorim opened up about a private message he received from former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, when taking part in his first press conference as the club’s new head coach.

The 39-year-old sat down in front of the media at Carrington on Friday, two days out from his maiden Premier League game, which comes on Sunday when the Reds travel to Portman Road to face Ipswich Town (16:30 GMT).

Journalists present were keen to ask Amorim about his relationship with his compatriot, Mourinho, who welcomed him to Carrington on an internship in 2018, when Amorim was still studying to become a coach.

Ruben explained that Jose had sent him some thoughts soon after his switch from Sporting to United, and went on to speak about the broader influence Mourinho has had on his career – plus the differences between the pair.

“He sent me a message and told me that this is a lovely club, a big club, with lovely people – and that is correct,” began the new man. “It still is. 

“But a lot of things change and we are in a different building now; we are building a new one, and I am different guy. I was learning at the time and I hope to now teach something here too, to my players. 

“But the club is still big and is still the best club in England, and we want to win again, that is all.”

Asked to expand on what he learned from Mourinho, he stressed that the main area in which Jose influenced him was in terms of self-belief.

“The first thing, not just me, but with all the Portuguese coaches, it showed that we can be the best in the world,” he said.

“This is something different in a small country; this can [help] put a stamp on everybody. But I am different from [Jose] Mourinho, I am different person. But I do remember that time. In that time, you looked at Mourinho and you felt he can win everywhere.

“It is not the same thing; he was a European champion and I am not a European champion.

“But I am different guy in a different moment,” Amorim stressed.

“Football nowadays is different and I think I am the right person for this moment, because I am young guy and I understand the players, so I try to use that to help my players like Mourinho did in that era and what he did at Chelsea. 

“If you remember, the young guys were like [Frank] Lampard and these kind of players. Nowadays, it is so much more different. So I think I am the right guy for this moment.”

Amorim spoke to the media for nigh-on 20 minutes, and you will be able to watch the press conference in full via MUTV and ManUtd.com.

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Friday 22 November 2024 14:20

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Man Utd: Carragher reveals what he and Neville really thought of Ten Hag in person

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Man Utd: Carragher reveals what he and Neville really thought of Ten Hag in person

Jamie Carragher admits he thought former Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag lacked “charisma” after interviewing him with Gary Neville early on his reign.

The Dutchman had a promising first season in charge at Old Trafford with Ten Hag leading the Red Devils to an FA Cup final, League Cup glory and a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Despite a shock FA Cup final win over arch-rivals Man City last term, Man Utd could only finish eighth in the Premier League and there was an expectation that INEOS would sack Ten Hag.

However, they decided to keep him on and offer him a one-year extension over the summer after speaking with a number of potential replacements.

That proved to be a mistake as they fired Ten Hag just nine matches into the new Premier League season with Man Utd winning just a third of those fixtures.

And former Liverpool defender Carragher admits he and fellow Sky Sports pundit Neville got a feeling that Ten Hag lacked an “X-factor” during an interview after his first two matches as Man Utd boss.

Carragher wrote in his Daily Telegraph column: “The most successful have an aura and personality.

“Only those working in the same environment can offer a first-hand account of how the manager operates behind the scenes, but for those of us on the outside looking in, perceptions matter.

“Without dwelling too much on United’s recent past, this was a red flag against Ten Hag from day one.

“Two games into his reign, Gary Neville and I had the pleasure of interviewing Ten Hag at United’s training ground. He was a polite guy but there was no sense of an x-factor.

“Driving away from the meeting that day, I turned to Gary and said: ‘He must be a supercoach because there isn’t much charisma.’”

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 New Man Utd boss Amorim ‘makes decision’ on Zirkzee future amid Juventus, Napoli interest
👉 Merson makes ‘catastrophic’ claim as he predicts Man Utd result in Amorim’s first match
👉 Big Weekend: Man City v Tottenham, Ruben Amorim, Liverpool, Cole Palmer, Napoli, Coventry

Ruben Amorim has now replaced Ten Hag as the Man Utd manager and former Red Devils striker Teddy Sheringham is pleased with the choice to appoint the ex-Sporting Lisbon boss.

Sheringham said recently: “At the end of the day, we had enough of Ten Hag. I said he should have been gone ages ago. I’m surprised he lasted that long, especially with where he’s got Man United in the league.

“The Premier League is what it’s all about for Man United, for my liking. I know he won the FA Cup with one outstanding performance, but he should have gone in the summer.

“The decision to appoint Ruben Amorim is not before time. It looks like they’ve picked the best man, the right man for the job to come in. They must have thought long and hard about it, about where they were going to go.

“They got an extra two or three months to find the right man after clearly having doubts about Ten Hag in the summer.

“With the decision to bring him in, obviously there’s a few months gone in the season. It’s not the end of the world, that they’ve got a new manager in now. Things change very quickly. Everyone’s saying Man United are miles off of being the top club that they used to be, but if a manager comes in and gets it right, it can all change at Manchester United.”

Ruben Amorim speaking at first press conference, says United “lose the ball too often”

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Ruben Amorim speaking at first press conference, says United “lose the ball too often”

Ruben Amorim says Manchester United’s first priority is to keep the ball better ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Ipswich Town in East Anglia.

Speaking in his first press conference as head coach of United, the 39 year old said “If you want to speak about the way we play, we lose the ball too often, so we need to keep the ball better.

“We need to be better running back and I think that’s clear for everybody [smiles]. We have to be very good in the small details, we have to improve on that.”

Speaking about his first impressions of the club, he said:

“It’s bigger [than I imagined]. There’s a lot of departments which is different to Sporting. It is a global club with so much to do, not just coaching the team. I have a lot of help and I am very happy and very comfortable. I feel at home.

“I am a dreamer and I believe in myself. I believe in the club and we have the same idea and same mindset.

“I think we have room to improve and I want to try new things.

“We have ideas, it’s not revolution it’s evolution in the way we want to change, we are building a new one. I’m a different guy.”

Ruben Amorim arrives #mufc pic.twitter.com/ov7OWaLroY

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) November 22, 2024

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Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.

Pep Guardiola at Man City: A damning indictment of inferiority for each of the Big Six

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Pep Guardiola at Man City: A damning indictment of inferiority for each of the Big Six

Pep Guardiola has extended his Manchester City contract and will likely therefore extend the very real inferiority complexes of his so-called ‘rivals’ in the Premier League, who have been roundly embarrassed by his side’s dominance in his eight seasons at the Etihad.

We’ve come up with a damning indictment of inferiority for each of the other five members of the Big Six since Guardiola arrived in the summer of 2016.

Arsenal: One Champions League knockout win
Manchester City haven’t been the Champions League juggernauts that their domestic dominance suggests they should have been during Guardiola’s tenure – it was about the only stick left to beat him with before they eventually got the monkey off their back in 2023.

Their relationship with Europe’s showcase competition hasn’t been a smooth one but they’ve had a relationship to speak of, unlike Arsenal.

The Gunners have only been in it twice during the age of Guardiola in England: in the Spaniard’s first season in the Premier League, when they successfully negotiated a group with PSG, Basel and Ludogrets before losing 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich; and last season, when they squeezed through the first knockout round against Porto on penalties before limping out in the quarter-final, again to Bayern.

Chelsea: 28 fewer points per season
The argument from Chelsea fans and the previous regime to defend their saloon-door manager policy was ‘works though, doesn’t it?’. But Guardiola marks the cut-off point after which it no longer did.

Antonio Conte drove Chelsea to the title in his and Guardiola’s first season in England, but none of the Blues’ eight managerial changes since the Spaniard has arrived have led to a title. Not even a sniff of one in fact, with 19 points the smallest gap between the two sides come season’s end, which they ‘achieved’ in consecutive seasons thanks to a bit of Frank Lampard and a lot more Thomas Tuchel.

In the seven seasons since Chelsea won the title in 2016/2017, when Guardiola was still getting his feet under the table, Manchester City have won 200 more points than Chelsea; that’s an average of over 28 more points per season.

Tottenham: 36 knockout victories
No trophies, obviously, but that doesn’t paint a picture anywhere near clear enough of Spurs’ subservience. In the time that Manchester City have won 18 trophies (and yes we’re counting the minor ones because Tottenham sure as sh*t would), Spurs have reached just two finals and won 36 knockout games. Manchester City have won 85.

Manchester United: Spent more
The Sheikh sugar daddy argument rather falls down for Manchester United fans when you dig into, or rather brush the surface, of the numbers.

Manchester United have spent £1.32bn on players since Guardiola arrived in the Premier League, compared to Manchester City’s £1.27bn, with the Citizen sales of £694m in that time providing further embarrassment for United, who have recouped just £363m.

United have spent more, have a significantly greater net spend, have watched City win six Premier League titles – usually from quite a distance – and have failed to finish above their rivals in any of Guardiola’s eight seasons in charge.

READ MORE: It’s been a tough season so far for the Main Character Managers; can Amorim turn the tide?

Liverpool: The Great Rivalry
“I will miss him a lot,” Guardiola said when asked about his great rival leaving Liverpool. “Jurgen has been a really important part of my life. He brought me to another level as a manager.”

We don’t doubt that and we can’t dismiss what were undoubtedly some brilliant battles between two great sides under two great managers, who were so far ahead of the chasing pack for a couple of seasons that those clashes took on added importance as genuine title deciders.

It was definitely over-egged at times, with TV broadcasters as much to blame as anyone for huge build-ups to games between the two even when they weren’t going properly toe-to-toe in the Premier League, which only happened twice, in 2018/2019 and 2021/2022.

Arne Slot is currently wondering what all the fuss was about as he and Liverpool trot ahead of Manchester City without any bother, and it would be very funny if he was to cruise to the title in his first season after The Honorary Scouser fought tooth and nail with Guardiola for years and managed to pip him and City just once.

An enjoyable rivalry certainly, but we would argue a Great Rivalry would need to be significantly less one-sided.

Big money signing the “standout player” in United training, Amorim could bench Bruno for him – report

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Big money signing the “standout player” in United training, Amorim could bench Bruno for him – report

Forgotten man Mason Mount has been the standout performer in Ruben Amorim’s first few training sessions in charge of Manchester United.

Mount joined United for £60m from Chelsea last summer, but his time at Old Trafford has been hampered by a frustrating string of injuries.

The Englishman was handed the iconic number 7 shirt in a show of faith from then-manager Erik ten Hag, but has barely had an opportunity to demonstrate whether he’s up to the challenge.

He has made 26 appearances so far for United, and could be set to make that 27 at the weekend.

Proven in-the-know X account @AmorimEra_, via GiveMeSport, reports that Mount has been the “standout player” in training since the former Sporting Lisbon boss took control.

This has put him squarely in the frame to feature on Sunday in the Portuguese manager’s first match in charge, a trip to Ipswich Town.

Mount has been spotted in training playing as one of two number 10s in a 3-4-3 formation spearheaded by Marcus Rashford at number 9.

Helpfully for Amorim, who has already been tipped to make the 25-year-old a key part of his plans, Mount is used to working in this system; it was the favoured setup for Thomas Tuchel during his reign at Chelsea.

Mount was a key player for the German, picking up 11 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League in 2021/22, when the Blues finished third.

Amorim isn’t short of options in attacking areas, with captain Bruno Fernandes close to undroppable and Amad Diallo hitting serious form this season.

Both players would be expected to be mainstays of the United attack going forward, so an in-form Mount could cause the new head coach a pleasant problem.

Mount will be desperate to seize any chance to prove his worth at United, with his huge transfer fee and almost non-existent return often cited as another example of the club’s poor recruitment.

Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.

“A breath of fresh air:” United legend lathers praise onto rising star who reminds him of Ryan Giggs

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“A breath of fresh air:” United legend lathers praise onto rising star who reminds him of Ryan Giggs

Manchester United legend Gary Pallister has layered praise onto Alejandro Garnacho, comparing his performances to that of Ryan Giggs.

Speaking to TG Casino via the Mirror, Pallister explained: “Alejandro Garnacho reminds me a little bit of Ryan Giggs when Giggs played on the right – the way he’d come in off the touchline onto his favoured foot and open things up.”

“Garnacho can go both ways and is aggressive when he has the ball, which is a real bonus and a problem for opponents,” Pallister observed. It is for this reason that the former United defender believes that fellow winger Antony has been the subject of widespread criticism.

“I think that’s something that’s been aimed at Antony since he joined Manchester United – he predominantly tries to cut inside and hit that wonder strike into the top corner, but you need to be able to threaten defenders both ways to be effective like Garnacho is. Garnacho is still a work in progress, but he’s a real threat and can score goals,” the four-time Premier League winner explained.

Clearly, Pallister is not the only one who has recognised Garnacho’s impressive talents. The Argentine winger was recently nominated for the Globe Soccer Emerging Player 2024 award.

Garnacho has appeared in all 11 of Man United’s Premier League games so far this season, starting on seven occasions. During this time, he scored three goals and bagged an assist.

He has also impressed in United’s first two Carabao Cup games, scoring three goals and bagging three assists. (Transfermarkt)

Among his shining moments was his crucial goal in the 2-1 win over Brentford, which was nominated for the Premier League Goal of the Month.

By inspecting the underlying figures of Garnacho’s performances, it becomes evident that the 20 year old is lacking in the finishing department. With a steep 3.52 xG, the Argentine has converted just 10% of his goalscoring opportunities.

In total, he has scored from one of his eight shots from outside of the box while converting two of his 23 attempts from inside the box.

His ball carrying has also been poor, with 22% dribbling while winning just 33% of his total dribbles. (Stats via Sofascore)

Still, Pallister warned against being too critical of the youngster.

“People talk about his final ball and decision-making, but that’ll come with time because he’s still a young player. He’s definitely been one of the more positive stories for Manchester United over the past couple of seasons, and the way he goes about his game is a breath of fresh air sometimes,” Pallister explained.

With Antony potentially leaving United sometime in the foreseeable future, Garnacho’s role at United may become increasingly important. For that reason, he will need to improve his finishing should he hope to solidify his place as a starting winger under new manager Ruben Amorim, who he will no doubt be looking to impress.

Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.

Skinner: Chelsea are the hardest task in Europe

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Skinner: Chelsea are the hardest task in Europe

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Friday 22 November 2024 10:00

Marc Skinner believes our weekend opponents Chelsea are the ‘hardest task in Europe’ at the moment.

United travel to London for our clash with Sonia Bompastor’s side at Kingsmeadow this weekend, with both sides pitting their unbeaten WSL records against one another.

The Reds will be looking to build on our 3-0 midweek win against Everton in the Women’s League Cup, with Maya Le Tissier’s stunner ensuring the victory late on.

Ahead of the game, Skinner spoke to the press about injuries, overcoming a strong competitor and what it will take to do so in front of their own supporters… 

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Press conference: Chelsea v United Women

🗣 Press conference | Marc Skinner explains United’s injury situation and more, ahead of Sunday’s clash with Chelsea…

THE HARDEST TASK IN EUROPE

“I think to say it’s a must-win against a team that have not lost a game and played the way they have – it’s just a bit overreaching. It’s a want to win for sure. It’s a focus to try and do everything we can to win, but this is probably the hardest task in Europe right now. We know what we’re going to face. We’re going to go into it very positively. We’re going to go into it with the best plan that we can. There’s confidence – we’re the two unbeaten teams and that might fall on Sunday, but we’re going to do everything we can in order to do that. It’s a very tough ask and we’re going to give absolutely everything in order to try and win the game.”

OUR SET PIECES ARE A THREAT

“If you create minimal chances, then you’ve got to make sure that youmaximise the quality in those moments, and we have to do that. I think we’ve been good at that. I think we have real threats from set pieces. What I’d like to see in this game, though, is a bit of a balance. I don’t want to see just smash and grab trying to get to corners to win the game. I think it’s part of the game but actually, there are times in this game that we’re going to have to defend really effectively.

“We’re also going to have to attack really effectively, and we’re going to have to run at Chelsea. We’re going to have to make them defend. When I’ve seen games where they’ve been vulnerable, it’s when you have to make them defend.There’s got to be a balance in this game. My teams will give absolutely everything we can to try and find a way to unlock Chelsea and do what other teams haven’t done so far.”

WE NEED TO RAMP UP ANOTHER LEVEL“I’ve seen loads of progress, I really have. Against Villa, we weren’t ourselves, we weren’t near our qualities and we did drop points. But from our perspective in most of the games, we performed pretty well and so we’ve built this good momentum. We’ve had two good performances this week. We know it ramps up again [to a] totally different level. This is no disrespect to the teams we just played at all but we’re playing the champions and we’re playing them at home and they’ve had a fantastic start. So this is a tough one. We’ve got to be prepared to do everything we can in order to try and disrupt it to win the game. So all in all, it’s been a good block but we we know that this is another ramp-up and another extremely high challenge.”

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WE HAVE TO MAKE QUALITY MATTER

“I think in reality [I’d like to see] more consistency of what we’ve been building. I’ve been really happy with our commitment to what we’ve done. I’ve been really happy with our defensive displays. I want to continue to grow this attacking prowess. It’s been better in the last two games. We’ve got to make the quality matter when we get it. I think it’s that attacking phase. It’s getting back to us being aggressive at the right times and I think that I’ve been happy with that and I want to see that continue to improve.”

TEAM NEWS

“Elizabeth [Terland] in the game against Leicester had felt a little bit of groin tightness so she’s missed the game midweek. She will potentially miss the game this weekend as well but we’re hopeful it’s not a long-term thing. Hopefully after the international break, she could come back andshe’d be fit and healthy. Apart from that, we’re waiting on an assessmentof Aoife Mannion. Ella’s out for a sustained period of time, but apart from that, I think everybody’s healthy and up for selection for the game. We welcomed Leah [Galton] back. We’ve got minutes in the legs for returning players.

“I think we’ve got three games [after the international break] before Christmas time. There’s always the hope [Ella Toone might be back]. But I think what you do is you balance those inflexions and you go, right, if we can get it back, we’ll get it back but we’re just not going to rush her in this moment because it’s a calf injury. It’s your running mechanism so if we injure the running mechanism it just affects the longer term. The projection is she misses the international window, and probably misses the first game after that and then we’ll see from there. Because it’s such a short block with only three games we’ll assess whether it’s worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas.”

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Friday 22 November 2024 10:00

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‘Dream’ Amorim signing at Man Utd demands £10m signing-on fee to move to Old Trafford

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‘Dream’ Amorim signing at Man Utd demands £10m signing-on fee to move to Old Trafford

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies wants £10m to sign for Man Utd on a free transfer in the summer transfer window, according to reports.

The Red Devils spent around £180m on new signings in the summer transfer window as they looked to support Erik ten Hag ahead of the new season.

However, just nine Premier League matches into the new season, Man Utd made the decision to sack Ten Hag and hire Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon.

It looks likely that there will be very limited money to spend to help Amorim improve his squad in January and the Red Devils are already looking ahead to the summer.

One part of the team which Amorim is keen to improve is left wing-back and Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed in late October that Bayern Munich’s Davies – who is available on a free transfer in the summer – is a target for Man Utd.

Plettenberg wrote on X: “Manchester United’s interest in Alphonso #Davies is becoming more concrete #MUFC have been gathering extensive information on Davies for several days. The 23y/o would be a desired transfer for the vacant left-back position, as recently revealed.

“In recent months, Manchester United have already made an informal inquiry with the player’s camp. At present, there are no new talks about a contract extension with FC Bayern. Davies could leave the club as a free agent next summer.”

Before revealing earlier this week that Davies had become a “dream” target for Man Utd and Amorim ahead of next summer.

Plettenberg added: “#Davies #MUFC … One of Manchester United’s dream targets for summer as revealed.”

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano also brought an update on Thursday about the Red Devils’ interest in Davies and confirmed that Man Utd will attempt to sign a new left-back as priority.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 New Man Utd boss Amorim ‘makes decision’ on Zirkzee future amid Juventus, Napoli interest
👉 Merson makes ‘catastrophic’ claim as he predicts Man Utd result in Amorim’s first match
👉 Big Weekend: Man City v Tottenham, Ruben Amorim, Liverpool, Cole Palmer, Napoli, Coventry

Romano said on his YouTube channel: “As I told you, there is still no agreement done with any club. Real Madrid remain there. But for Alphonso Davies, there are several possibilities. So let’s see what’s going to happen.

“On Manchester United, a name I already told you last year, because Manchester United were monitoring this player, and keep monitoring this player.

“Now there is a new coach, and the new coach is Ruben Amorim. So let’s see what Amorim will decide to do for that position.

“But for Man United, first of all, in general, left-back is a priority position. So Man United want to cover that position. This summer, they decided to go with Noussair Mazraoui, this was the plan.

“So last summer, last transfer window, because they believed that Mazraoui could cover the two positions, right and left-back.

“But in 2025, Man United want to sign an important left-back to also play in a different kind of position for Ruben Amorim. He wants a top left-footed player in that position.”

And now GiveMeSport claim that Davies ‘would likely demand wages of £240,000-a-week and a signing-on fee of around £10m’ if he leaves Bayern Munich for Man Utd in the summer.

The report adds:

‘United reportedly view these figures as a potential stumbling block, as such wages would place Davies among the top five earners at the club. The Red Devils are currently looking to reduce their wage bill under INEOS’ management.

‘United are also believed to have identified Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri, former United defender Alvaro Carreras, and Girona starlet Miguel Gutierrez as alternative options.’

Iconic United PL hero explains “unfortunate combo” that put paid to Old Trafford career

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Iconic United PL hero explains “unfortunate combo” that put paid to Old Trafford career

Former Manchester United striker Federico Macheda has expressed regret over some of the choices he made while at Old Trafford.

The 33 year old started his career at Lazio but signed for United as a 16 year old in 2007.

He signed his first professional contract for the club in August 2008 and would later make a name for himself in epic fashion.

In a vital match in the title race late in the 2008-2009 season, Macheda was sent on at home to Aston Villa and grabbed a crucial late winner to give United massive momentum in the title race. This sparked wild celebrations at Old Trafford in one of the quintessential moments of Premier League history.

Unfortunately, this didn’t spark a long and successful career at United as he only played 36 times for the club in six years, scoring five senior goals.

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport the Italian revealed his regret at some of the loan moves he made during his time at United.

He would make a total of five loan transfers whilst at United, with none of them really being considered a success.

“When you’re young and everything is going well, it’s hard to face reality. Today I can safely say that I didn’t make the right choices in that period of my life, but speaking with hindsight is easy.”

Macheda believes that he perhaps did not receive the best advice as he would often accept less than ideal loan deals. “At 19, I went out on loan several times, even accepting six-month contracts. I put myself in situations where I had to prove everything in a short time.”

The striker also believes that he had bad luck in that the clubs he decided to join did not always have the stability required to help a young player prosper.

“I also often found myself in the middle of complicated corporate moments. This unfortunate combo led me to take steps backwards. Despite the many falls, however, I always got back up and I take credit for that.”

Macheda has had spells in Italy, Turkyie and Greece since leaving the United Kingdom in 2017 and is currently playing for Greek club Asteras Tripolis.

Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.

“Quest for normality”: How Marseille have managed to get best out of “gifted student” Greenwood – report

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“Quest for normality”: How Marseille have managed to get best out of “gifted student” Greenwood – report

Former Manchester United attacker Mason Greenwood is being carefully sheltered by new club Olympique de Marseille.

The Englishman was officially sold by United last summer after spending a successful loan spell at Getafe last year.

He has made an electric start to life in France, scoring eight goals and grabbing two assists in only 11 Ligue 1 matches.

RMC Sport have taken a deep dive into how the 23 year old has adapted and been carefully looked after while at the club.

From day one, the French side have “taken a number of measures to protect and integrate him” as they knew the controversy that would surround the move after the sexual assault case that terminated his United career.

This protection extends to even “turning a blind eye if the Englishman is slightly offside on a goal scored in training or if a ball has perhaps crossed the boundaries of the field. When in doubt, it is better to give confidence to his ‘star’ striker.”

Nonetheless, coach Roberto De Zerbi has not mollycoddled the striker as he has lavished praise at times but also issued stern warnings when necessary.

This could be seen when the 23 year old was subbed off at half-time versus Paris Saint-Germain with the Italian directly stating after the match, “I didn’t like the way he played.”

Despite this, the former Brighton and Hove Albion coach knows he has a “gifted student” but who does not always give 100% of his effort.

Marseille remain convinced they made the right call to sign the former United man and have been delighted with how he has adapted to the club and life in France.

“The OM management first has a very close relationship of trust with Greenwood’s father. The latter lives alongside the player and his family. He accompanies him or picks him up from training. And regularly shares his protégé’s feelings with Marseille.”

Greenwood is described as living a normal life where he spends a lot of his time between home and the training ground.

Marseille have done much to make the Englishman feel protected and “has redoubled their efforts to ensure that Greenwood feels surrounded.”

They “feared that the player would sometimes be heckled and mistreated by the public during away matches. Marseille paid the greatest attention to this, even if it meant discussing it in advance with the opposing clubs.”

Despite his quietness, Greenwood has reportedly made numerous friends in the Marseille dressing room and is seen as “very polite and kind” by his teammates.

“The Englishman has affinities with Amine Harit. He has also forged links with his compatriot Jonathan Rowe and the Canadians Derek Cornelius and Ismaël Koné. The relationship is also very good between him and the younger players in the locker room, like Darryl Bakola.”

Former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has also claimed that Greenwood is “very popular” in the dressing room and is feeling very comfortable in his new home and league.

Finally, the club have deliberately sheltered him from media duties as he has acclimatised to his new surroundings but they know this cannot go on forever and he will one day, “make his return” in front of microphones and cameras in the club’s “quest for normality”.

Feature image Miguel Medina via Getty Images

Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.

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