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United’s possible Round of 16 opponents revealed, a re-run of “Welcome to Hell” on the cards

    united’s-possible-round-of-16-opponents-revealed,-a-re-run-of-“welcome-to-hell”-on-the-cards
    United’s possible Round of 16 opponents revealed, a re-run of “Welcome to Hell” on the cards

    Manchester United progressed through to the Europa League Round of 16 with ease as they dispatched FCSB 2-0 at the National Arena in Bucharest on Thursday.

    The win not only meant that the Red Devils finished the group stage in third position but they also became the only team to remain unbeaten throughout the course of the group games.

    And as per the Europa League draw, by virtue of their third-place finish, Ruben Amorim’s side will play either of four teams: Real Sociedad, Galatasaray, AZ Alkmaar or FC Midtjylland.

    Teams that finish in the top eight qualify directly for the Round of 16 in the new format while teams from nine to 24 have to go through a two-legged playoff to join them.

    United through to the Round of 16

    Potential opponents are pre-defined by the teams’ final league positions with United set to face either the 13th, 14th, 19th or 20th placed teams.

    It will get narrowed down to two sides when the play-off round draw is completed on Friday. Teams from ninth to 16th will be seeded and will face a team placed 17th to 24th. The seeded team will play the return leg at home.

    Teams can face off against the same opposition in the knockout stages as well as a team from the same association.

    However, courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur’s fourth-place finish, the earliest United can face the North London side are in the finals should both qualify.

    Potential opponents

    United faced both the Spanish and Turkish sides recently. The 20-time English league champions faced the team from Donostia-San Sebastián in Erik ten Hag’s first season in the same competition, losing the first leg at home before winning the away tie courtesy of Alejandro Garnacho’s goal.

    United faced Gala last season in the Champions League, losing the home tie 2-3 before drawing the away game 3-3. Both games should have been wrapped up much earlier but it was a poor European campaign for the Red Devils. And fans will remember all about the “Welcome to Hell” classic.

    United last faced the Danish side in the Europa League back when Louis van Gaal was in charge, losing the away game before a fabulous win at home.

    As for the Dutch side, United had faced them when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was boss back in 2019, winning 4-0 at home.

    On paper, Sociedad and especially Galatasaray look the most difficult game especially away from home but Amorim must be confident given the team’s performance in the competition under him so far.

    Feature image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images

    Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

    Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25

    “There’s a lot more freedom”: United hero in win vs. FCSB opens up on huge tactical change by Amorim

      “there’s-a-lot-more-freedom”:-united-hero-in-win-vs.-fcsb-opens-up-on-huge-tactical-change-by-amorim
      “There’s a lot more freedom”: United hero in win vs. FCSB opens up on huge tactical change by Amorim

      Manchester United star Kobbie Mainoo has opened up on the experience of playing in the number 10 role for the first time under Ruben Amorim.

      Mainoo spoke to MUTV after United beat FCSB 2-0 to secure automatic progression to the knockout stage of the competition.

      A goalless first half in which Ruben Amorim’s were arguably the better side was followed by a second 45 in which United’s quality shone through.

      Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo scored within a few minutes of each other at around the hour mark, the latter also assisting the first, to secure all three points for United.

      After the final whistle, Mainoo told MUTV about getting on the score sheet, “Any time to put the ball into the back of the net for United is amazing and hopefully there’s a few more coming.”

      On assisting Dalot, Mainoo remarked, “An assist is just as important as a goal for me, so any time I can be involved in a goal for me, it’s amazing.”

      Amorim has primarily used Mainoo in the midfield pivot but against FCSB, the Portuguese coach deployed him as one of the two most advanced midfielders, just behind the striker.

      Mainoo was brilliant on the evening and unsurprisingly, fans want to see more of him in that role.

      Asked about this, the England international replied, “There’s a lot more freedom and I felt comfortable out there, especially as the game went on. I got used to it a bit more and yeah, I was happy and I was enjoying it.”

      He added, “It didn’t feel too new…I just hadn’t done it in a while, so I just had to get used to it for a minute.”

      Ahead of Sunday’s meeting at Old Trafford with Crystal Palace, Mainoo stated, “Games just keep coming thick and fast, so we just got to get some sleep and get ready for the next one.”

      United vs. Palace kicks off at 14:00 GMT.

      Featured image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images

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      Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!

      Europa League reputation takes hit as joke clubs Man Utd, Spurs, Rangers progress

        europa-league-reputation-takes-hit-as-joke-clubs-man-utd,-spurs,-rangers-progress
        Europa League reputation takes hit as joke clubs Man Utd, Spurs, Rangers progress

        Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the joke clubs of the Premier League but have finished in the top eight of the Europa League. Make of that what you will.

        The Europa has provided some much-needed respite for the Premier League strugglers, though their European campaigns have been far from stress-free.

        It feels like yesterday Erik ten Hag had to avoid defeat against FC Porto to save his job. He did and was sacked a few weeks later. The 3-3 draw in Portugal was absolute chaos. Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund put them 2-0 up but the Red Devils needed a 91st-minute Harry Maguire goal to rescue a 3-3 draw, finishing the match with 10 men after Bruno Fernandes’ second red card in a matter of days.

        Man United drew their first three games in disappointing fashion but an unbeaten start is an unbeaten start at the end of the day. Ruud van Nistelrooy earned them their first win following Ten Hag’s dismissal and Ruben Amorim kept the momentum going with wins over Bodo/Glimt, Viktoria Plzen, Rangers and now FSCB.

        Ruben Amorim’s side played quite well against FCSB and won the match through goals from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo, who assisted the opener on a good night for him and academy graduates in general.

        United finish the league phase with five wins, three draws and zero defeats, unlike Spurs, whose 3-0 win over Swedish side Elfsborg on Thursday helped them to a fourth-place finish after losing only once at Galatasaray.

        Ange Postecoglou’s men took their time to take the lead but they deserved it when it came. What they and Big Ange did not deserve was another injury and especially not another injury to a defender.

        This time it was Radu Dragusin, who landed awkwardly and was forced to come off, with Archie Gray moving back to centre-back, the poor sod. Micky van de Ven did at least return to the starting XI, in what is a monumental boost.

        READ MORE: Man City won’t win the Champions League; they’ve had their time like Novak Djokovic

        Dragusin’s replacement was Dane Scarlett and the 20-year-old – who was recalled from his Oxford United loan earlier this month – scored a fine header to open his account for Spurs on his 18th appearance. It came via an outstanding Dejan Kulusevski cross as the Swede got back in the goal contributions after a couple of subpar performances due to fatigue from carrying his team-mates on his back every week.

        Another youth graduate, Damola Ajayi, scored on his senior debut. What a finish it was and what an incredible moment for the 19-year-old, who made sure of the three points and Spurs’ place in the top eight of the league phase before fellow youngster Mikey Moore made it three.

        Manchester United join them in the last 16 of the Europa League, while a third group of jokers in Rangers snuck an eighth-place finish with an edgy win over Union Saint-Gilloise at Ibrox.

        With these three clubs finishing in the top eight of the Europa League league phase, the competition has lost all integrity.

        We are kidding… ever so slightly.

        It has been an extremely weird 2024/25 Europa League. Manchester United and Spurs finished third and fourth, Rangers finished eighth despite an extremely difficult schedule and being pathetic domestically, while Braga, Hoffenheim, Besiktas, Nice and Slavia Prague couldn’t even finish in a play-off spot.

        In truth, Man United and Spurs should really be finding solace in the Europa League but they still faced some very handy sides. Their final league phase standing does not make much sense considering their Premier League woes.

        Spurs are second-bottom in the Premier League form table, while United are 13th. In the actual table, Spurs are 15th and United 12th. They have been absolutely atrocious. One rightly changed their manager and the other is refusing to do so despite walking on the thinnest of ice above an actual relegation battle.

        Unfortunately for Postecoglou and Amorim, it is time to focus on domestic football for a while. That is possibly even more daunting news for Rangers, who would probably be unbeaten in all competitions this season if every match was played on a Thursday night.

        They seem to come alive under the lights in Europe and that has been the case for a few years now, reaching the final of this competition three years ago. In the Scottish Premiership, they have been nothing short of a joke, with one Celtic hand already on the trophy.

        Their progression straight through to the last 16 is more damning than Spurs and Man United’s, which is still pretty damning to the Europa’s reputation.

        READ NOW: Watkins 4th), Tel 2nd): Ranking the Arsenal striker targets from worst to best buy

        Amorim’s tactical shift has brought the best out of key duo who were struggling under Ten Hag earlier

          amorim’s-tactical-shift-has-brought-the-best-out-of-key-duo-who-were-struggling-under-ten-hag-earlier
          Amorim’s tactical shift has brought the best out of key duo who were struggling under Ten Hag earlier

          Manchester United eased their way into the Europa League Round of 16 with a comfortable 2-0 win over FCSB at the National Arena in Bucharest on Thursday.

          The win meant the Red Devils became the only team to remain unbeaten during the course of the group stage as they finished in third spot.

          Second-half goals from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo proved to be the difference in the end and the visitors could have scored a lot more but for some profligate finishing.

          The new year has started well for Ruben Amorim with the 20-time English league champions losing only once in all competitions and the Portuguese’s tactics seem to have brought out the best out of two key stars.

          Mainoo excels as a No 10

          Many have argued that Kobbie Mainoo’s best position was as a No 10 but under former manager Erik ten Hag, he was deployed mainly as a defensive midfielder or in central midfield.

          But Amorim has given him the licence to play further forward in recent games and against FCSB, he picked up an assist as well as a goal.

          In the process, he became the youngest midfielder (19 years & 286 days) in the club’s history to register a goal and assist in the same game.

          With the former Sporting Lisbon boss’ system employing two attacking midfielders, the England international might just have found his new starting position.

          Licha on fire again

          While the Carrington graduate will rightly take home all the plaudits, Lisandro Martinez’s renaissance in form will also please the head coach.

          The Argentine was starting to be written off by critics, especially in the early part of the season. But now that he has started to understand the new system, fans are once again seeing the best of the World Cup winner.

          With added protection behind him, Amorim has given him the permission to bomb forward at will to use his impressive passing ability to good use.

          His importance could be gauged from the fact that Amorim decided to sub him off in the 71st minute to afford him some rest ahead of the crucial Premier League game against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

          Feature image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images

          Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

          Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25

          100% dribbles, 100% ground duels, 3 key passes, 4 long balls: this star pulled the strings for United in win vs. FCSB

            100%-dribbles,-100%-ground-duels,-3-key-passes,-4-long-balls:-this-star-pulled-the-strings-for-united-in-win-vs.-fcsb
            100% dribbles, 100% ground duels, 3 key passes, 4 long balls: this star pulled the strings for United in win vs. FCSB

            Manchester United shook off a rusty opening 45 minutes to turn Romanian outfit FCSB over and secure progression to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

            Diogo Dalot broke the deadlock at the hour mark, converting a cross from Mainoo. Eight minutes later, provided turned scorer as Mainoo tapped in a sublime delivery from Alejandro Garnacho to secure the victory for the visitors.

            United had 70% possession in comparison to FCSB’s 30% share of the ball.

            The Red Devils managed seven shots on target from their total 21 cracks at goal. FCSB attempted eight shots, with three of these requiring Andre Onana to intervene.

            Ruben Amorim’s men put together 667 passes with a pass accuracy of 88%. FCSB strung 288 passes with a completion rate of 74%.

            There were multiple good performers for United including the two goalscorers, Toby Collyer who was substituted during the break, Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and of course, Martinez.

            Martinez has been in fine form over the past few games and he extended this run with another superb display for his side.

            Slotting on the left side of a three-man defence, Martinez was solid defensively but even more impressive was how he consistently stepped up into the spaces to help the team attack.

            He regularly ventured into midfield, from where he delivered quality passes and conducted the game.

            During the 71 minutes he was on the pitch, Martinez made three clearances and one interception. He won the one ground duel he was required to contest.

            The World Cup winner touched the ball 102 times and accurately found his teammates with an astronomic 84 of the 90 passes he attempted.

            Three of his passes were key passes. He created one big chance for Mainoo in the first half that should have resulted in a goal for the Red Devils.

            Martinez tried to connect with seven long balls and found his intended target four times.

            The Argentine fired two shots, both of which were off target. He completed the single dribble he embarked on.

            (Stats obtained from Sofascore)

            Martinez certainly seems to have found his feet under Ruben Amorim. United return to action on Sunday when they host Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

            Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

            Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!

            Man Utd: Rasmus Hojlund eighth in ranking of 15 Scandinavians as Patrick Dorgu nears

              man-utd:-rasmus-hojlund-eighth-in-ranking-of-15-scandinavians-as-patrick-dorgu-nears
              Man Utd: Rasmus Hojlund eighth in ranking of 15 Scandinavians as Patrick Dorgu nears

              Patrick Dorgu looks set to be the first Manchester United signing of the Ruben Amorim era, joining from Lecce for around £25m as a bona fide left wing-back option.

              The 20-year-old has four caps for Denmark and would become the 16th Scandinavian to represent United in the Premier League.

              To be clear about something that we didn’t know was quite such a hot topic for debate (but apparently very much is having delved into Scandi forums and looked at maps including or excluding Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Finland), for the purposes of this ranking of Scandinavian Red Devils we’ve focused on the three nations we’re tempted to call The Main Ones but absolutely won’t.

              We’re talking Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and have ranked them from worst to best.

              15) Bojan Djordjic
              “I felt like I’d lost my power,” recalled Djordic having arrived at United as a promising teenager in 1999 and immediately being told by Sir Alex Ferguson that he needed to get rid of his luscious, flowing locks on their first meeting.

              And the Swede’s Samson-like premonition bore out in a career that saw him play just 183 games in total for 13 different, all notably inferior, football clubs after less than 90 minutes for the Red Devils.

              14) Josh King
              He very nearly returned to United from Bournemouth in January 2020 when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer instead plumped for Odion Ighalo, but will have to settle for his two senior appearances for the Red Devils unless Amorim fancies bringing him in from Toulouse, for whom he’s got more league goal contributions (7) than any United player barring Amad Diallo (12) and Bruno Fernandes (11).

              13) Erik Nevland
              The striker made just eight appearances for United and made a greater but not all that great impact on English football with Fulham, for whom he scored ten goals in 67 games.

              READ MORE: Ranking every post-Fergie Man Utd manager’s first signings as Amorim closes in on Dorgu

              12) Henrik Larsson
              It felt like he played far more than just 13 games and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see more of a wonderful footballer in the Premier League.

              11) Anthony Elanga
              Ralf Rangnick claimed he was a “role model” for his work-shy teammates and he was for a very brief time considered to be an Amad Diallo-style saviour at Old Trafford before escaping for much sunnier climes at Nottingham Forest.

              10) Anders Lindegaard
              Joined in the January before Edwin van der Sar retired and may very briefly have hoped that he could be the club’s new No.1 before they went and signed David de Gea six months later. Nine clean sheets in 21 Premier League games isn’t too shabby.

              9) Christian Eriksen
              Three years at Manchester United just isn’t what you need after staring death in the face, particularly as Eriksen has consistently been asked to fill the midfield doughnut when he should if anything be the delicious topping.

              8) Rasmus Hojlund
              We’re way past the point where people have realised how little Hojlund is doing, with the excuses for his performances wearing thin and morphing into anger, based partly on him costing £64m but mainly because there has been evidence, albeit limited, that there is a proper striker in there.

              7) Victor Lindelof
              It’s always felt as though Lindelof was too sensible and mature for Manchester United. He’s the sort of guy whose pleasure in life derives from a dog walk to a coffee shop or a critically acclaimed arthouse film rather than being surrounded by revellers in the VIP section of a nightclub.

              Haven’t said much about his quality as a footballer there. He’s probably a bit underrated if anything. More importantly, you would love to see your daughter bring him home to meet the family.

              6) Jesper Blomqvist
              He played 38 games for United in the Treble year and that was that. Baller.

              5) Zlatan Ibrahimovic
              There were questions when he arrived as to whether he still had it as a 34-year-old or if Manchester United was just another club to check off on his European powerhouse bucket list, but no player signed post-Sir Alex Ferguson before or since – with 29 goals and ten assists – comes close to his goal contributions rate of one every 103 minutes.

              Pretty sure Ruben Amorim would be starting the current 43-year-old Zlatan if he had the option.

              4) Henning Berg
              He was key to Blackburn winning the title in 1995, moved to United, and won it on a further two occasions and also played a starring role for the Red Devils in Europe, with his displays in the 1999 quarter-final against Inter particularly memorable.

              3) Ronny Johnsen
              He was one of three players along with Berg and Ji-sung Park picked out as the most underrated by Sir Alex Ferguson in his time at the club; he won the Premier League in four of his six seasons at the club and started four of the five knockout games in their 1999 Champions League win, including the final.

              2) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
              Incredible that such a reliable goalscorer was for the vast majority of his Manchester United career third or fourth choice striker. Amorim, and indeed Solskjaer when he was manager, would have killed for someone so accomplished on front of goal.

              READ MORE: Six Man Utd stars who could join Solskjaer’s Besiktas after Rashford inevitably snubs ‘crazy’ transfer

              1) Peter Schmiechel
              He was always going to top this list and would be at the summit of many people’s Best Premier League Goalkeeper ranking too. Hard to argue against a guy with 10 major trophies, who is still the reference point for pundits who could probably do with an example from this century as a comparison when a goalkeeper rushes out of goal and spread-eagles to block a shot.

              Four things we learnt as United ease to 2-0 win over FCSB

                four-things-we-learnt-as-united-ease-to-2-0-win-over-fcsb
                Four things we learnt as United ease to 2-0 win over FCSB

                Manchester United travelled to Romania to take on FCSB in the final league match of the Europa League this evening.

                Altay Bayindir returned to goal and is now clearly Ruben Amorim’s cup keeper.

                Lisandro Martinez started alongside Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazroui proved his flexibility by playing as the right centre back. Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia started as the wing-backs.

                Toby Collyer started alongside Bruno Fernandes in the middle of the park, while Christian Eriksen got a rare start.

                Kobbie Mainoo took up a more advanced position than usual and Rasmus Hojlund was given another chance to add to his goal tally in Europe.

                Here are four things we learnt from the match.

                Lisandro Martinez is growing into 3-4-3

                The Argentinian did not have a great start to this season under Erik ten Hag and struggled to get to grips originally with Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3.

                He has grown into his role lately as he is more confident in his defensive actions and most impressively of all, has dramatically improved the accuracy of his passing.

                The extra centre back has given him the freedom to advance forward and he already has two goals this calendar year.

                In the first half he played a few nice balls in behind and to break the lines of the Romanian defence.

                United fans will hope this is a return to the Butcher they fell in love with in the 2022/2023 season.

                A lot of passing but no cutting edge in first half

                The Red Devils selected to play Christian Eriksen to have more control of the ball and that is certainly what happened.

                United had 69% possession in the first half and completed 364 passes.

                Nonetheless, they had little in the way of concrete chances, only producing three shots on target as they held onto the ball with ease but rarely got near the Romanian’s goal.

                Amorim will hope that with time and further training, his side can develop the attacking patterns that he craves in the final third.

                The introduction of Alejandro Garnacho and Amad helped immensely and made United much more threatening in attacking areas. Nonetheless, United will want to start games faster and carry more attacking threat early on in matches.

                Tyrell Malacia off the pace

                The Dutch fullback has been linked to a move away from Old Trafford this January and in this form, it is clear why.

                He only managed 45 minutes of action before being subbed off after picking up a yellow card early in the first half.

                Malacia made a poor challenge and put himself under unnecessary pressure.

                He also lost the ball a few times in dangerous areas and looks off the pace at this level.

                A loan move may be best at a lower level where he can re-discover his old form.

                Kobbie Mainoo impresses in advanced position

                The 19 year old has found it difficult to completely fit into Amorim’s system but perhaps he has found his role after tonight’s showing.

                He should have scored in the first half after firing the ball over and got himself in a few dangerous areas.

                Mainoo provided the assist for Diogo Dalot’s opener with a wonderful ball fired across the area.

                He got his reward in the 69th minute when he slotted home the second goal of the game, his first strike since the FA Cup final.

                Crucially, he was much more involved in the game and looked a lot happier connecting the midfield with the attack.

                Featured image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images

                Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

                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.

                A rising star renewed: this playmaker excelled in his new role as he lifted United to a 2-0 win over FCSB

                  a-rising-star-renewed:-this-playmaker-excelled-in-his-new-role-as-he-lifted-united-to-a-2-0-win-over-fcsb
                  A rising star renewed: this playmaker excelled in his new role as he lifted United to a 2-0 win over FCSB

                  Manchester United cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over FCSB in what was their final group game of the UEFA Europa League.

                  Kobbie Mainoo emerged as the star of the match, exhibiting both his slick playmaking and his precise finishing in an attacking masterclass. Clearly, a number 10 role suits him.

                  With an automatic qualification spot for the knockouts almost guaranteed, Man United would have surely been looking to wrap up the group stage with a win, thereby avoiding the need to rely on other results to go their way.

                  Rubem Amorim’s players seemed calm and collected at the start, controlling the flow of the game and camping in the hosts’ half.

                  Eight minutes in, Tyrell Malacia received a yellow card for a slide tackle in which he took out Florin Tanase’s legs. A completely unnecessary error by the wing-back so early in the match.

                  The subsequent freekick involved a sublime cross from Risto Radunovic, finding Mihai Popescu, who slid in and put his shot inches wide of the far post, catching United’s defence off guard. That near miss should have surely convinced United to up their focus.

                  In the 15th minute, United came close to scoring as Kobbie Mainoo produced a well-timed run into the box, volleying his shot into the keeper’s gloves.

                  Barely a minute later, Christian Eriksen took a long-range shot that the keeper just managed to parry. A good attacking run from United.

                  Three minutes later, Mainoo missed a sitter. Rasmus Hojlund Cut back a pass from the left side of the goalmouth to Mainoo in the centre, who unnecessarily blasted his shot over the top. He surely would have regretted making a meal of what was such a clear goalscoring opportunity.

                  On the half-hour mark, Lisandro Martinez crossed the ball into the box, with Hojlund heading towards goal, only for the goalkeeper to stop the danger. Clearly, United had established their dominance, yet a goal was still lacking.

                  On the stroke of half-time, Malacia put a threatening low ball into the box, yet Hojlund was not positioned to pick up the pass. It was a prime opportunity for United to take the lead going into the break.

                  While United were clearly in control for the majority of the half, a poor performance in front of goal meant that the game remained goalless going into half-time.

                  As the second half began, Alejandro Garnacho came on for Malacia.

                  With his first touch of the game, Garnacho almost scored. Mainoo put an opportune through ball to the Argentine, whose shot beat the keeper but hit the post. 0-0, the match remained.

                  In the 56th minute, Hojlund got on the end of a witty through ball from Lisandro Martinez, taking a grounded shot from a tight left angle that was on target, only for the goalkeeper to make the save. Still, United could not produce the final product.

                  On the hour mark, Diogo Dalot broke the deadlock. Mainoo played a ball across the face of the goal to Dalot, who made a blistering run into the box, catching the defence off guard before firing the ball into the back of the net from close range. 1-0 to United.

                  Soon after the restart, the hosts almost drew level. took a long-range shot that beat the keeper, only to slam into the crossbar and bounce inches in front of the goal line. Tanase pounced on the rebound, but his header breezed wide.

                  68 minutes in, Mainoo went from assist-maker to goalscorer. The midfielder passed to Garnacho on the left before running into the box. Garnacho laid the ball back to Mainoo, who struck a grounded effort past the keeper to double United’s lead.

                  After the restart, Martinez made way for Leny Yoro, while Casemiro came on for Eriksen.

                  In the 78th minute, Mainoo almost made an assist as well when he passed to Hojlund. However, his shot wound up in the side netting. Clearly, playing in a more advanced position is working well for Mainoo, who has made several intelligent runs and produced some creative passes.

                  With 10 minutes to go, Joshua Zirkzee came on to replace Hojlund.

                  United won a corner, with Amad firing a cross into the box that met Zirkzee’s head, only to balloon over the top.

                  On the other end of the field, Marius Stefanescu took a shot that Altay Bayindir struggled to save, parrying wide.

                  Two minutes from time, Garnacho passed a through ball to Fernandes in the box, whose shot veered just wide of the far post.

                  Four minutes of added time were announced, handing United a few extra minutes to perhaps seal a third goal and truly put the game to bed.

                  Two minutes later, United earned a corner, with Matthijs de Ligt heading the ball over the top.

                  It was a comfortable victory for United, who continued their recent winning streak to secure their spot in the next round of the Europa League. It will be exciting to see how far United go in their European adventure.

                  Starting XI: Bayindir, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Martinez, Fernandes, Hojlund, Malacia, Eriksen, Dalot, Mainoo, Collyer
                  Subs: Garnacho, Yoro, Casemiro, Zirkzee

                  Featured image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images

                  Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

                  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.

                  Dalot and Mainoo grabbed the goals but this United player was the real star of the show in win vs. FCSB

                    dalot-and-mainoo-grabbed-the-goals-but-this-united-player-was-the-real-star-of-the-show-in-win-vs.-fcsb
                    Dalot and Mainoo grabbed the goals but this United player was the real star of the show in win vs. FCSB

                    Manchester United beat FCSB to secure automatic progression to the Europa League’s final 16 stage. Here are our player ratings from the game.

                    (A score of 6 is around average)

                    Altay Bayindir 6 – Barely had anything to do.

                    Noussair Mazraoui 7 – Very comfortable at right-centre-back. Appears to be his best position under Ruben Amorim.

                    Matthijs de Ligt 7 – Solid defensive display. Did well especially in the first half, when FCSB tried to counter.

                    Lisandro Martinez 8 – Also defended staunchly. Consistently looked to step up into advanced possessions, from where he delivered some really quality passes. His brilliant ball to Mainoo should have resulted in a goal.

                    Diogo Dalot 8 – Right place at the right time to tap the ball into the net to give United a deserved lead.

                    Toby Collyer 6.5 – Slotted into the middle of the park like a seasoned professional. Some slick passing that helped United sustain spells of possession. Covered the ground so well.

                    Bruno Fernandes 6 – Not as influential in attack as is usually the case but conducted a lot of the play for United.

                    Tyrell Malacia 3 – Received an early booking for a reckless foul. Made a poor back pass that almost led to a goal for FCSB. Also conceded the free-kick for the visitors’ biggest chance of the opening 45 minutes.

                    Christian Eriksen 5 – Decent. A lot more involved when he dropped a bit deeper.

                    Kobbie Mainoo 9 – Brilliant in a new role as one of the 10s. Got on the score sheet with a brilliant finish and registered an assist for Dalot’s goal. Could have had more goals to his name but missed two very good chances in the first half. Made some very intelligent runs. Certainly one of his better performances since Amorim’s arrival.

                    Rasmus Hojlund 3 – Didn’t do much apart from his cut-back that Mainoo aimed well over the bar. Mostly anonymous but still a slight improvement on last Sunday’s display.

                    Substitutes

                    Amad Diallo 6 – Excellent corner-kick deliveries. Provided width on that right side.

                    Alejandro Garnacho 7 – Bright when he was introduced and assisted Mainoo for United’s second of the evening.

                    Casemiro 6 – Contributed when he came on with some nice passes and diagonals.

                    Leny Yoro 6 – Seamlessly slotted into the back three and ensured United kept a clean sheet.

                    Joshua Zirkzee 5 – Couldn’t tame his headed effort after connecting with Amad’s corner-kick.

                    Featured image Vasili Mihai-Antonio via Getty Images

                    Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

                    Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!

                    Marcus Rashford ‘spotted’ at work as ‘medical booked’ amid Ruben Amorim ‘knife’

                      marcus-rashford-‘spotted’-at-work-as-‘medical-booked’-amid-ruben-amorim-‘knife’
                      Marcus Rashford ‘spotted’ at work as ‘medical booked’ amid Ruben Amorim ‘knife’

                      Marcus Rashford is still the only show in town; there’s juice in pretending a medical is booked and Ruben Amorim has ‘stuck the knife in’…

                      Marc the knife
                      Ruben Amorim must be getting a little bored of talking about Marcus Rashford. Indeed, he was pretty clear on Wednesday that he was getting a little bored of talking about Marcus Rashford.

                      “I promised you I would not give anything about Marcus Rashford, but I’m giving you a little bit. It’s the same thing,” said Amorim, who left the door open for Rashford to return to the Manchester United team if he shows more application in training.

                      “You can look at our team and imagine the profile of the players. Now imagine a talent like Rashford? Our team should be so much better with Rashford. But he has to change. If he changes, we are more than welcome to put in a talent like Rashford. And we need it.

                      “We have to set some standards, that’s all. We are waiting for Marcus, if he wants it really, really bad. You try to make it personal but it’s not personal. I have nothing against Marcus. I just have to make the same rules for everybody.”

                      He literally said “I have nothing against Marcus” and yet…

                      ‘Ruben Amorim takes another swipe at Marcus Rashford and tells Man Utd ace he must change or remain in Old Trafford limbo – The Sun.

                      ‘Another swipe’? He literally said that Manchester United would be a better team WITH Rashford.

                      ‘Ruben Amorim sticks the knife into Marcus Rashford again in latest twist to Man Utd saga’ – GB News.

                      He’s really ‘stuck the knife in’ with his brutal dig of “we are waiting for Marcus”; he will surely bleed out from that mortal wound.

                      Spotter’s badge
                      But before Amorim faced the press and countless questions about a player not in his match-day squad, there was an open training session as mandated by UEFA in which Rashford of course took part.

                      We have been here before – exactly seven days ago when the media pretended that he had not been training before – and now we are here again…

                      ‘Marcus Rashford spotted in Man United training for the first time since Ruben Amorim claimed he would rather play his GOALKEEPING COACH, 63, as row over intensity ramps up’ – MailOnline.

                      He hasn’t been ‘spotted’; photographers are allowed into training for an open session the day before every European clash and of course they captured Rashford in a series of images available through every major agency. You can see one such photo at the top of this page.

                      In The Sun we are told that Rashford ‘was included in Amorim’s final practice ahead of United’s Europa League trip to Romania to face FCSB on Thursday’; and that was ‘despite’ Amorim’s comments about his goalkeeper coach.

                      Imagine including a first-team player in first-team training…

                      Medical booked LIVE
                      But the real juice is in pretending that a medical has been ‘booked’; these are magic words that we have covered on these pages before. That’s the real kerching right there. And as always it’s a Reach and usually it’s the Manchester Evening News and their LIVE blog.

                      ‘Man United transfer news LIVE – Mathys Tel hint, Rashford ‘talks’ open as medical booked’

                      It reads like a Marcus Rashford medical has been booked because it is absolutely designed to read like a Marcus Rashford medical has been booked.

                      We are Control F-ing the sh*t out of ‘booked’ to find the exact reference and here we are…

                      ‘Manchester United are reportedly set to sign Ayden Heaven and have booked a medical for the 18-year-old.’

                      It seems churlish to point out that this ‘medical booked’ news that is not remotely related to Rashford is two days old, deriving as it does from this tweet…

                      🚨🔴 Ayden Heaven to Manchester United, here we go!

                      Exclusive story from last week confirmed as 18 year old centre back’s set to leave Arsenal and join #MUFC.

                      Medical booked after he rejected new deal from Arsenal and Eintracht approaches.

                      Agreement being formally sealed. pic.twitter.com/Q12q8JC2fs

                      — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 28, 2025

                      So it’s two days old, concerns an 18-year-old and is absolutely not connected to Marcus Rashford. Has the famed Reach ‘curiosity gap’ become a gaping chasm?

                      The Truth
                      Mediawatch wades through dozens of misleading headlines every day but it’s rare that you get an outright lie. So it is to The Sun we go…

                      Man City land horror Champions League play-off tie as Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa learn their next opponents

                      Nope. They don’t. They absolutely don’t. You can read all the details of the draw here but one thing that we can absolutely confirm: Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa have NOT learned their next opponents.

                      Indeed, The Sun admit as much eight paragraphs in, by which time you have already seen three ads and a casino promo…

                      Arsenal, Liverpool and Villa will all have to wait to find out who advances to the last 16 from the play-off round to discover their opponents for their clashes.

                      So the headline was a blatant lie? Good to know.

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