According to reports, Napoli boss Antonio Conte has ‘approved’ signing another Manchester United star in January after he landed Scott McTominay.

The former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur head coach returned to football ahead of the 2024/25 campaign as he joined Serie A giants Napoli.

Under Conte, Napoli were busy in the summer transfer market and spent over £20m to sign Scotland international McTominay from Man Utd.

The 28-year-old has proven to be a good signing for Napoli as he’s grabbed four goals and two assists in his 14 appearances for the Italian outfit.

Now, Conte is reportedly open to another raid on Man Utd as he is interested in signing Netherlands international Joshua Zirkzee.

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The forward was United’s first summer signing as they activated his £34m release clause to sign him from Serie A outfit Bologna.

Zirkzee’s time at Man Utd got off to a dream start. He scored in his Premier League debut as they beat Fulham 1-0.

However, the 23-year-old failed to kick on and has been heavily criticised for his performances this season.

Zirkzee ended his eleven-game goal drought in the Premier League earlier this month as he netted a brace in Man Utd’s 4-0 home win against Everton, but he remains under pressure and is reportedly one of the reasons why former sporting director Dan Ashworth was axed. 

The Red Devils are being linked with several potential upgrades as they are reportedly scouring the market for a prolific goalscorer. This could open the door for Zirkzee to return to Italy and Napoli are among the clubs interested in him.

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A report in Italy claims Conte has ‘given the green light’ for Napoli to target Zirkzee ‘in January’ after he ‘would have signed him in the summer’.

Conte is said to have ‘approved the arrival of Zirkzee’ as he’s ‘asked for reinforcements’ when the winter transfer window opens.

‘The Napoli head coach has given the green light to the arrival of Joshua Zirkzee for the next winter transfer market season.

‘The striker is not convincing at Manchester United and would be happy with a return to Italy after his excellent spell last season with Bologna.

‘Conte already this summer wanted to focus on Zirkzee but the costs were prohibitive.’

Napoli are second in Serie A after 15 matches as they have been usurped by in-form Atalanta, who are unbeaten in 14 games across all competitions and have not lost since September. Conte’s side are currently two points adrift of the table-toppers.

Former Man Utd assistant manager Rene Meulensteen insists Red Devils co-owners INEOS have “done nothing else than just upset a lot of people”.

It was revealed last month that the Red Devils had made the decision to end ‘a multi-million pound annual commitment’ to Sir Alex Ferguson in their latest cost-cutting measure.

The Scot won 38 trophies at Man Utd during a managerial reign spanning nearly 27 years, including 13 Premier League titles and two European Cups.

INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are working to put the club on a more sustainable financial footing and have instigated a number of cost-saving measures, including a redundancy programme which cut 250 jobs from headcount across all departments by the end of August.

After chasing Dan Ashworth over the summer in an expensive operation, Man Utd announced on Sunday that the former Newcastle sporting director has now left the club.

Ratcliffe is not just struggling to convince people of his ability in off-field matters but also decisions, such as keeping Erik ten Hag on in the summer, which have seen Man Utd drop to 13th in the Premier League on the pitch.

On the exit of Ashworth, Meulensteen told Lucky Block: “The Dan Ashworth news was a big surprise for me. It just doesn’t make any sense. You look at Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s tenure at the club so far – obviously he started with all those mass redundancies and everything, which is fine if you get your communication about your vision for the club spot on so people can understand these decisions.

“It’s like when they got rid of Sir Alex Ferguson as an ambassador – there may have been absolutely nothing in that, but because the communication is so poor, people start to guess about things going on behind the scenes.

“My instinct with Ashworth leaving is that there was a bit of a power struggle. It shows that there are a lot of unclear things going on behind the scenes. You don’t bend over backwards to get someone in from Newcastle and pay a big fee to secure his services and then say ‘see you later’ after five months. It doesn’t make any sense to me. The communication with all of these decisions has been poor in my opinion.

“INEOS really haven’t covered themselves in glory since the start of the summer when they were talking to other managers while still employing Erik ten Hag. You can’t say, ‘Ten Hag’s our man’ and then four months later say the opposite. It shows a lack of clarity and a lack of direction and, most importantly, a lack of communication. Over the past 12 months, they’ve done nothing else than just upset a lot of people.”

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Meulensteen thinks Man Utd appointed Amorim as a bit of “gamble” and reckons England manager Thomas Tuchel would have done well at Old Trafford.

The former Man Utd assistant added: “Ruben Amorim is a bit of a gamble by the club, and Manchester United is a bit of a gamble for him as well. For him to leave Sporting CP after the last few years that he’s had there – I would have thought twice about it to be honest!

“I think Manchester United needed a manager who had some good knowledge about the Premier League, a strong personality and a good communicator in front of the media. I was a huge fan of Arne Slot and I know him well from the Dutch league, but he obviously went to Liverpool in the summer.

“There was Thomas Tuchel as well – obviously he has a bit of a temperamental background, but I do think he would have had the personality and character in front of the group to do well at the club. He would have been able to tell some home truths to the squad and I think he would have fit the bill in terms of what the club needed at the moment.”

Man Utd legend Gary Pallister has also had his say on Ashworth’s departure, he told MyBettingSites.co.uk: “I think everybody was caught off guard by the news of Dan Ashworth. He was somebody that was picked out to be the man to address the balance and recruitment, because the recruitment hasn’t been well for many years.

“We have wasted an awful amount of money on players that haven’t stood up to the task, and we all thought Dan was gonna be integral moving forward. It´s hard to talk about it right now because of all the rumours.

“It is surprising and it’s not a good look because he was seen as the man who should move us forward in that department.

“I am sure that a lot will come out in the wash. I guess, a lot has gone on behind closed doors, but I am sure they were just not happy with the fit. But it´s not a good look, because he was the man who should make a difference in recruitment. But it might not have gone as well as they thought.”

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According to reports, Manchester United will not ‘replace’ former sporting director Dan Ashworth, who has interest from two Premier League clubs.

On Sunday morning, Ashworth‘s shock exit from Man Utd was announced by the Premier League giants.

The respected sporting director – who has previously had spells at Brighton and Newcastle United – was targeted by INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe following his purchase of a minority stake in the Premier League giants.

Before the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Newcastle placed Ashworth on gardening leave and negotiated a compensation package with Man Utd. 

Newcastle initially demanded £20m for Ashworth, but Man Utd eventually reached an agreement with their rivals to pay around £3m.

In the summer, Ashworth joined technical director Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada. He lasted just five months as several conflicts involving United’s hierarchy resulted in the 53-year-old’s exit at the end of last week. 

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The Red Devils have already been linked with several potential successors, but a report from The Sun claims they ‘won’t replace’ Ashworth as they have ‘ditched the sporting director role’.

‘Red Devils part-owner Ratcliffe decided that his Ineos right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, United chief exec Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox will share the responsibilities of the position.

‘Ashworth, 53, was forced out of Old Trafford after losing a power battle with ex-City executive Berrada.

‘The pair had a huge fall-out over how the club should move forward in a bid to get back to the top of English football.’

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It is also noted that Ashworth may not be out of work for long as he is being ‘lined up’ by Arsenal and another Premier League club.

‘Ashworth, who worked at Newcastle, Brighton, West Brom and the FA, could be offered a swift return.

‘Arsenal are assessing options to replace Edu as sporting director at the Emirates and Ashworth’s unexpected availability has caught their eye.

‘Ashworth has a close relationship with Gunners managing director Richard Garlick, who is leading the search to land a new sporting director.

‘Garlick was legal director at The Hawthorns and worked under Ashworth before replacing him as the club’s sporting director when he left to join the FA in 2013.

‘Everton are also monitoring Ashworth as they wait for The Friedkin Group to complete a takeover. The club’s prospective new owners are in the process of conducting a structural review, which will lead to new appointments including a chief executive and technical director.’

Arsenal have added Dan Ashworth to a shortlist of candidates to replace Edu as sporting director after his shock exit from Man Utd, according to reports.

Arsenal confirmed on November 4 that Edu had handed in his resignation as the Gunners’ sporting director, bringing to end his five-year spell at the Emirates Stadium which started as the club’s technical director before a promotion in November 2022.

His decision to quit Arsenal came as a shock to everyone, including Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, who had built an excellent relationship with the Brazilian in the process of building a squad capable of challenging for the Premier League.

Real Sociedad director of football Roberto Olabe has been among the people linked with replacing Edu at Arsenal, while there is also interest in Paris Saint-Germain football advisor Luis Campos.

But now ESPN claim that Arsenal have added Ashworth ‘to a list of possible candidates for their vacant sporting director position’ as they ‘consider a move’ after his departure from Old Trafford.

Man Utd and Ashworth parted company by “mutual consent” on Sunday despite rumours that the sporting director’s exit was fuelled by disagreements.

A short Man Utd statement read: “Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement.

“We would like to thank Dan for his work and support during a transitional period for the club and wish him well for the future.”

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Ashworth has previously worked with Arsenal managing director Richard Garlick at current Championship side West Bromwich Albion and that could work in his favour if he’s interested in the Gunners sporting director role.

ESPN add:

‘Sources added that the pair enjoyed a close working relationship at the time. Garlick is now leading Arsenal’s search for a sporting director after Edu resigned from his position last month.’

The report continues:

‘With January expected to be a quiet month for Arsenal barring any unforeseen injuries or market opportunities, the club do not feel under any urgent pressure to replace Edu — who is on gardening leave for six months — but Ashworth’s availability is of clear interest given both his pedigree and prior history with Garlick.

‘United declined to confirm whether Ashworth had been placed on gardening leave or if there was any other legal issue preventing him from taking another job.

‘Edu’s successor will be selected by an executive team including Garlick, manager Mikel Arteta, board member Tim Lewis and co-chair Josh Kroenke.

‘Sources have told ESPN that Arsenal will continue to follow a diligent process in terms of narrowing down candidates and identifying the right personality profile before formally approaching any individual.’

Man Utd legend Gary Pallister has hit out at Jamie Redknapp over his “disrespectful” comments towards Lisandro Martinez over the weekend.

The Red Devils were poor as they lost 3-2 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday to fall down the Premier League table to 13th.

Man Utd have now drawn one, won one and lost two of Ruben Amorim’s first four Premier League matches in charge of the club with the unconsistency still remaining after Erik ten Hag’s departure.

Martinez, who has struggled with injuries since joining Man Utd, was criticised by former Liverpool midfielder Redknapp for being “bullied” as Nikola Milenkovic headed Nottingham Forest ahead at Old Trafford.

Redknapp said on Sky Sports on Sunday: “He has to be stronger there. He’s like a little boy there. He just gets bullied. It’s a mismatch, he is trying to block him and its a towering header.”

Ex-Man Utd centre-back Phil Jones also gave his view on the opening goal, he added: “It is a great header, a bullet of a header. But you sense vulnerability from set pieces.

“Martinez is almost too fixated on the man. He’s got the blocking job, he’s too square and is watching the man rather than the ball. Diogo Dalot takes a couple of steps towards the ball and gets caught underneath it. He almost gets sucked underneath the ball.”

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But Pallister thinks it was wrong for Redknapp – who he did not name – to call Martinez a “child” and thought it was a “bit disrespectful” to the Man Utd defender.

Man Utd legend Pallister told MyBettingSites.co.uk: “It’s frustrating with the goals we give away again against Forest. We are very poor, and as a whole team it will take a while for Amorim to find out who he trusts in the team.

“I saw some calling Martinez a child, which I found a bit disrespectful. I understand, he is not looking at the ball, he is more affected to stop his man. You got to watch the ball and be aware of the flight of the ball.

“I never understand when a defender is more focused on marking the man. That is naive defending.

“It´s a difficult one. Amorim is changing the team so much at the moment, which is understandable. He is trying to see all the players he has available.

“We are not seeing the finished product right now, but it´s still the same problems at Man United at the moment. We don´t look together as a team and we have moments of quality but as a team they are lacking.”

Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford has two transfer ‘options’ if he leaves Old Trafford with the Red Devils attempting to sell, according to reports.

Rashford scored 30 goals in the 22/23 season for Man Utd but the England international has only score 11 Premier League goals since then.

Man Utd have been struggling for goals in general in the Premier League this season with Rashford on four, Joshua Zirkzee bagging three and Rasmus Hojlund grabbing two.

That has led to plenty of rumours about forwards who the Red Devils could invest in during the January transfer window, in an effort to help them better their current 13th-place position in the Premier League.

But in order to buy they will probably have to sell and there was speculation earlier today that Man Utd are now open to ‘top offers’ for academy graduate Rashford.

Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg reported that Man Utd could sell Rashford as soon as January if they receive the right offer and that he is “definitely not unsellable” under Ruben Amorim.

Plettenberg wrote on X: “Manchester United would sell Marcus #Rashford at the latest by the summer and would already be open to top offers in the winter. The club acknowledge his development under Ruben #Amorim but consider him definitely not unsellable.

“One reason why a sale is being discussed: if he were to leave the club due to his very high salary, it would free up critical points in the complicated Financial Fair Play system, which, in turn, would give the Red Devils more room to maneuver in the transfer market. 27 y/o with a contract until 2028. #MUFC”

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And now the Daily Telegraph have built on that report by saying that Rashford is ‘fighting to save’ his career at Man Utd and that the Red Devils ‘were open to selling him last summer and remain receptive to bids being made’.

The report adds: ‘United are said to be concerned about Rashford’s lifestyle off the pitch and there are fears he is no longer as focused on his football as he could be. Sources have said he is dealing with a number of off-field distractions that are affecting his performances.’

It is claimed that transfer moves to Saudi Arabia or Paris Saint-Germain ‘could be options’ for Rashford but the ‘chances of United finding a buyer in January are remote given he earns around £325,000-a-week at Old Trafford and has not shown any consistent form for months’.

The report continues: ‘The sale of Rashford, even for a relatively modest fee given what he would have once commanded, is also attractive to United given their profit and sustainability concerns. As a homegrown player, any money brought in would represent pure profit under PSR, which makes him even more vulnerable.’