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Which United Women have been called up?

Tuesday 01 April 2025 10:56

Manchester United Women have 14 players included in squads for senior international matches during April.

The UEFA Women’s Nations League continues, as we count down to the 2025 European Championship this summer, while friendlies are also taking place around the globe.

Grace Clinton, Maya Le Tissier, Ella Toone and Millie Turner will all hope to be involved for England, as the Lionesses play Belgium home and away in Group A3.

Sarina Wiegman’s side have four points from their opening two fixtures, having beaten Spain and drawn with Portugal.

Gabby George is currently one of the players on standby for the matches at Wembley, on 4 April, and in Leuven four days later.

There are double-headers for the Netherlands (Dominique Janssen) and Scotland (Emma Watson) in Group A1, as the Dutch face Austria while the Scots take on Germany.

While Scotland are still looking for their first points in the tournament, competition is tight at the top, with Germany and the Netherlands currently level and only the top team progressing to the finals later this year.

Norway’s Lisa Naalsund and Elisabeth Terland are pursuing France at the summit of Group A2 and host Les Bleus next week, after a trip to Iceland.

Celin Bizet was originally named in the selection, but the Reds winger has now been replaced by Anna Josendal.

There’s also Reds interest in Group A4, as Anna Sandberg has been called up by Sweden and Safia Middleton-Patel is in the Wales ranks.

The two countries go head-to-head on 8 April, after home games against Italy and Denmark respectively.

Republic of Ireland are seeking promotion to the Nations League top tier and have picked Aoife Mannion for their two games against Greece, who are currently bottom of Group B2.

That’s the competitive senior internationals dealt with, but a number of friendlies have also been organised.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce will be hoping to make her senior bow for the United States during their two friendlies versus Brazil in California.

Jayde Riviere and Canada take on Argentina in Vancouver and British Columbia, while Hinata Miyazawa’s Japan entertain Colombia in Osaka.

Take a look at all the fixture dates and times below, including several outings for our younger players…

FIXTURES FOR OUR WOMEN

WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL

England U19 (Newell) v Belgium (14:00)

THURSDAY 3 APRIL

France U23 (Malard) v Portugal (12:00)
England U23 (Rendell, Simpson) v Spain (18:00)

FRIDAY 4 APRIL

Greece v Republic of Ireland (15:00)
Iceland v Norway (16:45)
Sweden v Italy (18:00)
Netherlands v Austria (19:00)
Wales v Denmark (19:15)
Scotland v Germany (19:35)
England v Belgium (20:00)

SATURDAY 5 APRIL

England U19 v Austria (14:00)
United States v Brazil (22:00)

SUNDAY 6 APRIL

Japan v Colombia (06:00)
England U23 v Sweden/Belgium (TBC)

TUESDAY 8 APRIL

England U19 v Ukraine (14:00)
Germany v Scotland (16:45)
Austria v Netherlands (17:15)
Norway v France (18:00)
Sweden v Wales (18:00)
Belgium v England (19:30)
Republic of Ireland v Greece (19:30)

WEDNESDAY 9 APRIL

United States v Brazil (03:30)

All kick-off times are listed in BST.

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Tuesday 01 April 2025 10:56

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Arsenal warned 42-goal phenom is not a ‘natural finisher’ and Prem title will remain elusive

Troy Deeney has warned Arsenal that striker target Viktor Gyokeres is not a “natural finisher” and he will not help them to win the Premier League or “they’d have already bought him”.

Gyokeres already has 42 goals in all competitions this season. That includes six Champions League goals in eight games – a better tally than he scored in last season’s Europa League.

That suggests he’s moving on with each level, and he’s only one goal off his entire tally for last season already, supporting that.

New Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is said to be a long-term admirer of the Sporting CP striker, with the Gunners developing a strong interest.

But former Premier League forward Deeney feels that interest is misplaced, with Gyokeres not up to standard.

“You know when you say something the clip is going to come back in six months,” Deeney said on talkSPORT.

“I genuinely think he’s a good footballer, he works really hard, all of that. But I don’t think he’s a natural finisher.

“And again, everyone is going to pull up his goal record, I get that. But I don’t think he takes either of those two [Arsenal or Manchester United] to winning the Premier League.

“That’s just my opinion, and if he did, they’d have already bought him.”

Gyokeres has 85 goals in the last two seasons, with the second of those obviously not complete yet. He has also scored 15 goals in 26 international appearances, and in his last season in England with Coventry, he bagged 22 goals, suggesting he is indeed a natural finisher.

MORE ON ARSENAL FROM F365:
👉 Berta ‘knows first three Arsenal transfers’ as new sporting director reacts to his appointment
👉 Ten transfer requests welcomed by Premier League clubs ahead of the summer window

One of the reasons he has not already been bought is surely that his price tag has changed of late. Gyokeres’ release clause is at €100million (£83.6m approx) but insider Fabrizio Romano has suggested he’ll more likely be sold at €65m-€70m (£54.4m-£58.5m).

While he’s one of the most in-form strikers in the world, clubs would not have wanted to overpay for no reason, knowing that a side like Sporting would probably drop the price to ensure they receive a decent fee.

In any case, Deeney reiterates we’ll “find out” that the Premier League is not the same as Liga Portugal when Gyokeres arrives.

READ MORE: Arsenal face long fight to keep Saka fit after hamstring ordeal: ‘They will be extremely cautious’

Big Midweek: Liverpool v Everton, Chelsea, Saka, Amorim, promotion fights and cup chaos

And to our enormous relief it really is a Big Midweek after the interlull and FA Cup quarter-final weekend.

A warm welcome back to the Premier League. We are very sorry we were so mean about you.

Game to watch: Liverpool v Everton
No pressure, everyone, but we will insist this be every bit as entertainingly unhinged as the Goodison game. In essence, if the week after this match isn’t filled with Reach websites pretending Liverpool might get a points deduction, then we will be extremely disappointed.

For very obvious reasons, Liverpool v Everton is always a game to watch, but there is just a smidge more riding on this than might otherwise have been the case. If Arsenal have beaten Fulham on Tuesday night – not a gimme, but let’s just say the Cottagers didn’t hit the ground running on their return after the international break – then suddenly Liverpool’s unassailable 15-point lead has become a nine-point one without Arne Slot’s side so much as muddying their boots in a Premier League game.

Let us not get too bogged down in the Utter Woke Nonsense that is the fact Liverpool haven’t played a league game since March 8 and instead focus on things just going ever so slightly belly up after an absurdly serene season that must have had Slot wondering what precisely all this Barclays fuss is actually about.

That last league outing was itself unconvincing, Liverpool forced to come from behind at home to beat what may yet prove to be the worst Premier League side of all time, and since that awkward Saturday afternoon absolutely ages ago Liverpool’s only football has been to get knocked out of the Champions League by PSG and then totally fail to turn up against a rampant Newcastle in the Carabao final.

By the time they take to the field for the Merseyside derby they will have had 17 days to stew on that particular failure to launch while also potentially seeing Arsenal eat into that admittedly still imposing lead.

Liverpool will still be absolutely fine. They still only need at most 16 points from their last nine games with home games against West Ham and Tottenham and a trip to Leicester offering some nice easy ones along the way for a team that has still only lost once all season in the league.

But there’s no doubt that for the first time all season there is an air of vulnerability about the best team in the country, who now have a bit of ring-rust to contend with as well because football insists on a fixture list where the gaps between matches must always be either far too small or absurdly large, and that in these circumstances there are easier tasks than having to take on a rejuvenated local rival who haven’t lost a game since mid-January (albeit with an 18-day wait since their own most recent outing) and would like nothing more than to shove another stick in the spokes of their neighbours’ title charge.

Big Final Run-in: Liverpool transfer prep, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Maresca, Foden

Team to watch: Chelsea
Still not attracting as much attention as others, but Chelsea are in the midst of another peculiar season and remain a club that appears to have made kooky long contracts its entire personality.

On the pitch it’s a tough season to stand out as a big club engaged in shambling. Chelsea haven’t been as unexpectedly bad as Man City or as hilariously bad as Man United or Spurs. They will, probably, still end up qualifying for the Champions League despite themselves.

But the early-season promise of something approaching a halfway acceptable on-field return for the insane levels of investment have now almost entirely fizzled out. They will probably still win the Europa Conference, but their hearts really don’t look in it.

They have gone out meekly in both domestic cup competitions, revealing some understandable if still unacceptable small-time tendencies from an unarsed Enzo Maresca, who is, we must all take care to remember, still in his first season of top-flight management.

And in the league it’s now just four wins in a 13-game run stretching back to mid-December. And those wins have been against four of the current bottom five.

The good news, though, is that they won’t have to raise their level much – or even at all – upon their return to action because they’re at home to Tottenham and being at home to Tottenham is about as close to a guarantee of a cure for any Chelsea ills as is known to medical science.

Of course, the flipside of that is the unlikely but not impossible scenario in which they don’t in fact win this game, because that really would set alarm bells ringing.

Thomas Tuchel lasted less than a month after failing to beat Tottenham at home back in 2022, and he’d just won the Champions League. Enzo Maresca has not just won the Champions League, and a mistake here in Chelsea’s most bankable home fixture opens the very real possibility that they will once again not be in it next season.

Player to watch: Bukayo Saka
We were already irrationally annoyed about having to wait three more days for a hit of Barclays after the international break and doubly so upon discovering that shunting the whole programme to midweek doesn’t even give us one of the ‘every game live on TV’ treats that we’re all supposed to be grateful for when it should obviously just be the norm.

So there are only actually three games you can watch on TV in the UK, and Arsenal v Fulham isn’t one of them. That means you’ll have to wait for Match of the Day on Wednesday night for a proper chance to watch Bukayo Saka’s long-awaited return from injury there being, ahem, absolutely no, cough, other way around that.

Even in this rather frustrating league season for the Gunners they remain good enough that the loss of their most important player hasn’t derailed them entirely. This is no one-man team and they’ve still lost only one of the 12 Premier League games he’s missed since suffering a hamstring injury at Crystal Palace just before Christmas.

But there’s no doubt that Arsenal have – with one outrageous standout exception – been a slightly duller, less vibrant and less vital team without him. His absence has been keenly felt not just for his own prodigious output but the now clearer than ever way he elevates those around him.

Arsenal thought they missed Martin Odegaard when he was injured earlier in the season. They’ve missed him nearly as much in the last few months and he’s actually been playing. Saka isn’t just a wonderful player, but a wonderful player who makes everyone around him better.

The last few months have shown just why Mikel Arteta has been so reluctant to give Saka any kind of rest, despite the obvious risk that what happened might happened. They just couldn’t afford to be without him.

Arteta says Saka is ‘ready to go’ and we believe it. Quite how far the return of Saka can propel Arsenal over the closing weeks of the season remains to be seen, but the Gunners should at the very least be a more consistently compelling team to watch with their main man back in action.

Manager to watch: Ruben Amorim
The Saka Situation may have made Arteta one of few managers to welcome the extended break between games. Ruben Amorim certainly won’t have welcomed it.

United’s latest corner-turning may have been wildly overstated by a desperate media, but it also isn’t nothing. They have been slightly better than they were, and there are some signs of players at last getting to grips with what really isn’t so outlandish or unusual a set-up that it should have been so very far beyond them for so very long.

The seven-match ‘unbeaten’ run United are on may include an FA Cup penalty shoot-out defeat and only in fact feature wins over Ipswich, Leicester and Real Sociedad but from little acorns and all that.

A trend for United this season has been for them to be just about able to summon up enough to beat the very worst teams in this season’s Premier League – and those teams really are historically bad – while having just enough muscle memory to look vaguely like a Proper Man United Team for games against their old rivals Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and City. They’ve got results against all of them.

But that leaves a whole bunch of clubs in the middle against whom United have generally lost or more recently sometimes drawn. And by definition they now face the very hardest challenge that group of clubs can offer: third-placed Nottingham Forest, away from home.

Get something from this game and maybe Amorim really is on to something at last. Especially with a gimme coming up at the weekend against Man City.

READ: Nottingham Forest vs Man United prediction, expected line-ups, how to watch and stats

Football League game to watch: Doncaster Rovers v Walsall
There’s a full programme of League One and League Two matches to choose from on Tuesday night and, while a second-bottom v second-top Paul Mullin Derby between Cambridge and Wrexham is not without its charms, it’s a clash from the ferociously tight League Two promotion battle that has to get the nod here.

Leaders Walsall have forgotten how to win at an inopportune time. Five draws and a defeat in their last six have left them far less secure than a League Two leader might ordinarily be at this stage of the season with three automatic promotion spots available.

Lose here at fourth-placed Doncaster and they potentially find themselves in the slightly uncomfortable position of having only a two-point cushion over a team with a game in hand.

The good news for both these sides is that as well as fourth v first this midweek round also offers up second-placed Bradford against third-placed Port Vale. Given how tight it all is with just five points separating those four sides – and Wimbledon and Notts County very interested observers a point further back – it’s sure to be a round of games that significantly reshapes the promotion picture one way or another.

European game to watch: Atletico Madrid v Barcelona
Really are spoiled for choice here thanks to some top-tier cup semi-final action. You can even treat yourself to the first half-hour of Milan v Inter in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final first leg before switching over to the second leg of this Copa del Rey semi-final.

We wouldn’t recommend missing the start of this one, though – or indeed any of the rest of it based on a bonkers first leg at the Olympic Stadium that somehow ended all square at 4-4 after Atleti raced out into a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes and then clawed back a 4-2 deficit in the final six.

United aiming to complete a crucial season first in Forest’s tough backyard

Manchester United travel to high-flying Nottingham Forest tonight in a 8pm kick-off (UK time). In a rather unusual situation, it is the Tricky Trees who find themselves in third position in the Premier League, while United lie in 13th place.

The Red Devils have played Forest 113 times in history.

They have come out on top 54 times and there have been 24 draws.

The side from the City Ground have been victorious on 35 occasions.

Here are three storylines to ponder before the match.

Forest’s recent good run against United

The Red Devils have lost two of the last three matches against Forest.

They were defeated 2-3 at Old Trafford in December and Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are looking to be the first Nottingham Forest team to do the double over the Red Devils since Brian Clough’s side in the 1991-1992 season.

The Tricky Trees also beat United 2-1 at the City Ground the last time the two teams met there in December 2023.

Nonetheless, before this, the Red Devils had dominated recent encounters, winning 11 matches on the bounce going all the way back to 1995.

United looking to achieve season first

The next statistic speaks to how shocking the Red Devils have been in the league this season but Ruben Amorim’s side are still yet to win consecutive league games.

As the calendar turns to April, the Red Devils are still looking for their first back-to-back victory in the Premier League of the 2024/2025 season.

They beat Leicester City 3-0 away from home in mid-March before the international break and are searching for another victory.

Embarrassingly, only two other teams have failed to win consecutive league games all season and they are relegation battlers Southampton and Ipswich Town.

According to the BBC, “the Red Devils are also aiming to record consecutive away league victories for the first time since winning three in a row in February last year.”

Anthony Elanga reunion

The Red Devils have a host of quality young players in their squad at the moment, but one that seems to have got away is Elanga.

The Swede, who made his breakthrough into senior football at United via the academy, has been instrumental in Forest’s rise to the Champions League places and an FA Cup semi-final.

The 22 year old has been a revelation for Forest in the two seasons he has been there and he has scored five goals and provided nine assists in the current Premier League campaign.

United will be hoping that they can find a way to keep the 2019-2020 Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year quiet tonight.

Featured image Alex Pantling 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.

Man Utd ‘red flags’ for last 12 signings revealed after ‘data revolution’ uncovers Hojlund blunder

The revelation that Manchester United ignored a ‘red flag’ to sign Rasmus Hojlund for £64m from Atalanta came as a surprise to absolutely nobody.

His displays for United would suggest said concern may have been related to barn doors and banjos, but apparently Sir Jim Ratcliffe and The Lads needed a ‘data revolution’ to uncover their predecessors’ mistake of paying more for a footballer than he was worth. Probably just look at Transfermarkt, chaps.

Anyway, we then wondered which ‘red flags’ may have been ignored with regard to other signings made by United in the last three seasons. In the main we’ve dug deeper than overpayment, as that’s less a red flag and more what they should have avoided having uncovered the red flag.

Big thanks to the wonderful FBRef, which allowed us to compare the signings with players in their position in the season before they joined United.

Manuel Ugarte (PSG, £50m): Sideways or backwards
“You bring the fight,” Erik ten Hag said, pointing out a ‘United & Fight’ sign to a perplexed Ugarte upon his arrival at Carrington. “It’s normal for me,” the Uruguayan replied.

The jury’s still out on that but he’s definitely not one of your midfield conductors. Ugarte is there to recover the ball and give it to someone who can do something with it. He was in the 27th percentile for progressive passes among midfielders in Ligue 1 while at PSG, who now have the technically brilliant pairing of Joao Neves and Vitinha at the base of their midfield.

Luis Enrique got £50m for a player who he was never going to play, because he recognised – as managers from most top teams have done – that a defensive midfielder needs to be more than a fighter these days.

READ MORE: Ten Premier League stars who proved their clubs are The Problem on international break

Leny Yoro (Lille, £52m): Not a Proper Defender
We’re starting to really enjoy watching him and think he could turn into a top, top Premier League defender, but he needs to do the dirty work as well as the Rolls Royce stuff.

The uptick in physicality should have been the concern given he was in the 25th percentile for tackles and interceptions, the 28th for clearances, the 31st for Aerial duels won and – most remarkably – the 1st percentile for blocks. Yoro was bad at the defending parts of being a defender.

Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich, £43m): < Eric Dier
Not good enough for Juventus and then not good enough for Bayern Munich when Eric Dier was.

Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna, £36m): Bad feet for a big man
Zirkzee’s United career has provided a fascinating insight into the football fan psyche. Jeered off by Red Devils supporters as he was substituted after half an hour against Newcastle. Having then felt sorry for the Dutchman, those same supporters now chant his name if he does so much as control the ball and pass it 10 yards.

That’s by no means a given though as the 23-year-old was in the 21st percentile for miscontrols among forwards in Serie A and in the 16th percentile for the number of times he was dispossessed.

Patrick Dorgu (Lecce, £25m): Can’t beat his man
A tough one to make a direct comparison as the FBRef slackers don’t offer a wing-back comparison, so Dorgu is either up against wingers, who generally have superior attacking stats, or full-backs, who have the better defensive stats. And the task is made even more difficult by Dorgu playing on the wing, as a wing-back and a full-back at Lecce before moving to Old Trafford.

Anyway, given he’s been signed to play as a wing-back, we would have thought he would be more attacking than most full-backs, but he was in the 34th percentile for take-ons attempted, the 19th for successful take-ons and the 11th for successful take-on percentage.

Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta, £64m): Ronaldo without the goals
He’s also got bad feet for a (not quite so) big man, worse than Zirkzee in fact, having been in the 7th percentile for miscontrols and the 4th for being dispossessed, but more enlightening is his lack of defending from the front.

Among strikers in Serie A he was in the 8th percentile for tackles, 12th for tackles won, 33rd for passes blocked and 15th for interceptions.

READ MORE: Man Utd ignored ‘red flag’ to make £64m signing; ‘data warning undermined’ amid ‘walk away’ plea

Mason Mount (Chelsea, £55m): Can’t shoot or score
The United bosses would have loved a big He’s Injured All The F***ing Time red flag but Mount only missed 18 games through injury at Chelsea before his 50 so far at Old Trafford.

They should though perhaps have been concerned by him being in the 38th percentile for goals and for goals per shot, and the 19th for percentage of shots on target.

Andre Onana (Inter Milan, £44m): Below average shot-stopper
Post-shot expected goals is expected goals based on how likely the goalkeeper is to save the shot. FBRef explains that positive numbers suggest better luck or an above-average ability to stop shots. Onana had a score of -2.7 in his last season for Inter Milan, which made him 16th in Serie A among goalkeepers to have played more than 100 minutes.

He had the third-lowest goal-kick launch percentage at 30% though, so f*** it.

READ MORE: Who is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League in 24/25?

Antony (Ajax, £82m): His value
Like the time your mate walked into a glass door or any other memory that never fails to make you chuckle, the Ajax chiefs must think back to when Manchester United made their £82m bid for Antony and roll in the halls.

He was worth £30m at the time, which is roughly what the Red Devils now want for him after 12 goals and five assists in 96 appearances.

Casemiro (Real Madrid, £50m): His age
Real Madrid being open to the departure of their five-time Champions League-winning midfielder should have sounded alarm bells. They clearly foresaw a decline that started after a six-month grace period at Old Trafford and then continued apace to the point where a four-year contract which seemed foolhardy to begin with has become one of the biggest sticks to beat the decision-makers with.

Lisandro Martinez (Ajax, £47m): Easily dribbled
Pretty impressive across the board in truth, aside from his ability to stop tricky wingers, with Martinez in the 18th percentile for percentage of dribblers tackled and the 20th for challenges lost, which doesn’t chime all that well with his nickname of ‘The Butcher’.

Tyrell Malacia (Feyenoord, £13m): Too soft
He was 36th percentile for tackles, 16th for tackles in the defensive third, 16th for challenges lost, 26th for interceptions and 8th for clearances, and on the very few occasions he actually played for Manchester United, Malacia didn’t look up for the physical demands of English football.

Amorim to make three changes to his United side as unlucky forward misses out on crunch match against Forest – prediction

Coming off the back of a rare unbeaten run, Manchester United face a tough task tonight as they travel to the City Ground to face a buoyant Nottingham Forest side in the Premier League.

Forest lie third in the table and have a six point cushion in the race for a top four finish. They will be desperate not to lose any ground by failing to beat the Red Devils, although they could be without top goalscorer Chris Wood, who has a hip injury.

United’s last line of defence will be Andre Onana. However, Altay Bayindir is back in training after injury and should make the bench.

Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro also return, but Ayden Heaven has not recovered from the injury that saw him stretchered off against Leicester. Jonny Evans is also injured and Lisandro Martinez is out for the season.

We believe Maguire will come in for Victor Lindelof and Noussair Mazraoui will also move back into the back three, with Yoro being named on the bench.

Patrick Dorgu returns after suspension and should play at left wing back with Diogo Dalot at right wing back.

Luke Shaw is back in training but head coach Ruben Amorim has already said he is not ready to take part in this game.

Manu Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes will probably be the central midfield pivot, with Casemiro and Toby Collyer other options. Kobbie Mainoo is still injured.

Up front, the much-improved Josh Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho are likely to flank Rasmus Hojlund. Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen are also available, but Amad is still injured.

Chido Obi will also be missing after playing 120 minutes in the FA Youth Cup semi-final against Aston Villa last night.

Harry Amass did not take part in that game which suggests he will be in tonight’s squad.

The bench could therefore be Bayindir, Amass, Yoro, Lindelof, Casemiro, Collyer, Eriksen, Mount and perhaps a third keeper such as Elyh Harrison.

This, then, is our predicted starting XI for tonight’s 8pm BST kick off:

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images


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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.

From Portugal: United in pole position for “electric” wing wizard, he’s even better than Chelsea-bound Quenda – report

Ruben Amorim needs another wingback at Manchester United in the summer following the January acquisition of Patrick Dorgu from Lecce.

The Dane has started strongly on the left with Diogo Dalot currently occupying the right wingback slot but the Portugal international has struggled to provide the required attacking impetus.

The United head coach was eyeing a reunion with his Sporting CP protege Geovany Quenda who had promised he would come to Old Trafford even if there was no Champions League football on offer.

But instead, the Portuguese wonderkid headed to Chelsea and now, the Red Devils will have to find the perfect alternative.

Roger is an upgrade on Quenda

United are keeping an eye on Braga’s Roger Fernandes with O Jogo claiming the 20-time English league champions are in the lead and Amorim will have the final say on the matter.

The 19-year-old has a €40 million release clause and Braga will not let him leave for less than €30 million, which might deter potential suitors.

But if Roger ends the season with a bang, interest is likely to increase and Braga president António Salvador could earn a record fee from his sale.

The Portuguese, much like Quenda, can play on either flank and can double up as a winger if required. But he excels on the right and is left-footed and has five goals, more than Quenda, and as many assists this season.

He is in the 97th percentile for progressive carries and 98th percentile for successful take-ons, which shows his ability with the ball (as per fbref), better than the Chelsea-bound star.

Football Analysis have described him as an “electric, pacey winger known for his fearless and confident play” who is also known for being “an explosive 1v1 specialist”.

United in pole position

“Roger’s future is being planned for England. After approaches and some due diligence in the last winter transfer window, the English interest remains firm, despite the recent injury that forced him to stop, and it will not fade at the end of the season.

“According to what JOGO has learned, a significant contingent of Premier League players are eager to get hold of the winger. Among them, Manchester United stands out, willing to fight for the young Guinean prodigy, aged 19, as they recognise in him an immense talent and potential similar to that of Quenda, a target who escaped to Chelsea.

“Rúben Amorim will certainly have a strong say in the matter. But there are other clubs paying attention. Offers are certain to be on the table for António Salvador, although the demand for 30 million euros may deter some suitors. However, this should not be enough to prevent his departure.”

Manchester City, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brighton, Brentford and Fulham have all been mentioned as interested clubs and it will be interesting to see which English club ultimately secures his signature.

Feature image Octavio Passos 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

United coach raves about goal machine, claims he has that “healthy arrogance” that separates the best from the rest

Manchester United suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup against Aston Villa on Monday with the home side emerging triumphant after the game went to penalties.

Adam Lawrence decided to change his team from the epic quarter-final win against Arsenal by bringing Chido Obi back into the U18 fold after his cameos with the senior team.

The 17-year-old played the full game but could not find the back of the net and looked rusty for the most part. But the U18 coach was full of praise for the ex-Arsenal starlet.

When asked to describe what sort of a striker the Dane is, Lawrence told The Athletic, “He’s horrible to play against. He’s got that lovely way about him where he backs himself.

Chido praise

“That healthy arrogance where he’s like, ‘I want to play at the top, get better and improve’. He’s definitely brought that to the group.”

Despite the temporary setback, Chido Obi has already impressed pundits and former players during his substitute appearances with the senior team, especially in the FA Cup against Fulham.

That arrogance has been on show with the striker knowing how to use his physicality to good effect during duels with opposition defenders.

He has four senior caps already and if not for the Villa game, Ruben Amorim would have likely called him up to the matchday squad for the Premier League game against Nottingham Forest.

Onto bigger things

The Denmark U21 international has 12 goals this season already for the various age group sides and has been described as a “natural goalscorer“.

Amorim has been full of praise for Chido Obi as well, claiming he has that something that all great strikers have inside the box.

“But you felt that, inside the box, he wants the ball – something the strikers have and he has.”

Hopefully, the Danish wonderkid can get this loss out of system really quickly and he can go on to finishing the season on a strong note for the senior side.

It will be pre-season when he must impress Amorim enough to become a bonafide first-teamer. With Rasmus Hojlund struggling and United yet to identify a striker in the market, Chido Obi certainly has the chance to make his mark.

Feature image Lewis Storey via Getty Images


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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

De Gea names ‘£75m flop’ as one of his greatest Man United teammates

Former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has named the five greatest players he shared the pitch with during his time at Old Trafford.

Speaking to La Repubblica, the 34-year-old reflected on his twelve-year stint at the club and highlighted the teammates who left the biggest impression on him.

De Gea, widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers of his generation, selected a group of former teammates that includes both expected icons and a couple of surprise inclusions.

He made over 500 appearances for United between 2011 and 2023, collecting multiple honours, including the Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League and two Player of the Year awards.

In that time, he lined up alongside some of the game’s biggest names.

Among those chosen was Robin van Persie, the Dutch striker whose 2012/13 campaign was crucial in securing United’s most recent league title.

Arriving from Arsenal, Van Persie netted 30 times in all competitions that season, providing the firepower Sir Alex Ferguson needed in his final year as manager.

De Gea also named Cristiano Ronaldo among his top five, despite the Portuguese icon’s short second stint at the club. Ronaldo returned to United in 2021 to huge fanfare and made an immediate impact, scoring 24 goals in his comeback season. Though the team struggled collectively, De Gea had high praise for Ronaldo’s professionalism and influence.

Wayne Rooney, United’s all-time top scorer, was another inclusion.

De Gea and Rooney shared a dressing room for six seasons, during which time the England legend transitioned from an explosive forward to a more withdrawn role. Despite his gradual decline in his later years at the club, Rooney’s leadership and output clearly left a mark on the Spanish keeper.

A more left-field pick came in the form of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose United career lasted just two seasons.

The Swede joined from Paris Saint-Germain in 2016 and immediately imposed himself on the squad, both with his personality and performances.

He scored 28 goals in his debut campaign and helped United lift the EFL Cup and Europa League before injury cut his momentum short.

The final selection, perhaps the most surprising of all, was Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgian striker’s time at United is often viewed as underwhelming, but De Gea held him in higher regard. Lukaku joined from Everton in 2017 and scored 27 goals in his debut campaign.

Though his form tailed off and he was eventually sold to Inter Milan, his inclusion signals the appreciation De Gea had for his efforts.

Notably absent from the list were some of United’s most high-profile players in recent years, such as current club captain Bruno Fernandes or Paul Pogba. Even stalwarts like Nemanja Vidić or Rio Ferdinand were overlooked in favour of more attack-minded stars.

De Gea’s choices reflect a personal appreciation for match-winning impact and influence, rather than simply longevity or reputation. Each of the five offered a distinct presence in their respective eras, whether it was Van Persie’s title-clinching brilliance or Ibrahimovic’s short but electrifying stay.


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Raj is a seasoned digital writer and editor with a deep-seated passion for football. With over four years in the digital space, he has contributed to Sportlens, ManUtdNews, and is now proudly writing for The Peoples Person. His work is driven by a commitment to capture the essence of football, delivering content that speaks to the heart of fans worldwide.

“Not going to happen!”: Amorim rules out summer sale of key United star despite transfer speculation

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has ruled out a summer sale of club skipper Bruno Fernandes despite speculation over his future.

Fernandes has been one of the very few positives this season, managing an impressive eight goals and 10 assists in 28 Premier League appearances.

Across all competitions, the midfielder has notched 16 goals and as many assists. There have been suggestions that Real Madrid could tempt United to sell their talisman by tabling a £90million bid.

However, Amorim has insisted that offloading Fernandes is not on the cards this summer.

Speaking to the press ahead of United’s meeting with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Tuesday, Amorim explained, “No, it’s not going to happen!”

Amorim insisted that United must strive to meet Fernandes’ ambitions to win the biggest trophies.

“That is the challenge. I want Bruno here because maybe in the lowest moments of our season (he impressed). We want to win the Premier League again, so we want the best players to continue with us.”

“He’s 29, I think, but he’s still so young because he plays 55 games every season. Between assists and goals, he’s there for 30 at least so he’s the type of player we want here so he’s not going anywhere.”

On how he can speak about Fernandes’ future with such a high degree of certainty, Amorim answered, “We are in control of the situation and I feel that he is really happy here. Especially because he understands what we want to do and then I think he is one more supporter of Manchester United. He really feels it.”

“Sometimes the frustration that you see, everybody sees, and says maybe it’s not a good thing in a captain, it’s a sign that he wants this so bad. This is the kind of player that we want and he’s not going anywhere because I’ve already told him!”

Amorim also opened up on Marcus Rashford, who scored his first goals for Aston Villa in their 3-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Preston North End on Sunday.

Rashford scored Villa’s first two goals before Jacob Ramsey added a third to secure the side’s spot in the semis, where they will face Crystal Palace.

Amorim said about the England international, “I know Rashford really well and everybody knows the talent that he has, so I already spoke about that.”

“He’s a top player, if he wants, so I’m not surprised and it’s the same with Antony (at Real Betis). It’s a good thing we see our players doing well on loan in a different context. That can happen. It’s a good sign for the club.”

Pressed on whether Rashford may still have a future at Old Trafford, Amorim remarked, “Guys, let’s focus on the game. We are really happy for our players that are on loan doing well. I’m planning the future, but I don’t want to talk about the future in this moment. I just want to focus on the game.”

Forest vs. United kicks off at 20:00 BST.

Featured image Carl Recine 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!