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Over 1,000 Reds expected at Youth Cup semi-final

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Over 1,000 Reds expected at Youth Cup semi-final

Monday 31 March 2025 11:25

A big thank you to the more than 1,000 Manchester United fans who have bought tickets and will attend tonight’s FA Youth Cup semi-final at Villa Park (Monday).

Tickets remain available thanks to Aston Villa opening up an extra section for our magnificent travelling support.

We know it’s no small ask getting to a different city on a Monday evening, in time for a 19:00 BST kick-off. The players and staff are so appreciative of those expected to do so.

FA Youth Cup: The story so far Video

FA Youth Cup: The story so far

FA YOUTH CUP PREVIEW | The story so far, as told by our U18 players ahead of next Monday’s Villa Park semi-final…

Pre-match, Under-18s lead coach Adam Lawrence paid tribute to the United fans who helped our young Reds progress in last month’s quarter-final at Arsenal.

“There was a nice moment — it wasn’t nice at the time! — when we were 2-1 down and it was just in that period where we looked like we might be running out of ideas and you could hear singing coming from the crowd,” Lawrence recalled.

“And I realised it was the Man United fans, it wasn’t the Arsenal fans!

“People can’t take it for granted how much the players appreciate the support from all the supporters and that extra bit of energy that it gives them.”

The 3-2 extra-time victory at the Emirates Stadium was the most dramatic of our four Youth Cup games so far this season, but all have been entertaining. Before facing the Gunners, United had hit five past each of Coventry City, Preston North End and Chelsea, all at home.

The winners of Aston Villa v Manchester United will host the FA Youth Cup final, facing the winners of Watford v Manchester City.

If you’d like to attend Monday’s game, tickets remain available through Aston Villa’s website, here. Please buy your tickets in blocks B1, B2 or B3, where our supporters have been encouraged to congregate. We can’t wait to hear your support.

Please note, due to FA restrictions, we are not showing the game live on MUTV but we will post highlights on Tuesday. The action is to be shown on the FA Player and YouTube channel.

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Monday 31 March 2025 11:25

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Man Utd ignored ‘red flag’ to sign £64m flop with ‘walk away’ plea ‘undermined’ after ‘data warning’

According to reports, Manchester United looked past a ‘red flag’ when they invested around £64m plus add-ons to sign Rasmus Hojlund.

The Denmark international joined the Red Devils during the 2023 summer transfer window from Serie A outfit Atalanta in a deal which could be worth around £72m with add-ons.

Man Utd were also linked with Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani in this window, but they splashed out to sign Hojlund as a slightly cheaper alternative after he scored nine Serie A goals in 2022/23.

United needed to sign a second striker to compete with Hojlund, but they used their budget on the 22-year-old and former boss Erik ten Hag had to rely too much on the inexperienced forward last season.

Given those circumstances, Hojlund enjoyed a strong debut season as he scored 16 goals in all competitions, but he has been heavily criticised for his poor form this term.

READ: Ranking the Premier League ‘Big Six’ by magnitude of their 2025 summer rebuild

Before the international break, Hojlund ended his prolonged goal drought, but he only has three goals in his 24 Premier League appearances this season.

With Hojlund and Zirkzee, Man Utd have one of the worst attacks in the Premier League, and they are expected to prioritise a new striker when the summer transfer window opens.

A ‘special report’ from The Telegraph has delved into ‘Man Utd’s data revolution’ and commented on recent failures in the transfer market.

It is noted that ‘the work of a data team is undermined if the red flags they raise – and recommendations they make – are overlooked as decision-makers act out of desperation or indulge a manager’s fancy’.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
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👉 Man Utd perform U-turn on ‘ticket prices’ vs Man City as derby ‘did not sell out’ before ‘slash’
👉 Man Utd rumoured to be unnamed Premier League side to make £50m ‘offer’ for Barcelona star

Man Utd are said to have overpaid to sign Hojlund after they were encouraged to ‘walk away’ on one condition.

‘Rasmus Hojlund’s transfer from Atalanta is also an interesting case in point. United had been looking at a number of strikers that summer, including Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani after resolving not to get into a protracted battle with Tottenham for Harry Kane on the grounds of his age and price.

‘The data on Hojlund was encouraging and, with the right training, environment and support, there was a feeling a transfer presented significant upsides for the right price. The reports from the scouting team about Hojlund’s character and personality were also very favourable.

‘Nonetheless, the club’s financial modelling had suggested United should consider walking away if the price began to get above £50 million. United ended up paying Atalanta an initial £64 million rising to £72 million.

‘In reality, the warning signs had been there the previous summer when United, who had been determined not to be held to ransom, panicked after a bad start under Ten Hag and ended up spending wildly over the odds on Antony and Casemiro, who was awarded a four-year contract worth £350,000 a week despite already being 30 years old.’

Preview: United one step away from potential Manchester derby as Old Trafford Youth Cup final beckons

Manchester United u18s will take part in their biggest match of the season so far when they take to Villa Park on Monday night.

Adam Lawrence’s u18s are away to Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup after dispatching Arsenal in a scintillating match at the Emirates earlier in the month.

A tough test awaits United in an Aston Villa side who looked strong in the UEFA Youth League before being eliminated by Barcelona in the round of 16.

So far in the FA Youth Cup, Villa opened with sizeable victories over Accrington Stanley and Newcastle before a closer 3-2 win over Bristol City.

Their quarter-finals tie was back to comfort though as they put Plymouth Argyle to the sword with a convincing 3-0 win at Villa Park.

Despite being only fifth in the u18s Premier League South, Villa have a very talented side with many of the players featuring regularly at u21s level.

One such starlet will be a familiar face for Adam Lawrence and the United players.

Mason Cotcher donned the red of United last season while on trial after departing Sunderland and before ultimately signing with Villa.

Cotcher featured off the bench in a 4-0 win over Leeds United as United went on to be crowned league champions.

The 18-year-old striker has been on fire for the Birmingham side this season with five goals in four matches so far in the competition.

Other talents to look out for in the claret and blue include Bradley Burrowes and Cole Brannigan, both of whom have played alongside United players at international level for England and Northern Ireland respectively.

Speaking ahead of the match Adam Lawrence said “everyone’s really excited about the game.”

“This competition obviously means a lot to the players and the club, and to get to this stage of it and be playing in a really good semi-final game against really good opposition in Aston Villa at Villa Park, there’s not much to not get excited about!”

If United can get past Aston Villa, it tees up a potential final at Old Trafford with United guaranteed to be hosts of the final if they make it.

A Manchester derby final is also on the cards with Manchester City taking on Watford in the other semi-finals.

First though, United vs Aston Villa will be streamed live on the FA’s Youtube channel and tickets are still available to watch at the ground for Monday’s 19:00 BST kickoff.

Featured image Matt McNulty via Getty Images


Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social

A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years.

Man Utd: INEOS sanction U-turn on ‘ticket prices’ vs Man City as fan ‘refusal’ forces ‘slash’ decision

According to reports, Manchester United have ‘slashed ticket prices’ for this Sunday’s derby against Manchester City to ensure the match is a ‘sell-out’.

INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been heavily criticised over the past year as he’s sanctioned a huge cost-cutting programme to balance the books at Old Trafford.

The Glazer family ran Man Utd poorly, so Ratcliffe felt it necessary to make unpopular decisions to cut costs wherever necessary and his popularity swiftly evaporated after his takeover was initially met with overwhelming positivity.

There have been mass redundancies, an increase in ticket prices, the removal of benefits club legends and the scrapping of free lunches for staff.

READ: Ranking the Premier League ‘Big Six’ by magnitude of their 2025 summer rebuild

The move to raise ticket prices has been blasted by supporters as Man Utd are enduring a woeful season, spending most of the campaign in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Man Utd need to string some wins together to finish in the top-half and they need to win the Europa League to seal a place in Europe ahead of next season.

The Red Devils travel to face Nottingham Forest in their first game after the international break on Tuesday night before they host Man City in the last Manchester derby of the season on Sunday afternoon.

United’s raised ticket prices were initially in place for Sunday’s game, but a report from The Sun claims the board have been forced to to reduce the cost of entry with supporters ‘refusing to pay top dollar’.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
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The report explains:

‘Man Utd have slashed ticket prices for next Sunday’s derby against City at Old Trafford after fans refused to pay to watch Ruben Amorim’s struggling side.

‘United were lashed by fans’ groups earlier this season for hiking prices for members to attend home games to a minimum of £66 — and removing all concessions for kids and OAPs.

‘Tickets for the City game did not sell out at those prices, so United reverted to the cheaper rate.

‘United – 13th in the Prem – put tickets back on sale last week. Members able to buy seats at the reduced rate of £40 – and £25 for concessions. And the game is now expected to be a sell-out.

‘Future home Prem matches are also available to members on the club’s website for less than the minimum £66 price.’

The 1958 fan group also confirms there will be another fan protest during Sunday’s match. Chris Haymes of the 1958 group said: “We’re going to get people to sit in their seats.

“MUST (Manchester United Supporters Trust) did a flash survey and they reckon there’s going to be about 7,000 concessions, OAP people, who are not going to renew their season tickets.

“So, they’re trying to price them out of their seats, so we’re going to tell you to sit in your seat, stay in your seat. That’s your seat that you paid for.”

Video: powerful anti-Glazer protest rocks Broadhurst Park as FC United of Manchester fans join the fight

Manchester United fan group The 1958 and FC United of Manchester fans held a joint protest against the Glazer ownership before FC United’s match versus Stockton Town on Saturday afternoon.

Fan groups have ramped up the protests lately as the Glazer’s 20th anniversary as owners of the club approaches.

Many fans have also been disillusioned by new part owners Ineos’ decisions such as raising the price of tickets and cutting funds to former players.

Supporters recently held a protest before United welcomed Arsenal to Old Trafford earlier in the month.

It was also announced that United supporters would be joining forces with FC United of Manchester fans and they did just that on Saturday afternoon at Broadhurst Park.

The Guardian report that “around 200 FC and United supporters gathered at Broadhurst Park before FC hosted Stockton Town in the Northern Premier League Premier Division. Outside the ground, flares were let off in the red of FC and United along with green and yellow ones, the colours of Newton Heath, United’s original name.”

“Anti-Glazer chants and songs were sung by fans, with one displaying a flag that showed an image of the former United forward, Eric Cantona, and the legend ‘Eric the King’.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe also did not escape criticism according to The Manchester Evening News, as he faced some rather negative chanting.

“We want Glazers out, we want Glazers out’ was aired countless times. Ratcliffe was the next in line to face criticism. ‘Just like the Glazers, Jim Ratcliffe’s a c–t’, a section of the protesters sang.”

At a question and answer session held by the 1958 they confirmed that there would be a sit-in against Manchester City at Old Trafford this coming Sunday.

The protest was a significant event as “Saturday’s action, called United United Day, was the first formal linking of forces by FC United and a United fan group since the non-league club’s foundation, which caused division between fans.”

FC United’s chairman, Nick Boom, defended his club’s involvement by stating, “some of our fan base might think: ‘Why are we reconnecting with United, it’s not our battle?’ But, actually, it’s a battle for football. It transcends football clubs. It’s about football fans.”

Love United, Hate Glazers! 🇾🇪

It’s a lively start here at Broadhurst Park as supporters from FC United and @The__1958 are making their voices heard. 🙌

Our United United Day match kicks off at 3pm. Get yourself to our football ground! pic.twitter.com/ZnAOZuN9Cm

— FC United of Manchester 🟥⬜⬛ (@FCUnitedMcr) March 29, 2025

FC United of Manchester posted on X after the protest took place, “thanks to everyone who came to United United Day today! 20 years on. The fight continues. We’ll never die. Keep the red flag flying high” and also a video of some of the protesters in action before their game.

Thanks to everyone who came to United United Day today! 👏👏👏

20 years on. The fight continues. We’ll never die.

Keep the red flag flying high. 🇾🇪 ✊ pic.twitter.com/RMMdeEug6h

— FC United of Manchester 🟥⬜⬛ (@FCUnitedMcr) March 29, 2025


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.

United defensive target whose “name is on everyone’s lips” outlines his preferred transfer destination – report

Manchester United target Dean Huijsen would prefer a move to Real Madrid according to reports.

The Red Devils are keen to add another centre back to their group this summer as Ruben Amorim has moved the team’s formation to a 3-4-3.

What’s more, it is highly likely that veteran defenders Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans will both leave the club this summer, meaning the team will be a little lighter in these positions.

Consequently, United have been linked to a number of defenders and one name that has come up is AFC Bournemouth’s 19 year old centre back, Dean Huijsen.

The Spanish international has a release clause of around £50 million that will come into effect this summer and numerous top clubs are keeping an eye on the situation.

The Peoples Person has also recently expressed that the teenager would be a substantially better fit for the Red Devils than often-linked Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite.

United may run into some problems though as reports from Spain suggest that the defender would prefer a move to Real Madrid above any other team.

“His emergence in England has caught the attention of some of Europe’s big names, especially Real Madrid and FC Barcelona” and his “name is on everyone’s lips,” the reports state.

“According to reports, Huijsen, born in the Netherlands, has shown a certain preference for signing for Real Madrid” but he’s still on FC Barcelona’s list should they require a replacement for Ronald Araujo this summer.

“With his 1.95 meters of height, leadership and ability to play out from the back, his profile fits both the Barça philosophy and the Madrid defensive model.”

The outlet also claims that Huijsen’s decision to choose to represent the Spanish national team also “reflects his vision for the future.”

What’s more, the Spaniard has hardly hidden his interest in a move to La Liga by responding to a question whilst on international duty, “Real Madrid? It’s a great honour for me to be of interest to such a great club.”

Feature image Michael Steele 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.

3 key passes, 7 ground duels won: United loanee comes up trumps for side in huge victory over fierce rivals

Manchester United loanee Antony continued his pivotal role for Real Betis who beat fierce rivals Sevilla 2-1 to win their sixth game in seven yesterday.

The Brazilian played the entire 90 minutes and had 64 touches of the ball.

His biggest contribution came when he almost scored a spectacular volley on 55 minutes from a corner but his effort was well saved by Sevilla keeper Ørjan Nyland.

He only connected with 78% of his passes but he was influential as three of them were considered key passes.

Antony also had one shot blocked as well as his effort on target. He also completed two out of four dribble attempts.

The winger really got into the intensity of the occasion and endeared himself further to the home crowd by winning seven out of 11 ground duels.

At full time Antony expressed his delight by waving a giant Real Betis flag after the match and Spanish midfielder Isco stated, “we will now need to do crowdfunding to bring Antony in.”

🚨🇧🇷 Isco on Antony’s future: “We will now need to do crowdfunding to bring Antony in!”. pic.twitter.com/iPR5E0ZEtI

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 30, 2025

Young United goalkeeper Radek Vitek had a less successful Sunday, however. The Czech keeper lost 0-2 to Austria Wien with FC Blau-Weiß Linz.

He only made one save in the entire match and one high claim.

The academy keeper connected with 80% of his passes and completed six out of 12 long balls for his side.

Vitek also won his only aerial duel but could do little to stop either of the visitor’s goals.

Finally, Tyrell Malacia came off the bench for the second half of PSV Eindhoven’s 0-2 loss at home to Ajax.

He made two tackles and two interceptions in the match and one clearance.

Malacia was also only able to win two out of the five ground duels that he contested.

The fullback was better on the ball though as he completed 90% of his passes and made one key pass in the match.

Featured image Fran Santiago 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.

Liverpool screwed, Man Utd desperate, Man City expulsion: PL ‘Big Six’ summer rebuilds ranked

The Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ have huge summers coming up and all for very different reasons.

Arsenal must do enough to get themselves over the line, while Liverpool might have to replace their three best players. It’s going to be a big one, folks.

6) Arsenal
This summer will likely be one full of reflection for Arsenal, who will wonder how they let Arne Slot waltz straight in and win the Premier League at the first time of asking. If Manchester City were to have an off-season, it had to be Arsenal that took advantage. Instead, it was Slot’s Liverpool.

READ MORE: When will Liverpool win the league? Earliest, funniest, Arsenal guard of honour, Anfield decider

We know Mikel Arteta will remain in charge. We know he wants to sign a defensive midfielder and a striker. We know Martin Zubimendi and Alexander Isak are his top targets. We know Zubimendi is a lot more likely to join than Isak, whose future seems dependent on Champions League qualification for Newcastle United. There is a concise plan but everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face (by a £150million asking price).

There will be no overhaul at the Emirates this summer. The sporting director stuff has been sorted, the foundations are already in place to sign Zubimendi from Real Sociedad and it seems set in stone that Thomas Partey and Jorginho will leave on free transfers.

Having a plan is fine but executing said plan is the important thing. There will be some very uncomfortable questions asked of Arteta if 2025/26 is another trophyless season for the Gunners. No rebuild is required, just do enough to win the Premier League, lads. There have been too many transfer windows where Arteta has been left short.

5) Chelsea
Further trimming the squad and bringing in a world-class player or two should do the trick for Chelsea. Unless the rest of their season is catastrophically bad, they will not move on from Enzo Maresca as head coach and the worst-case scenario is Europa League qualification because there is surely no conceivable way this team does not win the Europa Conference League.

As has been the case for the last five transfer windows, the Blues desperately need to sign a striker. Nicolas Jackson has his charms but as John Obi Mikel is so eager to tell us, ‘This is f**king Chelsea’. They need better and Christopher Nkunku does not appear to be that.

Being sensible is the priority for a very silly football club. They are no longer rebuilding but needing to establish themselves as a Champions League side again having not finished in the top four since 2021/22. That is an eternity for Chelsea.

4) Tottenham Hotspur
Nobody really knows what Tottenham Hotspur’s 2025/26 pre-season preparation will look like. Fittingly, not even Spurs know what the plan is. If they stick with Ange Postecoglou as head coach, they will probably be in the Champions League having won the Europa League and if that is the case, the Australian will be looking to bulk his squad up a bit and keep hold of his important players like Atletico Madrid-linked Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Surely Spurs will not have a season with a freakish number of injuries again and with a fitter squad, there will be high hopes of a positive campaign in Europe’s premier competition under Big Ange.

The other side of the coin is grim. No Europa League triumph probably means Postecoglou loses his job and Spurs’ managerial searches are usually nothing short of shambolic. Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola is reportedly the leading candidate to replace the ex-Celtic boss if he is sacked, with Fulham’s Marco Silva and Brentford’s Thomas Frank also in contention. A managerial search alone would knock Spurs up a place or two in this ranking.

Whether it is Postecoglou or someone else, Champions League or no Europe, there will be some upheaval in the first-team squad. This team clearly needs more defensive depth – all across the back four – and an elite forward, with Heung-min Son struggling to make much of an impact in games. Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert are very promising attackers and Dejan Kulusevski is brilliant when he is not run into the ground, so there is some hope in that department.

Hope is not a word synonymous with this football club and the uncertainty of where they will be come the end of 2024/25 makes them pretty hard to rank.

3) Manchester City
There is no guaranteeing Pep Guardiola’s future at Manchester City, even if he signed a new contract earlier this season. He could very conceivably walk at the end of 2024/25 because at the end of the day he really doesn’t need the stress, does he?

It has been a disastrous year for a club with six of the last seven Premier League titles. The champions caved in and gave up after Rodri’s season-ending ACL injury and now they are in a scrap to qualify for the Champions League with Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham.

The rebuild started in January with the signings of youthful defenders Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Juma Bah, while Omar Marmoush has only recently turned 26 and Nico Gonzalez is 23. Over £150million was spent and we can see City splashing the cash again at the end of a terrible season.

There are obviously 115 reasons why nobody can predict the state of play for Man City in the summer – but it is a gargantuan one no matter what happens in court and on the pitch.

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2) Manchester United
Getting a bit boring now, isn’t it? It might be the second summer under their new owners but witnessing another summer rebuild that Manchester United Have To Get Right is going to be painful.

It would be less stressful telling you what Man United don’t need to do this summer because f**k me, where do we even start?

A lot hinges on Champions League qualification – which can only come via winning the Europa League. Playing in that competition means the transfer budget is significantly bigger and better players want to join. It really is that simple.

Ruben Amorim will be eager to bring in his Own Players, with the Portuguese head coach complicating the rebuild with his compulsion to use a 3-4-2-1 formation, which only a handful of players in his current squad suit.

His first signing was a wing-back in Patrick Dorgu and another one of those will be on Amorim’s shopping list, along with a striker, centre-back and a winger or two. Winning the Europa League is going to be bigger than we initially thought.

READ MOREManchester United to shatter world transfer record in stunning plan if they ‘choose’ to make £310m

If United fail to win that competition, they will not be in Europe next season and that feels like the second-best thing that could happen. Sure, Europa League still brings in revenue but it is incomparable to Champions League money and the Thursday-Sunday schedule is a killer. A year of no European football could be a godsend for United in another crucial transitional period. Focusing entirely on domestic football gives them a better chance of a high league finish and success in either cup competition.

No Europe also means Amorim’s squad does not need a big overhaul, which saves money on new signings. Yes, we have already identified that the current personnel are not suited to his system, but you can’t have it all in life.

1) Liverpool
Everyone thought last summer was going to be huge for Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp decided to step down but it was a case of less is more, with no squad overhaul necessary to ensure a seamless transition from the legendary German to Arne Slot. The Reds have reaped the rewards from a calm summer and are Premier League champions-elect.

We might have said similar last year but next season, we cannot see Liverpool competing for the title.

It will not be your usual second-season syndrome for Slot, who is definitely losing Trent Alexander-Arnold and maybe Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk as well. No biggie, just his three best players. For a combined £0. Yeah, everything is fine.

Slot can cope with the loss of Alexander-Arnold alone when Conor Bradley is Right There but club captain Van Dijk departing would create a huge void at the back, while Salah is as irreplaceable as any player in world football. The Egyptian is on course to break the Premier League records for both goals and assists this season, for crying out loud.

No matter who Liverpool sign to replace Salah and Van Dijk, they will be drastically downgrading. The only players capable of getting anything close to Salah’s numbers (27 goals and 17 assists in the league) are not coming to Liverpool. Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal come to mind but we all know the only place any one them will be seen wearing a Liverpool kit is on EA Sports FC.

The loss of Salah and Van Dijk makes sense to some in the Anfield boardroom, but on the pitch, it makes the best team in England significantly worse and top four/five contenders at best. At least they will have their 2024/25 Premier League winner’s medals to dry their tears with. Although that does sound painful.

Amorim is a “big fan” of 20yo “unreal” hitman with 21 goals, he tore United to shreds earlier this season – report

Manchester United’s hunt for a striker will not be an easy fix given the team’s current position in the Premier League table and their financial situation.

The Red Devils are languishing in 13th position and while they remain alive in the Europa League, the likelihood of Champions League football for next season looks bleak.

Which is why Ruben Amorim’s primary target Viktor Gyokeres rejected a move to Manchester in January as he wants to play in Europe’s premier club competition.

Another top target Victor Osimhen is reportedly open to a switch even without Champions League football but his wage demands and Napoli’s valuation are both pretty significant and it remains to be seen if INEOS can muster up the funds.

Aghehowa remains a top target

Which is why alternatives like Liam Delap and Lorenzo Lucca are also being monitored. Another young striker on the club’s radar is Porto hitman Samu Aghehowa.

United fans will remember the Spaniard well with the 20-year-old netting twice in Porto’s 3-3 draw with the 20-time English league champions during the Europa League group stage.

He tore Matthijs de Ligt, known for his aerial prowess, to shreds on that night, and has been in red-hot form throughout the campaign.

This is his debut season in Porto colours and he already has 21 goals and three assists and has even broken into the Spanish national team.

As a result, multiple top European clubs have joined the race for the former Atletico Madrid starlet with Porto unlikely to sell for less than his €100 million release clause.

As per CaughtOffside, despite the steep price, it is Amorim who is pushing United to try and sign the “unreal” ace while Lamine Yamal is asking Barcelona to do the same.

Amorim pushing for him

“Manchester United are keeping a close eye on Porto striker Samu Aghehowa ahead of this summer’s transfer window, CaughtOffside understands.

“Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Man Utd are joined by Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Tottenham and West Ham United in tracking Aghehowa.

“It is understood that Ruben Amorim is a big fan of Aghehowa and is driving the Red Devils’ interest in the Spaniard, though it remains to be seen if he’ll be realistically affordable for them.

“Barcelona also really like Aghehowa, with Lamine Yamal understood to be personally pushing for the Catalan giants to bring in his international teammate.”

He fits in perfectly with what Amorim demands from a centre-forward, both physically and finishing-wise but it would require a huge bid to land him in the summer. Whether that is possible remains to be seen.

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

From Italy: United to go all-out to beat Napoli in the race for €35m “imposing” striker who has set Serie A alight

Manchester United’s primary priority in the summer will be to bring in a ruthless finisher with Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles laid bare this season.

The Dane only has eight goals this season and only one in the last 100 days. His overall play has been rightly criticised and Ruben Amorim wants him gone in the summer.

What the head coach ideally wants is a reunion with Sporting CP protege Viktor Gyokeres but the Swede has already turned down a move to Old Trafford in January as he seeks a move to a club which will offer him Champions League football.

The Red Devils might not be in a position to offer him the same and hence have moved on to Victor Osimhen, who has no such demands. But his wages and Napoli’s asking price might prove beyond INEOS’ reach given the club’s current financial predicament.

Lucca on United’s radar

Which is why low-cost options are being monitored like Liam Delap. Now Tuttomercatoweb have added a brand-new name into the mix — Lorenzo Lucca.

The Udinese striker has impressed this season, netting 12 goals and registering a couple of assists in 27 starts in all competitions, an impressive tally given the Italian club are languishing in 10th place in the Serie A standings.

His form has already seen him break into the Italian national set-up this season and current Serie A leaders Napoli are in pole position for his signature.

He has been described as “imposing” striker owing to his 6ft 7in frame but he is very pacey for his size, which explains the growing interest in his services.

“Lorenzo Lucca, the Udinese centre forward has reached high levels. In these last two years he has shown his entire repertoire but probably has not yet fully expressed his potential.

Napoli also in the race

“Of course 35 million are needed but his characteristics are ideal for the project that Napoli has in mind. There is also interest in him from abroad — Manchester United and West Ham but it is clear that if the blue club decided to accelerate decisively they would move into an advantageous position.”

Udinese’s demand of €35 million will not be difficult for United to match but he is 24 and has just started scoring consistently this season.

In other words, it is not worth the risk and the 20-time English league champions should focus on a more well-rounded option who can handle the pressure of leading the line at Old Trafford.

Lucca is not the only Udinese player on United’s radar with the three-time European champions also keeping tabs on centre-back Oumar Solet.

Feature image Timothy Rogers 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