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RASMUS HOJLUND BRACE HELPS UNITED EARN COMEBACK WIN AT VIKTORIA PLZEN

Super sub Rasmus Hojlund’s brace secured Manchester United a much-needed 2-1 comeback victory in the Europa League at Viktoria Plzen as Ruben Amorim registered his first away win as head coach.

After making a promising start to life as Erik ten Hag’s successor, things were thrown off track as the shock exit of sporting director Dan Ashworth compounded back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

Amorim was staring down the barrel of a damaging third straight loss early in the second half after ex-Burnley striker Matej Vydra put Plzen ahead after boyhood United fan Pavel Sulc cut out Andre Onana’s poor pass.

But Hojlund’s introduction off the bench helped spark a turnaround in freezing conditions, with the substitute soon turning home after Amad Diallo’s effort was blocked.

The visitors continued to knock on the door and two minutes from time the Denmark international met a smart Bruno Fernandes free-kick with strength, a decent touch and a thumping finish.

United’s first European victory on the road since March 2023 sees them take a giant step towards the knockout stages as attention turns to Sunday’s trip to stumbling Manchester City.

Thursday’s match was a huge occasion for Plzen, where red and blue light installations were put up around a brewing town that celebrated United’s visit with limited edition beers.

Fireworks filled the air before the players emerged at the compact 11,700-capacity Doosan Arena, where Onana began nervily having had a costly wobble against Forest on Saturday night.

United’s goalkeeper accidentally clattered into Casemiro when meeting a free-kick, unconvincingly dealt with a throw-in and saw a pass blocked during a cumbersome all-round start by the visitors.

Marcus Rashford, Diallo and Joshua Zirkzee all wasted dangerous moments, before Bruno Fernandes finally forced Viktoria’s goalkeeper into action.

Plzen offered precious little in response, but Cheick Souare’s curler from the edge of the box brought hope before the break, as did a stoppage-time attempt by Vydra.

Allowed to gallop forwards from the halfway line, the United skipper hit a 20-yard strike that forced a good low save out of Martin Jedlicka.

They proved to be warning shots as United fell behind just three minutes into the second half.

Onana’s hesitation after collecting a pass back from Lisandro Martinez was sniffed out by Sulc, who intelligently cut out a pass intended for Matthijs de Ligt and squared for Vydra to sweep home.

The Doosan Arena erupted as the former Premier League striker was mobbed by team-mates.

United’s rickety display continued after that gut punch, but Sulc so nearly undid his good work as the recently-introduced Hojlund met his loose pass and got away a low drive that Jedlicka saved.
Mason Mount and Antony followed the Denmark international onto the field as the visitors sought a leveller that arrived in the 62nd minute.

A quickly taken free-kick caught Plzen out, with play building, Diallo delightfully cutting past his man to get away a strike that was blocked and fell into the path of Hojlund to turn home.

Plzen survived a panicked penalty box melee as United looked to go ahead, with players’ appeals for handball falling on deaf ears during the Red Devils’ best period of pressure.

Hojlund just failed to reach a tantalising cross by Fernandes as they pushed, but Viktoria immediately went close at the other end as substitute Prince Adu crossed for Vydra to slam narrowly wide.

United stepped up as they sought a winner. Viktoria’s goalkeeper spread himself well to deny Mount in the 77th minute, with Jedlicka denying him against after Alejandro Garnacho and Manuel Ugarte came on.

Time was running out, but a clever set-piece provided an 88th-minute winner.

Fernandes drove a low free-kick to Hojlund, who held off his man, took a touch and lashed a low left-footed strike past Plzen’s goalkeeper.

United had further chances to add gloss but saw out just a second away win in all competitions this season.

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GARY NEVILLE QUESTIONS PROFESSIONALISM OF RASHFORD AND CASEMIRO OVER USA TRIPS

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 01: Phil Neville attends the World premiere of "The Class of 92" at Odeon West End on December 1, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Gary Neville has questioned the professionalism of Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Casemiro over their trips to the United States during the international break.

Rashford was in attendance at Madison Square Garden in New York on Monday night and was seen leaving the venue following an NBA match between New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.

The forward was pictured courtside with friends before he posed and signed shirts with NBA star Jalen Brunson during his trip while midfielder Casemiro flew to Orlando for a family holiday to Disney World, as seen on his Instagram.

Former Manchester United defender Neville has raised question marks over the choice of destination from the pair, and highlighted jet lag as a factor.

On the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast, he said: “The professionalism, looking after your body and making sure you’re best prepared for the next training session is critical to every decision you make during the season.

“He [Marcus Rashford] has got a mental break, he’s got to get away and has got to rest with friends – then you talk about the choice of venue, how far do you fly, what’s the time difference, is that going to give a jet lag issue, is that going to give a stiffness issue from being on a flight for 12 hours?

“This is on Casemiro more than Rashford but if I’m 30 years old and I’m looking after my body – and he’s won five Champions Leagues and is an unbelievable player, but if he was away with Brazil for 10 days, we would say he would struggle this weekend because he’s been away.

“They [Casemiro and Marcus Rashford] have chosen that international break. If you are talking about the minor details in being as professional as you can be and as prepared you can be for a training session on a Monday night, that isn’t the best choice of venue.

“I’m not that wound up about [Marcus] Rashford and Casemiro going over to the United States but what I’m asking is, if you’ve got a four-day break, Portland is a 12-hour flight and an eight-hour time difference, your jetlag is bad, and you feel a bit [rough].

“They went to Portland and I’m asking the question based on professionalism – you’re playing badly, the team are losing, you’re 13th in the league, and there is a new manager coming in – would you choose that trip as a break to recharge your batteries? That’s not a recharging trip. It’s not right that.”

Ruben Amorim took charge of his first Manchester United training session this week following his arrival as new head coach, with the club releasing a seven-minute video on Monday showing both him and the players at Carrington.

Amorim starts his reign as boss with a trip to Ipswich in the Premier League on Sunday.

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AMAD DIALLO’S BRACE ENDS MANCHESTER UNITED’S YEAR-LONG WAIT FOR A EUROPEAN WIN.

Amad Diallo’s delightful double ended Manchester United’s 380-day wait for a European win as Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw a much-needed 2-0 victory against PAOK in his penultimate match as interim boss.

Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils had drawn their first three matches in the new-look Europa League, blowing a lead at home to Twente before doing the same away to Porto and Fenerbahce.

Those results extended United’s wretched European record and played a part in his sacking, with recalled Diallo scoring a fine brace to seal United’s first victory in continental competitions since last October.

The result extended Van Nistelrooy’s unbeaten interim stint to a third match, with incoming head coach Ruben Amorim watching remotely from Portugal ahead of taking charge at Old Trafford on Monday.

Diallo will have certainly caught his eye on his first start in five weeks, with the lively winger denied a penalty despite appearing to be caught by Baba Rahman in a forgettable first half.

The 22-year-old continued to prove a thorn in the side and fantastically guided home a header before settling nerves with a beautiful curling effort from distance after winning the ball.

United had won just one of their last 11 European games and the Greek champions were no pushovers.

The 4,000 fans in the away end – plus a number in the home section – held their breath early on after Mady Camara’s shot was blocked by Casemiro, wrongfooting Andre Onana before being dealt with.

Andrija Zivkovic bent well wide after making himself space as the chorus of PAOK chants continued and United began asking questions of their own.

Van Nistelrooy’s side started sending balls into the box and Alejandro Garnacho saw a shot blocked shortly after the VAR checked for a potential penalty.

Diallo went down having been caught by former Chelsea left-back Rahman, but referee Radu Petrescu’s decision to ignore the appeals were ratified by Daniele Chiffi in the booth.

Rasmus Hojlund saw a bundled header gathered by Dominik Kotarski having met a cross from Diallo, who saw the ball taken off his toe by Rahman after Garnacho whizzed a low ball to him at the far post.

PAOK showed increasing threat as the opening period wound down. Onana stopped Zivkovic’s hopeful attempt and then tipped over Camara’s snapshot after a fine first touch.

Neither side made a change heading into a second half that was five minutes old when Diallo broke the deadlock.

Bruno Fernandes sent a diagonal ball to the far post, where Diallo stretched to send a looping header back across goal and just inside the post.

PAOK claimed Hojlund had impeded Tomasz Kedziora’s attempt to clear, but it was given the green light after a VAR check.

Diallo was denied a second by Kotarski as United played with intent but without the requisite incision.

That has been costly for United this term and Zivkovic lasered narrowly wide before PAOK blew a glorious 64th-minute chance.

Van Nistelrooy’s Reds were caught napping as Taison slipped in Tarik Tissoudali, who had made space between Jonny Evans and Diogo Dalot but saw his touch and strike from 10 yards saved by Onana low to his left.

The United goalkeeper anticipated the attempt and the forward was taken off as both managers made switches.

It was a let-off for Van Nistelrooy’s side, who calmed the nerves with a fantastic 77th-minute goal.

Diallo won possession as he continued his battle with Rahman, showing strength then skill as he moved on to his left foot and curled home a fine effort from the edge of the box.

Mason Mount came on after the matchwinner appeared to pick up a knock, with the visitors then bringing on Shola Shoretire.

The United academy graduate remains the youngest player to feature for the Red Devils in a European game and was applauded on to the field by the home support.

Homegrown Marcus Rashford went close to adding gloss in stoppage time.

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MAN UTD CHIEF EXECUTIVE BACKS TEN HAAG DESPITE SHAKY STARTS TO THE SEASON

Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada has insisted Erik ten Hag has his and the club’s full backing and remains the right man to take the club forward.

United triggered a one-year contract extension for Ten Hag in the summer, but only after considering alternatives in the wake of an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League and unexpected FA Cup success, beating Manchester City in the final.

Ten Haag

But there were fresh questions over the amount of progress United have made under Ten Hag following Sunday’s poor 3-0 home defeat to rivals Liverpool, already United’s second league defeat of the fledgling campaign after they lost 2-1 at Brighton last weekend.

Speaking alongside new sporting director Dan Ashworth shortly before kick off against Liverpool, Berrada said it would take more than a couple of bad results to shake the club’s belief in their manager.

“Do we still believe in Erik? Absolutely,” he said. “We think Erik is the right coach for us and we’re fully backing him.”

Ten Hag’s contract was extended before either Berrada or Ashworth had taken up their positions this summer but both said they were happy with the decision.

Ashworth said: “I’ve really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks.

“I see my job is to support him in every way I possibly can and whether that’s operationally, whether that’s with recruitment, whether that’s with medical, whether that’s with psychology, whether that’s training ground flow, it’s just to take as much of that off him to allow him to fully focus on the training pitch and the match tactical plan to deliver success for Manchester United.”

Ashworth’s first few weeks in the job were dominated by the transfer window, in which United signed Matthijs De Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, and Noussair Mazraoui.

But just as notable were the departures of players including Scott McTominay and Jadon Sancho.

After a falling out with Ten Hag early last season Sancho returned to former club Borussia Dortmund on loan in January.

The pair appeared to have made up as Sancho took part in United’s pre-season and played in the Community Shield, but on deadline day he joined Chelsea on loan with an obligation to buy.

Asked what had changed, Ashworth said it had been down to the player’s wish to move on.

“We felt we had enough depth in that particular position to be able to cover it, we’ve got four really good wide players – Jadon was a fifth – and it just enabled us to make that decision that if it was good for him and good for us it was something we were willing to consider,” Ashworth said.

“He wanted to explore the opportunity at Chelsea, like Scott wanted to explore the opportunity at Napoli, like Aaron (Wan-Bissaka) wanted to explore the opportunity at West Ham. We’re not in a position where we’re kicking players out of the club.”

McTominay’s move to Napoli saw the Scot end a two-decade long association with United after coming through the club’s academy from an early age.

Ten Hag expressed his regret at losing the midfielder but it is a reality of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) that selling homegrown players is hugely beneficial on the accounting side.

Ashworth said that was an “unintended consequence” of the rules but added that McTominay had wanted to go.

“Scott’s been fairly open that maybe he needed a change,” Ashworth said. “He’s been in Manchester United for 21 years, I think. He’s been a brilliant, brilliant servant.

“But sometimes in life you fancy a change and do something different. So we have to respect what those human beings, what they want for their career and their life as well.”

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United confirm Pogba exit with Frenchman available on free transfer

An official statement read: “The club can announce that Paul Pogba will leave Manchester United at the end of June, upon the expiry of his contract.

“Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Paul on his successful career and thank him for his contributions to Manchester United. 

“We wish him all the best for the next steps on a remarkable journey.”

French international Pogba, who came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford, re-joined the Red Devils in 2016 from Juventus for a then-record fee of £89.3million.

His second stint has been one of frustration however as the club struggled to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.

Pogba did help United to Europa League glory under Jose Mourinho in the 2016-17 season and a run to the final in 2020-21, where they lost to Villarreal 11-10 on penalties.

But his trademark virtuoso performances have been few and far between in recent times and he was booed by some of his own supporters in this season’s closing fixtures.

He has been restricted to just 27 appearances this term in all competitions and with talks over an extension reaching an impasse months ago, his departure has long felt inevitable.

Where the 29-year-old will head next remains uncertain, though former club Juve are known to be keen on a reunion.

The World Cup winner is also likely to attract attention from elsewhere but his excessive wage demands may price many interested parties out of the race.

Pogba’s future may become clearer upon the release of his upcoming Amazon Prime documentary, titled The Pogmentary.

Set to premiere on July 17, a trailer teased on Pogba’s social media seems to suggest his contract situation features prominently.

Pogba made 226 appearances during his second spell at Old Trafford, scoring 39 goals and setting up a further 51.

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MAN UNITED ENTER TALKS WITH AJAX FOR JURRIEN TIMBER

Manchester United have started talks with Ajax over the summer transfer of defender Jurrien Timber, The Guardian reports.

The Red Devils are eyeing a new central defender this summer. It appears Timber is the prime target, having played the last two years at Ajax under manager Erik ten Hag.

In recent weeks, the Netherlands international has been frequently linked, and The Guardian report that United have now made contact with Ajax for the 20-year-old.

Ten Hag was key to Timber breaking through the Ajax youth setup in 2020, and he is a ‘firm admirer’ of him. Ajax currently value their graduate at around £43 million.

United conceded a staggering 57 goals in their Premier League campaign last term. The arrival of Raphael Varane last summer did not necessarily improve their defensive showing.

The Frenchman joined from Real Madrid with huge expectations, but struggled to adapt to the style of play. He was also hampered by multiple injuries that saw him in-and-out of the line-up.

Varane is still best central defender in the squad based on achievements and experience, and any new signing could potentially take the place of Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof in the XI.

Timber has shown plenty of promise during the last two years at Ajax. He has been good with his defensive duties, and averaged over two tackles per game in all competitions last season.

The youngster has also been terrific with the ball at his feet. He completed 92 per cent of his passes. Among United centre-backs, Varane fared best with a 88 per cent success rate last season.

Timber should be a quality long-term signing for United, but the hierarchy will definitely want to lower the final transfer fee, having signed Donny van de Beek for around £35m in 2020.

Meanwhile, Varane should be fancied to come good next term as he will be involved for United from pre-season which was not the case last year when he started training in mid-August.

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RALF RANGNICK REJECTS MAN UNITED CONSULTANT ROLE

Manchester United have announced Ralf Rangnick will not take up a consultant role with the club following his appointment last month as Austria manager.

The German took charge of United on an interim basis for the last six months of the season following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last November and oversaw a sixth-placed Premier League finish.

Rangnick was expected to remain at Old Trafford for the next two years in a consultancy position, but he was recently appointed the new Austria boss, and it seems holding the dual roles is an unviable option.

“We would like to thank Ralf Rangnick for his efforts as interim manager over the past six months,” a statement on United’s website read.

“By mutual agreement, Ralf will now focus solely on his new role as manager of the Austria national team and will not therefore be taking up a consultancy role at Old Trafford.

“We would like to wish Ralf the best of luck in this next chapter of his career.”

Erik Ten Hag has been tasked with reviving United’s fortunes after they missed out on Champions League football next season.

A haul of 58 points was their lowest in the Premier League era.

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ZAHA ON TARGET AS CRYSTAL PALACE ENDS SEASON ON A HIGH BEATING MANCHESTER UNITED

Wilfried Zaha’s first-half strike earned Crystal Palace a first home win over Manchester United since 1991 and handed his old club one final defeat of a sorry campaign.

The Red Devils, who were watched by new boss Erik Ten Hag in south London, were able to at least avoid the embarrassment of lining up in the Europa Conference League next season due to West Ham losing away to Brighton.

It meant United clinched sixth after this 1-0 defeat but they finished on 58 points – the lowest they have ever accumulated in the Premier League – in a campaign which showed how far they are behind Manchester City and Liverpool, who were involved in a dramatic final day that saw the title again lifted at the Etihad Stadium.

One of Ralf Rangnick’s final acts in charge was to hand Hannibal Mejbri a first league start and there were several other youngsters on the bench at Selhurst Park, including Robbie Savage’s son Charlie.

Patrick Vieira also shuffled his pack and teenager Jesurun Rak-Sakyi was given his full debut for Palace, who had endured a difficult night at Goodison Park on Thursday where they let slip a two-goal lead and saw their manager involved in an altercation with a fan after full time.

It was United who started the better of the two sides with a Bruno Fernandes effort blocked by Conor Gallagher before Edinson Cavani’s scuffed shot was parried away by a wrong-footed Vicente Guaita minutes later.

The visitors knew victory in front of incoming boss Ten Hag would guarantee a place in the Europa League next season and the deadlock should have been broken in the 25th minute when Cavani sent Anthony Elanga away but he dragged wide from inside the penalty area.

Palace were jolted into life after that opportunity with the hosts squandering two openings over their own soon after.

First David De Dea denied Zaha’s left-footed strike before Jeffrey Schlupp fired straight at the Spanish goalkeeper following a superb Odsonne Edouard flick.

The opener did arrive with eight minutes of the first half left and it was ex-United man Zaha who provided it but only after a big helping hand from Fernandes.

Fernandes kicked Alex Telles’ throw back towards his own goal and Zaha latched onto the loose ball, created space away from Diogo Dalot and Victor Lindelof before he rifled into the bottom corner for his 15th goal of the season.

United improved after the break and it was former Monaco attacker Mejbri who did his utmost to get the visitors back on level terms.

Fine defending by Joel Ward denied the teenager after he had raced into the area before his curling shot was tipped over by Guaita.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see Rangnick withdraw Mejbri just past the hour mark and by this point it could have been 2-0 had Conor Gallagher – on the final appearance of his season-long loan – angled his shot inside the post from 20 yards.

More Under-23s were thrown on by Rangnick with Shola Shoretire and Alejandro Garnacho introduced but the latter could not get on the end of Fernandes’ cross late on.

The final chance fell to Scott McTominay in stoppage time but he blazed wide to highlight the size of the task for Ten Hag, who officially starts on Monday while Palace conclude an excellent first season under Vieira in 12th.

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RALF RANGNICK THANKFUL TO BRIGHTON FOR HELPING MAN UTD SECURE EUROPA LEAGUE SPOT

Ralf Rangnick was thankful Brighton helped Manchester United qualify for next season’s Europa League following their own 1-0 loss away to Crystal Palace.

Rangnick left the hotseat by telling incoming boss Erik Ten Hag to focus on improving the team spirit at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils saw a sorry campaign end with another defeat after Wilfried Zaha’s first-half goal but they avoided the embarrassment of dropping into the Europa Conference League after West Ham were unable to win at Brighton.

It meant United finished the season in sixth but there would have been little positives for Ten Hag to take after he watched from the stand at Selhurst Park.

Rangnick said: “Yes, I think Brighton did us the favour to turn the game around because they were losing at half-time. They scored three times in the second half and that was the good thing about the weekend and about this fixture.

“We would have loved to take care of ourselves but in a way the game was indicative of last couple of weeks, especially when we played away from home.

“It was a new experience for me, not necessary coming in the middle of the season but knowing that it would be an interim role. Unfortunately we didn’t have any pre-season and unfortunately we couldn’t strengthen the squad.

“These things happen and in hindsight it was a little bit bittersweet or sweet bitter rather because in the first couple of weeks and months did well. We collected enough points with an average of 2.1 until the game against Atletico but I think that defeat in the Champions League was in a way like somebody popped the balloon.”

Ex-RB Leipzig manager Rangnick, who will continue to work with United in a consultancy role, did not hold back in his assessment key members of the Old Trafford squad lost focus after they exited the Champions League in March.

The Red Devils were fifth in the table before they were knocked out by Atletico and would win only two of their remaining nine matches.

Rangnick added: “I think the big goal of some of our top players was the Champions League and after this defeat to Atletico you could literally feel it in training that we did not have the same level of energy, focus and concentration in training.

“In the league if you are not playing at the best or highest level, and this also happened before I arrived, even against bottom teams like Watford you can concede four goals and this can happen.”

While Ten Hag was at Palace, he did not come into the United dressing room and Rangnick has also not spoken to the ex-Ajax boss in person.

The German plans to over the coming days and warned his successor of a key challenge at Old Trafford.

“Team spirit, yes this is also an issue,” Rangnick admitted. “I think this team could do with more cohesion, there could be more togetherness on the pitch.

“This is also important when we think of new players – when the board together with the manager are thinking about new players – that we make sure they are not only players that have the quality to strengthen the squad but they are players who will invest in the team spirit.”

Patrick Vieira saw his side claim another win to secure a 12th-place finish.

He said: “It was the best way to end the season, to win the game against United because of what they represent in the Premier League.

“I was really pleased because we won and we had another clean sheet at home so a good way to end the season.”

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ERIK TEN HAG MEETS WITH MAN UNITED DIRECTOR TO BEGIN PLANNING FOR NEXT SEASON

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag held a planning meeting with football director John Murtough in Amsterdam on Thursday, the PA news agency understands.

The Old Trafford giants last month confirmed that the Ajax manager would take the reins in the summer on a three-year deal, with the option of a further season.

Ten Hag is the permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and planning is under way ahead of his arrival, with Ralf Rangnick’s underwhelming interim stint coming to a close in the May 22nd season finale at Crystal Palace.

Preparations intensified the day after Ten Hag oversaw Ajax’s Eredivisie title triumph with a 5-0 win against Heerenveen as Murtough watched United beat Nottingham Forest in the FA Youth Cup at Old Trafford.

United’s football director Murtough is understood to have flown out to Amsterdam to see the Dutchman on Thursday morning.

While the pair have been in dialogue since the appointment, intensive discussions over transfers and strategy were parked until Ajax had won the title.

It has been reported that ex-England boss and former United coach Steve McClaren, who worked with Ten Hag at Twente, and assistant Mitchell van der Gaag were also in attendance.

There is plenty of work required to turn things around at Old Trafford, with midfield among the key areas requiring improvement this summer.

Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, who rose to stardom under Ten Hag, is among those admired by United but a deal currently looks a way off.

Meanwhile, Ajax confirmed on Thursday afternoon that Club Brugge’s Alfred Schreuder will succeed Ten Hag as head coach in the summer.