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UCL: YOUNG BOYS STUN MANCHESTER UNITED AT THE DEATH

Manchester United’s Champions League campaign got off to a nightmare start as Jordan Siebatcheu’s stoppage-time strike earned Young Boys a famous 2-1 victory against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s 10 men in Switzerland.

Three-and-a-half months on from losing the Europa League final to Villarreal on penalties, the Red Devils were on course to return to continental action with a straightforward win after Cristiano Ronaldo’s early opener.

The Portuguese’s 135th Champions League goal came as the returning forward equalled Iker Casillas’ appearance record in the competition, but the 36-year-old will want to forget his 177th match.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s 35th minute sending off for a rash challenge on Christopher Martins Pereira changed the dynamics of the game, with Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu levelling before Siebatcheu struck at the death.

Few could argue that the Swiss champions – managed by former Huddersfield boss David Wagner – did not deserve the result on a night when their performance was as impressive as United’s was poor.

Moumi Ngamaleu sent the Stadion Wankdorf wild when levelling and substitute Siebatcheu capitalised on a dreadful Jesse Lingard backpass to strike a stunning stoppage-time blow in the Group F opener.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s second Manchester United debut to be delayed

Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly emerged as a doubt for Manchester United‘s Premier League fixture with Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.

Upon completing his sensational return to Old Trafford late last month, the date of September 11 was immediately pencilled in for the first outing of his second spell.

However, The Sun claims that the Portuguese superstar may have to wait until next week to represent his new club.

Ronaldo has been forced to quarantine since travelling from his homeland last week, preventing him from spending time at United’s training facilities.

The coronavirus measures will restrict Ronaldo to just one day with the rest of the squad before the visit of the Magpies.

The report suggests that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may keep the veteran on the sidelines until United’s Champions League trip to Young Boys three days later.

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CRISTIANO RONALDO TO WEAR NUMBER SEVEN SHIRT AT MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United have confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the number seven shirt on his return to the club.

The Portugal captain (36) completed a sensational move back to United on transfer deadline day, rejoining from Juventus on a two-year deal.

During his first six-season spell at Old Trafford, Ronaldo wore the number seven shirt as he helped Alex Ferguson’s side secure the Champions League and three Premier League titles before moving on to Real Madrid in 2009.

Manchester United confirmed Edinson Cavani would now take up the number 21 – but there was no mention of whether special dispensation had been requested from the Premier League to process the switch following the start of the domestic campaign.

“Cristiano Ronaldo will wear no. 7 for United again, like he did between 2003 and 2009. As we all know, the no. 7 is a special number in the history of United,” the club said on www.manutd.com.

“It has previously been worn by club icons like George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Now, it returns to the man who succeeded Beckham in it, Ronaldo.

“Ronaldo inherits the number from Edinson Cavani, who wore the shirt last season and in our away win at Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

“As our new signing is allocated no.7, El Matador will switch to no.21, the same number our prolific striker wears for the Uruguayan national team.”

On Wednesday night, Ronaldo broke the men’s international scoring record with a late double as Portugal came from behind to beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1 in a dramatic finish at the Estadio Algarve.

However, after removing his shirt in celebration during stoppage time, Ronaldo was cautioned and having been booked earlier in the World Cup qualifying campaign, the forward is suspended for Tuesday night’s trip to Azerbaijan.

As a result, Ronaldo has been released from the Portugal squad ahead of Saturday’s friendly against World Cup hosts Qatar in Hungary, so could be set for an early reunion back with United.

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Cristiano Ronaldo passes Manchester United medical

Cristiano Ronaldo has passed his medical ahead of his blockbuster return to Manchester United.

The Red Devils confirmed on Friday that they had reached an agreement with Juventus to bring the fan favourite back to Old Trafford, 12 years after he left the club for Real Madrid.

The news came just hours after it emerged that Man United were even in the running for his signature, with cross-town rivals Manchester City having previously been expected to bring the 36-year-old back to the Premier League.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will pay just £12.9m up front for the club legend, with a further £6.7m in add-ons.

Man United’s announcement confirmed that the deal was subject to personal terms, a medical and a visa, but two of those three issues are now understood to have been resolved.

Sky Sports News reports that Ronaldo has now completed his medical, having undergone it in Lisbon over the weekend.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has also agreed personal terms on a two-year deal which will see him take a £6m pay cut, but still become the highest-paid player in Premier League history.

Gaining a visa is also not expecting to be a problem, paving the way for Ronaldo to finalise his vaunted return to Old Trafford before Tuesday’s 11pm transfer deadline.

Ronaldo will join up with his new teammates after the international break, and could be in line to make his second debut for the club against Newcastle United on September 11.

The Portugal international scored 118 goals in 292 games during his first stint at Old Trafford, helping the club to three Premier League titles, one Champions League, two League Cups, an FA Cup, a FIFA Club World Cup and the Community Shield

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Manchester United set all-time English football record with Wolves win

Manchester United’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers this afternoon has seen them set a new mark for the longest away unbeaten record in English football history.

The Red Devils have now gone 28 matches without losing on their travels, a run which includes 18 wins and 10 draws.

Liverpool were the last home team to beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side back in January 2020, more than 19 months ago.

Man United’s long run looked in doubt at stages of their trip to Molineux, with David de Gea pulling off a sensational double save to keep the scores level at 0-0.

Mason Greenwood then scored the only goal of the game with 10 minutes remaining, maintain his record of finding the back of the net in every Premier League game so far this season.

The 1-0 triumph sees Man United overtake the record previously held by Arsenal’s Invincibles, who went 27 away games unbeaten between 2003 and 2004 before seeing that run ended by the Red Devils themselves.

The victory takes Solskjaer’s men up to seven points from their three games this season – one of five teams who trail leaders Tottenham Hotspur by two points.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits Daniel James could leave Manchester United

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has refused to rule out the possibility of Daniel James leaving the club in the final two days of the summer transfer window.

The 23-year-old found first-team chances hard to come by last season, making just 15 Premier League appearances, but he has started two of Man United’s three outings so far in 2021-22.

However, the imminent arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford is expected to knock James further down the pecking order, and Solskjaer has acknowledged that the return of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could have a knock-on effect on other players’ futures.

“I’m not going to discuss individual players and names,” Solskjaer told reporters when asked about James’s future.

“There have been a couple of enquiries for some of our players and with the signing of Cristiano we may give less playing time to a few. Dan is a Man United player at the moment.”

Everton, Brighton & Hove Albion, Leeds United and Crystal Palace have all been credited with an interest in the Welsh winger, although Man United would only be willing to sanction a loan exit.

The future of Jesse Lingard is also up in the air, with West Ham United rumoured to be lining up a late £15m bid for their former loanee.

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Mason Greenwood makes Wolves pay for missed chances

Mason Greenwood continued his electric start to the season as his late strike snatched Manchester United a 1-0 victory at Wolves.

Greenwood’s third goal in three games made the hosts pay for a string of missed chances and also saw United set a new all-time English football record by extending their unbeaten away record to 28 matches.

But United needed David De Gea’s sensational second-half stop from Romain Saiss to give them the platform for victory.

It capped a dramatic week at Old Trafford after United agreed a deal with Juventus to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club, 12 years after he left for Real Madrid.

They rode their luck at Molineux as Wolves – who have now had 57 shots in the Premier League without scoring this season – suffered Groundhog Day.

Bruno Lage’s side lost their opening two games 1-0 to Leicester and Tottenham and were left empty handed again.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka cleared Francisco Trincao’s shot off the line, Raul Jimenez was denied by De Gea and Trincao missed a fine second-half chance.

But United carved out victory against the run of play as they prepare to mark Ronaldo’s return.

Wolves’ rapid start began when Adama Traore burst forward after intercepting Fred’s loose pass and found Jimenez, only for De Gea to save with his legs.

Fred’s nightmare start continued when he failed to cut out Ruben Neves’ pass on the break and then could not stop Trincao muscling past him into the area.

The Barcelona loanee beat De Gea and only Wan-Bissaka’s brilliant recovery denied him a first Premier League goal.

Wolves’ rapid start – inspired by Traore – was only aided by United’s mistakes and Jadon Sancho’s miscued header presented Joao Moutinho with a chance which he volleyed over.

The hosts had failed to score in their opening two games, despite having 42 shots, and their profligacy underlined why they had moved for striker Hee Chan Hwang.

The South Korea international watched from the stands after joining on loan, with a £13million option to buy, from RB Leipzig.

Debutant Raphael Varane endured a busy introduction to the Premier League but stood firm against the ferocity of Wolves’ tempo, underlining why United shelled out £34million for the former Real Madrid man.

At the front United lacked ingenuity and ideas and, while Bruno Fernandes smashed past Jose Sa six minutes before the break he was comfortably offside.

It was a rare moment of respite for the visitors but Greenwood still drilled wide to warn Wolves, despite their dominance, United were ready to punish them.

Another blank would have been a worry for Lage at the break and United underlined their own attacking riches by bringing on Edinson Cavani for Daniel James early in the second half.

Solskjaer’s side stabilised and Fred fired at Sa but Wolves missed another guilt-edged chance after 63 minutes.

Traore was found by Jimenez and he teed up Trincao, only for the forward – unmarked 15 yards out – to miscue his effort and it trickled wide.

Wolves appeared to be edging closer and it took a wonder-save from De Gea to stop them from opening the scoring with 21 minutes left.

Saiss rose to meet Moutinho’s corner and De Gea parried his header but the defender looked certain to score the follow up, only for the goalkeeper to brilliantly parry his shot from point blank range.

It proved pivotal as Greenwood snatched victory with 10 minutes left, to leave Wolves fuming.

Pogba and Neves went in for a 50-50 tackle with the ball running to Varane and he found Greenwood who cut inside on the right and beat Sa from the angle.

Wolves’ protests that Pogba fouled Neves were rejected by Mike Dean as they slipped to another defeat.

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Manchester United submit official bid for Cristiano Ronaldo

News broke earlier on Friday that the Red Devils had hijacked Manchester City’s move for the 36-year-old, leapfrogging their local rivals in the race for his signature as City ended their interest.

Talks between Man United and Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes only began on Thursday evening, while a series of messages from the Portuguese forward’s former Old Trafford teammates helped to sway him towards a move back to the red half of Manchester.

The 36-year-old had looked destined to join United’s local rivals Manchester City in a £25m deal, after telling current club Juventus that he wants to leave before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

However, in a remarkable turn of events Man City have since pulled out of the running to sign Ronaldo, with United now the clear front-runners for his signature.

Talks between the two parties only began on Thursday night, but they have advanced quickly and ESPN reports that a series of WhatsApp messages between Ronaldo and a number of his former teammates at Old Trafford helped to convince him to return.

The report claims that Ronaldo was warned that his Manchester United legacy and the esteem in which he is held by the club’s fans would be irrevocably damaged if he joined their cross-town rivals.

A contract proposal has also been sent to Mendes, with Man United offering Ronaldo a two-year deal until June 2023.

While none of the ex-teammates have been named, now-Derby County boss Wayne Rooney hinted on Thursday that Ronaldo joining Man City would damage his reputation as a Man United legend.

The Red Devils are now confident of pulling off a sensational return for the forward on a two-year deal for the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

Ronaldo made 292 appearances for Man United between 2003 and 2009, scoring 118 goals and helping the club to three Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League crown.

With the five-time Ballon d’Or winner now pushing for a return, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Man United have submitted a formal offer of €25m (£21.4m) plus add-ons to Juventus, who are understood to be holding out for a fee of around £25m.

Since leaving for Madrid, the prolific Portuguese attacker has netted 551 times at club level, while Man United’s leading scorer in the same timeframe is Rooney with 156

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Marcus Rashford back in Manchester United training

Marcus Rashford is already back training with Manchester United despite only undergoing an operation on a long-standing shoulder issue earlier this month.

The 23-year-old has been unavailable for selection for his side’s first two matches of the 2021-22 campaign due to the surgery that occurred in the early stages of August.

Rashford is unlikely to be able to make his return until October at the earliest, but Man United have released footage of the England international on the grass at Carrington.

“He seemed very happy with the surgery. He’s working in the gym. We see him every day so he’ll be chomping at the bit when it gets nearer to the time when he can come back,” Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said at the weekend when questioned on the attacker’s progress.

Rashford, who made five appearances for England at Euro 2020, scored 21 goals and registered 15 assists in 57 appearances at club level during the 2020-21 season.

Man United will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.

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Manchester United in pole position to sign Erling Braut Haaland next summer

Manchester United are reportedly at the head of the queue for Erling Braut Haaland‘s signature in the summer of 2022.

The Norwegian starlet seems set to remain at Borussia Dortmund for the 2021-22 season, with Chelsea understood to have had a proposal turned down while the Black and Yellow can afford to play hardball over a fee.

However, Haaland’s £68m release clause will be active by the time the next summer window rolls around, and an intense battle for his services is set to commence at the end of this season.

According to Bild, Haaland will “definitely” be on his way out of Dortmund after the current campaign, and United are in pole position to sign the former Red Bull Salzburg man.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was tipped to bring his compatriot to Old Trafford earlier in the summer, but Edinson Cavani’s contract extension allowed United to prioritise other areas in the transfer window.

Haaland has already claimed five goals and three assists from four appearances in all competitions this season, taking his total tally in Dortmund colours to 62 goals and 18 assists from 63 games.