MANCHESTER UNITED were held to a goalless draw at Leeds, with skipper Harry Maguire appearing to clash with midfielder Fred.
We’ve also got the updates on the fallout from the ill-fated European Super League.
Meanwhile, we’ve the very latest on a potential swoop for keeper Tom Heaton and Luke Shaw is set for a bumper pay rise.
Stay up to date with our blog, below, for all the latest from Old Trafford…
RED RUMBLE
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played down talk of a bust-up between Fred and Harry Maguire.
The Red Devils captain was heard calling his team-mate a “f***ing idiot” in their goalless draw with Leeds.
But Solskjaer, 48, brushed over the incident by claiming it was a result of the demands his players have of one another.
He said: “We have got a group that demands a lot of each other.
“The standard is high, both in training and in a game — it is not just about being a nice guy. We demand maximum effort.”
He added: “I was really proud of how strong we looked. I never thought they threatened our goal in the second half but we missed a little bit of spark to win the game.”
DON’T BET ON IT
Real Betis are not going to pursue a summer transfer deal with Manchester United for Eric Bailly.
That is according to El Desmarque, who denied rumours suggesting that Bailly will move to LaLiga at the end of the season.
That is because Betis will struggle to afford the United defender.
The Ivory Coast international’s contract runs out next year but Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still hopeful that the 27-year-old will sign a new deal
RING THE BEL
Barcelona have significantly lowered their asking price for Ousmane Dembele.
That is according to reports in Spain, which claim that Dembele will be available for a fee in the region of €50million (£44m) and €60m (£52m) in the summer.
The striker has repeatedly been linked with Manchester United in the past.
The 23-year-old’s contract runs out next year and Barca will want to make sure they don’t lose him for free in 2022
KANE FUTURE
Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp believes star striker Harry Kane will stay at Spurs in the summer.
Reports suggested that Kane, who has been linked with Manchester United and Manchester City, will leave the north Londoners in the summer if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
However, Redknapp is confident the England captain will remain loyal to the club after Jose Mourinho’s replacement is found.
Redknapp told Goal: “I think he’ll stay. I think the new manager will come in and convince him that they’ll be having a go and signing a few more players.
“There’s nobody better than him. I wouldn’t swap him for any centre-forward in the world, personally.
“He would guarantee Man City, Man Utd or Liverpool winning the league next season, for sure. He’s a fantastic player. Tottenham have to keep him”
LOOKING FER-WARD
Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes wasn’t pleased with the goalless draw at Leeds.
Fernandes took to social media after the game at Elland Road and described the outcome as “frustrating”.
But the attacking midfielder stated United are only focused on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final clash against Roma at Old Trafford.
The Portugal international tweeted:
HIGH FIVE
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer heaped praise on his backline – Dean Henderson, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka – for their impressive display against Leeds.
Solskjaer told the club’s official website: “It is hard to concede when the ball is in their half.
“We did well today, I thought we were assured with the ball as well – Victor, Harry, Dean, Luke and Aaron.
“When it is one against one, the times when they win the ball and break forward, it is exciting. I am disappointed we didn’t get three points, but I am very pleased with the performance”
KEANE JOKE
Manchester United legend Roy Keane showed glimpses of his humour on social media.
Keane directed a rare joke towards former team-mate Gary Neville following his passionate opposition towards the failed European Super League project.
Neville was among the loudest voices condemning the ESL and even suggested the clubs involved should be punished, including his former club United.
Keane is also opposed with the idea but that didn’t stop him and fellow United great Paul Scholes from directing a tongue-in-cheek jibe towards their former team-mate
OWEN SLAMS SOLSKJAER
Michael Owen joined a number of pundits that criticised Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decisions after the goalless draw at Leeds.
Owen told Premier League Productions: “I was disappointed with the team that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer picked.
“I thought it was quite a negative team. You’re going to a team that you’ve already beaten 6-2 in the Premier League, you don’t really need two sitting midfielders.
“I thought it was a negative statement to start with”
SCHOLES CRITICISES SOLSKJAER
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes criticised former team-mate and current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to bench Paul Pogba as well as Edinson Cavani at Leeds.
Scholes also disagreed with Solskjaer’s post-match comments as he hinted he is pleased with the players’ performance despite the goalless draw at Elland Road.
Scholes told Premier League Productions: “I was surprised Pogba didn’t start the game, surprised Cavani didn’t start the game.
“It took him a long time to bring him on as well and chances were few and far between. Marcus Rashford’s dipping free-kick was probably the closest they came.’
“I get the impression he’s a little bit happy with that draw. I don’t think he should be [pleased], not against a Leeds team without probably their best player in Raphinha”
PEP TALK
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has praised Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola by calling him the “greatest manager”.
Neville told Sky Sports: “They’ve got the greatest manager, they really have.
“He’s built a new team inside 12 months. They are so dominant, and their football is wonderful.
“City were so dominant. Pep Guardiola’s cup final record is absolutely sensational.
“The passing and domination was a lesson for [Tottenham interim head coach] Ryan Mason. They created so many touches. To play that well in a cup final…”
GETTY IMAGES BEST OF THE RES
Villarreal star Pau Torres continues to be among Manchester United’s transfer targets ahead of the summer market.
According to Manchester Evening News, Torres may well be on the move at the end of the season as he has been seeking advice from friends about a possible transfer.
The 24-year-old centre-back has also attracted interest from Manchester City following a string of impressive performances under Unai Emery.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly desperate to sign a new defender that can partner up with Harry Maguire
ED TO ED
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remained coy about former team-mate Edwin van der Sar replacing Ed Woodward as executive vice-chairman.
It was announced shortly after the European Super League fiasco that Woodward will be stepping down at the end of the year.
Van der Sar has been touted as a potential replacement but Solskjaer just hopes the right person fills the role.
The United manager said: “It’s important we employ the right man – we can’t employ on sentiment but to have Man Utd’s best interests at heart – that’s one of the criteria of course.
“But I’m not the one who writes the job description so – of course my job now is to take care of results but whoever [comes in] I’m hopeful I can have a good working relationship with and I can provide results”
SOLSKJAER ADDRESSES BANNER
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists his players weren’t affected by a flying banner, which targeted the Glazer family and read ‘2 billion stolen: #Glazersout’, before the game with Leeds.
Solskjaer said: “No, I wasn’t aware and I don’t think any of the boys have seen that. We focused on the game, every single one, down to a tee, this week.
“Of course, it was a difficult week but the preparation for this game was really good. It is a unique style of play to play against [Leeds] but I thought we played well.
“I’m really happy with the boys’ focus, they have such a determination to finish this season strong. The European disappointment, that was the last game of last season, that still sticks in their minds and hearts.
“We’re very, very focused to do well against Roma [in the Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday], then we’ve got Liverpool in between, so not worried at all [about the protests]”
LUKE OUT
Manchester United star Luke Shaw suggested he and his team-mates have to improve on their finishing and stop wasting chances after their goalless draw at Leeds.
Shaw told MUTV: “I don’t think they really had too many chances, we’re defending right, we’ve improved a lot since the start of the season.
“We were conceding way too many goals and we knew that as a back unit and we’ve worked on that.
“We need to keep pushing ourselves to be more clinical in front of goal, because a Man United side with the talent we’ve got we need to be winning today”
GETTY IMAGES LEAVING A MARK
Leeds ace Kalvin Phillips suggested he kept Manchester United superstar Bruno Fernandes quiet during their goalless draw at Elland Road.
Phillips told Sky Sports: “We man mark every game.
“I tried to keep Bruno quiet. Thankfully he didn’t pop up with a goal so my job is alright.
“We are more vulnerable if we don’t pick wide men up. It is the way we play. The attackers are used to the marking and pressing”
INCE CRITICISM
Manchester United legend Paul Ince criticised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision-making after the goalless draw at Leeds.
Ince told Sky Sports: “Sometimes you can be fooled by results, thinking a team is playing well but saw against Burnley last week and also today, they are so inconsistent.
“I didn’t see they had any tempo. The intensity wasn’t there. It was that bad the referee blew up before the end of injury time. It was a bad performance from both teams, like watching a kids team play.
“United need to do a lot better on Thursday. Some of the decisions [Solskjaer] made. [Edinson] Cavani came on for six minutes, United needed a goal. They took [Marcus] Rashford off when they had two sitting midfielders. [Donny] Van De Beek, who they paid £40million for, gets three minutes.
“These decisions can’t be right if you are going to win football matches. United have always been brought up on winning games, trying to find a way to win games”
SOLSKJAER REACTS
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is satisfied with his players’ performance even though they didn’t take their chances.
Solskjaer told Sky Sports: “There’s no guarantees in football that’s for sure.
“I thought we played well, really well, dominated the second half, just didn’t have the ball to fall correctly for us in the big moments we had. We had some decent chances but didn’t take them.
“When two teams meet you create problems, you solve problems, they give you things to think about and we made them adjust to us. They are a unique team. We put a really big shift down. I have seen Leeds run over teams in the second half and it was quite the opposite.
“You don’t lose momentum, we are disappointed not to win but the boys have a lot of respect for Leeds. This is not going to be something we look back on as derailing our season”
KEEPING THE GAR-D UP
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has warned that co-chairman Joel Glazer could attempt to impose the Super League model again and insisted his apology “doesn’t wash”.
Neville told Sky Sports: “Last week, I said it was an attempted murder of English football and ‘sorry’ doesn’t wash, it’s gone past sorry because it’s twice they’ve done it.
“If you were sorry the first time with Big Picture, then you wouldn’t have brought back this one, so you’re going to bring back another.
“[Florentino] Perez has told us, [Joan] Laporta has told us from Barcelona, two of the biggest clubs in the world – ‘We’re coming back for you’ – so this lot are not going away but they need to be stopped”
GETTY IMAGES MAGUIRE REACTS
Manchester United star Harry Maguire claims his team didn’t take its chances to “punish” Leeds at Elland Road.
Maguire told Sky Sports: “It was tight. We had control of the game without punishing them.
“We knew how they would play, our attacking players love a one v one but today it wasn’t to be.
“It’s a big week for us and we must improve on what we showed today”
FULL-TIME
It’s full-time at Elland Road with Manchester United and Leeds enduring a goalless draw.
United remain second in the Premier League table with 10 points separating them from rivals Manchester City at the top.
But the Red Devils are enjoying a comfortable eight-point lead from third-placed Leicester.
Leeds have climbed up to ninth with six points separating them from seventh place, which usually leads to next season’s Europa League
LES MISERABLE
Luke Shaw’s new contract at Manchester United will raise doubts over Alex Telles’ future at the club.
Telles’ arrival from Porto last summer furthered speculation that Shaw was on his way out of United.
According to the Daily Star, however, the Brazil international may be the one to leave Old Trafford following the England defender’s impressive comeback.
The 28-year-old is reportedly unhappy with his lack of game time and could force a move away from the Red Devils at the end of the season
SHAW-FIRE HIT
Manchester United ace Luke Shaw is set to be offered a new contract by the club.
According to the Daily Star, Shaw will be offered a contract extension along with a pay-rise by United.
The left-back has been enjoying a tremendous comeback under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after falling down the pecking order during Jose Mourinho’s tenure at the Red Devils’ helm.
The England international is likely to earn £190,000 a week until the end of the 2025-26 season, something that would make him the sixth highest-paid player at Old Trafford
H/T: LEEDS 0 MAN UTD 0
Man Utd’s pressure faded late in a scrappy first half.
For a blow-by-blow account of this Premier League clash at Old Trafford, click on our MATCH BLOG.
GLAZE OVER IT AND MOVE ON
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says the Glazers will not walk away from Manchester United after their Super League slapdown.
Hundreds of United fans protested outside Old Trafford on Saturday over the American owners’ involvement in the European Super League.
Solskjaer said: “I think the owners that signed up for this proposal have a job on their hands, of course they have.
“We’ve had an apology from Joel and that’s important. He’s told us how committed he is to helping us go forward.
“Unity and everyone coming together for one common goal is the best way forward.”
PLANE ANGER
Furious Manchester United fans flew a ‘#GlazersOut’ banner over Elland Road in protest against their owners.
The Red Devils made the trip to Leeds on Sunday afternoon to continue their long-standing rivalry.
And before kick-off a place went over the stadium with a sign calling for the American family to sell the club. It read: “2bn stolen #GlazersOut.”
Already unpopular among United supporters, the Glazers infuriated fans even further last week by being conspirators in the breakaway European Super League plot.
Joel, one of the co-chairmen, did apologise in a statement after the club’s dramatic U-turn.
But his brother and fellow co-chairman Avram refused to say sorry for his involvement. And then made no comment when quizzed if he would sell the club.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
