Harry Maguire flies to Gdansk for Europa final, Ronaldo Man Utd return LATEST, £150m Kane updates, Lingard EXCLUSIVE

MORE FROM BRUNO

Ahead of tomorrow’s Europa League final, Bruno Fernandes said: “We come to this club because we want to win trophies.

“I think every player knows you come here to fight for trophies and to be a better player. The pressure to win is there, but pressure is good for me.”

BRUNO SPEAKS

Man United ace Bruno Fernandes has addressed the media ahead of tomorrow’s Europa League final.

The Portugal ace said: “Being in the final is good, but to be perfect we have to win tomorrow.

“The team is confident and we trust ourselves. We know what we have to do.”

RON HIS WAY?

Manchester United transfer target Cristiano Ronaldo will hold urgent talks with Juventus over his future as transfer speculation mounts.

The Portuguese legend, 36, only has a year remaining on his whopping £540,000-a-week deal.

He looked set to depart the club if they missed out on Champions League qualification but Juventus managed to scrape fourth-place in Serie A with a 4-1 win over Bologna.

However, the forward was left on the bench for that crunch clash with boss Andrea Pirlo claiming that decision was down to ‘fatigue’.

A host of clubs have been linked with a move for Ronaldo, with both former sides Man Utd and Real Madrid keen on bringing him back.

Paris Saint-Germain are another side who would love to add him to their ranks while his first club, Sporting Lisbon, would be his mother’s ideal destination for her son.

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ROAD TO GDANSK

ENGLAND’S EUROS SQUAD BY CLUB

GARETH SOUTHGATE ON HARRY MAGUIRE’S INJURY

The England manager said: “From a club perspective, Manchester United have got a huge final tomorrow so it hasn’t been easy getting information, and we understand that.

“Kalvin Phillips also got injured with Leeds. These are the realities we’ve had to cope with in the last few days, and why we thought having more time would help us.”

ROY RAGE

ANDY GORAM furiously told Roy Keane to “f*** off”‘ at Manchester United before a “scared” Gary Neville warned him “we don’t talk to Roy like that” back in 2001.

Goram recalled the moment they met: “Shark’s eyes. Dead, devoid of emotion, glaring at me. No handshake. Welcome to Manchester United, Roy Keane-style.

“There were clashes between us. One day in training, we were playing a game of eight-a-side and Keane and Luke Chadwick were up front for my team.

“I always prided myself on the accuracy of my kicking, on being able to pick out a player from a distance, and that day I half-volleyed a peach right on to Chadwick’s foot.

“The kid snatched at it and ballooned his volley over the bar. Suddenly, I was the target of a volley of abuse from Keane. ‘Hey you, give me the f*g ball,’ he screamed.

“I replied, ‘What, do you get the ball just because you’re Roy Keane? F*** off’.

“The ­atmosphere was icy from that moment on, and on the way off the field Gary Neville collared me. ‘Goalie,’ he said, ‘we don’t talk to Roy like that down here. We just don’t’.

“It was a telling insight for me. Of course I respected Keane as a player, but I couldn’t have that.”

HEROES & VILLANS

Manchester United finished one place higher than they were expected to in the Premier League this season, according to a Premier League supercomputer.

But Wolves and relegated Sheffield United were the biggest disappointments of the campaign.

Dean Smith’s side avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth on the final day of last season but have transformed themselves this campaign.

But the Blades were a revelation in 2019-20 before capitulating this season and dropping into the Championship.

After Villa, West Ham and Newcastle were the next biggest over-achievers.

Both sides finished five positions higher than Bettingexperts’ supercomputer predicted they would at the start of the campaign.

SIX MAN UTD PLAYERS IN ENGLAND’S PROVISIONAL SQUAD

ENGLAND’S PROVISIONAL 33-MAN SQUAD FOR EURO 2020 (MAN UTD PLAYERS IN BOLD)

GOALKEEPERS: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Sheffield Utd).

DEFENDERS: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Man City), Ben White (Brighton).

MIDFIELDERS: Jude Bellingham (Dortmund), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (West Ham/Man Utd), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).

FORWARDS: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Mason Greenwood (Man Utd), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jadon Sancho (Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

CONTROVERSY

CIES Football Observatory have named their Premier League Team of the Year leaving fans utterly furious.

Another top-flight season is in the books with Manchester City reclaiming their title from Liverpool.

In an exciting season, the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Mohamed Salah, Luke Shaw, Ilkay Gundogan and N’Golo Kante set the league alight with their incredible play.

Yet bizarrely, NONE of those star names made CIES Football Observatory’s best XI for 2020-21.

Even more astonishingly the team did include the likes of Granit Xhaka and Victor Lindelof.

CANT COMPARE

Bruno Fernandes has spoken of his pride to be compared with Eric Cantona after a monumental 2020-21 season.

Fernandes told BBC Sport: “It is an honour to be compared with him.

“The impact he had was really high and he won many major trophies with the club.

“But when you are compared with this kind of big player it means you need to be better every day.

“It makes me work harder to keep in the mind of the people, being compared with him. That, for me, is a good pressure.”

LUKE-ING UP

Luke Shaw will be hoping to make up for missing five finals in a row by starting in Manchester United’s Europa League final against Villarreal tomorrow night.

He said: “There was disappointment with all of them, really.

“In big games at big times are big opportunities to show yourself and I feel like I missed out on them.”

MEMORY LANE

Gary Neville has urged Manchester United against a sensational reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo.

All signs are pointing towards Ronaldo’s exit at Juventus after he was dropped for their crucial final game of the season.

Ronaldo then posted a lengthy cryptic message on social media strongly hinting he was ready for a new challenge.

And Juventus’ financial crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic has raised doubts over whether they can afford to keep Ronaldo beyond the season.

Ronaldo earns a staggering £540,000-a-week and still has a year left on his contract.

Following reports United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is closely monitoring his availability, one fan took the opportunity to ask club legend Neville whether the Red Devils should push ahead with the transfer.

But the former right-back dismissed it, replying: “Love him but think it’s better to leave the memories where they are.”

HURTY HARRY

This is how we expect Manchester United to line up against Villarreal in the Europa League final tomorrow evening, with captain Harry Maguire set to miss out due to injury.

NO PAIN NO GAIN

Marcus Rashford claims England will benefit from their World Cup pain in their bid to reach the Euros final.

The Manchester United striker, 23, said: “We’ve got a good chance. The talent and ability in the team is as high as I have seen it.

“A lot of it is down to self-belief. I was speaking to some of the players and I think the only thing that stopped us last time was entering that element of the unknown.

“We hadn’t been that far as a team before and we didn’t know what to expect…I feel like we’ve learnt from those experiences, plus we’ve got a few new talented faces in the squad.

“We’re looking at a really good balance and you need balance to win trophies.”

HARRY-ON LUGGAGE

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire says criticism from pundits annoys him as he flew out to Gdansk for the Europa League final.

The England star said: “Yeah I think it does, I’m not going to sit here and lie. But I think you’ve got to come to an agreement that it’s opinions, everyone has an opinion.

“Of course everyone wants to hear people speak about them doing well and everything’s nice but that’s not life, that’s not football, you’ve got to accept that.

“I think it can change confidence in players, especially the ones that listen to it more than others.

“Because you’re a big part of the game now. You analyse things, every goal that we concede you analyse.

“I think it can affect confidence but what I would say is that when you do, you don’t just speak negative about players, you also speak positive so I think as a footballer you’ve got to expect that.”

NOT IN A HARRY

Manchester United will win the Premier League if they DON’T sign Harry Kane this summer, according to ex-Red Devil Owen Hargreaves.

He told the Mail: “It’s a big call: do you get a right winger, a centre-back and a central midfielder or do they go and get Harry Kane?

“I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. The one thing you would say is that they won’t want Kane to go elsewhere, they don’t want him to go to their competition. I am sure there is a lot going on behind the scenes right now.

“Recruitment is easy. You ask: what do we have and what do we need? Right now, United need a right winger, a central midfielder and a central defender. If Ole gets those three, he can win the league next season.

“He (Ole) needs to be backed. If he is backed and they bring in players, I don’t mean any players, I am talking difference-makers.

“Look at the impact Virgil van Dijk had at Liverpool, the impact Ruben Dias had at City. You need guys in the areas you need, if Ole gets that, they will be closer.

“It all comes down to money, this is not fantasy football. Everyone wants Neymar and Mbappe but that’s not realistic.

“I think Jadon Sancho would suit United perfectly, I also like Raphinha at Leeds. He would offer something different.

“They need a centre-back. Liverpool were a really good team but became a great team when Van Dijk went there. City were a really good team and Dias has made them a great one.

“Ole loves to use two midfielders in a double pivot because it gives the team balance. 

“Maybe next season, he can find a way to get both Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba into the team with one defensive midfielder who can do that pivot job on his own, someone like Kante, to then free the likes of Marcus Rashford or Mason Greenwood, Cavani and Sancho. That is killer. United can go toe-to-toe with anyone with that.”

WELL I NEV-ER

Gary Neville has called on Manchester United to sign Harry Kane, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho this summer and become Premier League champions.

But the former Red Devils skipper does NOT want his old side to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo.

Asked by one fan whether boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be backed this summer, he replied emphatically: “Yes!”

Then quizzed by another on where United can finish with the ‘right signings’ he answered: “Varane, Kane and Sancho = title.”

But Neville doesn’t believe that bringing Ronaldo back is such a good idea.

He said: “Love him but think it’s better to leave the memories where they are.”

RON WAY STREET

Manchester United transfer target Cristiano Ronaldo has posted a lengthy cryptic message which has fans believing he is quitting Juventus.

It read: “The life and career of any top player are made of ups and downs. Year after year, we face fantastic teams, with extraordinary players and ambitious goals, so we always have to give our best to keep ourselves at excellence levels.

“This year we couldn’t win Serie A, congratulations to Inter for the well deserved title. However, I have to value everything that we achieved this season at Juventus, both in collective and individual terms.

“The Italian Super Cup, the Italian Cup and the Serie A Top Scorer trophy fill me with happiness, mainly due to the difficulty they carry with them, in a country where nothing is easy to win.

“With these achievements, I reached a goal that I had set myself since the first day I arrived in Italy: to win the Championship, the Cup and the Super Cup, and also to be Best Player and Top Scorer in this great football country filled with tremendous players, giant clubs and a very own football culture.

“I’ve already said that I don’t chase records, records chase me. For those who don’t understand what I mean by this, it’s very simple: football is a collective game, but it is through individual overcoming that we help our teams achieve their goals.

“It is always looking for more and more on the field, working more and more off the field, that records eventually emerge and collective titles become inevitable, some being the natural consequence of the other.

“So, I’m very proud with this fact that has been widely replicated in recent days: Champion in England, Spain and Italy; Cup winner in England, Spain and Italy; Super Cup winner in England, Spain and Italy; Best Player in England, Spain and Italy; Best Scorer in England, Spain and Italy; Over 100 goals for a club in England, Spain and Italy.

“Nothing compares to the feeling of knowing that I’ve left my mark in the countries where I’ve played, and that I gave joy to the fans of the clubs I represented. This is what I work for, this is what moves me and this is what I’ll always keep chasing for until the last day.

“Thanks to everyone who took part in this journey! We stand together!”

MAGUIRE FLIES OUT TO GDANSK

Injured Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has flown out with the rest of the squad for the Europa League final against Villarreal on Wednesday.

The England international will not feature against the Spanish side, but has gone with the team in a morale-boosting move.

SAN STORM

Manchester United’s pursuit of Jadon Sancho could finally be over this summer with Borussia Dortmund reportedly telling the star he can leave.

The Red Devils were desperate to land the England winger last summer only to be priced out of a move.

The Bundesliga side wanted £117million for the 21-year-old – now they will allegedly accept £75m.

German newspaper BILD claim that this summer will be Dortmund’s ‘final goodbye’ to Sancho.

They are determined to hang on to fellow starlet Erling Haaland as a host of big guns across Europe plot swoops.

But selling Sancho to United instead of cashing in on the Norwegian is allegedly viewed as ‘acceptable’ by Dortmund chiefs.

GOOD MORNING UTD FANS,

Harry Maguire says criticism from pundits annoys him.

The Red Devils star made the revelation in an interview with Sky pundit Gary Neville and it comes after Roy Keane laid into him last year.

He told the Overlap: “Yeah I think it does, I’m not going to sit here and lie. But I think you’ve got to come to an agreement that it’s opinions, everyone has an opinion.

“Of course everyone wants to hear people speak about them doing well and everything’s nice but that’s not life, that’s not football, you’ve got to accept that.

“I think it can change confidence in players, especially the ones that listen to it more than others.

“Because you’re a big part of the game now. You analyse things, every goal that we concede you analyse.

“I think it can affect confidence but what I would say is that when you do, you don’t just speak negative about players, you also speak positive so I think as a footballer you’ve got to expect that.”

Meanwhile, West Ham fear Manchester United will block any attempt to sign Jesse Lingard by opting to keep the star this summer.

Lingard played a key role in helping the Hammers secure a Europa League spot with nine goals in 16 appearances on loan in the capital.

Boss David Moyes is desperate to bring the 28-year-old to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.

But the popular Hammers gaffer admitted on Sunday he had no clue whether a deal was possible.

There are increasing concerns within the club that United have no interest in letting the England ace leave Old Trafford on the back of the impact he has made while on loan.

SunSport understands there has been no contact at all between the two clubs to discuss a permanent deal, despite the Hammers making it clear they would be willing buyers.

And finally, United are ‘exploring’ a stunning return for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.

Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been looking to add to his striking department for months to help close the gap on champions Man City.

They have been linked with big-money moves for Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.

But Spurs are allegedly determined not to sell their star man to United as he looks set for a huge £150m switch to City instead.

Haaland is now also set to stay in the Bundesliga for another 12 months leaving Solskjaer to look elsewhere for new firepower as reports suggest Southampton’s Danny Ings has emerged as a target.

However, a fresh claim by The Athletic states that they could still look to bring their former hero Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.

LUKE-ING UP

To miss one final is unlucky. Two is heartbreaking. Three, you might start wondering if you are in the right trade.

But four… no make that FIVE if you want to chuck in a Super Cup… well.

Well that is Luke Shaw’s back catalogue at Manchester United as he finally looks forward to breaking his duck in the Europa League final against Villarreal in Gdansk.

He said: “There was disappointment with all of them, really.

“In big games at big times are big opportunities to show yourself and I feel like I missed out on them.”