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    Man Utd star Edinson Cavani back in Manchester with family ahead of new season after being given extra time in Uruguay

    EDINSON CAVANI is back in Manchester after being given an extended break in Uruguay.The Manchester United striker, 34, took to Instagram on Thursday to update fans, posting an adorable family picture.
    Edinson Cavani is back in Manchester with his family ready for the new seasonCredit: Instagram @cavaniofficial21DREAM TEAM 2021/22PLAY DREAM TEAM FOR THE 2021/22 SEASON

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    He posed alongside girlfriend Jocelyn Burgardt, daughter India, two, and newborn son Silvestre – as well as their three dogs – in the garden.
    The canines didn’t get the memo as they faced the wrong way, looking across the pristine lawn and lake.
    But it is clear the family are glad to be back – especially the couple’s daughter.
    Cavani wrote: “Back home, this year we will be a four for a new adventure.
    “India only repeated Manchester, Manchester.”
    He accompanied the post on his story with The Beatles’ classic Let It Be – despite their Liverpool connections.

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    The reference to the ‘four’ is because of the newest family addition.
    Baby Silvestre was born in June as the striker shared the news to his 8.5million Instagram followers.
    Jocelyn’s pregnancy was cited as one of the reasons the striker was planning to return to South America earlier this year when linked with Argentine giants Boca Juniors before he agreed to stay on at United.
    However, the Red Devils granted him some extra time off to remain in his homeland with the rest of his family after the Copa America.
    He has not returned to training at Carrington just yet and did not feature in pre-season.

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    It means the ex-Napoli ace is almost certain to miss the opening Premier League fixture at home to Leeds tomorrow.
    With Marcus Rashford recovering from surgery, Anthony Martial or Mason Greenwood are expected to lead the line until Cavani is match ready.
    Cavani scored 17 goals in 39 appearances during his debut season at Old Trafford following his arrival from PSG.

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    The family left for South America as a three as the end of last season but return as a fourCredit: Instagram @cavaniofficial21
    Cavani was given an extended break over the summer so has missed pre-seasonCredit: AFP
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    Man Utd will unveil Raphael Varane TOMORROW with pictures done and medical complete after £34m transfer from Real Madrid

    MANCHESTER UNITED will finally announce the arrival of Raphael Varane TOMORROW.The Red Devils are signing the France international centre-back, 28, from Real Madrid in a £42million deal – which is worth an initial £34m.
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    Raphael Varane was spotted arriving for his medical at Man Utd on TuesdayCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
    The Red Devils will officially announce his £42m arrival on ThursdayCredit: PA
    The star was spotted arriving at United’s training ground for the first time on Tuesday after he enjoyed a post-Euro 2020 break to undergo his medical.
    SunSport now understands that Varane has successfully completed those medical checks and signed on the dotted line to make the transfer official.
    He has agreed a four-year contract with the option for a further 12-months.
    Varane has already posed in United’s colours for the official announcement with his shirt number all set to be unveiled.
    The numbers 12, 16, 22, 24 are the lowest ones currently available at Old Trafford but it will not be until the official confirmation that his shirt is revealed.
    And he is likely to be on the bench for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side when they kick-off the Premier League campaign at home to Leeds on Saturday.
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    The 2018 World Cup winner arrived at the Aon Training Ground yesterday to finalise his switch.
    Varane was spotted being driven into Carrington in the back of a black Mercedes to finally undergo his medical.
    The star had just one year left on his current contract at the Bernabeu.
    And, much like Sergio Ramos, talks over a new deal reached a stalemate, with United taking advantage.
    He is United’s second major transfer arrival this summer after they finally ended their long-pursuit of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.
    The England winger is tipped to start for his new side against Leeds – after enjoying a main course with his new team-mates at the plush Ivy restaurant.
    United’s £73million man strode confidently in for the squad-bonding meal wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with ‘Supreme’ at The Ivy.
    And despite only beginning training for the Red Devils on Monday, the ace could be thrust straight into a new-look United formation for their Prem opener.
    ⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
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    Man Utd could be without NINE first-team players including Cavani for start of Premier League season against Leeds

    MANCHESTER UNITED kick-off their attempt to bring the Premier League title back to Old Trafford this Saturday – but Edinson Cavani could be one of nine stars to miss out.The Red Devils are preparing for the visit of Leeds United on Saturday with fans excited to get a glimpse of their new men.
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    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have some bad news for up to nine senior players on SaturdayCredit: AFP
    Raphael Varane still needs to complete his medical before his transfer from Real Madrid is completed.
    However, £73m summer signing Jadon Sancho could be in line for his first competitive start for the club.
    But while boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has brought in new big-money recruits, he still needs to get rid of several men in order to slim down his bloated squad.
    And that means a number of players could be set to miss out on the big season opener due to their squad status.
    Centre-half Eric Bailly was already down the pecking order behind Victor Lindelof and captain Harry Maguire and Varane’s impending arrival means his days could be numbered.
    He has just featured for Ivory Coast at the Olympics and seems unlikely to be rushed back – especially if the Frenchman’s transfer has been completed – and he may not even make the bench.
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    Fellow central defender Phil Jones will also likely have to wait for his first match action since January 2020.
    He has just returned to training from injury and has also been linked with a move away – although no offers have currently been tabled.
    Full-back Alex Telles struggled to make an impact during his first season at United as Luke Shaw kept him out of the side – and a slight injury concern makes it unlikely the Brazilian will be back on Saturday.
    When it comes to United’s attack, Marcus Rashford is definitely ruled out following his recent shoulder op.
    Edinson Cavani was given an extended summer break after Copa AmericaCredit: AFP
    But Cavani will also miss the clash with Leeds after he was handed an extended break after representing Uruguay in Copa America.
    Meanwhile West Ham transfer target Jesse Lingard has been ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19 last week.
    Belgium-born Brazilian international Andreas Pereira has been one of United’s star men throughout pre-season.
    But whether that is enough to cement him a place in the squad remains to be seen.
    Juan Mata is another who shone during the recent friendlies but the veteran Spanish playmaker may miss out due to the sheer squad size at Solskjaer’s disposal.
    Goalkeeper Tom Heaton was another new arrival at United over recent weeks on a free transfer from Aston Villa.
    But the veteran stopper joined as back-up to both Dean Henderson and David De Gea and will not be part of the squad unless as cover for injury or suspension.
    ⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
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    Wayne Rooney’s son Kai, 11, heads off on first Man Utd away trip as proud dad wishes him luck in Instagram post

    WAYNE ROONEY has wished his eldest son Kai good luck with the youngster heading off on his first away trip with Manchester United’s academy.The 11-year-old joined the Red Devils’ academy in December of last year as he followed in the footsteps of his famous father.
    Wayne Rooney shared this snap of son Kai before his first away trip with Manchester United’s academyCredit: Instagram @waynerooney
    Kai Rooney linked up with the Red Devils in December of last yearCredit: Instagram
    And the striker has shown he has an eye for goal just like the Derby boss after banging in a hat-trick for United’s Under-11s in May in a 6-3 win against Stoke.
    He even chipped in with three assists during the clash, with United supporters left fawning over the forward.
    Dad Rooney has now shared a snap of Kai in a full United tracksuit ahead of an away day with the club.
    Positng a picture of Kai smiling at the camera on Instagram, Wayne said: “Good luck to my son Kai on his first trip away with Manchester United.”
    Proud mum Coleen also uploaded the same image on her account, as she remarked: “First trip away for my big boy. Good luck Kai.”
    Kai is claimed to have rejected offers from a host of clubs in order to join United.
    Wayne, who is United’s all-time top scorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances, admitted that Kai could have gone elsewhere.
    Speaking last year, the 35-year-old revealed: “Yeah I’m a proud dad.
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    “He’s been working hard, he obviously came over to the States with us to continue with his football.
    “He went on trial with Manchester United and he’s impressed the coaches. He signed his forms yesterday so I’m delighted for him.”
    Before adding: “He did have other options, other clubs to go to.
    “But he decided he wants to sign for Manchester United, so it was his decision and not mine.”
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    Man Utd legend Roy Keane blasts ‘irritating’ Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury and claims he doesn’t like boxers

    MANCHESTER UNITED legend Roy Keane has branded Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua as ‘irritating’ as he spoke of his dislike of the pair.The Irish icon hit out at the British duo as he declared that he isn’t a fan of their trash talk.
    Roy Keane has revealed that he isn’t a fan of heavyweight boxers Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury
    Manchester United legend Keane has declared that both Joshua and Fury ‘irritate’ him
    Keane was speaking of the world champions to former Red Devils team-mate Gary Nevvile.
    And he declared that WBA, WBO and WBC champion AJ and WBC king Fury are both as bad as each other.
    Speaking on ‘The Overlap’, Keane, 50, was asked by Neville who he prefers out of Fury and Joshua ahead of a potential dust-up between them in 2022.
    Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn revealed last month that an undisputed title fight could take place in late January or February.
    But that would only happen should Joshua beat Oleksandr Usyk on September 25, while the Gypsy King defends his belt against Deontay Wilder on October 9.
    Commenting on the boxers, Keane remarked: “I don’t like any of them, that heavyweight stuff is irritating me – Too much talk.
    “None of them, they both irritate me. I’m not picking any of them, honestly.”
    Manchester City fans and former Oasis frontmen Liam and Noel Gallagher didn’t escape Keane’s wrath either.
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    Keane stated the brothers irritate him as much as Joshua and Fury.
    He added: “They both get on my nerves, like the two boxers.”
    The seven-time Premier League winner also declared he was a better player than rival Patrick Vieira, and that team-mate Peter Schmeichel was overrated.
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    Marcus Rashford posts first update since surgery with Man Utd ace saying he’s ‘sore’ with shoulder covered in bandages

    MANCHESTER UNITED star Marcus Rashford has posted his first post-surgery photo after an operation on his shoulder.The England star needed pain-killing injections throughout the Euro 2020 campaign, and decided the only option was to go under the knife.
    Man Utd and England star Marcus Rashford is rehabilitating after having shoulder surgery
    Rashford is not expected to be back in action for his club until October.
    The 23-year-old shared a photo on Instragram showing his bandaged up shoulder.
    He captioned it: “Thank you for all the well wishes.
    “I had my surgery on Friday morning and everything went very well. A little sore but other than that I’m feeling good.
    “Hope you’re all having a great day!”
    Rashford had a scan after the Euros to determine the severity of the muscle tear in his shoulder, which he has been managing since last November.
    The 23-year-old took pain-killing injections to ensure he was available for the Three Lions’ journey to their Wembley defeat against Italy in the final.
    Rashford will miss the season opener against rivals Leeds United on August 14 and could miss eight league games and three Champions League ties in total.
    He could also miss five England World Cup qualifiers in September and October as well.
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    Solskjaer also has a number of other decisions to make before they kick-off their season on Saturday.
    He will look at teenager winger Amad Diallo’s short-term future after he returns from Olympic duty with Ivory Coast.
    Blockbuster new signings Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho are both in line to play, although they haven’t trained much and will likely start from the bench.
    ⚽ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
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    Three reasons why Man Utd can NOT compete for Premier League title this season including need for holding midfielder

    WITH Manchester United completing the signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane for a fee of around £110million, it’s been a productive summer window for the Premier League giants.They are now actually aiming to compete for the league title for the first time since their last triumph in 2013.
    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping it’s his time to deliver the titleCredit: Getty
    There are still plenty of doubts about the Manchester United bossCredit: Getty
    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been receiving the full backing from the board in the transfer window.
    And he has recently been given a contract extension, with the signs clearly being shown that the club trusts him to deliver the titles and trophies that Old Trafford has been crying out for.
    But with the major signings that Chelsea and Manchester City are looking to make, on top of the inconsistency issues at Manchester United, there are still a lot of doubts about whether the Red Devils are genuine title contenders this season.
    Here are three reasons why United should not yet be seen as league challengers…
    NO STRUCTURED SYSTEM
    United have shown their incredible resilience and the number of individual players they
    can rely on during last season, achieving 31 points from losing positions as they finished in second place.
    This may be seen as something remarkable, though, it is something that cannot be sustained throughout a campaign to lead to a title challenge.
    The team going behind early in the game along with having great difficulties to overcome the
    bottom half teams is due to the lack of system that is in place.
    There is no structured foundation of how Solskjaer wants his team to play.
    Without a consistent style of play drilled into the team, especially the basics and the decision making within the system, United will be limiting themselves to rely on creativity and goals in transition, which many teams have found them out for.
    HOLDING MIDFIELDER
    For sure, the squad is blessed with talented midfielders such as Bruno Fernandes, Donny van de Beek and Paul Pogba, which is more than enough to help the team on the attacking side of the game.
    However, the team is missing a holding midfielder, to provide the balance in the middle of the
    pitch, giving his team-mates the freedom to roam more forward whilst he protects the backline.
    Looking at the previous Premier League winners in Liverpool and Manchester City, they have an established and world-class defensive midfielder in Fabinho and Rodri, who can offer the much-needed ability of dictating the play from deep and who also influences the game on and off the ball.
    And with United reportedly looking to play in a more attacking formation this season, the side will require a holding midfielder to stop the opposition from breaking through on the counterattack.
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    IN-GAME MANAGEMENT
    Now, the third and final reason is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s in-game management.
    There are improvements to the squad quality and the atmosphere around the club since his takeover, but he is yet to improve as a manager and show the features of a coach
    that has what it takes to take a sleeping giant like United back to where they belong.
    The greatest example of his questionable in-game management was the Europa League final, where he failed to show any signs of leadership skills or a proactive approach to turn the match into United’s favour.
    That resulted in the match needlessly going to penalties and our eventual loss to Villarreal.
    Until he is able to improve on this aspect and show development of tactical nous as a coach, he will not succeed in helping the team to be side by side with Liverpool and Manchester City.
    @UTDWorldwide @asif9707
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    Man Utd 4 Everton 0: Red Devils fire title warning with stunning display as Bruno Fernandes scores free-kick screamer

    IT WAS LIKE Euro 2020 all over again.Luke Shaw with the delivery and Harry Maguire the thumping header in.
    Mason Greenwood opened the scoring for Manchester United following a mix-up between Jordan Pickford and Lucas DigneCredit: PA
    Greenwood is looking to better his tally of seven Premier League goals he managed last seasonCredit: Getty
    It was Shaw who provided the free kick delivery for Maguire in Rome for England’s second in a 4-0 win over Ukraine.
    Against Everton in this pre-season friendly the full-back’s wand of a left foot provided the assist from a corner this time and there was Maguire again powering a header home in the 15th minute.
    He is starting to look like Steve Bruce in the opposing box.
    Legendary centre-back Bruce scored 51 goals in his time with United.
    Most notable were those two late headers in the crucial win over Sheffield Wednesday here in the first Premier League season that helped United towards the finishing line.
    There was a similarity to those with the way Maguire despatched his here.
    Manager Solskjaer said last season that he wanted to get his captain more involved in set-pieces and that work on the training ground looks set to pay dividends if this is anything to go by.
    It wasn’t quite like Euro 2020 for Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, however.

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    Harry Maguire doubled United’s lead over Everton after getting on the end of a Luke Shaw cornerCredit: Reuters
    Maguire wheels away in delight after his towering header nestled into the top cornerCredit: Getty
    He answered his doubters with some fantastic displays for England in the summer.
    But there was butter back on his fingers as he gifted United the lead here in the eighth minute.
    He wasn’t helped by two of his teammates.
    Alex Iwobi first headed the ball back to Lucas Digne leaving him in a panic as he executed a bizarre diving header towards the advancing Pickford.
    To think the chants of ‘England’s number one’ from the away support were still hanging in the air as Pickford spilled the ball and Mason Greenwood following up turned it into an empty net.
    After Maguire had made it two, Bruno Fernandes added a third on 28 minutes.
    Abdoulaye Doucoure foolishly pulled back Victor Lindelof just outside the area to concede a free-kick in a very dangerous area.
    The cries of ‘Bruno, Bruno’ went up from a crowd of 55,000 and the Portuguese star was happy to oblige his fans.

    Bruno Fernandes put the Red Devils 3-0 up with a free-kick in the 29th minuteCredit: Reuters
    Stepping up he delivered a sweet strike over the wall and into the top left hand side of the goal.
    It wasn’t right in the corner but it had pace on it and the flying Pickford could not get near it.
    At this point a number of Everton fans started to head for the exit doors.
    For them former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has been a controversial appointment after Carlo Ancelotti walked out on the club for a second spell at Real Madrid.
    He needs to hit the ground running to win over the fan base but has hit it stumbling with this embarrassing final warm-up game before the big kick off next weekend.
    As is normal with these friendlies the best judgement can only be made on the first period with a raft of changes made by both managers at the break and through the second-half.
    Pickford was spared any further embarrassment as one of those withdrawn at half-time.
    All the changes took the sting out of United and Everton did at least hit the bar when Andros Townsend fired goalwards.

    United outclassed the Toffees at Old Trafford ahead of their Premier League opener against LeedsCredit: Getty
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    United would round the scoring off, however, in injury time when forgotten man Diogo Dalot stooped to send a fine header home from Fred’s delivery.
    Solskjaer can look back with a great deal of satisfaction on that first 45 minutes against another Premier League side.
    With new signings Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho still to take their bow there is a real excitement building towards the new season and their opening fixture here at Old Trafford against Leeds next Saturday.
    Solskjaer will certainly hope that positive energy that was among the 55,000 in the stadium for this game carries over.
    Last season despite finishing Premier League runners-up they surrendered 26 points at home.
    He needs to build this into a fortress again and certainly believes he has the squad to do just that.
    For Benitez the chants of ‘Fat Spanish Waiter’ from all be it a minority of Everton fans does not bode well.
    Rafa Benitez knows his Everton have to start off well in the Premier League if he wishes to win over the fansCredit: PA
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    Man Utd work hard in training ahead of the new season More