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      ‘Is Carrington that bad?’ – Antony’s reaction to seeing Real Betis facilities revealed as Man Utd flop stars on loan

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      ANTONY has told Real Betis he would be open to extending his loan from Manchester United by a further 12 months.The Brazilian winger, 25, endured a nightmare stay at Old Trafford after making the £85 million move from Ajax in summer 2022.Manchester United loanee Antony is open to extending his stay at Real BetisCredit: GettyThe Brazilian has impressed during his first month in SpainCredit: GettyAntony joined United for £85 million in the summerCredit: GettyBut he agreed to join the Spanish club in a loan deal in January and so far the move has worked out well.Betis chief exec Ramon Alarcon said: “The other day Antony told me that he wanted to stay another year.“The player is very comfortable here and was surprised by the facilities we gave him to settle in the city as soon as he arrived.”The statement has left many United fans questioning the supposed state-of-the-art conditions at their own HQ.READ MORE MAN UTD NEWSOne fan fumed: “Is Carrington that bad?”A second said: “Wow another player hinting at the under par facilities at United.”Another added: “Surely the facilities at Betis CANNOT be better than United’s.”One more wrote: “Maybe Cristiano Ronaldo was right.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSAs things stand, Antony will return to United in the summer – but a longer spell in Spain has not been ruled out.Antony’s electric performances for Betis have certainly put him in the spotlight for potential buyers.Sir Alex Ferguson filmed enjoying Zimbabwe holiday as legendary ex-Man Utd boss forgets about Red Devils woesHe has already scored three goals and provided two assists in seven matches for Betis and had a straight red overturned.The winger’s mid-season switch has reinvigorated him, and he now has designs on winning his place back in the Brazil squad. Upon leaving United in 2022 for Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo described Carrington as “stopped in time”.The five-time Ballon d’Or winner said: “Nothing changed, surprisingly. Not only the pool, the jacuzzi, even the gym. “Even the kitchen, the chefs, whom I appreciate – lovely people. They stopped in time. It surprised me a lot.”I thought I would see other things, technologies, and infrastructure. “Unfortunately, we see a lot of what I used to see at 21, 22, and 23 years old. It really surprised me.”Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly unhappy with Man United’s training facilitiesCarrington’s swimming pool as it looked in 2000It comes after United stars were reportedly stopped from ever visiting the Glazer-owned Tampa Bay Buccaneers.The Red Devils have often toured around the US for pre-season, but have never been near Tampa.However, it has now been revealed United were stopped from visiting their sister team over fears it would spark a player revolt.READ MORE SUN STORIESESPN’s Mark Ogden explained it was believed if players from United saw the training facilities in Tampa they would then rebel due to their own relatively poor facilities.A United supporters’ group has unveiled plans for a protest before the club host Arsenal on Sunday, March 9.Man Utd ratings vs FulhamMANCHESTER UNITED crashed out the FA Cup on penalties against Fulham.Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee had poor spot-kicks saved as the Red Devils slipped to their sixth home defeat under Ruben Amorim.Fulham broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a well-worked corner.Antonee Robinson darted to the near post and flicked it onto Calvin Bassey who directed his header into the bottom corner brilliantly.Just as United’s frustrations were brewing, Bruno Fernandes was the saviour yet again.He picked up Diogo Dalot’s perfect cut back and fired it beyond the stretch of Bernd Leno.United had chances towards the end of the second-half, with subs Alejandro Garnacho and Chido Obi unable to finish.There was nothing to separate the sides in extra-time and penalties were needed.Despite well-taken kicks from Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Casemiro, Lindelof and Zirkzee woefully fired directly at Fulham hero Leno.But which Man Utd players could hold their heads up and which flopped?Here, SunSport’s Ken Lawrence reveals his player ratings. More

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      Man Utd ‘reopen Kobbie Mainoo contract talks as sought-after England star demands less than HALF Casemiro’s wages’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED have re-opened talks with Kobbie Mainoo in the hope of tying the midfielder down to a new deal, according to reports.But Mainoo’s representatives want a massive pay rise to £180,00-a-week, plus bonuses, to reflect his status as an England international.Manchester United and Mainoo have held fresh discussions over a new contractCredit: GettyMainoo has been locked in prolonged negotiations with his boyhood club over improved terms on his £20,000-a-week deal until 2027.And his reps believe it’s high-time that Mainoo’s wages match that of his team-mates.If agreed upon, Mainoo’s reported demands would see him earn half of the £375,000 salary fellow midfielder Casemiro pockets each week. It would put the 19-year-old eighth on United’s current wage bill, behind Harry Maguire’s £190,000 salary.READ MORE MAN UTD NEWSUnited and Mainoo have held fresh discussions over a new contract but will need to find a compromise, according to The Mail.It’s reckoned FFP constraints mean United might be unable to offer Mainoo similar terms to some of their top earners and no longer see him as untouchable.As a homegrown player, Mainoo would generate 100 per cent in pure profit – which would be substantial given that United value him at £70-80 million.But the Red Devils are believed to be hopeful of convincing the dynamic midfield maestro that his long-term future is best placed at Old Trafford.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSRuben Amorim has admitted he can’t guarantee Mainoo will stay amid the club’s pressure to fund signings with player sales.The teenager, who has been out of action for a month with a calf injury, still has more than two years left on his current contract. Ruben Amorim admits he and Man Utd players ALL fighting for their jobs between now and the end of the seasonMainoo has failed to replicate last season’s form this termChelsea would lead the chase for Mainoo if United cannot tie the England midfielder to a new deal.The Blues were linked with Mainoo in January when talks with United reached a stalemate.Amorim has also struggled to find the best role for Mainoo in his 4-3-3 system, before he sustained a calf injury in training last month.He enjoyed a breakthrough 2023-24 season under Erik ten Hag, scoring three times in the Prem and the decisive goal in the FA Cup final win against Manchester City.Mainoo is already an important player for club and country despite not turning 20 until April.The Manchester-born star has made 60 appearances for United since his debut two years ago.He has also played ten times for England and was a key figure in their run to last summer’s Euros final. More

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      Man Utd flop lined up for free transfer back to former club after being signed for huge £31m fee

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      VICTOR LINDELOF is eyeing a return to Benfica when his Manchester United contract expires this summer.The Swedish defender spent five years on the books of the Portuguese club before earning a £31 million move to Old Trafford in summer 2017.Victor Lindelof is eyeing a return to Benfica when his contract expires this summerCredit: GettyLindelof joined Joshua Zirkzee in missing a spot kick in the shoot outCredit: GettyUnited crashed out of the FA Cup on penalties to Fulham on SundayCredit: RexLindelof has endured an injury ravaged season and has yet to start a Premier League game for the Red Devils.And his campaign took a turn for the worse on Sunday when he missed his penalty as holders United crashed out of the FA Cup to Fulham in a shoot-out.West Ham were one of the clubs who showed an interest in taking him on loan in January – but he looks likely to move as a free agent in the summer.United have not held discussions with Lindelof – who has spent 79 days out injured this season – over an extension to his current deal.READ MORE ON MAN UTDLindelof also spent around 112 days out last term with separate hamstring and groin issues.The 30-year-old occasionally visits Lisbon during his time off and has fond memories of his five-year spell at Benfica.He won three Portuguese league titles and two domestic cups with Benfica before Jose Mourinho signed him. A return to Benfica would appeal and the club are on the look-out for a replacement for ex-Manchester City centre back Nicolas Otamendi.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSClub captain Otamendi is set to depart Benfica on a free this summer, with Argentinian side Rosario Central keen on signing him.The World Cup winner could even link up with Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in a few months.’That’s why I’m the manager’ – Ruben Amorim hits back at Wayne Rooney as Man Utd boss aims to win Premier LeagueOtamendi played every single minute of Argentina’s winning campaign in Qatar 2022.Lindelof has played 270 times for United and has scored four goals.He was relegated to United’s fifth-choice central defender last summer after Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro joined from Bayern Munich and Lille respectively. He is also behind Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire in the pecking order.The Red Devils activated a one-year extension to Maguire’s contract, meaning he will remain at Old Trafford until the end of next season.The club also signed 18-year-old centre back Ayden Heaven from Arsenal last month.United are expected to revamp their squad this summer after another dismal season, which has left them 14th in the Prem.Man Utd ratings vs FulhamMANCHESTER UNITED crashed out the FA Cup on penalties against Fulham.Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee had poor spot-kicks saved as the Red Devils slipped to their sixth home defeat under Ruben Amorim.Fulham broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a well-worked corner.Antonee Robinson darted to the near post and flicked it onto Calvin Bassey who directed his header into the bottom corner brilliantly.Just as United’s frustrations were brewing, Bruno Fernandes was the saviour yet again.He picked up Diogo Dalot’s perfect cut back and fired it beyond the stretch of Bernd Leno.United had chances towards the end of the second-half, with subs Alejandro Garnacho and Chido Obi unable to finish.There was nothing to separate the sides in extra-time and penalties were needed.Despite well-taken kicks from Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Casemiro, Lindelof and Zirkzee woefully fired directly at Fulham hero Leno.But which Man Utd players could hold their heads up and which flopped?Here, SunSport’s Ken Lawrence reveals his player ratings. More

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      ‘Out for a long time after that’ – Angry, frustrated Man Utd boss Ferguson picked injured star and ‘it didn’t end well’

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      SIR ALEX FERGUSON was well known for taking risks throughout his career, but Paul Scholes has revealed when one of these backfired spectacularly.Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, Scholes recalled the story of how Owen Hargreaves was left to bare the consequences of one of those risks.Paul Scholes has recalled how Sir Alex Ferguson took a big risk on the fitness of Owen HargreavesCredit: ReutersHargreaves’ injury record had left Ferguson ‘frustrated’Credit: GettyHargreaves joined Man Utd in 2007 and played there through until 2011, but only appeared 27 times due to being plagued by injury.However, Ferguson had grown frustrated and angry with the persistent injuries the midfielder suffered from.And with a crunch match against Arsenal coming up in just over a month’s time, Ferguson was keen to hand Hargreaves some minutes against Wolves.Hargreaves was named in the starting XI for the clash against Wolves, which was his first start since September 2008 and only his second Premier League game since a recurring patellar tendinitis problem.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut Scholes recalled how Hargreaves had warned the Scottish coach he was feeling a hamstring injury before Ferguson told him he was playing, only to get injured and be sidelined for a long time.One-club legend Scholes said: “I remember, we had Owen Hargreaves who was unfortunately injured a lot, and the manager eventually became frustrated because we couldn’t get him back.”I remember one game where we were playing Arsenal at home, Owen had been out for some time and was nearly back, and he went out for the warmup and came in feeling his hamstring and you could just see the anger and frustration in the manager’s face.”He said, ‘You’re playing,’ and that was it. Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS”It didn’t end well – within 15 minutes, Owen had to come off and was out for a long time after that – there has to be frustration from managers as well.”Hargreaves was replaced by Bebe on the right wing after just 10 minutes of the clash, which they won thanks to a brace from Ji-sung Park. ‘He battered me’ – Wayne Rooney reveals worst ever rollicking from Sir Alex Ferguson and Man Utd legend snapped backFerguson had admitted after the game he had taken a risk on the midfielder’s fitness. He said: “We were at the stage where we knew Owen’s knee was okay.”His training performances for eight or nine days previously had been terrific.”He had done really well, which is why we took the chance. “But maybe the tension in the build-up for the lad was too much and he suffered because of it.”It would be Hargreaves’ last game in a Red Devils shirt, with Ferguson saying in his 2013 autobiography that Hargreaves was one of his most disappointing signings.Man Utd ratings vs FulhamMANCHESTER UNITED crashed out the FA Cup on penalties against Fulham.Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee had poor spot-kicks saved as the Red Devils slipped to their sixth home defeat under Ruben Amorim.Fulham broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a well-worked corner.Antonee Robinson darted to the near post and flicked it onto Calvin Bassey who directed his header into the bottom corner brilliantly.Just as United’s frustrations were brewing, Bruno Fernandes was the saviour yet again.He picked up Diogo Dalot’s perfect cut back and fired it beyond the stretch of Bernd Leno.United had chances towards the end of the second-half, with subs Alejandro Garnacho and Chido Obi unable to finish.There was nothing to separate the sides in extra-time and penalties were needed.Despite well-taken kicks from Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Casemiro, Lindelof and Zirkzee woefully fired directly at Fulham hero Leno.But which Man Utd players could hold their heads up and which flopped?Here, SunSport’s Ken Lawrence reveals his player ratings. More

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      How Ruben Amorim will prove Wayne Rooney wrong despite FA Cup loss to Fulham

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      MANCHESTER UNITED crashed out of the FA Cup thanks to a penalty shootout defeat to Fulham on Sunday.As has been the case in many previous games, there were positives and negatives to take from the performance.Man Utd crashed out of the FA Cup against Fulham on SundayCredit: GettyBut we have identified some positives on Tactics ExposedCredit: PAWe have looked at what Amorim got wrong in the clash, including a selection issueCredit: RexAnother set piece proved to be the Red Devils undoing before Bruno Fernandes scored a wonderful goal.But despite dominating much of the play from there after, Man Utd were unable to take their chances before crashing out when Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee missed pens in the shootout.After the defeat, Ruben Amorim was busy hitting back at Wayne Rooney after he labelled the manager naive for saying the ultimate goal was to win the Premier League.In the latest edition of our Tactics Exposed series, we take a look at what Amorim got right and got wrong during the clash.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBRUNO THE ANCHORMANFernandes’ position as one of the two pivot players was highlighted in our Tactics Exposed show last week.But unlike his performance against Ipswich where he was all-action but often to the detriment of Man Utd’s 3-4-3 system, on Sunday he was more disciplined.We highlighted Bruno Fernandes’ ‘Steven Gerrard syndrome’ against IpswichStepping into the heart of defence would have left him being pressed by Fulham and United without optionsFernandes seems to have taken on board more of what Amorim wanted him to do in this game in a more rigid way of playing by holding his position as the pivot more.Handing more trust to the centre-backs meant United had more passing options to progress the ball through the lines. Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSThis gave Amorim’s side a structure to play out from the back against Fulham, with United often passing through the lines to Christian Eriksen and Diogo Dalot.It also consequently meant Fulham changed their plan at half-time, with United certainly having some joy with this game plan.Man United fan The United Strand vows to not cut his hair until Red Devils win FIVE games in a rowUnfortunately, one of the main problems for United in this game came when they got into dangerous areas, with the likes of Eriksen getting the ball out wide but not being the player who will be able to beat his marker.Most importantly on this point, however, Fernandes’ touches and heat map showed him to be in a far more focused role within the structure all while putting in another captain’s performance.A more disciplined showing made Bruno an effective pivot in front of the back threeTrusting the likes of Harry Maguire and Co gave United more passing options through the linesAnd with Christian Eriksen and Joshua Zirkzee dropping back it meant United could progress the ball easilyUnited had a lot of joy in finding Eriksen went playing outFernandes had more touches of the ball in areas he should be having them inHis heat map also showed how he was still all over the pitch but more focusedIt was progress for Amorim, small progress, but progress.Fernandes later chipped in with another goal to level it up before scoring in the shootout as the Red Devils crashed out.IT’S OBI ONE UP TOPThe big debate has been over Rasmus Hojlund and whether the service is the problem — or just Hojlund himself.He again made some good runs and scuffed the one decent chance he got from Eriksen’s cross but didn’t do enough, especially in the duels.In the end, it was unfortunate once again that Alejandro Garnacho did not start alongside Hojlund, with the attacking dynamism the winger brings not able to assist the Dane when he made his runs.The whole first half he got one cross from Eriksen to the front post for a half chance.Rasmus Hojlund was once again starved of attacking intent by United’s starting XIHojlund had one half chance to try to end his goal droughtBut the game changed in the 68th minute when Chido Obi came onBut the game changed when 17-year-old Chido Obi came on in the 68th minute.Young Obi outshone Hojlund with direct running, physicality and got himself in three scoring positions.Zirkzee got closer to the teen when he came on for Hojlund and Garnacho did inject some pace after the starting No 9 went off.But it looks like it is time to give Obi a start and take Hojlund out of the firing line.Obi won half of his duels against Fulham compared to 20 per cent with Hojlund and he got into those positions to be dangerous.The teen ace benefitted from Joshua Zirkzee operating closer to him, like a two up topHe put himself in areas to get the ball and get a dangerous chanceHe proved to be a handful for the Fulham defenceBut for a wonderful save by Bernd Leno he would have won the gameAnd but for a really, really good Bernd Leno save he would have surely scored the winner.There is an inevitable storyline in United’s next league game coming against Arsenal after United poached the teen ace from the Gunners. Alan Hansen once famously said “You don’t win anything with kids”. But United are not winning anything without the kids either, so why not give him a go?After all, at this point of their season they don’t have a lot to lose.They’re not creating much and the chemistry between the players seems to be non-existent.Diogo Dalot was getting in all the right areas as the United left wing-backBut he lacked the impetus needed to make United really effectiveOne issue which certainly did not help was the lack of presence at left wing-back, with Dalot unable to provide the attacking impetus needed to be successful.He was in the position loads, but only one cross ended up resulting in a chance for the attack.THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBERLeny Yoro returned to the back three alongside Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt to face Fulham.And there were some positive signs this time around despite a lot of long balls being played forward.The trio kept Rodrigo Muniz, Adama Traore and Alex Iwobi pretty quiet throughout the game.Matthijs de Ligt’s cross-field passes proved an effective out ball for Man UtdThe passes would find De Ligt one on one with an opposition markerIf another player was there asides from the more defensively minded Dalot it might have produced different resultsDe Ligt was far better in defensive situations due to him being willing to jump out and engage, like he did with great success against Manchester City and Liverpool.He showed some very good cross-field passes to the wing-back on the opposite side, but we will come back to that in a moment.Overall though, it was a good flat back three which refused to be bullied.NACHO HOT BUT WING-BACKS NOTI’m not sure if Garnacho has bought his team-mates dinner yet like he promised them he would last week.But he proved effective when he came on to provide the direct running United needed and was a big threat to Fulham, though it is a system puzzle with Amorim wedded to 3-4-3.Alejandro Garnacho coming on added a directness on the left which had been missingLike Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui simply doesn’t provide the aggression United need to truly excel in this formationHis touches were often too deepThe starting wing-backs Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui just don’t have the pace and dynamism to stretch defences.De Ligt’s long field switches proved effective in getting United up the field and stretching the play.However, with Dalot unable to make the most of them they ended up being largely wasted chances.When Garnacho arrived, he did that on the left of the front three but, with no outlet on the right, it meant an imbalance.Garnacho might have made more of this situationAmorim must consider starting with more attacking wing-backs like Garnacho or the currently injured Amad Diallo — as well as new signing Patrick Dorgu, who was suspended on Sunday.But one thing is for certain, Dalot and Mazraoui are not currently doing enough in an attacking sense for Man Utd, which is leading to them having a lack of creativity.CALVIN CLIMBSCalvin Bassey was the shining light in an otherwise below par Fulham performance.Marco Silva had matched Wolves’ 3-4-3 in midweek, but ended up reverting back to the preferred back four against United.But with the home side’s back three proving to be too much for the Fulham attackers to handle, it was left to centre-back Bassey to come up with the goods in his first ever FA Cup game.Yet for Man Utd it was a case of deja vu after they conceded almost the exact same set piece goal against Fulham two years ago when Aleksandar Mitrovic scored against them.It was deju vu for Man Utd as they conceded the same set piece goal as almost exactly two years agoThis time around it was Calvin Bassey who found space at the far post to head home the openerMan Utd, like most teams nowadays, defend zonally.What Fulham did to break through this was drag out the first zone to create a gap into the second zone.The outswinging corner to a Fulham head at the near post ended up in a dangerous cross towards the far post.Two years ago it was Andreas Pereira’s cross which was flicked in at the far post when he ran into the space and scored.READ MORE SUN STORIESThis time, it was once again a Pereira corner, swung into Muniz who headed it into the gap at the far post.In the end they were just about value for a win, but you would not fancy playing them in the latter stages of the FA Cup.Man Utd ratings vs FulhamMANCHESTER UNITED crashed out the FA Cup on penalties against Fulham.Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee had poor spot-kicks saved as the Red Devils slipped to their sixth home defeat under Ruben Amorim.Fulham broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a well-worked corner.Antonee Robinson darted to the near post and flicked it onto Calvin Bassey who directed his header into the bottom corner brilliantly.Just as United’s frustrations were brewing, Bruno Fernandes was the saviour yet again.He picked up Diogo Dalot’s perfect cut back and fired it beyond the stretch of Bernd Leno.United had chances towards the end of the second-half, with subs Alejandro Garnacho and Chido Obi unable to finish.There was nothing to separate the sides in extra-time and penalties were needed.Despite well-taken kicks from Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Casemiro, Lindelof and Zirkzee woefully fired directly at Fulham hero Leno.But which Man Utd players could hold their heads up and which flopped?Here, SunSport’s Ken Lawrence reveals his player ratings. 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      Man Utd’s history means nothing – thinking they can win the league in three years is arrogant and delusional

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      IT was an FA Cup weekend which showed just how far Manchester United have fallen.Which showed how little their history means, how shockingly bad their recruitment has been — and how many clubs have overtaken them.Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim is underestimating the size of his taskCredit: GettyWayne Rooney was correct to warn the Red DevilsCredit: X formerly Twitter / @BBCMOTDRooney was also spot-on to say United could do with Danny WelbeckCredit: GettyAnd it showed how correct Wayne Rooney was to criticise the naivety of United’s hierarchy for targeting the Premier League title within three years.In a fascinating quarter-final line-up, there are four clubs — Bournemouth, Brighton,  Fulham and Crystal Palace — who have never won the Cup but who have realistic ambitions of doing so on May 17.All four are infinitely smaller than United but sit above Ruben Amorim’s men in the  Premier League table.So when Rooney doubts United’s stated ambition of winning the title in their 150th anniversary year of 2028 — chief executive Omar Berrada’s so-called ‘Project 21’ — he is absolutely right.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLRooney called it ‘naive’. He might have added ‘arrogant’ and ‘delusional’.United haven’t won it in 12 years and are now further away from doing so than at any point during that time.Portuguese Amorim is a searingly honest press-conference operator but he was wrong to sneer at Rooney with his ‘that is why I’m manager of Manchester United at 40’ jibe.That Rooney’s managerial career has stalled after four underwhelming jobs by the age of 39 does not mean his comments lack credibility.Most read in FootballUnited face more high-pressure games this monthBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSAre only successful football managers allowed to assess football managers?Sir David Attenborough has never been a Rwandan mountain gorilla but he made a decent fist of talking about them.Man United fan The United Strand vows to not cut his hair until Red Devils win FIVE games in a rowAmorim claims being a pundit is easy — which doesn’t explain why so many ex-players are so bad at it.Rooney, meanwhile, is far more articulate and insightful than he’s often given credit for.He’s United’s record goalscorer and he understands that the club’s fame, its history, means little to current footballers — especially those from overseas.“If I’m a player and United try to sign me, I’m thinking, ‘I’m not sure’,” said Rooney. “The top players want Champions League.”United’s 13 titles under Sir Alex Ferguson are an irrelevance to the elite young players they want to recruit.Those potential transfer targets will instead regard a shell of a football club, stuck in the bottom half of the table.The idea of United targeting the title in 2028 is nonsense.Before they can even think about challenging Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester City, they must get past that little lot of FA Cup quarter-finalists — Brighton, Bournemouth, Fulham and Palace.Joshua Zirkzee was gutted after a shootout miss as Fulham KO’d UnitedCredit: GettyMarcus Rashford is flourishing on loan for Aston Villa from UnitedCredit: GettyAll are well-run clubs benefiting from the ‘levelling up’ effect of Premier League TV revenue and Profit and Sustainability Rules.United are not experiencing a one-season blip. They are suffering from a dozen years of rank boardroom mismanagement.Would you bet on them finishing above Brighton, Bournemouth, Fulham or Palace next  season?When Fulham won at Old Trafford on Sunday, United cast-off Andreas Pereira shone, as did Sander Berge, the holding midfielder United tried and failed to sign from Burnley last summer.Fulham manager Marco Silva was one of several bosses United sounded out before they offered a new contract to Erik ten Hag.Silva is a gifted coach, who prioritised the Cup by resting several first-choice players for last Tuesday’s visit to Wolves, a match which Fulham won after their manager changed his favoured formation — showing an admirable flexibility which seems alien to Amorim.Fulham beat United without playing well. Despite three key injuries of their own, they had a far stronger bench than United.They are nine points clear of United because they are simply better.United would love a forward as good as Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert, Evanilson or Dango Ouattara, or a winger anywhere near the standard of Brighton’s Kaoru MitomaThis is the Premier League’s new order. Smaller clubs have strong squads, well-scouted, recruited, assembled and coached. They don’t often need to sell their best players either.They can work without the white noise that  surrounds United, because of a history which only serves to drag the club further down.Earlier on Sunday, United old boy Danny Welbeck scored an excellent winner for Brighton at Newcastle.And at 34 Welbeck would still be a huge improvement on what Amorim has at his disposal — as Rooney pointed out.On Friday night, Marcus Rashford was enjoying his freedom at Aston Villa — who haven’t won the Cup since 1957 but also have a decent chance of doing so.And how United would love a forward as good as Bournemouth’s Justin Kluivert, Evanilson or Dango Ouattara, or a winger anywhere near the standard of Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma.Bournemouth and Brighton are diamond miners in the global transfer market, Fulham are more adept at recycling unwanted Premier League players and at Palace it’s a mix of the two approaches.But all have succeeded while United have continually failed.And these are the clubs United must surpass before they even think about challenging to be champions of England again.Champions by 2028? Naive isn’t the half of it.Mocking was sickWHO says FA Cup romance is dead, when Saturday brought us a kung-fu kick at Crystal Palace v Millwall, a headbutt at Bournemouth v Wolves and a racism row at Preston v Burnley?If the assault by Millwall keeper Liam Roberts on Palace striker Jean- Philippe Mateta wasn’t bad enough then the sick mocking songs of Lions fans were even more reprehensible.Amazingly this challenge on Palace attacker Jean-Philippe Mateta by Liam Roberts wasn’t the worst aspect of the FA Cup derbyCredit: GettyPalace supporters did retaliate sarcastically with a similar ‘let him die’ chant when a Millwall player was receiving treatment for a far less serious injury.The FA say Millwall chants, which gloried in Mateta’s trip to hospital, cannot be punished because they do not breach their rulebook.Well, either update your rulebook or use some common sense.Millwall can have all the community initiatives they like but while they  continue to be followed by such a high percentage of moronic lowlife, they will continue to be the pariahs of English football.Mint’s missed momentBRIGHTON’S Yankuba Minteh really should have celebrated his goal against former club Newcastle on Sunday.It’s not just that Minteh, 20, was flogged in the summer without having ever played a minute of first-team football for the Magpies.Yankuba Minteh had extra reasons to enjoy his goal at NewcastleCredit: AFPIt’s that the talented Gambian winger refused a move to Lyon after realising Newcastle merely regarded him as a saleable commodity to help them comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules.Even though a £40million fee had been agreed, Minteh held out for the Premier League move he wanted and proved his worth with a goal which helped knock Toon out of the FA Cup.He should have fully enjoyed his moment because he owed his opponents nothing.Stat’s it, big AngeIF Ange Postecoglou does not last as Tottenham boss, can we please beg all major broadcasters to offer him a blank cheque to head into punditry?Because nobody cuts through football’s mountain of bulls**t quite like Big Ange.Postecoglou’s disdain for VAR already earned the Aussie immense credit from this column — and now he has weighed in on the myth of ‘assist’ stats.Ange Postecoglou is rightfully disdainful of statistics for assistsCredit: Alamy“The assist is the most useless statistic in world football,”  said the Spurs chief. “It could come off your backside, fall to somebody on the halfway line, he scores, and it’s an assist. So it doesn’t impress me.”As usual, the big man is bang on.Now blame the robo-flopTHE problem with VAR is the personnel, not the system, they lied.Just wait until robot linesmen come in, with 30  high-speed cameras tracking 10,000 data points on every player — that will speed up checks, they promised.READ MORE SUN STORIESYeah, because that’s the thing you find with technology in your everyday life — it never fails, does it?And then the robot linesmen arrived — and malfunctioned — and we waited for EIGHT minutes to find out whether a Bournemouth ‘goal’ against Wolves had been offside. More

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      Man Utd CAN’T play Chido Obi in Europa League with club stuck with out-of-form Rasmus Hojlund to save season

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      MANCHESTER UNITED will have to rely on Rasmus Hojlund to save their season.The out-of-form forward has only scored seven times in 35 appearances this season.Manchester United will have to rely on Rasmus Hojlund in the Europa LeagueCredit: GettyChido Obi is not eligible to play in the tournamentCredit: RexHojlund, 22, will now have to lead the line in the Europa League clash against Real Sociedad.This is due to promising youngster Chido Obi being ineligible to play in the tournament.Obi will not even be able to play in the Europa League if Man United make it past the LaLiga outfit.ESPN have reported that when the club submitted the squad for the knockouts, he was not even considered part of the first-team.READ MORE ON MAN UTDThe submission did include January signings such as Patrick Dorgu and youngster Ayden Heaven.Teams competing in European competition have squads split between an A List and a B List, but Obi featured on neither.He did not even qualify for the B List, which is usually reserved for academy players.This is because Uefa rules demand that players be at a club for at least two years.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThe 17-year-old has made three first-team appearances for the Red Devils in recent weeks.His debut came on February 16 in the defeat to Tottenham, ten days after Man United would have needed to have registered him to be eligible for the Europa.Man Utd chef dances around with Amad, Hojlund and Onana in dressing room after incredible win over Man City Hojlund has struggled for form in the Premier LeagueCredit: GettyChido Obi has impressed in his brief appearances in the first-teamCredit: GettyHe looked lively in the FA Cup defeat to Fulham but is yet to score his maiden goal in professional football.He joined Man United back in October after he left Premier League rivals Arsenal.The club confirmed that he could not play in the competition this season.A statement read: “Chido Obi is ineligible for the competition, as he cannot be added to the B list due to only signing for the Academy last year.”The one positive for manager Ruben Amorim is Hojlund’s form in Europe this season.While the former Atalanta striker has struggled domestically for the club, he has proven capable in the Europa League.Hojlund has scored five of his seven goals in the tournament despite making just eight appearances.The Dane netted braces against Bodo/Glimt and Viktoria Plzen as well as one goal against Porto.Hojlund also added an assist to his two goals in the 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt back in November.His goals in the Europa League are more than any of his team-mates have managed.Only Christian Eriksen and Amad Diallo have scored more than once in the tournament along with Hojlund.He will need to return to that level of performance if he is to save Man United’s season.He struggled as the club were dumped out of the FA Cup by the Cottagers as he was hooked for Obi.Obi made a much bigger impact during his time on the pitch compared to a mostly invisible Hojlund.The Red Devils splashed out a stunning £72million to sign the striker in the summer of 2023.He had come off the back of an impressive season in Serie A in which he scored ten times in 34 appearances.But since moving to Old Trafford he has regressed massively and appears low on confidence.Speaking after the penalty shootout defeat to Fulham, Amorim insisted that the striker position is up for grabs.He said: “Anything can happen in the next games, during training.”We don’t have a lot of time to train but we need to see the opposition, feel the moment of the player physically, with a lot of games, because we are going to start playing Thursday-Sunday.”Anything can happen but I will focus just on the next game and not in that way I’m not going to change the striker.”I will just choose the best players to win the next match.”Progression in the Europa League is vital for Man United to take any positivity from what has been a miserable season.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe club has been dumped out of both domestic cups and look set for a record low finish in the Premier League.What would be a shock run to winning the Europa League would see the club sneak into next season’s Champions League.Man Utd ratings vs Ipswich as Maguire saves the day after Onana makes case to be WORST ever signingMANCHESTER UNITED eased their fears of the drop in a topsy-turvy relegation six-pointer with Ipswich.The Red Devils triumphed 3-2 despite playing the second half with ten men.A major cock-up from Patrick Dorgu and Andre Onana saw Ipswich take a third-minute lead through Jaden Philogene.Then, after United had recovered to lead 2-1, Dorgu saw a straight red card for a poor challenge on Omari Hutchinson.Philogene scored again to level it before the break only for Harry Maguire to nod in to be United’s saviour.But who was United’s best player on the night?Here, SunSport’s Phil Thomas reveals his Manchester United player ratings… More

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      I’m a Man Utd fan refusing to cut my hair until they win five games… I never expected it to last this long

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      THE wacky world of the internet has seen an explosion of fan channels giving their view on the state of their respective teams.But it has also given rise to some bizarre challenges, dares and bets, though one Manchester United fan may have gotten himself into more than he bargained for.Frank Ilett runs The United Strand fan channelCredit: INSTAGRAM @theunitedstrandFrank is refusing to cut his hair again until Man Utd win five games in a rowCredit: INSTAGRAM @theunitedstrandBut after starting on October 5, Frank is now five months into his challengeCredit: INSTAGRAM @theunitedstrandAnd Man Utd are struggling to win back to back games, let alone five in a rowCredit: GettyFrank Ilett, 28, runs the social media channel The United Strand.The page started up back on October 5 when Frank decided to commit to a challenge that would see him not cut his hair again until Man Utd won five games in a row.Frank believed this run would only last a few months at most considering the last time Man Utd had won five in a row was in January to February 2024.However, 149 days later it does not even appear to be remotely close to being finished after a dreadful run of form under Ruben Amorim.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd Frank has admitted he might have overestimated his chances.Speaking exclusively to SunSport about what inspired the challenge, Frank said: “Well, it was just for a bit of fun, really, to be honest. It was literally just I don’t really know why, I just went for it.”I saw this guy doing it with, I think, an NFL team or something like that. And he was doing three matches in a row.”But I remember thinking, oh, that’s quite a funny thing and thinking, oh, yeah, you know, obviously I’m a Man Utd fan. Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS”I think maybe there might be some interest there because it’s, you know, it’s Man Utd they’re obviously a massive club and worldwide kind of club as well, not just one only Americans care about.”So, yeah, I so I thought I saw that. And then I thought about it for a little while. And then I just suddenly was like, I’m just going to do it.’That’s why I’m the manager’ – Ruben Amorim hits back at Wayne Rooney as Man Utd boss aims to win Premier League”I just think it’s fun. I think that, you know, it’s a painful time to be a Man Utd fan at the moment and just wanted to spread some humour, really…”Did I imagine it would go on for this long? No, no, no.”So I thought I thought it would go on for a few months. When I first started it, I don’t know why, but I just went for it and I didn’t really give much thought to it at all, really.”And then it was only once it kind of started to get into it. I started to kind of go, OK, how long is this really going to go on for?”I started in October and I checked. I was like, hang on a minute, when did Man Utd last do this? So I checked and it was January – February 2024, so not that long ago.”Now it’s a year ago, but at the time in October I was thinking, you know it’s not a crazy thing that hasn’t happened in a few years or something. That gave me a bit of hope.”I looked at the kind of fixtures coming up and stuff and there were some fixtures in January which looked very winnable and I was thinking that’s when it’s going to end.”And, you know, and then there was a cup game that was added into that as well which kind of made it easier. And we lost the game, which meant February games were kind of easy. “Now we’ve gone past that point and now I’m just hoping for the best and seeing what happens. I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes until next season now.”Frank, who has lived in Spain with his girlfriend for the past year, admits he flirted with the idea of doing a three-game streak instead of five, but thought it would be “too easy”.He said: “Well, that was the thing. I thought about doing three and then I, stupidly, thought to myself, ‘Oh that seems a bit too easy’. Frank admits he thought the challenge would be over by early 2025Credit: INSTAGRAM @theunitedstrandBut he now expects the challenge to last into next seasonCredit: INSTAGRAM @theunitedstrand”So I thought I’ll go for five, you know to make it a bit more of a challenge. But little did I know how challenging that was going to be.”Frank told us he used to have long hair in his early 20s so it was not a totally alien feeling to him, but admits it is a “lot more effort” to maintain it now.He added: “You can see my hair like it goes out, not down. So yeah, it’s hard to kind of maintain a little bit, but, you know, just part of it, part of the challenge, I suppose.”Man Utd are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table and are looking increasingly unlikely to play any part in European competitions next season.With their penalty shootout defeat to Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday, the Red Devils only realistic hope of playing in Europe next season will be them winning the Europa League.However, Frank is refusing to place the blame on Amorim, instead believing it is the club’s owners, including minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers, who are mostly to blame for the mess the club finds itself in.Frank said: “I think I speak for a lot of Man Utd fans where, [it feels like] it’s basically the same as the Glazers in charge, which I think a lot of people expected as well, to be honest.”I don’t think anyone really expected that much because, yeah, it just hasn’t gone well. All of the decisions are just ridiculous. “I mean, you know, like the thing recently about closing the canteen and to save a million pounds a year when there’s people that make that in a month at the club that don’t even play that often.”Like, was it £55-65million they paid for Mason Mount? I mean, I can’t even remember when he last played. And I can’t remember when he played consecutive games. That’s for sure as well.Man Utd ratings vs FulhamMANCHESTER UNITED crashed out the FA Cup on penalties against Fulham.Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee had poor spot-kicks saved as the Red Devils slipped to their sixth home defeat under Ruben Amorim.Fulham broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with a well-worked corner.Antonee Robinson darted to the near post and flicked it onto Calvin Bassey who directed his header into the bottom corner brilliantly.Just as United’s frustrations were brewing, Bruno Fernandes was the saviour yet again.He picked up Diogo Dalot’s perfect cut back and fired it beyond the stretch of Bernd Leno.United had chances towards the end of the second-half, with subs Alejandro Garnacho and Chido Obi unable to finish.There was nothing to separate the sides in extra-time and penalties were needed.Despite well-taken kicks from Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Casemiro, Lindelof and Zirkzee woefully fired directly at Fulham hero Leno.But which Man Utd players could hold their heads up and which flopped?Here, SunSport’s Ken Lawrence reveals his player ratings.”And yes, so when you, you know, there’s I know that to be fair, that wasn’t Ineos but it’s a similar thing where you need to kind of get rid of players like that and get in kind of fresh faces, fresh legs. “Instead of, you know, worrying about a million pounds that it costs to feed all the staff and keep everyone happy at the club.”Frank says his main goal of the challenge is to bring some joy to a painful situation.The United Strand channel – a nod to popular fan channel The United Stand, which Frank says he has watched for a few years – has exploded in popularity to now have more than 60,000 followers on Instagram.Originally Frank was aiming to reach 10,000 followers by the end of 2025, but saw that goal achieved by last December, while hitting 20,000 by the middle of January.The number of viewers, both United and rival fans, has seen the challenge viewed more than 35million times over the last 90 days alone.Frank is even aware of some United stars past and present being aware of his hairy situation, including Denis Irwin, academy star Ethan Wheatley, British boxer Frazer Clarke and tennis star Jamie Murray.He said: “Every time I get any followers I’m still surprised by it. I can’t believe there are so many people interested. “I was looking at my analytics the other day and I’ve had 35million views in the last 90 days, and when I think that many people have actually seen my face it does feel a bit weird.”But I’m happy people have kind of connected with it in a positive way, like everyone seems to just be having a laugh with it with me. It’s nice to bring some joy to people.”READ MORE SUN STORIESIn terms of future plans, Frank says he would love to arrange some fan meet-ups in the future.Meanwhile, he has also admitted he would be open to doing a similar challenge, possibly with hair and beard, while he also wants to grow his YouTube channel and visit every LaLiga stadium.Frank told SunSport his channel had reached more than 35 million views in the last 90 daysCredit: INSTAGRAM @theunitedstrandFrank says his main goal is to spread some joy during a painful moment for Man Utd fansCredit: INSTAGRAM @theunitedstrandHe says he has been told club legends like Denis Irwin know about the challengeCredit: AlamyOther major sports stars like boxer Frazer Clarke are also keeping an eye on the challengeCredit: Getty More