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      Man Utd star Bruno Fernandes admits he needs to do ‘much better’ to emulate Cantona after club legends compare No10s

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      MANCHESTER UNITED star Bruno Fernandes confessed he must do “much, much better” to justify comparisons with Eric Cantona.
      The Portuguese midfielder changed the course of United’s season after arriving from Sporting Lisbon for £55million in January.

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      Bruno Fernandes reckons he is not at Eric Cantona’s level just yetCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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      Eric Cantona was an icon during his time at Old TraffordCredit: PA:Press Association
      The 25-year-old had 15 goal involvements – eight goals and seven assists – in just 14 Premier League appearances as United soared into third place.
      His dazzling displays have led United legends to make comparisons with former players who have had similarly huge impacts at Old Trafford.
      Ex-Red Devil Phil Neville told Premier League Productions: “Cantona? [Wayne] Rooney when he came in?
      “You talk about the great Manchester United players that have been brought in, Cantona probably had the biggest influence of all-time.

      “You think now that United have gone a long time without winning a league title, at the moment he’s [Fernandes] lit up the whole place.”
      Paul Scholes believes Fernandes has the quality United need and is capable of emulating Cantona as a No10.
      In April, Scholes told BBC Radio 5 Live: “He’s great on the ball, he’s always on the half turn. He’s that link that United really, really needed.
      “They lacked that bit of quality from midfield into the forward players.

      “He’s got real quality, he can feed the ball into players. He’s got a great shot on him.
      “He looks like a leader as well, which is something United have lacked.
      “Whether he can play as a two in midfield, that’s yet to be seen. He looks like an out and out No10, possibly like a Cantona, a Dwight Yorke, a Teddy Sheringham, something of that ilk.
      “But he can beat players as well. He’s quick, he’s got skill and he can strike a ball. Somebody with this talent was sadly missing at Old Trafford.”

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      Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes drew comparisons between Fernandes and CantonaCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Former Welsh wing wizard Ryan Giggs saw an element of Cantona in Fernandes’ performance against Tottenham in June.
      One particular pass from the midfielder into Anthony Martial caught the Wales manager’s attention.
      As reported by The Express, he said: “That was the pass of the night.
      “Firstly, everyone’s expecting him to shoot.
      “The awareness with the sharp turn, then the little disguise, that’s Cantona, for me.
      “Even the little passes and ten-yard passes were brilliant.”

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      United’s No10 scored from the spot on that occasion against Spurs after Paul Pogba jinked into the box to win the penalty.
      The two superstar midfielders have formed a destructive “Brogba” partnership in the middle of the park.
      But despite his success, scoring 11 goals in all competitions, Fernandes played down links to French maverick Cantona.
      At a press conference before tonight’s Europa League semi-final against Sevilla, he said: “For me it is really good to talk about those names.
      “But for me Cantona was an amazing player for the club, but I need to do much, much better to be compared to him.
      “For me coming to Manchester is about winning trophies. I will be happy if we win the Europa League.”

      Fernandes has been particularly lethal from 12 yards as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have been awarded a staggering 21 pens in 2019-20.
      Incredibly, SEVEN of his goals have come from the dead ball situation.
      Fernandes changed his trademark hop style but still converted in extra time to help United scrape past Copenhagen to make it to tonight’s semi-final.

      Manchester United through to Europa League semi-finals after Bruno Fernandes nets Red Devils’ ‘21st penalty of the season’ in extra time versus impressive F.C. Copenhagen side More

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      Havertz ‘wants Chelsea transfer more than Sancho wants Man Utd move’ with deal ‘set to be done after Europa League’

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      KAI HAVERTZ is said to be pushing for a move to the Premier League more than Jadon Sancho.
      The Bundesliga stars are both linked with a move to the English top flight.

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      Kai Havertz is pushing for a move to Chelsea Credit: AFP or licensors

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      Jadon Sancho has started pre-season training with Dortmund Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Havertz, valued at £90million, is subject to heavy interest from Chelsea while United are at loggerheads with Borussia Dortmund, who price 20-year-old Sancho at £108m.
      According to Sky Sports, of the pair it is Havertz, 21, who “is the one who is most keen to move as soon as possible”. 
      It is understood Chelsea have already agreed personal terms with the playmaker after Petr Cech flew to Germany for talks.
      But Bayer Leverkusen publicly insisted if their valuation is not met, Havertz will not leave.

      The player is reportedly keen to wrap up a move as soon as Leverkusen’s Europa League campaign is over.
      They play Inter Milan in the quarter finals tonight.

      United on the other hand face a battle to get their transfer for Sancho over the line.

      Like Leverkusen, Dortmund stand firm they are in no rush to sell unless their price tag is met.
      But United have made it clear they have no intention of paying £108m up front for the England forward.
      The Germans told Old Trafford bosses they wanted an agreement in place by August 10.
      But it appears no deal has been met with the winger boarding Dortmund’s flight to Switzerland to start their preparations for next season.
      United are currently in Germany to complete their Europa League campaign.
      And they are understood to see the Dortmund’s deadline as meaningless with the transfer window open until October 5.

      On Saturday SunSport reported meeting the price tag for Sancho might lead to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side potentially blowing their entire transfer funds on one player. 
      It also emerged Sancho will be offered a new £173,000-a-week deal at Dortmund if he stays.
      Although it would make him one of German football’s highest earners, it is still dwarfed by the £350k-a-week he is likely to get at Old Trafford.
      Sancho attended a house party in the UK with rap stars Krept and Konan at the weekend. 
      But Dortmund posted a statement confirming they were happy for the 20-year-old to be in England.
      Communications chief Sascha Fligge said: “It’s common and fine for players to go home before a training camp if they’re not risky. 

      “The same goes for Jadon.
      “From our point of view, the pictures that have been shown to us so far do not violate.”
      It is claimed former City starlet Sancho wishes to return to Manchester, but could be involved in a nervy summer saga.

      Man Utd transfer target Sancho spotted at UK house party More

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      How Man Utd could line up against Copenhagen with Fernandes and Pogba set to play together again in midfield

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      MANCHESTER UNITED are in Germany for their Europa League quarter final.
      They face Copenhagen after breezing past LASK with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now facing major squad decisions.

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      He has used the competition to so far offer game time to fringe players.
      But with a United favourites to lift the trophy and no more domestic fixtures to worry about, Solskjaer is expected to start with his strongest team.
      That means picking the same side that beat Leicester on the last game of the season, securing their guaranteed Champions League spot.
      It would offer a first start in the tournament for Paul Pogba, who has only played 27 minutes of Europa League football this season.

      He would partner either Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay or Fred in holding midfield.
      Winter signing Bruno Fernandes would play just in front in the No10 role.

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      Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have emerged as United’s trusted trio up front.
      But Odion Ighalo, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard have been regulars in Europe for United throughout the campaign.

      Sergio Romero missed just two matches in the tournament so far, but David de Gea could be in line for a recall.
      The Spaniard had not played a single FA Cup game up until the semi-final against Chelsea but was chosen over the Argentine.
      Solskjaer could make the same decision, despite Romero’s good form and blunder-prone performances from De Gea.

      Luke Shaw is still sidelined meaning Brandon Williams is favoured to start at left-back.
      Timothy Fosu-Mensah will compete with Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back while captain Harry Maguire will likely keep his place.
      Eric Bailly started against LASK but Victor Lindelof has travelled with the squad having returned from injury.

      Watch ex-Man Utd star Herrera score a screamer after incredible Neymar assist ahead of PSG’s clash with Atalanta More

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      How Man Utd could line up against Copenhagen as Fernandes and Pogba get set to play together again in midfield

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      MANCHESTER UNITED arrived in Germany ahead of their Europa League quarter final.
      They face Copenhagen after breezing past LASK with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now faced with major squad decisions.

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      He has used the competition to so far offer game time to fringe players.
      But with a United favourites to lift the trophy, Solskjaer is expected to start with his strongest team.
      That means picking the same side that beat Leicester on the last game of the season, securing their guaranteed Champions League spot.
      It would offer a first start in the tournament for Paul Pogba, who has only played 27 minutes of Europa League football this season.

      He would partner either Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay or Fred in holding midfield.
      Winter signing Bruno Fernandes would play just in front in the No10 role.

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      Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have emerged as United’s trusted trio up front.
      But Odion Ighalo, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard have been regulars in Europe for United throughout the campaign.

      Sergio Romero missed just two matches in the tournament so far, but David de Gea could be in line for a recall.
      The Spaniard had not played a single FA Cup game up until the semi-final against Chelsea but was chosen over the Argentine.
      Solskjaer could make the same decision, despite Romero’s good form and blunder-prone performances from De Gea.

      Luke Shaw is still sidelined meaning Brandon Williams is favoured to start at left-back.
      Timothy Fosu-Mensah will compete with Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back while captain Harry Maguire will likely keep his place.
      Eric Bailly started against LASK but Victor Lindelof has travelled with the squad having returned from injury.

      Watch ex-Man Utd star Herrera score a screamer after incredible Neymar assist ahead of PSG’s clash with Atalanta More

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      Man Utd at war with Sheffield United over Dean Henderson’s wages as keeper nears new £100k-a-week Old Trafford deal

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      MANCHESTER UNITED want Sheffield United to pay all of Dean  Henderson’s wages next season.
      And as the England hopeful closes in on a new £100,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford — despite interest from Chelsea — that is causing problems for Chris Wilder’s side.

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      Man Utd want Sheffield United to pay all of Dean Henderson’s wages next season
      Blades have paid a chunk of the goalkeeper’s contract over the past two seasons  — but that was a lot less than his new terms.
      The Red Devils may be willing to send Henderson out on loan again next season but want his bumper salary covered.
      Old Trafford chiefs are comfortable offering 23-year-old Henderson a lucrative, long-term deal to keep him happy.
      But they are now talking tough when it comes to loan deals for him.

      United could keep blunder-prone David de Gea, 29, for one more season to allow Henderson further time to develop.
      Henderson finished with 13 – the same as De Gea – which was the joint third.
      Meanwhile, Bournemouth want £25million for their keeper Aaron Ramsdale, to deter the Blades and his other Premier League admirers.

      Bramall Lane boss Wilder is eyeing the 22-year-old and could be put off by that price tag.

      However, Sheffield United are due a slice of the profit from his sale as Ramsdale left them for the Cherries in a £1m deal 3½ years ago.
      There will be plenty of top-flight interest in him as he is regarded as one of the best young English keepers around.

      Man Utd target Jadon Sancho enjoys hard-earned summer break with water sports, healthy diet and workouts More

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      Man Utd to offload Jesse Lingard this summer to raise transfer funds with England ace ‘having no future at club’

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      MANCHESTER UNITED are reportedly ready to listen to offers for Jesse Lingard.
      The attacking midfielder, 27, has suffered inconsistent form over the last two years, which he admits stemmed from personal troubles at home.

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      Man Utd are reportedly ready to listen to offers for Jesse LingardCredit: Getty Images
      According to the Guardian, United are open selling the playmaker as they look to boost funds in their pursuit to sign 20-year-old Jadon Sancho.
      Boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a fan of Lingard, having coached him at youth level.
      And although he believes in his potential, the England international is deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.
      It comes following the emergence of forward Mason Greenwood and instant impact of Bruno Fernandes.

      Lingard’s contract expires next summer and though United can extend it by a year, Solskjaer will not rule out a sale should the right offer be made.
      The club have already started their clearing out process after terminating Alexis Sanchez’s contract by mutual consent.
      It freed him to make his loan to Inter Milan permanent, while United finally got his £505,000-a-week wages off their pay roll.
      They did have to pay the ex-Arsenal winger £9million in order to complete his release.

      His underwhelming spell at Old Trafford incredibly cost United £28,800 per TOUCH thanks to his astronomical pay packet.
      He joined the club in January 2018 from the Gunners in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan but what was originally sold as a free transfer became incredibly expensive.
      Sanchez cost United £60m and only scored THREE Premier League goals in 18 months.

      Ole gunnar Solskjaer post-match press conference after Man Utd 2-1 LASK More

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      Man Utd’s worst XI signings post-Sir Alex Ferguson includes Fred, Di Maria and Depay and cost a staggering £325m

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      SIR ALEX FERGUSON left Manchester United with the Premier League trophy – but a raft of bad signings has seen it taken away with little sign of returning.
      A massive £323.7million has been splashed on 11 particularly dodgy deals.

      The worst XI of bad signings predominantly features attackers as the Red Devils failed to replace the likes of Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.
      Romelu Lukaku cost an initial £75m and United struggled to find takers when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to offload the Belgian in the summer – where he has since thrived.
      A promising first season was lost with a drop-off in 2018-19, scoring at an average of one every three games before leaving for Inter Milan.

      At the very least, Lukaku provided some memorable moments but the same cannot be said for Angel Di Maria.
      The winger arrived with much fanfare in 2014 and quickly dropped off the pace, shepherded out to Paris Saint-Germain where he painfully found the form he lacked in England.
      The next expensive error was Fred who joined for £52m, but he still has time to prove himself at Old Trafford.
      In the slightly more affordable but nonetheless useless category are Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Morgan Schneiderlin, who came in for £30m and £27m respectively.

      Depay inherited the hallowed No7 shirt but failed to do it justiceCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Still, United recouped most of the fee they spent on French anchor man Schneiderlin when he joined Everton but Mkhitaryan’s exit saw Alexis Sanchez arrive – making the Chilean’s initial fee cheap and yet still a huge disappointment.
      Among those who arrived with potential and waited until after leaving to go on to great things is Memphis Depay.
      Now a star at Lyon and with the Dutch national team, his baffling form in the 2015/16 season showed that United had lost their touch when turning young gems into superstars.
      Many United fans point to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward as the chief architect of these abysmal deals.
      While replacing the peerless David Gill was a tough assignment, and finding a man capable of replacing Fergie nigh-on impossible, there are serious questions over his approach.
      Not only are these players examples of bad deals, managers such as Jose Mourinho were dismayed that not enough players were bought.
      Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind were picked up in 2014 off the back of good World Cup campaigns – a strategy that rarely pays off and cost the club over £30m.
      And although Matteo Darmian was an Italian international when plucked from Torino, Louis van Gaal’s exit cast him to the fringes.
      Rounding off this worst XI are two short-term signings that never got to grips with the Premier League.

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      Few have flopped in the Prem like Di MariaCredit: PA:Empics Sport

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      Falcao struggled both at United and ChelseaCredit: PA:Empics Sport

      Perhaps the Red Devils thought they were pulling off a cunning piece of Andrea Pirlo-esque business when bringing in Bastian Schweinsteiger but, at 31, the German was far past his best during an 18-month spell.
      Radamel Falcao was still in his late-20s when arriving on loan in 2014 on a £6m fee and massive wage combination yet hit just four goals in 29 games.
      Of course, not all of Fergie’s signings hit the right note – just ask Kleberson, Eric Djemba Djemba or Juan-Sebastian Veron.

      Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not park in the manager’s car parking spot – as he believes it still belongs to Sir Alex Ferguson More

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      Man Utd and Man City on red alert as Napoli president admits Koulibaly may be up for transfer after Osimhen signing

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      NAPOLI president Aurelio De Laurentiis has opened the door to selling Kalidou Koulibaly.
      The centre-back has attracted attention from a host of major clubs, but they have all been told he is not for sale in the past.

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      Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has opened the door to selling in-demand centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly
      But now, it appears Napoli are resigned to losing Koulibaly as long as their price tag is met.
      They value him at £80million, a fee they have so far not been offered by anyone.
      De Laurentiis told Sky Italia: “Kalidou is a great person, I would be terribly sad to lose him. 
      “But there is a time for everything, even to move apart. 

      “But the €90m is not on the table and so it takes two to make a deal.”
      Napoli also secured a club record £74m signing for Lille striker Victor Osimhen and will look to recoup their funds.
      Koulibaly has been a long-time Manchester United target as they eye a partner for club record signing Harry Maguire.
      But according to Goal, local rivals City want to take on United in the pursuit for the 29-year-old.

      Last season’s Premier League champions are close to signing Bournemouth centre-back Nathan Ake, having had a £41million bid accepted.
      But having lost skipper Vincent Kompany last summer, they paid the price for not replacing him.
      It has led to City targeting centre-backs as they enter the transfer window looking to set up a title winning campaign.

      Napoli star Matteo Politano shows off incredible leopard tattoo covering his whole back after mammoth session in chair More