Premier League

MARTIN KEOWN has questioned if “lonely” Erik ten Hag gets enough help from Manchester United staff like assistant boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.Arsenal legend Keown and then-United striker Van Nistelrooy were famously fierce rivals on the pitch, peaking with the “Battle of Old Trafford” in September 2003.Ruud van Nistelrooy arrived back at Old Trafford in July on a two-year contract as Erik ten Hag’s assistant bossCredit: AlamyMartin Keown has queried if Ten Hag gets enough dugout supportCredit: GettyNow the former England defender wonders whether RVN is “giving everything” to support under-pressure fellow Dutchman Ten Hag.Sunday’s shocking 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham plunged the Red Devils to 13th in the Premier League.United have lost three of their six Pem games, scoring just five times.And Keown appeared to speculate that Van Nistelrooy, who only returned to Old Trafford in the summer, has one eye on succeeding Ten Hag.READ MORE ON MAN UTDThe BBC and TNT Sports pundit told talkSPORT: “I’m looking at Van Nistelrooy. Is he giving everything to this manager? This manager looks very lonely on the sideline.”Is Van Nistelrooy waiting to take over? Because it looks as if there’s going to be change taking place there.”Keown added: “Is everyone adding to the group? I’m not seeing that from Van Nistelrooy. “Ten Hag is just sitting there, nothing going on, no conversation. Pep [Guardiola] goes back and speaks to the gurus next to him.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS”Is everybody looking in the mirror at themselves giving their best?”It doesn’t look like the players are committed, it doesn’t look like the staff are particularly committed. It’s a lone man in the dugout.”Cristiano Ronaldo ‘agreed to rejoin Man Utd with Real Madrid star in £200m deal’ Ex-England chief Gareth Southgate and Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi are rated prime contenders to step in if Ten Hag does depart Old Trafford.The former Ajax manager is the bookies’ favourite to be the next top-flight chief out, ahead of Southampton’s Russell Martin and Wolves boss Gary O’Neil.Keown suggested it might be best for United if Ten Hag, who took over in April 2022, did leave soon.He said: “You could look at it and say, ‘well, OK, the management team that’s in there, if they allowed him to lose that many games last year, then no wonder he’s going to be allowed to carry on’.“But I’m not sure that’s the right way to go with this current manager. I think it’s time now.”Ten Hag, 54, won the EFL Cup in his first season in charge, then masterminded United’s 2-1 FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City last term.Club chiefs then triggered a one-year extension to his contract, taking it to 2026.Man Utd ratings vs TottenhamMANCHESTER UNITED suffered a 3-0 thrashing against Tottenham at Old Trafford.Captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the first half for fouling James Maddison, forcing Erik Ten Hag’s side to play with 10 men against Ange Postecoglou’s team.After back-to-back draws against Crystal Palace and FC Twente fans hoped United would redeem themselves against Spurs.However, the match at Old Trafford quickly turned sour. Brennan Johnson scored early and things worsened when Fernandes was sent off allowing Spurs to extend their lead to 3-0.And here is how SunSports Charlie Wyett rated the Manchester United stars.Andre Onana – 5Stood his ground to deliver a good save from Timo Werner who was clean through – no chance for either goal.Noussair Mazraoui – 5First in the refs’ book for chopping down Destiny Udogie. Could also have blocked Micky van de Ven for the goal. Just watched Solanke make it 3-0.Matthijs de Ligt – 4Shocking first half. Failed to cut out the cross from Micky van de Ven which led to the first goal.Lisandro Martinez – 5Switched off for the Spurs goal and was drawn to the ball and Johnson was left unmarked.Diogo Dalot – 5Gave the ball away in dangerous areas and struggled against Johnson.Manuel Ugarte – 5Suffered a stinker and was lucky to last until the 73rd minute.Kobbie Mainoo – 5Not one of his better performances and was taken off just before half-time following Fernandes’ sending-off.Marcus Rashford – 5Over-ran the ball for Tottenham’s first. Way off the pace.Bruno Fernandes – 4Arguably the worst captain in United’s history. Deserved red card for his challenge on James Maddison.Alejandro Garnacho – 6Had United’s only chance in the first half but hit the outside of the post. Improved in the second half.Joshua Zirkzee – 5Looked completely lost up front – threatening to be another poor Erik ten Hag signing. Replaced at half-time.Subs:Mount (for Mainoo 45)  5, Casemiro (for Zirkzee 46) 7, Hojlund (for Rashford 73) 5, Eriksen (for Ugarte 73) 5. More

ARNE SLOT has heaped more misery on Manchester United by claiming they are not a “top team”.The Dutch coach, 46, led his Liverpool side to a comfortable 3-0 win at Old Trafford last month.Liverpool manager Arne Slot has aimed a passing dig at Manchester UnitedCredit: GettyErik ten Hag is coming under huge pressure after Man Utd’s dismal start to the seasonCredit: GettyAnd on Sunday that feat was replicated by Tottenham as they demolished Erik ten Hag’s men in front of a frustrated set of Red Devils supporters.Liverpool sit top of the Premier League table after picking up 16 points from their opening six games under Slot.Yet the former Feyenoord boss has claimed his side are yet to face a “top league table team” – a passing shot at Man Utd who are languishing in the bottom half in 13th place.Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Bologna on Wednesday, he said: “One of the reasons why we can compete is because we have a lot of quality. I also see a lot of team cohesion in the team.READ MORE ON MAN UTD”If we score I also see the ones that don’t play are really happy with us scoring and winning. Those are two really positive things.”But I also see things we definitely have to improve if we want to stay where we are with the fixture list that’s coming up.”Like I said, every fixture is difficult in the Premier League but everybody tells me that a top league table team is a bit more difficult than a low league table team, which we can all understand and we haven’t faced one of them yet.”So we have to do things better, but one of the reasons why we can stay up there is because we have a lot of players with a lot of individual quality.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSSlot’s comments have left football fans utterly stunned as they reacted to his jibe at Man Utd.One said: “No way he just cooked Manchester United 😭😭😭😭.”‘He’s done!’ | How woeful tactics & Dalot shocker saw Spurs smash Man Utd to spell end for Ten HagAnother added: “He bodied that 13th placed club.”A third replied: “Bro called United a small team 😭😭.”And a fourth responded: “See the stray bullet thrown at Manchester United 😂.” More

PLANS drawn up to rebuild St. James’ Park have revealed that it could cost Newcastle United a billion quid.The Magpies are exploring all avenues with regards to a new home.Newcastle are planning to boost St James’ Park in a major developmentCredit: GettyAnd that includes improving their existing ground or building a brand new one outside of the current city centre location.The club is still undecided but architectural plans for a St. James’ expansion have been drawn up.That would see both the Gallowgate End and East Stand redeveloped to take the capacity from 52,000 to over 60,000.They also show that the Leazes End and Milburn Stand could also both be modernised.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut the total cost of the work is estimated to be between £800m and £1billion.The club also only has a leasehold on St. James’ Park for another 70 years.And that would also need extending should they opt for the rebuild.Alternative options include building an entirely new stadium on Leazes Park, which is next to SJP.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSWhile another is to potentially knock one up elsewhere from scratch.Toon’s Saudi owners are still considering all options.Gary Neville tells Eddie Howe clear reason why he should QUIT Newcastle for ‘next step up’ in his careerBut the latter option could potentially cost them £2bn.Newcastle continue to reiterate that a fan advisory board will be consulted before a decision is made. More

SOUTHAMPTON defender Jack Stephens has been handed a hefty fine and a two-match ban for an X-rated rant during last month’s Premier League clash with Manchester United.The 30-year-old was sent off for a knee-high challenge on Alejandro Garnacho late in the match.Jack Stephens was sent off for a challenge on Alejandro Garnacho last monthCredit: RexThe defender was shown a straight red cardCredit: GettyStephens has been fined £50,000 and handed a two-match banCredit: GettyHe was left furious as a result and made his feelings clear with referee Stuart Atwell.As reported by The Mail, he said to assistant Gavin Ward: “You f***ing little ****”, before he later added: “You’re a ****”.It prompted Ward to file an extraordinary incident report at full-time.Having assessed the report, the FA has now decided to charge Stephens with misconduct.Read More in FootballA statement read: “Jack Stephens has been given a two-match suspension and £50,000 fine for misconduct during Southampton’s Premier League match on Saturday 14 September against Manchester United.”The defender admitted that he used abusive and insulting words towards both the match referee and fourth official around the 79th minute after he had been sent off.”Stephens requested a personal hearing to oversee his case.He also admitted to using abusive and insulting language towards the match officials after being sent off.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe defender said: “I am well aware that what I said was completely unacceptable and below the standard of conduct expected of me.”I am very embarrassed by my behaviour and want to apologise sincerely for it… I know the importance of accepting a referee’s decision.Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag speaks after his side’s 3-0 Premier League loss at home to Tottenham “Instead, I spoke to him saying something that I would not normally say. I then used that language again to Mr Ward.”This is not an excuse, but it was in the heat of the moment… I sincerely apologise to Mr Atwell and Mr Ward.”Stephens will now be unavailable for upcoming fixtures against Arsenal and Leicester City.The Southampton star has already served a three-match ban for the initial red card.He missed games against Ipswich Town, Everton and Bournemouth. More

JAMIE CARRAGHER has slammed Manchester United’s £43million signing Matthijs de Ligt for his performance against Tottenham.The Liverpool legend and pundit questioned why De Ligt seems to be “out of position all the time” after United were thrashed 3-0 by Spurs.Jamie Carragher has laid into Matthijs de Ligt for his defending against SpursCarragher provided the analysis on Monday Night FootballErik ten Hag was reunited with his former Ajax defenders De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich this summer, after the club finished eighth last term.But De Ligt has endured a tough start at Old Trafford.He is part of a back four which has conceded three goals in consecutive home matches, having also struggled in United’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.The defence looked as leaky as ever against Spurs, who burst through United with ease and rained shots down on keeper Andre Onana’s goal.READ MORE ON MAN UTDAnd Sky Sports pundit Carragher has singled out De Ligt by launching a scathing attack on his inability to smell the danger in Tottenham’s attacks.When analysing a chance for Timo Werner, Carragher said: “The rest of the defence is awful, it always has been when they lose possession.”But where’s De Ligt? The right-back has come out here but look where De Ligt is! You’ve got to get over.”Two massive chances and the goal, De Ligt, a player they brought in for huge money, is completely out of position all the time.Most read in FootballDe Ligt has endured a tough start at Old TraffordAs United suffered back-to-back 3-0 home defeats in the PremFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS”So he ends up having to go flying into challenge and then you leave yourself in a situation where you can get yellow cards and red cards.”Carragher then condemned De Ligt for his positioning during Brennan Johnson’s opener – born from a stunning 70-yard run from Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven.Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag speaks after his side’s 3-0 Premier League loss at home to Tottenham Carragher said: “I’ve noticed this a little bit with De Ligt and a lot of centre-backs. “I don’t understand why they don’t fill the space and come over – I see this so much.”The striker behind him has got nothing to do with him. That is Lisandro Martinez’s job. If De Ligt goes over, Martinez comes across.”Now again he’s actually looking over his shoulder here – forget that. Forget it, get here to the right-hand side!”It was a brilliant run, it was amazing, but Van de Ven runs because he sees the space.”Meanwhile, United legend Paul Scholes has backed Carragher’s claims.He told Premier League Productions: “When you bring players in, you expect them to be a lot better than who you’ve already got. READ MORE SUN STORIES”I don’t see players coming in who are a big difference. De Ligt has come in for Maguire, let’s say, but there’s no big difference there.”United sit 13th in the Prem after winning just two of their first six games, with three defeats along the way.Man Utd ratings vs TottenhamMANCHESTER UNITED suffered a 3-0 thrashing against Tottenham at Old Trafford.Captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off in the first half for fouling James Maddison, forcing Erik Ten Hag’s side to play with 10 men against Ange Postecoglou’s team.After back-to-back draws against Crystal Palace and FC Twente fans hoped United would redeem themselves against Spurs.However, the match at Old Trafford quickly turned sour. Brennan Johnson scored early and things worsened when Fernandes was sent off allowing Spurs to extend their lead to 3-0.And here is how SunSports Charlie Wyett rated the Manchester United stars.Andre Onana – 5Stood his ground to deliver a good save from Timo Werner who was clean through – no chance for either goal.Noussair Mazraoui – 5First in the refs’ book for chopping down Destiny Udogie. Could also have blocked Micky van de Ven for the goal. Just watched Solanke make it 3-0.Matthijs de Ligt – 4Shocking first half. Failed to cut out the cross from Micky van de Ven which led to the first goal.Lisandro Martinez – 5Switched off for the Spurs goal and was drawn to the ball and Johnson was left unmarked.Diogo Dalot – 5Gave the ball away in dangerous areas and struggled against Johnson.Manuel Ugarte – 5Suffered a stinker and was lucky to last until the 73rd minute.Kobbie Mainoo – 5Not one of his better performances and was taken off just before half-time following Fernandes’ sending-off.Marcus Rashford – 5Over-ran the ball for Tottenham’s first. Way off the pace.Bruno Fernandes – 4Arguably the worst captain in United’s history. Deserved red card for his challenge on James Maddison.Alejandro Garnacho – 6Had United’s only chance in the first half but hit the outside of the post. Improved in the second half.Joshua Zirkzee – 5Looked completely lost up front – threatening to be another poor Erik ten Hag signing. Replaced at half-time.Subs:Mount (for Mainoo 45)  5, Casemiro (for Zirkzee 46) 7, Hojlund (for Rashford 73) 5, Eriksen (for Ugarte 73) 5. More

MANCHESTER UNITED legend Gary Neville has doubled down on his Premier League title prediction.The 2024-25 campaign is in full swing, with Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal making up the top three.Gary Neville has named the team he thinks will win the Premier LeagueCredit: GettyNeville thinks it could be ‘one season too far’ for CityCredit: PAArsenal have been tipped to win the Premier LeagueCredit: GettyWith six games played, the Reds currently sit top, one point ahead of their two rivals.However, Neville is not convinced Arne Slot’s side will go all the way.Instead he believes Arsenal will take the Premier League title for the first time in 21 years.Speaking to NBC Sports, the ex-Man Utd star explained: “I nominated Arsenal at the start of the season to win the league. I do think they are getting closer.Read More in Football”They will win the league this season, not because of what happened in the last week with Rodri.”I just feel that this could be one season too far for Manchester City.”But look, it’s Pep Guardiola. I think it really seems like he is up for the fight and he is actually taking Mikel Arteta on now in press conferences which is great to see for us.”City were hit with a huge setback last week when star midfielder Rodri suffered a season-ending ACL injury.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSPep Guardiola said: “He had surgery this morning, ACL and some meniscus.”Next season he will be here. This season is over [for him]. It is what it is.Gary Neville suggests drastic rule change to spice up Premier League that would allow teams to win an extra point “Unfortunately, we got the worst [news] but it is what it is at this level. Sometimes, unfortunately, it happens.”We are just there to support him and [help him make a] good recovery, step by step, and move forward.”What he gives us, we don’t have a similar player but the other players altogether can replace what Rodri has given since arriving here with us.”We will have to do it as a team and find a way to play a lot of matches without an important player for us.”We are stronger with him and stronger with [Nathan] Ake and [Oscar] Bobb and Kevin [De Bruyne], but that is what it is. We don’t want it but it is football.”As a club we have magnificent players and we will find a solution.”Man City and Arsenal are the only two teams yet to taste defeat in the Premier League this season.Changes to the Premier League for 2024/25NOTHING stays the same forever.And that includes the Premier League, which is making a number of tweaks this season.Team news will now be released 75 MINUTES before kick-off, 15 minutes earlier than had been the case before.Things could get crowded on the touchline, with the number of substitutes permitted to warm-up boosted from three players per team to FIVE.There’s also a change to how added time is calculated when a team scores a goal, an update to the ‘multiball’ system and the introduction of semi-automated offsides – but not straight away.Go here to read about all the changes to the Premier League for 2024/25. More