Premier League

MANCHESTER UNITED’S dire attacking performances have been laid bare in damming stats. The Red Devils have begun the season in woeful fashion and were most recently humiliated by bitter rivals Manchester City in yesterday’s 3-0 derby defeat.
Antony has not scored or got an assists this seasonCredit: Alamy
Marcus Rashford is the only Man Utd attacker to get a Premier League goal this termCredit: Getty
Erik ten Hag’s side sit eighth in the table, having won five and lost five matches.
Part of the issues this season is the club’s misfiring attack with United finding the back of net just 11 times so far in the Premier League this term.
Their top goalscorers are midfielder Scott McTominay, who has three to his name and Bruno Fernandes with two.
The rest of their strikes come from unlikely sources, aside from Marcus Rashford, such as Raphael Varane, Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Hannibal Mejbri and Christian Eriksen.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Taking a deeper look at the failing attack, Rashford is Man Utd’s only attacker to contribute to goals.
He has played 847 minutes but managed a disappointing one goal and one assist compared to the 17 and five he got last campaign.
Ten Hag clearly does not know his best front three with Antony, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial and Rasmus Hojlund all coming in and out the team.
None of the quartet have taken their chance in the starting XI with all yet to get on the scoresheet or even register an assist.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Man Utd’s attack is not firing this term
Meanwhile, exiled Jadon Sancho also has the unwanted record with zeros across the board.
Fans can’t believe the shocking stats, one said: “That’s relegation level performance.”
Another added: “Is this binary code?”
A third joked with a vital Champions League game in mind: “Bayern Munich must be quaking in their boots.”
Others commented those who also have no goal contributions this season, writing: “Spongebob’s Patrick Star has the same stats this season as Antony.”
The goalscoring problems are further highlighted by the fact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United team scored 20 more goals in his final 48 games than Ten Hag managed in the same amount of fixtures. More

A FORMER Premier League goalkeeper is now enjoying a completely different career – renovating houses.Alex Manninger, now 46, joined Arsenal from Grazer AK in 1997 and went on to make 63 first team appearances.
Alex Manninger played for Arsenal in the early stages of his careerCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
He played for Liverpool before retiring and now works in house renovationsCredit: 2017 Liverpool FC
During his time in North London he won the Premier League and the FA Cup, both in 1998.
The goalkeeper left Highbury in 2002 after falling behind both David Seaman and Richard Wright in the pecking order.
He then went on to play for 10 different clubs – including the likes of Torino, RB Salzburg, Udinese and Juventus – before returning to the Premier League.
After leaving Augsburg in 2016, Manninger trained with Liverpool to maintain match fitness while he looked for a club.
Read More on Arsenal
The Reds then signed him on a short-term contract, but he never made a competitive first team appearance.
The former Austria international, who made 33 appearances for his national team, announced his retirement the following year.
And he has since pursued an entirely different career.
Manninger now has his own renovation business in Austria.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
He got into the industry after studying carpentry.
The former goalkeeper told TMW: “I went back to my first love, did you know I was a carpenter before I became a footballer?
“Obviously we do something bigger now, because you do not go far to be a carpenter only. But this experience and the acquired knowledge have allowed me to deal with furnishings, construction.
“I have created a network with professionals, who are carpenters, masons, gardeners. I find myself with architects.
“Basically if you have land or a house to renovate, then with new furniture and new windows I’ll take care of it. It’s a job that I really enjoy.”
Manninger also has a passion for real estate and has significant holdings in Meininger Hotels. More

FORMER Premier League star Danny Drinkwater has lifted the lid on his wild nights partying while at Chelsea.The three-time capped England international announced his retirement today at the age of 33 after being left without a club since leaving the Blues in 2022.
Danny Drinkwater has retired from footballCredit: PA:Press Association
He revealed the news on the High Performance PodcastCredit: YouTube
Drinkwater has revealed his boozy nights saw him chase womenCredit: BackGrid
Drinkwater came through the Manchester United academy and after several loan spells he permanently joined Leicester.
The midfielder played an integral part in the team that won the Premier League in 2015/16 and the following year he earned a £35million transfer to Chelsea.
But after moving to Stamford Bridge, his career began to spiral out of control.
He featured just 12 times in the Prem for Chelsea, scoring only one goal,and notched up just 23 appearances in total for the Blues.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
He claims manager Maurizio Sarri tried to force him out the club, giving him one hour’s notice to leave on Deadline Day, only for Drinkwater to refuse a move.
He was subsequently loaned out to Burnley, Aston Villa, Turkish side Kasimpasa and Reading but could not reach the heights he once did.
Family matters also took their toll on him with his grandparents passing away and his father being diagnosed with cancer.
Drinkwater suffered several injuries and was then hit with a drink driving ban for 20 months after crashing his car following a party while over the limit.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS

Opening up on his career, he revealed that boozy nights out impacted his career.
He told Jake Humphrey’s High Performance Podcast: “I was a single lad in London at the time so I was, without giving too much detail away, I was being a single lad in London, getting stuck into living in the city.
“I was trying to enjoy that side of life as a kind of cover for everything else.
“That’s what I’d use to enjoy myself because everything else is going pretty s****y.
“You look back now and I’d be going out drinking, getting with any bird that I can. It was just mad.
“You’re waking up with a hangover and it’s like f***, last night’s happiness has disappeared and it’s back to reality.
“It was just not me as a focused footballer.”
Drinkwater also admitted his drink driving charge was a changing point in his life, saying: “I remember I was in the cell for 23 hours.
“They usually take two or three hours them things – sobering up and I’m in this cell thinking ‘what the f*** are you doing mate?’ 
“This is not you at all. It’s not you as a person, it’s not how you want to be as a person. You need to get a hold of yourself here.
“That’s when I started seeking outside help with it all.”
Drinkwater called his Chelsea spell “garbage” and that he is “frustrated” as he wasted potentially his best years.
On calling it a day on his career, he added: “It’s probably been a long time coming, especially with the last year, but I think it’s time to officially announce it now.
“I didn’t think it would bother me but saying it then it’s almost like scratching a nerve a bit.
“I think I’ve been ready for it, not stopping at my peak and it’s simmered down a bit, that’s helped the transition.
“I think I’ve been in limbo for too long, I’ve either been wanting to play but not getting the opportunities to play at a level where I felt valued.
“I just thought I’m restless here for no reason, I’m happy not playing football, but I’m happy playing football, so do I just shake hands with the sport?
“It’s all I’ve known, it’s been my life since I was six or seven, it was never going to be an easy thing.
Read More on The Sun
“I think the way it’s died down has definitely helped. If I was playing week in, week out and had to stop through injury or age I think it would be trickier.”
He hangs up his boots after declining offers to return from Championship clubs.
He won three England capsCredit: Getty More

BRUNO FERNANDES could be replaced as Manchester United captain if Erik ten Hag listens to Roy Keane.Ten Hag is under pressure to strip the midfielder of the armband following his side’s 3-0 loss to rivals Manchester City on Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes could be stripped of the Manchester United captaincyCredit: AP
Roy Keane has called for his old club to change their skipperCredit: Reuters
Former United skipper Keane fumed at the Portugal international after the match as he argued for a change of captain.
He raged: “The one thing I would do, after today having watched him again, I would definitely take the captaincy off him, 100 per cent.
“I know it was a big decision to change the captaincy with (Harry) Maguire, but Fernandes is not captain material.”
Fernandes was only handed the armband in the summer after Ten Hag took the duty away from Harry Maguire.
READ MORE MAN UTD NEWS
Here, SunSport looks at five United stars who could replace Fernandes as captain.
Casemiro
Already captain of the Brazilian national team, Casemiro was understood to have been a candidate to take over from Maguire in the summer.
Following his stellar debut season at Old Trafford, Ten Hag had considered the 31-year-old before choosing Fernandes.
The United boss has previously spoken of Casemiro’s leadership ability, having overlooked him as skipper during a trip to Aston Villa last November.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Casemiro has been tipped for the armband in the pastCredit: Getty
Ten Hag opted for Cristiano Ronaldo instead due to the midfielder’s lack of English, explaining: “Casemiro is the leader but he is not speaking perfect English so then Cristiano is the leader.”
However, the former Real Madrid man has struggled for form so far this season, with doubts over whether he should remain in the starting line-up, let alone be made captain.
Marcus Rashford
Academy graduate Marcus Rashford has already shown leadership both on and off the field in recent seasons.
The forward’s campaigning against child hunger earned him an MBE in the 2020 Birthday Honours.
Rashford has been on United’s books for 18 years and scored 30 goals for the club last season.
Like Casemiro, though, his performances have dipped this term, with the England star scoring just once in 13 appearances to date.
Marcus Rashford has shown his leadership on and off the pitchCredit: Getty
Lisandro Martinez
One of Ten Hag’s first moves after taking over as United boss last summer was to bring Lisandro Martinez with him from Ajax.
The Argentine defender has since become a fan favourite.
He was also tipped for the captaincy back in August, with ex-Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy telling talkSPORT: “Who else at United are you going to give it to?
“The one obvious candidate is Martinez… doesn’t matter (that he’s only been there a year). He looks like a real leader.”
Erik ten Hag is facing pressure to replace his captainCredit: Getty

Luke Shaw
Left-back Luke Shaw is currently United’s longest-serving first-team player, having signed from Southampton nine years ago.
He has since made 262 appearances for the club and played under five different managers.
Shaw has also evolved into a key man for the Red Devils since recovering from the serious leg injury he suffered in 2015.
The 28-year-old has not featured since August, though, with a muscle injury keeping him out of action for over two months.
Harry Maguire
Ten Hag could instead opt to reverse his captaincy decision completely following Maguire’s return to the fold.
Having been close to leaving Old Trafford in the summer amid interest from West Ham, the defender has shown resilience to make an impressive comeback.
Read More on The Sun
Maguire has started each of United’s last four matches across all competitions.
He also scored the winning goal against Copenhagen in the Champions League last week to help his side claim a crucial three points.
Harry Maguire was stripped of the captaincy during the summerCredit: AP More