Premier League

MANCHESTER UNITED legend Nicky Butt has defended Casemiro following his disastrous start to the Premier League season.The Red Devils midfielder, 32, has endured a dismal opening three games of the campaign for Erik ten Hag’s side.Casemiro has had a horror start to the new season in Manchester United’s midfieldCredit: GettyRed Devils legend Nicky Butt has stuck up for the BrazilianCredit: GettyIt culminated in him giving the ball away for two of Liverpool’s goals as Man Utd suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.New £50million signing Manuel Ugarte is expected to replace Casemiro in Ten Hag’s midfield when they return to action at Southampton on Saturday.Yet despite Casemiro’s poor form, Man Utd icon Butt, 49, who won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and one Champions League during his 13-year stint at the club, has labelled criticism of the ex-Real Madrid man “harsh”.Speaking to Manchester Evening News, he said: “He’s won everything there is to win in the game.READ MORE ON MAN UTD”I think [the criticism] is a bit unfair. He’s had one horrendous half and everyone is turning against him.“I think it’s a bit harsh, he knows what he is doing.”He’s won more things than I ever did so I wouldn’t sit here and say he’s this, that and the other.”But he did have a bad game, I’m sure he’s had a few before, we all have.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSCasemiro won five Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, along with three LaLiga titles.He joined Man Utd in 2022 in a deal worth up to £70million and is the highest-paid player on their books, raking in a wage of £375,000 a week.Marcus Rashford releases training video during break after England snub as Man Utd fans say ‘hat-trick incoming’He enjoyed an impressive first season in England, scoring in the Carabao Cup final as Man Utd ended a five-year trophy drought.But the 2023/24 campaign was a disappointing one for the midfielder – who has 75 caps for Brazil.Following a nightmare performance in Man Utd’s 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace back in May, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher urged Casemiro to “leave the football before the football leaves you”.Man Utd player ratings vs LiverpoolMANCHESTER UNITED had a horror show against Liverpool as they lost 3-0.Casemiro was so bad he was taken off at half-time.But were there any positive performances at Old Trafford?Andre Onana – 5Nothing he could do about any of Liverpool’s goals and made a few saves to prevent the scoreline from getting worse.Noussair Mazraoui – 5Came close to scoring in the first half and looked solid enough against Diaz although he did push up too high before Liverpool’s opener.Matthijs de Ligt – 4Left Diaz and Domink Szobozslai in acres of space for the opening goal but was left in a tricky spot thanks to Casemiro’s error. Booked for a shocking late tackle on Diaz.Lisandro Martinez – 3Lost Diaz for the second goal which meant the Colombian was able to score unmarked from the penalty spot.Also guilty of giving away the ball too easily and was not tight enough with his marking.Diogo Dalot – 4Was caught out pushing up too quickly for the first goal and did not do enough to stop Mo Salah’s cross in the build-up to Liverpool’s second.Looked dangerous in attack at times but too infrequently as he had plenty of defensive work to do since Rashford did not track Trent Alexander-Arnold.Casemiro – 2A horror show in the first half as he gave the ball away in the lead up to both of Liverpool’s goals.He was caught on the ball for the second after a shocking misplaced pass left his defence vulnerable for the opening goal. Hooked at half-time.Kobbie Mainoo – 4Fell victim to the Casemiro curse as he was shrugged off the ball in a terrible position, allowing Liverpool to add a third with ease.Bruno Fernandes – 5Was United’s most creative spark but that is not saying much. Tried to get his side going in the first half but looked short of ideas and inspiration after the break.Alejandro Garnacho – 4Still appears to be a little rusty and is yet to hit the heights he reached last season.Marcus Rashford – 3Nothing came off for the out-of-sorts forward who must be running out of chances before he is dropped.Joshua Zirkzee – 4Quiet up-front and had little influence on the wing as well, but missed a clear-cut chance with his head and should have turned in Rashford’s cross which he met at the far post.SubsToby Collyer (for Casemiro, HT) – 5A difficult game for the youngster to make his Premier League debut but he put himself about and won a few tackles.Harry Maguire (for De Ligt, 69mins) – 5Shored things up at the back as Liverpool took their foot off the pedal.Amad (for Garnacho, 69mins) – 5Provided a spark on the right and looked more lively than Garnacho.Christian Eriksen (for Zirkzee, 86mins) – N/ANot on long enough to make an impact. More

MANCHESTER UNITED have taken another step towards building a new 100,000-seater stadium.The Red Devils have entered a strategic partnership with Trafford Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) in a bid to maximise the regeneration opportunities around Old Trafford.Manchester United plan to build a ‘Wembley of the North’Credit: EPAUnited recently entered a strategic partnership to maximise the regeneration opportunities around Old TraffordCredit: AlamyOfficials wish to showcase how a world-class stadium can catalyse wider regeneration and bring social and economic benefits to Trafford Wharfside and the surrounding areas.An advisory team, led by an independent director, will be appointed to support the ongoing work and ensure that it aligns with Trafford Council and the GMCA’s strategy and visions.Findings will be fed into the recommendations of a taskforce chaired by Lord Coe.Discussing the project, Lord Coe said: “The objective of this once-in-a-generation project is not only the development of a world-class stadium for the north of England, but also to ensure that this brings broad social and economic benefits to the local area and surrounding region.Read More on Man Utd”There is a huge opportunity to connect Trafford Wharfside regeneration with the ongoing growth of neighbouring Media City in Salford, and Greater Manchester’s Western Gateway and Central Growth Cluster plans, to create a project of national significance.”The tripartite advisory team will help fully unlock this incredibly exciting potential.”Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham added: “Greater Manchester has a strong claim to be the biggest footballing city-region on the planet.”Few places come close to matching our heritage and the global impact of our clubs and our culture.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS”The future of Old Trafford is the next chapter of that story, and we have a chance now to make sure it’s written properly.”With this new partnership we have the expertise, the vision, and the passion to drive forward the regeneration of the Trafford Wharfside area, and deliver real benefits for the community, the fans, and for the economy across the North.”Inside Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s amazing lifestyleNew United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been desperate to transform the club’s home into a “Wembley of the North” since taking over earlier this year.The Red Devils plan to keep the current Old Trafford in some form when they eventually move.They have considered scaling it down to a 30,000-seater stadium which then could be used for the women’s team and academy matches.What we know about the ‘new’ Old TraffordMANCHESTER UNITED plan to build a new stadium rather than redevelop Old Trafford.The decision was made after a number of fact-finding missions to other stadiums including the Bernabeu and Nou Camp.The cost of the project is expected to be a staggering £2billion.A capacity of 100,000 is expected.It is felt that a club of United’s standing should have a new state-of-the-art facility.The new stadium will be built on land adjacent to the Red Devils’ current home.United are looking to not only build a stadium but regenerate the area of Trafford where the ground will stand.They plan to KEEP Old Trafford rather than demolish it, and use it as a second venue. They will scale it down to a 30,000-seater that can then be used for the women’s team and academy matches.That would mean the history remains with statues and the Munich clock and memorial plaque all most likely staying in their current positions.The club consulted with 30,000 fans about what to do and believe there is roughly a 50-50 split on staying or moving.Old Trafford has been United’s home since 1910.The target is for completion by 2030. More

BEHDAD EGHBALI will block any attempt from Todd Boehly to sell his Chelsea stake to outside investors.A civil war has broken out between Chelsea’s two powerbrokers with both Boehly and majority owners Clearlake Capital exploring the option of buying the other out.Todd Boehly believes he can buy out Behdad EghbaliCredit: GettyBoehly believes he can raise a staggering £2.5billion to buy out Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, his Clearlake co-founder, but they have no intention of selling.And amid suspicions Boehly is simply engineering his own exit from the club, Clearlake intend to block any attempt to sell to an outsider.As controlling owners with a 61.5 per cent stake, the investment fund have rights to block any sale of their partner’s shares.Boehly is part of a trio that own 38.5 per cent of the club alongside Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLClaims that Boehly is considering selling his stake, which would amount to almost 13 per cent, have been denied.Clearlake are considering an offer to take complete control of the club in what is seen as the most likely solution to the boardroom rift, given their reluctance to sell.Sources around the private equity firm claim there could still be a way back to a more amiable working relationship, although it is seen as unlikely given Boehly has lost faith in his partners.The American billionaire, who also owns a stake in the baseball side LA Dodgers, took a leading role following the £2.5bn takeover from Roman Abramovich in May 2022, but has since seen his control shift to Eghbali.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSBoehly was initially a stand-in sporting director but the last 18 months has seen Eghbali take a far more significant role, working closely with sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.Chelsea have spent over £1.2bn on players and sacked three managers; Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino, without winning a trophy since the Americans took over.Chelsea Player Ratings vs Crystal Palace SocialChelsea are a circus – it will be TERRIBLE for football if they win anything, says Troy DeeneyCHELSEA are a circus — aren’t they?, writes Troy Deeney.But the bigger concern should be if somehow, some way, Todd Boehly’s insane master-plan brings about success this season.Finish in the top four. Win a trophy like the FA Cup.He will then turn around and say: “See, it works” and all of a sudden, other clubs will begin considering copying this mad model to try and compete in the Premier League.Before you know it, there will be a bigger divide between the top clubs and the rest and this country’s top flight will become something we have been fighting against — a Super League.The smaller sides and promoted teams will be wiped out by the elite and will end up saying, ‘What’s the point?’Football as we know it will change, and there will be no going back.As a neutral, you don’t want to wish failure on a club or a regime, but it’s depressing to think about.We should almost be looking at it in amazement — the owners have come in with this model and they’ve treated it as if they are buying stocks and shares, not players or human beings.Boehly has wiped away any sense of sentiment or old-school values from that club and the worrying thing is that he doesn’t seem to care.Does he even like football?Read Troy Deeney’s hard-hitting opinion on Boehly’s Chelsea shambles in full.Or check out all of Troy’s columns on SunSport. More

FORMER Arsenal player Rob Holding has deleted all mention of Crystal Palace from his social media after being made to train on his own.The defender has made just one appearance for the Eagles since signing from Arsenal last year.Rob Holding is training by himself at Crystal PalaceCredit: GettyHe has unfollowed the club on Instagram and deleted his Palace postsAnd he fell further down the pecking order following the arrival of Chadi Riad, Maxence Lacroix and Trevoh Chalobah this summer.Holding has suffered with injuries since his switch to Selhurst Park and he does not appear to be part of manager Oliver Glasner’s plans.The Palace boss confirmed the centre-back was training alone, with Holding since deleting photos from his Instagram relating to Palace.He also unfollowed the club just days after being banished from first-team training.READ MORE ON ARSENALGlasner said of his situation: “Rob [Holding] is training individually at the moment.”We will talk together. He knows the reason, but it is something that stays between Rob and me. Nothing public.”Arsenal fans expressed sympathy for Holding, who left the Gunners over a lack of game time.One fan reacted saying: “Shame how it’s worked out for him. Say what you will about his level but he never hid, unlike a lot of people he had to share a pitch with.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSChanges 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.Another added: “He’s a decent centre-back. Surely some low Prem club will be interested in him?”A third wrote: “I hate hearing this. He deserves to find a good home.”Raheem Sterling showing off skills in Arsenal training session More