Page 4 - Manchester United

21st November 2017.
After just 211 days out of action due to a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) against Anderlecht, Zlatan Ibrahimovi? graced the field with his presence once again when coming off the bench against Newcastle United to a jubilant Old Trafford crowd.

When the now-retired Sweden international went to visit surgeon Dr Freddie H Fu in Pittsburgh, America, for tests to assess the damage, he came out and said Ibrahimovi? was one of the most remarkable athletes he has ever laid eyes on. To say he was impressed in what good shape he is in for a then-35 year old was an understatement. He might well be a professional athlete, but the dedication to his craft and to better himself has allowed Ibrahimovi? to play on for so long at the elite end of football.

Ibrahimovi?: The Stats

Before his injury, in 46 appearances for the Red Devils, Ibrahimovi? scored 28 and recorded 10 assists. He was pivotal to United's attack and played a pivotal

26th July 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
Manchester United have already splashed out in excess of £100 million this summer to sign Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof. But manager Jose Mourinho has openly admitted that he is growing frustrated at the club's lack of further transfer activity and supporters too are getting anxious.

Numbers are needed in midfield and attack, runs the general opinion, with Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan winger Ivan Periši? both named as priority targets for the Red Devils.

However, the form 21-year-old playmaker Andreas Pereira has thus far displayed in pre-season has shown that the Brazil under-23 international is ready to contribute at Old Trafford next season, and could help ease his manager's recruitment headache if the club's transfer targets continue to prove illusive.

Pereira, who joined United from PSV as a teenager in 2011, has impressed for Manchester

19th July 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
Manchester United have already spent well over £100 million this summer on the captures of Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelöf.

The Belgian striker arrived from Everton for £75 million as the Red Devils pipped Chelsea in the race to sign the 24-year-old, and cultured centre-back Lindelöf was brought in from Benfica for £31million to bolster the backline.

But United's spending won't stop there. José Mourinho is intent on making two more key additions. Croatian winger Ivan Periši? has been earmarked as the man to add natural width to the Old Trafford side and the 20-time champions of England are currently locked deep in negotiations with Inter Milan for the player.

The other area of his team which Mourinho has identified for strengthening is in central midfield, where he is believed to be seeking a disciplined destroyer to protect the defence and free up record signing Paul Pogba to unleash his full potential.

However,

28th June 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
With just one year remaining on his contract and high on the wish list of several of Europe's biggest clubs, Alexis Sánchez is unlikely to still be an Arsenal player by the start of the 2017-18 season.

The former Barcelona forward was the Gunners' outstanding performer last season, netting 24 Premier League goals and returning a career high total of 30 in 51 all-competitions games, including a crucial strike in the North London side's FA Cup final victory over champions Chelsea.

Sánchez was the shining light in an otherwise disappointing season for Arsenal which saw them fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in two decades. Currently on international duty with Chile at the Confederations Cup in Russia, the 28-year-old attacker is set to resolve his future upon his return, with all signs pointing towards an exit from the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal would love to hold onto their

24th May 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
Manchester United's season was powered by the goals of Zlatan Ibrahimovic up until the point the Swedish striker suffered a torn cruciate knee ligament against Anderlecht in April. Now, the Red Devils face the prospect of having their 2016-17 campaign shattered by a 19-year-old prodigy labelled "the new Ibrahimovic".

Kasper Dolberg, widely regarded as one of the best young players on the Continent, will line up for Ajax when the Dutch side take on Jose Mourinho's men in the Europa League final in Stockholm tonight. The Danish striker has bagged 23 goals in all competitions this season, earning him rave reviews and attracting interest from Barcelona, Manchester City and Liverpool among others.

What makes the young forward's rise to prominence this season all the more remarkable is the fact that he is way ahead of schedule. Dolberg's immense talent was no secret within the

15th March 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
Since making his record-breaking £89 million return to Manchester United last summer, Paul Pogba has come in for more than his fair share of criticism.

A high degree of scrutiny was inevitable given his price tag and the fact that he was joining one of the most polarising clubs in world football. There are swathes of people watching his every move in hope that he slips up so they can write him off as a flop or a fraud.

It's fair to say that over the last few weeks Pogba's performances for United have flattered to deceive, but there was a sustained period of around five months, after he settled into his new surroundings, in which the Frenchman was consistently the Red Devils' best player.

Following United's FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this week, the criticism of Pogba was at an all-time high.

Jose Mourinho came out in defence of his star player after the game. "We have to be positive, the

8th March 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
It seemed a near certainty, if reports were to be believed, that Benfica defender Victor Lindelof would join Manchester United in the January transfer window. And when no such deal had emerged by February 1, the Portuguese press instead assured everyone that the Swedish international would make Old Trafford his new home at the end of the season instead.

However, with the news last week that Lindelof has penned a new contract with the Portuguese champions, increasing his buyout clause to €50 million, it is looking increasingly likely that the 22-year-old will be staying at the Estadio da Luz beyond the summer.

If United manager Jose Mourinho is determined to add a new centre-back to his squad, then he will have to look at alternatives to Lindelof.

Here are five central defenders who the Red Devils should consider making a swoop for when the transfer window

31st January 2017. By Danni Biggs. 
Carlos Tevez waves goodbye to his beloved Boca Juniors and says hello to mega-money with his new signing to Shanghai Shenhua. The Argentinian, former Manchester United striker has secured his deal that will make him the highest-paid player in the world.

Supporters were left pleading for Tevez to reconsider his move to Shanghai Shenhua by holding up signs that read "Don't Go, Carlos!" during his last game, where he was took off during the 90^th minute to receive a rapturous reception, giving an emotional wave goodbye to his beloved fans as he prepares for his next chapter in his journey.

Tevez at Boca Juniors

As some of you loyal fans are well aware of, Boca Juniors is where Carlos Tevez began his professional footballing career. Carlos made 110 appearances for Boca in the seasons 2001 to 2004, scoring a total of 38 goals. At the young age of 16, Tevez made his debut for Boca Juniors

25th January 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
As Wayne Rooney struck a splendid stoppage-time free-kick to draw Manchester United level with Stoke City last Saturday, it marked a historical moment in the 31-year-old's career. The goal was his 250^th for the Red Devils, making him the club's outright all-time highest scorer.

In doing so, he broke a high mark set by Sir Bobby Charlton over 40 years earlier, just as he had for England when he scored his 50^th international goal against Switzerland at Wembley in 2015.

Yet, despite having scored the most goals in the history of both the England team and one of the biggest clubs in the world, some would still argue that Rooney never fulfilled the promise of his early career.

Bursting onto the scene as a 16-year-old with a stunning strike against Arsenal, Rooney shot to the nation's attention when he became the Premier League's youngest ever scorer in October 2002.

From there, he never looked back,

4th January 2017. By Ryan Baldi.
As he whipped the ball into the corner of the West Ham United goal following a superb cutback from Marcus Rashford, for the second time in as many days, Juan Mata had come off the bench to set Manchester United on their way to another three Premier League points on Monday evening.

 

Against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford two days earlier, the Red Devils were growing frustrated at being on the wrong end of some questionable refereeing decisions by Lee Mason, while the visitors took a shock second half lead.

 

Anthony Martial drew United level with five minutes to play, before Mata picked out Paul Pogba inside the penalty area for the Frenchman to head in a late winner. The Spaniard's introduction after 64 minutes added a degree of incision that had been missing from their performance up until that point, and the same was true at the London