Ralf Rangnick is dealing with growing player unrest at Manchester United – ESPN Insider’s Handbook has the latest information. COMMUNITY: Ed Woodward’s Man United regrets it.
Move in: Woodward’s Kane Disappointment | Benzema’s shirt on request at Alcoyano | Conte ruthlessly planned to wipe out Spurs’ key | Romantic red card
Rangnick fights Man United’s sulky stars
Ralf Rangnick fears changing dressing room at Manchester United Sources tell ESPN that could derail to finish in the Premier League top four this season.
Speaking after the 0-1 defeat to Wolves on Monday night – Rangnick’s first loss as caretaker manager at Old Trafford – Luke Shaw said the team didn’t feel “together” on the field and questioned their motivation and intensity throughout the game.
– Ogden: Man United’s identity struggle
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Sources told ESPN that while Rangnick was disappointed with the comments, Shaw’s interview did not come as a huge surprise and there are concerns that if the issue is not fixed, hopes of a Champions League spot United’s League next season will quickly go up in smoke.
Rangnick has been at the job for a month and several players have said they want to leave. Sources say fringe players have become frustrated by a lack of game time under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believing they are getting a clean spot under the 63-year-old but feel they are being benefited. use.
Worse still, players looking to move in January have been told they are likely to be kept until the end of the season. Only Anthony Martial still confident about guaranteeing the transfer during opening time.
Among the selectors, there are concerns about the suitability of Rangnick’s 4-2-2-2 system – especially after poor performances in the 1-1 draw against Newcastle and loss to Wolves. Sources say some players believe the individual video sessions have resulted in sporadic screens because they are uncertain about the locations of teammates.
Separately, Rangnick has accepted that the lack of time together on the training ground is less than ideal while he tries to manifest his ideas.
United were forced to close their Carrington training base in December following the COVID-19 outbreak, but there is hope that a clean bill of health and a less busy schedule in January will help Rangnick. remedy the situation.
Sources added that Rangnick asked his assistant Mike Phelan to repair parts in the dressing room. Rangnick has appointed Chris Armas, Sascha Lense and Ewan Sharp to his coaching staff, but sources have told ESPN that the departure of Michael Carrick, who left the club following Rangnick’s appointment, is still underway. interest in the team, leading to a disconnect between players and management. – Rob Dawson
Woodward’s Kane Big Regret
After confirming that Ed Woodward will step down from his post is executive vice president at Manchester United At the end of this month, ESPN was told that one of his biggest regrets was that he wasn’t able to perform. Harry Kane are from Tottenham to Old Trafford.
Sources told ESPN that, as the standout English midfielder of his generation, Kane has always been seen as a top target for United should he be available.
– Ogden: Why United failed under Woodward
Much to United’s dismay, sources say, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is always one step ahead of interested clubs and Kane himself by ensuring England The captain has been given contract extensions at key stages to avoid him entering the final two years of his deal with the club.
Levy convinced Kane to sign a six-year contract in 2018 – a deal that has allowed Spurs to shell out £150m on the player when City of Manchester tried to sign him last summer and failed.
Kane’s future at Spurs remains a subject of intense speculation, especially as the 28-year-old is entering the final two years of his contract and could therefore exploit the dwindling contract length to his advantage. me.
And although sources say United have some areas to address in their squad, the age profile of their attacking options – Cristiano Ronaldo is 37 on February 5 and Edinson Cavani will be 35 nine days later – which means they will be up and running if a top center comes out this summer. – Mark Ogden
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Gab and Juls debate whether Harry Kane is a good signing for Man United.
Benzema wears jersey a hit with Alcoyano
COVID-19 rules mean players swapping shirts after Spain’s Copa del Rey matches this season are discouraged, but Real Madrid ensure that opponents in the lower division, Alcoyano, do not leave empty-handed after the match in the round of 32 teams in the middle of this week.
The Spanish giants reached out to Alcoyano – who plays in Primera RFEF, the third tier of Spanish football – before Wednesday’s game, asking which Madrid player’s jersey each member of the team wore. their team wants to accept as a memento.
LaLiga’s top scorer Karim Benzema were the favorites, with the majority of Alcoyano players demanding to be handed one of his number 9 shirts. Madrid’s gesture means that they all get their wish, no debate – or a draw – to decide who gets to take Benzema’s shirt home.
This is the second year in a row that Madrid have made such an offer, repeating the gesture from a year ago when Alcoyano also hosted Madrid in the national cup at the same stage. On that occasion, the home team experienced a historic loss, beating champions Spain 2-1 after extra time on January 20, 2021.
Benzema’s shirt was also among the most requested shirts last year, along with the equally popular shirt Luka Modric and then-captain Sergio Ramos.
The France The forward himself missed Wednesday’s game with a hit, as did Modric. Their absence did not stop Madrid from avoiding another slip, scoring a hard-fought 3-1 victory thanks to goals from Eder Militao, Marco Asensio and Isco. – Alex Kirkland
Conte ruthlessly planned to arrest Spurs himself
A host of Tottenham players are fearing for their futures as Antonio Conte plans a ruthless overhaul of the squad with more than half a dozen players at risk, sources told ESPN.
The Italian delivered a harsh assessment of the group after Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final, which failed in the first leg. Chelsea, claims “we are a team in the middle” and is nowhere near ready to compete at the bottom of the Premier League.
Sources told ESPN that this view was replicated in private meetings Conte held with senior club figures to outline how to reshape his squad, a strategy. focus on an ongoing major overhaul.
It is understood that Dele Alli, Steven Bergwijn, Matt Doherty and Tanguy Ndombele on the list of players that Conte is willing to part with. There is also some uncertainty about Japhet Tanganga and Giovani Lo Celso, among others.
Chairman Daniel Levy is expected to support Conte’s ruling and the process will begin this month if possible, but senior club figures recognize the difficulty of doing significant business on Wednesday. mid-season.
Sources claim this is one of the reasons Conte is openly calling for time and patience as he looks to turn Spurs into title challengers.
Another issue is the availability of potential signings. Sources told ESPN that Conte wants to strengthen multiple positions – a centre-back, a full-back, a midfielder and a backup striker for Harry Kane among them. The club are actively pursuing their goals but will be in no hurry to compromise this month. – James Olley
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Julien Laurens speaks after Chelsea’s first leg win over Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Romantic red card in the Netherlands
Receiving a red card in a close loss often angers players with officials, but with FC Emmen left-back Jeff Hardeveld it is a completely different story.
Hardeveld recently announced on social media that he has begun a relationship with Shona Shukrula – the fourth official from a match who saw him off.
Shukrula was part of the official team when FC Emmen suffered a 0-1 home defeat to FC Eindhoven in their Dutch second division match on August 13, a match that saw Hardeveld get a red card in the match. overtime.
It wasn’t a disappointing afternoon for Hardeveld, however, it turned out to be a life-changing day when he was introduced to Shukrula.
And, on January 2, Hardeveld, 26, posted a series of pictures with Shukrula in Rome over the New Year along with the caption: “It’s official.”
Dutch referee Dick van Egmond said he supported the relationship and told reporters: “We are aware of their relationship. For us there is no problem.”
When asked if it could cause problems in the future, Van Egmond replied: “Shona Shukrula will not be assigned to the matches that Jeff Hardeveld will be competing in.”
Hardeveld started his career in Feyenoord’s youth teams before joining Utrecht and Heracles and moving to Emmen in the summer of 2021. He has also represented the Netherlands in the under-21 tournaments. Shukrula has been a FIFA referee since 2017. –– Andrew Cesare Richardson
