Author: dmitriy.vasyura@gmail.com

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has warned incoming Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim that he is taking “five steps up” from Sporting.

Amorim will replace Erik ten Hag as Red Devils head coach after the Dutchman was sacked on Monday.

Ten Hag’s final match in charge was a 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday which left Man Utd 14th in the Premier League with three wins, two draws and four losses from their opening nine top-flight encounters.

Several managers have been linked with the Old Trafford job but Amorim quickly emerged as the frontrunner following the 54-year-old’s departure.

The Portuguese has won two league titles with Sporting and masterminded a Europa League knockout stage victory over Arsenal in 2023.

Managing Man Utd is a different kettle of fish and former Arsenal midfielder and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Merson has warned Amorim that he is taking “five steps up”.

“He’s done amazing at Sporting,” Merson told Sky Sports. “This is going to be different. No disrespect. They play against Porto and Benfica and that’s it.

“He’s coming in to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world. We’ve seen it with Ten Hag: brilliant at Ajax, come to Man Utd, win one, draw one, lose one and you’re under pressure. There’s a lot of work to be done. This is five steps up.

“Will Amorim be different to the managers who have gone before? I don’t know if he will. He’s managed in Portugal, done everything right, his team did very well against Arsenal last year. But this is different. It’s hard to explain.

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“We’ve seen with all these managers, you’re under severe pressure every game. As a football team they’re nowhere near those heights. One of the biggest football clubs in the world with a just-above-average football team. I can’t emphasise enough how far they are behind the big boys at the moment.”

Merson adds that Man Utd are miles off challenging for the Premier League title. Asked what Amorim’s first priority should be, he replied: “Getting the players to understand the way they want to play.

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“I watch Man Utd play and there hasn’t been identity there for a long time now. He has to come in, get his ideas across and start playing as a team.

“They don’t press together. He has to get everybody understanding the way he wants to play. I don’t think anyone could sit there and tell me what Man Utd were trying to do. Chelsea against Newcastle, you know what they’re trying to do. That manager has been in there two or three months.

“They’ve got to learn how to walk first. There are going to be some great times in the next two or three months where they play scintillating football and win games but it’s going to be up and down. I don’t know how long it is going to take but it won’t happen overnight on a consistent basis.”

The 4th round of the Nations League match between Ukraine and the Czech Republic will take place in Wroclaw. The list of 22 players of the Ukrainian national team who were included in the application for the game has been published.

A list of 22 players of the Ukrainian national football team who were included in the application for the match of the 4th round of the League of Nations between Ukraine and the Czech Republic has been published, UNN reports with reference to the UAF.

Details

Today in Wroclaw, Poland, at the Tarczynski Arena Wroclaw stadium , the match of the 4th round of the 2024/2025 Nations League in Group B1 Ukraine vs Czech Republic will take place (the match starts at 21:45 Kyiv time).

The application of the national team of Ukraine for the match against the Czech Republic has been announced (by numbers):

1. Heorhiy Bushchan, 2. Yukhym Konoplya, 3. Bohdan Mykhailichenko, 4. Maksym Taloverov, 5. Oleksandr Svatok, 6. Taras Stepanenko, 7. Mykhailo Mudryk, 8. Heorhiy Sudakov, 9. Roman Yaremchuk, 10. Mykola Shaparenko, 11. Artem Dovbyk, 12. Anatoliy Trubin, 13. Ilya Zabarnyi, 14. Vitaliy Buyalsky, 15. Ivan Kalyuzhny, 16. Oleksandr Nazarenko, 17. Vladyslav Vanat, 18. Oleksandr Tymchyk, 19. Oleksiy Hutsulyak, 20. Oleksandr Zubkov, 21. Dmytro Kryskiv, 22. Mykola Matvienko.

Of the players in Wroclaw, Valeriy Bondar and Vladyslav Kabaev were not included in the application.

Football: Dovbyk misses Ukraine's training session before match with Czech RepublicOctober 14 2024, 05:37 AM • 13241 view

According to reports, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is a ‘big fan’ of Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane and wants to sign him next summer.

Former Manchester City winger Sane is out of contract at the end of this season and is attracting interest from several Premier League clubs.

He has 50 goals and 51 assists in 183 appearances for the German giants, scoring three in eight under Vincent Kompany this season.

Michael Olise’s summer arrival means the 28-year-old is yet to start a match in the Bundesliga or Champions League in 2024/25. His only start came against Mainz in the second round of the DFB Pokal.

His lack of minutes do not appear to be putting Arsenal off, however, with German transfer experts Christian Falk and Michel Schroeer (via iMiaSanMia) revealing he is on the Gunners’ ‘list’ of targets for the 2025 summer transfer window.

It is claimed that Arsenal boss Arteta ‘is a big fan of the winger’ having worked with him during his time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Man City.

The Londoners are deemed ‘a serious option’ for Sane, ‘unlike Newcastle United‘, should he leave Bayern as a free agent at the end of 24/25.

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Football Insider also reports Arsenal’s interest in the Germany winger. Former Manchester United and Tottenham scout Mick Brown, who apparently ‘remains very well-connected within the game’, says Arteta’s side “are very interested in him”.

“They’re certainly among the interested clubs,” Brown said.

“He’s fantastically effective, he’s got explosive pace and he’s still only 28, it’s a good age.

“I’ve often wondered why Man City let him leave, and why no clubs in England had tried to sign him before he went to Bayern.

“But now with his contract situation, I’d expect to see him move.

“Arsenal are very interested in him, from what I’ve been told. He can play on the left and provide cover for Saka which they desperately need.

“Now, they’re not the only club interested. We’ve spoken about Newcastle before and there are others.

“But they [Arsenal] are certainly keen and I think it’s one they’ve been working on in the background for a while.

“Not only would he add quality to their side, but he brings winning experience too which is always something clubs like Arsenal are looking to bring in.”

Meanwhile, Graeme Bailey writes for The Boot Room that Arsenal are not as keen as others are letting on.

Arsenal have played down suggestions they have held talks about a deal for Leroy Sane, TBR Football understands.

We understand that whilst Sane is a player they are aware of and that Mikel Arteta knows well, he is not currently seen as a priority for the club.

Sane’s people are starting to speak to clubs around Europe – putting work in and letting them know he is a free agent.

However, Bayern remain hopeful he will sign a new contract in Munich.

If Sane is to depart Bayern in 2025, Sane’s people have made it clear he will only join a Champions League side.

Aston Villa and Newcastle are monitoring his situation but the finances required to sign him would likely rule them out of the race.

Particularly Newcastle, who continue to contend with Financial Fair Play regulations which forced them to sell talented duo Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson in the summer.

Arsenal player Oleksandr Zinchenko presented his autobiographical book Believe. The publication describes the footballer's journey from Shakhtar's academy to playing for top English clubs.

Ukrainian footballer Oleksandr Zinchenko, who plays for London's Arsenal, has released his autobiography entitled "Believe," UNN reports.

"My book Believe. It has been a privilege to tell my story, from my teenage years playing amateur football to the honor of playing for two of the best teams of the modern era. I hope you enjoy an honest and insightful look at the game I love," Zinchenko wrote on his Instagram.

On Amazon, the paperback costs 21.21 pounds (about 1134 UAH).

The autobiography describes the stages of Zinchenko's football career: from his beginnings in Shakhtar's academy to signing for Manchester City in 2016, where he won four league titles in six seasons. His move to Arsenal and his contribution to the team's achievements are also discussed.

Recall

Earlier, Zinchenko statedthat he was ready to serve in the army if he was mobilized.