Category: Sport

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has reacted to reports linking Premier League giants Manchester United with Sporting Lisbon forward Viktor Gyokeres.

On Friday afternoon, Ruben Amorim was named Man Utd’s head coach. He has replaced former boss Erik ten Hag, who was sacked at the start of this week.

Amorim was linked with Liverpool and West Ham in the summer and he’s regarded as one of the best young head coaches in the world. The 39-year-old has helped Sporting Lisbon win the Primeira Liga twice after they went 18 years without winning the top league in Portugal.

His arrival at Man Utd has fuelled speculation linking the Premier League outfit with Gyokeres, who is the top scorer in Europe this year.

Gyokeres has 16 goals in 15 appearances for Sporting Lisbon this season across all competitions and he’s reportedly given a positive ‘response’ to ‘interest’ from Man Utd.

Merson has commented on the speculation surrounding Man Utd and Gyokeres. He has explained why this report is doing his “head in”.

“Now they’re talking of bringing Viktor Gyokeres in. This is what does my head in, honestly,” Merson wrote in his column for Sportskeeda.

READ: Five ways to fix a broken Marcus Rashford at Manchester United and beyond

“He was playing for Coventry a while ago and no one wanted him. Now he goes to a lesser league, does well and suddenly you have to pay £40-50 million extra for him!

“Imagine if he was still at Coventry and United wanted him? Everybody will be losing their minds.”

A report from Football Insider has information on Man Utd’s ‘first Amorim signing plan’. It is claimed that the head coach may be ‘made to wait’.

‘There is a lack of funds available for the new boss in January, and he may have to wait until the summer to make any major changes. Sources say United were made to fork out substantial fees to part ways with Erik ten Hag and bring in Amorim, which has impacted their ability to spend.

‘Several Sporting CP stars have been linked with moves to follow the Portuguese manager to Old Trafford, as they consider their options ahead of the transfer window.’

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Viktor Gyokeres to Man Utd: Why would he join a ‘doomed project’?
👉 The four reasons why Man Utd chose Amorim revealed as Red Devils ‘did not speak to anyone else’
👉 Man Utd: Ferdinand reveals the ‘big difference’ between Amorim and ETH as key problem is identified

‘The likes of Viktor Gyoekeres have been mentioned, but there is a feeling that any deal for a major star would have to come at the end of the season.

‘As a result, the manager may be forced to work with the options already available to him unless the club can raise funds via sales in the winter.’

Amorim will not take charge of Man Utd until November 11, so interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy will lead the team on Sunday against Chelsea.

Merson has backed Chelsea to win 3-1 at Old Trafford as Man Utd are “lazy” and not a “proper team”.

“I think Chelsea will win this game. I only say that because they’ll play out from the back and the only way they can get beat is if teams get the ball from them high up the pitch by closing them down,” Merson added.

“I don’t think United will do that up front, they’re just lazy. So I have a feeling that Chelsea can play through them and win the game…

“United went and won 5-2 against Leicester in their cup game.

“I’m thinking if Ten Hag was still there, Chelsea would be huge favorites in this game. But with Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge now, there will be a change for sure.

“They still look at bit disjointed though, not what you expect from a proper team.

“The problem is that United don’t have enough time to work on these things and beat Chelsea this weekend.”

Ukrainian badminton players won silver at the tournament in Istanbul and 8 medals at competitions in Germany. The awards include two golds from Ivan Tsaregorodtsev and Anastasia Alymova at the YONEX German Ruhr U19 International 2024.

Ukrainian badminton players have shown impressive results at international competitions. This is reported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, UNN reports.

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Polina Bugrova and Yevhenia Kantemir won a silver medal in the women's doubles category at the VICTOR Turkish International Challenge in Istanbul.

Ukrainian athletes won a total of 8 medals at the YONEX German Ruhr U19 International 2024 in Mulheim am Ruhr (Germany). Among them, Ivan Tsaregorodtsev and Anastasia Alymova won two golds, and Rayia Almalalkha, Maria Koryagina, Yaroslava Vantsarovska, Danil Sedov, Vladislav Stepanchenko and Serhiy Marushchak also distinguished themselves.

Ukrainian rowers win bronze at the World Beach Sprint ChampionshipsSeptember 15 2024, 06:56 PM • 19248 views

Former manager Erik ten Hag has penned a 240-word farewell letter to Manchester United after he was sacked at the start of this week.

Ten Hag was sacked by the Premier League giants after 128 competitive games in charge across all competitions.

The Dutchman had a great start, winning the Carabao Cup and helping United finish third in the Premier League in his debut season.

However, he was under pressure for most of the 2023/24 campaign as Man Utd finished eighth in the Premier League, but he kept his job after winning the FA Cup.

Ten Hag was expected to lose his job following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover, but INEOS decided to stick with the former Ajax boss, who was given a one-year contract extension in the summer.

Despite this, the 54-year-old had very little credit in the bank and he was sacked after Man Utd’s 2-1 loss at West Ham last weekend.

This decision is said to have left Ten Hag “ruined and devastated”, but his exit was inevitable. This latest poor result left them 14th in the Premier League. In the Europa League, they are winless in three matches.

READ: Five ways to fix a broken Marcus Rashford at Manchester United and beyond

Man Utd moved quickly to acquire Ten Hag’s successor. Ruben Amorim was appointed on Friday afternoon after he was linked with Liverpool in the summer.

Understandably, there was no mention of Amorim in Ten Hag’s farewell letter that was published a few hours after Man Utd confirmed his replacement’s arrival. But he did mention two “achievements” that he will “cherish” forever.

“Let me start by thanking you. Thank you for always being there for the club. Whether it was at a game far away or a tough match at Old Trafford, your support has been unshakeable,” Ten Hag wrote.

MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Viktor Gyokeres to Man Utd: Why would he join a ‘doomed project’?
👉 Man Utd: Ferdinand reveals the ‘big difference’ between Amorim and ETH as key problem is identified
👉 Man Utd transfer ‘doing’ Merson’s ‘head in’ amid ‘first Amorim signing plan’ reveal – ‘losing minds’

“The atmosphere at Old Trafford has always been electrifying, thanks to you. I felt it many times. Also in away games, it gave the team and me an incredible feeling to hear the United chants taking over the opponents’ stadiums, whether the game was in England, Europe or during the summer tours.

“I always enjoyed meeting Manchester United fans throughout the world. Walking the streets and being able to chat with fans in England, Europe, Asia, Australia, the USA – you inspired me and radiated a strong sense of unity. That’s what makes United supporters so special.

“I want to thank you for giving me this feeling and for your support. I also want to thank the staff in every department of the club for their unwavering support in good times and bad.

“We won two trophies – achievements that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Of course, my dream was to bring more trophies to the cabinet. Unfortunately, that dream has come to an end.

“I wish all Manchester United fans nothing but success, trophies and glory. Your support and the warmth I received from everyone at the club helped me feel at home.

“Thank you for this chapter in my life. Erik.”

The Ukrainian esports team NAVI won the IEM Rio 2024 tournament.

The Ukrainian eSports team NAVI has won an impressive victory in the grand final of the IEM Rio 2024 Counter Strike tournament. This was reported by NAVI, according to UNN.

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Having knocked out the MOUZ team, NAVI secured their fourth victory in Tier-1 tournaments this year and earned $100,000.

During the competitive stage, the team confidently beat Imperial and Liquid. However, in the final, they lost to FURIA with a score of 2:0, who demonstrated a strong performance at their home tournament.

The legends are back! The unexpected battle of the year between NAVI and Team Vitality will take place – Match of LeGGends: Double DownOctober 3 2024, 01:23 PM • 51847 views

Trent Alexander-Arnold is reportedly set to leave Liverpool as there’s ‘just one hurdle left’ for a European giant to overcome to secure his services.

The England international has entered the final year of his contract and his long-term future is in doubt heading into the 2025 summer transfer window.

In recent months, Alexander-Arnold has been heavily linked with Spanish giants Real Madrid as it’s been suggested that he could be a long-term replacement for Spain international Dani Carvajal.

However, Real Madrid are not alone in targeting the Liverpool standout. it’s been claimed that a rival club have ‘convinced’ the right-back to join them next year.

Alexander-Arnold has often been criticised for his poor defending in his career, but he is a special talent and it’s no surprise that he’s attracting interest from clubs around Europe.

Like Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk are also out of contract in 2025. Despite this, head coach Arne Slot does not think their “contract situations” will “become a problem”.

“For me the contract situations could become a problem if the players don’t perform as well as they do at the moment. All three of them are in a good place,” Slot said.

READ: Van Nistelrooy, Slot and £30m signings among five random reunions this weekend

“They all perform really well and there are ongoing discussions. That’s not with me, as you know.

“Let’s wait and see. Virgil is right when he says he doesn’t know exactly what his future brings as long as he hasn’t signed a contract.”

Despite this, former Everton chairman Keith Wyness reckons Alexander-Arnold has already “decided” to leave Liverpool and join Real Madrid.

He said: “My own gut feeling is that Trent has decided Real Madrid is a very appealing opportunity.

“He’ll go overseas as a young player after seeing the success that others have had with a fantastic lifestyle.

“I remember selling Thomas Gravesen to Real Madrid – he said it was 85% show business and 15% football.

“There’s an appeal unique to Madrid for younger players. To have that on your CV when you retire, it’s hard to give up that opportunity.”

MORE LIVERPOOL COVERAGE ON F365…
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According to our pals at TEAMtalk, Real Madrid are ‘not threatened’ by rival interest in Alexander-Arn0ld and ‘just one hurdle is left’ for them to overcome.

‘Barcelona and Bayern Munich both like Trent Alexander-Arnold, but Real Madrid believe they are the best placed club to land him if he turns down Liverpool, TEAMtalk can reveal.

‘Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also interested in the right-back. Reports of their interest in recent weeks can indeed be corroborated.

‘However, Real are not fretting over the interest from the two European giants. Indeed, TEAMtalk can reveal that the La Liga champions feel they are best placed to land Alexander-Arnold if he is to turn down Liverpool.

‘That means that only the Reds can stand in the way of the huge signing for Real.’

Ruben Amorim has been appointed head coach of Manchester United until 2027. The club will pay Sporting 11 million euros for the early dismissal of the Portuguese specialist.

English football club Manchester United has appointed Ruben Amorim as its new head coach after the dismissal of Eric ten Gag, UNN reports citing the club's press service.

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"Manchester United is delighted to announce the appointment of Ruben Amorim as head coach of the first men's team, subject to a work visa," the statement reads.

It is noted that Amorim will join the team until June 2027 with a club option for another year after he fulfills his obligations to his current club. He will join Manchester United on Monday, November 11.

"Ruben is one of the most exciting and highly regarded young coaches in European football. Rood van Nistelrooy will continue to lead the team until Ruben joins," the statement said.

This comes after Portuguese club Sporting confirmed that United had contacted them about their manager, Sky News reports.

Sky Sports News reported that Amorim, 39, was the only coach the club spoke to during the recruitment process.

It is assumed that United paid Sporting an additional €1 million over and above the €10 million severance payment for early release after the 30-day notice period expired.

Manchester United fires head coach after a series of failuresOctober 28 2024, 01:51 PM • 12213 views

Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne could reportedly ‘quit’ Manchester City next year as he is already ‘prioritising’ a potential move to one club.

De Bruyne has entered the final year of his Man City contract and it remains to be seen whether he will sign a contract extension.

The 33-year-old has been a sensational signing for Man City. During his time at the Etihad, he’s established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world.

However, the talented playmaker has been severely hampered by injuries in recent seasons. Last term, he only made 18 Premier League appearances and is currently out of action with a hamstring issue.

A report from Football Insider claims De Bruyne ‘could quit’ Man City next year as ‘sit-down talks’ regarding his future at the Etihad are ‘imminent’.

READ: Man City facing ‘haunting parallels’ to Man Utd banter era

The report explains.

”The midfielder is set to make a decision about where his long-term future lies amid growing transfer speculation. As things stand, De Bruyne, 33, is set to see his contract expire at the end of the season and will be available to discuss a move abroad from January onwards.

‘San Diego FC, who will enter the MLS next season, are said to represent a “viable option” for the midfielder as they expressed an interest in poaching him from City. The California-based club are keen to make a splash with some marquee signings ahead of their arrival in the top division and have targeted the Belgian as a top target.

‘Football Insider reported in September that talks with De Bruyne have been put on the back burner due to concerns about his mixed fitness record. However, as the midfielder’s contract approaches its final six months, the club are keen to assess the situation and gauge where all parties stand.’

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Last month, a report from Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri claimed De Bruyne is ‘tired’ at Man City and would ‘prefer’ a move to the MLS next year.

‘While Manchester City has already established an initial dialogue with his representatives on a desire to extend Kevin De Bruyne’s contract, he is unlikely to renew his contract with the English champions.

‘Tired of the intensity and frenetic pace of European matches, the Belgian (a lover of American culture) would like to discover the joys of soccer.

‘Indeed, despite a few incessant appeals from Saudi Arabia where Cristiano Ronaldo insists with his Al Nassr leaders to offer him a golden bridge, De Bruyne (interested in the Saudi Pro League project last season) would rather opt for a destination chosen in consultation with his wife, Michèle Lacroix, who currently does not see herself raising her children in the Middle East.

‘Represented in part by the American advisors of Rock Nation Sports, a management agency set up by star rapper Jay-Z, ‘KDB’ sees himself rather living peacefully and developing a family life in the United States.

‘In this perspective, the most concrete project at the moment is that of San Diego FC. The MLS franchise – which will not see the light of day until 2025 – has presented a clear project that greatly interests the native of Drongen.

‘What’s more, De Bruyne would not be left out financially because San Diego would like to offer him a salary equivalent to his current emoluments at Manchester City, that is to say close to twenty million dollars (around £15m) gross per season.’

More than three thousand teams from 555 schools in Kyiv region are taking part in the Side by Side All-Ukrainian School Leagues. The competition will be held in seven sports with the support of Olympic champions.

More than 3,000 teams from 555 schools in Kyiv region are taking part in the new season of the Side by Side All-Ukrainian School Leagues . This is almost twice as many as last year. This was reported by the head of the Kyiv RMA Ruslan Kravchenko, according to UNN.

"I am glad that more and more students are choosing an active lifestyle, striving to develop their physical abilities and team spirit. [In total, more than 25 thousand children from Kyiv region will take part in the competition. Our region leads in the number of registrations, demonstrating activity and thirst for victory!" he said.

The children will compete in seven sports: volleyball, basketball, futsal, orienteering, cheerleading, rugby league 5 and handball.

Most school teams are registered for volleyball, futsal and basketball competitions. Bila Tserkva district demonstrates the highest results with 802 teams from 141 schools.

Today Ruslan Kravchenko met with the competition coordinators in the districts and our ambassadors. Regional ambassadors, including veterans, as well as participants and winners of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, joined the event to support and motivate our schoolchildren. Among them are Iryna Koliadenko, Ilya Yaremenko, Yevhen Omelchuk, Olga Benda, Dmytro Lovchynskyi, Alina Akobiya-Grushyna and Volodymyr Tovkys."

"I am grateful to everyone, because you are not only the pride of our Kyiv region, but also an example for children. Our athletes will also be supported by the mascot – Raccoon, who has become a favorite of children. Kyiv region is ready for new sporting challenges! I wish the participants success and victories! I am confident that this year teams from Kyiv region will win prizes in all sports," emphasized the head of the Kyiv RMA.

Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim will take charge of his first Man Utd match towards the end of this month, according to reports.

The Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag on Monday morning with the decision made after a terrible start to the new Premier League season.

Man Utd have won just three of their nine Premier League matches this season with their 2-1 defeat to West Ham over the weekend seeing them slip to 14th in the table.

By Monday afternoon it was revealed that Amorim was their choice to succeed Ten Hag with negotiations beginning to find a quick deal.

Amorim has now reportedly accepted a deal to take over as Man Utd boss with the Red Devils agreeing to pay his €10m release clause, although an official announcement has yet to be made.

And Football Insider claim that ‘Man United will be made to wait three-and-a-half weeks before Ruben Amorim takes charge of his first game’ as the Sporting boss ‘will not make the move to England until the November international break’.

The report adds:

‘While a deal has been agreed upon for the manager to take over from Erik ten Hag, Sporting CP pushed to keep him until the extended break.

‘The upcoming internationals will take place following the Premier League fixtures on 10 November, with United returning to action on 24 November.

‘With that timeline in place, Amorim’s first game as Man United boss will be away from home against Kieran McKenna’s struggling Ipswich Town side.

‘His first home game at Old Trafford will then take place against Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League on 28 November, with his first domestic game at home against Everton on 1 December.’

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👉 Van Nistelrooy, Slot and £30m signings among five random reunions this weekend
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Ruud van Nistelrooy led Man Utd to a 5-2 victory over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup in midweek and he is set to be in the dugout again for their match against Chelsea on Sunday.

But former Man Utd striker Louis Saha reckons Chelsea will beat the Red Devils 2-1 as the Blues’ good start to the season continues.

Saha told Betfred: “It’s going to be a very, very big test for them. Defensively they need to be at their very best because Chelsea always find the net and find ways to create many chances. Cole Palmer is on fire and he’s a very, very clever player. He always finds the space and he’s always in those areas where he can cause damage.

“Manchester United need to be clinical and I do see it being a difficult game for them. I’m surprised with what Chelsea have been able to do this season and Enzo Maresca has done very well so far to gel those players and create those partnerships on the pitch. They’re very strong going forward, so it’s going to be a very tough test for Manchester United.

“It’s difficult for me to say, but I’ll go for 2-1 Chelsea. I don’t like going against my former club, but I think Chelsea may have more weapons at their disposal.”

Ukrainians won two medals at the Satellite FIE international tournament in Split. Roman Svichkar won silver in the men's competition, and Ksenia Panteleeva won bronze in the women's tournament.

Ukrainian fencers won awards at a tournament in Croatia. This was reported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, UNN reports.

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Ukrainian athletes won two medals at the international Satellite FIE tournament in Spilita.

Roman Svichkar won silver in the men's competition, defeating the second-seeded Estonian in the quarterfinals but losing to the Hungarian champion in the final.

Ksenia Panteleeva won bronze in the women's tournament, defeating her compatriot in the quarterfinals but losing to an Estonian Olympic medalist in the semifinals.

Women's fencing team wins silver at the 2024 ParalympicsSeptember 7 2024, 07:13 PM • 19824 views