MANCHESTER UNITED boss Erik ten Hag wished Jadon Sancho good luck in a short statement following his loan move to Borussia Dortmund.
The 23-year-old returned to the Bundesliga giants on Thursday, two-and-a-half years after leaving for the Red Devils on a £73m contract.
Meanwhile, Manchester United left-back Alvaro Fernandez is set to return from loan spells at Granada and join Portuguese giants Benfica on a permanent basis, according to reports.
Elsewhere, Erik ten Hag is reportedly a move for Ajax striker Brian Brobbey as a direct replacement for the disgraced Anthony Martial.
Follow all the updates below. . .
Manchester United face Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham this weekend.
And they follow that game with an FA Cup fourth round tie against one of Eastleigh or Newport County.
Erik ten Hag has hinted at a major boost for his side ahead of their clash with Spurs on Sunday.
The Red Devils boss has revealed that SIX players could return to the team after returning from injury and illness.
Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Antony and Amad Diallo could all feature at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ronald Araujo has been linked with a move to Manchester United as Erik ten Hag hopes to re-structure his defence.
But the Barcelona centre-back is likely to have rumours of him heading to Old Trafford.
Although the 24-year-old does not completely rule out the possibility of moving.
Speaking about the links, he said: “There are rumours popping up in each and every market.
“This summer we talked about Manchester United, but I’m focused on Barça. And I’ll give 100 percent.
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer is reportedly in talks for a HUGE return to management.
The Red Devils icon took charge of the Manchester giants between 2018 and 2021, but has not returned to management since.
However, it is possible that this is about to be replaced, as Fotbollskanalen reports that the 50-year-old is in talks with the Swedish national team coach.
Sweden are looking for a new player to take over after Janne Andersson resigned after failing to qualify the team for Euro 2024.
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Erik ten Hag seems to have a plan to get the best out of Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham.
Manchester United host Spurs at Old Trafford on Sunday in what will be an exciting match.
And Ten Hag was full of praise for the north London side, who beat United 2-0 in the other meeting in August.
In his pre-match press conference, he said: “It’s definitely different. I think it’s a big compliment for the way they played, that’s why he [Postecoglou] replaced the environment there.
“They play proactively, it’s great to see them, with a lot of dynamics. Very proactive. And they combine that with smart results. “
But Ten Hag is confident he can beat Spurs this time around after taking the positives from the last game.
He added: “But also, when we played them over there, I think we can take belief out of that. I would say, especially in the first 35 minutes, we dominated them.
“And we deserved to have taken the lead. But we didn’t, so we have to take our chances and take advantage of the game and then we have to take the chances. “
Former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has spoken out about Jadon Sancho’s disciplinary issues.
Sancho has been loaned back to Borussia Dortmund for the remainder of the campaign after he had a public war-of-words with Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag questioned Sancho’s mentality and professionalism in the dispute, but former manager Rangnick claimed that had never been a factor when he was in the ranks at Old Trafford.
When I was fit, I was in a position and behaved well under me. I didn’t stand a chance in Manchester.
Now he wants to regain his rhythm and have compatibility in Dortmund. From his point of view, the replacement makes a lot of sense.
In the six months I’ve been with him, there haven’t been any problems in the field. On the contrary. He’s a quiet and charming guy.
Manchester United are reportedly looking to replace Anthony Martial.
The Frenchman is expected to leave Old Trafford this summer once his contract expires.
And according to The Mirror, United are eyeing Ajax striker Brian Brobbey.
Erik ten Hag is reportedly a fan of the 21-year-old who has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season.
But a deal will most likely be reached this summer once Martial breaks off his tactics with the club.
United already spent £72m on Rasmus Hojlund last summer, who has only scored one league goal since arriving in Manchester.
Manchester United’s FA Cup fourth round tie will be shown on BBC One.
The Red Devils secured their place in the next round with a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic.
And they’ll face Eastleigh, one of the Newport County or National League chancellors, in the next round.
The tie will take place on Sunday 28 Jan and will kick off at 4:30pm.
Joe Hugill, a graduate of Manchester United’s academy, left Old Trafford on loan.
The 20-year-old striker has officially joined Burton Albion as a point guard for the remainder of the campaign.
Man Utd secured Hugill’s long-term deal by tying him to a new deal earlier this week.
The English youngster’s new deal with the Manchester giants will run until 2026.
Manchester United’s frontline has failed to impress as much this season.
Despite the arrival of Rasmus Hojlund for £72m this summer, the Red Devils are connected with several new strikers.
And it’s hard to blame them for wanting a new bagsman with midfielder Scott McTominay currently their leading scorer in the Premier League this term.
Erik ten Hag has made it clear that he still believes Antony can succeed at Manchester United.
The sensitive winger joined United for £72m last year from Ajax and has since failed to reach his value.
This season, Antony has made 21 appearances for the Red Devils and has yet to score a single goal or assist.
I think his disorders outside the area prevent him from playing. I think his first year went well and I think the preseason went well.
The first 4 fites were very smart. For example, I saw again the attack against Spurs, he played a very smart attack there. But from the moment it came out and then came back, it didn’t provide the functionality we expected from it and it can do much better.
If you mention Ajax, I’ve looked at it as well. Their efficiency, their final product very high there, also in the Champions League, [is] very high.
So, I’m sure he’s capable of doing this by bringing key actions, key passes, the crosses, the finishing.
His end product in Ajax was very high, he should return to those levels but of course the Premier League is more difficult. He’s capable of doing it.”
It is possible that Jadon Sancho will remain at Borussia Dortmund after the end of the season.
The Manchester United winger has joined the German giants for the remainder of the season.
And despite Dortmund not holding a buy option, the club’s director Sebastien Kehl has refused to rule out a permanent move in the summer.
He said: “We don’t have an option to buy Sancho.
“Staying here beyond this season? You can never rule it out. . . But we know what kind of market price it can generate. “
“I’m not naive – but we’ll let things come to us.”
It looks like Manchester United may not have to face Cristian Romero this weekend.
The Red Devils host Tottenham at Old Trafford on Sunday in a tasty Premier League clash.
And Erik ten Hag will be pleased to know that his failed strikers may not be tasked with trying to get past Romero.
The Spurs centre-back has been out injured since Christmas and is expected to return this weekend.
But despite returning to training, Ange Postecoglou revealed that Sunday could come too soon for the determined defender.
He said: “He [Romero] just trained, so I can say he could be a little bit quick this weekend. “
Manchester United fans were surprised to see Jadon Sancho kiss the Borussia Dortmund shield.
Sancho has re-joined the German outfit on loan until the end of the season after his exile from the Man Utd squad.
But the deal does not include any option to buy and the Englishman is expected to return to Old Trafford this summer.
However, although Sancho’s long career continues in Manchester, he did not hesitate to show his love for Dortmund by kissing the crest as soon as he put on his educational kit again.
Some fans were furious at a clip of the winger pecking at the crest and one even called him a “traitor. “
Erik ten Hag has provided an update on the return of the trio of Mason Mount, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof.
He said: “Mason Mount will be back and it will take a little more time.
“There are others, Tyrell Malacia will also be back, Victor Lindelof will also be back, it will still take a few weeks.
“It takes time to get back in match fitness.”
Former Manchester United player Dimitar Berbatov presented his to Rasmus Hojlund.
Speaking to the Mirror, he said: “I know exactly what happened when he didn’t score a goal, because every single striker has an era without scoring a goal, maybe short, maybe long.
“I know how hard it can be to think, ‘Am I ever going to score a goal?Am I doing enough for my teammates, for myself?
“All those brains go through my brain and how difficult it is to think like that.
“He needs to stop thinking like this. That is negative thinking. It’s going to put you nowhere. It’s the simple things.
“Go to the education floor and if you want, stand in front of the empty goal, pass the ball to yourself and touch, touch, touch and move away from the goal. Do the same. Also, do the same.
“Try different positions just to get the habit of knowing the goal. Implement this into training and this is it.”
Erik ten Hag responded to the question about Hannibal Mejbri’s possible exit from the loan.
The Dutch coach said: “When we have news, we will let you know. “
Ange Postecoglou has shown that Dane Scarlett, Ben Davies and Giovanni Lo Celso will be available for the match against Manchester United.
The Australian said: “Ben has a hamstring injury, so it’s probably going to take about 4 or five weeks,” Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference earlier in the day.
“Gio is similar but a little more complicated. We review to get to the bottom of things. I think he’ll have some other evaluation on Monday but he’ll miss this game.
“Dane Scarlett also suffered a knock in training, so she will miss this weekend as well. “
Benfica are on the verge of closing a deal to sign Manchester United ace Alvaro Fernandez, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Erik ten Hag has suggested that his squad to face Tottenham could be bolstered with the return of a dozen players.
Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Antony and Amad Diallo could all be back in the squad.
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The Manchester United manager added: “You mention Ajax, I think about it, about their performance, about the better final product and also about the Champions League being very high.
“He is capable of doing that, the key actions, the key passes, the crosses, the shots, he is very superior and he gets back to that point, but the Premier League is more complicated and he is capable of doing that.
“It’s had an effect, an effect on him, that’s for sure, so it was given to him to deal with it, it was given to him, it was given to him to fix it but it was given to him to make it better. “
Erik ten Hag claimed that off-field issues affected Antony’s performance this season.
He said: “I can explain it, I think it’s very simple. His off-field disorders prevented him from playing.
“The first year went well, the pre-season went really well, the first 4 games were very smart, I watched the game against Spurs and he played a very smart game, but from the moment he came out and then came back. and “It didn’t deliver on the functionality that was expected of it and it can do much better. “
Erik ten Hag insisted he was looking for a “stable” squad but forced him to make “a lot of trades”.
He said: “What you actually want is a team that is stable so doesn’t matter that you have to swap one player from the other game but not two, so many swaps as we’re forced to in the last year.
“Previously over my total cause here we didn’t have the option so often to play a fit squad that you can pick the team, that depends on the approach you want to take to the game.”
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