Coach Ronald Koeman announced that defender Matthijs de Ligt, who was injured at Euro 2024, will be given another opportunity with the Netherlands national team when they play Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Nations League.
Stefan de Vrij was left out of the squad, so the new Manchester United signing, who did not play during the tournament in Germany in June and July, is expected to start alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence.
With this news, Coach Koeman stated in a press conference: “When Matthijs called me about the possible move he could make to Manchester United, we also talked about the European Championship.”
He added: “I didn’t give Matthijs the nicest message in the run-up to the European Championship, I chose Stefan de Vrij. Now it’s Matthijs’ turn to show it because there are others who can play in that position. It is clear that I would like to see Matthijs reach the level he had before.”
Having made his Dutch debut in 2017, De Ligt, now 25 years old, has won 45 caps for his nation, most of them during Koeman’s first stint as head coach of the national team from early 2018 to late 2019. However, due to a difficult club career at Bayern Munich, De Ligt has only played in five international matches since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
After suffering through a difficult start through this season, Manchester United player Donny van de Beek has announced that he will keep fighting for a spot in his club’s line up. Thus far, he has appeared only 19 minutes in a Premier League game this year.
No appearances were made by the 25 year old Dutchman after Manchester United beat Liverpool in a 2-1 match. He had a quick run against Brighton, Brentford and Liverpool all at 12 minutes, 4 minutes and 3 minutes respectively.
Erik ten Hag had brought in new players early this season and has spent a pretty penny on all of them. Antony cost a whopping £84 million and Casemiro, a player from Real Madrid, cost the club £70 million.
However, despite the playing times complaint done by Van de Beek, he was excited for the signing of Casemiro, Eriksen and Martinez. Eriksen was a good addition to the team as he is a seasoned Premier League player.
Van de Beek has also set a close eye on Antony. He and Martinez used to play together in the Eredivisie club. Unfortunately, despite him being excited for new players, his situation is still dire as he wasn’t even on the list as a substitute in the Europa League.
This was apparent as he was not on Manchester United’s list during their match against Real Sociedad last week. He anticipated to start in that match especially with how busy the club will be right before the World Cup starts.
Van de Beek stated, “Everyone wants to play, but you have to show it and you need to improve yourself every day to be in the first XI. A club like United needs many options and needs a big squad to play and to have a good season.
“I switch sometimes – sometimes I play in the ’10’, sometimes in the ‘8’, in Ajax sometimes I play in the ‘6’, so I can play in different positions. There’s been some great defending, in particular, from back to front.”
“I’m really working hard for it, so I’m positive. I’ll do my best. The last part of last season, I was injured, so I missed a lot. I could feel that in the first few weeks of pre-season, but now I’ve started to feel better and better. So I’m really positive,” he added.
Van de Beek has not started any Premier League match for his club since May 2021 and his last significant game in December 2020. He was better as a No 10 on the field according to United’s manager and he would’ve been a better choice than some other players like Fred for the matches.
Wout Weghorst, well-known for his time at Burnley and Manchester United, begins a new chapter by signing a season-long loan with the Bundesliga team, Hoffenheim.
The 31-year-old Dutch striker made his impact at several clubs throughout a journey that included transfers and loans.
Burnley acquired Weghorst for £12 million in 2022 from the Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, He scored two goals and provided three assists in 20 appearances for Burnley.
Weghorst started last season at the Turkish club Besiktas on loan from Burnley but spent the later part of the season at Manchester United, also on loan. He scored twice in 31 games for the Red Devils.
He had a bigger tally in Germany.
The Dutch striker scored 70 goals and provided 22 assists for Wolfsburg, playing for the German club from 2018 till his transfer to Burnley.
He is expected to do better again in the Bundesliga.
Weghorst is the new hope for Hoffenheim under manager Pellegrino Matarazzo’s guidance.
Hoffenheim, a team with high expectations after finishing in 12th place, are looking forward to utilising his knowledge and work ethic to strengthen their attacking squad.
This transfer, hailed by Hoffenheim’s managing director, Alexander Rosen, as “remarkable and unparalleled”, reflects the team’s faith in Weghorst.
Rosen said, ”I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I describe this transfer as significant and extraordinary. It certainly is for us. The fact that a striker with his track record and all the options available to him has chosen Hoffenheim shows that the club are attractive even to big-named players.” an article from sportskeeda.com shared.
Hannibal Mejbri: Man U to extend contract?
Meanwhile, Manchester United are negotiating a contract extension with talented midfielder Hannibal Mejbri. His existing contract is set to conclude in 2024, with an additional one-year option, reports sportskeeda.com.
The 20-year-old Tunisian international born in France joined the Manchester United youth system in 2019 from the French club Monaco. He was loaned to the Championship club Birmingham City in the 2022-23 season.
Mejbri impressed Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, who doesn’t want to sell him.
The Red Devils have a big pool of midfielders, though, and are looking to offload some.
Mejbri is not short of takers.
Luton Town, the French club Stade Rennais, and another English team are interested in loaning Mejbri. With 40 games, six goals, and an astounding 17 assists during his time with United U21, he stands out as a rising star.
Manchester United supporters’ indignant response to the most recent Jadon Sancho move news is, “Needs to rebuild his attitude first before his career.”
The possibility of Jadon Sancho going back to Borussia Dortmund has Manchester United supporters buzzing. A resurgence of interest in Sancho’s old club has been caused by his poor performance since joining for €85 million from BvB two summers ago, as well as a public feud with manager Erik ten Hag.
With only 12 goals and 6 assists in 82 games for United, compared to his outstanding 50 goals and 64 assists in 137 games for Dortmund, the thought of a return has left fans wondering what went wrong and what the future holds.
Since Manchester United’s 3-2 victory against Nottingham Forest one month ago, Sancho has been on the sidelines. His attitude in training during the 3-1 loss to Arsenal was cited by manager Ten Hag.
In a since-deleted tweet, Sancho made an allusion to unfair treatment. As a result, the club suspended him from first-team activities until he offered the manager an overdue apology, raising questions about his immediate future there.
According to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports, Sancho might return to BvB on loan in January.
Fans stress that changing one’s mentality is essential to reviving Sancho’s career.
Sancho has made six appearances this season without scoring a goal, failing to earn any starting positions.
Lisandro Martinez won’t play against Galatasaray for Manchester United.
Lisandro Martinez will not be playing for Manchester United against Galatasaray on October 3 at Old Trafford due to an injury to manager Erik ten Hag.
Injury-prone Martinez suffered a metatarsal injury against Sevilla in the quarterfinal of the UEFA Europa League last season, which prevented him from playing this season. The team’s resiliency in the face of this challenge on the European stage is strengthened by his absence.
The steadfast defender returned to action for the preseason, appearing on the pitch for four league matches and showcasing his abilities and commitment. But fate had another plan when the ongoing problem resurfaced during the Arsenal game in August.
Ten Hag has already announced that the 25-year-old celebrity and FIFA World Cup champion would miss some time on the pitch due to a necessary surgical procedure. Fans are waiting with bated breath for his triumphant return to the pitch as the road to recovery beckons.
Manchester United fans outraged at Frenkie de Jong
Frenkie de Jong, who is a 25-year-old Dutchman, is currently making waves all over the football world. He started off with Willem II and later moved on to Ajax. Currently he is a midfielder for Barcelona.
De Jong is regarded as one of the best young midfielders during his time at Ajax. Currently, his playing value is worth about €75 million and there are stories going around about Manchester United trying to poach this young Dutchman. Who knows, he could be Erik ten Hag’s new friend in the team.
He recently admitted that he was ‘pushed’ to join United and Ten Hag has expressed his true desires on having De Jong on board of his team. It is rumoured that Barcelona would want the transfer money off the young dutchman as currently La Liga teams are cash strapped.
Social media comments regarding De Jong
On Manchester United’s Facebook fan page the admin posted that they would need an excellent midfielder like De Jong. The caption stated that they know United fans do not want to hear about him again, but he will compliment players like Casemiro on the field.
United fans, as usual, don’t have many nice things to say especially about this player. One of them stated “Don’t waste time on him, he doesn’t care about United. Move on, get a life, there’s other important matters that need more attention.” Another user replied that his price should be lesser and needs more time on the field.
The main reason behind the hostility of the United fans online towards De Jong is specifically due to him dismissing Manchester United. Someone stated that if he is the best midfielder, why is he on the bench in Barcelona.
There are some United fans defending the young man as they stated his actual dream club is Barcelona. Manchester United may be a dream club for a number of other players and each individual player has their own specific preference.
Furthermore, criticisms on Ten Hag’s United rose as some fans think that the club is headed towards a bad direction where they’re prioritising “quick fixes.” “In fact anyone that mentions De Jong’s name must be thrown in a bottomless dungeon and the cave’s mouth must be covered with the heaviest lid,” stated by an angry United fan.
De Jong is sooo good, hes not someone you just ignore because he rejected us, only a handful of midfielders are as good as he is
However, Twitter comments about him seem to be in a slight positive light as there are more rational fans. One fan stated that he is still a good player and shouldn’t be ignored due to him declining to join the team. There is a limited supply of excellent midfielders with the likes of him.
Other comments were relating defender Casemiro’s possible games with Frenkie de Jong and many claim that the pair would be unstoppable. Some even state that it would not be fair for the pair to work together as they are that good in football. Some are suggesting that either Bruno or Eriksen can also step in place of De Jong.
Manchester United did not make it to the Champions league due to a poor showing last season when they ended sixth in the last Premier League, but now they will play the second division of European football. This is the first time it has happened since the 2019-2020 season.
Soon, they will face their first match against a Spanish team and against Sheriff, who have defeated Real Madrid in the last season. Ten Hag definitely would want to win on these occasions in a bid to make up for the fact that his team did not qualify for the Champions League this year.
Many are shocked at Ten Hag’s decision on removing Phil Jones and
Image of Brandon Williams
as they are quite well known among Manchester United supporters. Jones was reportedly kicked out from the first team’s changing room and will now sit on the bench.
As it is, in the Premier League, the midfielder is having issues getting a consistent time on the field. It is rumoured that Donny Van de Beek will stand a chance to play a significant role in the Europa League representing Manchester United. There are six other midfielders, namely Casemiro, Eriksen, Fred, Fernandes and McTominay.
Having multiple qualified players is a positive point for Ten Hag as Pellistri, Antony, Rashford, Martial, Ronaldo, Garnacho and Sancho were all selected to be on the field. This would then give United the chance to beef up their attacking spots.
Manchester United’s performance against Arsenal was a turning point for the team as they had broken the Gunner’s winning streak. This is giving hope to United’s fans as they were dashed in the earlier part of the Premier League’s season.
However, trouble is arising for Cristiano Ronaldo as there may be times where he is selected to play but sports commentator Garth Crooks says that he has to get used to being on the bench. This is due to United having young players like Rashford getting his scoring spree back.
Furthermore, Ronaldo’s constant desire to leave the team being blasted in the media does not look too kindly on him. Rashford had proven himself under Ronaldo’s absence and scored three goals within six games. Ronaldo may find it challenging to regain his position in the centre of the field now.
Garth Crooks then stated “Erik ten Hag has made the right decision of course. Rashford is part of United’s future and Ronaldo, sadly, is part of United’s past. It comes to all great players of course. However it’s time to see if Rashford can take United back to the glory days. That is what he must achieve if he is to lead United’s attack and leave Ronaldo on the bench.
“To do that Rashford must score goals and plenty of them. He looked good against Arsenal and took both his goals well but in order to be the best he will need to keep focused to maintain the consistency that was lacking last season.”
