Manchester United
Amorim Questions His Manchester United Future After Cup Humiliation
Amorim questioned his United future after a listless 90 minutes and Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby….
Ruben Amorim publicly cast doubt on his Manchester United future after a damaging Carabao Cup second-round exit to Grimsby Town.
The head coach pointed to his players’ display as decisive, saying, “I think the players spoke really loudly about what they want today.” He expanded on that verdict in an ITV Sport interview with Gabriel Clarke: “I think it was clear for everybody what happened today. The way we start the game without any intensity, all the idea of the pressure, we were completely lost and that’s why I think they spoke really loud.”
United fell 2–0 behind the fourth-tier hosts in a poor first half despite Amorim naming what was described as a strong starting XI. At halftime he introduced Matthijs de Ligt, Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo.
A biblical downpour added to the drama in the second half. At one point Amorim was seen rearranging a magnetic tactics board on the touchline amid heavy rain. One substitute did make an impact as Mbeumo bent a left-footed strike into the bottom corner in the 75th minute to halve the deficit.
Harry Maguire’s late equaliser forced the tie to a penalty shootout, which Amorim admitted he could not bring himself to watch. He later told Sky Sports: “In the end, it doesn’t matter if we recover or not, it’s the signs the team gave during the game, the beginning of the game.
“I think the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch. The best players lose because one team can win against any group of players, and I think the team and the players spoke really loud today, so that’s it. We lost, the best team won.”
At his post-match press conference Amorim appeared resigned. “I would like to say very smart things and very important things. I have nothing to say,” he sighed. “That is the biggest problem also. To see the same mistakes and nothing to say in this moment. I’m really sorry for our fans. It’s too much sometimes.”
He added, “Something has to change, and you’re not going to change 22 players again. It’s hard to face everything. We move to the next game, then we have time to decide things.”
Arsenal
Premier League Hall of Fame: Every Inductee and the Case for Their Place
A concise overview of every Premier League Hall of Fame inductee and why they were chosen. Read more
The Premier League Hall of Fame has become a permanent feature of the competition’s modern story. For a player to be eligible for a place in the Premier League’s Hall of Fame, they must have made 250 appearances in the division since its 1992 inauguration or achieved one of the following:
The list of inductees reads like a roll call of defining figures. The Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer has just a single league title to his name, but he’ll likely remain a record-holder unless Harry Kane opts to make a comeback post-Bayern Munich. Shearer’s greatest collective success came with Blackburn Rovers, but he’s immortalised on Tyneside.
Many regard Henry as the greatest Premier League player there’s been. The dazzling French forward has the collective accolades and individual achievements to supply a compelling case. Cantona was utterly unique. Man Utd took a flyer on Cantona at the start of the Premier League era, but the Frenchman proved to be the making of the Red Devils’ 90s dynasty.
Roy Keane is presented as arguably the greatest captain the League has ever seen, while Lampard remains the highest scoring midfielder in the competition, with over 600 Premier League appearances and three league titles with Chelsea. Bergkamp is remembered for sustained runs of brilliance that propelled Arsenal to league titles.
Beckham’s off-field prominence often overshadowed his on-field quality, but he was one of the stars of Premier League football in the 90s. Rooney’s arrival felt inevitable and he was a constant thorn for many opponents at the Theatre of Dreams. Vieira was an early Wenger recruit and the leader of Arsenal teams that conquered the country on multiple occasions.
Drogba’s 254 Premier League appearances all came for Chelsea, where he won four league titles. Kompany won Premier League Player of the Season during Man City’s dramatic 2011–12 success. Schmeichel redefined goalkeeping for his era. Scholes, part of the Class of ’92, evolved into a classy deep-lying performer. Ian Wright struck 113 Premier League goals and claimed a title in 1997–98.
Managers are represented too. Ferguson spent 26 years at United and inspired 13 league titles. Wenger managed a record 828 games and remains the only ‘Invincible’ manager in Premier League history.
Defenders and goalkeepers feature prominently: Adams, Čech, Ferdinand and Ashley Cole are all included for their defining contributions. The Hall of Fame collects these careers to explain why each figure matters to the competition’s history.
Brentford
Mbeumo: Amorim’s ‘Fun’ Approach Echoes Thomas Frank as United Start Tests Forward
Mbeumo says his United start has been ‘tough’ and praises Ruben Amorim’s similar ‘fun’ approach. ok.
Bryan Mbeumo has described the way Ruben Amorim runs Manchester United as similar to the approach he knew under Thomas Frank, while conceding that his introduction to Old Trafford has been difficult.
The summer recruit has had an unpredictable opening to life at United. He scored his first goal for the club in a humiliating Carabao Cup second-round exit to fourth-tier Grimsby Town. The Cameroon international was on target again in the club’s only win of the season against Burnley, a result belatedly secured with a stoppage-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes.
“It’s been tough,” Mbeumo told Manchester United’s YouTube channel while playing a game of chess. “I was expecting a lot from here because it’s a big club. It’s a big everything.
“I’m really happy with what happened to me here, the teammates, the staff, everyone in Carrington are lovely people,” Mbeumo continued. “You really want to come in and work here every day, which is really good. When I first arrive somewhere I don’t really know, I don’t like to be loud or show myself a lot [be outgoing].”
Amorim, the former Sporting CP manager, played a central role in persuading the forward to move to United, and his public praise for Mbeumo appears to be reciprocated. Mbeumo drew a direct line between Amorim and Frank, the coach who guided his development at Brentford before taking over at Tottenham.
“I think I’ve found some similarities because he always tries to do it in a fun way, and I think this is really important because it makes your life more enjoyable,” he studiously noted.
Challenges remain for both player and club. United face a demanding period in the schedule, travelling to the Etihad Stadium for the first Manchester derby of the season before hosting reigning world champions Chelsea the following weekend. How Mbeumo adapts under Amorim in the coming weeks will be watched closely.
Manchester United
Ferdinand: United’s summer purge sends a clear message to the squad
Ferdinand praised United’s clearout, saying departures matter and that fringe players cannot remain.
Manchester United’s summer roster has been defined as much by departures as by arrivals, and Rio Ferdinand welcomed the club’s decision to move on from André Onana. The goalkeeper’s impending exit is the latest in a wide-ranging clearout at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim established what the piece describes as a blatant “bomb squad” ahead of the off-season. Permanent sales for Alejandro Garnacho and Antony have already been completed while Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were both sent out on loan. Rasmus Højlund was also offloaded to Napoli in a loan deal which is expected to become permanent. The financial reward of this clear-out is debatable—huge losses have been made on a number of these sales—but the psychological effect on the remaining squad is what Ferdinand highlighted.
“I think Omar [Berrada], who is running the football operations at the club, I think he’s made the point that they’re not going to have players sitting around that are not worthy of being at the football club anymore,” Ferdinand told his podcast this week.
“They’re not going to have players that either aren’t good enough, haven’t performed well enough or are not the right people to be at the football club. He’s not going to have them around like bad smells. I think, for far too long, we’ve had at that at the football club.
“We’ve been forced to keep players because of bad financial situations that the club have put us in with players and we’ve had to keep them here, sit with them and had to suffer some of these players.”
United also strengthened their forward options with £200 million ($270.9 million) worth of new attackers, but Ferdinand was more impressed by the outgoing business.
“I think this is a step in the right direction,” the retired centre back gushed. “As happy as I am with the players that are coming in and providing a difference in terms of speed, dynamism, pace and goal threat, I’m as pleased, if not more, with the way they’ve got players out that the club deemed weren’t right to be there.
“That side of it has been as important, if not more, than the incoming players because I think it sends out a fantastic message and a strong message to the players that are there: you ain’t hanging about here if you ain’t what we want.”
