Manchester United released a public statement after their co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said that the United Kingdom had been “colonized by immigrants.” 

“Manchester United prides itself on being an inclusive and welcoming club,” Manchester United officials said.

Ratcliffe himself has also walked back on his comments somewhat. 

“I am sorry that my choice of language has offended some people in the U.K. and Europe and caused concern,” Ratcliffe said, “But it is important to raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth.”

Ratcliffe also defended his comments by saying that governments must manage migration with investments in industry, skill and jobs. Ratcliffe made these comments during an interview with Sky News.  

The Manchester United Muslim Supporters’ Club, a fan group that unites Manchester United fans who are practicing Muslims, was unhappy with Ratcliffe’s defense.  

“We have noted Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s apology for his ‘choice of language’,” the group said, “However, we do not believe this sufficiently addresses the seriousness of what was said.”

The Football Association (FA) could choose to punish Ratcliffe. The rulebook provides some precedent for punishing representatives of teams (employees, players, owners,etc) for private comments.

Rule E3.1 says, “A participant shall at all times act in the best interests of the game and shall not act in any manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute or use any one, or a combination of, violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour.”

Rule E3.2 says that a violation of Rule E3.1 would be considered an “aggravated breach” if the comments included references to ethnic origin, color, race, nationality, religious beliefs, gender (including gender reassignment), sexual orientation or disability. 

There is no news of any formal investigations into Ratcliffe’s comments at this time.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s release from Manchester United was inevitable, a matter of time after months of divisive conduct between the two sides on and off the field and the star’s bombshell interview with Piers Morgan last week. But the certainty of this falling out is not as important as the timing, as the Premier League spat is certain to affect Portugal in the World Cup.

While every team in the World Cup has its stars, it’s arguable that no single player has had a greater effect on their country’s soccer program in the 21st century than Ronaldo. Since his senior debut at Euro 2004, Portugal has become a mainstay in international tournaments, qualifying for five straight World Cups since.

Though the team has bolstered its roster for this year’s World Cup, much of the program’s offense has run exclusively through Ronaldo for the better part of two decades, and he remains a focal point on the field despite his advanced age.

Off the field, he has surpassed national heroism and now assumes a godly status in his home country, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. This is the problem — Portugal’s god is distracted.

In his personal life, Ronaldo has had to endure genuine hardship this year following the death of his newborn son in April. In his interview with Morgan, he said that the loss was the worst moment of his life and that he still has his son’s ashes. It is unclear how this event has impacted Ronaldo in other areas, but it has undoubtedly compounded with other stresses.

On the pitch, Ronaldo has engaged in a year full of drama with Manchester United. The disputes with the same team that kickstarted his career in the late 2000s have intensified over time from premature exits from games and poorly explained benchings to a bombshell interview in which Ronaldo heavily criticized the organization and manager Erik ten Hag. The club announced Tuesday that it was releasing him and that both sides were in mutual agreement.

Some of Ronaldo’s recent struggles appear to be at least partially self-inflicted while others are completely out of his control, but it is an undeniable fact that it is impacting his mindset entering the World Cup. Any negative impact to Ronaldo’s mindset could hurt Portugal immensely.

In an effort to avoid discussing Manchester United, he skipped a World Cup press conference Wednesday. This is a move that could be viewed in a variety of ways, as avoiding the press could be seen as an attempt by Ronaldo to keep the Premier League drama away from the World Cup or a way to inadvertently highlight it by omission. The ambiguity of the situation only further confirms that the player’s conduct this year is an inescapable distraction for a team trying to win a World Cup.

It’s impossible to know if Ronaldo’s issues away from international play will have a tangible impact on Portugal’s World Cup chances. The team is favored against all three of its opponents in the group stage but has only moved beyond the Round of 16 once since 2006, even with Ronaldo at the helm. Recent developments for the captain only serve as another obstacle for now.

While he competes for Portugal at the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo’s status at Manchester United will remain in tumultuous stasis following an explosive interview earlier this week. Speaking with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo criticized manager Erik ten Hag and the club and justified his refusal to cooperate several times earlier this year.

“I don’t know what’s going on but since Sir Alex Ferguson left I saw no evolution in the club, the progress was zero,” Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo described his club’s lack of progress in recent years as a “betrayal” and heavily criticized his senior officials and manager ten Hag, especially.

“The coach didn’t have respect for me. So this is why the relationship, it’s in that way,” Ronaldo said.

Back in March, it was revealed that Ronaldo did not have an injury before the Manchester Derby and simply refused to play in the event. His appearances have been increasingly sparse in the months since, and over the summer, he and the club agree that options were explored to move him, though the two sides disagree on who initiated those discussions.

Before stints at Juventus and Real Madrid, Ronaldo kickstarted his career for Manchester United in the Premier League, quickly becoming one of the best soccer players in the world. His return to the team in 2021 was supposed to be a triumphant reunion but has instead soured the relationship, despite his 18 goals in the 2021-22 season.

While Ronaldo’s release from the team has been rumored, such a shocking development for the international icon seems somewhat less likely than a transfer to another team. Over the summer, however, very few teams stepped forward to demonstrate interest in taking on the superstar’s massive contract.

For now, Ronaldo will represent his home nation in Qatar in the World Cup, leaving behind a wake of drama at his usual place of work. It is unclear how recent developments will influence his return to the team after the break. Manchester United is currently fifth in the Premier League with an 8-4-2 record. Ronaldo has started four times.

The prosecution and defense delivered their opening arguments in the case against former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs. Prosecutors told the jury that Giggs had an “uglier and more sinister” side to him than his play on the pitch would suggest. Giggs is facing charges of “causing actual bodily harm” to ex-girlfriend Kate Greville at his home in an incident on Nov. 1, 2020.

At Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, prosecutor Peter Wright described Giggs’ play as a thing of beauty, but went on to say that his illustrious career with Manchester United concealed his true nature.

“In the privacy of his own personal life at home or behind closed doors, there was, we say the facts reveal, a much uglier and more sinister side to his character,’’ Wright told the jury. “This was a private life that involved a litany of abuse, both physical and psychological, of a woman he professed to love.”

In addition to accusations that he assaulted Greville, Giggs is also facing assault charges for beating her younger sister, Emma, in the same incident, as well as using controlling and coercive behavior. The prosecution claims that this behavior persisted between Aug. 2017 and Nov. 2020.

On the night of the incident, Greville was allegedly breaking up with Giggs and was returning to his home to retrieve her things. She asked her sister to meet her at the house for support. The prosecution claims that an altercation ensued when Giggs came home early and confronted them. Greville attempted to withhold his phone from him, and in his attempt to recover the device, Giggs elbowed Greville’s sister.

“At that stage, we say, the defendant entirely lost self-control and he deliberately head-butted Kate, thereby causing swelling to her lips and bruising,” Wright said.

Giggs has denied all charges against him, and his defense claims that prosecutors have warped events surrounding the 2020 incident. Because of the trial, Giggs had to step down as the manager of the Wales national team in June after nearly eight months on administrative leave.

Defense lawyer Chris Daw QC called the headbutt accusation “not only a nasty lie, but a ridiculous one.” Though Daw admitted that Riggs’ behavior wasn’t perfect, he said that his client was not guilty of assault.

“No matter how rude, unpleasant and even mean some of these arguments became, on both sides, the defense’s case is that there is a line Mr. Giggs would not cross,” Daw said.

Since his arrest in November, Giggs has been released on conditional bail. The trial is expected to last 10 days.

Manchester United confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will reclaim his famous number 7 shirt in his return to the club 12 years after his departure. He will be inheriting the number from Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, who will switch to number 21.

Ronaldo praised Cavani for his decision to give up the number. “I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to have the number seven shirt again,” he said. “So I would like to say a huge thank you to Edi (Cavani) for this incredible gesture.”

The number 7 has long been integrated in Ronaldo’s iconic CR7 brand. The Portuguese football legend wore the iconic number between 2003 and 2009, a period during which he won three Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League.

Other Manchester United stars that previously rocked the number include George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.

Manchester United star Marcus Rashford helped raise millions of dollars during the COVID-19 pandemic to help feed children in England. He will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2021 ESPYS on July 10. 

Rashford has spoken about his reliance on free school meals and the “kind actions” of neighbors and coaches throughout his childhood. Rashford was recently named to Time’s Top 100 List for his advocacy work on homelessness and child hunger. 

“An athlete is the least we can be,” Rashford said. “Sport can be the biggest driver of positive change, with its ability to truly unite. If I have achieved anything over the last year, I would hope that it would be to demonstrate to my peers what is possible when we are driven by a passion and determination for better. Better not for ourselves, but for those whose voices are very rarely heard.”

“We have a platform to speak on behalf of millions. When we wake up in the morning, we decide what we want to do with that platform. The reward of helping just one will always outweigh the risk of any negativity or criticism thrown my way. I’m honored to be this year’s recipient of the Pat Tillman Award. A huge thank you to all involved.”

Rashford is currently on the England squad competing at the EURO 2020 and made headlines when he pushed the British government to take on child hunger at the beginning of the pandemic. 

The pandemic caused many families to see their income decrease as a result of reduced hours or being laid off. Families especially struggled when school was not in session to allow kids to eat for free.

The government initially refused to help, but Rashford wrote an open letter calling for support. The letter drew mass-media coverage and led to government action. 

Rashford also saw success as he rallied donors to continue supporting children and petitioned against the government after they rejected a motion to extend the free school meals provision. Rashford secured a grant worth 400 million pounds in this instance and affected the lives of 1.7 million children in the UK. 

The Marcus Rashford Book Club was launched in April 2021 and a partnership with Macmillan Children’s Books was established to donate 390,000 books to underserved children in the UK and Scotland. 

Marie Tillman, board chair and co-founder of the Pat Tillman Foundation, commented on Rashford’s charitable action. “Marcus raised millions and brought together a coalition of restaurants and groceries to ensure that vulnerable children and families had enough to eat as the pandemic closed off resources to them in Great Britain,” she said. “But he didn’t stop there – he twice took on the U.K. government to extend food benefits to families and he won. He saw a wrong and used his platform to guide those around him to making it right. Marcus’ passion for ending child poverty, inspired by his own experiences with food insecurity, mirror Pat’s passion for leading by example and identifying where he could unite others to make an impact.”

The Pat Tillman Award for Service was established in 2014 to commemorate the former NFL player and US Army Ranger’s legacy. The award honors an individual with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way similar to Tillman’s legacy. Tillman left the NFL to serve in the military in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2004, he was killed while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan. 

Manchester United fans have not forgotten what the team owners Joel and Avram Glazer tried to do with the failed European Super League.

For fans, it’s been repeated built-up frustration with the team and how it’s run that fueled distrust with the Glazer family’s ownership. The club used to be debt-free until the Glazers took ownership of the team in 2005. The Glazers were able to complete a takeover using borrowed money, but once they got ownership of the team, the borrowed money became debt for the team. The team went from being debt-free to £540 million in debt.

That was one of the long-standing frustrations fans had with the team, but it subsided when Manchester United captured multiple league titles after the takeover. The success ended once manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Manchester United has not had success since 2013, which was another reason for fan frustration.

The biggest offense that broke the straw on the camel’s back was the failed European Super League. Fans were shocked by the sudden news that Manchester United was one of the 13 teams that agreed to form the European Super League. The European Super League was an attempt by top teams across Europe to break away from their respective leagues and form their own league.

The announcement was met with condemnation by the leagues, fans and politicians. Pressure forced multiple teams to withdraw from the European Super League. Manchester United was one of the first members to withdraw, and the league was suspended after the majority of members left.

Fans had enough and took the opportunity to storm Old Trafford, the stadium where the team plays. On Sunday, ahead of the team’s game against Liverpool, fans staged a protest against the Glazer’s ownership of the team outside of Old Trafford. A huge crowd of protestors gathered and were able to enter the stadium to continue their protest.

The protest caused the Premier League to postpone the game.

The Super League is officially dead.

On April 18, the European Super League was announced with 12 founding football teams. The 12 teams were top teams from across three different football leagues in Europe. As of Wednesday, the project is no longer happening. The Super League consisted of founding members Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham, Atlético, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The European Super League announcement was met with intense fan backlash and legislative pressure. The UEFA held a press conference condemning the European Super League and threatened to ban players from the participating teams from playing in this year’s European Championship and next year’s World Cup.

Two days after its initial creation, six founding clubs withdrew from the proposed league. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham withdrew from the project due to pressure. It was a death blow to the proposed project.

Following the departures of the English clubs, the European Super League announced that it was suspending the project. “Given the current circumstances, we shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project, always giving in mind our goals of offering the fans the best experience possible while enhancing solidarity payments for the entire football community,” the statement read.

On Wednesday, four more clubs withdrew from the project. Atlético, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus.

Atlético released a statement announcing its official departure from the project. “Atlético de Madrid’s Board of Directors, which met on Wednesday morning, has decided to formally communicate to the Super League and the rest of the founding clubs its decision not to finally formalize its adhesion to the project,” the statement read.

Inter Milan released an official statement confirming their departure. “FC Internazionale Milano confirms that the Club is no longer part of the Super League project,” the statement said.

AC Milan then released a statement announcing its withdrawal from the project. The Italian club said, “The voice and concerns of supporters throughout the world about the Super League project have been strong and clear, and our Club must remain sensitive and attentive to the opinion of those who love this sport”.

Juventus was the next club that left. “While Juventus remains convinced of the soundness of the project’s sport, commercial and legal premises, it believes that at present there are limited chances that the project be completed in the form originally conceived,” the club said. “Juventus remains committed to pursuing the creation of long-term value for the Company and the entire football industry.”

As of now, only FC Barcelona and Real Madrid have not officially left the league.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin had some heated words about the recent news surrounding the creation of the European Super League on the weekend.

Ceferin’s words were targeted towards Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli and Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. Both Juventus and Manchester United are two of the 12 clubs that are breaking away from their respective leagues to form the European Super League.

During a Sunday press conference, Ceferin referred to both of them as “snakes” before getting more in-depth.

If I start with Ed Woodward,” said Ceferin. “He called me last Thursday evening to say that he was very satisfied with the reforms and fully supportive. The only thing he wants to talk about was Financial Fair Play. Obviously, he had already signed something else.” 

“Andrea Agnelli is the biggest disappointment of all,” Ceferin said. “I have never seen a person that would lie so many times, so persistently as he did it is unbelievable.”

The UEFA president vowed that there would be repercussions towards the clubs and the players.

“The players who will play in the teams that might play in the closed league, will be banned from playing in the world cup and Europe” Ceferin said. “So, they will not be able to represent their national teams at any matches.”

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung Min suffered racist abuse on social media after the Manchester United game. 

Son Heung Min scored his side’s only goal in the 3-1 defeat against Manchester United. He was also involved in a controversial moment during the game when he was perceived to be fouled by Manchester United player Scott McTominay in the build up to Edinson Cavani’s goal. The VAR then canceled Cavani’s goal. 

Son Heung Min was subjected to racist messages on Twitter and Instagram. As a result, Tottenham released a statement on the matter.

The statement read, “Another matchday and more abhorrent racial abuse suffered by one of our players”. 

Additionally, the club vowed to take action. “This has again been reported to the platforms and we shall now undertake a full review alongside the Premier League to determine the most effective action moving forward,” read Tottenham’s statement.

This is not the first time a Tottenham football player suffered racist abuse on social media. In fact, defender Davinson Sanchez recently received racist messages on social media after Tottenham’s 2-2 draw against Newcastle United. 

Liverpool trio Sadio Mane, Trent Alexander Arnold and Naby Keita all received racist messages following Liverpool’s Champions League loss against Real Madrid last week.

In the meantime, Arsenal legend Thierry Henry announced he would quit social media. Henry told CNN Sport that social media is “not a safe place”.  

Both Twitter and Facebook condemned the racist abuse on their platforms. A Facebook spokesperson claimed, “We do not want it on Instagram and we have removed a number of comments and accounts that broke our rules.” 

Facebook vowed to take action and claimed, “We share the goal of tackling online abuse and holding people who share it accountable. We do this by taking action on content and accounts that break our rules and cooperating with law enforcement when we receive a valid legal request.”

The January transfer window recently opened and several exciting transfers are completed or in the process of completion.

Premier League club Manchester United is set to sign Ivorian wonderkid Amad Diallo from the Serie A club Atalanta B.C. The player uploaded a photo on his Instagram showing himself boarding a private jet. Concerning the transfer, Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told reporters, “Amad had the paperwork, I can’t see any obstacles and hopefully within not too long he’ll be with us. I think he has shown his qualities a few times but has to learn to play in England, which is a different way of playing football. We will give him time to develop and express himself.”

Bundesliga club RB Leipzig recently signed Dominik Szoboszlai from the Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg for €25 million. The young talent was reportedly chased by Arsenal but ended up signing for Leipzig. 

Bayern Munich star David Alaba is reportedly in talks for a move to Real Madrid. There are several clubs including FC Barcelona and Chelsea were interested in signing the Austrian defender, but he is clearly interested in a move to the La Liga giants. 

Inter Milan outcast Christian Eriksen is expected to leave the club after a disappointing season. The Danish midfielder is not playing regularly under head coach Antonio Conte. Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta told Sky Sports that the player is on the transfer list and that “there is no punishment, it’s just a situation that has developed and it’s only fair to give him the chance to go where he can play more regularly.” Arsenal is one of the clubs interested in signing the player. 

Arsenal is reportedly interested in signing midfielder Houssem Aouar from Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais. Head coach Mikel Arteta is looking for new players to help strengthen the squad. 

In the midst of the Christmas festivities, the Premier League boxing day fixtures were also happening. 

Arsenal got its first win in a long time after defeating Chelsea 3-1. In the first half, the Gunners were awarded a penalty scored by Alexandre Lacazette. Afterward, Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka scored a brilliant free-kick to double the score for his side. In the second half, young Arsenal star Bukayo Saka scored a stunning goal. In the last minutes of the game, Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham scored his side’s only goal. The Blues were awarded a penalty, but the penalty was shot by Jorginho and saved by Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Despite the new signings, Chelsea has not drastically improved from last season. 

Leicester City drew with Manchester United 2-2. In the first half, United star Marcus Rashford scored the first goal. Afterward, Leicester City’s Harvey Barnes scored his side’s first goal. In the second half, United’s Bruno Fernandes scored his side’s second goal. Shortly after, Unite’s Axel Tuanzebe scored an own goal. The result was fair to both sides.

Manchester City defeated Newcastle United, 2-0. In the first half, City’s Ilkay Gundogan scored the first goal. In the second half, City’s new signing Ferran Torres scored the second goal. Manchester City played a good game, unlike previous ones.

Everton defeated Sheffield United, 1-0 after a late goal from Gylfi Sigurosson. The Toffees made an unexpected start to the season and are now third in the Premier League. 

Aston Villa defeated Crystal Palace 3-0. In the first half, Villa’s Bertrand Traore scored an early goal. Before half time, Villa’s Tyrone Mings was sent off after a second yellow card. In the second half, Villa’s Kortney Hause and Anwar El Ghazi each scored. The game looked quite easy for Aston Villa against a struggling Crystal Palace. 

The Fulham and Southampton game ended in a goalless draw. 

Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund booked its spot in the UEFA Champions League last 16 after a draw against SS Lazio. 

Before the end of the first half, Borussia Dortmund’s Raphael Guerreiro scored the game’s first goal. In the second half, Lazio was awarded a penalty which Ciro Immobile scored. After this draw, Lazio will have to compete with Club Brugge to qualify for the round of 16. 

Club Brugge defeated Zenit St. Petersburg, 3-0. Club Brugge’s Charles De Ketelaere scored a goal in the first half. In the second half, the Belgian club was awarded a penalty scored by Hans Vanaken followed by the third goal from Noa Lang. 

Manchester United, PSG and RB Leipzig are all fighting for the top spot in Group H. PSG defeated Manchester United, 3-1. PSG’s Neymar scored an early goal followed by the equalizer from United’s Marcus Rashford. In the second half, PSG’s Marquinhos scored to give his side an upper hand in the game. Shortly after, United player Fred was sent off after a second yellow card, creating further difficulties for his team. In the added time, Neymar scored the third goal. 

RB Leipzig defeated Istanbul Basaksehir, 4-3. Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen scored the first goal followed by a goal from Nordi Mukiele. Before halftime, Başakşehir Irfan Kahveci scored a goal. In the second half, Leipzig’s Dani Olmo scored his side’s third goal followed by two more goals from Kahveci. In the added time, Leipzig’s Alexander Sorloth scored to hand side a victory against the Turkish club.

Goal hero Olivier Giroud scored four goals to help Chelsea defeat Sevilla 4-0. Giroud is the oldest player to score a hat trick in the competition.

Speaking of goals, Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 750th career goal in Juventus’ 3-0 win against Dynamo Kyiv. Juventus players Federico Chiesa and Alvaro Morata also scored.

Messi less FC Barcelona managed to defeat Ferencvaros, 3-0. Antoine Griezmann scored the first goal followed by a goal from Martin Braithwaite. Afterward, FC Barcelona was awarded a penalty which Ousmane Dembele scored. 

Russian club Krasnodar received its first win in the competition after defeating Ligue 1 club Rennes,1-0. Krasnodar’s Marcus Berg scored the only goal in the game.

Football star Cristiano Ronaldo could leave Serie A club Juventus next year.

The Portuguese legend left La Liga giants Real Madrid in 2018 to join Juventus. Ronaldo has also played for Premier League club Manchester United and Portuguese club Sporting CP in the past. 

At Juventus, Ronaldo won the Serie A twice and the Italian Super Cup once. He also scored 71 goals for the club. So far, Ronaldo scored six goals in Serie A this season and Juventus is currently fifth in the Serie A table. 

Several clubs have been linked to signing Ronaldo next year including Ligue 1 club PSG and his former club Manchester United. PSG’s sporting director Leonardo responded to the Ronaldo transfer rumors and told PSGTV, “Today in football we do not know what will happen. Maybe tomorrow Cristiano Ronaldo wakes up and says I want to go play elsewhere. Who can buy him? It’s a closed circle. PSG enters this circle. Usually, it is about opportunities, situations.The transfer window, we have to prepare for it and that’s what we do. We have our priorities, our lists, but something unforeseen can happen.”

Leonardo’s comments indicate that a Ronaldo to PSG move could possibly happen in the near future. If Ronaldo does seal a transfer to PSG, he would join PSG’s superstar forwards Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. 

A return to Manchester United move could also happen. Ronaldo was a renowned player for United, winning the Premier League three times, the Champions League and the 2008 Ballon D’or. Manchester United 

Ronaldo’s contract with Juventus officially expires in 2022 and it is unclear if the player will renew it beyond that year. Like many other football clubs, Juventus is greatly affected by the COVID-19 crisis and so selling Ronaldo would enable the club to save a lot of money due to the player’s very high wages. 

Hopes for making the Champions League are still alive for Manchester United as they took care of business 3-0 against Aston Villa on Thursday. The win extends United’s streak of consecutive matches without a loss to 17, which includes five wins in a row. 

The top four teams in the English Premier League standings qualify for the Champions League, the top soccer tournament in all of Europe. The victory keeps Man. United in fifth place, one point behind Leicester City who are in fourth, and two behind Chelsea who is in third.

A penalty kick by Bruno Fernandes in the 27th minute, although a questionable call, got the party started for United. Goals by Mason Greenwood in stoppage time prior to halftime and Paul Pogba in the 58th minute added to the rout of Aston Villa. 

It was Pogba’s goal that had Man. United’s manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær singing his praises. “[Paul] is a fantastic person, fantastic player; one of the best midfielders in the world. It’s a different team to the one he left when he was injured. Everything is miles better in that dressing room.”

Manchester United has four matches remaining on their EPL schedule. They will take on Southampton next on July 13, but many soccer fans have their eyes on United’s final match of the season on July 26, where they will play at home against Leicester.

Aston Villa is trying to stave off relegation and his four points behind West Ham United and Wofford to do so. Their next match will take place on July 12, on the road against Crystal Palace. 

Manchester United defeated Manchester City 2-0 on Sunday, the third win this season over their town rivals.

United was able to take advantage of a set free kick that caught City napping as Bruno Fernandes chipped a passed to striker Anthony Martial who was able to shoot it past City goalkeeper Ederson. The pace of the shot didn’t appear to be too fast but the ball was slightly fumbled by Ederson before going into the back of the net.

Following the match, Illkay Gundogan of Manchester City claimed Fernandes dived when he was dribbling the ball into scoring territory before being fouled by Gundogan to set up the free kick in the 30th minute. Gundogan claimed it “was not a foul at all.”

“They were much more aggressive, especially after scoring the first goal. They tried to press very high for 10 minutes afterwards,” Gundogan told Goal. “But we started the game really well, got into the last third, but the perception of the last pass was just missing. We had a lot of corners as well, so the chance was there to create more but unfortunately we didn’t so this is something on which we have to improve. Also there was frustration about the free-kick before the goal—it was not at all a foul. I just touched the ball and he goes on the floor, shouting. I don’t even know if the referee saw it or just had a feeling that it was a foul. That was very disappointing for me, to be honest because I was straight involved in the action and conceding the goal straight afterwards hurt very much.”

Adding insult to injury, Ederson attempted to roll out the ball to his teammates in the last minute of stoppage time before it made its way to Scott McTominay who shot the ball from way outside of the box into an empty net to cap off a tough defeat. Although City controlled 73% of the possession, they were out shot by United 12-7.

United’s victory propelled them into fifth place, just three points shy of the UEFA Champions League spot. City trails first place Liverpool by 25 points, but hold a 2-1 aggregate lead over Real Madrid heading into the second leg that is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17.

After Liverpool beat Manchester United on Sunday by a final of 2-0, faithful fans could be heard singing “we’re going to win the league.”

With Liverpool taking 91 points from the last 93 available to them, many have started saying Liverpool is a lock for the league title.

But Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp says that although he doesn’t have an issue with supporters singing about winning the Premier League title, he would not be persuaded to join in.

“I am not here to dictate what they have to sing,” Klopp said. “If our fans were not in a good mood now, that would be really strange.”

“Everyone should celebrate the situation, apart from us,” Klopp continued. “Nothing has changed. We have the same situation plus three points. I will tell you immediately the moment if it feels different, but at the moment it doesn’t.”

Virgil van Dijk put the Reds up in front after 14 minutes, and after a goal by Roberto Firmino was disallowed due to a foul, Mohamed Salah scored to put that back up on the board and make it 2-0.

Liverpool will face the Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday and West Ham United on January 29.

Manchester United stars Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford were among several people to rebuke social media companies and users after several fans posted racially insensitive comments about midfielder Paul Pogba. 

The hateful posts came after 26-year-old Pogba — a black Muslim French player of Guinean descent — missed a penalty in the second half of the Red Devils’ 1-1 tie against the Wolves on Monday.

Maguire, a defender for Man U, urged social media companies to “stop these pathetic trolls” following the racially abusive comments against Pogba.

Rashford responded to the remarks on Twitter with his own tweet, writing, “You attack him you attack us all.”

Diane Abbott, a Member of Parliament, was one of many who condemned the attacks by using the hashtag #SayNoToRacism.

Manchester United released its own statement on the abuse directed at Pogba, saying, “The individuals who expressed these views do not represent the values of our great club and it is encouraging to see the vast majority of our fans condemn this on social media also.”

IN MEMORIAM: SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

“Manchester United has zero tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination and a long-standing commitment to campaigning against it through our #AllRedAllEqual initiative,” the club’s statement continued. “We will work to identify the few involved in these incidents and take the strongest course of action available to us. We also encourage social media companies to take action in these cases.”

Member of Parliament Nigel Adams, who also serves as the United Kingdom’s Minister for Sport, also condemned the attacks against Pogba.

“The football season is only a few weeks old and yet we’ve already witnessed sickening examples of racist abuse against players,” said Adams, per BBC Sport. “We have been clear that social media companies must do more and the government will hold them to account.”

Former Man U player and coach Phil Neville, who now manages England’s women’s national team, suggested soccer players “boycott” social media in order to make clear that such abuse won’t be tolerated.

“It’s not going away,” said Neville. “We need to take drastic measures in the football community.”

Two other British Premier League players have recently faced racially abusive attacks online after missing shots during games. Chelsea‘s Tammy Abraham became the target of hateful posts after he missed a penalty against Liverpool in the Super Cup. Reading forward Yakou Meite, an Ivory Coast player who was born in Paris, also said he received racist comments on his social media accounts after one of his spot-kicks was saved in a game against Cardiff.

Pogba, who plays for France’s national team played for Manchester United for one year from 2011 to 2012. After four years of playing for Juventus, the Red Devils re-signed the midfielder in 2016 for a then-world-record transfer fee of 105 million euros ($116 million at today’s rate.)

Manchester United and Belgium front-man Romelu Lukaku seems to be on his way to Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan.

According to ESPN FC, Inter have offered £60 million ($74.4 million) plus add-ons for the 26-year-old. Lukaku has even hinted that a transfer may be in the works, saying after a preseason game, “You guys will know something next week,” according to Talk Sport.

https://twitter.com/utdxtra/status/1150047811121176576

Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemed to relay what Lukaku said by saying “let’s see when the season starts. We have not had any bids that we are considering. You guys will know something next week.”

Solskjaer continued: “All my conversations with the players I will keep confidential. That’s between us. That’s my privilege and I can promise them that I won’t tell (about) our discussions,” he said, according to Talk Sport.

According to ESPN FC, the fee will be split in half and paid over two years. Conte’s Inter Milan already has the clinical Argentine strike Mauro Icardi at their disposal, but he may be well on his way out of the Milan side.

SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019 – IN MEMORIAM SLIDESHOW 

According to ESPN, Inter Milan released a club statement saying, “Mauro Icardi will today return to Milan from our training camp in Lugano. The club and the striker have come to this decision by mutual agreement. Icardi will continue his preseason training over the next few days and will take no part in our summer Tour in Asia.”

Conte was the manager at Chelsea FC back in 2017, and tried to sign the Belgian before failing, meaning Conte favors the Manchester United man.

Manchester United may sell Lukaku for less than they originally brought him for. He was signed from Everton for £75 million ($93 million) plus £15 million ($18.6 million) in additional add-ons in July 2017. Lukaku has scored 42 goals in two seasons with the Red Devils, and dominated in his first season by scoring 27 goals.

Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has refused to travel to the United States for preseason training with his team, according to multiple reports. Koscielny has clear doubt about his future with the club as he is nearing his final year of his contract with the squad, yet to sign a new deal.

Arsenal released a statement regarding Koscielny’s actions, saying, “We are very disappointed by Laurent’s actions, which are against our clear instructions. We hope to resolve this matter and will not be providing any further comment at this time,” the clubs told ESPN.

Koscielny is nearing his last few years as a professional at age 33, and is reported to have interest from French side Bordeaux, according to BBC, they are offering him a three-year deal.

This is a depleted Arsenal squad that lacks significant leadership and playmaking. Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League last season, just one spot above Manchester United who outdid Arsenal in terms of lackluster performances. Shkodran Mustafi, a center-half for Arsenal, is reported to be on the move as well as Koscielny. With both of their starting center backs on reported moves, Unai Emery and the Arsenal board seem to be lacking first-team defenders.

SLIDESHOW: 30 BEST SPORTS INSTAGRAMS

Koscielny has battled a multitude of injuries, sidelining him all season but for 13 starts he had in the Premier league in 2018. According to Bleacher Report, Emery has been given a limited budget for this upcoming season for summer transfers, and two possible new center backs seems to be added to the shopping list. Arsenal placed a bid for Celtic’s Kieran Tierney, but according to Goal’s Chris Burton, Celtic manager Neil Lennon criticized Emery and the board of directors for a bid that was drastically too low.

Whatever Emery and the board decides to do with their defense and lack of first team players, it remains to be seen.

Koscielny has started 353 times for Arsenal, winning the FA Cup two times and playing for the squad for almost a decade.