Manchester United - News

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We asked for your views on Sunday's game between Manchester United and Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Manchester United fans

Juma: It's ironic how this Manchester United accepts being beaten by any team and life goes on as usual. This team lacks standards. There's no reaction, no response. Even in the next game, they will continue to play poorly and accept being defeated easily. The manager isn't the problem - the team has lost its soul.

Alan: It's fair to say they haven't even turned up this season. The City game was always going to be a lesson to these players. I'm not fooled for one minute with this idea that we were good in the first half. United are a country mile behind City. Erik ten Hag's signings have been found out this season as not one of them has put in a performance worthy of the United shirt.

Adrian: I hate to say it, but I think Ten Hag has to go. The players just aren't responding to him. Whatever the "process" is, it's simply not working or even looking like it's going to. His team selection here was just bizarre. I don't see how he is going to turn this around. There is no progress at all and the change is needed now.

Sotos: There is nothing right about this team. Whether it is the players, management, or other factors. Man Utd have had the best of the coaches and players, so something isn't right. Ralf Rangnick said this team needs open heart surgery and Ole said some players are not as good as they believe they are.

Manchester City fans

Stella: Excellent performance from City. Best of the season so far. Woeful from United and ill-disciplined, but they were completely outplayed. Bernardo Silva and John Stones were magnificent and played so intelligently. Time to push on now!

Alfie: Masterclass of control and conquer. We always had the answers for any situation and we had the aggression to attack from all angles.

Gary: Outstanding dominant performance from City, albeit against a United team who seemed clueless. You could have picked any one of about seven players for man of the match, but Bernardo was truly brilliant. He totally controlled the game and deservedly took the plaudits at the end.

Helen: Excellent play from City. There were a few mistakes which maybe could've gotten us into trouble, but they were snuffed out by the likes of Stones, Rodri and Silva. It could have been five goals if Erling Haaland had got his header right and Jack Grealish had scored.

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Manchester United defender Jonny Evans believes injuries are hampering their progress this season after the 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

Goals from Erling Haaland either side of half-time were added to by Phil Foden at Old Trafford, securing a fifth win in six meetings between the sides.

The result leaves Erik ten Hag's side in eighth, nine points adrift of City in third. Evans says the long injury list is hampering the manager's ability to improve the team.

"I think we've been disrupted with a lot of injuries this season in terms of key personnel," said Evans. "Probably a lot of our starting players are those who are missing."

Evans returned to Old Trafford on a free transfer from relegated Leicester in the summer but, at 35, became the oldest defender to start a Manchester derby in the Premier League since an almost 37-year-old Laurent Blanc played in 2002.

Indeed, he arguably only played because of the absentees in defence, with Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw injured and the highly decorated Raphael Varane only able to start on the bench.

Along with the injuries, Jadon Sancho remains on the sidelines after a public fall out with Ten Hag in September.

"I think the manager has found out difficulties having to work on the team's tactics and having to change the personnel quite a lot with only two days in between games," added Evans.

"Hopefully we can get more players back and get a real sort of opportunity to create freshness within the squad."

Sir Bobby Charlton died after fall, inquest hears..

Sir Bobby Charlton died after an accidental fall at a care home, an inquest has heard.

The England and Manchester United legend died aged 86 in Macclesfield General Hospital on 21st October.

The inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court heard Sir Bobby was living in The Willows in Knutsford, a nursing home caring for patients with dementia.

Senior coroner for Cheshire Jacqueline Devonish concluded his death was accidental.

The hearing was told Sir Bobby had lost his balance as he stood up from his chair, striking a window sill and "possibly a radiator".

Staff performed a full-body check at the time and noted no visible injuries, and recorded his mobility seemed unaffected.

But they later noticed swelling on his back and paramedics were called to the centre, where he had been receiving respite care since July.

He was then taken to a local hospital before being moved to Macclesfield General Hospital.

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A chest X-ray and CT scan revealed he had fractured his ribs and was likely to develop pneumonia, the inquest heard.

Doctors then agreed Sir Bobby should be put on end-of-life care, dying five days later.

The inquest heard he had an extensive medical history and had also contracted Covid in September.

Care home manager Tamara Simmons, said Sir Bobby "needed support with all aspects of daily living".

The coroner gave the cause of death as trauma in the lungs, a fall and dementia.

Following the inquest, Karen Slater, associate operations director at MHA which owns the care home, said Sir Bobby had been living at the site for a short period of time.

"Staff at the home were very fond of Sir Bobby and cared for and supported him, as they do for all our residents," she said.

"Our deepest sympathies go to his widow Lady Norma Charlton and his family."

Thousands of fans have left tributes at Old Trafford, with the area in front of the famous Trinity statue - where he is immortalised alongside team-mates George Best and Denis Law - flooded with memorabilia and flowers.

WEDNESDAY 1st NOVEMBER 2023 - EFL CUP - FOURTH ROUND...By Simon Stone, BBC Sport at Old Trafford

Manchester United 0 Newcastle United 3

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Newcastle celebrated a brilliant win at Old Trafford as they knocked Manchester United out of the EFL Cup

Newcastle United claimed their second Old Trafford victory over Manchester United since 1972 to avenge their Carabao Cup final defeat at Wembley and pile the pressure on home manager Erik ten Hag.

First-half goals from substitute Miguel Almiron and Lewis Hall, his first for the club, were followed up by a solo effort from Joe Willock on the hour to give Newcastle their biggest away win over their hosts in 97 years as they cruised into the quarter-finals.

It was another desperate day for Manchester United and Ten Hag, who have lost eight of their opening 15 games for the first time since the 1962-63 season.

Coming just three days after they suffered another three-goal home humiliation at the hands of Manchester City, the home side's weaknesses were again cruelly exposed.

Diogo Dalot was replaced at half-time following his failure to track Almiron's right-wing burst for the opener.

Returning Brazilian midfielder Casemiro did not re-appear for the second-half either with Ten Hag evidently unimpressed by the former Real Madrid man.

Hall struck a fine second as he met Harry Maguire's headed clearance with a first-time volley. Willock's effort emulate Hall's by finding the bottom corner after he had been allowed to run 30 yards unchecked before shooting after Sofyan Amrabat had lost possession on the halfway line.

In a week where the size of their kit has been questioned, Manchester United's players could have done with shirts big enough to cover their heads as, for the second game running, they were booed off at the end of both halves.

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Erik ten Hag's side suffered another damaging home defeat

Manchester United's collapse in form since they beat Newcastle at Wembley in February to end a near six-year trophy drought has been stunning.

Ten Hag lost six of his first 40 games in charge up to that EFL Cup final success. They have lost 13 of 36 since.

As was the case with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer two seasons ago, the downturn has been totally unexpected given his side finished third last season and reached the FA Cup final in addition to their trophy success.

Ten Hag has spent in excess of £350m over three transfer windows. Five of his signings started the game and six finished it. None emerged with any real credit, although it could be argued goalkeeper Andre Onana was blameless for all three Newcastle goals.

Casemiro before the break and Amrabat after it failed to plug gaps in midfield. Once again Mason Mount was anonymous.

The home side's best chance was squandered when Anthony Martial appeared to pull out of a header, despite being barely six yards out in the centre of the goal, when he seemed to hear a call from Mount behind him. Mount failed to control and the opportunity disappeared.

Not that the issues enveloping Old Trafford are any concern of Newcastle, whose fans revelled in their opponents' discomfort, chanting 'You'll be sacked in the morning' and taunting over the number of empty red seats on show from fans leaving well before the final whistle.

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Miguel Almiron came on for the injured Matt Targett and scored Newcastle's opener

The game could not have got off to a worse start for the visitors.

With five senior players out injured, plus Sandro Tonali ruled out for 10 months due to his gambling ban, Newcastle could ill afford any more personnel issues.

But after just two minutes Matt Targett went down with what seemed to be a pretty severe hamstring injury on the basis he could barely walk off the pitch such was the pain he was in.

Continuing was clearly out of the question and, as the English season heads towards its most congested point, Howe will now be fearing he will be without the services of Targett for a while.

At that point, which his options so limited, Howe must have feared the worst.

Instead, Almiron broke the deadlock, racing onto Tino Livramento's cross-field pass to set Newcastle on their way to a memorable and thoroughly deserved victory.

At the end, Howe and his players saluted a 9,000-strong travelling support, whose backing was constant. But then, they had plenty to sing about.

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Manchester United are continuing to send scouts to watch 24-year-old Portugal keeper Diogo Costa, who they were linked with before signing Cameroon international Andre Onana. But he will only leave Porto if United pay his 75m euros (£65m) release clause.

Real Madrid will compete with Liverpool and Manchester United for Sporting Lisbon and Portugal centre-back Goncalo Inacio, 22.

Manchester United are interested in Galatasaray and France right-back Sacha Boey, 23, with Arsenal, Brighton and Burnley also interested.

Former Brighton boss Graham Potter could become the next Sweden manager after reports suggested Manchester United were interested in him replacing Erik ten Hag.

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Former Manchester United first-team coach Rene Meulensteen recognised Cristiano Ronaldo's "potential" as a goalscorer and helped him become one during his first spell with the club.

Reflecting on his time working with the Portugal forward, Meulensteen told BBC Radio Scotland's Sacked In The Morning podcast: "Two words that spring to mind straight away for Ronaldo are 'drive' and 'focus'.

"He was obviously much younger when he came, but he was just so talented and obviously when you bring a lot of talent through the door there is a lot of potential. The key for us was to unlock it.

"I was fortunate that he got suspended during one season and didn't travel when the first team away for matches so I had two or three consecutive days to work with him.

"He was very skilful but sometimes it was just doing a step over for a step over’s sake. I wanted to make him more effective, so it led to an end product and told him he could be far more clinical in front of goal.

"I wanted to turn Cristiano from someone who could score a goal into a goalscorer - and I just needed him to understand what the difference was."

Ronaldo went on to score 145 goals across two spells with the club and was key to the side that won the 2008 Champions League while Meulensteen was first-team coach.

"Cristiano always wanted to score the most beautiful goal and the most important one and I had to make him understand you've got to score as many goals as you can, even in training if it doesn't mean anything," he added. "Every goal counts.

"Every goal you score in training means you will eventually also score in the game, because when that moment comes in the game you recognise it, you’ve already scored it in training and therefore your focus can be fully on the execution and not the outcome.

"He started to realise that is where he wanted to be, in the box and on the end of things. He then began to appreciate every goal he scored."