Wayne Rooney will continue as England captain after manager Sam Allardyce made the "easy'' decision to retain his services. Rooney, 30, has led his country for the past two years, but after taking over from Roy Hodgson following Euro 2016, Allardyce initially refused to confirm he would keep the armband. Allardyce also declined to name a skipper in his first squad announcement on Sunday night, adding a minor element of intrigue, but the Manchester United forward always looked the firm favourite. Official: #ThreeLions manager … [Read more...]

Jose Mourinho said that substitute and match-winner Marcus Rashford gave Manchester United a "diversity" in their football during their 1-0 win against Hull City and predicted that the 18-year-old will play "a lot of matches for sure." Rashford scored in the second minute of added time at the end of the game, 20 minutes after coming off the bench, to seal victory. He had looked likely before then, causing problems to Hull with his pace. Speaking in his news conference after Saturday's win, Mourinho said: "When we brought the kid to the … [Read more...]

Marcus Rashford was Manchester United’s hero, coming off the bench to score a late winner in the 1-0 win at Hull. The United teenager, a second-half replacement for Juan Mata, turned home Wayne Rooney’s slide-rule pass for the only goal of the game in the second minute of time added on to finally break Hull’s brave resistance and send the newly-promoted club to their first defeat of the season. It was a tough pill to swallow for Hull, who would have deserved a point for their sheer endeavour had they managed to hold on, but United’s … [Read more...]

Jose Mourinho has emphasised it will be “very difficult” for Bastian Schweinsteiger to play for Manchester United this season – and had a dig back at Karl-Heinz Rummenigge . Schweinsteiger has been frozen out of the first-team picture at United this term, with boss Mourinho making it clear he is not part of his plans. Earlier this week the 32-year-old former Germany midfielder said he would not be joining another club in Europe and added of his current employers: “I will be ready, if the team needs me.” But when asked on Friday if there … [Read more...]

Manchester United will face Fenerbahce and Feyenoord in Group A in the 2016-17 Europa League. Jose Mourinho's side are the bookmakers' favourites to win the competition, which begins on Sept. 15, but face tough opposition in Turkish side Fenerbahce, whose squad includes former United striker Robin van Persie, and Dutch club Feyenoord. Zorya Luhansk, who finished fourth in the Ukrainian Premier League last season, complete the group. United, who qualified automatically for the group stage, have never won the Europa League or its … [Read more...]

Bastian Schweinsteiger has stated he will not leave Manchester United for another club in Europe, and stressed he is ready for action should the team need him. Schweinsteiger, 32, is yet to make an appearance for United since Jose Mourinho took over this summer. Sources have told ESPN FC that the midfielder remains a player United do not intend to keep, despite reports from Germany that he is set to stay at the club. The former Bayern Munich has taken to Twitter to elaborate on his future amid speculation of a move away from Old … [Read more...]

Luke Shaw has defended himself after accusations he dived to win a penalty in Manchester United’s victory over Southampton. The left-back was deemed to have been tripped by Saints midfielder Jordy Clasie in the second half, earning the penalty which Zlatan Ibrahimovic converted to secure the 2-0 win at Old Trafford. Former Southampton player Shaw was then heckled by the away support, but the 21-year-old insists he did not cheat. “A lot of people are saying it wasn’t a penalty, but 100 per cent it was a penalty, he clipped my foot,” he … [Read more...]

Ander Herrera thinks his Manchester United team-mate Antonio Valencia is currently the best right-back in the world. Valencia, 31 has started both of United’s Premier League games at right-back this season after maintaining the fine form he showed in pre-season. Valencia, who was brought to United by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2009 from Wigan for a fee of around £16million, was switched from his original role as a winger to full-back by Louis van Gaal. He started 14 Premier League games last season, most of which were in defence, but this … [Read more...]

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Manchester United are just starting to "put the puzzle together" despite easily winning their second straight game to open the Premier League season. Ibrahimovic stole the spotlight from debutant Paul Pogba with two goals -- bringing his tally to three this week following his strike against Bournemouth on Sunday. Jose Mourinho's side already looks to be in midseason form, but Ibrahimovic says the best is still to come. "We are happy for the three points, and it was the first game of Paul, also, he settled in and … [Read more...]

Jose Mourinho said a "phenomenal" Paul Pogba showed that he is "confident in the skin of a star" during his first appearance for the club since re-joining this summer in a world record £89 million move. Pogba made a sloppy start in the 2-0 win over Southampton at Old Trafford on Friday, when he conceded possession cheaply but grew in confidence as the game went on. United manager Mourinho had said that the player would be given "some minutes" but he went on to play the full match, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic's two goals helped the home team to a … [Read more...]

Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued his impressive start in aManchester United shirt as he fired Jose Mourinho's side to a 2-0 victory over Southampton. The Red Devils were comfortable under the Friday night lights at Old Trafford, as the Swedish star marked his home debut with a double, netting either side of half-time. The 34-year-old now has three goals in his first two Premier League games, following on from his strike in Sunday's Premier League opener at Bournemouth . The former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona striker opened the … [Read more...]

Paul Pogba will struggle to score even a quarter of the goals netted by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and will not receive the same personal accolades collected by such illustrious rivals. As the French international record signing prepares for his second Manchester United debut tonight, Jose Mourinho has no doubt he has signed the world’s best midfield player. The £89 million former Juventus man will play some role in the opening Friday night Premier League fixture of the season, at home to Southampton, four years after leaving Old … [Read more...]

Jose Mourinho has "no doubt" that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be at Manchester United for two years. Ibrahimovic, 34, joined the club as a free agent this summer after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expired, signing a one-year deal at United with the option of a second year. The striker said last week that he could be at the club for "more than three years" if he keeps performing at the right level. And speaking at his news conference on Thursday, Mourinho said: "I see him happy. I ask him every day because I know how important … [Read more...]

Man United manager Jose Mourinho says Paul Pogba is ready to feature against Southampton on Friday night, though he warned the £89m midfielder may not yet be able to live up to his star billing. The 23-year-old, who became the world's most expensive footballer when he sealed his return to Old Trafford, missed the start of the season through suspension and has only been training with his new club for 11 days after an extended break at the end of his Euro 2016 excursion. However, Mourinho is confident he is in a condition to face the Saints, … [Read more...]

Manchester United's Paul Pogba has indicated he will be fit for selection against Southampton on Friday as he looks to be involved for the first time since his world-record transfer. Pogba, 23, has had to wait to get his season started, missing the 3-1 win at Bournemouth last Sunday because of a suspension carried over from the previous campaign when he was still with Juventus. A busy summer with France, who reached the Euro 2016 final, was followed by an extended vacation in the United States and his move back to Manchester, four years … [Read more...]