The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Manchester United

  • Ibrahimovic compares himself to King Kong

    Ibrahimovic compares himself to King Kong

     

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic – ever the egotist – has compared himself to ‘King Kong’ in his latest Instagram post, which suggests he thinks his rehabilitation is going well.

    The 35-year-old has been out of action since April when he suffered cruciate knee ligament damage in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Anderlecht.

    But that hasn’t prevented Ibrahimovic from staying in shape, as evidenced by his latest post, showing him flexing his muscles while wearing nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts.

    The iconic striker is currently a free agent after United decided against renewing his £367,000-a-week contract at the end of last season.

    United could not commit to a new deal as Ibrahimovic is set to remain sidelined until early 2018, but the 35-year-old has continued training with the Red Devils.

    And it seems his non-footballing fitness work is going well, judging by the Instagram post he shared with his 26.5million followers on Thursday.

    Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals for United last season – two more than £75million summer signing Romelu Lukaku managed for former club Everton.

    Many Red Devils fans hope the Swede has not played his last game for the club.

    United manager Jose Mourinho hinted earlier this week that Ibrahimovic could indeed re-sign for the club once he has fully recovered from his serious knee injury.

    ‘We spent big money on a striker because, with strikers, you either spend or you don’t get,’ Mourinho said.

    ‘And we spent because of what happened to Zlatan and we cannot allow ourselves to be without an important, strong striker for the first six months of the season.’

  • StarTimes to broadcast Manchester Derby live

    StarTimes Nigeria has announced the live broadcast of the much anticipated International Champions Cup game between Manchester United and Manchester City, featuring Manchester United derby.

    According to StarTimes Nigeria, “the game is set to take place this Friday at 3:05am and will be broadcast live and exclusive on StarTimes Nigeria”.

    Recall that the competition kicked off on Tuesday in a fierce game between Italian since AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund,  with Milan losing 1-3 to Dortmund.

    The Man-U vs Man City derby is of particular interest to many EPL fans given the bitter rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

    The warring duo had some infamous bust-ups as respective Real Madrid and Barcelona bosses. The enemies now find themselves in direct city again in Manchester and will clash in Houston tomorrow morning.

    United face City in the International Champions Cup in the NRG Stadium for what will be the first Manchester derby ever to take place outside of England.

    Just like it happened last year, all ICC matches can only be watched on StarTimes place with in-depth live studio analyses both in Nigeria and Beijing. ICC matches hold in three countries this year – the United States of America, China and Singapore.

    In a press statement, the Brands and Marketing Director, StarTimes TV, Qasim Elegantly noted that the company is focused on bringing unparalleled digital entertainment in broadcasting to its’ subscribers nationwide.

    He said: “StarTimes is delivering live matches from the ICC to our esteemed subscribers right at in the comfort of their homes on ST World Football.”

    “As an innovative company, we have also ensured that subscribers can enjoy the digital life on-the-go, via our StarTimes mobile app which is available for download on Android and IOS stores. These matches can also be watched live on the StarTimes TV app on their mobile phones,” he added.

    The International Champions Cup 2017 fixtures will also see clubs like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Chelsea, PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, AS Roma and Inter Milan, battle it out in a bid to secure the title last won by Paris Saint-Germain in 2016.the

  • Chelsea lead chase to sign Aubameyang

    Chelsea lead chase to sign Aubameyang

     

    Chelsea are leading the chase to sign Borussia Dortmund talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang during the summer transfer window, according to Marca.

    The Spanish newspaper claims that the Premier League champions have opened talks with the Bundesliga outfit to sign the 28-year-old striker for a fee of around £62million.

    The report claims that the Blues believe that the Gabon international is the perfect man to lead the line at Stamford Bridge next season as they missed out on signing striker Romelu Lukaku, who is on the verge of completing a deal with Premier League rivals Manchester United.

    This follows up from the story in Spanish publication AS which reported that the West London club are ready to splash the cash and pay around £70million for Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.

    Marca reports that Chelsea’s pursuit of Aubameyang could mean that the Spaniard might not be able to fulfil his ambition of leaving the Bernabeu this summer.

    It is also reported that French outfit Paris Saint-Germain have already presented Aubameyang with an offer to join forces with them next season.

    The Gabonese striker has been one of the best performers in the Bundesliga since moving to Dortmund four years ago.

    Aubameyang enjoyed another impressive campaign last season, contributing with 40 goals and five assists in all competitions.

    The striker currently has three years remaining on his contract with Dortmund.

  • Noise Making: Police ‘visit Romelu Lukaku six times!

    Noise Making: Police ‘visit Romelu Lukaku six times!

     

    Romelu Lukaku has been on the backpages all week as his protracted move to Manchester United plays out but now he has been making headlines of a different kind.

    According to a report from TMZ, the Belgium international, 24, was ‘arrested’ for misdemeanour disturbing the peace at his rented mansion in Beverly Hills on July 2.

    However, the report says that Lukaku was not taken to a police station or formally booked, instead he was merely given a citation.

    The TMZ story does not say what punishment Lukaku faces, but did say the striker was visited by police on six different occasions.

    The report says that police were called to a day party at Lukaku’s rented home six times on July 2 following multiple complaints from his neighbours.

    The striker has been on holiday with Paul Pogba in LA as the saga over his future plays out with United confirming on Saturday morning they have agreed a deal for Lukaku’s transfer.

    United will pay an initial £75million for the striker, with a further £15m in add-ons depending on the player’s performances.

    Lukaku would become the world’s most expensive player if all of the clauses are met, beating Pogba’s record £89m move to Old Trafford.

    United have also agreed to let Wayne Rooney rejoin Everton on a free transfer.

  • Former €600k-a-year Man United player ordained as priest

    Former €600k-a-year Man United player ordained as priest

     

    Former Manchester United player and Northern Ireland international Philip Mulryne has been ordained a priest.

    Father Mulryne (39) was ordained by Archbishop Augustine Di Noia, O.P. in St. Saviour’s Church, Dominick Street, Dublin at a ceremony on Saturday morning attended by family and friends.

    Originally from Belfast, Father Mulryne will be assigned to the Dominican priory at Newbridge, Co. Kildare later this summer to join the chaplaincy team at Newbridge College.

    Assistant Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia travelled from Rome to deliver his homily.

    “‘You did not choose me, but I chose you.’ These words express our faith, dear brothers and sisters: that this friar – our brother, and your beloved son and friend – has been chosen by Jesus Christ to carry out publicly in His name, and on behalf of the human race, a priestly office in the Church,” he said.

    “After mature deliberation, dear Brother Philip, you have shown your readiness to embrace the service to which you have been called.

    “Whatever gain you had, you have counted as loss.  In a real sense, your experience as an athlete has helped to prepare you for this moment: you have known the meaning of working hard to attain a goal, and now the goal is Christ,” he added.

    When he was 14 years old, Father Mulryne was spotted by a Manchester United scout while playing for his parish soccer team Saint Oliver Plunkett.

    Impressing at his following trial for the club, he eventually joined the youth squad of the club before ultimately signing a four-year professional contract after finishing secondary school in 1994.

    Joining the team alongside David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Andy Cole he was, however, unable to secure regular placements in Alex Ferguson’s side.

    He left Manchester to continue his career in Norwich City where he was reportedly earning up to €600,000 a year playing a total of 135 matches for the club. Following that, the midfielder enjoyed short spells at Cardiff City and Leyton Orient.

    He played 27 times for Northern Ireland and scored three goals. In 2005, he was ejected from this squad for a breach of discipline and suspended from two World Cup qualifying games. Mulryne also previously dated model Nicola Chapman.

    After retiring from football in 2009, he decided to move towards swapping his kit for a cassock.

    Fr Mulryne studied philosophy and theology before entering the Dominican novitiate house in Cork.

    He became a full member of the Order of Preachers when he made a profession of his solemn vows to become a deacon in October of last year.

    That ordination swiftly followed a declaration of bankruptcy by Belfast City high court, which Mulryne sought himself.

  • Transfer: Wayne Rooney Set to Sign for Everton This Week

    Transfer: Wayne Rooney Set to Sign for Everton This Week

    Things change in the blink of an eye in football and this is about to happen to Wayne Rooney.  Realistic and reliable report from the transfer market hinted that the Manchester United Tallis Man is about to return to Everton.

    According to widespread reports, Rooney has been withdrawn from Manchester United’s squad that will head to the USA on Sunday for their preseason tour, with a return to boyhood club Everton set to be completed this week. United’s record all-time goal scorer is reported to have a £125,000-a-week contract on the table from Everton as Ronald Koeman’s team look set to continue their summer spending spree.

    Federico Bernardeschi to Juventus

    Bernardeschi has told Fiorentina he wants to leave, amid claims he’s already agreed terms with Juventus, reports Sky Sports Italia. The 23-year-old has been courted by the likes of Inter Milan and Bayern Munich this summer but it’s the Turin side who have been at the front of the queue from the very start. The news comes just hours after director of football Pantaleo Corvino insisted the club will be holding on to their biggest players, telling Italian TV: “Bernardeschi is unsellable for us.”

    Lucas Moura to Roma

    According to Corriere dello Sport, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas is Roma’s “main objective for attack.” New manager Eusebio Di Francesco favours a move for one of Domenico Berardi or Marseille’s Florian Thauvin but Monchi, the club’s director of football, is hoping to use his existing relationship with the French club’s manager, Unai Emery, to bring Brazilian Lucas Moura to Rome. The Italians are in the market for a wide forward after selling Mohamed Salah to Liverpool.

    Raul Jimenez to Everton

    Reports in Portuguese news outlet Record suggest Everton are interested in Benfica striker Raul Jimenez. The report goes on to claim that Koeman has already had a bid rejected for the Mexican with the Dutch manager’s old club intending to hold out for closer to £40m. The 26-year-old, who has previously been linked with West Ham United and Liverpool, is open to moving to the Premier League, and told ESPN: “The Premier League is a great championship, but you have to wait. I don’t close any doors and we’ll see what happens.”

    Dani Ceballos to Barcelona

    After starring for the Spanish under-21 side, Ceballos is a player in demand. Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to battle it out for the 20-year-old’s signature. AS recently reported that Madrid were prepared to pay Betis more than the €15m release clause in his contract to secure the signing. However, Real Betis vice-president Lorenzo Serra Ferrer has claimed: “They [Barcelona] asked me what my opinion of Dani was, and I gave it to them, and you can imagine what it was.”

  • Jose Mourinho bids dad emotional goodbye

    Jose Mourinho bids dad emotional goodbye

     

    Jose Mourinho said an emotional goodbye to his father Felix on Tuesday  as he attended his funeral in Setubal, Portugal.

    The Manchester United manager confirmed that his father had passed away on Sunday evening at the age of 79 after suffering with ill health for several months.

    Mourinho, who helped carry the coffin into the church, was joined by wife Matilde, daughter Matilde, son Jose Jnr and United assistant coach Silvino Louro for the service.

    Goalkeeper Jose Manuel Mourinho Felix played first for Vitoria Setubal and then for Belenenses, making 274 appearances in the Portuguese league between 1955 and 1974.

    He achieved one international cap for Portugal, appearing as a late substitute in a match against the Republic of Ireland in the 1972 Brazil Independence Cup.

    After hanging up his gloves, Mourinho Felix became a coach with a number of Portuguese clubs including Uniao Leiria, Amora, Rio Ave, Belenenses and Vitoria.

    He won the Portuguese second division title on four occasions, having twice lifted the Portuguese Cup during his playing days.

    United goalkeeping coach Emilio Alvarez Blanco and Mourinho’s assistant at Real Madrid, Aitor Karanka, were also on hand to support their friend.

    A large crowd gathered outside the venue as Mourinho helped remove the coffin from the hearse before draping a large flag over it.

    Belenenses confirmed the news of his death in a statement which read: ‘Os Belenenses CF have been made aware of the passing of Jose Manuel Mourinho Felix, club goalkeeper from 1968 until 1974, team coach in the 1970-71 and 1982-83 campaigns, and a much loved figure at the club.

    ‘During this difficult time, the Belenense family and Os Belenenses CF sends its warmest condolences to his family, especially his wife and son, Jose Mourinho.’

    Mourinho, who visited his ailing father regularly over the past few months, took to Instagram on Monday to share a touching black-and-white image of himself as a young boy with his father following his passing.

    The country’s football federation sent ‘the most heartfelt condolences to Mourinho and the rest of the bereaved family.’ United also extended their condolences on their official website.

  • Jose Mourinho loses dad

    Jose Mourinho loses dad

    Jose Mourinho’s father Felix has passed away at the age of 79.The Manchester United manager posted a black-and-white photograph of himself as a young boy alongside his father, a former goalkeeper, on his Instagram account.
    Felix, has been suffering from ill health for several months, died in Setubal on Sunday and will be buried on Tuesday.
    As a footballer, Mourinho Felix played first for Vitoria Setubal and then for Belenenses, making 274 appearances in the Portuguese league between 1955 and 1974.
    He achieved one international cap for Portugal, appearing as a late substitute in a match against the Republic of Ireland in the 1972 Brazil Independence Cup.
    After hanging up his gloves, Mourinho Felix became a coach with a number of Portuguese clubs including Uniao Leiria, Amora, Rio Ave, Belenenses and Vitoria.
    He won the Portuguese second division title on four occasions, having twice lifted the Portuguese Cup during his playing days.
    The country’s football federation sent ‘the most heartfelt condolences to Jose Mourinho and the rest of the bereaved family.’
    Mourinho has flown regularly from Manchester to Portugal in recent months to visit his father as his health deteriorated.

  • Smalling and fiancee Cooke put finishing touches to big wedding

    Smalling and fiancee Cooke put finishing touches to big wedding

     

    They will tie the knot at the picturesque Lake Como in Italy — and Chris Smalling and fiancee Sam Cooke cut relaxed figures on the day of their wedding rehearsal.

    The Manchester United defender and his glamour model partner were pictured near the Villa del Balbianello ahead of their big day.

    Smalling and Cooke, who got engaged during an eventful summer holiday in Bali last year, have been joined by family and friends in northern Italy.

    The bride and groom attended their wedding rehearsal this week before dining out at a nearby restaurant.

    Keen to make the most of the Italian sunshine, Smalling stopped off to enjoy an ice lolly while going for a walk with his soon-to-be wife.

    Getting married at Lake Como in Italy is not overly extravagant, in relative footballer terms, but once you factor in the distances the couple will travel for the stag, hen and honeymoon that is a lot of air miles, more than 30,000 in fact.

    The round trip to north Italy is 2,000 miles, the England defender made a 10,100 mile journey for his stag do in Las Vegas and Cooke took her friends and family to Barbados last month, racking up 8,300 miles in the process. Once wed, the couple will jet off to the Seychelles, another 10,400 round trip.

    Smalling, 27, proposed to Cooke, 30, during a trip to Bali last summer.

    But the holiday was marred when he was rushed to hospital after he collapsed during a severe bout of poisoning and suffered a gruesome head injury.

    Smalling recovered enough to get down on one knee and ask the question, to which Cooke gleefully said ‘yes’.

    She announced the engagement on her Facebook page shortly after, saying: ‘Last night in the most perfect setting Chris asked me to be his wife. Ridiculously happy’.

    Once Smalling finishes his wedding celebrations, he will return to Manchester to report for pre-season duty with United.

  • Tax fraud: Angel Di Maria fined £1.76million

    Tax fraud: Angel Di Maria fined £1.76million

     

    Angel Di Maria has been handed a one-year prison sentence and fined £1.76 million after admitting tax fraud.

    The former Manchester United winger admitted two separate counts of fraud which each carry a six-month sentence.

    Now with Paris Saint-Germain, Di Maria was found guilty of defrauding the Spanish government a sum of £1.14m during his time at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2014.

    However, the 29-year-old is unlikely to spend any time behind bars. In Spain, sentences of under two-years are often suspended if the convicted person has no previous criminal record.

    The Argentine had previously made a deal with authorities to avoid a trial at the Spanish Supreme Court.

    Last year, Lionel Messi was found guilty of tax fraud along with his father and, though the Barcelona star was sentenced to 21 months in prison, did not serve time as it was suspended.

    Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, has come out fighting in a row with the Spanish tax authorities, claiming he paid more than €26million (£23m) between 2010-2013.

    Manchester United have vowed to stand by their manager after he was accused of defrauding the taxman of €3.3m (£2.9m).

    The United boss, valued at £61m by the Sunday Times Rich List last month, faces allegations of not paying taxes on image rights during his time as Real Madrid coach, with a lawsuit filed against him by the Public Prosecutor’s office in the capital.

    However, a statement by his agency Gestifute read: ‘Jose Mourinho has not received any notification with regards to the news published today. To this date, neither the Spanish tax authorities, nor the public prosecutor have contacted Jose Mourinho or his advisers, who were hired for the inspection process.

    ‘Jose Mourinho, who lived in Spain from June 2010 until May 2013, paid more than 26m euros in taxes, with an average tax rate over 41 per cent, and accepted the regularisation proposals made by the Spanish tax authorities in 2015, regarding 2011 and 2012, and entered into a settlement agreement regarding 2013.’

    Cristiano Ronaldo, who played under Mourinho at Real Madrid, has been called to testify on July 31 over allegations that he hid £12.9m income from tax authorities.