Man Utd transfer news LIVE: Pogba hails 'unbelievable' Ronaldo, Gakpo targets United move, De Jong BLOW – updates | The Sun
FORMER Manchester United star has labelled Cristiano Ronaldo as an 'unbelievable' footballing role model.
The French international revealed that Ronaldo would never miss a day of training during their time together at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo reportedly remains keen on signing for Manchester United this January.
United have been chasing the Dutch winger and it is claimed that PSV want £52million for their star man.
But someone who the Red Devils could miss out on is Frenkie de Jong as Barcelona have made the midfield maestro 'indispensable' according to reports.
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Stay up to date with all the latest from Old Trafford…
- Henry Tomlinson
Lingard's return to Old Trafford
Jesse Lingard will be making his first appearance at Old Trafford since leaving the club in the summer.
The midfielder joined Nottingham Forest and will be in their dugout during the match tomorrow night.
Forest boss Steve Cooper has said that it will be a "big day" for him, but insists Lingard has the experience to deal with the game.
He said: “Jesse was there a long time, including his upbringing in the academy, so it will be an important day for him.
“At the same time, him and everyone else have to focus on the game.
“He has the experience and he will know the best thing to do will be to concentrate on the game.”
Credit: Reuters - Henry Tomlinson
Pogba reveals Ronaldo's 'unbelievable' discipline
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has revealed that recently axed Cristiano Ronaldo would never miss a day of training.
He told Field of Stories: "The discipline of Ronaldo was unbelievable – I've never seen this.
"The discipline is in another level. I see professional players, a lot of players, they're very professional they come early, they all do recoveries and stuff like that.
"But someone that's been there every single day and doesn't stop – that's Cristiano.
"Every day! Some days you're like, I'm OK! But he doesn't miss one day. His discipline to do it every single day – this is something."
Credit: Getty - Henry Tomlinson
United blow in De Jong chase
Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their attempts to sign Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to reports.
The Dutch star has been deemed "indispensable" at the Nou Camp, as reported by Sport.
Erik ten Hag had been hopeful of a reunion with the former Ajax player, but the update will drastically affect their attempts to sign him.
The Red Devils had been hoping to capitalise on Barcelona's financial position, but it seems they will still want a top price if they were to let De Jong leave the club.
Credit: AFP
- Henry Tomlinson
Gakpo 'wants' Red Devils transfer
World Cup and PSV star Cody Gakpo reportedly only wants a move to Erik ten Hag's Manchester United.
The Old Trafford side have been heavily linked with a move for the player since the end of the summer transfer window.
It is expected that the club would make a move for him in the January transfer window.
But now transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has said that the Dutchman favours a move to Man United over anyone else.
He tweeted: “Cody Gakpo hasn’t changed his mind on Manchester United. He was keen on joining last summer and this is still the case, discussions with his agents have always been positive.
“It’s on Man United now, time to decide internally about €55m-€60m (£48m- £53m) investment.”
- Henry Tomlinson
Sancho to improve to Red Devils
Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho has been predicted to improve following the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo.
He is among a number of players that play better without the Portuguese attacker in the side.
MyBettingSites has analysed statistics that show that Sancho's goal-scoring capabilities double from 0.18 goals per game to 0.36 per game.
The boost could be important for United as they aim to finish in the Champions League places.
Credit: Getty - Henry Tomlinson
Maguire could be FIT for Forest clash
Erik ten Hag confirmed that defender Harry Maguire was back in training on Friday ahead of their match against Nottingham Forest tomorrow.
He said: "We had some problems with illness like Harry Maguire, but he was back on the training pitch today.
"So I’m happy with that".
The England star missed Manchester United's first competitive game after the World Cup which came in the Carabao Cup against Burnley.
He has been assessed on a daily basis ahead of the clash with Steve Cooper's side.
- Henry Tomlinson
Ten Hag hails positive Red Devils
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is happy to see his star players positive ahead of the return of Premier League football.
He said on the club website: "The feeling is good. The players from the World Cup are back, are integrated again and you feel they are excited.
''[They had] massive impressions there [in Qatar], but now they are back, and you feel their energy.
''They are looking forward to the restart [of the Premier League].''
- Henry Tomlinson
Silvestre's quotes on Manchester United continued
The defender also expects some of the squad's players to prove a point once the are back in action.
The Red Devils face Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford tomorrow night.
He added: “The English players like Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire will come back with a positive mindset. They’ll have a better second half of the season.”
“I hope Anthony Martial will be fit and score goals. He needs to play regularly for the team and bring his qualities to the team.”
Credit: AFP - Henry Tomlinson
Maguire's time to shine?
Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has urged Harry maguire to fight for his spot at Old Trafford.
He told bettingexpert: "Overall, I think the strongest partnership is Varane and Martinez. I expect them to be the CB partnership going forward.
“I think for Harry Maguire, it’s about playing. As a CB, you need to start. If you’re on the bench, there’s little chance for you to come on and have game time.
“It depends on what the manager is going to be doing, if he’s going to be rotating players for different competitions.
“You don’t go for the sake of going. You need to assess the situation because sometimes it’s easier to say, ‘I’m off’ but in fact, you might as well stay and fight for your position.
“It’s really up to Harry, to assess the situation and if he can find a way to play at United and be the rock at the back he was and come back to his best.”
- Henry Tomlinson
Cole disrespected by Nunez comparisons
Former Manchester United star Andy Cole was not happy when he was likened to Liverpool's summer signing Darwin Nunez.
After the Uruguayan was likened to Cole by a fan on social media, the 51-year-old took issue as he tweeted: " Cole .., Nunez… not sure we’re (sic) this nonsense started !!!
"But it’s Christmas ? the festival season… I am happily retired….
"People need to stop disrespecting my name… because I don’t play the game, just a quiet guy getting on with life people think they can disrespect me ??♂️….
"Look at the numbers and compare them to anyone else …"
- Henry Tomlinson
Tough fight for West Ham star
Hammers boss David Moyes has warned Manchester United that it will not be made easy to sign midfielder Declan Rice.
The captain of West Ham has been linked with a move to Old Trafford.
But Moyes is hopeful of keeping him as the Scot said: “He wants to win, and he wants to play for a really good side, which is going to give him that opportunity to do so.
“We hope that we can reach the Champions League — it is looking difficult at this moment in time.
“But we are not just going to roll over and let Dec walk out of the building, that is for sure. It is going to be a big fight.”
Credit: Getty - Matt Penn
Forest await
Man Utd make their return to Premier League action this festive period in a clash against Nottingham Forest.
And you can catch it all on Amazon Prime Video.
United are coming off a comfortable Carabao Cup win over Burnley in midweek.
- Kostas Lianos
Jaded Jadon Sancho
Manchester United star Jadon Sancho will miss the Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest as he continues his physical and mental recovery.
Sancho, 22, hasn't featured for United since October and was absent from their warm-weather training camp for players not at the 2022 World Cup.
The winger has been training alone in the Netherlands with coaches recommended by manager Erik ten Hag, who doesn't foresee him being available for the visit of Forest next week.
When asked if he thinks the England international will feature in the match, Ten Hag said: "I don't think so"
- Kostas Lianos
Man Utd Shaw thing
Manchester United have triggered contract extensions for four players.
United manager Erik ten Hag confirmed Marcus Rashford, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Fred have all been given an extension on their current deals.
Ten Hag said: “Yes, I can confirm it We are happy because the squad is going in the right direction and those players [have] a massive contribution in that direction.
“We want to develop, we want to support those players and we want them to keep in our process.
“So, that’s why we came to those decisions, I’m sure they are the right decisions.
“We want to construct a team for the future, so for longer years, and those players have to be part of it”
- Kostas Lianos
Palace's Wan love
Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has fuelled speculation of Manchester United ace Aaron Wan-Bissaka making a return.
Vieira said: "Listen, he is a Man United player. We have to respect that and there's nothing more to say about that.
"He is a good player, there is no doubt about that. He's related to this football club, and I think he's been loved by the fans.
"But again, he's a United player. I hope we're going to be busy [in January].
"We always work hard to try to improve the squad but we know how tough and difficult it is to find the players to improve the team.
"We are quite short on numbers but it is important to find the right players"
Credit: PA
- Kostas Lianos
De Jong games
Manchester United are convinced that Barcelona are trying to drive up the price for Frenkie de Jong.
Barca president Joan Laporta has said that De Jong is "non-transferable", according to Sport.
But the report adds that it is a tactic in order to raise the midfielder's price ahead of a potential sale of the player.
It is thought that United are still very much interested in signing the Netherlands international
- Kostas Lianos
Fernandez transfer war
Manchester United have overtaken Liverpool in the bidding war for Argentina's World Cup hero Enzo Fernandez.
According to journalist Bruno Andrade, United are willing to meet Benfica's £106million asking price.
Andrade tweeted: "There are already ongoing conversations between all involved.
"Red Devils are even willing to beat the €120M clause and avoid any competition"
- Kostas Lianos
Joao Felix latest
Arsenal may struggle to sign Atletico Madrid star and Manchester United target Joao Felix in the January transfer window.
According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners are finding it difficult to meet Felix’s staggering asking price.
Romano wrote for Give Me Sport: “It’s true they had conversations with his agent, Jorge Mendes.
“But it depends on the conditions of the deal, because if it’s more than €100million (£88m), I think it is going to be difficult.”
If reports are to be believed, Felix is set to decide between a move to United or the North Londoners in January
Credit: EPA - Chisanga Malata
Merry Christmas, Red Devils fans
Manchester United have reportedly opened talks with Cody Gakpo over a January move to Old Trafford.
New United boss Erik ten Hag tried to sign the Netherlands international in the summer but was unable to secure his services.
But negotiations over a potential winter transfer are said to be underway.
That's according to The Mirror, who claim both clubs have entered discussions with PSV over a deal.
PSV are willing to part company with the 23-year-old, but only if they receive a club-record fee for his signature.
United will have to go toe-to-toe if they with French champions Paris Saint-Germain if they want to sign Marco Asensio.
After eight years at Real Madrid, Spain international Asensio is looking for a new challenge.
It was recently claimed that the forward was offered to United and their Prem rivals Arsenal.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said: "Asensio has been offered by his agent to many important English clubs including Arsenal, Man United in the last two weeks."
But Calciomercato claim PSG have entered the race to sign the Spaniard – who they're said to be willing to sign in the upcoming January transfer window.
Ten Hag, meanwhile has confirmed, will miss Manchester United's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest as he continues his physical and mental recovery.
When asked if he thinks the England international – who hasn't played since October – will feature in the match, Ten Hag said: "I don't think so."
- Nick Emms
Joao decision
If reports are to be believed, Joao Felix is set to decide between a move to Manchester United or Arsenal in January.
However, Arsenal could struggle to afford a permanent deal.
With the Gunners sat top of the Premier League and Manchester United in 5th, where should he go?
- Nick Emms
United handed boost as Joao Felix to Arsenal ‘difficult’
Arsenal’s deal to sign Joao Felix could be difficult due to the price tag, Fabrizio Romano reports.
Writing for GiveMeSport, the transfer insider revealed why he thinks Arsenal could struggle in the pursuit of the Portugal international.
He wrote: “It’s true they had conversations with his agent, Jorge Mendes.
“But it depends on the conditions of the deal, because if it’s more than €100million, I think it is going to be difficult.”
- Nick Emms
Jose Mourinho in Brazil talks
Brazil have sent intermediaries to discuss the vacant head coach role with Jose Mourinho, according to Repubblica in Italy.
The former United manager has also been linked with the Portugal vacancy.
He is said to be underwhelmed by the lack of ambition at Roma and could be persuaded by a new challenge at internatonal level.
- Nick Emms
Luis Suarez to Brazil
Former Liverpool star Luis Suarez has made a decision on his next club and he will join Gremio.
According to Fabrizio Romano, he has been approached by Saudi side Al-Khaleej but has decided to join Gremio instead.
- Nick Emms
Leao reveals Premier League ambitions
Manchester United and Chelsea target Rafael Leao has admitted that he would like to play in the Premier League in the future.
Speaking to RDP Africa, he said: "Yes (I'd like to play in the Premeir League), in the future.
"But now I’m 100 per cent focused on Milan. I’m at a top club and I’m under contract. I also like the city of Milan."
- Kiro Evans
Two-Way Fight For Felix
Manchester United and Arsenal are the main contenders for Joao Felix, according to reports.
The attacker has been linked with a Premier League move and helped put himself in the shop window with his performances for Portugal in the World Cup.
Now Mercato report that it is down to the two English giants to fight over his signature.
The 23-year-old is reported to be dissatisfied at Atletico Madrid and wants a January move away.
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