ManUTD

  When it comes to the Manchester United takeover there isn't really a void that needs speculation to fill it, but such is the drama around this soap opera that it's all anyone can talk about, especially during a two-week gap when club football has taken a backseat. The chaos and the confusion around what comes next at Old Trafford is playing out in public but  four months after the Glazer family put the club on the market , the end game is still unclear. Every move, every twist and every turn is analysed for clues. What seems clear is that none of the bidders are going to reach the £6bn asking price the Glazers have put on the club, but for how much longer can they drag the process out? Is this Raine attempting to "hustle" for the Glazers, as one source put it? Playing on the ego of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe and trying to flush out any other potential bidders.

  Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is planning a £7 billion investment in Manchester United and is said to be confident his debt-free bid can win over the Glazer family. The Telegraph report that bidders have until 9 pm on Wednesday to hand in their second offers for the Premier League giants. A  round of meetings, headed by Raine Group, have already taken place, as confidence grows over the Glazers’ 18-year tenure coming to an end. The £5 billion takeover saga appears to be approaching its conclusion. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, widely considered to be the UK’s richest man, will be sending out a second bid but the Qatari sources feel that they have the edge over the tycoon. Man Utd are gearing up for a deal worth £5b - an amount that would make the sale the record price for a sports team, following the sale of the Denver Broncos American football franchise, which were bought for a then-record £3.8bn last year. Ratcliffe, who’s the billionaire owner of the petrochemicals firm Ineo, wa...

  Cristiano Ronaldo said his Manchester United struggles were part of my growth and said he is a better man because of them, as he spoke publicly about his exit from the club for the first time. Ronaldo's United contract was mutually terminated last year following an incendiary two-part interview with Piers Morgan that was broadcast on TalkTV . In it, Ronaldo criticised United's owners, the Glazer family, as well as manager Erik ten Hag. Ronaldo was not a regular fixture in United's team under Ten Hag, with the manager preferring Anthony Martial as his main striker on the occasions when the Frenchman was fit earlier on in the season.

  Erik Ten Hag’s control and authority has extended to every aspect of Manchester United since his summer arrival. From the £200,000 refurbishment of the players’ meeting room - tailored to his specific demands and inclusive of ultra HD playback and touch screens - to the appointment of a new club chef at the start of the month, The dutchman is at the heart of just about every decision being made at the club. That includes loan moves as well, and not just the decision whether to send his young talents out but where exactly to send them. The Reds saw a number of their youth set up head into the Championship over the summer, while another pair in Anthony Elanga  and Facundo pellistri have been linked with temporary moves away this month.

 The Dutchman has started every game since his arrival at Manchester United but scored only two goals in that time. It has led to frustration from fans and pundits alike but the player himself is happy as long as manager Erik ten Hag has faith having named him in his first XI for 18 straight games. Weghorst, 30, said: “That’s a lot of matches and it shows the trust in me. It also shows that I am doing a good job for the team. "That was the thing I wanted when I came here – to contribute and try and help the club to be successful to win trophies, “We have one now. We have two more to go with the Europa League and FA Cup, and we want to get as high as possible in the table and definitely top four for the Champions League. “So it just shows me that I am being part of it. And being part of us being successful and that appreciation, that’s a good thing.” The problem is United fans are wondering how much higher they would be in the table with a good No 9. Weghorst, who can also play as ...

  Casemiro found the net and Rashford helped score the second at Wembley    Erik ten Hag has become the first Dutch manager to lift the EFL Cup as two goals in six minutes was enough for Manchester United to defeat Newcastle United 2-0 on Sunday at Wembley. Without goalkeeper Nick Pope, who missed the match due to a red card suspension, Newcastle were always going to be up against it but they were the better side until a reckless foul by Bruno Guimares handed Manchester United a free kick in the 32nd minute. Luke Shaw had an excellent delivery on the free kick that Casemiro met in the air for the opening goal and it was all United from there. Only six minutes later, Wout Weghorst played Marcus Rashfrord into space to score United's second goal which ended up being credited as an own goal on Sven Botman due to the deflection that it took off of the defender.  That was enough to secure the victory with ten Hag managing the game and ensuring that his players on yellow c...

Erik ten Hag insisted his side would be able to cope without Casemiro, but the truth is that they barely did against Fulham in their FA Cup quarter-final win. United were always going to be affected by the absence of arguably their two most important players in Raphael Varane and Casemiro, but the drop-off in quality was glaringly enormous. There were a few impressive individual moments defensively to keep their side level early on, but this very much felt like a team of individuals assembled to put a plaster over the damage done to their line up. Fulham always looked like a threat, even if they proved to be lacking in the final third, with Joao Palhinha forming the foundation for their impressive gameplan to function.