News Thread

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva, rivals Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Fulham’s João Paulhinha have a combined market value of €210 million and could form one of the strongest midfield trifectas in world football right now for Portugal. That’s not to mention the likes of Matheus Nunes, Vitinha and Rúben Neves who would be waiting in the wings on the bench if manager Roberto Martínez was to opt for the aforementioned three. 

Thirteen British clubs feature in the top 50 highest attendances in the world during the 2023/24 season, with Manchester United remaining the best supported club in the United Kingdom. West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur join the Manchester club in the top ten with two German clubs leading the way this season. Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena and Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park have both been at full capacity, with Dortmund claiming top spot with 81,365 fans.

Manchester United have been engulfed by problems this season but they return to English Premier League action this weekend against Everton as the in-form team across the last five games. Erik ten Hag has been heavily scrutinised this season but United are just five points off the top four and seven points from leaders Manchester City. Context, however, is important as the Old Trafford side faced three of the league’s bottom six sides - Fulham, Luton Town and Sheffield United - as they racked up four wins from their last five to head into the international break. An ominous fixture list awaits United in December in the league and they also risk being knocked out of the Champions League, but an easing of their injury crisis in defence should provide slight optimism.

Romelu Lukaku took his tally for the Belgium national team to an impressive 83 goals from just 113 games in all competitions during the international break, with no less than four goals in a 5-0 demolition of Azerbaijan. The result not only kept Belgium top of their qualifying group for next season’s European Championships, but also continued an impressive trend of the towering striker scoring goals for fun for his country. In this qualifying campaign alone, Lukaku has now bagged 11 goals and an assist to boot in just seven games. 

The holding midfield position has long been a discussion for debate at Manchester United. A position once paraded by the likes of Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick, it could be argued Old Trafford hasn’t seen a world class defensive midfielder for a very long time. Many felt Casemiro could change that when he signed for €70.65 million from Real Madrid in the summer of 2022, but injuries and suspensions have meant the 31-year-old has been difficult to rely on for manager Erik ten Hag, and with the Brazilian now in the twilight of his career, what’s the future at the heart of Man United’s midfield? 

Brazil’s national team are struggling in their quest to qualify for the next World Cup, but several talented youngsters are emerging for the Selecao. Endrick is widely regarded as the future of Brazilian football and he’s already signed for Real Madrid but Gabriel Moscardo is rapidly growing in prominence.

Manchester United’s Champions League campaign hit a new low on Wednesday night, when Erik ten Hag’s side not only dropped two points but did so after taking a 3-1 lead against hosts Galatasaray. Goals from Alejandro Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay should have confirmed only a second victory from their last 10 away ties in the European competition, but not for the first time this season, mistakes from goalkeeper André Onana undermined what had looks like a solid performance from the Old Trafford side. 

Serhou Guirassy has written history to start the season. The 27-year-old striker scored 14 goals in the first eight Bundesliga games this season, breaking a start record set by Robert Lewandowski during the 2020/21 season. That season, Lewandowski would set the record for the most goals scored in the Bundesliga (41). Guirassy is still somewhat away from that record and an injury has meant that his pace has slowed somewhat as he has only added one more goal since the prolific start to the season. Among players playing in any of the top 5 leagues, only Bayern Munich star striker and English captain Harry Kane (18 goals) has scored more often than Guirassy this season. 

The winter transfer window is rapidly approaching with clubs finalising their strategies to improve their squads, but some deals could be sealed before then. While major permanent transfers aren’t as frequent in January as the summer window, some big players could still switch clubs with the loan market a popular avenue. Chelsea were extremely active last January, spending big money on Mykhaylo Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez. Virgil Van Dijk famously swapped Southampton for Liverpool in January 2018 with the Merseyside club recouping €135m for Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona during the same window. But clubs could add new signings before the January window opens with a number of high-profile players still without a club.

Manchester United’s dismal season was dealt another devastating blow as they were knocked out of the Champions League after a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich. The English giants’ fate was outwith their control following a shock defeat in matchday five against Galatasaray with Copenhagen progressing to the knockout stages after beating the Turkish side in the decider in Denmark.