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West Ham United and Manchester City have quite an extensive history with one another, facing off 120 times in the years since their initial meeting on St George's Day 1924. Football FanCast has everything you need to know as the two teams prepare to meet again in the Premier League.

While it's still early in the new season, the four games played by both sides can give us some insight into their form going into the game and how they might approach it.

To nobody's surprise, the visitors have started the season off like a house on fire, claiming all 12 points on offer before the international break and doing so without breaking a sweat. So far, they have scored 11 league goals and conceded just two, making them the clear favourites going into the game on Saturday.

That said, the Hammers have also started their league campaign with some brilliant performances and equally brilliant results. In fact, David Moyes' men are currently unbeaten after their first four games and occupy fourth spot in the table, level on points with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal.

Whilst there might have been an element of good fortune with their win over Brighton & Hove Albion – they took less than half as many shots and finished the game with 22% possession – their wins against Chelsea and Luton Town were both thoroughly convincing and suggest that the Hammers could well be the real deal this year.

However, for as good as the East Londoners have looked so far, Pep Guardiola's side are European Champions for a reason, and so they will be going into this game as firm favourites, especially with their Norwegian goal machine already finding the back of the net at an inhuman consistency.

West Ham vs Man City: What's their head-to-head record?

West Ham and City have faced off against one another fairly regularly since their initial meeting 99 years ago. Their 120 games mean that they have averaged 1.2 matches a year since that first meeting.

Despite the reasonably even nature of this fixture for the first 80 years of its existence – with periods of dominance for either side – the last decade-plus has, unsurprisingly, come to be dominated by the incredibly wealthy Man City.

In total, the Sky Blues have come away victors from this game on 63 occasions, whereas the Hammers have only been able to beat their Northern opponents 37 times and claim a single point 19 times.

City's sheer dominance can be seen in the fact that they have only lost two games against the Irons in their last 20 meetings in all competitions.

West Ham vs Man City: What's their Premier League record?

Well, with everything we just explained about the recent nature of this fixture, it should come as no surprise to anyone that City has well and truly dominated in the Premier League era.

In total, the Cityzens have won 27 of their 44 league clashes since the league's creation – a 61.3% win rate. West Ham, on the other hand, have claimed all three points on just nine occasions – with the last time coming back in 2015, pre-Guardiola.

The points have been shared eight times, with the most recent draw coming just last year.

West Ham vs Man City: What's their record at West Ham?

This might actually come as a surprise to some, given their overall record, but when they're playing host, it's West Ham that have come out with all three points more often than not.

In the 58 games held in East London over the years, the Hammers have come away as victors on 25 occasions, giving them a pretty respectable win rate of 43.1%.

City, on the other hand, have won just 20 games in the East End.

West Ham vs Man City: What's their record at Man City?

West Ham's home record might've made for pleasant reading for their fans, but their record in Manchester certainly doesn't. In fact, when the teams clash in the northwest, it's hardly even a competition.

In total, Man City have won 41 of the 59 games held in the city, giving them an outlandishly good win rate of 69.4%.

For their part, the Irons have managed to leave Manchester as winners just 12 times – 20.3% – and with a share of the spoils six times – 10.1%.

West Ham vs Man City: Which team has the most goals?

Well, the answer to this probably shouldn't surprise people, considering how this fixture has gone over the years. Yes, Man City have scored more goals than their East London opponents over the years.

Although, with City winning almost twice as many games as the Hammers, the fact that they have scored just 59 more goals than them is actually somewhat surprising.

In all, the treble winners have scored 214 goals in 120 games – giving them a ratio of 1.7 goals per game – whereas the Hammers have scored 155 goals – giving them a ratio of 1.2 goals per game.

West Ham vs Man City: What happened in last season's fixtures?

City and West Ham played their 119th and 120th games against one another last season, meeting only in the Premier League. Unfortunately for Moyes' men, both games were one-sided affairs won with relative ease by Guardiola's side as they chased down a third successive Premier League title.

Their first meeting in the league came in the opening weekend and saw Erling Haaland open his City account with a goal in both halves to hand the defending champions all three points.

The reverse fixture came in May and saw Haaland joined on the scoresheet by Nathan Ake and Phil Foden as the hosts ran away 3-0 winners – despite West Ham going in level at the break.

West Ham vs Man City: What is West Ham's biggest win?

West Ham registered their biggest win over the blue half of Manchester twice in the same year. In the 1962/63 season, the Hammers beat City 6-1 home and away in the old First Division.

The first instance came in September when the East Londoners travelled to Maine Road and came away with maximum points thanks to a brace from Malcolm Musgrove and goals from Johnny Byrne, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, and Tony Scott.

The reverse fixture at Upton Park went just as well, with braces coming from Hurst and Alan Sealey, whilst Ronnie Boyce and Peter Brabrook added another two goals to West Ham's tally.

West Ham vs Man City: What is Man City's biggest win?

Man City's biggest win over the Hammers came in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final in January 2014, when they put six goals past Adrian in the Iron's goal to no return.

Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo scored a hat-trick that day, whilst Edin Dzeko scored a brace, and Yaya Toure rounded off the scoring with one of his own. City would beat the Hammers 3-0 at Upton Park in the second leg to well and truly demolish their opponents.

City would beat Sunderland 3-1 in the final to claim the trophy.

West Ham vs Man City: What are the recent results?

The last five games between these two sides have seen 12 goals scored – including one penalty and one own goal – and a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw in the League Cup. Unsurprisingly, City have come away the more successful side.

Still, with just three wins out of five, an argument could be made that they have slightly underperformed, given their utter dominance of English football in that period.

West Ham can take some encouragement from the 2-2 draw last May and their League Cup win going into the game this weekend.

West Ham vs Man City: When is it?

West Ham host Man City on Saturday 16th September at 3pm British Summer Time. Whilst this fixture hasn't traditionally been one with high stakes in the Premier League or one that has even been all that competitive following City's takeover in 2008, the teams' positions in the table and recent form have given this upcoming game some much-needed jeopardy.

Both teams will be going into the contest with high morale and their own goals in mind.

City will want to continue their dominant start to the season and keep their winning run going for as long as possible, especially after Arsenal managed to find a last-minute winner against Manchester United just before the international break.

On the other hand, West Ham will want to keep adding points to their tally early on in the season to avoid another relegation scrap come the new year. And with how his new signings are performing, we wouldn't put it past Moyes being able to use the positive atmosphere at the London Stadium to pull what would be the surprise of the weekend and come away with a point, if not more.

Overall, this should be an exhilarating game to watch on Saturday, with a lot on the line for both sides and a stadium that should be rocking before a ball is even kicked.

Tottenham Hotspur scouts have been left impressed by a "really fast" striker they watched in action last week, according to a report.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Tottenham did not end up bringing in a direct replacement for Harry Kane in the summer transfer window, with Ange Postecoglou opting to keep the faith in Richarlison, but they could make a move for a new striker in January, if the latest reports are to be believed.

Spurs are said to be considering a move for Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram, having been keeping track of his progress in the Serie A since arriving in the summer, but they will need to fork out approximately £40m to test the Italian club's resolve.

Ivan Toney has also emerged as a target for the Lilywhites, having outlined his desire to leave Brentford in the January transfer window, and the Bees would not stand in his way, as long as their £60m asking price is matched. There are a number of Premier League clubs circling for Toney, including rivals Chelsea, with TEAMtalk revealing the Blues are set to bring in a new striker in January, and they have also identified Feyenoord's Santiago Gimenez as an option.

Mauricio Pochettino may have to do battle with his former club, however, as Tottenham recently sent scouts to run the rule over the striker in Feyenoord's fiery Eredivisie clash with Ajax, which ended up being suspended due to crowd unrest. 90min report that scouts from a number of clubs were in attendance, including Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea, and they were very impressed with what they saw, as the Mexican scored twice and provided an assist before the game was brought to a halt around the hour mark.

The 22-year-old committed his long-term future to Feyenoord in August, penning a new contract to extend his stay at the Dutch club until 2027, but it remains to be seen whether his head would be turned amid widespread interest from the Premier League and across Europe.

How good is Santiago Gimenez?

Former Liverpool man Dirk Kuyt has described the forward as "really fast", so it is clear that his pace is one of his key qualities, but he is also an exceptional goalscorer, as displayed by his phenomenal record in front of net over the past year.

The Mexico international has averaged 0.74 non-penalty goals per 90, which places him in the 98th percentile when compared to his positional peers playing at a similar level, and he has been particularly impressive in front of goal so far this season.

In five Eredivisie games, the former CD Cruz Azul man has scored six goals, and that is without including the two goals he picked up against Ajax at the weekend, given that the game was suspended in the second half.

Although it must be taken into account that Gimenez is still yet to prove himself in one of Europe's top leagues, his performances have been very impressive, especially considering he is just 22-years-old, and Tottenham should consider a January approach.

Derby County have been handed a boost after learning that one of their first-team stars is set to return to action for tomorrow night’s game vs Blackpool in League One.

How have Derby started the season?

At Pride Park, Paul Warne’s side have had a mixed start to the new campaign having secured four wins, two draws and suffered three defeats from their opening nine matches, so having taken 14 points from a possible 27, they find themselves 12th in the table, as displayed by Sky Sports.

The Rams manager currently has Liam Thompson, Joe Ward and Elliot Embleton all on the sidelines through injury, with the latter having returned to his parent club Sunderland to undergo his recovery, and he’s also since confirmed that Callum Elder will be out for two to three weeks having had keyhole surgery on his hernia.

The Midlands outfit have additionally been without the services of Conor Hourihane in recent weeks having sustained a hamstring problem during the 1-1 encounter against Portsmouth last month, but the boss has now delivered a positive update on the fitness of the central midfielder from the Republic of Ireland.

Is Conor Hourihane injured?

Speaking after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Cambridge United, Warne confirmed that Hourihane should be available vs Blackpool having stepped up his training. As quoted by The Derby Telegraph, he said:

“He should be fit. He's trained today (Saturday) and Friday. He's ticked all of the boxes and I am told he is going to train with the group on Monday. But as it is with Birdy and everybody else who has had an injury, they have to try to get back into the team.

"It will be nice to have him back and his set-piece delivery as well. We go into two away games that we have got to go and try to grab points in.”

How old is Conor Hourihane?

Despite Hourihane being 32 years of age, he’s firmly established himself as Warne’s overall best-performing player so far this season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.31, therefore, it will be a huge boost that he is available once again for Derby.

The Bandon native, who pockets £12k-per-week, has posted four involvements (two goals and the same number of assists) in seven third-tier outings this term, and his prolific form in the final third isn’t the only positive attribute that he brings to the starting line-up.

The Momentum Sports Management client is a versatile operator having been deployed in seven different positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the midfield, at left-back and even out wide on the left wing, which allows the manager to be a lot more flexible in his formation and team selection.

According to journalist Josh Bunting, Hourihane is a “quality” veteran, and of course being the club’s captain, the excellent leadership that he brings to the centre of the field is another reason why his return to the pitch will be a major lift at Pride Park.

A last-second goal from Luis Suarez, and some inspiration from Lionel Messi, secured Inter Miami a draw in leg one of their Champions Cup tie.

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• Inter Miami draw Nashville 2-2
• Messi and Suarez score goals
• Advantage with Herons due to away goals

• TELL ME MORE

  Nashville SC's Jacob Shaffelburg took his moment and ran with it, scoring four minutes into the match. He then doubled their lead one minute into the second half, with a brilliant finish to make it 2-0 46 minutes into the match.

  Then, well, Lionel Messi happened. And then, well, Luis Suarez happened.

  The Argentine brought Inter Miami back into the match with a stunning finish from the edge of the box in the 52nd minute. It felt as though it would be enough to get them the momentum they needed to at least leave Geodis Park with a draw, but his magic alone was not enough. He needed his friend and ex-Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez to step up, too.

  And, boy, did he do it late.

  In the sixth minute of stoppage-time, after playing 95 minutes on his 37-year-old legs, the Uruguayan was found by Sergio Busquets in the box and he smashed the ball home with his forehead to earn a 2-2 draw.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  This was the first time since preseason that Tata Martino and Inter Miami rolled out in a back-five formation. They didn't win a single match featuring five defenders across four attempts.

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  THE MVP

  Jacob Shaffelburg: Messi and Suarez will get the love, and deservedly so. However, the Canadian forward was genuinely sensational for NSC. Not only was he a menace on the counter attack, he was strong and patient as well. Both goals were classy finishes and he took the opportunities presented to him and excelled in clinical fashion.

  The first was a pure striker's finish, where he played a sneaky run behind a defender and then finished without anyone realizing he was there.

  The second, though, my word. Have a hit – and what a moment!

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  THE BIG LOSER

  Tata Martino: Regardless of the Herons winning, losing or managing a draw tonight, his lack of rotation in the XI – and usage of a back-five – put Miami at a disadvantage. They've already played one more MLS match than every other team, minus Real Salt Lake. 37-year-old Luis Suarez scored two goals and added two assists last weekend, and instead of resting him four days later, he gave him the nod from the start.

  Maybe it was not planned, with Leonardo Campana missing due to injury, but it just felt as though the Herons were running with heavy legs.

  To add to it, the Miami boss virtually ignored his bench and the players available off of it. He used just one substitute during the 90-minute period of regulation, and somehow, lucked out by some interplay between two generational footballers.

Manchester City are a club that is not used to making mistakes or falling short across all competitions in the way that they have done under Pep Guardiola this season.

The Cityzens won the last four Premier League titles and won the treble – the Premier League, the Champions League, and the FA Cup – in the 2022/23 campaign.

This season, however, City are 20 points behind Liverpool with 12 games left to play in the top-flight and they have already been knocked out of the League Cup and the Champions League.

As aforementioned, Manchester City are not used to making recruitment errors but some of their decisions in the last few transfer windows should be questioned, going back to when they decided to cash in on Cole Palmer in the summer of 2023.

Chelsea swooped in to sign the Cityzens academy graduate for a reported fee of £40m, with £2.5m in add-ons, ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, and he has gone on to become a star in the Premier League.

Manchester City's Cole Palmer mistake

The England international’s soaring market value and incredible form on the pitch in the top-flight suggests that City and Guardiola made a big mistake when they allowed him to move on from the club.

At the time of writing, Palmer is currently valued at a whopping €130m (£108m) by Transfermarkt, which is significantly more than the initial £40m the Sky Blues raked in for him around 18 months ago.

As you can see in the table above, the Chelsea star is the second-most valuable former Manchester City academy graduate actively playing, only behind current Cityzens star Phil Foden.

Interestingly, Lewis and Foden are the only two of the eight most-valuable graduates who are still at the club, which suggests that City have fumbled several supreme young talents.

Palmer’s form for Chelsea may be particularly frustrating for the club, though, as he has starred in the Premier League, whereas the likes of Gittens and Frimpong are currently playing in the Bundesliga.

The English magician has racked up a staggering 39 goals and 21 assists in 74 appearances for Chelsea as an attacking midfielder, which shows that he has the quality to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch on a consistent basis.

City’s decision to sell Palmer was a big mistake, given his incredible output for the Blues, and that opinion is further validated by his form in comparison to Foden this term.

Phil Foden's declining form

The two Manchester City academy graduates won the top awards in the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign. Palmer won the PFA Young Player of the Year trophy and Foden was named the PFA Player of the Year.

City’s number 47 enjoyed a terrific season as he ended the year with an exceptional return of 19 goals and eight assists in the Premier League, which led to his peers voting him as the best player in the division.

Unfortunately, Foden has been unable to maintain that impressive form heading into the current campaign and has been outperformed by Palmer in the top-flight.

As you can see in the table above, the Chelsea wizard has significantly outperformed his former teammate as both a scorer and a creator of goals, further illustrating the error City made by cashing in on him in 2023.

This suggests that Guardiola would have had an even bigger talent on his hands if he had not green-lit the academy graduate’s move to Stamford Bridge in 2023.

Where Are They Now

Palmer, however, is not the only former Manchester City star who is outperforming Foden this season, as Guardiola appears to have repeated the mistake he made with the left-footed ace with the sale of Julian Alvarez last year.

Julian Alvarez's form this season

The Argentina international moved on from The Etihad last summer when Atletico Madrid swooped in to secure his services for a reported fee of £82m, which was – at the very least – a significant fee in comparison to Palmer’s £40m move to Chelsea.

Alvarez was an important player for City, though, and was described as “almost undroppable” by Guardiola in the 2023/24 campaign, in which the forward racked up 19 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.

They seemingly decided that they would be fine without his considerable contributions in the final third, however, as they allowed him to leave and did not sign a direct replacement for him last summer.

The decision to move on from Alvarez was a repeat of their Palmer blunder because he has been in fantastic form for Atletico Madrid this season and has, as the Chelsea star also has, outperformed Foden.

As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old sensation has caught the eye as a ruthless finisher, outperforming against his xG, in LaLiga and the Champions League for the Spanish giants this term.

He has racked up 23 direct goal contributions (19 goals and four assists) in all competitions for Atletico, which is eight more than Foden (ten goals and five assists) has managed for City this term.

Therefore, Alvarez has outperformed Foden at the top end of the pitch this season and he could have stepped up as a key player once again for City if they had not moved on from him last summer.

Worse than Marmoush v Liverpool: Pep must finally axe 5/10 Man City man

Manchester City should allow the forward to move on from the club in the summer.

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By
Dan Emery

Feb 24, 2025

Guardiola repeated his Palmer mistake by deciding to cash in on a fantastic player who could have starred for Manchester City if they had remained at The Etihad, instead of being ruthlessly ditched, and that is why the manager should regret moving on from Alvarez.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney has joked about a summer move to Real Madrid amid growing speculation about his future.

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• Toney details 2023-24 plans
• Talks EURO 2024
• Jokes about Real Madrid transfer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Toney, 28, cheekily said that an ideal end to the 2023-24 campaign would see the Brentford striker secure the Euro 2024 trophy with England before moving to the Spanish capital in the upcoming transfer window. The Bees striker is currently contracted until 2025 but has been open about his ambitions to leave the club in order to test himself at one of the elite clubs in world football, and he has been linked with both Arsenal and Chelsea in the Premier League.

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  WHAT TONEY SAID

  When asked by about what his ideal end to the 2023-24 season would look like, Toney said: "We win every game from now until the end of the season. I've scored 20 goals, we have nine games left and we've kept nine clean sheets. Something like that."

  He went on to talk about what the perfect summer would involve, where he added: "I'm in the mix for the Euros, then we win! If Brentford was to sell me, they make their money… and I move to Madrid!"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In a separate interview with Sky Sports during the January transfer window, Toney was open about his ambitions to leave Brentford in the near future to play at a 'top club'. "You can never predict when is the right time to move elsewhere, but I think it's obvious I want to play for a top club," he said.

  "Everybody wants to play for a top club, that is fighting for titles. Whether it's this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows? But my main focus is to do what I do on the pitch and let the background work take care of itself."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TONEY?

  For now, Toney will have to concentrate on his form for Brentford if he wants to earn himself a spot in Gareth Southgate's England plans for the summer and a possible move to a 'top' club this summer. He has been included in the latest Three Lions squad for March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.

  His next opportunity to impress will arrive at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon, as Brentford face off against Vincent Kompany's struggling Burnley side.

The USMNT U23 squad for their March friendlies against France and Guinea has been revealed, with Cade Cowell and Gianluca Busio leading the way.

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• USMNT U23 squad announced
• Primary group for Paris Olympics
• Cowell & McGuire highlight attack

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  U.S. Soccer shared news that they brought in 22 players for the camp: two goalkeepers, seven defenders, six midfielders and seven forwards. Only 10 of the 22 selected have played a role in all three USMNT U23 training roster since head coach Marko Mitrovic started preparing his team for the summer games, with defenders Maximilian Dietz, Nathan Harriel, Bryan Reynolds, John Tolkin and Jonathan Tomkinson, midfielders Gianluca Busio, Jack McGlynn and Tanner Tessmann plus forwards Esmir Bajraktarevic and Johan Gomez all making the cut again.

  Meanwhile, USMNT first-team capped players like Cowell, Busio and Duncan McGuire are now with this group again, and are likely locked in for roles at the Paris Games. Of the 22 selected, 15 have seen senior caps, with Busio's 13 leading the way.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  U23 goalkeeper Patrick Schulte has been a standout performer for the Columbus Crew over the past 12 months, and now has Premier League side Arsenal scouting him ahead of what is being touted as a breakout year for him. However, Chelsea loanee Gaga Slonina will be competing for minutes in net, with neither prepared to take the bench.

  Meanwhile, fellow MLS standouts Diego Luna, Bajraktarevic and McGlynn will all be looking to push for a roster spot this summer as well.

  The squad will have to be trimmed down ahead of a final decision this summer by Mitrovic and U.S. Soccer, while they will also have to determine if any of their U23 senior players like Yunus Musah, Gio Reyna, Johnny Cardoso or Ricardo Pepi will want to feature, too.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  For the Olympic Games, men's soccer rosters are limited to 18-persons, with it being a near strict U23 policy. However, teams are allowed to have four alternates, meaning squad sizes of 22 will be called up. Additionally, mens teams are allowed to call in three overage players above 23-years-old to bolster their roster and add a sense of leadership to what will be a relatively young squad.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR THE U23 USMNT?

  The squad has two upcoming friendlies during the international window starting next week, with the marquee matchup coming on March 25. They'll clash with France, who will be led by Thierry Henry on the touchline. Three days prior, they'll take on Guinea.

Manchester United’s form in the Premier League so far this season has been nowhere near good enough for where the club should expect to be.

There are only four teams between the Red Devils and Southampton at the bottom of the table, with the Saints still two points behind Derby’s all-time low tally of 11, as they sit 15th in the division.

They have lost 12 of their 26 matches in the Premier League, winning just eight, and they needed a big comeback against Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday to avoid it becoming 13.

It is not as simple as pointing to one reason, whether that be the ownership, Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim, or the players, as to why United have been so poor in the Premier League.

Instead, it is a combination of a number of factors and recruitment, both in terms of their signings and their decisions on who to sell, has been an influential factor in that.

One strand of recruitment United have let themselves down with has been their treatment of academy talent, as they have allowed some top players to move on from Old Trafford after coming through the youth system.

Man United's academy graduate mistakes

Firstly, United sold academy graduate Scott McTominay to Napoli for a reported fee of £25m last summer and the Scotland international has scored six goals in 28 matches in the Serie A this season.

Meanwhile, no current player for Amorim has scored more than six league goals, with Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes tied on six, which suggests that the club could have benefitted from his attacking talent this season.

A year prior to McTominay’s exit, United allowed Anthony Elanga to join Nottingham Forest for a fee of £15m, after a return of four goals and four assists in 55 matches for the Red Devils at first-team level.

The club were not patient with the Sweden international and the Tricky Trees have benefitted from their impatience, as the winger has been in terrific form over the past 18 months or so at the City ground.

As you can see in the table above, Elanga has provided a huge threat as a creative force for Forest with his ability to provide his teammates with ‘big chances’ to score.

This suggests that the 22-year-old whiz, who has more assists than any United player in the Premier League this season, is another one who the club let leave too soon.

Perhaps the most famous example of United allowing an academy graduate to leave too soon, however, was when Sir Alex Ferguson failed to convince Paul Pogba to stay in 2012.

Manchester United's Paul Pogba blunder

The French maestro came up through the academy system at United and made three appearances in the Premier League during the 2011/12 campaign, before his contract came to an end that summer.

Ferguson revealed that the 19-year-old starlet had agreed to join Juventus a “long time ago” before his move was made official in the summer of 2012. The legendary boss said: “(It) is disappointing. I don’t think he showed us any respect at all, to be honest.”

Perhaps his lack of minutes in the first-team, with three league outings, is what convinced Pogba to decide to ditch Manchester for Turin, and that possible blunder by Sir Alex allowed Juventus to land him for a compensation fee of £800k.

Of course, after 179 appearances, 34 goals, and 32 assists, for Juventus in all competitions, United later swooped to bring him back to Old Trafford in a world-record £89m deal.

This shows that the Red Devils made a huge mistake with Pogba as they had to pay a world-record fee to sign a player they had on their books in the academy and lost for just £800k, because he developed into a fantastic player during his time in Turin.

Amorim may, now, have repeated a similar blunder by allowing Marcus Rashford to move on from the club in the January transfer window, instead of spending more time with him to help him get back to his best in a red shirt.

Marcus Rashford's form since leaving United

The England international, who has scored 138 goals in 426 matches for United, was sent out on loan to Aston Villa in the winter window, and the Premier League side have the option to sign him permanently for £40m.

Rashford played 15 times for United in the first half of the season and contributed with four goals and four ‘big chances’ created, which is a fairly unremarkable return for a player of his quality.

Amorim omitted him from the matchday squads and claimed that the attacker’s lack of intensity in training was the reason behind his lack of minutes on the pitch.

Whilst there is absolutely blame to be placed at Rashford’s door, as he should have put the work in at training to earn his place in the squad, the Portuguese head coach was also quick to move on from the attacker instead of spending time to help the player improve in that aspect of his work.

As you can see in the table above, Rashford, who has been described as “unplayable” by analyst Raj Chohan, has caught the eye already for Villa.

The English speedster has already created four ‘big chances’ in three Premier League games, whilst Bruno Fernandes (11) is the only United player with more than five ‘big chances’ created in the entire season so far.

These statistics suggest that Unai Emery is getting the best out of Rashford and that he has seen enough from the star in training to consistently select him, which is why Amorim should have given the forward more time to show that to him at Old Trafford.

Now, Villa could, potentially, sign a sublime talent at Premier League level for a fee of just £40m, which United could go on to deeply regret in a similar way to how they did when Pogba left for just £800k.

Better than Dorgu: Man Utd must regret selling "monster" star for just £5m

Manchester United once sold a defender who is even better than Patrick Dorgu.

4

By
Dan Emery

Feb 24, 2025

However, Rashford turns 28 later this year and it seems unlikely that he will return to United – should Villa exercise their option – for a world-record transfer fee in the future.

Harry Maguire has revealed that he and the England squad want Gareth Southgate to remain as England boss – as they look to win Euro 2024.

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• Southgate tipped for Man Utd job
• Will decide on England future after Euro 2024
• Maguire and squad want Southgate at England

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  After his fourth international tournament in Germany this summer, Southgate is expected to step down as England's manager. The Three Lions are among the favourites to win their first title since 1966. However, Maguire says he would rather have Southgate oversee his international team than his club, amid being tipped to succeed Erik ten Hag as Manchester United's manager.

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• WHAT MAGUIRE SAID

  Speaking to the media, Maguire said [via The Mirror]: "Is winning the Euros a target? Yeah, definitely, obviously.‌ We want to be successful in the Euros – we are not looking at the World Cup at the moment – but obviously, if we are successful at the Euros, which is our main focus, of course, we want to be successful.

  “If Gareth’s the man to make us be successful then we want him to stay as long as possible. I’ve had a great relationship with him. I’ve been a big part of the success and the progression that we’ve shown as a country. And I’m sure he will say the same thing now, it’s all about winning a trophy.

  ‌“I don’t know what’s going to happen after the Euros, I don’t know if he knows what’s going to happen. But I feel like what he’s done from when he first took over this job to where we are at now, we’ve taken huge strides and he’s a massive part of that."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Southgate's current contract expires in December, and he won't talk about signing a new one until after Euro 2024. It's usually assumed that after spending a significant amount of time in the international arena, he would desire to return to club management. Ten Hag's future with Manchester United is uncertain, thus the 53-year-old has been connected to the dramatic move to Old Trafford, where new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe hopes to improve things at the team.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR SOUTHGATE?

  The England manager will be fully focused on the task on hand rather than his future with the Euro 2024 starting in less than three months. He will lead his side on Saturday, March 23 when they take on Brazil in a friendly at Wembley Stadium.

BBC pundit Stewart Downing has suggested that an "amazing" player should join Arsenal for one key reason.

Who will Arsenal sign in January?

After sealing summer deals for club-record signing Declan Rice, defender Jurrien Timber, forward Kai Havertz and goalkeeper David Raya, who all cost north of £200 million in total, it is believed that the Gunners could be busy yet again in January. Indeed, reports in the media have suggested that a new striker could well be in the offing, with the likes of Brentford star Ivan Toney, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Feyenoord star Santiago Gimenez all linked in the last month.

Arsenal have just Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah to turn to as natural striking options, with Havertz brought in as a sort-of makeshift option from Chelsea in the summer. However, the German has scored just one league goal for Arteta so far. Injuries to both Nketiah or Jesus would arguably spel trouble for Arsenal, prompting some calls for them to sign a centre-forward.

Club legend Emmanuel Petit, speaking before deadline day, even urged them to sign Newcastle striker Alexander Isak as an alternative to Jesus and Nketiah.

"Alexander Isak is tall, aggressive and has great technique," Petit said (via The Mirror). "He wants to score every time he gets the ball but he needs to be more precise in his game. Physically and technically, he has a huge presence on the pitch.

"Jesus and Nketiah play in a similar way, they are different in terms of movement, but physically, technically and in their finishing they are not far apart."

As well as a new striker, Arsenal have been tipped to move for Wolves winger Pedro Neto in 2024.

Arsenal – Ivan Toney update

Speaking on the future of Toney, who has been centre to claims he's likely to depart Brentford in the new year, BBC pundit Downing has suggested to the broadcaster that he should join Arsenal to get the England international preference over Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.

“When I was at Middlesbrough with Capello and doing alright, he was a fan of how I played,” said Downing to Five Live, as transcribed by HITC.

“He actually made a straight point to me, ‘you need to leave and play for a team that is further up the league. Europa League or Champions League’. I actually laughed at him and thought ‘that’s easier said than done. I am trying. How am I going to get them clubs?’ I know it does play a big part. If Ivan Toney does come back and say he goes to Arsenal, starts playing Champions League, winning the Premier League or threatening every season.

“Then Gareth (Southgate) will be under pressure to start him ahead of Ollie (Watkins). 100% – I am sure Ollie knows that as well. If he continues to score goals and gets Villa into them Champions League or Europa League spots, then he gives himself a hell of a chance.”

The future battle between Toney and Watkins will be an interesting one, especially considering Toney should be in top form when he returns from his ban. Called "amazing" by Thomas Frank, the striker netted 20 league goals last season.