Manchester United News Roundup: Club consider move for 'next Bruno Fernandes', rumours of superstar's exit dismissed, and more — 17th March, 2021
Manchester United are just over 24 hours away from kicking off their high-profile clash against AC Milan in the UEFA Europa League at San Siro. Should they fail to beat the Rossoneri, the FA Cup could remain as the only piece of silverware they can target this campaign as they appear unlikely to overturn Manchester City's staggering 14-point lead at the top of the Premier League. The Red Devils will follow up their trip to Milan with a trip to Leicester for an FA Cup knockout tie against the Foxes.
Ahead of their upcoming game at San Siro, here is a look at some of the latest Manchester United news.
Manchester United squad bolstered ahead of trip to Milan
After a mini-injury crisis over the last few weeks, Manchester United will now have a few more options to call upon at the San Siro with the likes of Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek back in contention to play. The midfield duo, along with David de Gea — who was absent due to personal reasons — has returned to England after a trip to Spain and is part of the travelling squad.
While Edinson Cavani was initially included as part of the squad as well, he had to be withdrawn as a late change as confirmed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He explained;
"We are happy to have Donny [Van de Beek] back, Paul [Pogba] and David [De Gea]. Big players. Unfortunately, it looks like Edinson [Cavani] has got a bit of a reaction to training today and didn’t feel ready to travel."
Eric Bailly will not travel to Milan as he is being assessed as per the club's official website, while Anthony Martial has been ruled out via injury.
Full travelling squad: David de Gea, Dean Henderson, Lee Grant; Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Alex Telles, Axel Tuanzebe, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Brandon Williams; Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, Dan James, Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, Donny van de Beek; Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank de Boer responds to Donny van de Beek rumours
Donny van de Beek has been in the news recently as speculation around his future continues to grow. Rumours suggested the Dutchman is unhappy at Manchester United due to a lack of playing time, having started just two Premier League games so far this season.
However, Solskjaer has dismissed reports claiming he could leave the club. The manager went on to praise the midfielder, saying;
"There's always speculation here. They've been involved with the training session. Let's see tomorrow whether there's any reaction or not. Donny [van de Beek] has been working really hard to get back available for the latter stages of the season now. That's our focus."
The Manchester United boss' comments were further reiterated by Netherlands legend Ronald de Boer, who claims Van de Beek is 'enjoying life' in Manchester. He explained;
"I spoke to Ajax and they said there’s no truth in it at all. He didn’t ask to speak to them. He’s just focusing on his recovery on his ankle, and it’s not true that he asked Manchester United to leave. His agent also told me that of course he’s not happy that he’s not playing. He’s only had two starts under Solskjaer and that’s not what he hoped for when he joined Manchester United."
The ex-Oranje player added on the Manchester United midfielder,
"He’s not worried, of course he wants to play every game. But he’s not worried that he can’t succeed. He has to have a review after this year, asking where do I stand? Do I have a possibility to succeed here or not? Otherwise, I have to make a move. We will see where he’s heading next year, maybe he stays at Manchester United or maybe another club is interesting for him."
"But he’s not panicking at all, he told his agent he’s so happy at Manchester United because the club is one of the best in terms of how they treat him, he feels loved."
After returning from an injury issue, Van de Beek is part of the traveling squad for Milan and could play a role in their knockout tie against the Rossoneri.
Manchester United keeping tabs on Pedro Goncalves
After the immense success that their last signing from Sporting CP has enjoyed, Manchester United are plotting a raid of the Portuguese club once again for their star player Pedro Goncalves. The 22-year-old has been in stunning form this year, scoring 15 times in 26 appearances for the Lisbon club. His goalscoring exploits and approach have drawn comparisons to ex-Sporting captain and Manchester United hero Bruno Fernandes.
The Telegraph claim that Manchester United are weighing up a move for Goncalves as a suitable alternative to Jadon Sancho to fill the role of an attacker. The former Wolves man has been at the heart of Sporting's title challenge and is believed to have a release clause worth £51.7m in his contract.
Also read: Red Devils keen on signing Barcelona target, club could sign Portuguese star for €30m less than release clause, and more