File photo of Harry Maguire.© AFP

Arne Slot says crisis-hit Manchester United are “much, much better” than their shocking position in the Premier League suggests as he prepares his Liverpool team for a clash against their fierce rivals on Sunday. Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the Premier League table — and are hot favourites to land a 20th English top-flight crown, which would pull them level with record-holders United. United, by contrast, are 14th in the table after five defeats in their past six league games under new manager Ruben Amorim.

But Slot, also in his first campaign in England, is adamant he will not take his opponents lightly at Anfield, when asked if he might rest players at Friday’s pre-match press conference.

“No, of course I’m not going to plan to rest any player because it’s a big game and I think it’s for me I said it before the first fixture (a 3-0 win at Old Trafford) and I can say it one more time, that they have much better players in my opinion than maybe the league table shows at the moment.

“I think it’s going to take a while maybe for Ruben Amorim to bring this out of the players… but they will definitely go up and they are much, much, much better than the league table shows at the moment.”

The Dutchman said he had sympathy with his rival in the Old Trafford hot seat, who joined United from Portuguese champions Sporting Lisbon in November.

“I think every manager sympathises with every other manager, because we all know how much pressure this job brings,” said Slot.

“That’s not different for him than for me, or for any other manager that works in the Premier League, or somewhere else around the world.”

Slot was asked whether he could categorically state that Liverpool would not let Trent Alexander-Arnold leave in the January transfer window, with the defender heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and captain Virgil van Dijk are all out of contract at the end of the season and can now talk to foreign clubs.

Slot said Alexander-Arnold was “fully committed” to Liverpool and would be playing on Sunday.

“Hopefully he brings the same performances as he brought in for the last half-year, because I think everybody saw how great a first half of the season he had, how much he is here, how much he wants to win here,” said Slot.”

File photo of Marcus Rashford.© AFP

Manchester United are reportedly closing in on their top managerial target Ruben Amorim even though the Sporting Lisbon coach said “nothing is decided yet” when it came to him replacing the sacked Erik ten Hag. As United prepared on Wednesday to play their first game since they dismissed Ten Hag, facing Leicester in the League Cup at Old Trafford, behind the scenes 39-year-old Amorim appears to be their number one choice to take over the hotseat. United pulled the plug on Ten Hag’s two-year reign as manager on Monday after a 2-1 defeat by West Ham left them 14th in the Premier League.

Amorim quickly emerged as the leading contender to succeed the Dutchman and Sporting issued a statement to the Lisbon stock exchange on Tuesday confirming United were willing to meet his 10-million-euro ($10.8 million) release clause.

Sky Sports on Wednesday quoted a source at Sporting saying Amorim’s move at Old Trafford was a “done deal”, but the club remained tightlipped.

Amorim was guarded when asked after Sporting’s League Cup win against Nacional on Tuesday if it was his last match with the club.

“Nobody knows whether this was my farewell match. Nothing is decided yet,” he said.

Despite spending heavily in the transfer market in the summer, Ten Hag paid the price for United’s poor start to the season.

They have won just one of their last eight games in all competitions.

United have appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy as interim boss but Amorim, who is considered one of Europe’s leading young coaches, is reportedly the leading contender to take over on a permanent basis.

The former Portugal international midfielder has won two Portuguese titles with Sporting since joining the club in March 2020.

He was briefly linked with the manager’s role at Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving and went as far as holding talks with West Ham this year, before they appointed former Spain coach Julen Lopetegui.

– ‘Age doesn’t matter’ –

Amorim would be one of the youngest managers in the Premier League if appointed by United.

But Pep Guardiola, who has guided United’s UAE-backed neighbours Manchester City to an unprecedented four successive Premier League titles, insisted Amorim’s age was not an issue.

“Why is it a problem?” said City manager Guardiola. “I started at Barcelona, at 37 years old, coming into the fourth division.

“Knowledge is knowledge. If you are able, it doesn’t matter…What’s important is talent. If you are good, age doesn’t matter,” the Spaniard added.

Van Nistelrooy, who will take charge against Leicester, said in the matchday programme he was “saddened” by Ten Hag’s departure.

The former United forward added it was “a great honour to manage the club I love for however long I am asked to do so”.

Whoever the new United manager is, they will inherit a squad largely built by Ten Hag that includes several players who have proven to be expensive failures.

The most glaring example is Antony, the Brazilian forward signed for nearly £90 million from Ten Hag’s former club Ajax in 2022, who has scored just 12 goals in 87 appearances.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe reviewed Ten Hag’s progress in the summer after the club finished eighth in the league but won the FA Cup with a shock victory over Manchester City.

The club were also believed to have spoken to other potential managers but decided to retain Ten Hag and handed him millions for new players.

But Ten Hag was sacked because United, who last won the Premier League in 2013, have shown little improvement this season.

The former Ajax coach, who joined United in May 2022, argued in his final days in charge he deserved respect for winning the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup a year later.

In comments embargoed until Tuesday, Ten Hag said before the Leicester match he thought winning a trophy in his third season would make it a success.

“Definitely, it’s about trophies,” he said. “If you win a trophy in pro football, that is most important because that is what the fans expect and what we expect.”

Since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 after leading United to a record 20th league title, five full-time managers have come and gone at Old Trafford.

File photo of Manchester United.© AFP

Manchester City vs Manchester United, 2024 FA Community Shield Final Live Streaming: The football season will officially kick off with the 2024 FA Community Shield final, as Premier League champions Manchester City take on FA Cup winners Manchester United. City narrowly won the Premier League title last season, but lost to United in the FA Cup final. United’s new centre-back Leny Yoro won’t play due to injury, but fellow signing, striker Joshua Zirkzee, might get his official debut. Jadon Sancho also returns to the United fold, hoping to leave behind past clashes with manager Erik ten Hag. City’s new signing, Brazilian winger Savinho, may also get a start.

When will the 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match take place?

The 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match will take place on Saturday, August 10 (IST).

Where will the 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match be held?

The 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match will be held at the Wembley Stadium, London.

What time will the 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match start?

The 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match will start at 7:30 PM.

What TV channels will live telecast the 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match?

The 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match will be live telecast on the Sony Sports network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match?

The 2024 Community Shield Final, Manchester City vs Manchester United match will be live streamed on the Sony LIV app.

(All details are as per information provided by the broadcaster)

“Better late than never” said England talisman Jude Bellingham, on his latest Instagram post, after his team’s dramatic win over the Netherlands in the second Euro 2024 semi-final. Ollie Watkins scored a superb last-minute goal, to send the Dutch packing, and keep the dream of ‘bringing it home’ alive. Away from the goals and the celebrations, a certain teenager in the middle of the park is slyly running away with the headlines. Teenage sensation Kobbie Mainoo has had a tremendous campaign at the base of midfield, carrying on from his terrific season with Manchester United.

England will face Spain in the final on Sunday. Both sides, on paper are incredibly well-rounded, with a wealth of experience and quality. But for both sides, the biggest talking points of the tournament have been their teenage superstars.

Soon to be 17-year-old livewire Lamine Yamal took the breathe away from millions watching the game, scoring an absolute scorcher in the semis against France. The Barcelona winger has been outstanding all throughout the tournament, becoming the youngest goalscorer ever in the semi finals of a major tournament. Yamal has racked up 4 goal involvements in the campaign so far, making a strong case for being named Player of the Tournament if Spain are to win Euro 2024.

Although Mainoo doesn’t fill the statsheet in the obvious ways, his impact on the team has arguably been as much as Yamal’s. The 19-year-old has completed more than 95% of his passes with a staggering dribble percentage of 98%. Incredibly composed on the ball, playing line-breaking passes and dribbling out of trouble, Mainoo has provided the England midfield a brand new dimension. In the semi final, Mainoo played more of a reserved role at the base of the midfield, winning 100% of his duels and tackles. Mainoo’s skillset has enabled Declan Rice to be more expansive with his game, bombing forward at every opportunity possible.

After a disappointing Finals loss in the last Euros, England will be determined to put in a big shift in Berlin. But on the other side, they face Spain, who have arguably been the best team to watch so far. And as mentioned above, all eyes will be on the battle of the teens, as Lamine Yamal and Kobbie Mainoo go head-to-head, vying to win their respective nations the big prize.

Erik ten Hag has signed a contract extension that keeps him at Old Trafford until 2026, the Premier League club announced on Thursday. There had been intense speculation over the Dutchman’s future after a terrible 2023/24 Premier League campaign but United ended the season with shock 2-1 victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup final. British media last month said Ten Hag, who has won two trophies in his two seasons at Old Trafford, would remain in his post following a performance review by club chiefs.

“Erik ten Hag has extended his contract as Manchester United men’s first-team manager until June 2026,” United said in a statement.

The former Ajax manager, whose deal had been due to expire in 2025, admitted there was work to be done to close the gap on United’s Premier League rivals.

“Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined,” he said.

“However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.

“In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together.”

Dan Ashworth, Manchester United sporting director, said: “With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.

“While the club’s review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.

“This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level — now we need to do it more consistently.”

– Trophy drought –

Ten Hag, 54, ended a six-year trophy drought for United in his first season by lifting the League Cup and finished third in the league, encouraging fans that they might launch a Premier League title bid in 2023/24.

But those hopes vanished quickly as the team struggled for consistency, hit by injuries and poor form.

United finished an embarrassing eighth in the Premier League — their lowest final position since 1990 — and crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage.

There were reports that Ten Hag would be sacked regardless of the result in the FA Cup final at Wembley but they ultimately proved wide of the mark.

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe took control of football operations at Old Trafford following his purchase of a minority stake in the club earlier this year.

United have made sweeping changes to their backroom staff since then, including the appointment of Ashworth, who was previously at Newcastle.

Ten Hag is United’s fifth permanent manager since the end of Alex Ferguson’s trophy-filled reign in 2013, following David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United will launch the 2024/25 Premier League season with a home game against Fulham on August 16.