Manchester United

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We asked for your views after Manchester United's 2-0 friendly win over Rangers.

Here are some of your responses:

David: Much improved on the Rosenborg game. Leny Yoro looks to be a steal - he has great timing and can move forward. Harry Amass looked good, as did Amad Diallo. A few first-team players looking over their shoulders now.

Steve: A very positive performance from United's second string. Always looking to play forward and get on the front foot. It is refreshing to see United aggressive in the transfer market and positive on the pitch. We haven't seen this positivity for years.

Christine: Diallo is going to be world class. Great to see so many young players coming through the ranks and giving fantastic performances, making sure they are giving themselves a chance of playing when the season starts. So many good things to look forward to.

Neil: Food for thought. Liked the dig and hunger shown - particularly by the young guys. Jadon Sancho clearly benefited from his German stint and hopefully both player and boss bury their differences as he is a class act.

Paul: Nice to see some youngsters coming through. Toby Collyer is a workhorse and hopefully he can break through this year. Still some frailty at the back, which was saved by Rangers' lack of finishing. Yoro looked calm with some nice passing, so hopefully a good addition to the squad.

Ruzzzle: No Victor Lindelof or Antony despite both being in full training last week shows where their futures may lie. The game itself was a step up in performance from Rosenborg. Good to see Yoro and Sancho was also like a new signing. Still a lot of players to come back into the side, but Diallo and Mason Mount did their chances no harm.

Arifur: Pre-season or not, it was a good game. It seemed like United had control and were confident on the ball. Still some little moments of inconsistency but, other than that, a great win. Diallo was superb and Yoro showed a sublime passing range and composure on the ball.

Dougie: Let's not get carried away here. This was an easy win - against the second best team in the Scottish Premiership. You could buy the club for the price of Scott McTominay.

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Leny Yoro has described his first outing in a Manchester United shirt as "incredible".

The £52m signing from Lille played the opening half of Saturday's 2-0 friendly win over Rangers at Murrayfield.

"It was a really good game from the team," the 18-year-old defender told club media., external

"I'm happy with my performance and I hope we continue like that."

United now travel to the United States where they will face Arsenal, Real Betis and Liverpool, before the Community Shield against Manchester City at Wembley on 10 August.

Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte, 23, has agreed personal terms with Manchester United, who continue to negotiate a deal with Paris St-Germain. (Fabrizio Romano), external

The Old Trafford club are open to selling midfielder Mason Mount this summer. (HITC), external

France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 29, is close to signing for United after leaving Juventus at the end of his contract. (Goal), external

Meanwhile, United have set a £30m asking price for midfielder Scott McTominay. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Sunday's full gossip column

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Amad Diallo and Joe Hugill scored the goals as Manchester United won 2-0 against Scottish Premiership side Rangers at Murrayfield on Saturday.

New £52m defender Leny Yoro played his first minutes in a United shirt before being part of a raft of substitutions at half-time.

What did you learn from this game, United fans?

Let us know your thoughts on the match here, external

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Manchester United are willing to let winger Antony leave on loan this summer but only if a club are prepared to cover his £70,000-a-week wages. (ESPN), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Saturday's full gossip column

We asked for your thoughts on what Manchester United should do next in the summer transfer window after completing the £52m signing of young central defender Leny Yoro from Lille.

Here are some of your responses:

Mike: Promising signing, and finally not someone approaching the last stages of their career and (seemingly) not injury prone. We need more defensive signings - well, we need signings in many positions - but it is a project, not a sprint.

Kevin: Sell Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, get in De ligt and Frimpong. Out with Casemiro and McTominay, in with Rabiot and Ugarte. Finally out with Sancho and in with Ivan Toney.

Fyn: I think going for an unpredictable right winger because Antony has not preformed last season and with Garnacho and Hojlund partnering the right winger, it would be a near perfect line-up. A player like Rodrygo or Saka, but obviously not such a high price tag.

Phil: Need to sell deadwood to generate funds and squad space and wages for incomings. Casemiro replacement next priority. Could be Ugarte or someone from left field like Zubimendi from Sociedad.

Dave: I think we need another centre-back of proven quality. Maguire and Lindelof are not at that level, they never will be. It's time to ship them out and get in replacements who can play at the level Ten Hag requires. And he knows De Ligt who, granted, has never played in the Premier League but is world-class. If I could, I would sign him today.

Christine: I would like to see another defender signed, De Ligt would be a good choice. Whether Casemiro stays or goes, I think keeping Amrabat and signing Rabiot on a free makes financial sense as both are great players.

David: Onana was not anything special as far as United keepers have been in the past. Replace him for starters. Maybe a defensive midfielder also.

Paul: I think United need to find a replacement for Onana in goal, sign another central defender and sell Antony, Casemiro and Sancho. Then we should have a decent squad for the season.

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It seems inevitable a host of Premier League managers will point to fixture congestion in the months to come.

When injuries mount, or when time on the training ground is squeezed, coaches often reference the intense nature of the calendar.

But research conducted by the respected CIES Football Observatory has delivered data which shows clubs are - on average - not playing more competitive games than they have in the last couple of decades.

The CIES looked at 677 clubs across 40 leagues. In looking at a period from 2012 to 2024, its findings show in 2023-24, the average club played 42.4 competitive matches. In 2014-15 that figure was 42.6 and in 2020-21 it hit 43.9.

And if focus is placed on sides competing in the Champions League, data gathered between 2000 and 2024 also shows sides are not setting fixture records in the current game, as some managers may like to loosely imply.

In looking at the five major European Leagues, the CIES claim Champions League competitors played an average of 50.8 matches last season.

In 2020-21 they averaged 57.9 and in 2002-03 they contested 55.2.

Manchester United played in 52 competitive games last season, down from highs of 71 in 2020-21 and 66 in 2008-09.

Across all of the clubs analysed, only 4% played more than 60 games last season. In 2012-13, the figure stood at 5.1%.

While clubs may play added friendlies and - it would be fair to say - individual matches tend to be longer given increased injury time in the current game, the data shows that competitive fixture numbers are flat or have in most cases fallen, even if disgruntled managers say otherwise.

The full study is here, external

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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There are some familiar noises coming out of Old Trafford in the wake of the signing of Leny Yoro.

Yoro was linked with some major European clubs, including Real Madrid, and his quote in the statement accompanying the signing about United having a "clear plan" for his development and the "care" shown for the teenager and his family seemed pointed.

It is not unusual for United - or anyone else for that matter - to stress the positives around a new arrival.

But there is an underlying theme. In Raphael Varane - and more particularly Anthony Martial - United are replacing older, injury-prone, underperforming players, with youngsters of verve, energy and promise.

United's new ownership structure want the club to feel like that, a shedding of its skin as part of a conviction better times are ahead.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is continuing to deliver but the time was always going to come when his new outlook would be tested. The faith placed in Yoro and fellow new signing Joshua Zirkzee is immense. It won't be long before we discover whether the faith is justified and this is going to be a different United, or just more of the same with different wrapping paper.

Manchester United remain interested in Paris St-Germain's 23-year-old Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte. (Sky Sports, external)

Tottenham are aiming to beat Fulham to the signature of Manchester United's 27-year-old Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay. (Sun, external)

Lille threatened not to play French defender Leny Yoro, 18, in the final year of his contract if he did not agree to sign for Manchester United. (Marca - in Spanish, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Manchester United have completed the signing of teenage central defender Lenny Yoro.

The 18-year-old, who has played 60 times for Ligue 1 side Lille, joins on a contract until 2029 for a fee of 62m euros (£52.18m) with a further 8m euros (£6.73m) available in add-ons.

Yoro said: “Signing for a club with the stature and ambition of Manchester United so early in my career is an incredible honour.

“Since my first conversations with the club, they set out a clear plan for how I can develop in Manchester as part of this exciting project, and showed a lot of care for me and my family.

“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates. I cannot wait to get started.”

Dan Ashworth, Manchester United sporting director, said: “Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football; he possesses every attribute needed to develop into a top-class centre-back. Having had such an excellent start to his career, we are excited to support him in reaching his immense potential here at Manchester United."

What should Man Utd do next in the market? Tell us here, external

Leny Yoro's former coach Paulo Fonseca tipped the youngster to be "one of the best central defenders in the world", so we have asked you to have your say on the potential signing.

Here are a selection of your comments:

Simon: This is a statement signing from Manchester United and proves that Ineos are sticking to their word with signing young players for the future and not getting held to ransom all summer for one signing like previous seasons! Hopefully it's a sign of things to come and United will be back on top very soon.

Peter: He's obviously got talent but so have many others that come to Old Trafford and fail. Another young lad for the future. The Premier League is more physical than the French, will he sink or swim? Who knows? He must be better the the ones we have right now.

Ruzzle: I'm sure there will be a lot of cliched responses about being too young but those that work with him closely must have seen enough to recognise an exceptional talent. He's older than Yamal, after all. It will be interesting to watch him develop in an unforgiving league.

Christine: This is an excellent signing, it is about time that United are searching for young talent again, not players that are coming to the end of their careers and overpriced. It's exciting times Yoro was sought after by many top clubs but he chose us, let's hope it's going to be great things to come.

Jeff: A great signing. One for the future. If we can have Yoro clicking, then Mainoo in the midfield, bring in Garnacho, Diallo, and Hojlund - the future is not so gloomy.

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Leny Yoro - who could become Manchester United's next signing - has been tipped for the top for some time.

The 18-year-old central defender was due to fly to Manchester on Wednesday for a medical after sources said United had agreed a 62m euros (£52m) fee with Lille.

Paulo Fonseca - now AC Milan manager - made Yoro the Ligue 1 club's youngest player when he handed him his debut aged 16 in 2022 and called the French youngster's meteoric rise when he spoke to BBC Sport's Alex Bysouth in April.

"I believe Leny Yoro in the next year will be at one of the best clubs in Europe," he said.

"He started here at 16 with us. When I arrived the main objective for him was to start to work with us and play in the B team, but he played even at 16 with a big maturity and big courage."

Yoro played 32 in the league last season, was named in the Ligue 1 team of the year and was nominated for Ligue 1 young player of the year.

He has attracted interest from the biggest clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid, and Fonseca recognised the extent of his ability very quickly.

"He is very ambitious, but very disciplined and I decided to start with him in the main team and he started immediately to have some minutes, some games," he added.

"This year, he assumed one of the main positions of our team.

"He grew a lot but he is a kid with a big maturity and, of course, with big quality. He's very focused, very concentrated and he wants to learn every day.

"I have no doubt, in modern football, he will be one of the best central defenders in the world."

What do you think of Yoro and his potential arrival at Old Trafford, United fans? Would he come straight into the team? Are there other centre-backs you would prefer the club to sign?

Let us know here, external

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Manchester United made it clear very early this summer they would listen to realistic offers for virtually all of their squad.

That does not mean they will all get sold but it does underline United's need to raise money.

Full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka falls into that category.

He is not a regular member of Erik ten Hag's starting line-up - although he played all of the FA Cup final win over Manchester City - and his contract runs out next year, when he could leave for nothing.

West Ham have made their interest known but, as with Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay last season, financially it needs to make sense for Wan-Bissaka, who will know more clubs will come for him when he is a free agent.

He is one of those players likely to be talked about a lot before the 30 August transfer deadline - with no guarantee he will move anywhere.

Manchester United have turned down a bid from Fulham for midfielder Scott McTominay, who has one year left on his contract but with an option for a 12-month extension. (Mail, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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New Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee says it has been a "rollercoaster" few weeks after signing for the club.

The 23-year-old joined the Red Devils from Italian side Bologna in a deal worth £36.54m.

He scored 14 goals across 58 appearances in all competitions for the Serie A club over two seasons.

"I have a lot of trust and a good feeling about this step," Zirkzee told club media. "It wasn't a difficult decision. I mean, I love Bologna a lot, but Manchester United just gave me a very, very good feeling.

"I'm confident that what's planned will also happen.

"It's been a rollercoaster, the past few weeks. Some very good experiences and I'm very happy to be here. Obviously, making a transfer to Manchester United is something very positive.

"I just can't wait to get started and continue what I basically did last season. I'm just hoping to improve every day and do the best I can."

The Netherlands international will now take a break before joining his new team-mates for pre-season training having recently returned from being with his national side at Euro 2024.

"I'm very happy to be here," he added. "I mean, it's probably the biggest club in the world, so I can't wait to get started and get to know everyone and start this journey. I'm very, very excited.

"I'm going on a short break. Try and relax a little bit and then get back to Manchester and get it going.

"Obviously, it [Old Trafford] is an insane stadium. I can't wait to play in the stadium. Just very, very excited, very motivated."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Leny Yoro, who is set for a Manchester United medical after a £52m fee was agreed with Lille, has attracted significant interest from a number of top European clubs - with Real Madrid repeatedly mentioned as one of the sides keen to sign him.

The 18-year-old centre-back, who made his Lille debut at the age of 16, was picked in Thierry Henry's provisional France squad for the Olympics but left out of the final list, partly because of his club's participation in the Champions League qualification rounds.

His arrival would bring some clarity to the central defensive group at Old Trafford.

United have lodged two bids with Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite but both have been rejected by the Merseyside club as they fall well short of their valuation, which sources have said is in excess of £75m.

Negotiations have also been taking place with Bayern Munich for their Netherlands international Matthijs de Ligt.

Sources say while the club remain interested in Branthwaite and De Ligt, they would not sign both and further recruits are likely to depend on squad space and available funds.

Raphael Varane left the club at the end of the season and there are doubts over the future of Victor Lindelof, whose contract expires next year.

Harry Maguire was the subject of bids from rival Premier League clubs last summer but opted to remain at Old Trafford and eventually made 22 league appearances.