Manchester United youngster Axel Tuanzebe must be patient after Blackburn snub

 

Five talking points from Man Utd's 2-0 defeat vs Reading at Leigh Sports Village on Sunday.

Reality sets in

Just two weeks after making his first team debut against Wigan at Old Trafford, reserves captain Axel Tuanzebe was brought back down to earth at Leigh Sports Village.
The 19-year-old may have felt a tad unlucky to be left out of Jose Mourinho's squad for the short trip up the M61 to Ewood Park.
But, with Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly the only centre-backs to have travelled, Tuanzebe will have to be patient - even with the Reds' fixture pile-up. Mourinho clearly has a plan for Tuanzebe - and that means easing him in gently.

Mitchell making his mark

Manchester United's reserves have suffered since the departures of Sean Goss and Joe Riley in January, but try telling that to Demetri Mitchelll.
The 20-year-old was a menace at left-back against Reading, constantly pushing forward and looking to support his team-mates on the overlap.
And given his experience as a winger, Mitchell is blessed with the attacking instincts and nimble footwork to be a modern day full-back.
He has a while to go yet, but he only needs to look at how Antonio Valencia and Patrice Evra reinvented themselves as defenders for inspiration.

José Mourinho praises Manchester United’s attitude in Blackburn win

United manager pleased with how his side came back from a goal down
• Manchester club drawn away to Chelsea in FA Cup quarter-finals
José Mourinho praised the attitude of his Manchester United players to fight back from a goal down and advance past Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup, although he said Wayne Rooney and Phil Jones would both remain out for their midweek game in Saint-Étienne.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a late winner for United after Marcus Rashford had equalised for Mourinho’s men at Ewood Park following Danny Graham’s opener, and Chelsea lie in wait in the quarter-finals.
Although Blackburn are currently second bottom in the Championship, United were made to work for their victory and Mourinho was pleased with his side’s performance and attitude.
“The attitude of the players was good,” he said. “Sometimes you have difficult matches because you make it difficult for yourself. Tonight was difficult because Blackburn made it difficult for us. They played well and fought very hard. They were very well organised. We had to play well and we had to play with attitude to be ready and get a result.
“I had answers from some players, for example Ashley Young, so I can rest Antonio Valencia. When Ashley Young plays in this way, I can rest Antonio Valencia.

Forget Pogba fee - Man Utd getting their money's worth with mercurial Mkhitaryan

 

Much was made of the France international's world-record fee last summer, but it is his fellow midfielder whose lower price tag is raising eyebrows
When asked this week about Paul Pogba, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho defended the midfielder’s £89 million price tag, claiming that in years to come the amount spent on the France international will be deemed cheap given his quality and the potential for other such deals around the globe.
Zlatan & Pogba to the rescue for Man Utd
The Portuguese may yet be proven right, with Pogba having shown flashes of his potential brilliance in recent months after a somewhat slow start to life upon his Old Trafford return. But if Mourinho is looking to gloat about his first summer of transfer business in charge of the Red Devils, he need look no further than Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Signed for just £26m in pre-season, the Armenia international in recent weeks could have fooled some uneducated supporters into believing that he — not Pogba — was the man brought in for a world-record fee.
It may have taken some time for the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder to settle in England, with his sole start against Manchester City in the opening weeks of the campaign threatening to go into United folklore for all the wrong reasons.
But unlike Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay before him, Mkhitaryan has been able to answer those who questioned his suitability for United and then some. Against Blackburn on Sunday he was — at least until Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba entered the fray — the best player on the pitch.
His through-ball with the outside of his foot that set Marcus Rashford free to equalise Danny Graham’s opener was sublime, but that was the highlight of yet another hugely impressive showing.
Sat behind Rashford, he proved a constant menace with his direct running while his composure and passing in the final third was in stark contrast to the inexperienced players around him. His influence faded as Mourinho rung the changes and altered his system in a bid to avoid a replay that would have been greeted at Old Trafford by less enthusiasm than if it was announced that David Moyes and Louis van Gaal were to return as joint directors of football. But that is not to take away from Mkhitaryan’s contribution to United finding a way back into the game.

Mourinho's injury update after FA Cup win

Jose Mourinho has confirmed David De Gea and Antonio Valencia were rested in the Emirates FA Cup win at Blackburn Rovers. But Phil Jones and Wayne Rooney missed out due to injuries that should prevent them from playing in Wednesday’s Europa League match at Saint-Etienne.
De Gea was not in the squad at Ewood Park and that led to Sergio Romero making his eighth start of the season, with youngster Dean Henderson sitting on the bench as back-up. Antonio Valencia was also omitted and that allowed the versatile Ashley Young to impress as an industrious stand-in right-back.
Despite falling behind to Danny Graham’s opening goal, United impressively fought back to secure a 2-1 win and a place in the FA Cup last eight thanks to finishes from Marcus Rashford and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
While speaking at the post-match press conference in Blackburn, Mourinho discussed all of the aforementioned absentees. “De Gea was rested,” he told reporters. “Rooney is injured. Jones is injured. I don’t think they will recover [to face Saint-Etienne on Wednesday]. Valencia was rested but Rooney and Jones haven’t trained with the team yet so I don’t think they will be there for Wednesday.”

Sutton United vs Arsenal, FA Cup: What time is kick-off, what TV channel is it on and what is our prediction?

Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny faces a scan on a thigh injury ahead of Monday's FA Cup fifth-round trip to face non-league Sutton.
The skipper was forced off in Wednesday's 5-1 Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich and is unlikely to feature at Gander Green Lane, with Lucas Perez (hamstring), Aaron Ramsey (calf) and Santi Cazorla (Achilles) also missing out.

Danny Welbeck was also picked to play Leicester City in the U23 match on Sunday, suggesting he will not feature on Monday.
Manager Arsene Wenger has said that he will pick a "normal team" for the tie rather than heavily rotate his starting XI.
Provisional squad: Cech, Ospina, Martinez, Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Mustafi, Monreal, Gibbs, Maitland-Niles, Coquelin, Xhaka, Elneny, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Walcott, Reine-Adelaide, Iwobi, Perez, Sanchez, Giroud.
Sutton (and former Arsenal youth player) Roarie Deacon:

"We do think we can win," Deacon added. "We are not going into this game thinking we want this FA Cup run to end.
"It has brought so much attention to such a great club with a great fanbase. We just have to go out there, do what we do and not be overawed by the occasion.
"We are going to play our game, not the occasion, and go out there, get the ball down and play, fight for every ball, fight for every tackle, fight for everything and hopefully when the referee blows the whistle it will be us celebrating with the fans.
"It would be the greatest upset football has ever seen."

Pep Guardiola defends under-fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger - 'the way he has been treated is unacceptable'

     The Manchester City chief believes a lot of the criticism aimed at the under-pressure Frenchman is out of order

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has branded some of the treatment of Arsene Wenger as "unacceptable".
The Spaniard believes a lot of the criticism aimed at the under-pressure Arsenal manager and the cloud hanging over the Frenchman is out of order.
Scrutiny over the the position of Wenger, who has been in his role for over 20 years, has increased considerably since the Gunners were thrashed 5-1 at Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek.
Guardiola spoke up for his rival without prompting after being asked a question about his team selection for City's FA Cup fifth-round tie at Huddersfield on Saturday.
City drew 0-0 with the Championship side after the 46-year-old Catalan made eight changes.
Asked if he felt he should have picked a stronger team, Guardiola said in a press conference: "My friend, I take the decisions, you analyse my decisions.

Arsenal's Danny Welbeck to miss Sutton clash due to plastic pitch

Danny Welbeck has confirmed he will not feature for Arsenal in their FA Cup match against Sutton United due to the non-league side's artificial pitch.
Arsenal meet National League outfit Sutton in the fifth round at Gander Green Lane on Monday for a place in the competition's quarterfinals.
It appeared that Welbeck would not be part of the squad for that game after being named in Arsenal's under-23 side for Sunday's fixture at Leicester City, which the Foxes won 2-1.
And the England international said on Twitter after the match that, having only returned from eight months out with a knee injury in January, it would be wise to skip Monday's clash in case he picked up another problem on Sutton's plastic turf.

Sutton boss Paul Doswell thinks they could be hammered by a full-strength Arsenal side

Sutton boss Paul Doswell says his side could struggle to contain Arsenal in Monday's eagerly-awaited FA Cup fifth round tie if the Gunners select a strong side.

Sutton's fellow National League side Lincoln have already secured a place in the quarter-finals after Saturday's sensational 1-0 win at Burnley.
And Arsenal will arrive at Sutton on Monday night looking to avoid the biggest upset in FA Cup history, just five days after suffering a 5-1 Champions League loss at Bayern Munich.
However, Arsene Wenger's men were impressive in the last round of the FA Cup, cruising to a 5-0 win at Southampton.
And Doswell said: "If he plays the team that beat Southampton 5-0 in the last round, then that would hammer us.
"I think if you see Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez on the team sheet, our chance doesn't come beyond nought.
"But, if they put another team out, then it does get up to the ones and two per cents.
"Our only chance is if he puts out an Under-23 reserve side out because National League sides can compete against academy players. Then we would have a real chance.
"If we were to get a draw and we could get back to the Emirates Stadium it would be one of the biggest results in the cup's history and for the players.
"The best result for the players would be a 0-0.
"I think half of my team support Arsenal, so the chance for them to go to the Emirates and just have a great day out would be their preferred result."
Four Arsenal academy graduates are now in the Sutton squad after failing to make the grade at the Premier League club.
Craig Eastmond will return from a three-match suspension to face his old team while Roarie Deacon is also set to line up against his former employers but Jack Jebb is cup-tied and Jeffrey Monakana is injured.

Thierry Henry defends under-fire Arsene Wenger and orders Arsenal stars to deliver

  

 Thierry Henry has come out in support of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, insisting it is the players who need to ‘stand up and be counted’.
There has been much speculation over Wenger’s future at the Emirates following the humbling 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The Gunners held the Bundesliga outfit for 50 minutes but conceded four second-half goals at the Allianz Arena in another worrying collapse on the big stage.
But Henry, who worked with Wenger for over eight years as a player, believes the players need to prove they do not have a mental issue in the coming weeks.
‘We could all see mental fragility was the problem when they folded in Munich. It was clear,’ the Premier League legend wrote in The Sun.
‘Arsene has taken the bullets at Arsenal a long time. He gave that club success when it was struggling. He changed the club, took them into the new stadium: built the modern Arsenal.

‘Everyone goes on about “Arsene this” and “Arsene that” when the defeats come but the players need to stand up and be counted.

Confirmed - Liverpool's trip to Leicester City will be on Monday week

     Liverpool's Premier League trip to Leicester City will go ahead as scheduled after the Foxes were dumped out of the FA Cup at Millwall this afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp's side will travel to the champions on Monday, February 27 (kick-off 8pm) for a game that will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Had Leicester drawn with Millwall, the planned replay would have forced Liverpool's trip to the King Power to be brought forward to Saturday, February 25 with a 12.30pm kick-off.
However, the fixture will proceed as planned after Leicester were beaten 1-0 at The Den.
Meanwhile, Liverpool's home game against Burnley will take place as scheduled on Sunday, March 12 (kick-off 4pm), another fixture to be shown live on Sky.
Had Burnley progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals, the match would have had to be rearranged.
The Clarets, though, were victims of a huge Cup shock earlier today when Lincoln City became the first non-league team to reach the last eight in 103 years with a dramatic 1-0 win at Turf Moor.

Leicester City invite Stafford Rangers striker Josh Gordon for trial at the club

• Leicester have been struggling for goals in the Premier League this season 
• Foxes have invited non-League Stafford Rangers striker Josh Gordon for a trial 
• The 22-year-old began his career with Stoke and was at Nantwich previously
• Leicester were dumped out of the FA Cup by League One Millwall on Saturday 

Leicester City have invited Stafford Rangers striker Josh Gordon for a trial at the club.

The 22-year-old, who has also been watched by Derby County among others this season, is due to train with the Premier League champions next week.

Gordon only joined Stafford from Nantwich Town in October and has scored ten goals in the Northern Premier Division. He began his career with Stoke City and has since had stints at Alloa and Peterborough United.

The relegation-threatened champions could do with some added firepower in their squad, as Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez continue to struggle in front of goal.

The Foxes sit just one point above the relegation zone in the Premier League, and have lost their last five league matches.

Their cup form took a turn for the worse on Saturday too, as they were dumped out of the FA Cup late on by League One Millwall. 

You won’t believe who Leicester City fan reckons should replace Claudio Ranieri

                      The Foxes are having a nightmare season following their dream title win last year, with the team dumped out of the FA Cup by League One club Millwall.
It comes as the club hover dangerously close to the relegation zone with just one point separating them and the bottom three.
Ranieri’s men have lost all of their last five Premier League games and fans have begun to lose patience with the Italian despite guiding the team to their 5,000-1 league triumph.

One caller to BBC Radio FiveLive’s 606 programme demanded the 65-year-old be sacked, but nobody expected who he named as his preferred replacement.
He said: “The most knowledgeable football pundit there is, who would take no nonsense and would give the club a lift would be Gary Neville.”
Cue absolute hysterics from the studio as one man points out Neville was sacked after a disastrous spell at the helm of Spanish side Valencia.
But the bloke remains adamant, pointing out Mourinho was sacked at Chelsea before joining Man Utd but perhaps forgetting Jose had won a bucket load of trophies before then.
Millwall’s win wasn’t the biggest shock of the FA Cup weekend though as non-league Lincoln City managed to beat Premier League Burnley.

Claudio Ranieri: Leicester City manager calls for 'soldiers and gladiators'

Leicester City need "soldiers and gladiators" to save their season, says manager Claudio Ranieri.

Last season's Premier League champions are fighting relegation and were beaten in the FA Cup by League One side Millwall, who had a player sent off.
Leicester, with one win in eight games, face a Champions League last-16 first-leg trip to Sevilla on Wednesday.
"I want to speak again with the players and say we have to fight every match," Ranieri said.
"I need the soldiers, I need the gladiators, because Millwall, with 10 players, showed they are fantastic gladiators."
Millwall won with a last-minute goal from Shaun Cummings, despite playing for most of the second half with 10 men after Jake Cooper was dismissed.
With the visit to Sevilla and a Premier League home match against Liverpool to come, Leicester made 10 changes, but Ranieri still expected better from the players he selected at The Den.
"It is strange because last season we won like this, by being more determined than the opponent and playing with more heart than the opponent," he said.
"We could also lose but we would fight every match. I want to see this, the fight until the end.
"This defeat could be good for us because when you lose against a team who fights, you have to say well done to them but why did we lose?"
Leicester have not won an away match in the Premier League all season, and are just one point above the relegation zone.

Jose Mourinho plotting shock raid on Arsenal: Will Arsene Wenger agree to sell?

The England winger, 23, is a shock £30m target for Manchester United, according to the Mirror.
A possible deal could involve Chris Smalling - who Arsenal have a long-standing interest in.
It's unclear whether the players may move in a swap package or if the two transfers are separate.
Mourinho is said to be keen on strengthening in centre midfield and on the wing this summer.

That follows the decision to sell Memphis Depay to Lyon and Morgan Schneiderlin to Everton in January.
It's claimed Mourinho wants to take advantage of the confusion over Arsene Wenger's future to get the Ox on board.
But Wenger and Mourinho famously don't get on and it's highly unlikely the Frenchman will do business with his arch rival.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored just three Premier League goals in two seasons for the Gunners but Mourinho reportedly believes his record could be vastly improved at Old Trafford.

Arsenal might play Sutton United off the park - but the non-league side will have TEN TIMES more bottle

Our man Stan Collymore gives his take on the Gunners' trip to the modest Gander Green Lane in the FA Cup on Monday evening

Against Arsenal at their tiny Gander Green Lane ground ­tomorrow night, Sutton United will be miles off the pace.
There will be times when the ball is played around them, when they are chasing shadows, when Arsenal look like Brazil from 1970.
But I’ll tell you what Paul Doswell’s side will have 10 times more of than Arsenal – grit, determination, bottle and a willingness to give everything for the cause.
Whatever the result – and I ­expect the Gunners to ­demolish their hosts – I guarantee you will see Sutton’s non-League heroes going ­wholeheartedly into challenges and one or two of their ­illustrious opponents going missing during the game.
That’s the difference between the two sides and it’s why, when I look at Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, I see the face of a man who knows he’s toast.
He knows his side haven’t got what it takes to mix it at the top table of ­European football.
Some refer to Arsenal as European heavyweights, but they simply don’t have the prestige or pedigree on the continent that Liverpool or Manchester United have.
It has been the same old story for years – they have lacked leadership and they have lacked bottle. In fact they are a mirror image of their manager, a man who has neither of those traits either.
Wenger knew he was done after his side’s latest humiliation, the 5-1 defeat by Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

Thierry Henry: Arsenal fell apart against Bayern... it's time for the players to look at themselves

The Gunners were thrashed 5-1 by Bayern Munich to leave their Champions League campaign in tatters.

Thierry Henry has called on Arsenal ’s stars to stand up and be counted.
The Gunners were thrashed 5-1 by Bayern Munich last week to leave their Champions League campaign in tatters.
Arsene Wenger looks set to leave at the end of the season after 21 years at the club.
But Henry wants the players to show they can bounce back against Sutton in the FA Cup.
Writing in The Sun , he said: "The players need to prove him wrong.
"One-one at Bayern Munich after 50 minutes was a great scoreline. They should have been feeling great about themselves.
"The team in trouble then was Munich. And then even 2-1 is good. Even 3-1 is doable, just win 2-0 at home.
"But they fell apart.
"OK, it is his team, he’s the leader, he created that side. He’s at fault because he’s the boss. But the players must look at themselves too."
Arsenal take on non-league Sutton with the FA Cup their only realistic hope of a trophy.

 

EXCLUSIVE: I want to sign for Arsenal... this is my story - winger

The plucky winger has set up camp outside the Gunners’ London Colney training base in the hope of persuading Arsene Wenger to hand him a trial.
Starsport revealed yesterday that the Saint Lo wideman was determined to track down the legendary manager and convince him to take a look at his skills.
And today he has outlined why he has the character to become a Gunner.
Degan told Starsport: “I have been in England since Thursday night. I want to give it a try at Arsenal.
“It is with much humility and respect that I can bring my stone to the team - I have the armour and the paraphernalia of the combatant.
“I am determined to show everything I have: I have the ambition, the shield of faith to win with the team and the sword of determination to never give up.”
Degan has vowed to keep on coming back until he gets the chance to strut his stuff alongside the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
It’s a big gamble for the fifth-tier player and he has revealed why he decided to go straight to the top and try his luck with the Premier League giants.

He continued: “Arsenal have the values, mentality and vision that fits me.
“The coach Arsene Wenger makes me want to work at his side despite what the team is going through right now.

Jose Mourinho insists Luke Shaw will not be jettisoned by Manchester United this summer

Jose Mourinho has ruled out trying to force Luke Shaw out of Manchester United this summer and insists the young defender will be given a full chance to prove he deserves a long-term future at Old Trafford.

Shaw, 21, has started only six Premier League games under Mourinho this season as he struggles to rediscover form and fitness after a serious broken leg that ruled him out for nearly all of 2015/16.

The £27million left-back should be given a rare outing in the FA Cup fifth round at Blackburn Rovers and Mourinho had some words of encouragement for the player who has become concerned at appearing to fall behind Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian in the pecking order.

'What I think is that he had a very ugly injury, really ugly, that affects players not only from the physical point but also the mental impact,' said Mourinho.

'He has had a couple of small injuries this season and needs to adapt. He knows what I like in a defender, he knows that I like stability, that I don't like mistakes, that for me it is to trust a player totally and he has to work to get it.

'And when he is on the pitch again he has to try to give me that step by step because he is still only a young player. Sometimes people forget he is only a young player with a lot to learn but I like the player and I like the boy.'

Asked directly if Shaw would be at Old Trafford for the long haul, the United manager replied: 'He will be here for sure. It (leaving) is out of the question.'

Willian and Nemanja Matic top Jose Mourinho’s shortlist at Manchester United

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho wants to sign Nemanja Matic and Willian from Chelsea, according to reports.
The Sunday Mirror claim that the Serb and the Brazilian, who both won the title with Mourinho at Chelsea in 2015, are the 54-year-old’s first-choice transfers for the summer window.
Mourinho is desperate to strengthen his midfield following the departures of Morgan Schneiderlin to Everton and Memphis Depay to Lyon.
And while Matic and Willian are targeted by United, the report claims it’s unlikely that Antonio Conte will allow either player to leave Stamford Bridge to join their title rivals.

Speaking earlier this month, Willian revealed that Mourinho wanted to bring him to Old Trafford last summer.
‘There was interest, yes,’ the Brazilian told Globo Esporte.
‘From Manchester United, because Mourinho is there.’

Man United? Oxlade-Chamberlain has a very good agent

We have long held our suspicions that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has one of the best agents in the business.
This is a player who has struggled to get into the Arsenal first team on a regular basis, and has never really held down a firm spot in Arsene Wenger’s line-up. And yet, every time a transfer rumour comes out, Oxlade-Chamberlain is linked with a club at least as high-profile as Arsenal.
Honestly, just look at this list:

‘Chelsea keen to seal transfer of Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’ – Metro, April 2016.
‘Manchester City transfer news: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is £25million transfer target for City’ – The Sun, December 2016.
‘Liverpool considering ambitious January transfer bid for Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’ – Daily Telegraph, December 2016.

No we have the whole English elite club set. ‘Manchester United plot £30m swoop for struggling Arsenal forward Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain,’ reads the headline in the Sunday Mirror. Shall we skip over the fact that The Ox really isn’t a forward?
We really did love this line from Steve Bates: