Sunday Fulham Stuff - 13/11/22...

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Erik ten Hag's 'order' to Man Utd hierarchy comes to light ahead of Fulham showdown
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is gearing up for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Fulham.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has told the board to keep hold of David De Gea, according to reports. The Spain international has started every Premier League game so far this season, helping the Red Devils recover from a shaky start to climb up the table. And though Martin Dubravka got the nod against Aston Villa in midweek, the veteran is expected to return to the side for today's showdown with Fulham at Craven Cottage.

De Gea made errors earlier in the campaign as United slipped to defeats to the likes of Brighton and Brentford.

But the 32-year-old has been consistent in the time since, playing a role in the Red Devils' recent resurgence as they climb up the table.

De Gea is expected to start for United against Fulham today as they look to bounce back from last week's 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park.

And, ahead of that game, the Daily Star have claimed Ten Hag has told the Red Devils hierarchy he wants to keep the Spain international at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag likes a goalkeeper to be capable of playing out from the back and, though De Gea has historically struggled to do that, he's shown signs of improvement this term.



https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1695905/Manchester-United-news-Erik-ten-Hag-Fuham-David-De-Gea-order

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Jadon Sancho attitude coming into question, dropped for Fulham game

Jadon Sancho is not in the squad for Man United vs Fulham, with his attitude coming into question.

Manchester United Football Club will be looking to end this first portion of the season on a high. Erik ten Hag has done some good work with the squad, though a win here would be good for momentum and confidence after the World Cup.

Fulham are perhaps the surprise package of the season, winning points galore and sitting in the top half of the table. They will be without Aleksandar Mitrovic here, though.

United will also be without an attacker; Jadon Sancho.

It's journalist Ross Harwood with the scoop, claiming that the United star is not in the squad for the Fulham game today. Apparently, he isn't ill, rather, his attitude is coming into question.

Ten Hag will not accept poor attitude as we've seen with Alejandro Garnacho recently. Though the Argentine has seemingly turned himself around in that regard.

Been hearing the issue with Sancho isn’t illness, but his attitude.

Not in squad for Fulham game. Will go into the break having had no game time in recent fixtures…

Down to the player to turn this around, ten Hag will not take poor attitude at anytime.

— Ross Harwood (@RossHarwood_) November 12, 2022

If true, and we can't validate that right now, this is disappointing.

Sancho's recent form could be down to not giving 100% on the training ground, though it is true the Englishman has been out of the team recently.

It'd be a shame because the talent is so obviously there. He was outstanding for Borussia Dortmund over in Germany, though the Premier League is a different kettle of fish.

Ten Hag's ruthlessness in this regard could mean we won't see Sancho for a fair while. The good news for the player is that the World Cup does give him a month to put things right before the return of domestic football.



https://oldtraffordfaithful.com/jadon-sancho-attitude-coming-into-question-dropped-for-fulham-game/

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Cristiano Ronaldo: Man Utd exit claims gather pace as report claims star will miss Fulham clash

Cristiano Ronaldo may have already played his last game for Manchester United in the wake of growing transfer speculation on Sunday.

The five-times Ballon d'Or winner returned to Old Trafford in summer 2021 in what was seen as a dream move. However, despite scoring 24 times for the Red Devils last season, his return to the club has quickly turned sour.

Indeed, their failure to qualify for the Champions League this season saw rumours of Ronaldo's unhappiness gather pace. And while a number of clubs continue to distance themselves from his signature, speculation over his future continues to rage.

As a result of those attempts to leave, Ten Hag has tried to wean his side off their reliance on the Portuguese superstar. As such, Ronaldo has started just 10 games for United so far this season.

And with Ronaldo failing to command a regular shirt at United, his sister has already pointed an accusing finger at Ten Hag.

The United manager, however, has done his best to defuse any simmering tensions. He recently named Ronaldo as one of the club's six leaders, handing him the armband for their recent loss at Aston Villa.

Despite those words of reassurance, rumours of Ronaldo's impending exit are gathering pace. TEAMtalk revealed recently how a return to Sporting Lisbon is gathering pace after a change of heart from their manager.

Now reports are growing that Ronaldo may already have played his final game for the club.

United are away to Fulham on Sunday in their final game before the break for the World Cup. But the Portuguese superstar will reportedly not be part of Ten Hag's travelling party, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Ronaldo and Man Utd heading for a parting of ways
They claim his absence is likely to be put down to illness – the same reason that saw him miss Thursday's 4-2 win over Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup.

Now the Daily Mirror reports that with Ten Hag sanctioning his January exit, he may have worn a United shirt for the final time.

Once the World Cup is complete, United will only have three games before the January window opens for business. But the paper claims he is unlikely to be picked again as his exit away from Old Trafford nears.

Even Ronaldo's former teammate and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville thinks Ronaldo should leave United in January.

Speaking to Sky Sports' The Overlap, Neville has argued why a parting of ways is best for all concerned.

"Do you know I think he should do? I think he should actually speak. No one has heard him speak for six months. You don't hear from him."

Neville also reckons Ten Hag has managed the saga well, adding: "I think he's handled it so well. I even thought Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] to an extent and [Ralf] Rangnick last season handle him quite well at times when he obviously wasn't happy.

"I think Erik ten Hag has handled it far better than most of us would have handled it. He's basically sailing the ship into the shore as I see it.

Exit path smoothed over
"I said a couple of weeks ago, I hope there has been a deal done that says in January you can leave. For both of them, Cristiano Ronaldo and the club. But they should make sure it looks really good until then so doesn't look like a mess.

"I am hoping this is what it is. He's playing, he's captain. It looks like they smoothed things over and then he leaves in January."

If Neville is right and the path is smoothed for Ronaldo to leave, that would be the ideal scenario for all parties. And it would not tarnish his legacy at the club if he leaves on the best possible terms. That is as important for United as it is for the player.

Should that be his second spell at United over, Ronaldo will depart Old Trafford with 27 goals in 54 appearances.



https://www.teamtalk.com/manchester-united/cristiano-ronaldo-man-utd-exit-claims-gather-pace-as-report-claims-star-will-miss-fulham-clash

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Goal in each half helps Northampton see off Gillingham

Northampton Town picked up a victory at Gillingham as they won 2-0 in Kent.

Against a side on a high from a midweek Carabao Cup upset at Premier League Brentford, Sam Hoskins and Kieron Bowie did the honours for Jon Brady's side.

That proved enough to see off League 2's lowest goalscorers, as Northampton picked up just a second win in 8 games in all competitions and maintain their grip on 3rd in the League 2 table.

The Cobblers are 2 points clear of Bradford City in 4th, and four points behind Stevenage in second.

Northampton made the better start, with home goalkeeper Glenn Morris denying Shaun McWilliams in the opening minute before he made later saves to thwart Hoskins and Akin Odimayo.

Just before the half hour mark, it was Northampton that struck in the game's opening goal. Hoskins would do the honours with a solo strike, as the Cobblers' top scorer picked up a loose ball, travelled all the way to the box and firing into the roof of the net.

Ben Fox and McWilliams would fail to add to the tally before the break, while Gillingham would then lose Morris to injury.

Jordan Green saw an effort just go wide while Lewis Walker failed to get power on a strike just after the break in the home side's best attempts to add to a league-low total of just six goals so far this season.

But Northampton continued to look dangerous, and moments after Bowie headed wide from a Mitch Pinnock cross, the Fulham loanee wrapped up an away win when he received Hoskins' pass and scored.

The result sees Northampton maintain position on Bradford, with the two teams set to directly face one another in West Yorkshire next week.



https://citiblog.co.uk/2022/11/13/goal-in-each-half-helps-northampton-see-off-gillingham/

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Why Facundo Pellistri is not in the Manchester United squad vs Fulham

Facundo Pellistri is yet to feature for the Man United senior side and his wait for a debut won't come to an end at Craven Cottage

Manchester United youngster Facundo Pellistri will not be part of Erik ten Hag's matchday squad for the Premier League clash with Fulham on Sunday.

The 20-year-old, who is yet to feature for the first team, has already left Manchester to join up with the Uruguay squad ahead of the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. He has been included in manager Diego Alonso's 26-man squad for the tournament, with former United striker Edinson Cavani also named in the squad.

He is still waiting to make his senior debut for the club since arriving at Old Trafford from Penarol in October 2020, but has been named as a substitute in all of the Reds' last 12 matches.

On Sunday, Pellistri's partner, Cami Garcia, posted a photo of the Reds forward in an airport alongside Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, who has also been named in Uruguay's squad. The pair have both departed England as they begin their preparations for the World Cup.

The 20-year-old has been tipped to leave the club in the new year, with his agent admitting that it is likely the Uruguayan will leave Old Trafford following the World Cup.

Despite his lack of game time at club level, Pellistri has featured regularly for his country this year - making seven appearances for Alonso's side in 2022. He has recorded three assists for Uruguay, two of which came against Venezuela in a World Cup qualifier as the South American side secured a 4-1 victory earlier this year.



https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/facundo-pellistri-man-united-fulham-25504129

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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag set to start deadly double act in Fulham clash
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is preparing for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Fulham.

Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have regained their swagger under Erik ten Hag. So, with that being the case, the pair are expected to get the nod up top for today's Premier League clash with Fulham. The Red Devils have long waited to see the duo realise their potential and, finally, it seems like that's starting to happen...

Manchester United will go into today's match with Fulham looking to bounce back after losing 3-1 to Aston Villa in their last Premier League game.

It is the final match before the World Cup for the Red Devils, who will also be aiming to boost their chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

And with Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Antony all reportedly missing from the squad, Rashford and Martial are primed to start.

At the beginning of the campaign, both players had a point to prove.

Martial regressed alarmingly last term, netting just once before leaving for Sevilla in January where his struggles continued.

Rashford, meanwhile, managed to score a mere five goals as the club's season imploded under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.



https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1695935/Manchester-United-news-Erik-ten-Hag-Fulham-Anthony-Martial-Marcus-Rashford

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Manchester United team news leaks out as Erik ten Hag prepares for Fulham clash
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is gearing up for his side's trip to Fulham today.

Manchester United team news has leaked out early ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Fulham. Erik ten Hag will be hoping to guide his side to victory when the match commences at Craven Cottage. And Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial are all supposedly set to start the game as the Red Devils look to boost their chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Manchester United will go into today's game on a high after beating Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night.

However, the Red Devils will also be aiming to return to winning ways in the Premier League after losing to Villa 3-1 last weekend.

It is United's last game before the World Cup in Qatar gets started, with Ten Hag hopeful of the Red Devils ending the first half of the season on a positive note.

And Twitter user @CS45Sam, who has leaked a few of the club's starting XIs so far this season, has now delivered some early team news.

It's claimed Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw are both set to start the game.



https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1695963/Manchester-United-team-news-Erik-ten-Hag-Fulham-Premier-League

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