World Cup-winner Paul Pogba has been named by Manchester United boss
Jose Mourinho as the man to lead the Reds into the new Premier League
season against Leicester City.
The Frenchman
won the World Cup with his country in Russia less than a month ago,
scoring in the final against Croatia during France’s 4-2 triumph.
Pogba has since been on holiday recuperating following his season
with United and World Cup duty. He has been back in training for just
four days but manager Mourinho has shown great faith in the 25-year-old
as he hands him the skipper’s armband for the opener against the Foxes.
Fred makes his competitive debut for the Reds.
“Last season, he was captain a few times,” Jose told Sky Sports. “The
captain is [Antonio] Valencia. Valencia is not here. Paul is one of the
options. It’s his third season in the club, he was made in the Academy
and understands the club, the culture of the club and the tradition. He
is with the boys in the dressing room and is a good example today of
putting himself available to try to participate.”
Pogba will be
joined in midfield by United’s new recruit Fred, who was bought from
Shakhtar Donetsk earlier in the summer.
Young midfielder Andreas Pereira, who impressed on United’s tour of the
US, is also included in the first starting XI of the new season, while
Romelu Lukaku and Ashley Young are among the substitutes.
“They want [to] but some can’t [play],” added the boss. “Some
of them clearly they couldn’t [play] – for example, [Nemanja] Matic went
directly to hospital, direct to surgery. Jesse doesn’t feel in the
conditions to help us. Paul said: ‘Yes, okay’. Romelu said not to start
but, from the bench, I can give you a hand. This is what we need at this
time. We don’t have our team but we have a team. A team that wants to
compete. All the boys with good spirits to try to help, if not for 90
minutes, then for a few minutes.”
Jesse Lingard is unavailable to feature against his former loan club.
Leicester
selected Harry Maguire at the heart of the defence but fellow England
international Jamie Vardy, who signed a new deal this week, only makes
the bench. Former Red Jonny Evans is also among the visitors'
substitutes
Despite a late Jamie Vardy strike, captain Paul Pogba was instrumental
in helping Manchester United kick off the 2018/19 Premier League season
with a win after his penalty and a late Luke Shaw strike, his first
senior goal, was enough to earn the Reds a 2-1 victory over Leicester
City on Friday night at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho
hinted pre-match that some of the Reds' World Cup stars may play against
the Foxes and that was exactly what occurred with Pogba taking the
armband in midfield and Romelu Lukaku deemed fit enough to take his
place on the bench.
Our summer signing Fred made his competitive Reds debut and the
impressive pre-season showings from Andreas Pereira earned him a start.
Season openers often take a while to reach the tempo of the usual
fierce, fast-paced Premier League encounters, but this one had Reds fans
fired up after just two minutes. Alexis Sanchez's shot rebounded off
Wes Morgan and struck Daniel Amartey on the arm and, after a short
delay, referee Andre Marriner duly pointed to the spot. Just 26 days
after leading France to World Cup glory, Pogba nonchalantly tip-toed his
way to the ball and clinically dispatched the penalty into Kasper
Schmeichel's top corner.
United's no.6 had quickly picked up where he left off in Russia and he
was equally as effective at the other end, being in the right place to
head clear two dangerous Foxes' free-kicks, before the lively Kelechi
Iheanacho's effort narrowly missed David De Gea's far post.
Pogba confidently converts the penalty.
Eric
Bailly, was one of the few Reds who had a summer off and he looked
sharp, denying the Leicester forwards with some all-action defending and
it didn't take long for David De Gea to pick up his seamless,
world-class saving duties, tipping James Maddison's shot round the post
as the away side pressed for the equaliser.
Fred, who covered the most distance out of any United player in the
first half, showed off his array of passes to good effect, one of which
found Luke Shaw in behind, but Schmeichel grasped gratefully as United
went in at the break one up.
Bailly came to United's rescue again as he halted Iheanacho before
the former Manchester City man could pull the trigger. At the other
end, Pogba played in Alexis Sanchez who squared for Juan Mata, but his
effort was deflected wide, via the arm of Wes Morgan, before substitute
Vardy pressured Luke Shaw into a mistake and crossed for Iheanacho, but
De Gea saved down low.
Substitute Lukaku had a chance to wrap the game up when one-on-one,
but his effort was deflected over via the sprawling feet of Schmeichel,
but it didn't matter as fans' favourite Shaw doubled United's lead eight
minutes from time, beating Ricardo Pereira at the far post and poking
the ball past, this time, the helpless Dane.
Vardy did grab a late goal, tapping in at the far post after
Ricardo's cross had rebounded off the post, but it turned out to be a
consolation as the Reds kicked off the new campaign with the three
points.
THE LINE-UPS
United: De Gea; Darmian, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw; Pereira, Fred (McTominay 76), Pogba (c) (Fellaini 83); Mata, Alexis, Rashford (Lukaku 67).
With the World Cup now a distant memory, the 2018/19 season is almost
upon us and we're all excited for the long-awaited return of the Premier
League.
Manchester
United get the campaign under way in Friday night’s eagerly anticipated
opener against Leicester City at Old Trafford. However, since the Reds
last kicked a ball in a competitive game, there have been a number of
changes both inside and outside of the club.
Before another nine months of drama and excitement begin, we bring
you up to speed with everything that’s different ahead of the new term… AN EARLIER TRANSFER DEADLINE As you are probably aware, the summer transfer window will
close much earlier this season compared to previous years. The deadline
for United and fellow top-flight clubs to sign players is 17:00 BST on
Thursday (9 August) – just 27 hours before the Reds kick off the
campaign against the Foxes. This new agreement, which applies only to
the acquisition of players, will be for Premier League clubs only and
has no bearing on other leagues and competitions. Clubs will still be
able to sell or loan players to other leagues whose transfer windows are
open. The winter window will run in January as usual.
This summer's ins and outs article
THREE NEW OPPONENTS FOR UNITED The Reds will come up against three different but familiar
teams this season after Cardiff City, Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers
were promoted from the Championship last term – swapping places with
Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City, who were relegated.
Wolves ran away with the Championship title in 2017/18, while Cardiff
finished second to give Neil Warnock a fourth crack at the top flight in
his long managerial career. Fulham beat Aston Villa in the play-off
final at Wembley and their head coach Slavisa Jokanovic will be the
first Serbian to manage in the Premier League. A NEW GROUND TO VISIT United’s loyal army of fans who travel to away games will have a
brand new stadium to tick off their list this term as Tottenham Hotspur
are set to move into a new home, built on the site of their old White
Hart Lane ground. With 62,062 seats, it will be the second-largest
stadium in the Premier League, behind our very own Theatre of Dreams.
The ground will also host NFL matches with a special American football
pitch, concerts and other major events every season. United, who were
the last visitors to the old White Hart Lane in May 2017, are scheduled
to travel to north London to face Spurs on 12 January 2019.
FOUR NEW MANAGERS Since the end of last season, four Premier League clubs have
changed their manager. Chelsea replaced one Italian with another as
Antonio Conte made way for ex-Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri, while
Arsenal appointed former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery
as their replacement for long-serving Arsene Wenger. Everton finally
landed their man as Marco Silva arrived in place of Sam Allardyce and
former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has replaced David Moyes
at West Ham United. A NEW BALL TO PLAY WITH A new season wouldn’t be complete without a new ball – and this
year United’s stars will be playing with the most advanced ball yet in
the Premier League era. There were once 32 panels on a ball – now, for
the first time ever, the Nike Merlin ball for 2018/19 has just four.
Fewer panels means fewer seams, eliminating hard spots and opening the
ball up to more sweet spots for players to shoot or pass with greater
accuracy. Let’s hope we see it hit the back of the net plenty of times
this season for the Reds!
Unai Emery has the tough task of following
in the footsteps of Arsene Wenger, who was Arsenal's manager for 22
years.
NEW FACES IN THE MIDDLE There will be four new match officials who could take charge of
United’s games in the Premier League this term. Referees Simon Hooper
and David Coote have both been promoted to the Select Group of officials
who oversee top-flight games, while Dan Robathan and Neil Davies could
be running the line at Old Trafford this term after being elevated to
the list of Premier League assistant referees. Incidentally, Friday
night’s season opener against Leicester will be refereed by experienced
whistler Andre Marriner. NO VAR – YET! It may have been in place at the World Cup, where it caused its
fair share of controversy, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will
not be used in the Premier League this season. However, the technology
is still being trialled behind the scenes and will be used in selected
FA Cup and Carabao Cup games. A statement from the Premier League said: “The
clubs agreed that advanced testing will continue to the end of season
2018/19 to make further improvements to the system, especially around
communication inside the stadium and for those following at home and
around the world.”
Juan Mata had a goal contentiously ruled out
by the VAR for offside in last season's FA Cup tie at Huddersfield.
CHANGES TO DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS A totting-up system similar to player cautions has been
introduced for managers or other members of team staff for breaches of
discipline in the technical area. Every time a referee issues an
official, stage-one warning to a manager or other member of team staff
in the technical area, the caution will be logged and they will be
informed. Sanctions will subsequently be imposed after four, eight, 12
and 16 warnings per individual. In addition, yellow cards picked up by
players in Premier League matches will only be relevant to that
competition. A player who receives five cautions before the 19th
league match will be given a one-match suspension, to be served in the
Premier League. Ten cautions received by the 32-match mark will result in a two-match ban for the offending player. HANDHELD DEVICES CAN BE USED IN DUGOUTS
Although the general rules of the game remain unchanged for the
season ahead, managers and officials now have the option to use small
handheld devices, such as phones and tablets, in the dugout as a means
of communication. This means they could be used to relay tactical
information to players or speak to managers or coaches who may be
watching the game from the directors' box or the stands. However, they
cannot be used to watch or review match footage.
NEW UNDER-18S COACH FOR UNITED There’s a new man in charge of our Under-18s, following Kieran
McKenna’s promotion to Jose Mourinho’s first-team coaching staff. Neil
Ryan has taken over the reins and will be looking to build on the
success of last season, when United won the Under-18 Premier League
North title. The young Reds’ bid to retain their crown begins on Friday
afternoon when Derby County visit the Aon Training Complex for a 13:00
BST kick-off in what will be Ryan’s first competitive match at the helm.
Ryan's a United man to the core article
A NEW WOMEN’S TEAM 2018/19 will mark an historic season for Manchester United
Women as Casey Stoney’s exciting young team embark on their inaugural
campaign since launching earlier this summer. Our women’s team will be
competing in the FA Women’s Championship, with the aim of gaining
promotion to the FA Women’s Super League at the first time of asking.
The season officially gets up and running for Stoney’s side with a tasty
fixture against rivals Liverpool at Tranmere Rovers’ Prenton Park on
Sunday 19 August in the first round of the Continental Tyres League Cup.
A MINI MAKEOVER FOR OLD TRAFFORD And finally, the Theatre of Dreams has something of a new look
heading into the new season. After hosting the Soccer Aid for Unicef
match, as well as Rolling Stones and Billy Joel concerts, the stadium
has had a lick of paint and the pitch has been relaid to ensure
everything is ready for the big kick-off on Friday night, when the eyes
of the football world will be on our home as the 27th Premier League
season commences.
A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Mr Akeem Agbaje, speaks with WALE AKINSELURE on his ambition, his agenda tagged ‘Sustaining the legacies of the incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi’ and why money politics won’t determine winner of the next Oyo governorship election.
YOU are a legal luminary, but, in politics, some observers refer to you as a greenhorn. What do you make of this tag?
The definition of greenhorn will not apply to me. This may be my first time of contesting for a political post, but in terms of participation in the electoral process, I have consistently done this as a lawyer representing candidates and being part of a think-tank of elected officials that were successful. There is really no government in this state, both civilian and military, that I have not had a very close relationship with. Also, there is no local government in this state that I have not had significant interaction with. There is no local government that I have not been to for at least five times, since 1999. So, in terms of understanding of this environment, I have reasonably good knowledge and experience. I have also had good physical interactions with several politicians.
How do you intend to achieve your ambition of becoming the governor?
The process was first for me to tell my leader and father which is the governor. After, I informed my ward, which is Ward 3, Ibadan North West Local Government and I visited my local government and then the state executives. I informed the party secretariat last year and it did not have to be a jamboree. Moreover, campaigns have not been officially lifted by INEC and we will still go to the party office to pick nomination forms. It is the new entrants into the game that feel they have to celebrate going to the party office, but it is a long journey and everyone has his or her own approach.
But you are also a new entrant
When I mean new entrant, I mean those that declared their intention in the past two to three months not those of us that did it last year. In the political landscape, we probably have one or two that are not new; majority of us are new. In terms of when we informed the state executives, I am not new.
Your campaign is tagged, Sustaining the Legacy, what are the legacies of the Governor Abiola Ajimobi led administration that you intend to sustain?
One of the key words of our campaign is sustaining the legacy. Hardly will you find a government that has not impacted on governance in one way or the other. The policies of this administration were determined by the challenges of those times, like insecurity. The current administration has brought about a credible level of security; in terms of infrastructure, he has also done significantly well. He has put in place a lot of policies, like in the civil service, and the results will be felt with time. They are not immediate but once he lives office and a competent administrator comes in, the significance of his policies will begin to manifest. That is why you need someone who is very knowledgeable about the state. For me, education is key, agriculture is key, health is key, the judicial system is also very important. We need to focus on infrastructure, in terms of gas and power. We need to develop that and make it manifest in our economic development, we also need to deal with housing.
In the name of sustaining the legacy, what do you make of those arguments that Ajimobi’s successor should rather emerge from within his cabinet and not outside it?
I think that, with due respect to members of the cabinet, for better balancing, fresher ideas that can build on what Ajimobi has achieved, bring additional value to what they have done, it is better a neutral I comes into governance.
The peculiarities of this moment must be different from those when Ajimobi came to power. What should be focus of governance in Oyo State after Ajimobi?
We need to rebase our developmental trajection. We are not Lagos or Ogun State, but we have other values that should drive us like agriculture, education, our judicial system; we can also improve on the level of security that Ajimobi has started. It is only when you have all these in place that you can begin to attract the kind of investment that we need to take us to the next level.
Recent experiences seem to point to an increased practice of money politics, do you have the needed resources to outwit other big spenders for you to emerge the party’s flag bearer?
I have been involved in the politics of Oyo state over the years. Not in one instance has the highest spender won the election. Right from the time of Bola Ige to Kolapo Ishola, Lam Adesina, Rasheed Ladoja, Abiola Ajimobi, it wasn’t the highest spender that won the election. Our politics is different, our people are more politically sophisticated, they are not easily swayed by the immediate benefits they will get. They look at the aspirants, their background, pedigree, the relationship they have had with them. In some places, it is easy to spend money but not in Oyo State. I have not seen the highest spender win election in Oyo State. Politics is local, the drivers of the politics of each state differ. If it worked in Ekiti State, it may not work in Oyo state.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday met with the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, reportedly to perfect the lawmaker’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former governor of Akwa Ibom State arrived the State House Villa by 3.06pm with the Presidential Aide on National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang.
The duo went straight into the Vice President’s wing at the State House Villa. The two Akwa Ibom politicians came an hour after President Muhammadu Buhari departed for Bauchi State on an official engagement.
The meeting, which lasted till around 5.20pm, came on the heels of Akpabio’s defection plot. Akpabio is said to be mulling defection over his rift with the current governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel.
Our correspondent reports that while Akpabio was with the vice president, the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of his party, the PDP, was also going on, with Senate President Bukola Saraki and other defectors from the APC in attendance. A ranking senator told Daily Trust that Akpabio had since perfected his plans to dump the PDP. “If not for the impunity of Saraki, he (Akpabio) would have announced his defection penultimate Tuesday when we proceeded on recess. He was to announce it that day but Saraki stopped him,” the senator, who did not want be named, said.
Our correspondent reports that if Akpabio decamps, he would be the second senator from the oil rich Akwa Ibom to join the APC. In January last year, Senator Nelson Effiong (PDP, Akwa-Ibom South) joined the APC.
A text message sent to Enang to confirm whether the vice president’s meeting with Akpabio was in connection with the defection was not responded to.
