European Leagues

Jude Bellingham gets media praise for ignoring Man Utd transfer advice

Real Madrid sensation Jude Bellingham has been praised by Gary Neville for ignoring his “magic” Manchester United transfer advice.

The England international midfielder held talks with the Red Devils before severing ties with boyhood club Birmingham in 2020. Despite meeting with Premier League heavyweights at Old Trafford, Bellingham opted to leave his comfort zone and link up with Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.

He has since earned a €103 million (£89m/$113m) move to Madrid, with Neville conceding that the 20-year-old was right to ignore his apparent words of wisdom.

Red Devils legend Neville has told Sky Sports: “I’ve spoken to a couple of players before they’ve come here and said ‘you’ll never regret it, it’s a magic football club’. But I have to say looking back, it looks like pretty poor advice with what’s happened to them since they’ve come and it’s really sad. They would have thrived at other clubs. Other players who have chosen other clubs have gone on to be really successful.

“You think of Jude Bellingham, and I think of that quite a lot, when he walks into the boardroom here at Man United, United have agreed a fee with Birmingham, and so have Dortmund. He has a choice between Dortmund and United. And somehow that kid, well done to him, chose Borussia Dortmund, and he’s now one of the greatest players in the world, one of the greatest English talents. What would have happened to him if he’d come here? I don’t know, maybe he would have been a success because he’s that good. I’m not so sure in the current environment and culture and what’s been happening.”

Bellingham contributed 49 goal contributions through 132 appearances for Dortmund, with his stock soaring in Germany to the point that he became of obvious interest to La Liga giants Real – who are forever in the market for players that fit their ‘Galacticos’ recruitment model.

Bellingham has continued to star in Spain, registering 17 goals and six assists in 24 outings, and is the current holder of prestigious Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy awards. United are being left to mull over what could have been, with the Red Devils finding little value in the big-money deals that they have completed in recent transfer windows.

Premier League

Scholes suggests Amorim may need to offload up to 14 players at Man United

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes believes that current manager Ruben Amorim may need to offload up to 14 players as part of a major rebuild.

Scholes stated that Amorim faces a far bigger rebuilding job than Mikel Arteta did at Arsenal, citing the challenges Amorim has encountered since taking over at Old Trafford. The 40-year-old manager recently referred to the team as the worst in the club’s history.

Scholes highlighted Arteta’s transformation of Arsenal, which began when he inherited a team in disarray. Arteta’s success came through significant player changes, such as moving on Matteo Guendouzi, Mesut Ozil, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Amorim appears to be following a similar path. He has left Marcus Rashford out of his matchday squad for over a month and has also sidelined Casemiro.

“The trouble Amorim’s got is there’s not just three of them,” Scholes told The Overlap fan debate. “You could be talking about 13 or 14 of them he doesn’t want.”

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Slot rests key players for Champions League clash against PSV

‘Something Is Wrong’ With Liverpool' - Arne Slot Admits Ahead Of AC Milan Clash

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has opted to leave out several key players for their upcoming Champions League match against PSV on Wednesday night.

Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and seven other prominent players have not made the trip to the Netherlands, with Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konaté, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Luis Díaz also being rested.

Slot is focusing on Liverpool’s busy schedule, with important Premier League and Carabao Cup fixtures ahead.

Caoimhin Kelleher is set to start in goal, while fringe players such as Wataru Endo, Darwin Núñez, Federico Chiesa, and Harvey Elliott are expected to feature. Cody Gakpo, a former PSV player, will also be part of the squad and could face his old team.

Liverpool’s squad for the match includes:

Goalkeepers: Kelleher, Jaros, Davies.
Defenders: Quansah, Bradley, Norris, Nallo, Tsimikas, Robertson.
Midfielders: Endo, Mabaya, McConnell, Morrison, Morton, Nyoni.
Forwards: Chiesa, Gakpo, Elliott, Kone-Doherty, Danns, Núñez.

Premier League

PGMOL stands by referee Michael Oliver amid controversial red card, assigns him to key fixtures

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has decided not to drop referee Michael Oliver for the upcoming Premier League fixtures despite recent controversy.

Oliver has faced criticism for his decision to send off Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly during Saturday’s match against Wolves. The 39-year-old referee issued a straight red card to Lewis-Skelly after he caught Wolves defender Matt Doherty’s calf and ankle with his studs. The decision was upheld by VAR, and Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory at Molineux.

There had been speculation that Oliver would be sidelined due to the backlash and online abuse. However, he is scheduled to referee Wednesday’s Champions League clash between Barcelona and Atalanta.

The Premier League has confirmed that Oliver will officiate Ipswich Town’s match against Southampton at Portman Road on Saturday.

Additionally, he has been assigned to handle next month’s rescheduled Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park.