Manchester United are looking to take advantage of a managerial departure to strengthen in a key area. The Red Devils are likely to be busy over the coming weeks as they look to fill key gaps and give Michael Carrick the best chance of kicking on from the progress made under his interim reign last season.

Carrick has already been handed two new midfielders in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, while a third midfield signing is likely. United may also sign an attacker, but arguably no position is more important than the left-back position, given the lack of depth there. with Luke Shaw the only senior option on the left.

Man Utd preparing to make Hall move

According to TeamTalk, Man Utd are now preparing to make their opening move to sign Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall after big developments at St James’ Park. Eddie Howe has seemingly decided to walk away from his job at St James’ Park just weeks before the start of the season.

Howe has seen Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali sold this summer, and it is looking increasingly likely that Bruno Guimaraes will join Arsenal. That has likely led to frustration aplenty, but the reasons for his departure will become clearer.

Whatever the case, Newcastle are now looking for a new manager, and United reportedly sense it is the right time to strike as they look to land left-back Hall to add competition and depth to the left side of their defence.

Hall is said to be keen on a move to Old Trafford this summer, feeling as though he has a clear route to becoming the main starter, even if Shaw remains that role initially. Shaw has a colourful injury past and is now 31 years of age.

There has been talk of an asking price between £50million and £55million, but the Magpies have lost a lot of talent this summer, so that could change. United technical director Jason Wilcox is said to be personally driving the interest having been impressed by Hall’s versatility at the back.

Howe departure could be a major factor for Hall

Eddie Howe said of Hall last year: “You saw Lewis Hall’s technical ability, considering again the length of time he’s been out and he’s one that hadn’t trained with us, so we hadn’t really seen him during the international break. It was a great performance from him.”

Interestingly, Hall has been very complimentary of Howe, saying: “He’s been a massive part of my career so far. He’s definitely one of the most important managers I’ve had in terms of my development.

“Eddie’s a manager that has taken a lot of stuff from my game and improved it more than I ever thought he could do at this stage in my career, if I’m honest. The confidence and belief that he’s shown in me… I’m obviously really grateful to him for that.”

With Howe now leaving, Hall could end up pushing for a move, and United may be relying on that factor.

US Soccer have responded to CONCACAF’s decision to reject FIFA and Gianni Infantino’s plans to sell a minority stake in the World Cup.

One of the biggest scandals in the sport’s history has unfolded this week after Infantino’s proposal leaked and it’s been met with huge backlash. The FIFA President sent a letter to all 211 national member associations regarding a new commercial entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE).

The idea involved selling a minority stake in the World Cup, with FIFA working with JPMorgan to raise $4.2 billion from private investors. Infantino fronted the scheme, and US President Donald Trump’s administration was reportedly approached about the deal.

USA Respond to CONCACAF Decision

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

UEFA were the first sporting body to strongly oppose Infantino’s proposal and a meeting has resulted in their nations threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions. That includes the 2030 World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted in Spain and Portugal.

CONCACAF likewise held a meeting with its member associations and released a statement responding to the plans. They have rejected the idea but haven’t mentioned a potential boycott.

The USA are a member of CONCACAF and they have confirmed that they back the decision, writing in response to the statement:

“U.S. Soccer stands with Concacaf and its members.”

Trump and Infantino have grown close since the World Cup was confirmed to be co-hosted in the United States, Mexico and Canada back in 2018. Their relationship has been called out by many in the sport, especially after FIFA opted to suspend Folarin Balogun’s one-game ban after receiving a contentious red card.

With Infantino’s relationship with Trump taking centre stage throughout this summer’s World Cup, there had been plenty of concerns over the president’s potential involvement in the FFE scheme. The plan is backed by Joshua Kushner’s investment fund and Kushner’s brother-in-law, Trump’s son-in-law.

Infantino Handed Huge Setback

REUTERS/Henry Romero

With US investors such as Thrive Capital and JPMorgan backing Infantino’s scheme, US Soccer’s statement is a major setback for the FIFA president. Not only have 96 national federations now opposed his proposal, but the country which has been the main focus for the private equity venture has pushed back.

The likes of CONCACAF and CONMEBOL usually align with FIFA on commercial expansion, so this is hugely significant. It puts a ton of pressure on Infantino, who has come under immense criticism before, during and following a controversial World Cup.

UEFA have reportedly been pushing for Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to run against Infantino at the next election. It’s clear that he is losing the support not just in Europe but on a global scale.

It has been a turbulent summer for Newcastle United, who were hoping to quickly bounce back from a disappointing season that saw them miss out on European football. Eddie Howe was expecting to be backed in his bid to bounce back from the disappointing campaign, but this summer has not panned out that way.

Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon were sold, while Bruno Guimaraes now looks as though he will be sold to Arsenal, and it’s not certain the exits will end there. Eddie Howe has now left the club in the biggest blow of the summer so far for Newcastle, and Sky Sports say the reason for his departure is Howe feeling as though this coming season will be a huge challenge, not helped by the transfer activity. The experienced Premier League boss is said to feel ‘exhausted’ by his efforts over recent years, and the work required at St James’ Park this summer and beyond is going to prove too much. Relatively inexperienced Al-Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle is now expected to take over, and the first order of business could be to find a Guimaraes replacement.

Newcastle now pushing for Guimaraes replacement

It now looks increasingly likely that Guimaraes will sign for Arsenal on a £70million deal, meaning even more talent is on its way out of St James’ Park. But it appears as though the Magpies have a plan to replace the Brazilian, with a big outlay required to make it happen.

According to a fresh report, FC Porto star Victor Froholdt is the likely Guimaraes replacement, with the Danish midfielder having been a target of Newcastle’s in the past. Correio da Manhã have reported that the Magpies watched Froholdt a number of times last season and were left impressed, with now departed Howe said to have been a big fan.

It’s claimed Newcastle are considering Froholdt, along with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Larsson and Botafogo’s Danilo, who was previously with Nottingham Forest.

Newcastle will have to pay big for Froholdt

The report adds that Porto have already told Newcastle that they must pay around £73.6million to sign Froholdt this summer, which is the full value of the midfielder’s release clause. However, the report does go on to say a fee ‘close’ to the release clause, so there could be room to reduce that fee eve if it is only by a little.

Froholdt’s current contract runs until the summer of 2030. Porto bought the Dane for only £17.3million, so they are set to make a big profit this summer.

Meanwhile, Newcastle will bring in £70million for Guimaraes, and perhaps a little more with add-ons, while they have also pocketed £100million for Sandro Tonali, with around £92.5million of that expected to have been upfront.