Despite leaving Tyrell Malacia out of his summer plans, Ruben Amorim was central to the decision to bring the Manchester United full-back into the fold after a summer transfer broke down. According to reports, the head coach spoke with his own squad to discuss the 26-year-old before reintergrating him.
Malacia only made five starts under Amorim between November and the end of January, pushing him into a mid-season loan to PSV Eindhoven. Blighted by injury, Malacia’s return to first-team football was not smooth.
United were keen to cash in on all five but had to settle for loans with Rashford and Sancho before selling Garnacho for less than they had hoped. Malacia had plenty of interest from across Europe but no exit was agreed.
Amorim offers Malacia a lifeline
Amorim was at the heart of the recall, write The Athletic. It is said that when Malacia emerged as the only member of the bomb squad left over once the window closed, he asked his players about their views on the Dutchman to which there was positive feedback.
Taking it on board, Amorim brought Malacia back into the fold and he is now training with his teammates once more. He has also been glowing in his praise of the defender.
“I love all my players, and I demand the same thing from all the players, so he’s working really well,” the former Sporting CP coach said before the Brighton clash. “He’s adapting to the team very well, and like I say all the time, there is no favourites. If you work, you will play for Man United.”
Malacia is yet to make it that far but he is more involved now than at any point since February.
It was the first time he had featured in a matchday squad since being hooked at half-time away to FCSB in the Europa League. He was then not been selected for the 2-2 draws with Nottingham Forest and Tottenham before the international break.
FIFA have been urged to delay an upcoming 2026 World Cup fixture amid an increased risk of “heat related illness or even death” due to a dangerous heat wave.
All matches at this summer’s showpiece international tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico have featured three-minute hydration breaks, one in each half, to allow players to take on fluids in an effort to prevent overheating.
However, hydration breaks may not be sufficient for one upcoming last 16 clash at Lincoln Financial Field, otherwise known as the Philadelphia Stadium at the 2026 World Cup.
Heat Wave Threatens to Impact Last 16 Fixture
REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
Temperatures are set to his record highs in Philadelphia, where Paraguay and France go head-to-head on Saturday.
Per talkSPORT, the heat index, including humidity, is expected to be between 37 and 46 degrees Celsius (100F – 115 Fahrenheit) this weekend.
As things stand, France’s last 16 fixture against Paraguay is scheduled to get underway at 5pm local time (10pm BST). Temperatures are still expected to be dangerously high at this point in the day, sparking concern for players, officials and fans.
FIFA’s current heat guidelines state that matches are at risk of being postponed if the wet bulb temperature reaches 32 C (89 F). There’s currently a high chance this temperature will be exceeded when Kylian Mbappe and co. face their South American opponents at the 67,594-capacity stadium which is home to NFL side Philadelphia Eagles.
“When you’re exerting yourself on a particularly hot day, the likelihood of experiencing heat related illness or even death is much higher,” Bahart Venkat, director of the Heat Lab at the University of California, told the Associated Press.
It’s warned that intense exercise on such a hot day can lead to extreme fatigue, impaired performance, headache, irritability, nausea, dizziness, cramping and dehydration – all symptoms of exertional heat illness.
You scored
out of 20
FIFA Urged to Push Kick-Off Time Back
REUTERS/Mandel Ngan
Journalist Ian Nicholas Quillen has written an article for Forbes, urging FIFA to delay kick-off for Paraguay vs France.
“Let’s start with the obvious: This was entirely predictable when FIFA decided to engage in wishful thinking and schedule knockout phase matches outdoors on the East Coast during the middle of the day,” Quillen writes.
“Put bluntly, playing this fixture at its scheduled time will put players, fans and match officials at unnecessary risk. And even for TV viewers in the comfort of their own homes, it will significantly impact the product on the field.”
He adds: “But FIFA can still rectify its own mistake with relatively minimal consequences by preemptively delaying kick-off until the evening.”
Pushing the kick-off time back would mean “conditions would become considerably more playable just by delaying matches a few hours until the evening, when at least the impact of the sun could be mitigated.”
He warns that FIFA may find themselves in a similar predicament later in the knockout stages due to the risk of another heat wave impacting the north-east of the United States this month.
Following the game at Torono Stadium, Ronaldo made his way over to Modric and the two former teammates had a few words with each other before sharing an emotional embrace.
Speaking after the match, Ronaldo revealed what he said to the legendary midfielder. He said, per Manchester Evening News: “I played with Luka so many matches and we are nearly the same age. He is a legend of football.
“I said to him, ‘Congratulations for everything. I would love to see you again and all the best for the next years of your career’. It was nice to play him once again.”
You scored
out of 20
Luka Modric Rages at VAR After Portugal 2-1 Croatia
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Modric vented his frustrations at VAR following the match. He said, via Sportske Novosti: “We can look at the game in two parts, in the first half we were not at our best level, we were quite withdrawn, but in the second half we played a phenomenal game.
“That’s one of our better games. We could have easily finished it earlier, but we didn’t manage it. We missed, and then some things happened that are unbelievable to me.
“What is, is there. It’s hard to say what is smart after the game, I don’t want to say something wrong. We can be proud of how we played the second half; we deserved more, but simply, football is like that. “
On the disallowed goal, he said: “He says Matanović touched the ball, but we watched the footage, there’s no evidence that he touched the ball. If he doesn’t touch the ball, it’s not offside.”
He added: “Some things didn’t go our way. That penalty… If it were the other way around, VAR would never have been involved.
“I said about VAR in the beginning, when it was first introduced, that I didn’t like it. Later, over time, it’s good for some things, but they use it incorrectly or use it selectively, or depending on the size of the team.
“VAR should intervene if it’s 200 per cent a mistake, but if it’s not, if it’s in the grey zone, you have no say in it. There’s no point in calling VAR.
“This is no penalty. Both teams are replaying, pushing, Vlašić didn’t pull it, he held it, and both of them fell. That’s why you can’t judge a penalty like that in a game like this.
“That’s why I say, it has to be used if the mistake is 200 per cent. If you can treat something this way or that, you have no say in it.
“That annoys me and always works to our detriment. What is, it is, let’s move on, we won’t complain about it, but of course, some things bother me because fate decides.
“They decide the mood for everything you do, what you give up, you tear yourself apart, you fight. There are young players who come here, and then you do something like this to them… You are to blame for that, and it is always to our detriment.”
Joao Palhinha has confirmed that he won’t be a Tottenham Hotspur player next season following a big U-turn by manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Tottenham have been the busiest Premier League club by far in the summer transfer window, with Sandro Tonali set to become their sixth addition imminently after Spurs agreed a club-record £100m fee with Newcastle United for the Italy international.
The 26-year-old follows fellow midfielder Mateus Fernandes through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which has meant that De Zerbi has had to backtrack on his previous comments.
The Italian boss had previous said that Palhinha was someone he ‘100%’ wanted to sign this summer, after the Portugal international played a huge part in the club’s survival last season.
Palhinha scored two crucial goals against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton during the run-in, and while Tottenham didn’t take up the option they had to sign him on a permanent basis, it was expected that they would try and renegotiate the terms.
However, the north Londoners have now turned their back on a deal for the Bayern Munich star, having landed both Fernandes and Tonali for their midfield in big-money deals.
