Man United, following their Carabao Cup triumph at Wembley last Sunday, are still competing in three other competitions this season.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag insists that his players will not be distracted by talk of potentially securing what would be a famous quadruple this season.
United, who will resume their Premier League campaign with a trip to Anfield to face rivals Liverpool on Sunday, clinched their first trophy of the Ten Hag era last weekend, beating Newcastle United 2-0 in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. They followed up their victory over the Magpies with a 3-1 win over West Ham United in the fifth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. (Image: Sky Sports.)
After falling behind to Said Benrahma’s opener just nine minutes after half-time, United staged a late comeback to turn the game on its head and book a quarter-final date with Fulham later this month. The Reds are still competing in the Europa League and face Real Betis in the first leg of their last-16 showdown next week.
United are also still in with a chance of winning the Premier League title this season, but must overcome an 11-point deficit to clinch their first league crown since 2013. They are currently third in the standings, 11 points behind table-toppers Arsenal who have played a game more.
But even though United are firm outsiders in the title race, talk of them possibly ending the season with four trophies has intensified in recent weeks. However, Ten Hag admits that his players are focused on nothing more than the next game, describing those who believe the club could end the campaign with four major honours as “dreamers”.
“We are not talking about that, we are talking about the next game [vs Liverpool] and it is a big game,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports, addressing any hopes the club might have of clinching a famous quadruple. “It is a good game and we are really excited to play this game.”
The Dutchman added: “That is for dreamers [talk of winning a quadruple], that is for fans. It is nice but it is not for us [to think about] and the players know that, they are so experienced they don’t get distracted from beautiful dreams.
Manchester United: Red Devils offered chance to sign Rafael Leao
Manchester United have reportedly been offered the chance to seal a summer transfer deal for AC Milan winger Rafael Leao.
As things stand, the attacker’s contract with the Italian club is set to expire in the summer of 2024.
However, reports have emerged suggesting that the possibility of him signing a new deal with Milan is in doubt.
This has since led to one reporter claiming that the player’s representative has already been sounding out a potential summer transfer move for Leao.
According to Italian journalist Ciro Venerato (via Sport Witness), Leao’s agent has offered United, as well as Manchester City, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain the chance to sign the winger, who is likely to have an asking price of €90m (£79m).
With 147 appearances for Milan under his belt, the 23-year-old, who Paolo Maldini has previously dubbed a “diamond” has scored 36 goals and delivered 31 assists.
This season has seen the Portuguese international show how much of a top attacking talent he is by scoring eight goals and providing seven assists in 23 Serie A appearances.
In addition to that, only Victor Osimhen (87) and Lautaro Martinez (86) have racked up more shots at goal in the league this season than the winger (66), showing how much of a consistent goal threat he is.
Should Man United sign Rafael Leao this summer?
To further highlight how much of a dynamic attacker he is, Leao tops the list in Serie A for the number of successful take-ons (42) and carries into the final third of the pitch (61).
Taking into account how Erik ten Hag’s side have the third-lowest percentage of successful take-ons (38.4%) in the Premier League this season, it’s safe to say that adding a player like the Milan star to their side would make them a more direct attacking side.
With all of that in mind, if the door to seal a deal for Leao opens once the summer transfer window opens, United should be at the front of the queue to do so ahead of the other clubs that have apparently been offered the chance to sign him.
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk; thisisfutbol.com
