UNITED LEARN FATE
Manchester United will begin their defence of the Carabao Cup by welcoming Burton Albion to Old Trafford. United won the Cup last season by beating Southampton at Wembley back in February. Chelsea take on Nottingham Forest while City go to the Hawthorns to face West Bromwich Albion. Liverpool will take on former league champions Leicester. All matches will be played in the week starting Monday 18th September.
United will also learn their group rivals for this season’s Champions League later tonight.
UNITED TO MISS OUT ON AURIER
Manchester United are set to miss out on signing Serge Aurier after Spurs moved forward in completing the transfer of the Frenchman. Aurier who is a versatile right back who reportedly considered by Mourinho in view of adding depth to the backline but opted against making a move despite being close to the transfer. Spurs will seal the transfer for a fee of around £23m.
TENTATIVE RETURN DATE?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic who is keeping us entertained with his videos on social media highlighting his time in the gym has reportedly marked the clash against Spurs as the game for his comeback. The match on 28th October seems to be the time Ibrahimovic will mark his return to the field competitively despite initially being ruled out until December 2017 or January 2018. The deal is set to be announced in the coming week.
POGBA COMMENTS
NOT AFRAID OF ANYONE
Paul Pogba believes that Manchester United have no reason to fear any side in the Premier League. United who sit at the top of the league after a start that eclipsed a 110-year record have impressed many with Pogba’s individual brilliance finally starting to show. Pogba is thrilled by United’s start and told ESPN FC that they are primed for a good season and that fans haven’t seen anything yet. Pogba said: “The biggest challengers? We are our own rivals and we think about ourselves first. But we don’t have to be scared of anyone in the league because we know we are a strong team as well. We know we can do great this season.”
MATIC’S IMPACT
Pogba not only took the opportunity to lay down the gauntlet but also praised new boy Nemanja Matic for helping him get a bit more independence on the field. Like many predicted, the arrival of the Serbian has taken the shackles off the Frenchman. Pogba was quick to praise Matic and said: “I’m mostly an offensive player and I think more about attacking, but he will be more defending. “We can switch, but we match a lot and in those two games, I have been more forward and he has stayed back. That helps me more be myself. I still do the defensive part, but now I can go forward more and help the strikers. I like to be in front of the goals too. He helps me and I enjoy it, yes.”