#PremierLeagueStories @ManUtd – #ManchesterUnited will bring back heritage of safe standing + #HarryMaguire pleads better set piece defending (and other Manchester United stories)
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Harry Maguire
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire believes that the team needs to better on defending from ser pieces in order to improve their form. The former Leicester City man said he’s been pleased with the side’s defending overall, but dealing with free kicks is one area where they need to improve.
Harry Maguire said: “We’re keeping a lot more clean sheets than we were at the start of season and we’ve never really been a team which has conceded a lot of chances. We’ve been poor from set-plays with our defending and we’ve had a couple of great goals scored against us from outside the box, but we haven’t really been having games where David [De Gea] has had to make five or six saves, apart from maybe the Carabao Cup second leg against [Manchester] City, when David was brilliant.”
Maguire became the most expensive centre-back of all time when he moved from Leicester to United in the summer. The England international has impressed early in his Old Trafford career and was named captain when Ashley Young was sold to Inter Milan in January.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hailed Manchester United new boy Bruno Fernandes, saying the midfielder’s brain is ‘quicker than many others.’
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: “Well, overall, he [Fernandes] is a very, very good footballer and his brain is obviously quicker than many others. He has got loads of attributes that we are going to get used to. We will get used to him and he will get used to us. His passing range, his deliveries, his movements, I am just pleased to see him here enjoying himself.”
Fernandes made his United debut in their final match before the winter break but was unable to inspire them to victory as they played out a goalless draw against Wolves.
Manchester United have officially declared their intention to bring back safe standing sections at Old Trafford. United recently conducted a feasibility study following changes to the Sports Ground Stadium Authority Green Guide and are now looking to bring rail seating to Old Trafford, potentially before the end of the season.
Manchester United said: “A formal proposal was made to the local Safety Advisory Group in December 2019 to request a trial in a small section of the stadium (up to 1,500 seats in the North East Quadrant). Our belief is that the introduction of rail seating will enhance spectator safety in areas of the stadium where — as with other clubs — we have seen examples of persistent standing. The SAG committee is reviewing the request. This is not an automatic approval process. We will discuss the proposal in detail with the relevant authorities and will work through their compliance and review processes.”
There have been calls for a long time across all premier league clubs to bring back safe standing sections at the stadiums which were banned after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 where 96 Liverpool supporters had died.
Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has finally opened up about his difficult relationship with his previous manager Jose Mourinho and expressed his frustrations about a turbulent time when the Portuguese didn’t pick him in the team.
Anthony Martial said: “It is true that I prefer to be told to my face, There is no need for it to be said in front of everybody. Certainly, after that, you want to prove him wrong. He did not play me during the first matches of the season. Each time I came on, I scored, and he eventually said to me, ‘you see, now you understand what I am after. It can sting, but you just want to show him that you should be on the pitch.”
Anthony Martial never quite found the confidence of Mourinho who benched the Frenchman upon the arrival of Alexis Sanchez in the 2017-18 season despite Martial having his best season at United until that point in the season.
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