Man Utd news LIVE: Donny van de Beek shows true colours as scouting mission goes south

Amad Diallo has made a promising start to the season at Manchester United but his international performances have left plenty to be desired, according to media in the Ivory Coast.

Diallo started last week’s 2-0 win over Zambia and made a substitute appearance in the victory over Chad on Tuesday.

But newspaper Fraternite Matin aired concerns about his displays.

“Especially against Zambia where he often made mistakes in his movements,” they wrote. “Was he a victim of his desire to do too well?

“According to some observers, he paid the high price for a system that creaked a little with a confusion of roles between Oumar Diakite and him.”

Arsenal and Chelsea hero Emmanuel Petit has questioned whether Bruno Fernandes should have the armband at Manchester United.

The Portuguese is known for his on-field strops and Petit claims he would not have stood for it during his playing days.

“I think he’s a good player but I think he’s a diva,” Petit told talkSPORT. “He acts like a diva sometimes, not like a captain – he wears the armband but if I’m honest with you, if I’m a team-mate in the dressing room and you see the way he’s behaving sometimes on the pitch with his arms all the time complaining, you don’t want that from your captain.”

Manchester United legend David Beckham has paid his respects to Sven-Goran Eriksson at the former England manager’s funeral today (Friday).

Beckham turned out alongside Eriksson’s friends and family in the Swedish town of Torsby after flying in by private jet.

The former Three Lions skipper previously reacted to Eriksson’s death by saying: “I will be forever grateful for you making me your captain but I will forever hold these last memories of this day with you and your family… Thank you Sven and in your last words to me ‘It will be ok'”.

Luka Vidic, son of Manchester United legend Nemanja, has signed his first contract as a professional footballer.

The 17-year-old defensive midfielder, born in the same year his father signed for United, is rising through the ranks in Serbia with Zeleznicar Pancevo.

And he has now been given a senior squad number as he looks to emulate his father’s success.

Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes that Erik ten Hag will fumble three points again this weekend.

Fulham are the only team Manchester United defeated in their first three league games of the campaign.

They travel to newly-promoted Southampton tomorrow (Saturday) and anything less than a win would invite more pressure onto Ten Hag.

“I think Man United have been bang average so far this season, which is why there’s a lot of talk around Ten Hag, so this is a huge game for both clubs and could have huge ramifications going forward,” Shearer wrote in The Metro.

“There’ll be so much noise if Man United don’t win this game, particularly with the start to the season Southampton have had too.

“If Man United were to go there and fail to win, or even worse, be beaten, then the noise around the job and everything else at the club would rank up a notch or three. I’ll go for a draw.”

Manchester United sent scouts to watch Martin Baturina during the international break, according to Germanijak, with the Croatian midfielder said to be ‘very high’ on the Red Devils’ wish list.

Baturina played just over an hour in the 2-1 defeat to Portugal, but United didn’t get to see him action whatsoever on Sunday night as he was an unused substitute in Croatia’s 1-0 win over Poland.

Club scouts will surely have wanted to get a better look at the 21-year-old to make the trip worth their while.

Baturina has already scored 16 goals in 120 games for Dinamo Zagreb, and is rated as one of the best young midfielders in Croatia.

Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Manuel Ugarte will be available to face Southampton on Saturday.

But the fact the Uruguayan was not pictured in training on Thursday suggests he may not be match ready in time for the trip to St. Mary’s.

Ugarte played for his national team as recently as Tuesday night and endured a more taxing international break than most.

United are in need of defensive midfield options after Casemiro’s wayward performance against Liverpool last time out.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is delighted with what he has seen from Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho so far.

The winger landed at Stamford Bridge this summer on loan with an obligation to buy.

And fans are eager to find out whether he can rebuild his career after a miserable spell at Old Trafford.

“He has been exactly what I expected,” said Maresca. “He’s a very good player, a one-v-one player with quality in the last third. I’m sure he is going to help us.”

Donny van de Beek has shown his class by refusing to criticise Manchester United despite his nightmare spell at Old Trafford.

The 27-year-old made 35 appearances in four seasons before joining Girona earlier this summer for a tiny fraction of the £40million United paid to Ajax in 2020.

Despite that, Van de Beek told Voetbal Primeur: “It is clear that it did not work out for either party. Of course I did not play much, but I did learn a lot.

“With good players around me and good people within the club. I will take the good things with me into the future.”

Manuel Ugarte’s former manager, Ruben Amorim, has ‘guaranteed’ that the midfielder would still be working under him at Sporting Lisbon if they were in a stronger league.

Ugarte spent two seasons at the club before joining Paris Saint-Germain in a big-money deal.

And the 23-year-old is now bedding in at Old Trafford after only one campaign at the Parc des Princes.

“There are many players who want to make the leap,” Amorim told CNN Portugal. “It doesn’t mean they don’t like Sporting or don’t love being here. If we were in another league, I can guarantee you that Ugarte would be here.”

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