Wayne Rooney hopes “incredible talent” Marcus Rashford can help bring titles back to Manchester United and put himself at the same level as the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
The 20-time league champions have now not won a Premier League crown for a decade, with neighbours Manchester City establishing themselves as the dominant force during that period.
United have endured a topsy-turvy time since Rooney helped Sir Alex Ferguson’s side lift the 2012-13 title but things are looking up under Erik ten Hag.
Mason Mount has joined from Chelsea and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana is set to follow him to Old Trafford as the Dutchman looks to build on last season’s Carabao Cup triumph and third-place finish.
United have been further boosted on Tuesday by tying down homegrown star Rashford, who has signed a new five-year deal after breaking the 30-goal barrier for the first time last season.
“I think Ten Hag has done really well since he came in last season,” Rooney, the club’s all-time top scorer, said.
“You can see he’s trying to create a squad and a mentality with the signings he made last season and also again what they’re trying to do this year.
“I think Marcus Rashford is an incredible talent. I am delighted he signed a new deal. I think the next five years for him is going to be real important in his legacy, if you like.
“Because he can score a lot of goals but if he really wants to go to that level which Mbappe and Haaland are at, I think he has to be the man to get Manchester United back to winning trophies and league titles. I hope he can do that.”
City – basking in the afterglow of their treble triumph – are some hurdle to overcome, with up-and-coming manager Rooney full of praise for Pep Guardiola.
“I think Manchester City have certainly raised everything,” the DC United boss said. “You look at Liverpool for a couple of seasons were really challenging them.
“They’ve set a challenge for Manchester United, for Arsenal, for Chelsea, for Liverpool and all the teams, really.
“Guardiola has been, for me, one of the best things to happen to English football – not just in terms of the league but actually the England national team too.
“Some of the coaching he’s given the young English players, before with (Raheem) Sterling, John Stones, Kyle Walker, has really helped them develop as players.
“I know they were senior players in the England set-up, to pass that knowledge onto some of the other players well.
“Yeah, there’s a challenge there. I think it goes in cycles – we’ve seen it throughout the years with Manchester United, Arsenal having dominance, Chelsea having dominance.
“Unfortunately it’s Manchester City’s time of dominance but I’m sure the teams that are challenging are going to be coming back over the next few years, that’s for sure.”
Rooney was speaking ahead of managing the Major League Soccer All-Stars against Arsenal, whose manager Mikel Arteta is another coach he admires.
“I think he’s done incredible, really, to go in at Arsenal and he won the FA Cup in the first season and really pushed Manchester City last season,” the England great said.
“Still as a young coach, it’s great to see. Everyone coaches in their own ways, styles and identities.
“He’s been fantastic and I’m sure working with Guardiola helped him massively as well.
“That’s where you want to get to as a young coach, into the top teams obviously, being English, in the Premier League.
“I’m going through the steps to try and do that where Arteta has already been through those steps and had probably the best training he could have working alongside Guardiola.”
Rooney and Arteta shared a warm embrace between the press conferences in Washington DC, where new boy Declan Rice could make his first Arsenal appearance since joining for £105million from West Ham.
“I think he’s a huge signing for Arsenal,” Rooney said. “He’s a fantastic player with a great mentality, young.
“Arsenal have got a player at the top of his game but I think he’ll bring a great character into the dressing room.
“He’s a captain, he could be captain of Arsenal. I think he’s a player who Arsenal needed and they’ve certainly got a top player.”
Thiago Silva to rejoin Fluminense when Chelsea contract expires
Thiago Silva will return to his boyhood club Fluminense when he leaves Chelsea at the end of the season, the Blues have announced.
Silva joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and has made 152 appearances for the club, helping them win the Champions League, Club World Cup and Super Cup.
The 39-year-old confirmed last month that he would leave upon the expiration of his contract in June, pledging to return "in another role" when his playing days are over.
However, that will not be for some time as the centre-back has agreed a two-year contract with Fluminense, who he first joined as a 14-year-old in 1998.
Initially finding opportunities hard to come by with the Rio de Janeiro giants, he had spells with Pedrabranca, Juventude and Dynamo Moscow before returning to Fluminense – initially on loan – in 2006.
He made his name with the club before joining Milan in a €10million deal in 2009, with that move kickstarting the defender's glittering career in European football.
Silva announced he was returning to Brazil on Instagram, posting an image of himself in a Fluminense shirt alongside the caption: "I'm coming home".
Chelsea said Silva will be allowed to train with Fluminense as soon as the Premier League season is over, before becoming eligible to represent the Brazilian side on July 1.
It was feared Silva may already have played his final game for Chelsea when he suffered a groin injury during their 2-2 draw with Aston Villa last month, but he was named in the starting lineup as they thrashed West Ham 5-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Silva has started 26 Premier League games for Chelsea this campaign, with the Blues conceding an average of 1.6 goals per game with him in their lineup, compared to two goals per match without him.
Man Utd keen to sell Greenwood amid Barcelona interest, claims Getafe president
Manchester United are keen to sell Mason Greenwood in the upcoming transfer window and could field interest from Barcelona, according to Getafe president Angel Torres.
Greenwood joined Getafe on a season-long loan deal in September and has scored eight goals and added six assists in 29 appearances in LaLiga in 2023-24.
Greenwood was arrested in January 2022 and was later charged with attempted rape and assault, with all charges against him dropped in February 2023.
United then conducted a six-month internal investigation into his conduct and said they recognised "the difficulties with him recommencing his career" with the club.
In February, speculation that Greenwood could yet return to Old Trafford was heightened when new minority shareholder Jim Ratcliffe said a "fresh decision" would be made on his future at the end of the season.
However, Getafe chief Torres claims the Red Devils are now keen to cash in on a player he hopes to keep at the Estadio Coliseum.
"If it depended on the player, his parents and the club, I think he would continue for another year," Torres said of Greenwood in an interview with RadioMARCA on Tuesday.
"Manchester United's idea is to sell if there is a good offer, we will have to wait. I think he will stay."
Reports had suggested both Atletico Madrid and Barcelona were considering a move for Greenwood, who is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract with United.
Torres claims Barca president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco have been in touch about the 22-year-old, adding: "No one from Atleti has asked me about Greenwood.
"I spoke with [Atleti president] Miguel Angel [Gil Marin], but about other things. The only one who asked me about the player was Joan Laporta.
"I spoke with him and Deco and they asked me what he was like to get a sense of the player, but first they have to sell to buy, this is the problem with Spanish football."
Nottingham Forest unsuccessful in appeal against Premier League points deduction
Nottingham Forest have been unsuccessful in their appeal against a four-point deduction for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules.
In March, Forest were deducted four points after admitting to breaching the league's financial rules by overspending by £34.5million over a three-year assessment period ending last season.
Everton have also lost eight points to two separate deductions, having been found to have breached the rules in the period culminating in 2022-23 and the period ending last campaign.
Forest's penalty dropped them into the thick of the relegation battle, with the club saying they were "extremely dismayed by the tone and content" of the Premier League's submissions to an independent commission and pledging to appeal.
Forest argued their lack of recent Premier League history placed them at a disadvantage to other clubs and said the sale of Brennan Johnson to Tottenham, which went through last September after the end of the assessment period, was within the "spirit" of sustainability.
The club's appeal against their penalty was heard on April 24, but an appeal board decided to uphold the punishment, which was itself more lenient than that requested by the Premier League.
In a statement released on Monday, the Premier League said: "The PSR sanction applied to the assessment period ending in season 2022-23 and was appealed by the club on two grounds.
"The club argued that the independent commission committed an error in not treating its sale of a high-profile player shortly after the assessment period as a mitigating factor, and that it committed a further error in electing not to suspend some or all of the points deduction it imposed.
"Each of these grounds was rejected by the appeal board, which found the independent commission was entitled to immediately impose the sanction it did. The four-point deduction will therefore remain in place."
It means Forest stay 17th in the table with 29 points, having pulled three clear of 18th-placed Luton Town by beating already-relegated Sheffield United 3-1 on Saturday.
Nuno Espirito Santo's team face Chelsea and Burnley in their final two games of 2023-24, with Luton likely to need at least four points from meetings with West Ham and Fulham to overhaul them.
Burnley, down in 19th, need to win their last two matches – against Tottenham and Forest – to have any chance of avoiding the drop.
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