Man Utd spends $70 million to buy Casemiro; Viettel coach praises Hoang Duc's excellent attacking skills.

Man Utd spends $70 million to buy Casemiro.

Casemiro is expected to fly to England for a medical examination within the next 48 hours. He will sign a four-year contract, with an option for a one-year extension from Manchester United. Real Madrid have accepted the $70 million price tag. Negotiations on personal terms with Casemiro are progressing well and only need to finalize the last details.

Casemiro has been one of the top defensive midfielders for many years. Photo:Reuters

Casemiro has become Manchester United's most expensive signing this summer, surpassing Tyrell Malacia ($15 million) and Lissandro Martinez ($57 million). The English club's willingness to spend heavily to persuade Real Madrid to release him demonstrates manager Erik ten Hag's determination to strengthen his midfield, after encountering difficulties in the Frenkie De Jong deal.

With quality additions in midfield, Ten Hag will look to strengthen his attack. Ajax winger Antony is their top target. Antony is willing to reunite with his former coach, but Man Utd have yet to get the nod from his club despite increasing their offer to $80 million.

Viettel's coach praised Hoang Duc's excellent attacking skills.

“Putting Hoang Duc up as a striker at the end of the match was a tactical move. When striker Pedro Paulo dropped back, Hoang Duc would surge forward like a false striker to occupy the space. He's a fantastic attacker. With his qualities, Hoang Duc can play any position in the attacking line,” commented Viettel coach Bae Ji Won after the 2-0 victory against SLNA in Round 13 of the V.League 2022.

He spoke about Viettel's performance in the first half of this season: "Up until now, I haven't been satisfied with the team's performance. We've gone through periods where things weren't going as planned. Only in the last two matches have the players focused and performed well on the field. As a result, the team has had good results. That's the motivation for us to look forward to the second half."

Hoang Duc scores a goal in Viettel's 2-0 victory over SLNA at Hang Day Stadium on the evening of August 19th. Photo:Hieu Luong

Coach Bae Ji Won spoke about left-back Phan Tuan Tai and the return of captain Bui Tien Dung after more than two months of injury treatment: “Tuan Tai is a good player. The reason for substituting him wasn't because he lacked skill, but simply a tactical decision. SLNA put pressure on Viettel's half of the field. Therefore, we decided to take him out and replace him with another player. As for Bui Tien Dung, I can't say I'm satisfied because he only played for a short time. But Viettel decided to bring him back to regain his match fitness after a long period of injury treatment.”

Mbappe wants to get rid of all of PSG's Argentinian players.

According to UOL Esporte, Kylian Mbappe has asked PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to remove the group of Argentinian players including Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes, and Mauro Icardi from the squad. The French striker's "blacklist" even includes goalkeeper Keylor Navas and midfielder Ander Herrera, two players who have close relationships with their Argentinian teammates.

This is why Angel Di Maria did not renew his contract with PSG and instead moved to Juventus, and why Paredes publicly expressed his intention to leave Parc des Princes.

Mbappe is accused of showing disrespect to Messi. Photo:Reuters.

While Lionel Messi's position is unshakeable, the remaining players are reportedly preparing to leave Paris. Herrera and Icardi have been informed they must find new clubs. These two players are not registered to play and may be relegated to the fifth division with PSG's reserve team.

Mbappe's plan to "get rid of the Argentinians" has been underway since manager Mauricio Pochettino took over. The French international has publicly admitted that under the 1972-born strategist, PSG has failed to maintain its status as a major club. "We want to get things back in order as soon as possible," the World Cup champion declared in a press conference in June.

After signing a three-year contract with PSG, Mbappe wanted to become the "leader" of the reigning Ligue 1 champions. However, Neymar unexpectedly rose to prominence and overshadowed his French teammate with 5 goals and 3 assists in the last 3 matches. The former Barca star also showed excellent chemistry with Messi in every play. This is something that displeased Mbappe.

Following the altercation a few days ago, the PSG coaching staff held a team meeting and publicly reprimanded Mbappe and Neymar for the unfortunate incident. Coach Christophe Galtier demanded that the two stars put aside their egos and dedicate themselves to the common good of the club.