MANCHESTER UNITED are celebrating after cruising past FC Sheriff in Moldova – thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo.
It was a comfortable evening in the end for the Red Devils, who have no game over the weekend after their clash with Leeds was postponed.
Manager Erik ten Hag is reportedly lining up Atletico Madrid keeper Jan Oblak as a replacement for David De Gea.
De Gea, 31, has held the number one shirt for the Red Devils since he joined in 2011, but reports claim that Ten Hag is not convinced by the Spaniard.
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- Anthony Chapman
Sancho explains Utd shinpad celebrations
Jadon Sancho has lifted the lid on his shinpad celebrations after scoring last night.
He said: “Yeah, a little kid gave me some shinpads and asked me to wear them.
“I said ‘Yeah, no problem’ and that was a little gesture from me when I scored, showing him that I was wearing his shinpads that he gave me.
“It was really important we got the win today."
Jadon Sancho reveals touching reason for shinpad celebration after scoring against Sheriff in Man Utd’s Europa League win
- Anthony Chapman
Utd ‘should have got Tuchel’
Glen Johnson reckons Man Utd will be kicking themselves for not pursuing Thomas Tuchel, with the German now available after being sacked by Chelsea.
He told Bettingodds.com: “Yes, they may be kicking themselves a little bit. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing isn’t it?
“If they knew he could be departing so suddenly then maybe they would have waited, but you can’t just sit there and wait.
“You need to do the deal that’s best for you at that time rather than waiting for somebody you want to become available.
“Manchester United are seemingly doing better under Erik ten Hag so perhaps they’re just as happy anyway.”
- Anthony Chapman
Recap – United's win at Sheriff
Man Utd got their Europa League campaign on track with an impressive 2-0 win at Sheriff Tiraspol last night.
Goals from Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo ensured the Red Devils put last week's defeat to Sociedad behind them.
And an all-round strong showing was sure to have delighted boss Erik Ten Hag.
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- Anthony Chapman
Ten Hag sings Varane’s praises
Erik ten Hag has hailed Raphael Varane as the new leader of Man Utd’s defence.
He said after last night’s 2-0 win at Sheriff: “The reason (for another clean sheet) is we were good in possession and we defended very well.
“With Rapha Varane there as the leader, he puts everyone in the right position, he fits really good together with Licha Martinez and also the two full-backs did their job really good.
“And you see we can play between the lines and we adapted our game and we scored a great goal and from that moment on we dictated the game total.”
- Alex Terrell
Southgate wants more time for England stars
Gareth Southgate is worried England's World Cup plans have been hit by his players' lack of Premier League game-time.
The Three Lions boss admits it is "not ideal" that Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips have struggled to feature this season. A 28-man squad has been picked for the final two World Cup rehearsals against Italy and Germany – with Brentford striker Ivan Toney getting a first call-up.
Southgate said: "Clearly, we have a number of players who are not playing a lot of minutes with their club.
"It is not ideal but we feel they have been, and can be, important for us. It is not a perfect situation but there is still a lot of football before Qatar."
England play Nations League games against Italy in Milan next Friday and at home to Germany three days later before their World Cup finals opener against Iran in Qatar on November 21.
Shaw, although struggling with a foot problem, has made just two starts for Manchester United this campaign.
- Gary Stonehouse
Morning Man Utd fans
Manchester United picked up their first Europa League points of the season after beating Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 on Thursday.
The Red Devils eased to a comfortable victory away in Moldova, with Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo getting on the score sheet in the first half.
England international Sancho showed why Gareth Southgate should have selected him for his latest Three Lions squad after his low strike broke the deadlock.
Ronaldo then doubled the visitors' lead just before the break from the penalty spot.
It was the 37-year-old's 699th goal in club football.
In other news, SunSport have exclusively revealed how Erik ten Hag is set to be given at least a £70million transfer warchest to spend in January.
But it could be more if Ronaldo goes.
Ten Hag wants to sign three more players to go into his starting XI.
And his budget could reach £100m if United sell Ronaldo for £20m – while also getting rid of his £450,000-a-week wages.
One of those players United could look to sign is Atletico Madrid goalie Jan Oblak.
Jeunes Footeux claims new boss Erik ten Hag has not been won over by David De Gea.
And he is now ready to target Oblak, who is out of contract next summer, with United prepared to double his wages to £300,000-a-week.
And finally, former United goalkeeper Ben Foster has announced his retirement from football.
The 39-year-old has been without a club since leaving Watford at the end of last season.
- Jake Lambourne
Right man, Ron timing
Cristiano Ronaldo swatted away a fan who tried to get a photo with him at half-time during Manchester United's win over Sheriff Tiraspol.
The Portuguese superstar, 37, was heading down the tunnel after scoring his first goal of the season from the penalty spot.
Yet despite converting the spot kick, Ronaldo was still in no mood to pose with supporters.
A female fan tried to accost him as he made his way back to the dressing room.
But the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus man was having none of it.
He stuck his arm out in an attempt to usher her away, before someone came in between them to diffuse the situation.
- Jake Lambourne
Martial in apparent Solskjaer dig
Man Utd ace Anthony Martial has revealed he played while injured for two seasons because Ole Gunnar Solskjaer "needed" him.
He told France Football: “People judge without knowing [the facts].
"In the last two seasons, I’ve regularly played while injured. People don’t know it, but I couldn’t accelerate during the four months that followed the Covid-19 season.
"But the manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he needed me, so I played. But given my playing style, if I can’t accelerate, then it does become very difficult.
“And I was criticised. The coach never bothered to say it to the media. Of course, I ended up actually getting injured and then when I returned it was over, I wasn’t playing anymore.
"I took it very badly, I felt a sense of injustice – you get asked to sacrifice yourself for the team and then you get cast aside.
"This is part of the kind of things that have tainted my passion for football. For me, it’s almost treachery, it’s everything I hate."
- Jake Lambourne
Man Utd verdict
Erik ten Hag now has 17 days to pick his team for the Manchester derby.
The Red Devils breezed past Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 in the Europa League on Thursday night.
With their Premier League clash against Leeds postponed, this was United's final match before the international break.
And Ten Hag chose to revert back to the side which beat Arsenal – albeit with Cristiano Ronaldo in for the injured Marcus Rashford.
And it is a team which seems to be forming a superb understanding… Ronaldo aside.
Click HERE to read more.
- Jake Lambourne
Man Utd ratings
Man Utd eased past Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol 2-0 to kickstart their Europa League campaign.
Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo both struck first-half goals in a comfortable victory away from home for Erik ten Hag's men.
Christian Eriksen fed a lovely pass into Sancho in the 17th minute and the ex-Borussia Dortmund man fired a low strike into the bottom corner to give the visitors the lead.
And Ronaldo doubled their advantage from the spot shortly before the break after Diogo Dalot was brought down in the box.
The win gives United their first win in the Europa League this season following the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad last week.
Click HERE to see how SunSport's Dylan Terry saw the performances of Man Utd's players in Moldova.
- Jake Lambourne
Eur the best Cristiano!
Cristiano Ronaldo superfans hailed their hero for getting another record over rival Lionel Messi following his goal against Sheriff in the Europa League.
That means he has surpassed fellow GOAT Messi's grand total of zero in the B-list Uefa club competition.
And Ronaldo supporters on Twitter enjoyed the gentle ribbing at Messi's expense to laud the Red Devils legend.
One joked: "Goal scored in Europa League [or Uefa Cup] since it was founded in 1971: Cristiano Ronaldo: 1, Messi: 0. This is why Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player of all time."
Another quipped: "Ronaldo with his first ever Europa League goal. I'd bet that Messi will never be able to catch up to him in that category."
A third said: "Ronaldo has a better legacy in Europa League than Messi… My GOAT."
And a final user added: "How many Europa League goals does Messi have?"
- Jake Lambourne
Full-time!
And there goes the full-time whistle!
Man Utd have run out 2-0 winners over Sheriff thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Crucially, the Red Devils have their first point of their Europa League campaign.
The win will be a huge relief for Erik ten Hag following last week's defeat to Real Sociedad.
- Jake Lambourne
United fans praise Sancho
Jadon Sancho dedicated his goal against Sheriff Tiraspol to a young fan who gifted him a special pair of personalised shin pads.
As his team-mates came to congratulate him, Sancho reached down to pull out one of his shin pads.
Footage had emerged earlier this week of Sancho signing a matchday programme for a young fan after stopping in his car.
As he handed it back to the kid, he then received a special gift. The boy gave Sancho personalised shin pads that had the England international’s face on.
The lad’s parent then told Sancho that he should wear them in his next game, with the United ace giving the kid a high five and replying: “Of course I will.”
And United fans absolutely loved it that he kept his promise – while it was also described as "lovely" by England legend Gary Lineker.
One tweeted: “Sancho wearing the shin pads that lil kid gave him is so wholesome.”
Another wrote: “Sancho wearing the shin pads that fan gave him, what a guy!”
- Jake Lambourne
Second half commences
The second half has kicked off in Moldova.
A reminded that you can follow minute-by-minute action with the SunSport LIVE blog.
Click HERE to follow.
- Jake Lambourne
Ronaldo scores first of season!
Cristiano Ronaldo has gotten on the score sheet for the first time this season.
The 37-year-old has opened his account from the penalty in the 39th minute.
Ronaldo fired down the middle of the goal to bring up 699 strikes in club football.
And that is now half-time in Moldova.
- Jake Lambourne
Goal for United!
What a way to respond after being left out of the England squad!
Jadon Sancho breaks the deadlock in Moldova after firing in a left-footed strike off the post.
It had been a very quiet start to the game for Sancho and United prior to that!
- Jake Lambourne
United kick-off!
And United's clash away at Sheriff is underway!
A reminded that you can follow minute-by-minute action with the SunSport LIVE blog.
Click HERE to follow.
- Jake Lambourne
Ben Foster announces retirement
Former Manchester United and Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster has announced his retirement from football.
The 39-year-old has been without a club since leaving Watford at the end of last season.
Upon announcing his retirement, Foster revealed he had turned down a deadline day transfer to Newcastle United, citing family reasons as to why he turned down The Magpies.
He retires from football having played 536 appearances in his professional career.
Read more HERE.
- Jake Lambourne
Ronaldo starts for United
Man Utd have named Cristiano Ronaldo in their starting line-up to face Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol.
Erik ten Hag has named arguably his strongest XI with the Red Devils in need of three points after last week's defeat to Real Sociedad.
Here is how United start.
- Jake Lambourne
Eriksen backed for Utd captaincy
Premier League icon Emmanuel legend believes summer signing Christian Eriksen should replace Harry Maguire as Manchester United's captain.
Speaking to Lord Ping, he said: "The one player that should receive the Manchester United captaincy is Christian Eriksen.
"He has the personality and the character and he always gives the best version of himself on the pitch.
"Raphael Varane has played at a very good level, but he's very shy and doesn't have the temper or the personality to be the Manchester United captain."
- Anthony Chapman
Rashford gets World Cup hope
Gareth Southgate has told Marcus Rashford he still has a shot of making England's World Cup squad.
He said: "There were certain players we wanted to keep involved this time, but that said it doesn’t mean that this is the end for some of the others who aren’t involved.
"Marcus Rashford, for example, has shown some encouraging signs recently.
"He is a player we know well so if he can perform at a high level in the next few weeks, he of course will be under consideration."
- Anthony Chapman
Mourinho slammed over Martial number
Paul Parker reckons Jose Mourinho was wrong to make Anthony Martial give his No9 shirt to Zlatan Ibrahimovic back in 2016.
Parker told BonusBetCodes: “I could not believe that the club allowed that to happen. Because of bringing in one player on a short term you’re affecting the player who’s on a long-term contract."
"As a manager Jose Mourinho should never have allowed that to happen.”
"Everyone was shocked by what actually happened. So, I’d be very surprised that something like that was to ever happen again at Manchester United.”
- Anthony Chapman
Southgate announces latest England squad
Brentford star Ivan Toney is in line to make his Three Lions debut after getting his first England call-up.
Meanwhile, Eric Dier is back in the fold after impressing with Spurs.
But several players have been dropped, while others miss out with injury.
SEE THE ENGLAND SQUAD HERE
- Anthony Chapman
Predicted United XI vs Sheriff
Cristiano Ronaldo could be set for a start in the Europa League tonight.
The likes of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are also in line for a recall against Sheriff.
Is this how Erik ten Hag will line up in Europe?
- Anthony Chapman
Pellistri told to quit United
Gus Poyet has urged fellow Uruguayan Facundo Pellistri to leave Man Utd for the sake of his career.
Poyet said: “Pellistri will struggle to get game time. It would be good for him to go somewhere and play, because the World Cup is around the corner.
"He is very important for the Uruguay team because the coach [Diego Alonso] has lots of faith in his ability, he’s a proper winger.
"He needs to find a place to play. Look at Luis Suarez who is playing at Nacional week in week out, training with the first team and getting game time three months before the World Cup. Pellistri should do something similar.”
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