Manchester United Transfer News: Shock Matteo Darmian to Juventus Rumours Emerge

Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian is being lined up for a Serie A return just six months after arriving at Old Trafford amid reports Juventus are interested in his signature.

According to Fox Sports' Tony Harper, Darmian will be targeted by the Italian champions after growing "frustrated" at Old Trafford, but United manager Louis van Gaal will reject any bid to loan the right-back.

A report from Italian outlet Calcio Gazzetta claimed Juve director Giuseppe Marotta is even flying to England as he looks to thrash out a deal for the Italy international (h/t Metro's Will Giles).

The 26-year-old enjoyed a smooth start in the Premier League initially, but his performances have declined in recent months. Converted wingers Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young have also featured prominently in the plans of manager Louis van Gaal.

Old Trafford legend and former United full-back Denis Irwin gave Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News his thoughts on Darmian's fallen standards:

Darmian came in and started fantastically well and I think when you get used to the Premier League you sometimes go off the boil. As Memphis Depay has as well, you go off the boil a little bit. But they'll come back strong.

Darmian's got competition because Ashley's done unbelievably well there. I don't know how Ashley sees himself, whether he's a winger or just glad to play. But he made one recovery tackle at Palace recently when he came on which was unbelievable and he has played very, very well.

And it can't be easy, they're both wingers - Valencia and Young - to just slot in there, but with Valencia getting injured and Darmian has had a rest, so you never know, it's down to the manager.

Darmian recently made his return from injury in the 0-0 stalemate with Chelsea and was fortunate to see Nemanja Matic blaze a one-on-one attempt with David De Gea over the crossbar after he eluded the Italian's marking.

Despite that defensive error, Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette felt Darmian had an encouraging outing as he looks to make his way back into Van Gaal's XI on a more permanent basis:

The Milan academy graduate has made 21 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions, but the Old Trafford fans are yet to see the kind of attacking flair that earned him a summer move from Torino.

Darmian scored five goals and recorded four assists in 46 matches for Il Toro last season, but he's yet to play a direct hand in a goal since moving to England.

Juve will struggle to lure a player away from Old Trafford at present considering United's ongoing injury woes. A departure of any kind is quite difficult to envision, lest they risk limiting their options further.

Darmian also brings the added bonus of being able to cover at left-back, meaning his versatility will be a valued asset to the Red Devils as they look to mount a revival in the second half of the Premier League season.

Five Man United players who would relish Jose

Wayne Rooney

“I’ve always said he’s a player that I like very, very much but I cannot say more than that. Being fast and direct, I like him very much but he’s a Man United player.”

In praising Wayne Rooney back in July 2013, Jose Mourinho offered the final sentence as a caveat. Then Chelsea boss, the Portuguese simultaneously fluttered his eyelashes at both player and club, but acknowledged his employers at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho had pursued the striker throughout that summer, with Chelsea lodging three bids for the United captain. All were rejected, Rooney remained, and Mourinho won the league with the Blues the following season.

Mourinho planted the seed two-and-a-half years ago, and if rumours of his appointment at Old Trafford come to fruition, he will soon be able to harvest the results. Rooney is not the player he was in 2013, which was in itself a regressed version, but Mourinho would still relish a union. Rooney could become the battering ram striker which Mourinho so craves, and the 30-year-old can be reinvigorated under new leadership. Maybe.

There is, after all, a reason Mourinho openly pursued Rooney two years ago, before settling for Diego Costa as his forward. The England international even emerged as a Chelsea target as late as this November. The two are a perfect match, both personally and on a footballing level.

Morgan SchneiderlinChris Smalling, Juan Mata, Daley Blind, David de Gea, Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Matteo Darmian. So reads the list of Manchester United players who have played more combined minutes in the Premier League and Champions League than Morgan Schneiderlin this season. Louis van Gaal has rarely trusted his £24million summer signing, this despite United tasting defeat just once in all competitions when his midfield general has started. Losing to Swansea must be a difficult memory to erase.

Schneiderlin would be perhaps the biggest beneficiary if Mourinho were to replace Van Gaal. Remember Nemanja Matic before 2015 happened? Schneiderlin can be even better. The Frenchman’s physical traits, allied with a perceptive reading of the game, would make him Mourinho’s midfield lieutenant. Just as he should be.

Ashley YoungIt has been a strange season for Ashley Young. To outlining his desire to become a striker, to mass ‘bemusement’, to Roy Keane and Chinamen, Young has gone from one of Louis van Gaal’s trusted water carriers to bit-part player in the space of one campaign. Only five players started more Premier League games for United in 2014/15 than Young; that figure becomes 11 this season. He has undeniably suffered a loss of status, but is Mourinho the man to restore him? The 30-year-old offers versatility, reliability and a resolute defensive outpost. And not too much of an attacking outlet. Just how Mourinho likes his wide players. 

Phil Jones‘The next Branislav Ivanovic’ sounds like the most underwhelming transfer target of all time, but it could be used to describe Phil Jones. The defender has been plagued by his own versatility in the early stages of his career, being used at right-back, centre-half and even defensive midfield during his four years at Old Trafford. Such issues beset Ivanovic upon signing for Chelsea in 2008. At 6ft 1 and boasting the league’s biggest ar*e (sorry, Wilfried Bony), the Serb hardly looks like a right-back – he certainly doesn’t right now. But he has become a mainstay in that position for a Champions League club. With Mourinho known to favour taller defenders like the continental Tony Pulis he is, Jones would surely be right up his ally.

Ander Herrera

One Spaniard would certainly not welcome Mourinho at Old Trafford, but another might. Juan Mata has already fallen foul of Mourinho’s iron rule, but Ander Herrera could have more success in that regard. The 26-year-old has found regular opportunities difficult to come by under Louis van Gaal, but his passing range, combined with hard work and guile, make him the closest thing to Oscar that United have. With Rooney used as a striker, Marouane Fellaini used as sparingly as possible, and Mata’s already fractured relationship with Mourinho, Herrera will face scant competition for the No 10 role.

Ashley Young ruled out of Man United CSKA Moscow Champions League tie

Ashley Young will miss Manchester United's Champions League match at CSKA Moscow.

Young, 30, was absent from the 3-0 win over Everton on Saturday because of a calf injury, and the winger did not take part in United's final training session ahead of Wednesday's match.

Paddy McNair, who suffered liver damage playing for Northern Ireland last week, missed the session at the AON Training Complex in Carrington on Tuesday morning.

Youngsters Sean Goss, who went on the summer tour of the United States, and defender Regan Poole were also involved.

James Wilson trained, but is set to be left out of the squad for the game along with Young, McNair and long-term injury victim Luke Shaw.

"It's the same amount of injuries so Luke Shaw, Paddy McNair and Ashley Young are not going with us," United manager Van Gaal told MUTV.

"Willo was a little bit ill -- Wilson as he is named but, for us, it is Willo -- so he shall not travel with us. I'll take 20 players with me. It's a four-hour flight so, if a player gets ill, I have the other player in my environment."

Antonio Valencia and Sergio Romero missed the win at Goodison Park because they had long-haul flights after the international break, but both look likely to travel to Russia.

"Of course that was the reason [Romero and Valencia were absent at Everton]," the Dutchman added. "They have to cope with the jet-lag so I didn't think it was wise to take them with us against Everton."

United fly to the Russian capital on Tuesday afternoon before taking on CSKA the following day.

Man Utd Team News: Ashley Young misses Man City derby, Ander Herrera given all clear

MANCHESTER UNITED have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday.

Ashley Young picked up a slight injury during the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. 

He was forced him to miss the following matches at Everton and CSKA Moscow, and despite Louis van Gaal revealing the winger is no longer injured, he won’t feature against Man City as he is not match fit.

Ander Herrera looks set to feature even though he received a heavy blow to the ribs during the closing stages of the Champions League draw in Moscow. 

Ashley Young has recovered from his injury but won't feature against Man City as he isn't match fit

Ander Herrera will feature after recovering from the knock he received at CSKA Moscow

The Spaniard scored during the 3-0 win at Goodison Park last weekend and retained his starting place for the trip to Russia.

Luke Shaw, who has been out of action since breaking his leg at PSV Eindhoven in September, and Paddy McNair, who suffered a serious-looking injury while playing in Northern Ireland, remain the only players on the injury list.

Van Gaal told MUTV: "It's pretty good, because only Luke Shaw and Paddy McNair are long-term injuries.

"Ashley Young has had three weeks out of training sessions so cannot play against City.

"It’s always better that a manager can select from a lot of players.

"There have been times when I could not select from many, like last year, but this year is going much better."

Ashley Young again gathers friends for NOTO cabaret show

For a fourth time, Ashley Young, a frequent co-star of musicals in Topeka, will gather some of her most talented musical friends to stage a cabaret-style show.

“Ashley Young & Friends” will be at 8 p.m. Friday at Serendipity, 820 N. Kansas Ave., in the NOTO Arts District. The show will feature songs in a variety of genres sung by Young and guest vocalists Corbin Eakes, Sara Kennedy, Daniel Lassley and Greg Myer. Accompanying them will be pianist Mark Pudwill, bassist Jason Finson, drummer Jason Degenhardt and guitarist Sawyer Treinen.

Emceeing the event will be Shannon J. Reilly, artistic director of the Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy, where Young has often performed, most recently as the straight-laced, normal Midwestern woman, Alice Beineke, who cuts loose after downing a magic potion in “The Addams Family” musical.

Audiences also have seen Young on the main stage of TCT as the tragic Fantine in the sold-out production of “Les Miserables”; Lady of the Lake in “Monty Python’s Spamalot”; Elle Woods’ Harvard Law School rival Vivienne Kensington in “Legally Blonde the Musical” and Christine Colgate, the would-be victim of con artists in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” She was nominated for a Renna Hunter Award, TCT’s top acting honor, for the latter role.

On TCT’s second stage, the Oldfather Theatre, Young most recently played Claire, the mother of a gay teen. Young also earned a Renna Hunter Award nomination for her performance as Magenta, one of the aliens from the planet Transsexual in the galaxy of Transylania in TCT’s Studio Series production of “The Rocky Horror Show.”

Young also has performed in Helen Hocker Theater and Ad Astra Theatre Ensemble productions.

Doors to Serendipity will open at 6:30 p.m. Local musician and songwriter Riley Voth will open at 7 p.m. and will play in Young’s set. Serendipity will offer a full cash bar, and patrons can bring in their dinner from NOTO Burrito, which is just south of the venue at 822 N. Kansas Ave.

The cover charge for “Ashley Young & Friends” is $12 and can be paid at the door.

Toothless United ride their luck to escape with third straight stalemate

Louis Van Gaal says it is sticks and stones that break his bones, but a third goalless draw in succession might have tried his constitution. His Manchester United team continue to sap the morale of onlookers, and this was another grinding, uninspired performance.

The good news for them was that it yielded a point because on another day, they would have lost. Crystal Palace were the better, more purposeful team, and their regrets centred upon the chances they passed up. Aside from a few flickers, United barely threatened. Palace were applauded off warmly, and it was easy to recognise their efforts. Yannick Bolasie hit the crossbar in the 10th minute, and Yohan Cabaye missed the big chance on 72 minutes when he was off target when gloriously placed. As with this fixture last season, which United somehow edged, Palace could wonder how they did not win. Their 24-year wait for a league victory over United goes on.

Alan Pardew had demanded maximum intensity from his players and the home support to combat what he described as United's tactic of "lulling" the stadium. "They take the positivity out of it by keeping possession," Pardew said. He got his wish at the outset, as Palace snapped into challenges and pressed hard. United's defensive organisation broke down following a Palace free-kick, and when Scott Dann worked the ball to Bolasie, the winger shot powerfully down and into the ground and watched the ball rear up dangerously. David De Gea showed excellent reflexes to get his fingertips to it and the ball crashed against the crossbar.

United's start was sloppy in the extreme, with right-back Matteo Darmian, guilty of a couple of errors from which he needed De Gea to bail him out. United were flustered, passes went astray and Palace controlled the opening 20 minutes. Cabaye sent in a corner from which Dann worked De Gea, and the travelling United fans were left to implore their team to "attack, attack, attack". Gradually, United found a bit of rhythm and they worked their way into the contest. The second half of the first half was better, as United's passing found more of a groove.

After their roaring start, Palace looked stifled leading up to the interval, and it was United who became the likelier scorers. Wayne Rooney, who led the line with Anthony Martial out left, curled a free-kick over the defensive wall which Wayne Hennessey dealt with comfortably, but United fashioned two good first-half chances.

The first came when Martial drifted inside and released Rooney between the centre-halves. The captain opted not to take a touch and, to his horror, found that the ball was just too far in front of him, allowing Hennessey, who was off his line quickly, to get there first. The second followed Juan Mata's break and Martial's smart cut-back. Ander Herrera arrived and let the ball run across his body for a cushioned shot with the inside of his right foot. He fluffed it.

Rio Ferdinand has said that United fans have to "re-educate themselves on how to watch" their team. In games such as these, the high-octane, flowing stuff feels like a world away. The excitement here came from Bolasie and Wilfried Zaha, the unpredictable Palace wide players, and with Darmian on a yellow card for a block on the latter, Van Gaal replaced him with Ashley Young.

The United fans continued to beg their players to attack, but they failed to do so, their stutters summed up when Herrera got his wires crossed with Bastian Schweinsteiger on a rare break. Herrera was also guilty of going down easily in search of a penalty. Their only flicker came when Martial had a late shot blocked by Damien Delaney.

It was Palace who should have nicked it, with Cabaye passing up the golden chance. Bolasie found Joel Ward, and his cross picked out the midfielder, but, from an unmarked position, he hooked his volley wide of the far post. Dann sent another header from a Cabaye corner inches wide, with Delaney just failing to touch home at the far post, while James McArthur and Bolasie also went close.

Ashley Young: Man Utd’s travelling fans are “always there for us”

Ashley Young took to Twitter to thank Manchester United’s fans for their support following today’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace, despite their apparent unhappiness at the performance and result.

The 30-year-old came on as a second half substitute for Louis van Gaal, featuring for 25 minutes, but he couldn’t prevent United from recording their third 0-0 in a week, after the Manchester derby last weekend and the Capital One Cup tie against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford in midweek, which they subsequently lost on penalties.

Ashley Young completed 92% of his passes against Crystal Palace.

It was Young’s seventh appearance of the campaign, but he didn’t add to his one assist thus far in his cameo appearance at Selhurst Park, with United once again producing a lifeless attacking display.

The Red Devils only had five shots and created three chances against Palace, meaning after 11 Premier League games they’ve scored 15 goals and created just 81 chances. However Van Gaal’s men remain in the top four, sitting on 21 points, although they’re now four adrift of both leaders Manchester City and Arsenal.

Young will be hoping to play a bigger part in United’s next game, a crucial Champions League home clash against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday night, while his Dutch boss will also be looking for a domestic response when they take on West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford next weekend.