Manchester United

Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood has reportedly been "further arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and threats to kill."

BBC News reported Monday that Greenwood was originally arrested Sunday on suspicion of rape and assault following allegations made against him on social media.

Rob Harris of the Associated Press provided an update from police Tuesday:

Police update on Mason Greenwood case pic.twitter.com/MwvX3052rh

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) February 1, 2022

Greenwood, who joined United's first team in 2018 after coming through the club's youth academy, has not publicly commented on the allegations.

The Red Devils said in a statement Sunday they "did not condone violence of any kind" and wouldn't allow the 20-year-old Englishman to participate in any matches or training sessions until further notice while they wait until the "facts have been established," per BBC News.

Apparel company Nike announced Monday it had suspended its sponsorship of Greenwood indefinitely, according to the AP.

"We have suspended our relationship with Mason Greenwood," Nike said in a statement. "We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation."

An EA Sports spokesperson confirmed to Nathan Bliss of the Manchester Evening News the forward is being removed from the FIFA 22 video game.

"Mason Greenwood has been removed from active squads in FIFA 22 and has also been suspended from appearing in FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) packs and Ultimate Draft," the spokesperson said.

Greenwood, who's made one appearance for the England senior national team after playing several matches at the youth level, has scored six goals in 24 games for United during the 2021-22 season.

The Red Devils are currently on an international break and will return to action Friday when they host Middlesbrough in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Manchester United announced forward Mason Greenwood will not play in matches or take part in training until further notice amid assault allegations, via James Robson of the Standard.

A woman said Sunday morning that Greenwood assaulted her, posting photographs on Instagram showing bruises and blood, via the Guardian. The initial posts have since been deleted, but they have already spread on social media. 

"We are aware of images and allegations circulating on social media," the club said in a statement. "We will not make any further comment until the facts have been established. Manchester United does not condone violence of any kind."

Manchester Police said it is "aware of images and videos circulating on social media." Police also announced a man has been arrested following the allegations but did not outright state it was Greenwood:

Greater Manchester Police statement: pic.twitter.com/T8guOjRTFk

— Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) January 30, 2022

Greenwood is sponsored by Nike, which also released a statement Sunday (h/t The Athletic UK): "We are deeply concerned by the disturbing allegations and will continue to closely monitor the situation."

The 20-year-old is in his third full season with Manchester United, scoring 22 goals across 83 appearances in the Premier League. He has made 16 EPL starts for the club this season and currently ranks third on the team with five league goals.

The England international signed an extension last February that kept him under contract through 2025.   

Cristiano Ronaldo will turn 37 years old next month, but he doesn't plan to step away from the soccer field any time soon.

"Genetically I feel like I'm 30 years old," Ronaldo told ESPN. "I take great care of my body and my mind. Something I've learned recently is that after 33, I believe the body can deliver if you need it, but the real battle is mental."

The Manchester United star has been effective since joining the team in the summer, scoring eight goals in 16 Premier League matches, plus six goals in five Champions League contests.

Only four outfield players have more minutes for United in the Premier League than Ronaldo (1,297) this season. 

He's aiming to keep it going into his 40s.

"I want to find out if I'm going to play until I'm 40, 41, or 42, but the most important thing is that my daily goal is to enjoy the moment," Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo might be a tad slower than his prime when he helped Real Madrid win four Champions League titles, plus another one with Manchester United. He scored at least 30 goals in La Liga in six straight seasons from 2010-16, topping 40 in three of those years.

His three-season stint at Juventus didn't go as well as planned, but he still helped the team win two Serie A titles while scoring 81 league goals across 98 appearances.

He finished sixth in the rankings for the men's Ballon d'Or, given to the best player in the world.

It showed he can remain effective deep into his career, even potentially in his 40s.

Teddy Sheringham was the oldest outfield player to appear in the Premier League at 40 years and 272 days, but Ronaldo could be coming for that record.   

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez, his girlfriend, revealed they are expecting a baby girl and boy in an Instagram video Thursday.

Ronaldo's four other kids popped a pair of balloons showing pink and blue confetti.

"Where life begins and love never ends," the Manchester United star wrote in the caption.

Ronaldo previously announced Rodriguez was pregnant with twins in an October post that garnered more than 30 million likes on Instagram.

The 36-year-old is in his first year of his second stint with Manchester United after an August transfer from Juventus. He has won the Ballon d'Or as the best player in the world five times.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo hit a major benchmark when he scored in the 52nd minute against Arsenal.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner now has 800 goals for club and country.

8️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for Ronaldo @brfootball

(via @NBCSportsSoccer)pic.twitter.com/1dtXDO4ByT

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 2, 2021

CRISTIANO RONALDO SCORES HIS 800TH CAREER GOAL 💥 pic.twitter.com/UlZtlCIp3i

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 2, 2021

The forward notched his 801st goal from the penalty spot in the 70th minute. Nobody else has scored more times in officially recorded fixtures, although the Czech FA claims that Josef Bican scored 821 times (there is no official record-keeper in soccer).

This hasn't been a great year for Ronaldo in terms of team success. Entering Thursday, United had 18 points, good for 10th in the Premier League. Portugal, meanwhile, still have to overcome Turkey and one of Italy or North Macedonia in order to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

But the 36-year-old remains deadly in front of goal. With his brace against Arsenal, he has scored six times in 11 Premier League appearances, edging ahead of Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood for the team lead in league play.

Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo responded to a claim that individual success is paramount for the 36-year-old.

Speaking with the New York Times' Rory Smith, France Football editor-in-chief Pascal Ferre said he had a conversation with Ronaldo in which the Portuguese winger said his only ambition at this point was to collect more Ballon d'Or awards than Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo said on Instagram that Ferre lied and that "the greatest ambition of my career is to win national and international titles for the clubs I represent and for my country's national team."

Ronaldo responds to Pascal Ferre's claim that his only ambition is to retire with more Ballon d'Or's than Messi. pic.twitter.com/K8spyBy2Cu

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 29, 2021

Ronaldo, who didn't attend Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, also claimed Ferre "lied again today justifying my absence for the Gala with an alleged quarantine that has no reason to be."

Even if the award, which is one of two presented to the best players in the world in a given calendar year, isn't one of his driving motivators, it seems reasonable to conclude the 36-year-old might like to end his career with a bigger trophy case than Messi. Their rivalry on the pitch has been the biggest in world football over the last dozen years.

Chasing down Messi might be impossible, though, after the Paris Saint-Germain star lifted his seventh Ballon d'Or. Ronaldo remains stuck at five and finished sixth in the voting for 2021.

Sixth-place Ronaldo finishes outside the top five in the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2010 pic.twitter.com/l64i6AChQJ

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 29, 2021

His outlook isn't looking great for 2022.

Ronaldo has 10 goals in 15 appearances this season for United, but the Red Devils are eighth in the Premier League with 18 points through 13 matches. Despite his goals, the benefits of Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford has been the subject of discussion.

Things aren't much better at the national team level.

Portugal finished second in Group A for 2022 World Cup qualifying, meaning the Euro 2016 champion will need to qualify through a playoff. There's a chance the Selecao miss out on the World Cup altogether in what's almost certainly Ronaldo's last window to compete in that tournament.

Manchester United has reportedly agreed to a deal with Ralf Rangnick to be the club's interim manager.

According to Laurie Whitwell and David Ornstein of The Athletic, Rangnick's contract is for six months. Once that ends, the German will reportedly serve in a consultancy role for two years.

The contract is contingent on Lokomotiv Moscow agreeing to release Rangnick from his position as head of sports and development, but United reportedly doesn't believe that will be an issue.

Rangnick is set to take over for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was fired as manager Sunday following a shocking 4-1 loss to Watford, which left United in eighth place in the English Premier League table through 12 matches.

The 63-year-old Rangnick has extensive coaching experience, having served as the manager of more than a dozen clubs primarily in Germany, including VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96, Schalke, Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig.

Some of his notable accomplishments include winning the 2. Bundesliga title at Hannover in 2002 and finishing second in the Bundesliga with Schalke in 2005.

Perhaps most impressively, Rangnick helped take RB Leipzig from the German fourth division to the Bundesliga as both a director of football and manager.

Per Whitwell and Ornstein, Rangnick is regarded as the "godfather" of modern coaching in Germany thanks to the pressing style of play he innovated.

While Manchester United is off to a poor start this season, it is only three points out of fifth place, which would ensure a spot in the Europa League group stage. Meanwhile, West Ham United is six points up on United in fourth and holds the final UEFA Champions League spot for now.

Rangnick will be tasked with getting United back in contention over the rest of the season, but Whitwell and Ornstein noted that the club will weigh its other options and plans to hire a full-time manager during the summer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time as Manchester United manager has come to a close after he agreed to leave his position on Sunday following the club's loss to Watford on Saturday.

Manchester United can confirm that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his role as Manager.

Thank you for everything, Ole ❤️#MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 21, 2021

Breaking: Confirmed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fired by Manchester United. Michael Carrick in temporary charge pic.twitter.com/VsPp8r1zWS

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) November 21, 2021

It was first reported on Saturday that the United board, amid a string of five losses in the club's past seven Premier League matches, decided to fire the beleaguered manager, with journalist Fabrizio Romano and Duncan Castles of The Times among those reporting as much.

Castles added that "Richard Arnold [has been] charged with negotiating the exact terms of the Norwegian's exit after almost three trophy-free years at Old Trafford."

Manchester United working on compensation and written agreement with Ole Gunnar Solskjær. It’s gonna be ‘mutual agreement’ to part ways, as reported before. Solskjær will leave, it’s over. 🔴 #MUFC

Official statement expected in the next hours, once paperworks will be completed.

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 20, 2021

Solskjaer's sacking has felt inevitable for some time, but his position became untenable after Saturday's shocking 4-1 loss to Watford. Through 12 games, United find themselves at seventh in the Premier League table with 17 points, six points behind fourth-place West Ham and 12 points behind leaders Chelsea.

"For sure something is wrong," goalkeeper David De Gea told reporters after the Watford loss. "It is very wrong. What we are doing is very low level and very poor. I have to say sorry to the fans."

Given the talent on United's roster, the results have been well below standard, with Solskajer's job security one of the prevailing storylines in the 2021-22 Premier League campaign.

Manchester United have failed to win any of their last four games against newly promoted sides:

🤝 1-1 vs West Brom
🤝 0-0 vs Leeds
🤝 1-1 vs Fulham
❌ 1-4 vs Watford

Time may be up for Ole. ⏳ pic.twitter.com/pZ60yUn4Zb

— Squawka (@Squawka) November 20, 2021

So it looks like the decision has been made to belatedly end the misery for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United… making the change last summer after the Europa League final defeat would have the sensible option, but it has to be done now #MUFC pic.twitter.com/uMV7ceUuc4

— Kevin Palmer 💙 (@RealKevinPalmer) November 20, 2021

https://twitter.com/davisjsn/status/1462200623751995393

"I believe we can turn this around," Solskajer told reporters after Saturday's loss. "I work as hard and as well as I can with the staff I've got, top people, professional players, but at the moment we're not getting the results."

The United board, however, reportedly did not feel he could turn things around. The question now turns to his replacement. Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports reported star forward Cristiano Ronaldo would like to see Spain manager Luis Enrique take the reins:

Cristiano Ronaldo is keen for Luis Enrique to become the new #mufc manager, I’m told. The Spain boss likely to be considered for the role along with out-of-work Zinedine Zidane and Erik Ten Hag, the #ajax manager. Pochettino and Brendan Rodgers are long shots currently. See #ssn

— Rob Dorsett (@RobDorsettSky) November 21, 2021

Castles also reported that technical director Darren Fletcher will take over in an interim basis, with the Glazer family instructing the board to "further accelerate attempts to persuade Zinedine Zidane" to manage the club.

Zidane last managed Real Madrid in two separate tenures, leading the Spanish giants to three UEFA Champions League triumphs and two La Liga titles.

However, United's statement regarding Solskjaer's departure revealed that assistant coach Michael Carrick would assume temporary charge while the club searches for an interim manager.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expressed frustration about the club's 2-0 defeat at the hands of rival Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday.

United registered just one shot on target in the latest edition of the Manchester Derby, which saw Red Devils defender Eric Bailly record an own goal to give City a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute. Bernardo Silva scored shortly before halftime for the Sky Blues.

"It is very disappointing, and it feels like after last week we have made a step or two forward results wise and then a big step backwards," Solskjaer told reporters. "It is a way of losing that we don't like. When you lose a game against a good team you want to see a better Man United team than that."

It marked the third loss in the last four Premier League matches for Manchester United, which also lost 4-2 to Leicester City and 5-0 to Liverpool in the latter stages of October. The only win during that stretch was a 3-0 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur.

United (5-2-4) has dropped to fifth in the table after a promising 4-1-0 start to the term, and Solskjaer is hopeful the recent downtrend in form will end once players return from the two-week international break to face Watford on Nov. 20.

"We have to come out against Watford like a proper hurt animal," he said. "The short answer is [the break] has come at a good time for us. As a group we have had a difficult spell, we have come through it, but this was a big step backwards."

Meanwhile, City (7-2-2) are second in the table and three points behind league-leading Chelsea (8-2-1) after the rivalry win as they look to win their fourth Premier League title in the past five seasons.

"We played the game we needed today. You have to play quick, to move the ball and do the touches every player need but also try to put the ball in the pocket," City manager Pep Guardiola said. "The game was 2-0, and everything was comfortable."

The Sky Blues return to action Nov. 21 when they host Everton at Etihad Stadium.

Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez announced Thursday they're expecting twins.

"Delighted to announce we are expecting twins," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram. "Our hearts are full of love—we can't wait to meet you."

Ronaldo's family is growing! He and his partner Georgina Rodriguez have announced they are expecting twins 👶👶 pic.twitter.com/daphAl6or0

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 28, 2021

The couple have a three-year-old daughter, Alana, and Ronaldo has three other children who were born via a surrogate mother, per TMZ Sports.

Ronaldo, 36, and Rodriguez, a 27-year-old Argentine model, have been dating since 2016.

In 2017, the Portuguese forward told Thierry Marchand of L'Equipe (via ESPN) he was aiming to have at least seven kids.

"I want seven children and as many Ballons d'Or. As long as I play, I'll have the ambition to win all I can," Ronaldo said.

He's captured the Ballon d'Or on five occasions, most recently in 2017 while with Real Madrid. Only longtime rival Lionel Messi (six) has won the award more times.

Ronaldo and United are next in action Saturday when they visit Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to take on Spurs in a Premier League clash.