United confirm three new arrivals
Manchester United have confirmed the signings of two Spanish youngsters – Barcelona’s Marc Jurado and Alvaro Fernandez of Real Madrid.
They arrived in Manchester last month and have been quarantining, but United have now received international clearance to announce their moves.

The Reds have also confirmed a deal for Norwegian Isak Hansen-Aaroen, from Tromso, but are still awaiting international clearance. United agreed to sign the 16-year-old last year.

Full-backs Jurado and Fernandez have already started intensive English lessons, while Hansen-Aaroen is training with the Under-18s.

One youngster who is leaving Old Trafford is Deji Sotona, who has decided to leave Old Trafford after rejecting a three-year contract.
The MEN understands that the 17-year-old Republic of Ireland youth international wanted a weekly salary just under five figures and that he wanted the guarantee of first-team football this season – even though his only appearance for the Under-21s lasted a minute as he was sent off in the EFL Trophy defeat to Tranmere Rovers.
Sotona made 11 starts and 11 substitute appearances for the Under-18s last season and scored the winner in their FA Youth Cup quarter-final win over Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer’s positivity amid injury gloom
United may be without umpteen players for their pre-season friendly at Aston Villa on Saturday, but amid the gloom things could be worse.

The Reds are without Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Fred and Mason Greenwood, among a host of other players, with doubts whether Marcus Rashford will be back from injury.

M.E.N Sport’s Samuel Luckhurst believes that United are literally playing catch-up in the league.

He writes: “Liverpool and Arsenal start their campaigns against promoted sides and Chelsea have been kindly scheduled to travel to Brighton on Monday. All three could feasibly record handsome wins and United lost to Crystal Palace their first visitors next week, at Old Trafford last year.”

But he points out that the mood at United could be worse should previous manager Jose Mourinho still be in charge and railing against complacency.

Instead, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the manager and he “breezily goes about his work as if listening to Always Look On The Bright Side of Life on repeat”.