HOW SANCHO AND VARANE REACTED TO UNITED V EVERTON

All eyes were on Old Trafford as Manchester United faced Everton in front of 55,000 fans and countless supporters watching on MUTV - including Jadon Sancho the prospective new signing Raphael Varane. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men produced a sparkling performance at Old Trafford in the final friendly of their pre-season campaign, brushing aside a Premier League opponent with ease.

Mason Greenwood opened the scoring with a neat finish following an error by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, before Harry Maguire executed a bullet header from Luke Shaw's corner to double the advantage. 

Bruno Fernandes was making his first appearance of the summer and Portuguese showed no signs of rust, particularly when unleashing a vicious free-kick that flew into the top corner.

Bruno's amazing set-piece sparked a huge ovation from the delighted Old Trafford crowd and, of course, sent ripples among fans reacting to the game on social media. 

Those included summer signing from Borussia Dortmund, Sancho, who is expected to join the squad after the weekend. 

The England international was watching the match on MUTV and showed his appreciation for his new team-mate Bruno, with the tweet:.

Bruno 😍

— Jadon Sancho (@Sanchooo10) August 7, 2021

The transfer of Varane from Real Madrid to United is still to be finalised following last month's announcement that a fee has been agreed between the two clubs.

As Solskjaer confirmed this week, completion is not too far away.

“[It’s] Paperwork now, you know, with Brexit and all that,” Solskjaer said. “I was going to say malarkey but I don’t want to go into politics!

“It’s cost us a few days, with the visa, but he’s been looking after himself.

“Of course, we’ve got his medical first and hopefully that’s going to be done soon.”

Sergio Agüero to miss Manchester derby after receiving three-match ban

Sergio Agüero has been found guilty of violent conduct and will miss the derby with Manchester United on 10 September, the first match of a three-game ban.

Manchester City had appealed against the charge and argued that if the striker was found guilty he should receive less than a three-game ban because, they said, cases involving a greater degree of violence had met with that punishment.

Yet the Football Association’s three-person independent commission decided the forward was guilty and merited the standard suspension. He will miss the derby at Old Trafford, plus the visit of Bournemouth on 17 September and the EFL Cup trip to Swansea City four days later.

The charge relates to City’s 3-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday when Agüero appeared to elbow Winston Reid. An FA statement read: “The Manchester City forward was involved in a 76th-minute incident with West Ham United’s Winston Reid on Sunday, which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video.

“The club denied the charge and submitted further that, if it was to be found proven, the standard punishment would be clearly excessive. On finding the charge proven at a hearing today, an independent regulatory commission went on to reject the club’s further claim to decrease the three-match ban.”

The loss of Agüero is a considerable blow to City and Pep Guardiola. The manager has guided the team to an impressive start in which they have won their first five matches. Agüero, who has featured four times, has scored six goals, three in the Premier League to help City to the top of the table. The Argentinian has also registered eight times in derbies, the club’s third-highest tally.

Yaya Touré has been left out of City’s Champions League squad by Guardiola. Touré has played once this season, in City’s 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League play-off round second leg, but that game was virtually meaningless because City led 5-0 from the first leg.

Leroy Sané and Ilkay Gündogan, who were bought this summer but have yet to play because of injury, are included in the 25-man squad for the group stage. City will face Barcelona, Celtic and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Touré’s exclusion is a further signal his City career is effectively over, just as Joe Hart’s loan move to Torino after being dropped by Guardiola seems to have ended the goalkeeper’s time at the club. Touré’s contract expires next summer.

City may face a United defence which is below full-strength at Old Trafford because Antonio Valencia’s late return from the international break could force José Mourinho into using Phil Jones, Matteo Darmian or Timothy Fosu-Mensah at right-back despite none having played this season.

Valencia is away with Ecuador but does not return until next Friday, the day before City’s visit. The match will kick-off at 12.30pm, further shortening the time Valencia has to recover. Argentina’s Marcos Rojo and Sergio Romero are also expected to be late back.

Juan Mata agrees to reduced role at Manchester United

Juan Mata and Jose Mourinho have finally come to an agreement with regards to his role at Manchester United which should see the Spaniard stay at Old Trafford until at least January.

Speculation surrounding Mata's future has been at fever pitch since the day Mourinho was confirmed as Louis van Gaal's successor. He famously fell short of the Special One's requirements at Chelsea and was sold to United in January 2014 despite his status as a fan favourite.

And when he was substituted in the Community Shield tie against Leicester only 25 minutes after emerging from the bench, it was thought his short time as a Red Devil was coming to an end.

However, according to The Telegraph, Mata has agreed to stay part of the Manchester United squad even though it will mean less playing time. Mourinho has told him he has a part to play in his plans, but won't be the first choice in any of his favoured positions.

Although he started the first game of the season against Bournemouth and last Friday’s win over Southampton, it is believed that Henrikh Mkhitaryan will eventually become the starting right-winger. The Armenian arrived from Borussia Dortmund in a £26m deal this summer but is still settling into his new life in England and has been used sparingly.

Mata was booted out six months after Mourinho took charge of Chelsea and there is every chance the same thing could happen at United. The same report claims the squad will be reviewed when the January transfer window opens, in which Mata could decide to leave.

For instance, if the diminutive playmaker has played even less than he expects or gets a tempting offer from another European club, the door could be left open for him to sneak out.

It is a strange situation for Mata to find himself in. He is, after all, the fourth most expensive player in United's history and is eager to stay at the club, but that was the same at Chelsea too.

Although much has changed since Mourinho and Mata fell out at Stamford Bridge, it remains a fact that his wingers must help out defensively. That was where the Spain international fell short at Chelsea but he now has half a season to prove he has changed.

It is another significant blow for Ed Woodward in his efforts to trim down the spiraling wage bill. He has already had to forgo a transfer fee in his efforts to get rid of Bastian Schweinsteiger. The German is on a huge contract of over £200,000-a-week yet has been thrown out of the senior dressing room by Mourinho.

Mata is on £140,000-a-week himself and Mourinho's decision to keep him gives Woodward another headache.