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All three Americans — Max Arfsten, Sebastian Berhalter and Aidan Morris — started for Middlesbrough, which fell, 2-1, at Blackburn. Of the Premier League Americans, only Brenden Aaronson, with Leeds United, came out a winner. • Zavier Gozo scored for Crystal Palace's U-21s. For how Americans in England fared ... The post Americans Abroad (England): Middlesbrough trio suffers first loss appeared first on Soccer America.
Man Utd are interested in signing Alejandro Balde from Barcelona (Picture: Getty) Alejandro Balde was left out of Barcelona’s 5-0 win over Elche as Hansi Flick suspected he was not focussed amid speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United. It was reported last week that United had made an approach for Balde as they look to sign a new left-back before the end of the summer transfer window. Michael Carrick is keen to provide some cover and competition for Luke Shaw ahead of Manchester United’s return to the Champions League this season. England international Lewis Hall was United’s first-choice target and interested in a move to Old Trafford but Newcastle United made it clear he was not for sale. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. As a result Manchester United have turned their attentions to Barcelona academy graduate Balde, who has made over 150 appearances for the La Liga champions. Balde, 22, is contracted to Barca for another two years and has an unattainable release clause in his current deal worth €1 billion. But Spanish outlet SPORT claim Barcelona bosses are willing to cash in on Balde for around 45m euros (£38m) as they look to raise funds following another summer of significant spending. Manchester United boss Michael Carrick (Picture: Getty) It was initially reported that Barca had no desire to sell Balde but the player himself is believed to be pushing for a summer move and would be open to joining Manchester United. Barcelona boss Flick left Balde out of his matchday squad for Sunday’s emphatic win over Elche and SPORT insist that is another sign a summer deal could be on the cards. Explaining Balde’s absence in his pre-match interview, Flick said: ‘I spoke with Alejandro this morning and told him that I think he’s not here at 100%. Clear your mind and then we’ll talk.’ Barcelona boss Hansi Flick (Picture: Getty) Addressing the situation in his post-match press conference, the Barca boss added: ‘I have not told Alejandro Balde to leave. ‘I spoke with him this morning, I told him to think about it and that we’ll talk again tomorrow.’ Manchester United are not alone in expressing interest in Balde, with Aston Villa and Benfica also believed to be keeping tabs on his situation. Balde missed Barcelona’s win over Elche (Picture: Getty) Benfica have in fact already approached Barcelona with a deal but the offer was immediately knocked back due to the fees involved, which remain unknown. Balde has made seven appearances for Spain but none since 2023 and was left out of Luis de la Fuente’s World Cup-winning squad earlier in the summer. The talented left-back hinted he was keen to join Manchester United back in 2020 when he took part in a quick-fire Q&A with Mundo Deportivo on TikTok. When asked, ‘A club other than Barcelona?’, Balde simply replied: ‘United.’ Carrick’s Manchester United began their Premier League campaign with a disappointing 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Hull City, the favourites to finish bottom this season. The Red Devils will be desperate to clinch their first win of the season next weekend when another new Premier League side, Ipswich Town, visit the Theatre of Dreams. England’s Anthony Gordon, who moved to the Nou Camp in a £70m transfer from Newcastle, made two assists as Barcelona thrashed Elche 5-0 in their La Liga opener. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
Manchester United legend Gary Neville (Picture: Sky Sports) Gary Neville has urged Manchester United to make two more signings before the transfer deadline as Michael Carrick’s defence was exposed in the shock opening-day defeat to Hull City. The Red Devils suffered a hugely disappointing 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Hull on Saturday. United have had a fairly subdued summer transfer window to date, with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos the club’s only two major signings. Manchester United are also set to welcome Carlos Baleba to Old Trafford after agreeing a £70m deal with Brighton. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. A midfield rebuild was necessary following Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte’s long-term injury but Neville believes defensive reinforcements are also needed. As a result Neville wants his former club to sign a new centre-back and at least one new full-back before the summer transfer window closes on September 3. Assessing Manchester United’s disappointing defeat to Hull, Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast: ‘Hull did everything they had to in terms of competing, being aggressive, organised and hard to break down. Man Utd were stunned by Hull City (Picture: Reuters) ‘Manchester United fell short in those areas in the early stages of the game and they have struggled at times against teams that play deeper. ‘It’s a massive wake-up call. Hull didn’t just match Man United physically but were better than them in that area and that will be the big disappointment for Michael Carrick. ‘Too many players were well below par and he will want that to just be a blip, you can’t let it stretch into next weekend as well, they have to be at it. {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Carrick reflects on disappointing start as Man United lose to Hull","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/08\/22\/3200761093652133798\/480x270_MP4_3200761093652133798.mp4","description":"Press conference with Manchester United manager Michael Carrick following their 2-0 loss to Hull City at the MKM Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.","duration":"T6M44S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/08\/22\/16\/110791853-0-image-m-13_1787413415956.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-08-22T16:42:41+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); ‘What it did highlight is that Man United defence isn’t good enough. To be fair the club probably know that, they rebuilt the forward line last summer and rebuilt the midfield this summer with a few signings. ‘I don’t know if they’ve got the money or not but they do need a centre-back, and they do need full-backs. They just do. There’s no other way of putting it really. That was highlighted yesterday.’ Manchester United will be desperate for a better performance next weekend when Ipswich Town visit the Theatre of Dreams. Incoming Man Utd signing Carlos Baleba (Picture: Getty) Speaking after his side lost to Hull, the favourites to finish bottom this season, Carrick said: ‘It’s one game. It’s the first game of the season so it’s disappointing enough and it hurts, of course it does. ‘But it’s one game, it doesn’t change the whole course of the direction the team or the football club is going in. We’
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