Weekly Football News Catch-Up: July 3rd: Okocha Names Greatest He Has Played With; Fans Not Allowed To Purchase Greenwood’s Shirt; Others

Okocha Names 5 Greatest Players He Played With

Former Super Eagles captain Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha has selected his top five footballers with whom he has played.

Okocha spent over 20 years on the pitch. During that time, the former midfielder had the opportunity to play with several famous players.

He began his top-flight career with Eintracht Frankfurt before moving on to Fenerbahce in Turkey.

After two years, Okocha joined Paris Saint-Germain for a then-African record sum in 1998, where he stayed for four seasons.

Okocha later joined Bolton Wanderers, where he became a cult hero.

Okocha was named the greatest among his teammates in an interview with Pulse Sports.

“Number one on my list will be Ronaldinho.

“And then Kanu of course. I liked the way Kanu played.

“Then Youri Djokaeff, the French World Cup winner and I’ll say Amokachi because we were roommates as well.

“And the last person is one of the underrated defenders I’ve played with, Uche Okechukwu,” Okocha, who retired from football in 2008, said.

Manchester United Reluctant To Sign Contract With De Gea

Manchester United have reportedly Abandoned their contract talks with goalkeeper David de Gea in light of the likely signing of Inter Milan stopper Andre Onana at Old Trafford.

According to the Daily Post, Manchester United have launched a formal approach for Onana and are seeking to secure a £43 million deal for the goalkeeper’s signing.

De Gea had agreed to a new contract with Manchester United, only for the club to withdraw their offer.

This is according to The Athletic, which has now clarified De Gea’s future at Old Trafford.

De Gea was apparently offered a significant pay cut to stay at Manchester United, which he gladly accepted.

The 32-year-old’s current deal expires this summer, but he has the option to extend it for another year.

However, as they continue to pursue Onana, Manchester United has reduced their pay offer even lower.

Fans Not Allowed To Purchase Mason Greenwood’s Shirt

Manchester United has prohibited supporters from purchasing shirts featuring Mason Greenwood’s name on the back.

Greenwood hasn’t played or trained for the Red Devils since January 2022.

Following charges of attempted rape, assault, and controlling or coercive behaviour, the striker was suspended.

However, those accusations were withdrawn in February of this year. Nevertheless, the player is still under examination by Manchester United.

Greenwood was just added to the club’s retained list, although he has yet to be cleared to return to training.

The option to have Marcel Sabitzer’s name on their preferred jersey remains on the club’s website, but Greenwood’s No.11 shirt cannot be selected.

Sabitzer is unlikely to join United on a permanent basis after joining on loan from Bayern Munich.

Sadio Mane Speaks About His Bayern Incident With Sane

Sadio Mane, a forward for Bayern Munich, has spoken out about his altercation with teammate Leroy Sane from last year.

The former Liverpool winger, who was recently named the most disappointing player in the Bundesliga last season, lashed out at his Bayern Munich teammate, hitting him in the face following a 3-0 loss to Man City at the Etihad in April.

They had been seen arguing on the field after losing the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal, and the argument persisted. Teammates had to separate Sane and him in the tunnel since he had a bloodied lip.

Sadio Mane was later fined £250,000 by the club, the highest in their history, and was also suspended for one game.

The Senegalese star has since had time to think about the repulsive event. When addressing the media in his country, he said: “This kind of thing can happen. It happened. We were able to solve this small problem.

“Sometimes it’s good to solve problems, but maybe not in this way. It’s behind us now. We’ll try to fight together to help the club achieve its goals next season.

“I’m on vacation with the family. It was a very complicated season, it happens. It wasn’t a surprise, I expected things to be a bit complicated. It’s normal.

“I love challenges, and Bayern is a big challenge. It’s up to me to do everything to meet this challenge.”

After just one season in Germany, Sadio Mane has been mentioned as perhaps leaving this summer.

According to the German publication Bild, Mane, along with Sane, Serge Gnabry, Bouna Sarr, Alexander Nubel, Marcel Sabitzer, and Benjamin Pavard, are seven players Thomas Tuchel is willing to allow leave the team.

But he added: “God willing. If everything goes well, I’m going to return to Bayern.”

Osimhen Will Only Leave To Two Clubs

Salvatore Bagni, a Napoli legend, has reported that striker Victor Osimhen will only consider joining Manchester United or Real Madrid this summer.

Osimhen has been linked with a summer departure from Napoli.

Many prominent European teams have expressed interest in the Nigerian international, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain.

While speaking to Si Gonfia la Rite (via Tutto Napoli), Bagni said, “Victor Osimhen won’t return to France because he already played there. The same thing with Germany.

“He doesn’t go to Liverpool or Chelsea because they do not play the Champions League.

“Of all the teams associated with him, for me, he would only go to Manchester United and Real Madrid. He’s not interested in the other teams,” he added.