Saudi eyes on Varane
Foden stoops to head home a cross from Kevin De Bruyne early in the second half
IT wasn’t supposed to be their show, but Neal Maupay and Ivan Toney did their best to take centre stage.
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne had waited six months to start a game of football together.
It was meant to be their night back in the spotlight – Manchester City’s return to regular service with the title race in their own hands again.
But the Blues duo, who were worth 44 goals and 23 assists in the league alone last season, were reminded at Brentford that nothing comes easy in the Premier League. Particularly when there is a nuisance around like Maupay (above left, with Toney).
Every time the Bees got the sniff of an attack, there was a sense of panic in the visitors’ backline.
Toney outfought Nathan Ake and it created the space for Maupay to find himself one-on-one with Ederson – and a man in his form was never going to fluff his lines.
Haaland was soon presented with the opportunity to level, but his own one-on-one was foiled by Brentford’s outstanding keeper Mark Flekken.
Rusty? Perhaps. But title races and relegation battles can be won and lost on those chances.
It is now five games in a row that Maupay has found the back of the net. Add in Toney and that is Brentford’s trump card to keep them away from the dogfight.
In just three games Maupay has found the chemistry needed with his partner since Toney’s return from his gambling suspension.
Haaland and De Bruyne are a similarly new partnership this season, but know they need to find fusion if City are going to win what could be a three-way title fight.
But for now, City can still rely on Phil Foden – their star of the first half of the campaign – to pull them away from the fire.
JEREMY
EXCLUSIVE
CROSS
SAUDI billionaires Al-nassr are leading the race to sign want-away Manchester United star Raphael Varane.
The mega-rich Saudi Pro League outfit want to reunite Varane (below) with his former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. Varane has become disillusioned at United after struggling to hold down a regular starting place under Erik ten Hag.
United have rejected the option of a 12-month extension to his contract and are willing to let him leave in order to get him off the wage bill.
The Frenchman, 30, became United’s highestpaid player when he joined from Real Madrid in 2021 on a deal worth £340,000 a week. He helped United win the League Cup – the club’s first silverware since 2017 – last season but has since fallen out of favour.
Al-nassr believe that the capture of Varane, part of the French team that won the 2018 World Cup, would further lift the profile of Saudi football and are preparing an offer he will find hard to refuse.