Paper Round: Crunch time for Manchester United duo, Arsene Wenger 'shocks' with keeper decision

 

It's decision time in the summer for two Manchester United forwards, while Arsene Wenger has chosen his goalkeeper for Arsenal's match with Bayern Munich. It's Tuesday's Paper Round.

Spurs offer Martial escape route

Tottenham are closely monitoring the situation regarding Anthony Martial’s future at Manchester United, according to the Mirror.

The Frenchman has struggled to hold down a starting spot since moving to Old Trafford in 2015, and Spurs are rumoured to be interested in the striker, should he be deemed surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho this summer.

 

There are a couple of factors at Old Trafford which will define Martial’s future at Old Trafford this summer – and it seems likely both will only hamper him. Firstly, it appears likely that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay another season in one final push for Premier League glory. And secondly, Antoine Griezmann’s expected arrival at United could push Martial further down the pecking order. Martial has shown recently that he has the quality to stay and make a difference for United, but expect his confidence to rise and fall as the season draws to a close.

Rashford stalls on United deal

Marcus Rashford has delayed talk of signing a new deal at Manchester United, reports the Times, who claim the forward will consider his future at the end of the season. The England international is said to be frustrated with the lack of game-time under Mourinho, and fears he may never earn a regular starting position under the current United boss.

Paper Round’s view: Despite his claims, Mourinho isn’t exactly famed for giving youth a chance, and the arrival of Griezmann in the summer would only confirm that a starting place would indeed be hard to come by for Rashford, who has suffered from second-season syndrome this campaign. And while the spotlight was firmly on the youngster 12 months ago – he is now experiencing a period of life out of the limelight. He’s a talent – but is Mourinho’s United the best place for his quality to flourish? Perhaps not.

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Wenger chooses Ospina for Bayern clash

Arsene Wenger will stick with David Ospina ahead of Petr Cech for Arsenal’s Champions League match with Bayern Munich.

A number of papers, including the Mirror and the Telegraph, have reported that Wenger will 'shock fans' by keeping faith with Ospina, who has started every game in Europe so far this season.

Wenger opts for Ospina over CechReuters

Paper Round’s view: It will come as a shock to some, but it isn’t exactly a surprise. Arsenal shipped in just six goals en route to topping Group A ahead of PSG, with Ospina putting in a number of strong performances. He is more than capable to take his place between the sticks – this isn’t another Hilario at Chelsea moment – though with Cech waiting in the wings, every touch Ospina does and doesn’t make will be heavily scrutinised.

Captain Morgan sounds Foxes warning

Leicester captain Wes Morgan has warned that the Foxes are in freefall and are struggling to “bounce back” from a poor run of form which has left them just one place and one point above the relegation zone. The current Premier League champions have spiralled down the table in recent weeks, and the Daily Star quote Morgan as saying that their inability to keep a clean sheet is costing them dearly.

Paper Round’s view: Who will feature in the bottom three come the end of the season has no doubt been a topic debated up and down the country this past week. It’s hard to pick a three with any conviction, and the fluctuations in form means it could be any three of six sides (though are Bournemouth arguably in it too?). You have to worry for Leicester, and with Champions League and FA Cup ties coming up as well, it’s time for the Foxes to stop feeling sorry for themselves and pick up some W’s.