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ANALYTICAL LOOK: WHY SERGIO RAMOS'S VETERAN PRESENCE IS CRUCIAL FOR STRUGGLING MAN UTD

After an emotional farewell to Monterrey, veteran defender Sergio Ramos is expected to join Manchester United to strengthen their defence.

Analytical Look: Why Sergio Ramos's Veteran Presence is Crucial for Struggling Man Utd
Ramos Confirms Monterrey Exit

After saying goodbye to Monterrey fans on Tuesday, Sergio Ramos is likely heading to Manchester United to shore up their defense, ending a career chapter that lasted over two decades.

Word is United has already offered the 39-year-old Ramos a deal and is waiting to hear back. They're looking to bolster their defense, which has struggled lately.

Ramos seems to have timed his exit from the Mexican club well. He posted a thank-you note on social media to the team and supporters.

Saying goodbye is never easy, the former Real Madrid and Spain player said. A chapter ends that began full of hope in February and that has allowed me to find a country, a city, a football... and that leaves me with many new experiences and, above all, many friends.

I will always feel honored to have worn the Rayados captain's armband, to have led the team in the first Club World Cup in its format, to have battled in the Clausura, in the Apertura, in the Leagues Cup, in the CONCACAF Champions Cup... and to have defended the Steel Giant with courage at your side in all the matches we have played at home.

Ramos, a World Cup champion, joined Monterrey as a free agent in February after leaving Sevilla in June 2024, Xinhua reports.

He played 32 games for Monterrey, scoring seven goals. This included four games and one goal at the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Ramos announced he was leaving after Monterrey lost to Toluca in the Liga MX Apertura tournament semifinals on Sunday.

"I have given everything on the field and off it to be able to give my best performance... so many emotions that cannot be described in numbers," he said.

To the club, to my dear teammates, to the coaching staff, to the employees, and to everyone, thank you. And above all, thank you, fans, who have made your warmth and your affection reach me from the first moment I set foot in the city. I will always remember this stage of my career with nostalgia, and I will always say, 'Up with Monterrey!'.

EX-CAPTAIN NEVILLE CLAIMS SUBSTITUTIONS MADE MANCHESTER UNITED "WORSE" AGAINST WOLVES

Gary Neville slams Ruben Amorim’s "weird" substitutions and tactical shifts after Manchester United's 1-1 draw with bottom-side Wolves.

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Was the halftime substitution a tactical error or an injury?

Gary Neville said that the performance of Manchester United in their match against winless Wolves was ‘the baddest of the bad.’

United would have moved fourth in the league with a win at Old Trafford last night, although Wolves, who had two points in 18 games before kickoff, ended their record of 11 straight losses with a 1-1 draw.

Amorim’s team had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by a League Two team, Grimsby, in August, but Neville was convinced that United had hit rock bottom in a game that could have been even more one-sided were it not for two important saves by Senne Lammens.

“That was the baddest of the bad," the former United captain declared on the Gary Neville podcast.

“They weren’t just booed off at the final whistle. The fans waited in the stadium to continue to boo them. They’ve gone backwards.”

United had won at Newcastle 1-0 on Boxing Day, despite being plagued by an injury list that already lacked skipper Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, and Matthijs de Ligt, as well as three players on African Cup of Nations duty.

But they remained flat right from the first whistle, and the header by Ladislav Krejci just before the half bottled Joshua Zirkzee's deflected shot.

Amorim’s formation choice of 3-4-3 was brought into focus once more as the Portuguese opted to go back to his preferred tactic of four at the back against Newcastle.

“This isn’t right. I’ve watched enough of United over the last five or six weeks to know what looks right and what isn’t right,” Neville had declared 20 minutes into his commentary on Sky Sports.

“Because, when I see that we go back (to three at the back) after five minutes tonight, I’m thinking, no, Ruben, why have you done that?

"The manager has to look at that and think, I got that wrong. I complicated it."

However, Amorim decided to substitute Zirkzee at halftime and brought on an 18-year-old Jack Fletcher, who made his third appearance at the senior level.

Regarding substitutions made by Amorim, Neville further added, “They made Manchester United worse. Every single substitution was ridiculous.”

‘If Zirkzee was injured, and it was a tactical substitution, that was a very poor one.’ But Zirkzee isn't Eric Cantona, not by a long shot, and he had to get out there for physicality, for presence, for experience.”

SEE LISANDRO MARTINEZ’S FURIOUS REACTION AFTER MAN UTD’S SHOCK WOLVES DRAW

Lisandro Martinez demands more after Man Utd’s 1-1 draw with bottom-placed Wolves. United ended 2025 sixth in the Premier League.

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Martinez slams United’s tactical mistakes

Stand-in captain Lisandro Martinez was mad that Manchester United dropped points against Wolves, who are at the bottom of the league.

United came into the last game of 2025 after a good win against Newcastle on Boxing Day and were expected to easily beat Wolves.

Joshua Zirkzee scored first for United, but they didn't take their chances. Ladislav Krejci's header tied the game for Wolves, 1-1.

It was only their third point in 19 games, and it stopped their 11-game losing streak. United fans booed at the end of the game.

When Martinez was asked if it felt like a disappointing point, he said, 100 percent.

We are very disappointed. We can't keep drawing or losing points at home. We have to win.

We want to be at the top, competing with the best.

We can't drop points in games like this. We just have to accept it and be hungry for the next game.

Martinez was captain again because Bruno Fernandes is still recovering from an injury.

When United coach Ruben Amorim was asked about injured players for the game against Leeds on Sunday, he didn't give much away. Leeds are really wanting to beat United for the first time since 2010.

Martinez said to MUTV, You can either make excuses, or you can be strong and say, 'We're dropping points, so we need to go for the next one and show what we can do.'

We need to work together and do the easy things to get the three points.

United is in sixth place in the league at the end of 2025, only two points behind Liverpool for the last Champions League spot. Liverpool has a game in hand.

They could be in a better position if they had been better in both boxes. Leeds has been playing well lately, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin doing great up front.

Martinez added, It's about us. I don't like to think about other teams.

I'm thinking about what we can do to get better as a team every day, and we have to learn from this game.

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