Manchester United are set for a major clear-out this summer with defender Harry Maguire topping the list of players to be offloaded.

It is understood that both player and club would reach an agreement to part ways despite the England international having a contract that runs till 2025.

According to Italian journalist, Fabrizio Romano, United have a list of six players to be released as the club aim to shake up the squad ahead of the new season.

Aside Maguire, Wough Weghorst, Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, Don Van De Beek and Alex Telles complete the list of the players the club considered surplus to requirements.

With the Red Devils back in the UEFA Champions League, strengthening the squad to challenge in Europe appears to be a priority for the Old Trafford board.

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Armed men have abducted a seven-year-old girl in Yangoji village, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mr Suleiman Musa, a resident of the village told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the hoodlums invaded the community in the early hours of Wednesday.

He said the hoodlums invaded the village firing several gunshots before breaking into some houses where they adducted the seven-year-old girl.

According to him, the quick intervention of a police team forced the gunmen to scramble out of the village.

NAN gathered that the Kwali Divisional Police Headquarters responded to the distress call on the attack at about 5 am on Wednesday.

A source said it was the swift response of police personnel, hunters and vigilance members led by the Kwali Divisional Police Officer (DPO) that saved the community from further harm from the gunmen.

He said that the hoodlums engaged the security team in gun battle before escaping with the abducted girl.

The source said that the security team is currently combing the area with a view to rescuing the girl and arresting the gunmen.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh, said she would get back to our reporter as soon as she gets details of the incident.

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EDO State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has empathized with Edo people in the wake of the rise in prices of goods and services and overall cost of living occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government, announcing measures to ameliorate the sufferings currently faced by the people as a result of the policy.

In a statement in Benin yesterday, Obaseki said the state government has reduced the number of work days that civil and public servants will have to commute to their workplaces from five days a week to three days a week, among other measures.

He said: “In the wake of fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government, fuel prices have increased astronomically leading to a rise in prices of goods and services and overall cost of living.

“The Edo State Government shares the pains of our people and wants to assure everyone that we are standing with them in these very challenging times.

“We want to reassure our people that we will do all within our powers as a sub-national government to reduce the pains and ameliorate the sufferings our people are currently facing due to the current realities.”

The governor further noted, “As a proactive government, we have since taken the step to increase the minimum wage paid to workers in Edo State from the approved N30,000 to N40,000, the highest in the country today.

“We want to assure you that we will continue to pay this amount, while we hope to increase it even further if more allocation accrues to our State from the Federal Government in view of the expected savings occasioned by the removal of the fuel subsidy.

“We know the hardship that has been caused by this policy which has radically increased the cost of transportation, eating deep into the wages of workers in the State. Therefore, the Edo State Government is hereby reducing the number of work days that civil and public servants will have to commute to their workplaces from five days a week to three days a week till further notice. Workers will now work from home two days a week.

“Similarly, for teachers and parents, their commuting to school will be reduced as the government is working on deepening the EdoBEST@Home initiative to create more virtual classrooms, thereby reducing the cost of commuting on parents, teachers and pupils. The Edo SUBEB will provide details on this initiative in the coming days.”

He added, “To lower the rising cost of energy on our people, we will continue to work with the electricity companies in the State to improve power supply to homes and businesses.

“Similarly, fibre optic connections are being made available to help our people work remotely, thereby reducing their cost of transportation.

“While government intensifies these efforts to alleviate the burden of the fuel price increase on the people during this very challenging period, we want to call on everyone to remain calm and go about their daily businesses lawfully.”

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