Match of the Day’s Wayne Rooney says new Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens “did a lot of good things” in his debut for the club during their 2-0 win over Sunderland in the Premier League.
WATCH MORE: Man Utd beat Sunderland to ease pressure on Amorim
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Fernandes is not the only United player I look at and think he is a square peg in a round hole.
Luke Shaw has played in a back three before but he has spent the majority of his career as a dynamic left-back and it feels like he is being shoe-horned into a centre-back position under Amorim.
Again you can argue he should have the quality to adapt, and for Jeremy Doku to beat him so easily for the first goal was poor defending whether you are a left-back or a centre-half, but if any players are not completely comfortable in their roles, then it is going to affect the team.
For City’s second goal, again it was not down to the United system failing, more a mixture of things – and a multitude of individual mistakes.
Ugarte starts off on Foden but then follows the ball, like he did in the City move that led to their opener, and goes to press Nico O’Reilly, leaving Foden free.
From there it’s a knock-on effect.
Noussair Mazraoui comes out to Foden but can’t stop him playing a pass around the corner, Leny Yoro gets rolled by Jeremy Doku – the one player you know you don’t get tight to – then Shaw is not strong or fast enough to stop Erling Haaland.
Ultimately, most goals are down to a mistake somewhere but when players are comfortable in the system, and in the right position within it, they do the right things – and the errors don’t stack up like that.
Manchester United and England midfielder Grace Clinton is closing in on a move to Manchester City before Thursday’s transfer deadline.
The 22-year-old has attracted interest from several clubs this summer with just a year remaining on her contract and no renewal agreed.
Local rivals City are in talks to reach a deal with United before 23:00 BST on Thursday, while England midfielder Jess Park is set to move the other way.
Park, 23, who was also part of England’s Euro 2025-winning squad, was set for a medical at Carrington on Wednesday evening.
United see Park as a high-quality addition and while the deals are separate, she is considered a strong replacement for Clinton.
United were keen to keep Clinton, but they would rather cash in on the England international and avoid losing her for free next year.
In previous seasons United lost striker Alessia Russo and goalkeeper Mary Earps after the expiry of their contracts following failed contract renewal negotiations.
SIR JIM RATCLIFFE’S minority takeover at Manchester United was announced on Christmas Eve in 2023 – and a lot has happened at Old Trafford since…
December 2023 – Man Utd confirm Ratcliffe’s takeover on Christmas Eve, vowing to invest £245m into Old Trafford
January 2024 – Ratcliffe and right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford photographed meeting Erik ten Hag during tour of Carrington
January 2024 – Omar Berrada poached from Man City as new CEO
February 2024 – Ratcliffe’s £1billion, 27.7 per cent takeover officially completed
February 2024 – Former CEO Richard Arnold quits board as Ineos pair John Rees and Rob Nevin added
March 2024 – Ratcliffe bans words “awesome” and “lukewarm cappuccino” in bizarre move
March 2024 – Matt Johnson appointed head of women’s football
March 2024 – Ratcliffe announces plans to build “Wembley of the North” to replace Old Trafford
March 2024 – Man Utd NYSE share price drops to $13.73 on March 21 – down from $20.52 immediately after Ratcliffe takeover in December
April 2024 – Senior staff club credit cards and private cars cancelled
April 2024 – John Murtough quits as football director
April 2024 – Jason Wilcox appointed technical director after compensation package agreed with Southampton
May 2024 – Ratcliffe turns Carrington “toxic” after sending email to employees slamming “disgraceful” lack of cleanliness
May 2024 – Work finally starts on leaking Old Trafford roof
May 2024 – Man Utd finish eighth in Premier League, worst-ever finish
May 2024 – Ratcliffe gives employees just one week to decide if they want to accept redundancy
May 2024 – Staff forced to pay for own transport to FA Cup final and only given one ticket
May 2024 – Pre-match party and hotel for senior staff before FA Cup final axed
May 2024 – Man Utd shock rivals Man City to win FA Cup despite suggestions Erik ten Hag will be sacked regardless of result
June 2024 – Man Utd announce £50m plans to upgrade Carrington training ground
June 2024 – Ratcliffe introduces strict “back to work” policy forcing staff to come into office
June 2024 – Ratcliffe scores own goal with comments about women’s team
July 2024 – Man Utd finally agree deal to bring in Dan Ashworth as sporting director after four months of gardening leave at Newcastle, who received £3m in compensation
July 2024 – Erik ten Hag signs shock new contract extension until 2026
July 2024 – Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake appointed assistant managers, Andreas Georgson first-team coach and Jelle ten Rouwelaar goalkeeper coach. Darren Fletcher’s role changes from technical director to first-team coach. Steve McClaren, Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy depart.
July 2024 – Ex-Chelsea technical director Christopher Vivell joins on short-term basis as interim director of recruitment
July 2024 – Jean-Claude Blanc added to Man Utd board
July 2024 – Man Utd cut down number of staff on US pre-season tour to 125
July 2024 – Ratcliffe makes 250 redundancies including popular media man John Allen, historian Cliff Butler and kitman Alex Wylie
August 2024 – Man Utd splash out £199m in the summer transfer window
August 2024 – Matchday staff lunchboxes scrapped and some forced to eat beside toilet
October 2024 – Man Utd stop paying £2m-a-year ambassador salary to Sir Alex Ferguson
October 2024 – Staff Christmas party cancelled
October 2024 – “Back to work” policy costing Utd fortune to convert hospitality suites into temporary offices between home matches
October 2024 – Erik ten Hag sacked with club 14th in Premier League table, costing club £15m
November 2024 – Ruben Amorim appointed new Man Utd manager on deal until 2027 after stumping up £10m release clause
November 2024 – Coach Ruud van Nistelrooy axed by new manager Ruben Amorim
November 2024 – Man Utd chiefs locked in blame game over summer shambles including Erik ten Hag situation and transfer signings
November 2024 – Ratcliffe reportedly set to half £40,000 budget paid to Manchester United Disabled Supporters Association
December 2024 – Ratcliffe admits “mediocre” Man Utd “still in last century”
December 2024 – Fans protest after OAP and children concessions tickets ditched and minimum home ticket cost up to £66
December 2024 – Dan Ashworth sacked after five months as sporting director
December 2024 – £100 staff Christmas bonus ditched for £40 M&S voucher
December 2024 – Ceiling starts leaking during Ruben Amorim’s press conference after 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth
December 2024 – Reports of a mice infestation at Old Trafford as rodent droppings found in food kiosks and plush suites as food hygiene ratings drops to just two stars
December 2024 – SunSport reveals Ratcliffe cuts £40,000 funding donation to Association of Former Manchester United Players charity
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes confirms he rejected big-money Saudi move to stay at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes has confirmed he rejected a huge offer from Saudi Arabia and chose instead to stay at Manchester United, saying he wanted to “continue to play at the highest level”.
Speaking to media in a Portugal camp ahead of Wednesday’s Nations League semifinal against Germany in Munich, the football midfielder confirmed he received an “exciting offer” from Al-Hilal but wanted to be part of manager Ruben Amorim’s rebuild at Old Trafford.
Reports said Al-Hilal were willing to pay United up to 100 million British pounds ($135m) for the 30-year-old Portugal international.
“The president of Al-Hilal called me and asked me if I wanted to move there,” Fernandes confirmed, saying the club “waited for me to think about my future”.
“I talked to the gaffer and he asked me not to go,” Fernandes revealed, adding: “Man United said they didn’t want to sell me.
“They said if I wanted to go, I could, but they didn’t need the money.”
The player said a transfer would have been “easy” with several Portuguese players already in Saudi Arabia, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves, but added: “I want to play at the highest possible level.
“I want to play major competitions. I know I still can, and I want to be happy doing the thing I love the most.
“For better or worse, this is how I see football and I’m passionate about football and this is the decision I’ve made.”
United endured their worst finish of the Premier League era, finishing 15th. They also lost the Europa League final to Tottenham.
United captain Fernandes was one of the few players to emerge with credit from a disastrous season, scoring 19 goals and making 19 assists across all competitions.
Former United captain Gary Neville, now a Sky Sports pundit, said the development was “significant”.
“I think that there was an element of this situation that meant United getting that level of money, for someone of Bruno’s age, obviously, you couldn’t say that it would have been a bad deal,” he said.
“But, on the other hand, Manchester United’s star player – only player, at times – for the last four, five, six years, has been Bruno Fernandes. He’s so important.”
Neville added: “To turn that money down at a point where Manchester United are at their lowest ebb and say, ‘No, I want to fight through this, I want to see it through the other side, I want to come out and achieve things,’ I think it says a lot about him as a person, as a character.
“The club needs people who are going to run through a brick wall for them.”
United are expected to be busy in the transfer market as Amorim reshapes his under-performing squad.
The club have already signed Brazil forward Matheus Cunha from Wolves and are being heavily linked with Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.
Departures could include Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho.
Fernandes has made 290 appearances and scored 98 goals for United since his 47 million pounds ($63m) move from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.
MANCHESTER UNITED endured a nightmare post-season tour in Asia including an embarrassing on-pitch display, a humiliating bus parade and unhappy players.
Following the club’s horror season, the decision to play two matches in the Far East to generate some extra cash was not a decision popular in the club.
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In fact, according to the Manchester Evening News, when the squad learned of that decision a delegation was sent to the club’s football leadership on behalf of the first team to express their dismay.
Some of the squad were said to be outright “fuming” about having to go on the six-day tour after a 60-game season, though with commercial duties taking up much of the agenda the trip effectively became a four-day event.
Players were said to be concerned about having to cancel holiday plans, including one who complained about being forced to cancel a family trip scheduled for the half-term week.
Club chiefs made a concession by bringing the departure time of their Malaysia flight forwards to Sunday evening, hour following the final game of the season against Aston Villa, after learning some players might try to “cry off” the 14,150-mile round trip to Malaysia.
However, the actual mood in the camp on tour was said to be a better than anticipated despite the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.
Some commercial player events including fan meet-and-greets are said to have taken up to two hours to complete as the local supporters lapped up the chance to see Man Utd in the flesh, including on the humiliating open-top bus parade which happened in Kuala Lumpur before the first friendly against ASEAN All-Stars.
Kit makers Adidas hosted a nocturnal poolside party at the W Hotel – where they stayed as part of their link with club sponsor, Marriott – following the 1-0 defeat to the All-Stars.
Several guests are said to have attended the meeting, with many “admiring” the view of the Petronas Twin Towers in the background.
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That came after players were said to have been using gallows humour on the team bus back to the hotel, which had followed some booing from fans there.
The rules on tour were more relaxed than a pre-season tour would be and players were given permission to head out on their first night in the city, with one star allegedly half-joking the trip would be “like a stag do”.
However, while some were tempted to go out into the city to enjoy the night, a senior star instead advised them to stay in.
Amad Diallo, Alejandro Garnacho and Ayden Heaven were seen out on e-scooters, which had to be paid for by fans, while Joshua Zirkzee opted to enjoy some Thai take-out with a security guard after not being impressed by the room service options.
Club staff were also able to let their hair down in the trip, with some enjoying drinks on the 14-hour flight to the Malaysian capital.
On the eighth floor of the hotel itself there was a vending machine which dispensed £40 mini bottles of Moet & Chandon champagne.
The second leg of the tour saw them go to Hong Kong, but they were barely in the country 36 hours following an early-morning flight which then saw them spend an hour in their second W Hotel for lunch before getting on the team bus for training.
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Despite the glitz and glam of the 5-star establishment, things were sour away from the hotel with Amad and Garnacho seen gesturing their middle fingers towards fans and the latter doing so towards a club camerman.
Amad later revealed he had been subjected to insults about his mother from some fans.
Meanwhile, Garnacho – on the tour after being told to “pray” he finds a new club following a public dressing down in front of team-mates by Ruben Amorim – did the gesture without any clear provocation.
The 20-year-old was involved in a fan altercation while out in the city as the fan seemed to invade his personal space and also looked very unbothered during a shirt signing event.
He was described as “surly” during the trip, with club staff shadowing him closely as he signed shirts and posed for pictures without ever breaking into a smile.
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The Argentine was one of the last to board to team bus after the All Stars defeat and donned sunglasses as he ignored requests in the mixed zone.
One eyewitness claimed he removed his shades after getting through the packed pen, while Amorim later chuckled in a press conference when a reporter asked if there was any chance of Garnacho staying at the club.
Amorim, 40, is said to have told a colleague about how exhausting the post-season tour had been, especially in the humidity of Malaysia.
Man Utd finished their tour by beating Hong Kong 3-1 off a brace from Chido Obi and a late header from Ayden Heaven.
The club lifted the Defining Education Challenge Cup as a result of the win, but the trophy was so undervalued that a press officer carried it back to the dressing room.
In the first game back in Kuala Lumpur, Man Utd stars had been delayed in collecting their silver medals when the referee and linesman had returned to the dressing room before being called back out.
All in all the tour was estimated to generate around £10million for the club – which should at least leave the club’s financial department a little happier- although you would imagine a post-season tour next year may not be on the cards.
After the break a pre-season tour in Chicago is next, which is when the real work begins.
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Al Jazeera takes a look at financially-troubled Manchester United’s expensive Europa League final defeat by Spurs.
Manchester United’s decline on and off the field has been laid bare for a number of years but was placed in even sharper focus with their defeat by Tottenham in the Europa League final.
It was a zero-sum game on Wednesday: Winner goes into the Champions League – plus the UEFA Super Cup game in August – and loser is out of Europe next season and gets nothing.
Tottenham won a painfully drab match 1-0.
As football finance expert Kieran Maguire noted on Thursday, the defeat came despite United having higher revenue than Tottenham and spending 64% more on wages for a more expensively acquired squad of players. Tottenham also beat United twice in the Premier League this season, and in the domestic League Cup.
“If I was teaching this at management school (I) would conclude that there is something seriously wrong with the culture of the organisation… which is set by senior management,” Maguire wrote on X.
Beyond the loss of sporting opportunities and reputational prestige, the club owned by the Glazer family from the United States and British billionaire industrialist Jim Ratcliffe has short-term and long-term financial hits ahead.
No Champions League play next season is an instant loss of at least 80 million euros ($90m), and approaching 150 million euros ($169m) for a run deep into the knockout stage.
United also misses out on the 4 million euros ($4.5m) Tottenham will get from UEFA for playing the Super Cup against the Champions League titleholder – either Inter Milan or Paris Saint-Germain – on August 13 at Udinese’s stadium in Italy. The winner gets a bonus of 1 million euros ($1.1m).
After failing to qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup – which has a $1bn prize fund from FIFA and should pay more than $100m to a successful European team – United is now far behind in qualifying for the 2029 edition.
European teams qualify for the FIFA event only by being in the Champions League, either winning the title or building consistent results over four seasons.
United already will miss the entire first half of the 2024-28 qualifying period, and it is hard to project the team that last won the Premier League 12 years ago both qualifying for and then winning a Champions League title within three years.
One clear solution to growing financial issues and the ability to comply with Premier League rules is selling the club’s best players, like captain Bruno Fernandes and out-of-favour forward Marcus Rashford, or its homegrown prospects. Some already earn high wages that are problematic for potential buyers.
A talent drain risks speeding a spiral of decline on and off the field if coach Ruben Amorim is left trying to rebuild with a weaker pool of players.
While United is still one of Europe’s highest-earning clubs, UEFA’s annual research shows its advantage is in decline, even though revenue was a club record 661.8 million pounds ($887m) last year.
A UEFA chart showed that over five years from 2019-24 – pre-COVID-19 through to the post-pandemic recovery in the football industry – United’s revenue grew at a slower rate than all of its biggest English rivals except Chelsea.
Revenue now risks dropping, and another income cut is coming from falling to 16th in the Premier League standings with one round left on Sunday.
Premier League prize money based on final position in the standings means dropping from eighth a year ago to 16th is a difference of 22 million pounds ($29.5m) less.
It all adds up to another loss-making season after a 113.2 million pounds ($152m) deficit last season. The three previous years totaled losses of 236 million pounds ($316m).
The Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) allow clubs to lose 105 million pounds ($140.7m) over a three-year period or face sanctions, though United can cite some exemptions.
Ratcliffe, who has operational control despite being a minority shareholder, is already the public face of unpopular cuts to jobs and staff benefits, and rising ticket prices for fans.
“This is not sustainable,” the club told fans in January, “and if we do not act now we are in danger of failing to comply with PSR/FFP (financial fair play) requirements in future years and significantly impacting our ability to compete on the pitch.”