Manchester

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Manchester City have included new signings Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez in their Champions League squad for the rest of the season.

Full-backs Kyle Walker and Josh Wilson-Esbrand have dropped out following loan moves to AC Milan and Stoke City respectively.

January signing Vitor Reis is not in the squad, with only three additions to the original 22-man list permitted before Thursday night's deadline.

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Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim says removing Ruud van Nistelrooy from his coaching staff after his appointment in November was "not a difficult situation".

Legendary United striker Van Nistelrooy oversaw three wins and a draw as caretaker manager after Erik ten Hag was sacked in October before leaving when Amorim was appointed and brought his own coaching staff.

Shortly after that, the Dutchman was named Leicester manager.

"It was not a difficult situation because it was so clear for me - I just had to explain," Amorim said. "I think it's really simple and he understands. He is a man of football.

"I have my team and my staff. I could keep Ruud because it was a good thing for me a popular thing to do.

"[But] I will not put Ruud in front of my guys, no matter what, and then I had to put a person like Ruud in the end on the hierarchy on my staff, and I think that was not fair on Ruud.

"To show respect to Ruud, I was really clear with him and I explained that I have my team, I will continue the same way and I will not put a guy like Ruud, a legend of this club, in the end of the hierarchy in the staff."

The Foxes visit Old Trafford in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday night on a run of one win in nine in the Premier League, but Van Nistelrooy says he is not worried about his future at the club.

"I don't have to be considering these things," he said. "Of course, we're not in an easy moment. It's getting on with your jobs and not speaking about any other things.

"We're in this fight, we're talking in the league of course, but this game is big for us."

On returning to Manchester, he added: "It is special to go back there. There was a history as player, history as an assistant manager and history as a caretaker.

"That is part of me it always will be - but my focus will be on my team to get the best out of them and perform and show what we are about."

Listen to full commentary of Man Utd v Leicester City from 20:00 GMT on BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday

What a story it is to see Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has won the FA Cup with Manchester United as a player, going back to Old Trafford with Leicester.

He was in charge of United when they beat the Foxes there twice in the space of two weeks earlier in the season, but he will want a different outcome this time.

Leicester are struggling at the moment but this still won't be straightforward for United.

It is amazing how many surprise results there have been in the Premier League this season, but the one constant has been that United have been awful throughout.

I have absolutely no confidence in this prediction but, based on how poor Leicester have been recently, and also their heavy defeat by Everton last time out, I think the holders will find a way of winning this tie in 90 minutes to make it into the fifth-round draw.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle are interested in 27-year-old Crystal Palace and France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is yet to sign a new contract. (TBR Football), external

Meanwhile, United are set to be more than £27m down on their anticipated Premier League prize money for this season. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim defended his decision not to bring in any more experienced players during the winter transfer window because the club did not want to repeat past mistakes.

By that, he meant signing players that turned out not to be worth the sums invested in them.

However, there is a flip side to that.

Having decided to keep Erik ten Hag during the summer, United then spent £200m on five senior players, including Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee. Just over two months into the season, Ten Hag was sacked.

It could be argued United do not want to spend more money on players for a coach whose job prospects are uncertain - Amorim himself says he is 'fighting for his job until the summer'.

The United boss knows he needs results. He knows the squad he has to work with.

He has to deliver.

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We asked for your views on Lisandro Martinez's ACL injury and how Manchester United can cope in his absence.

Here are some of your comments:

Steve: While the injury is disappointing, it's not as doom and gloom as it would be if we were playing with verve. Martinez has had an average season thus far, as has the team in general. Hopefully, this will now mean we can see more of Lenny Yoro and hopefully give some minutes to Ayden Heaven as we build for the next season.

Mike: Yet another setback. Ruben Amorim must be wondering what's hit him. I probably will not be the first to say this but it is time we looked at the under-21s. There has been a few coming through and, after watching some of their matches, there are a few more that could be brought through. I was disappointed that we didn't make any more signings but that time has gone and we have to cope with what we've got.

Andre: Awful news for Martinez and United. I am praying that we somehow get Shaw back so we have a left-footer capable of filling the gap.

Matt: Licha is one of my favourite United players but he hasn't adapted as well to the Amorim system as we would have expected. We've got a few options - Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire (with Matthijs de Ligt moving over into the middle), Luke Shaw (if he ever approaches fitness again), or Ayden Heaven as the left-field choice. So I think we'll be OK but it's so tough on Martinez to have two unrelated serious injuries in a relatively short United career so far. Get well soon, Licha.

Mike: Shaw is a fine left centre-back. He'll easily cover the first 15 minutes or so of Martinez's absence. After that, I think permanently adding Mazraoui to the back three will get us to the summer. At that point, a decision will need to be made about adding a further centre-back or gambling on Martinez.

Royston: Gutted that Martinez is again out with a long-term injury. This will put additional pressure o the new signings to adequately cover for him or else I can only pray United do not slip further down the table.

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Now that we know who has what in terms of transfers for the Premier League's run-in, I have tipped Liverpool to win the title, with Arsenal in second and Manchester City in third.

City have made some good January signings and injured players are starting to return now, so it looks more promising for Pep Guardiola's men.

And we all know how City have the capability of going on a run of games which apply pressure to the teams around them. They still have the status to do that despite having a rocky season.

They have a tricky period coming up now and it is off the back of a battering to Arsenal, but I think they have enough to turn results around and comfortably finish third.

I am not sure the likes of Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Newcastle will be able to do the same.

Manchester City have the know-how of picking up results when it really matters, alongside their standard and quality within their team.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to the media before Friday's FA Cup game against Leicester City (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Following confirmation that Lisandro Martinez sustained a serious knee injury against Crystal Palace, Amorim said: "He is in a difficult situation. He's going to be out for a while. We don't know the extent of the injury but it's an injury that is going to take time."

• Amorim also said Luke Shaw has had a "small issue in a different area" from his previous injury and the club "will try to be careful" with his recovery.

• The United boss would not confirm whether new signings Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven will be involved against Leicester, but said they are available: "They are ready to play and are two more solutions to help us."

• On whether he is happy with United's transfer business: "What I feel is the club is taking its time. We know the urgency of the moment, but everybody here doesn't want to make the same mistakes that were made in the past. We have to improve the players we have and win some games. Then in the summer, we will see. But we are being really careful with transfers because we did some mistakes in the past."

• Amorim was asked whether he may have to accept that the team's position in the Premier League table may not change much, given no experienced players were signed during the window: "It's a moment that is hard to turn things around in just a few games. It's going to be really hard until the end of the season. We are taking that risk that you talk about because we want a different thing in our team and different profiles. That is my area, so it was my decision to do that."

• He continued: "We are taking some risks but it is the way we want to proceed. We want to win some games. We will have time to train because I'm always complaining about the time to train, so now we have time to train we are going to improve the team. I want a certain type of player with a different profile and we are changing right away."

• On his available attacking options available to him: "We have to find players to play in different positions. We create chances and we don't score - we have many shots in the box and we catch one player. These are small things we can improve. Amad can score more, Bruno can score more, Kobbie can score more playing in that position a little bit further up the pitch. We have a little bit more time and let's see at the end of the season."

Follow all of Thursday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live from 20:00 GMT on Friday

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We asked for one thing nobody is talking about at Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Kahn: No-one is talking about Pep's inflexibility - his refusal to change styles and adapt. Omar Marmoush is shouting for the ball all the time while Erling Haaland has given up on runs behind the defensive line. If your players are ageing and can't press, maybe stop asking them to press. If they are caught on the counter with such regularity, maybe stop holding such a high defensive line, and employ a more balanced approach. The same team, even without January signings, would do better in the hands of a manager that plays to the strengths of players at his disposal.

Matt: I think no-one is talking about the obvious need for appropriate wing-backs in a 3-4-3 system. Lewis a hard-working gifted player but I fear his calling is not that role. Perhaps someone like Jeremie Frimpong is what we need.

Ian: No-one mentions that the reason we give goals away is the negative way we're playing. Always passing backwards. There is no service into the box, even with the best striker in the world in there.

Stewart: Watch out for Divine Mukasa - a very impressive under-18 attacking midfielder who has scored 13 goals and had 18 assists so far this season in all competitions.

Alex: Passing, passing and more passing. Overnight, that has gone. It's not the way to win now. Running with the ball and beating a player is the way to success - all done at a high pace and not defenders standing over the ball on the halfway line for minutes on end.

Simon: New left-back from New York City Christian McFarlane. Might he be integrated into the first team? The teamsheet on Saturday against Leyton Orient will provide a clue.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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There have been conflicting reports around Manchester United defender Luke Shaw, with one source saying he was out for another four weeks and others predicting a return to training next week.

Given he was part of the senior squad training at Carrington last Wednesday ahead of their Europa League trip to Romania and the club have not dismissed queries around Shaw's fitness, it seems certain that head coach Ruben Amorim will confirm the England man has had some kind of setback when he speaks to the media this afternoon.

Shaw has not started a game for Manchester United since 18 February last year. He has made six appearances, three for England at Euro 2024 and three for his club as a substitute, the last of which was on 1 December.

With Lisandro Martinez looking set for an extended spell on the sidelines with a serious knee injury, Amorim would have wanted Shaw as an option for the left-sided central defensive slot.

Club officials do not believe Martinez will play again this season. It is his fourth - and most significant - injury of eight weeks or longer since joining Manchester United in 2022.

The news could mean a more prominent role for former Arsenal youngster Ayden Heaven, who joined the club as a first-team squad member over the weekend.