Manchester United

Jordan Butler
BBC Sport journalist

In-form Manchester United kick-off the Premier League weekend when they travel south to face Tottenham on Saturday (12:30 GMT). BBC Sport explores some of the key themes surrounding this fixture.

Spurs' conflicting home form

Tottenham's convincing 4-0 victory over FC Copenhagen on Tuesday night extended their long unbeaten home run in Europe, a remarkable contrast to their league form in north London.

Spurs have now won 18 and drawn four of their past 22 European games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, excluding a Conference League fixture against Rennes which they were forced to forfeit in December 2021 because of a Covid outbreak. Their most recent European home defeat on their pitch was 1-0 against RB Leipzig in the Champions League in February 2020.

Home struggles for Thomas Frank's side have been exclusively a Premier League problem. Last weekend's limp defeat to rivals Chelsea was their third of the campaign in N17 and promoted Burnley are the only top-flight team they've beaten at their impressive stadium this season.

The Lilywhites have mustered three wins and 13 points from their 19 home league matches over the past 12 months – the worst record of any Premier League team during that period.

Frank's men will attempt to arrest that lengthy slump on Saturday when they face a team against whom they've enjoyed the upper hand in recent seasons.

Spurs are unbeaten in seven previous meetings with Manchester United across all competitions (W5, D2) and won all four clashes last season, including the Europa League final in May.

Tottenham's last defeat to United? A league meeting at Old Trafford in October 2022.

United's recent away struggles

Manchester United head to north London on a four-match unbeaten run in the top flight (W3, D1) and only sit below their hosts in the table on goal difference.

The Red Devils are enjoying their joint-best run of form under head coach Ruben Amorim but will be keen to start collecting more points on the road.

Just one of their past 10 Premier League away games has resulted in victory (D3, L6) and they also fell to a shock defeat at Grimsby this season in the EFL Cup.

However, this fixture is one that Manchester United have largely dominated during the Premier League era.

United are seeking their 40th Premier League victory over Spurs this Saturday – no other side has beaten the Lilywhites more in the competition. The Mancunians have only enjoyed more wins against fellow Premier League ever-present sides Everton and Aston Villa.

However, United have triumphed in just three of their previous 25 league visits to London (D6, L16) and the last time they ventured to the capital in September they were beaten 3-1 by Thomas Frank's former side Brentford.

It is hard to know how to view Tottenham at the moment, especially at home where they have been pretty underwhelming in the Premier League so far.

Tottenham have only taken one point from their past four league games in their own stadium since beating Burnley on the opening weekend of the season, including last week's defeat by Chelsea when a couple of their players gave Thomas Frank the cold shoulder afterwards.

They did beat Copenhagen comfortably there in the Champions League on Tuesday, but it's still hard to make a case for them to overcome Manchester United because I'm not really sure where their goals are going to come from.

Mind you, I'm still not convinced by Ruben Amorim's side either. There is no doubt they have shown strong signs of improvement, but I still don't fully trust them to turn up, especially on the road.

Tottenham beat Manchester United four times last season, including in the Europa League final. This time? If I had to pick a winner I would actually back United, but I don't - so I'm going for a draw.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United defender Leny Yoro has said he still feels he made the right decision to move to Old Trafford.

Numerous clubs were keen on signing the France youngster when he decided to leave Lille in 2024, including Real Madrid.

Yoro chose United but almost immediately after making the £52.18m switch he fractured his foot in a pre-season game against Arsenal in the United States, which ruled the 19-year-old out for over four months.

By that point, the manager who signed him, Erik ten Hag, had been replaced by Ruben Amorim and Yoro had to adapt to a completely different style of play than he was expecting.

United went on to finish 15th in the Premier League and their Europa League final defeat by Tottenham meant they would not be involved in European football of any description this season.

Regardless, Yoro, who has started seven of United's 10 league games so far this season, has no regrets.

"Even with last season, I never had this feeling of regret," he said.

"I know Manchester United, I know sometimes you can have a bad season. But this club is a top club, you cannot have doubts about this.

"I knew the project before I came. Of course, I did not expect to finish 15th in the first year - this is something we need to face.

"But today my choice is Manchester [United] and I'm really happy with this.

"I know some people talked about this last year because of the results. I can understand them, but honestly, it's my choice and my career.

"I know what I'm doing and I'm just going to be better in the future."

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United defender Leny Yoro has revealed his mum pranked the media into believing she had named her eldest son after American singer Lenny Kravitz.

Yoro's mother, Flore Baugnies, is a big fan of Kravitz and said in an interview that was where Leny's name came from.

However, speaking to UK journalists before United's Premier League trip to Tottenham on Saturday, the man himself has set the record straight.

"No, that's not true," said Yoro. "She liked Lenny Kravitz but she didn't take his name. That's just storytelling for the media. She wanted something for them."

Image source, Getty Images

Napoli could reignite interest in Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in January. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Leeds, Everton, Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the other clubs interested in Mainoo. (Caught Offside), external

Barcelona are planning to open formal talks with United over a permanent deal for forward Marcus Rashford. (Teamtalk), external

Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund are keen to re-sign winger Jadon Sancho, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa. (Football Insider), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• After their recent uptick in form before their draw with Nottingham Forest last weekend, Amorim feels his said are "more confident", believe they "can win any game" and "have proved that already". But he added: "The last game was tough on us because, in some moments, we weren't the team that we were supposed to be."

• He continued: "We know we cannot forget we have a lot to improve. We are more prepared for anything that happens in the game, so that is also a good thing. We are in a better moment, but we also know we have a lot to do, a lot to improve to win this kind of game more and consistently win games in a row."

• On what has changed since their last meeting with Tottenham in the Europa League final in May: "First of all, the characteristics of the players. We have different characteristics in our team, but we also have a lot of players who played [last time]. So we are a better team, we play better, we understand the game better."

• The United boss added: "We are more confident. We reached that final confident we could win because we were doing well in Europe. In this moment, we play with a different confidence. If you remember that game, they have that shot on goal and they won the game. I expect a different game - that we can play better, but also have a little bit of luck to help us to win."

• Asked whether there have been any changes to reduce injuries in the side, he responded: "No, it's not changed. It's one game every week and then, again, a little bit of luck. Sometimes you have problems with players with knocks, and it's not something that is soft tissue [injuries]. So, you never know what is going to happen in the next training [session]. But the big reason is one game every week - you can give an extra day to the players you know could struggle."

• After comments made about the club by former player Cristiano Ronaldo, Amorim acknowledged that Ronaldo "knows he has a huge impact in everything he says" but "what we need to focus on is in the future", adding: "We know that we, as a club, made a lot of mistakes in the past, but we are trying to change that. So let's not focus on what happened. Let's focus on what we are doing now - and we are doing that."

• On if their lack of clean sheets is a problem: "It is a problem - especially if you see the league nowadays. The team that is winning all the games is not conceding goals. We cannot suffer the amount of goals we are suffering, and that is a thing that we need to improve."

Hear more from Amorim on BBC Sounds

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

Image source, Getty Images

With the countdown to the Celebrity Traitors final under way, we asked you which Manchester United player or manager - past or present - would make the best traitor and faithful.

Here are some of your comments:

Olly: Roy Keane, Nemanja Matic and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would make quite the team of traitors. Matic is quiet, Ole is the silent assassin murdering people in plain sight, and Keane - well, it would be too obvious for him to be a traitor

Rob: Solskjaer would be the ultimate faithful. He might be the 'baby-faced assassin', but he is such a nice guy! No way he could be a traitor. My traitor would be Rio Ferdinand. He would get on with everyone, play the good guy well and be cool all the way!

Sam: The best faithful would definitely be Senne Lammens. What more could you want than a smart, composed, kind man as a faithful? They couldn't banish him. As for the traitor, Leny Yoro would be good while going under the radar, as he does on the pitch.

Aarav: Bruno Fernandes would make a brilliant faithful as he has the leadership skills to do it. The best traitor is easy - Carlos Tevez is already a traitor!

Fred: Mason Mount's calmness would make him a great faithful as he seems quite trustworthy. Ruben Amorim and Bryan Mbeumo could definitely double-cross somebody. No-one would dare cross Nemanja Vidic so he would be good either way. But the best traitor would have to be Solskjaer! He is too nice and would go under the radar.

You can watch the final of The Celebrity Traitors live from 21:00 GMT on BBC iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United legend Bryan Robson says he sees parallels between the early days of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign and the new era under manager Ruben Amorim and has urged patience as the Portuguese boss looks to put his stamp on the team.

Speaking at the North West Football Awards, where he was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, Robson said Amorim's impact has reminded him of the steady foundations Sir Alex built in the late 1980s - a comparison that comes after minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe publicly called for the new manager to be given at least three years to shape the club in his image.

"It is a little bit like that," Robson said. "I've loved the few signings he'd had so far - Mbeumo, Cunha - they really are good players and improving the players we've already got anyway. I can see us going upwards and really establishing a decent team, which we need to do after the disappointment of last year.

"I've been a manager, and when I went to Middlesbrough, I always said - I need three years to put an authority and a stamp on the team that I want, because you can sell and bring players in to adopt the system that you want. The manager needs three years to sort of get the team where he wants them to be."

Robson, who captained Manchester United to multiple trophies and remains one of the club's most revered figures, reflected on his long association with the club after receiving his award.

"When I was signed by Manchester United and the 13 years at the club, it was just a fantastic club to play for," he said. "We won so much as well, and that was always my dream of winning things.

"But then after that, to sort of be a manager and be an ambassador of United - 19 years I have been an ambassador for Manchester United now, and time just flies. But they've been fantastic years and I've just loved every minute of it.

"The fans never stop, they are brilliant and always have been fantastic with me, and I appreciate all the support they have given me."

Listen on BBC Sounds

Barcelona want to sign Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford, 28, on a permanent basis, but cannot afford the £25.5m purchase option in his loan deal. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Roma are preparing to submit a loan offer with the option to buy for 24-year-old Manchester United and Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee in January. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United will play a Kaizer Chiefs under-21 side later this month as they expand their games programme heading into the New Year.

United have enjoyed an excellent start to their Premier League 2 campaign, only losing their 100% record on Friday, when they were beaten by Blackburn in their eighth game.

However, they are not due to play in the competition again until 12 January, when they visit Wolves.

Despite last night's EFL Trophy win at Notts County, they are almost certain to miss out on a place in the knockout rounds, meaning the only scheduled games for United under-21s before Christmas are the National League Cup ties at Solihull Moors on 25 November and Tamworth on 16 December.

In addition, United have two Premier League International Cup games against Anderlecht and Borussia Dortmund on 2 and 19 December.

In order to fill the gaps, Under-21 coach Travis Binnion has confirmed further matches are planned, including against the touring Kaizer Chiefs youngsters. The South African side will come to Carrington to play United's kids on 28 November and are also playing games against QPR and Leeds.

"We want to play different types of opposition and we've already added two more high-level games, against Kaizer Chiefs from South Africa and Arsenal at St George's Park, so that gives us six," said Binnion.

"I have been speaking with (Under-18 coach) Darren (Fletcher) about putting additional games in for the younger age groups so you'll possibly see with those two games that I've mentioned, maybe another three games put in between now and Christmas to make sure all the players are getting the opportunites they need.

"There will be an FA Youth Cup game in there somewhere as well so the games programme across the age groups is really healthy."

Image source, BBC/Studio Lambert

Challenges. Leaders and followers. Tactics. Second guessing and wondering where to turn next.

This could be any game of football in the Premier League this weekend.

It is also the plot to any episode of BBC's hit show - The Traitors.

The countdown to the end game of the Celebrity series is on, but, while we wait for that, we want to know which Manchester United player (or manager) - past or present - you think would make the best traitor, and who would be more suited to the role of a faithful.

Was it the way they could appear at the back post without anyone noticing? Or could they stop anybody getting past them?

Get in touch with your choices and the reasons why here

The Celebrity Traitors final will air on Thursday, 6 November on BBC One and iPlayer

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox says the pressure of delivering success back to Old Trafford is "a privilege", but warns the club cannot afford to be distracted by external noise.

Wilcox stepped into the main role at United earlier this year following the exit of Dan Ashworth, who left the position after just five months.

The former Blackburn and Leeds player now has input in all key areas of United operations, although he has largely been under the radar and avoided media engagements.

However, speaking to United's internal media, Wilcox has explained where he thinks the club is and his strategy for dealing with the huge amount of debate surrounding it.

"I try not to read it," he said. "The pressure is a privilege. It won't go away because this is the biggest club in the world. But you can't have the pendulum swinging so much it affects the mood.

"Nothing is like it appears from the outside. Internally, we know what we need to do and the players understand where we are.

"We are making progress on and off the pitch and despite the noise, we are remaining calm.

"There will be bumps in the road but we don't get over exited or too disappointed."

Wilcox also said he is delighted by the impact of the four major summer signings - Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko.

He added that United would like to be further on in their restructure but they have to be realistic about the time it will take.

"We have to pull the jigsaw pieces together," he said. "We would love to have all the pieces in place but we are really clear in the direction of travel.

"We can't just keep talking - we have to deliver. But we also need to be patient."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It was another good night for Shea Lacey on Tuesday.

The Manchester United youngster scored an excellent opener in a 2-0 win at Notts County in the EFL Trophy.

Lacey was the most dangerous attacking player in England Under-20s defeat by Switzerland at St George's Park last month and now seems to be fully over the injury problems that have blighted him over the past couple of years.

It remains to be seen whether he will be summoned for national duty and what age group for as England have games at Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 level over the next fortnight.

Regardless, Lacey has been training with Ruben Amorim's first team at Carrington on a regular basis and it seems only a matter of time before the 18-year-old gets a call for a senior game.

"It's important the games programme doesn't get in the way of his opportunities with the first team," said Under-21 coach Travis Binnion.

"We speak every day with the first team and get a week ahead in terms of what games he's going to play.

"He's progressing really nicely."

Manchester United will step up their pursuit of Nottingham Forest's England midfielder Elliot Anderson in January, with the Red Devils believing the 22-year-old is "very keen" on a move to Old Trafford. (Teamtalk), external

Meanwhile, United are willing to let 25-year-old England winger Jadon Sancho, who is on loan at Aston Villa, leave on a free transfer next summer. (Talksport), external

Roma are considering making a move for United's 24-year-old Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee in January. (Calcio Mercato - in Italian), external

Finally, Everton will not sell £70m-rated England defender Jarrad Branthwaite in January, despite United's interest in the 23-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Alex Turk
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Almost one year ago, Manchester United entered the January transfer window on the hunt for a specialist left-wing-back for Ruben Amorim's system.

Patrick Dorgu arrived from Lecce in a £25m transfer. He has made 30 appearances since, displaying some promising glimpses of the future star United invested in.

However, as January rolls around again, left wing-back remains a problem position that needs some attention.

There was a general consensus that United were recruiting a raw talent in Dorgu. He only turned 21 last week and was always going to need time to adapt.

Yet, there has been plenty to like about his performances. The Denmark international wins his fair share of duels and possesses pace and power that suit the demands of the Premier League.

Dorgu has also fallen foul of defensive lapses, though, and his crosses tend to evade 6ft 5in striker Benjamin Sesko. He isn't the finished product.

That has prompted Amorim to turn to Diogo Dalot, a right-back who has never really convinced in his natural position.

Now he's operating on the left, and he continues to let United down. Dalot's role in Nottingham Forest's second goal on Saturday was his latest inexcusable blunder.

The Portuguese defender is passionate and supposedly a leader off the pitch. But he struggles to tackle and mark opponents, and is slow to react to defensive scenarios far too often.

Dalot doesn't represent the attacking outlet a wing-back in Amorim's system needs to be, either. It's time for the United boss to put his trust in Dorgu's development or return to the market.

United's top task in January is to recruit a better-suited left-wing-back in his prime years, who Dorgu can learn from.

Replicating Bryan Mbeumo and Amad's partnership by giving Matheus Cunha someone to dance with would elevate this team again.

Find more from Alex Turk at Turk Talks FC, external

Former Manchester United and England captain Sir David Beckham has been formally knighted for his services to football and British society.

The 50-year-old, who was named on King Charles' Birthday Honours list earlier this year, was knighted by the King during a ceremony in Berkshire on Tuesday.

"I couldn't be prouder," said Beckham. "People know how patriotic I am - I love my country.

"I've always said how important the monarchy is to my family.

"I'm lucky enough to have travelled around the world and all people want to talk to me about is our monarchy. It makes me proud."

Ruben Amorim celebrated one year at Manchester United with a draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday - their 17th point from the first 10 games this season.

Reflecting on Amorim's bumpy inaugural year at Old Trafford, former Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club: "I believe he is building something. I know we have said that he is too honest at times, but I think he is very honest with his players and he has got rid of players that were not pulling their weight on the pitch.

"It takes time to build at any football club, but the team togetherness feels like it is back at Old Trafford and that comes from the manager.

"It has probably taken longer than what Ruben will have wanted but the recruitment was good in the summer and there is an improvement in the attacking players."

There had been question marks over Amorim's position following spells of poor results and performances over the last year, but United appear to have found some stability.

"The defeat to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup feels like a lifetime ago," added journalist Rory Smith. "It feels like his position is the most secure it has been in months.

"I am conscious at Manchester United though, that it doesn't take much either way for the mood around the club to change completely.

"Three wins and a creditable draw at Nottingham Forest and it feels like they are back. If they lose a few games in the next weeks then the entire atmosphere could shift again."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

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