Manchester United

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Liverpoolat Anfield (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Amorim said it is "really good" to have the backing of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who recently told media the United manager needs three years to prove he is a "great" coach.

• He insisted he knows he has the support of the club's hierarchy : "First of all, I can feel it. It is not just a thing that people say - I feel it every day. I know it's going to take a while, but it is really good to hear that."

• Amorim said that these comments from the co-owner will help the club's fans "understand that the leadership know it is going to take a while".

• However, he also said he does not "want that feeling in our club that we have time" to solve their problems.

• In terms of injuries, Amorim confirmed centre-back Lisandro Martinez will miss the trip to Anfield while fellow defender Noussair Mazraoui is also a doubt.

• The rest of the players who were with their national teams during the break "are ready".

• The manager said he felt upset after his side came back from behind to hold Liverpool to a 2-2 draw during their last trip to Anfield back in January, despite that result ending a three-game losing run: "I know it is special for our club. I know they are competing for a number of titles. It's one more game that we need to win."

• On whether his side put on better performances when facing bigger clubs: "Maybe the expectations when you have to win and the responsibility of winning, it is so much harder. Maybe when Manchester United are not expected to win, it is easier for the players to perform but we need to change that."

• Amorim also brushed aside comparisons between Senne Lammens and a United legend, saying the new goalkeeper "is not Schmeichel yet" but hinted he could start against Liverpool.

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

Listen to full commentary of Liverpool v Manchester United from 16:30 on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live

Our Manchester United fan contributor Beth Tucker previews the trip to Anfield on Sunday and looks at why goalkeeper Senne Lammens is giving fans hope.

Find more from Beth Tucker at The United Stand, external

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Although they got slightly lost amid his headline-grabbing comments about Ruben Amorim needing three years to make a full impact at Manchester United, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe raised a few eyebrows with his negativity about the club's academy in his interview with The Times last week.

Ratcliffe said standards in the academy had "really slipped".

This came at a time when one graduate, Scott McTominay, was nominated for the Ballon D'Or, Alejandro Garnacho has just been sold to Chelsea for £40m and there is a huge clamour for Kobbie Mainoo to be picked more regularly by United head coach Amorim after Italian title winners Napoli wanted to sign him on loan in the summer.

Under coach Travis Binnion, United are top of Premier League 2, with a 100% record from their six games, while Darren Fletcher's Under-18 side have only suffered one defeat thanks to a second half comeback by Manchester City.

The likes of Shea Lacey, Jim Thwaites and Jack Fletcher are among those to impress already this season and featured for England's junior teams, while full-back Harry Amass is impressing on loan at Sheffield Wednesday.

With a number of senior players given an extra day off following their international commitments, Amorim brought numerous young players into his training session on Thursday.

In a world where finances are monitored more closely than ever before, he understands the value of developing young players, even if they don't go on to play for United.

"Especially now, with (financial) fair play, the academy is really important," said Amorim. "We need to take care of that.

"We also need to give the right conditions for all the people to do a better job.

"We are always in contact with Travis, trying to bring the right kids to training and to make that relationship with the academy."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Manchester United FC

Manchester United's chief operating officer Collette Roche has assured local taxpayers no central funding will be used to build the club's proposed new £2bn stadium.

Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has previously talked about the Government helping out with the project, which many have interpreted to mean the planned 100,000-capacity ground on land close to the current Old Trafford.

However, speaking on the We Built This City podcast, external, Roche, who is leading the project from a club perspective said that was not the case and said the assistance was needed for a wider regeneration.

"Absolutely not," said Roche, when asked if public money would be used to build the stadium.

"We understand the stadium is our responsibility. We want to provide a great stadium for our fans. We will pay the £2bn I think it is at the last estimate to be able to do that.

"But there is no point building the biggest or the best stadium in the UK and it being on an island and you can't get to it because the transport links aren't there or people can't come on non-matchday or local businesses can't be part of it.

"Our ask of the Government is that they support, not the stadium build, but really support the infrastructure and regeneration of the area."

"We understand the stadium is our responsibility. We want to provide a great stadium for our fans. We will pay the £2bn to do that."

In the Fans' Forum minutes released earlier this week, United said they were still hopeful of doing a deal for the land behind Old Trafford, which is currently being used as a freight terminal but is needed to complete the project.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has already given his support and a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) - a statutory body with powers to help drive forward large-scale developments - is being set up to help deliver the project.

Roche feels there has to be a commitment from the Labour government to give the project, which she calls "once in a lifetime", added impetus.

"It's an amazing opportunity we've got," she said. "Not just for Manchester United, but also for the region.

"While we will build a stadium that is great for our team, the club and our fans, it is so much more than that. It's not just a Manchester United vision, it's a vision for the region.

"That's why Andy Burnham and Trafford Council are really keen to work with us."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United against Liverpool remains one of the standout fixtures in the English domestic calendar.

Bizarrely, while they are England's most successful clubs with 20 titles each, their periods of dominance have largely coincided with the other being in a slump.

For all their respective triumphs, they have only finished first and second on five occasions - the last time being in 2008-09.

It doesn't seem likely United will finish in the top two this season, but they have a massive incentive on Sunday afternoon.

Firstly, it is the third successive away game where they will aim to win back-to-back Premier League matches under Ruben Amorim for the first time, having lost at Manchester City and Brentford last month.

Secondly, it is a chance to win at Anfield for the first time since 2016 and condemn Liverpool to a fourth successive defeat in all competitions, something which Amorim experienced in December 2024.

Amorim will speak to the media shortly and it will be interesting to see whether Brazilian duo Casemiro and Matheus Cunha are being considered for starts, given they just played internationals in Japan and South Korea.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

When we look at how teams are defending so far this season, Arsenal and Newcastle have been so impressive because they are giving up both the fewest shots per game and the hardest chances to score on average.

But as the graphic shows, there are two teams that stand apart from all the rest for having key defensive problems: Manchester United and Burnley.

Image source, BBC Sport

If you look simply at the number of shots that teams are giving up, Manchester United look good defensively since only Arsenal and Newcastle are facing fewer than their 9.1 per game.

But not all shots are the same and Ruben Amorim's side are currently giving up by far the easiest chances to score in the league, averaging 0.16 xG per shot faced.

Burnley meanwhile are facing by far the most shots at 18.4 per game, four more than any other side, although thankfully for them the quality of those chances is not that high.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

Manchester United would want around £40m to allow 31-year-old captain Bruno Fernandes to leave for another European club, with Bayern Munich heavily linked with the Portugal midfielder. (Teamtalk), external

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

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United say they are still hopeful of buying the land needed to build a new stadium – including the 'circus tent' canopy.

Talks between the club and local landowners over the site behind Old Trafford stadium which is presently used as a freight terminal are yet to reach a positive conclusion.

United have drawn up different plans but minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe still has his sights set on the grand scheme he unveiled in London last year.

The stadium situation was raised at last month's Fans Forum meeting, at which club officials attempted to calm the situation.

"While Manchester United owns a significant portion of land around Old Trafford, it is not all in a single, continuous block," the club said.

"To accommodate the scale of the proposed new stadium – including a canopy – and to avoid disruption to the existing stadium during construction, we are working to secure additional land.

"We've been engaged in constructive discussions with neighbouring landholders and are optimistic about reaching mutually agreeable terms in the coming months."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your favourite memories of Manchester United legend Eric Cantona after Peter Schmeichel described him as a "shy" and "different" character. You can read his words lower down this page.

Here are some of your comments:

Jon: The goals, the collar, the aura… but the pass against Spurs at Old Trafford straight into the path of Dennis Irwin was majestic.

Rod: My most vivid memory was meeting him in a bar on Deansgate. We had played and beaten Liverpool away earlier in the day and there was Eric with his manager having a drink in a tapas bar - and talk about aura! You could feel his presence from far off. I reluctantly went up to him with a scrappy piece of paper and a cheap pen and asked him for an autograph for a mate - not even myself! And without a murmur he wrote a message to my mate Craig and with that I said thanks and walked away. More than 30 years later I still remember that encounter like it was yesterday.

Jason: My first ever match watching United, 20th November 1993 for my 18th birthday. We beat Wimbledon 3-1 and watching Eric was the highlight of the day. Just pure class!

Kev: Unquestionably it has to be Cantona's 1996 FA Cup winning volley against old rivals Liverpool, as a memory that sticks out the most. But also just the aura of the man on the pitch, no one has come close since. The upturned collar, the swagger...

Gerry: I was Chairman of Strabane Nortnern Ireland United Supporters club. We had been selected to present a trophy to Eric as our favourite player. The trophy was a beautiful Waterford Crystal vase on a separate mahogany frame. Eric was delighted with the trophy but as he turned to walk back to the dressing room, he tipped up the trophy as he thought it was attached to the base, which it wasn't. The trophy fell to the floor and smashed. He was very annoyed. However, the club arranged for another trophy and at another game, we successfully delivered the trophy to him again.

Rob: I remember his presence and swagger when I saw him at Carrington after training had finished, he signed a match day programme for my sister which she lost, heartbreakingly.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Amad and Casemiro missed Manchester United training on Thursday morning as the quartet were given extra time off by manager Ruben Amorim.

The quartet were not pictured in this morning's session, part of which was filmed by Sky Sports.

United take on Liverpool on Sunday as they look to win back-to-back matches in the Premier League for the first time this season.

Ruben Amorim is likely to be without Noussair Mazraoui, who has missed the last two matches with what has been described as a minor injury.

The Morocco defender didn't play in his country's World Cup qualifier with Congo on Monday.

Lisandro Martinez wasn't there either but he is edging closer to a return after major knee surgery and it will be interesting to see if he makes a matchday squad before the November international break.

Shea Lacey, Jim Thwaites and Jack Fletcher were amongst the youngsters involved, while Ayden Heaven missed out after he was taken off at half-time in England's Under-20 international defeat by Switzerland last Friday.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel has been reflecting on his memories of Eric Cantona at Old Trafford - which you can read below - but what are yours of the legendary striker's time at the club?

There are plenty to choose from when thinking about the player who became known as 'King Eric'.

Was it the goals that helped the team win multiple cups and titles? An iconic moment like the infamous kung-fu kick or the news conference on his return?

Maybe you had your own interaction with the Frenchman that stands out?

Get in touch with your memories here

Image source, Getty Images

Legendary Manchester United forward Eric Cantona was a "shy guy" but also an "inspiration", according to former team-mate Peter Schmeichel.

Cantona joined the Red Devils in 1992 and made 185 appearances, scoring 82 goals, before leaving in 1997.

He played alongside ex-goalkeeper Schmeichel throughout that period and the Dane remembers the Frenchman's first day at the club well.

"He was quiet, still is very quiet. If you follow him on social media, the way he speaks is just the way he speaks. He's a fantastic guy and I enjoyed rooming with him," Schmeichel told BBC's Sacked In The Morning podcast.

"[He is] just a nice guy. He is different, and that was a very good thing. That's exactly why he became the final piece in the jigsaw because that differentness was incredibly difficult for other teams to work out back then.

"Back then, most teams, even ours, played similar systems and in similar ways. So the difference between the teams were obviously physicality and ability, and all of a sudden you have this guy.

"My god, did [Sir Alex Ferguson] get the best player ever."

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Cantona's footballing prowess, unique quotes and infamous kung-fu kick all played their part in issuing him icon status at Old Trafford. Despite this outward persona, Schmeichel insists the multiple title winner was quiet off the pitch.

"Eric is a shy guy. He wasn't very vocal in the dressing room at any time," he said. "You don't really know anybody [when you arrive], and especially if you come from abroad.

"He went out to the pitch, and behind one of the goals at The Cliff [training ground] is a wall into the indoor arena.

"So he went up to that wall and just started to volley balls up against it, chest it down, left and right foot. The building at The Cliff training ground - the canteen, the treatment room, the manager's office - had windows to the pitch and everybody was watching from up there and saying: 'What is he doing? We've never seen anything like that. Why is he doing that?'.

"We loved to be at The Cliff, but it was also the pitch for youth team matches, so you had to preserve it a little bit. To go down and start training on that pitch was just unheard of.

"All of a sudden you've got people up against the wall playing, training, practicing stuff, and that never really happened.

"Eric did that. Eric gave that little bit of inspiration, and because he did it, the manager loved it and then he allowed everybody else to do it as well."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

The 25-player shortlist for the Golden Boy award was revealed on Wednesday, with nine players from the Premier League selected.

The award, created by Italian newspaper Tuttosport, is given to the best under-21 footballer each year, with Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal last year's winner.

For a player to be considered for selection in 2025, they must have been born on or after 1 January 2005 and belong to a squad in one of Uefa's top 25 leagues.

Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri have both been selected after their breakthrough seasons in 2024-25.

Lewis-Skelly played 40 times across all competitions and also made his England senior debut, while Nwaneri appeared 37 times and scored nine goals.

Chelsea are represented twice, with summer arrivals Estevao, who scored his first goal for the club with a dramatic late winner against Liverpool before the international break, and defender Jorrel Hato making the shortlist.

Tottenham Hotspur also feature, with midfielders Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray being chosen.

Manchester United defender Leny Yoro, Manchester City full-back Nico O'Reilly and Liverpool centre half Giovanni Leoni - a wildcard choice - have also been selected.

An international jury of 50 journalists will decide the winner, which will be revealed at a news conference in November.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

• Find and follow your Premier League club on BBC Sport

Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

Manchester United are interested in signing a striker in the summer and are targeting Mateo Retegui, with Ruben Amorim prepared to spend up to £52m to sign the 26-year-old Italy forward from Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

Crystal Palace are relaxed about the future of Adam Wharton amid increasing speculation of interest from Premier League rivals Manchester United for the 21-year-old England midfielder. (Sky Sports), external

Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to battle each other to sign Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano, 26, on a free transfer next summer but Manchester United are also interested in the France international. (Footmercato - in French), external

AS Roma are in pole position to sign Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee but Como also have the finances to bring the 24-year-old Netherlands striker back to Serie A. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

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

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United blocked the sale of 4,500 tickets for last month's Premier League home game with Chelsea.

United said action was taken after determining the tickets were being purchased by account holders with the use of automated systems that prevent genuine supporters getting to them.

In addition to the 4,500, the club said another 2,000 were "successfully reclaimed" and put on resale.

In the minutes of their latest Fans' Forum meeting, held on 8 October, United stressed their determination to ensure "fair access to tickets" was a top priority.

"Long before recent media coverage, we started strengthening our systems to identify and block accounts using automated software ("bots")," the minutes read.

"Where we cancel tickets, we notify the supporter and take a fair, evidence-based approach to any appeals."

The use of bots to buy tickets has become a growing concern within the Premier League, as highlighted by a BBC Sport investigation on the matter.

The report said computer programmes automate the official ticket-buying process and allow touts to buy multiple tickets simultaneously.

Posing as a potential customer, we spoke to one company selling such technology.

They offered us software designed to target the ticket platforms of five Premier League clubs - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham.

The bots were priced at $2,500 (£1,870) per club, or $9,900 (£7,400) for a package deal.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel says he would "absolutely love" a decision-making role at Old Trafford.

The iconic goalkeeper spent time speaking to the BBC's Sacked In The Morning podcast, with a focus on how to make United great again.

Schmeichel said: "You now have a head coach. Then you get a director of football or technical director. You have a head of recruitment, who is very powerful. The CEO is powerful. You have people deciding on who is coming in.

"The signing of [Benjamin] Sesko was a bit weird to me. We had [Rasmus] Hojlund, starved of service for two years. You only need to see what he is doing now at Napoli with [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Scott] McTominay to play with. I have consistently said Hojlund will be a 25-goal-a-season striker, but he needs service.

"At the time, we brought [Matheus] Cunha and [Bryan] Mbeumo in - players who would give Hojlund first-class service. We spent £70m or so on Sesko [but] we don't have that number six we should have.

"Then there's the goalkeeper situation as well. This season alone, we have conceded nine goals from goalkeeping errors. That is too much. When I played, or Edwin van der Sar, or David de Gea, the brief was to win 10 points a season.

"When I played, the manager was in charge. He said: 'Him in, him out.' Now it is different people with different agendas. How can you create an environment stable enough to have a team that can go on the pitch and win every year?"

Asked if United could get him involved in a senior role behind the scenes, Schmeichel said: "I would love that. I would absolutely love that."

Listen to Schmeichel on Sacked In The Morning here

Image source, Getty Images

In the first episode of a new series, the Sacked In The Morning podcast speaks to Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel.

Among a number of topics discussed, the former goalkeeper talks about how his old club have lost their way and what he would do to put it right.

Schmeichel also reveals how striker Eric Cantona inspired his team-mates at United from the moment he walked into training.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo does have a release clause in his contract but the Cherries are keeping it under wraps because they want to hang on to the 25-year-old Ghana international who has been linked with Tottenham and Manchester United. (Talksport), external

Brighton have no plans to cash in on Cameroon midfielder Carlos Baleba in January despite the 21-year-old attracting interest from United last summer. (Talksport), external

Indeed, United have put Crystal Palace and England's Adam Wharton, 21, above Baleba on their list of transfer targets. (The I - subscription required), external

Also in midfield, United are considering extending Casemiro's contract beyond this season, but only if the 33-year-old takes a cut in wages. (Mail), external

There has been interest in Casemiro in Brazil and Saudi Arabia but boss Ruben Amorim could make a case for the former Real Madrid player to stay. (ESPN), external

Finally, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 33, has made it clear he has no plans to leave the club despite the Germany international attracting interest from clubs including United and Newcastle. (Diario AS - in Spanish, external)

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

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