Manchester United

We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

With so many legends to choose from, this was extremely tight and led to David Beckham being edged out by Cristiano Ronaldo.

While none of the players from the past decade made the cut, there was a decent swell of votes for Bruno Fernandes, showing the current Manchester United captain's value to this side, even during a fallow period at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, when it comes to Premier League history, this side would take some beating.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

We have got used to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's policy of squeezing as much revenue as he can out of Manchester United.

Now the club has come up with a new plan – a guided tour of United's Carrington training ground.

Fans routinely hang about outside the training ground hoping players and coaching staff will stop to sign autographs or pose for pictures.

Now they will have a chance to actually go into the complex, which has recently been subject to a £50m upgrade.

There will be no chance of seeing players. The tours are only available during the close season in June and July and are added to the stadium tours at an overall cost of £100.

Fans will get to see the dressing rooms, gym, swimming pool, recovery area, players' lounge and press conference room. I somehow doubt there will be an opportunity for a kickabout on one of the pitches.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Twin brothers Jack and Tyler Fletcher are set to face each other in Lithuania on Tuesday when England face Scotland in the European Under-19 qualifiers.

The pair, sons of former Manchester United midfielder and current Under-18 coach Darren, have elected to play for different international teams, with Jack choosing the country of his birth and Tyler playing for his dad's.

Jack, who was on the bench for United's Premier League draw at Tottenham immediately before the international break, already knows England are through to the next stage after victories over Lithuanian and Latvia.

By contrast, Tyler knows Scotland must win to stand any chance of advancing after drawing with Latvia, then getting beaten by Lithuania.

Though they both play in midfield for United's Under-21 side, Jack featured at left-back in England's 7-0 defeat of Latvia. Tyler is Scotland skipper for this tournament and scored in their 2-2 draw with Latvia last week.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has revealed that he was interviewed for two Premier League jobs in the space of two hours last year.

The Danish manager was in high demand during his time at Brentford, and eventually chose to swap Gtech Community Stadium for Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after seven years of service.

Read the full article here

Roma are in discussions with Manchester United over a January loan deal for Joshua Zirkzee, 24, that includes an option to buy the Netherlands forward in the summer for 35m euros (£31m). (Gazzetta dello Sport via Metro), external

But if Roma's proposed move for Zirkzee falls through, they will turn to Tottenham's France forward Mathys Tel, 20. (Metro), external

In Ruben Amorim's hunt for midfield reinforcements, United are looking to sign Cameroon international Carlos Baleba, 21, from Brighton. (Mirror), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"Home advantage gives you an advantage."

It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.

For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.

But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.

"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.

"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.

"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."

While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.

Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.

So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.

"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.

"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.

"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."

"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.

"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."

Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for Manchester United's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Stuart: 4-4-2 Schmeichel, Irwin, Vidic, Ferdinand, Neville, Giggs, Beckham, Scholes, Keane, Rooney, Ronaldo. Tenacity, solidity, flexibility, tactical acumen, passion, humility and a deep rooted desire and love for Manchester United and its supporters.

Tariq: 4-4-2. Van der Sar, Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Valencia, Giggs, Scholes, Keane, Ronaldo, Rooney, Cantona. Decorated, versatile, winning mentality, international legends.

Jakub: 4-3-3. Schmeichel, Valencia, Stam, Ferdinand, Evra, Scholes, Keane, Fernandes, Rooney, Van Nistelrooy, Ronaldo. Valencia ahead of Neville to have more attacking power. Scholes, Keane and Bruno would boss midfield. Rooney and Ronaldo ahead of Giggs and Beckham as they are more attacking and generally better players.

Chris: 4-4-2. Van der Sar, Irwin, Evra, Vidic, De Ligt, Fernandes, Cantona, Ronaldo, Giggs, Rooney, Yorke. Selection includes players across Premier League era. Maybe too attack-minded and no defensive midfielder! But oh the goals from the front six! Hughes, Robson, Solskjaer on bench!

Michael: 4-4-2. Schmeichel, Irwin, Shaw, Bruce, Vidic, Beckham, Giggs, Keane, Robson, Van Nistlerooy, Cole. Solid defenders, box-to-box central midfielders, creative wingers and two unbelievable goal scoring forward machines. A team scoring lots and conceding few!

Dave: 3-4-3. Schmeichel, Stam, Vidic, Heinze, Scholes, Beckham, Sharpe, Keane, Ronaldo, Rooney, Cantona. Class in every position with enough steel and grit to get stuck in when needed. Something the current team could do with.

George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist

In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'

Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.

Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.

The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.

Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.

There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.

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It may be the international break but there is still plenty to discuss at Old Trafford.

Do you have any questions about Ruben Amorim's role? Players' form? The January transfer window? Or how the rest of the season is shaping up?

Our Manchester United reporter Simon Stone is here to help and will be answering a selection of your questions next week.

Get yours over to us using this form

Beth Tucker
Fan contributor

Several of you have been getting in touch using our 'Ask about Manchester United' form wanted to know more about the club's "most interesting and promising" youth prospects.

Find more from Beth Tucker at The United Stand, external

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

Find out more here

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Several of you have been getting in touch using our 'Ask about Manchester United' form wanted to know more about the club's "most interesting and promising" youth prospects.

There has been a lot of noise around Ruben Amorim's apparent lack of faith in United's academy with many wondering what will happen to the club's amazing record of having had a homegrown player in a matchday squad since 1937.

That will only be more difficult to sustain if Kobbie Mainoo should leave on loan in January.

However, first, Amorim has said that will not happen.

Local-born defender Tyler Fredricson, 20, started the EFL Cup defeat at Grimsby Town in August and 19-year-old defender Ayden Heaven, signed from Arsenal last season, has also been a regular on the bench.

Looking a bit deeper, there are some youngsters worth keeping an eye on.

Midfielder Jack Fletcher, son of former Manchester United player and current under-18s coach Darren, has impressed this season - a red card at Barnsley being the only exception.

Fletcher's twin brother, Tyler, is also a player of promise. The pair might play against each other next week when England (Jack) play Scotland (Tyler) in an Under-19 European Championship qualifier.

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In addition, Shea Lacey is now free of injury and starting to show the form that makes him a standout at under-21 level. The winger is on England Under-20s duty this week.

Under-21 captain Jacob Devaney is a very solid performer at both centre-half and in midfield. At under-18 level, Jim Thwaites has adapted to a subtle shift from the number-10 position to the number-eight role. Fellow 17-year-old Yuel Helafu has eased into the under-21 team in recent weeks and has a lot of promise.

Below that, 15-year-old striker JJ Gabriel has already been called up for training with Amorim's first team and continues to impress.

Finally, Harry Amass and Radek Vitek are both enjoying superb loan stints at Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City respectively.

So Manchester United do have some excellent young players, the problem is there have been very few games to play them in.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

As we approach the second anniversary of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's involvement, Manchester United are a much-changed organisation.

When he paid £1.25bn for a 27.7% stake in United on Christmas Eve 2023, Ratcliffe vowed to take the club back to the top of the English game.

Eye-watering financial losses of £113.2m to 30 June 2024 subsequently led Ratcliffe to claim the following March that, without action, the club would "go bust" by Christmas.

Those gargantuan losses have been cut to a manageable size. United's latest accounts to 30 June 2025 showed they were at £33m. It is anticipated that the club will eventually become profitable.

The Glazer family, it is stressed, are not passive observers. They remain active and engaged. But the focus is now on Ratcliffe and his leadership team.

"What is happening next week or in the next transfer window is part of life, but an eye needs to be kept on the mid and the long term," says a club insider.

European football of any description is this season's goal.

But the sweeping changes have not been made to achieve that. The targets are bigger.

"If you are at Manchester United the thought process has to be around competing to win the Premier League and Champions League every year," says someone with an understanding of how the club is being run.

"That is a huge pressure. But it should also be regarded as a privilege."

Read the full article here

Manchester United are considering a January move for unsettled Borussia Dortmund and Germany forward Karim Adeyemi, 23. (Bild - in German, subscription required), external

They are also looking at Brazil and Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes, 24, in their attempts to strengthen their number six position. (Mail - subscription required), external

They have identified Malmo's Swedish goalkeeper Melker Ellborg, 22, as a potential back-up to Belgian Senne Lammens, 23. (Sun), external

Meanwhile, Roma want to sign Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee on loan from Manchester United in January but face competition from Everton, West Ham, Juventus and PSV Eindhoven. (Mirror), external

Finally, United's English defender Harry Amass, 18, is set to continue his loan at Sheffield Wednesday beyond the January transfer window. (Express), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It was the second round of 200 redundancies this year that allowed Manchester United to pursue a different staffing model, so finance could be used in what was felt to be a more efficient way.

Nowhere is the impact of that more evident than in United's data operation.

In an interview with the popular United We Stand fanzine in December 2024, Jim Ratcliffe described the club's approach to data analysis as being in the "last century".

It was felt that Formula 1 was the sport at the cutting edge of data and AI use. The performance of every single component is monitored in fine detail, and success and failure can be measured in hundredths of a second.

As a result, Michael Sansoni's arrival from the Mercedes F1 team as director of data in April wasn't a surprising move.

Sansoni has completely revamped United's data capabilities, which are now being used extensively across performance, recruitment and training.

Precise details of the work Sansoni has implemented are a closely guarded secret, but one source said the work of United's data and analytics team has accelerated to such a degree it is now "among the top four teams".

Following the second set of job cuts there was a strategic focus to bring in what have been described as "versatile people who are multi-faceted and multi-skilled to help in multiple areas".

And it goes much further. Additions include a head of sports medicine and, for the first team, a new doctor, a new physio and a new performance chef. Experts in nutrition and soft tissue treatment. Academy director. Media director. All part of the nuts and bolts at a leading Premier League club in 2025.

But no-one can be sure if the future will be better.

Read the full article here

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for Manchester United's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Peter: 4-4-2. Van der Sar, Irwin, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Beckham, Scholes, Keane, Giggs, Rooney, Van Persie. Simply the best balanced and most skilful team we could have!

Kevin: 4-3-3. Schmeichel, Neville, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Keane, Beckham, Scholes, Ronaldo, Giggs, Rooney. A blend of United over the years playing in a modern system. It would be devastating.

Samuel: 4-2-3-1. Van der Sar, Valencia, Stam, Ferdinand, Irwin, Keane, Carrick, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney. Impossible! Leaving out Beckham, Van Nistelrooy, Cantona, Schmeichel, Fernandes. But based on pure quality and reasonable balance, this is it for me.

Steve: 4-4-2. Schmeichel, Neville, Stam, Ferdinand, Irwin, Beckham, Keane, Fernandes, Ronaldo, Cantona, Rooney. Plenty of attacking options but defence also in mind.

Alec: 4-3-3. De Gea, Irwin, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Ronaldo, Rooney, Cantona. Must be the hardest club to pick a best of team from.

Royston: 3-4-3. Van der Sar, Ferdinand, Stam, Pallister, Giggs, Scholes, Keane, Fernandes, Cantona, Rooney, Ronaldo. Too many to choose from so I am prioritising midfield and forwards with 3-4-3 formation.

England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, remains a target for Napoli and Leeds United, although Manchester United will only let him leave on loan if they can secure a replacement. (Teamtalk), external

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

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It's international break so let's have a bit of fun to pass the time.

Now we know football existed before 1992 but for the purposes of this little exercise, keep it Premier League please.

So tell us, who would be in your dream Manchester United Premier League XI?

The debate starts here.

Send your suggestions

Image source, Getty Images

The Devils' Advocate podcast co-host Gaz Drinkwater has been speaking about what Manchester United might need to do in the January transfer window: "Let's remember the importance of the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Seven Premier League games, one of them being Manchester City, that Bryan Mbeumo is going to miss. Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui are also going to miss it. So we would be well suited to strengthening in January.

"I think we will buy now. I don't think we will buy a striker - we would maybe loan one in. But are there any experienced strikers out there that can come in and just fill in and do a job for a little bit?"

United fan Sam Horsfield of LIV Golf's Majesticks GC team added: "Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo are playing great. Hopefully, in January, we can sign a couple more players to help that midfield area. But I'm really liking the look of us so far.

"It's a midfielder we need. Casimiro is definitely not the fastest guy on the pitch and you have got Bruno Fernandes playing out of position to help him.

"I would experiment a little bit. With Benjamin Sesko being out, you can put Cunha up top, and then put Bruno back into the position he thrives in and plays his best in, up there with Mbeumo. Then, hopefully bring in a good, defensive, holding midfielder to link up play.

"Hopefully the board and everyone gets behind Ruben Amorim and gives him what he wants."

Listen to the latest episode on BBC Sounds

Sin bins? Bonus points? Two goals if you score from distance?

Imagine a world in which you could reinvent football.

It's a dream, of course. Just a bit of fun. But stick with us.

What if you had the power to change any of the game's laws and potentially bring to an end countless hours of discussion about handball, offside, video assistant referees, or anything else you want to?

Some of BBC Sport's familiar football faces have offered their own potential rule changes.

Watch them above or read more here