Manchester United

Alex Turk
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

One word has caused trembles across the Manchester United fanbase that would not look out of place on the Richter scale: "Freedom."

The author? Jadon Sancho. The recipient? Marcus Rashford. Two players currently on loan at Premier League rivals because they fell short in the same category on the fields of Carrington.

Sancho did not use social media to congratulate Rashford on his first Aston Villa appearance. He used his platform to once again swing at the club that gave him many an opportunity to make it.

The loanee Chelsea winger - who will join permanently in a £25m deal in the summer - will probably feel hard done by.

He served a four-month exile from first-team training in late 2023 for a reason he publicly claimed was unjust. He then started this season watching United from the stands.

Yet, Sancho's tendency to bite the hand that fed him to cheaply gain the approval of another fanbase he has underwhelmed on the pitch adds substance to Erik ten Hag's stance.

Rashford has been far more respectful in the public eye when it comes to his boyhood club. Perhaps unsurprisingly so.

His bleak fate in Manchester was lathered with the same seasoning as Sancho's, though. Another head coach - this time Ruben Amorim - publicly chastising his attitude and application.

History should look fondly back at Rashford's United career. Only seven players have scored more Premier League goals for the club.

The 27-year-old would have been likely to have entered the top five had he played for the rest of the season, but the same brick wall preventing Sancho from reaching his early potential blocked that feat.

The only freedom involved in this toxic triangle is United's.

The quicker Amorim is free from every player who believes they are better than what the Premier League table proves, the sooner success will return to Old Trafford.

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Manchester United are ready to offer £33.3m (40m euros) for Barcelona's 21-year-old Spain left-back Alejandro Balde in the summer. (El Nacional - in Spanish), external

United and Chelsea are interested in Ipswich's 22-year-old striker Liam Delap. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, the club want Athletic Bilbao sporting director Mikel Gonzalez to replace Dan Ashworth at Old Trafford. (El Chiringuito via Football Espana), external

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The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played over the first weekend of March.

• Aston Villa v Cardiff City

• Crystal Palace/Doncaster v Millwall

• Man Utd v Fulham

• Newcastle v Brighton

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Man City v Plymouth

• Exeter/Nottingham Forest v Ipswich

See the full draw

Is there something you want to ask about a Premier League club?

Former Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha is ready to answer your burning questions and give his thoughts on some of the biggest talking points for a special Q&A.

Submit your questions here and come back on Thursday for his answers

The latest episode of BBC Radio Manchester's The Devils' Advocate podcast has landed.

Gaz Drinkwater and Joe McGrath look back at the win over Leicester City in the FA Cup and Ruben Amorim's post-match comments, and ahead to Tottenham in the Premier League.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family are not expected to attend Denis Law's funeral at Manchester Cathedral on Tuesday afternoon.

Manchester United's United States-based co-owners did not go to Sir Bobby Charlton's funeral at the same venue in November 2023.

Sir Dave Brailsford will be present as ownership/INEOS representative. With former manager Sir Alex Ferguson also due to be in attendance.

Law is regarded as one of the greatest players in the club's history and is honoured alongside Charlton and George Best in the Holy Trinity statue outside Old Trafford.

He scored 237 goals in 404 appearances, putting him third on the club's all-time scoring list.

Manchester United and Aston Villa were both ready to offer 70m euros (£58.3m) for Barcelona's Fermin Lopez in January, but the 21-year-old forward was not interested in a move. (Sport - in Spanish), external

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We asked for your views on Manchester United's match against Leicester in the FA Cup.

Here are some of your comments:

Man Utd fans

John: Dreadful in first half with some improvement in the second. Overall a very poor display; poor passing, little skill and lacking enthusiasm.

Mac: Never seen so many passes given away, territory squandered and such an obvious lack of strategy. Second half and Garnacho were totally different but still had to wait for a goal to ignite the team. Very lucky to get the winner - offside all day but I'll take it.

Peter: I've been watching United for over 60 years and the first half was the worst I have ever seen. A little better in the second half but no real threat. Even our second goal was apparently well offside.

Leicester fans

Jimmy: Leicester were by far the better team, taking the game to United and causing lots of problems... then early in the second half made lots of stupid substitutions which disrupted the team tactics and shape Irrespective of United winning with a clearly offside goal, bad decisions cost us a lucrative place in the next round. Let's hope the Foxes show the same desire and passion to win for the remainder of the season.

Mark: We were cruising against a poor Manchester United until Van Nistelrooy took off Thomas and Ndidi. Garnacho coming on made all the difference and our genius manager takes the left-back, who was doing fine, off instead of the right-back, who was getting skinned. And don't forget the obligatory offside goal in favour of United (it wasn't even close, so how did the linesman miss it from a dead ball?)

Nick: It was a difficult watch. Ruud van Nistelrooy set Leicester up with a possession-based style, looking for opportunities to open up. Without the players with the ability to keep possession or the quality to produce opportunities, wins will never be easy to come by.

Image source, Getty Images

The fifth-round draw will take place during Monday's episode of The One Show on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Former England winger Theo Walcott, who won the trophy twice while with Arsenal, will conduct the draw at about 19:10 GMT.

There are 16 Premier League teams left in the draw, with Leicester having been beaten by Manchester United on Friday, and Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham exiting in the third round.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist at Old Trafford

Image source, Getty Images

The controversy over Manchester United's late winner will dominate the headlines in the aftermath of their FA Cup win against Leicester but what also should be noted is the performance of Alejandro Garnacho.

Linked with a move away from the club during the winter window, he brought the spark United had been so badly missing in a lacklustre first half.

Brought on for the start of the second half, he immediately had the Leicester defence concerned by his pace and creativity and had a goalbound effort superbly cleared off the line.

But he played his part in Manchester United's equaliser, his cross leading to Rasmus Hojlund having a shot blocked and then Joshua Zirkzee firing home the loose ball.

"He changed everything," boss Ruben Amorim said of Garnacho, after he had been dropped for the Manchester derby in December.

"He trains really well. He stayed in the bench five games in a row and every time he came on the pitch he was a different guy, receiving the information and playing.

"So, it's simple things. It's not a big thing. I am really happy. You can see it. I think he's improving."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has not had an easy transition to life at Old Trafford.

When he first spoke to United chief executive Omar Berrada, he asked if he could delay his arrival until the summer and was told 'it's now or never'.

The issues created by Amorim trying to implement a new system, with players largely not used to it, at a time where, initially, there were no free midweeks to work on it, have led to a strange mix of results. Victories against Manchester City and Arsenal, plus a creditable draw at Liverpool, have been combined with five home defeats, the latest against Crystal Palace last weekend.

"It's a little bit harder for me to cope with than the board because the board already know," he said. "I explained all the risks. Everything that has happened I explained to the board, and they said the same thing, 'We need to start now'.

"We are doing that. But I understand in this moment with a lot of losses, especially at home, the environment is really hard, but I feel the support of the board. I'm not the slightest bit worried about that.

"It's just the pain of losing - that is the hardest thing to cope with. You have difficult moments, where it is hard to sleep but even in the good or bad moments, my idea is so clear and I make the same decisions without any other concerns.

"On the other side, I know we need to survive in this moment, because in football when you don't win, you have problems."

Image source, Getty Images

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

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