Manchester United

Alex Turk
Fan writer

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As I sit here with a stern look, a slight headache and a clenched fist, I will find my professional hat and reluctantly pen this.

There is a deep hatred between these two famous clubs. It is unavoidable and what makes a great rivalry tick. But so does mutual respect and that comes naturally to two clubs so far above everyone else on the ladder.

So, congratulations, Liverpool. It took you long enough.

It has been 12 years of miserable decline since Sir Alex Ferguson completed his mission and took your perch but you finally got there.

And how poetic? In the background of Liverpool's most memorable Premier League campaign, United are suffering through their worst.

Arne Slot's side, filled with some of Europe's best-paid but finest players, are worthy champions. They are also England's most successful club - that debate is over for now.

But that does not make them the biggest. The infinite global interest in the events at Old Trafford speaks for itself.

And while Liverpool have been fortunate that the Glazers have let United rot across the last decade, there is a new ambitious tenant wearing the pants.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made the end game of his passion project clear. His band of brothers have already lit the beacons through their ruthless streak of decisions at the helm.

This is no longer a craving for corporate supremacy. It's a football-focused quest for the restoration of order - and greatness.

The sight of Liverpool drawing level on 20 English titles hours after United could barely draw against Bournemouth will only fuel the fire.

So it might feel like it, looking at the table. But United are not in free fall anymore.

Enjoy the glory while you can. This sleeping giant will not be in its slumber for another 12 years.

Find more from Alex Turk at Turk Talks FC, external

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Manchester United's players need to be prepared for the pressure that comes with playing for the club, according to skipper Bruno Fernandes.

Rasmus Hojlund's injury-time equaliser salvaged a draw from their Premier League trip to Bournemouth.

However, the result means United have collected just two points from their past five games and it seems inevitable they will finish no higher than 13th in the Premier League this season.

They have not finished lower than that since the 1973-73 relegation campaign, which means there will be even more focus on Thursday's Europa League trip to Athletic Bilbao.

The competition is United's only remaining route into Europe next season. But top scorer Fernandes does not feel a club of their size can just ignore the league matches that are being played around it.

"Obviously for us it's very important to go until the end of the competition and to get silverware this season," he said. "But the expectation at United is always high. It doesn't matter if it is a semi -final.

"We're going to play Brentford after the first leg with Athletic and the expectation will be there for that. It will always be there. You just have to be prepared for it."

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We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Manchester United.

Here are some of your replies:

John: It's embarrassing to see United struggle against teams like Bournemouth. They are a team that we should be steamrolling. Top four is a pipe dream for us. Why is Ruben Amorim sticking with systems that do not work?

Derek: United only look like scoring when they have to throw players forward. The gap between defence, midfield and the front line was massive for all of the first half. When we sacrifice a defender to attack, it looks like a proper Man Utd team. Please wake up to this simple fact, Ruben Amorim.

Yusuf: An impressive United display despite only the point with 25 shots and domination after that red card. I'm satisfied with the draw. Hojlund was able to score late on just barely staying onside but still not a win for us and we have to start putting those shots to better use and finish our chances. Hopefully, we can put this dominant performance into action when we face West Ham next weekend

Eric: We were lucky. It's great that Luke Shaw is fit but Alejandro Garnacho, Andre Onana and Mason Mount need to be sold because they didn't impact the game, Onana wasn't focused and he is not alert, Mount didn't do much while Garnacho doesn't run down the wing or take players on. But we also need to stop playing out from defence!

Kevin: Shaw, Mount, Casemiro, Victor Lindelof and company are going to cost Amorim his job and he will deserve it - if for no other reason than him claiming there has been progress under his watch.

Margaret: Not many thoughts. What's going to happen now? Surely this manager cannot remain. The good players that we have will not work with him. There must be a reason for their unwillingness to train properly or something. Maybe the bosses should ask the players that question. There will be no European football next year - how long can you afford to wait before you get the message?

Tony: Another frustrating day at the office - totally devoid of ideas in the final third. So many United players guilty of poor passing and getting mugged in possession. The only plus was Rasmus Hojlund scoring, he deserves better than what he's getting. Let the transfer window open, get rid of the wasters and roll on next season.

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Bournemouth 1-1 Manchester United

• Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham

Manchester United have offered Wolves forward Matheus Cunha a five-year contract if the 25-year-old Brazilian opts to move to Old Trafford. (Teamtalk, external)

United also remain interested in signing Crystal Palace's French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, 27, if they are unable to win the race for Ipswich Town's English forward Liam Delap, 22. (GiveMeSport, external)

Meanwhile United, Newcastle United, Tottenham, West Ham, Chelsea, and Liverpool are all interested in signing Canada striker Jonathan David, 25, when his Lille contract expires in the summer - but Marseille are hoping to persuade the player to stay in France. (RMC Sport, via Get Football News France, external)

Chelsea are pushing hard to seal the signing of Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz, 19, but face competition from Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City for the Turkey international. (Caught Offside, external)

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has been speaking to Sky Sports about the performance: "It was very important not to lose the game today. We're not at the best level in the Premier League, so we needed to get something. It's not the result we wanted, but we had to push a little to get something.

"We did enough to at least score one goal. We created enough chances to score more than one goal, but it is still not enough from us.

"We need to be have more anger than the defenders to get the ball. To get there first, you need to be focused in everything you do in training. That's what we have to do from now on. We should have done it already, we have been doing it in training, but you need to do it in games.

"Sometimes you get one chance and you score a goal, and sometimes you get 10 or 15 chances and don't score. With the team we have, we need to get more bodies in the box, create more danger, be more active in the box, and outside the box be much braver to take our chances."

On teammate Rasmus Hojlund: "He knows how much he needs to score goals at this club. If you want to be at a big club like Manchester United, you need to improve every time you step onto the pitch, but it's not only up to him.

"Expectations on him are very high - and he has to deal with that. When he doesn't score, he has to focus on what he needs to do a little bit differently to score."

On the parallels between Bilbao and Bournemouth: "Both teams are very intense, with very quick wingers who are very good in 1v1s.

"We have time now to try and focus on what Athletic are going to do, but we have to focus on what we are going to do."

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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day about the result: "I think we deserved it. In the first half, we suffered with their high-intensity press but we created chances. We had quite similar chances near the box with a lot of shots.

"I think we deserved at least one point if you look at the game. If you look at our last games, it is always like this - we do something to help the opponent get an advantage. Then it is really hard to score goals, but the players did really well to get at least one point.

"We have the ability to push our opponents. There are small things I think we can do better. We need to understand these moments better, but if you look at the 20 minutes [after Evanilson's red card], we had situations to score which is really important."

On Rasmus Hojlund: "I will not say [he is] relaxed, but he could be a little bit lighter during the week. He now needs to score many more."

On Luke Shaw's first league start since last year: "It's really important. Of course we need to be careful with his availability. [After the red card], he was the guy to overload that side. He has quality in the last third, he has a good pass."

On boosting morale ahead of Thursday's Europa League semi-final first leg: "We have lost two points. We didn't win, but it doesn't matter - it is a different competition."

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Andoni Iraola is unbeaten in all four of his Premier League meetings with Manchester United (W2 D2).

Rasmus Hojlund's goal (95:36) is Manchester United's latest Premier League equaliser away from home on record (since 2006-07).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Man Utd's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Two matches make up Sunday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Bournemouth v Man Utd (14:00) - follow all the action here

• Liverpool v Tottenham (16:30) - follow all the action here

All kick-off times BST

Listen to live commentary of both games on BBC Radio 5 Live

Bournemouth hammered Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford before Christmas and they have to be heavy favourites to win this game too.

United travel to play Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final next Thursday, and Ruben Amorim has already spoken about how he will prioritise that competition over the Premier League.

So, Amorim will play more younger players here and on top of that, although Bournemouth are not on a great run of results, they are still in better form than United are.

I am backing Bournemouth and it is going to be tough for United against Bilbao too.

Bilbao got the better of Rangers in the last round and I am expecting two pretty tight games.

Rangers did have some opportunities, though, so United have got a chance if they can click going forward. Having the second leg at Old Trafford will help Amorim's side, too.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Manchester United player-coach Tommy Rowe is taking French lessons to help smooth Sekou Kone's path into the first-team.

Rowe started his career as an academy player at United and went on to make over 600 professional appearances, primarily for Peterborough and Doncaster, before joining the Old Trafford outfit last summer as a player-coach, working with their junior teams.

He was on the bench during last night's Premier League 2 play-off victory over Everton and he took particular satisfaction in Kone's contribution.

The Mali youth international set up Tyler Fletcher for Manchester United's third goal, before scoring a fine fourth in their 4-2 win.

After recovering from an injury sustained in an EFL Trophy match against Huddersfield in November, Kone has started to make the strides anticipated on his arrival from Africa.

And Under-21s coach Travis Binnion says Tommy Rowe's linguistic contribution should not be overlooked. "Tommy has been brilliant with him," Binnion said.

"He must have been on holiday to the south of France with how his French is coming on. He will sit in Sekou's English lessons just so he can pick it up.

"They do analysis and translate it through the language tutor.

"Sekou has a long way to go. He can get through three games in a week now for us, but he wouldn't be able to do that at first-team level because he's not quite there yet. His decision-making will make that easier for him, physically.

"It is a long-term project with him, but his ability is there for all to see."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Ethan Wheatley's two-goal contribution in Manchester United's Premier League 2 play-off victory against Everton last night was a bit of a head scratcher.

Firstly, what was Wheatley doing there because he is currently on loan at League Two promotion chasers Walsall?

Secondly, the sight of him leading the line and taking his chances poses questions for Walsall and Manchester United.

Wheatley has made four appearances for the Saddlers since his loan move in January, but he has only featured for 16 minutes since 1 February.

Walsall agreed to let him play for United at Leigh Sports Village last night to ensure he was game-ready if called upon for the final two games of their campaign, which could be extended by the play-offs.

But United could be forgiven for feeling the loan itself was a mistake.

Walsall have gone 12 games without a win and gone from title certainties to automatic promotion outsiders. If Wheatley is not getting a significant opportunity in that run, is it ever going to happen?

Meanwhile, Manchester United are desperate for a striker to take some of the load off Rasmus Hojlund, now that Joshua Zirkzee is injured.

Chido Obi, 17, is now a regular first-team squad member for domestic matches but Wheatley, 19, is a bit older and a bit stronger.

Crucially, he could have been added to Ruben Amorim's squad for their Europa League games as a 'B list' player.

Wheatley will learn a lot about the uncertainties of life as a professional footballer from his time at Walsall, but this half of the season could have been so much more for the youngster.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Diogo Dalot's calf injury presents Ruben Amorim with a massive problem.

The Portugal international has missed one game this season, when he was suspended against Southampton in January.

He has occupied both wing-back slots since Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag in November and become more of an attacking threat as the season has gone on.

Now United face being without him for the final key weeks of the campaign - and there is a question over how Amorim will replace him.

The safe option would be to use Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui as wing backs. However, that creates a problem in Amorim's three-man defensive formation, given Ayden Heaven and Matthijs de Ligt are not fit and Luke Shaw is easing himself back after long-term injury.

The other obvious move would be to name teenager Harry Amass on the left and Dorgu on the right, with Mazraoui remaining in one of the central positions. That places a huge responsibility on Amass, who has started only two Premier League.

Amad Diallo has played at wing-back - and is closing in on his own return to fitness after being out since February with an ankle injury.

But surely giving the Ivory Coast wideman such a key role would be a massive risk.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at Bournemouth (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Diogo Dalot could miss the rest of the season with a calf injury, with Amorim confirming he will definitely not be involved in the "next games".

• Matthijs de Ligt and Amad Diallo are close to returning but Ayden Heaven is further behind in the rehabilitation process.

• He said "it's important to not lose" on Sunday because "we need to have the feeling that every game here is important and we have to win every game".

• He acknowledged "the context" of focusing on next week's Europa League semi-final, but added: "We are going to face this game with the best team. I will try to prepare for this game and try to win the next one."

• On the possibility of Marcus Rashford returning in the summer: "All the players that are on loan will return and then the club will decide what to do at the end of the season. Rashford and Antony - they have the talent and have to put it on the team. The best thing for us is for them to perform, and they are performing."

• He said players can change his mind and referenced Casemiro because "he wasn't playing and then you see the in last games that he's having a part, he's performing quite well and he's playing all the time".

• On whether United still have the same pull to attract players this summer: "There are a lot of players that want to play for our club. In this moment, with all the problems, it looks a little bit of a problem - but we have a clear idea and that's the easiest part to explain to a player. It's Manchester United and every player wants to play for Manchester United."

• He refused to answer questions specifically related to United's interest in Wolves forward Matheus Cunha but said he had "an idea" of what he wants his squad to look like next season.

• He said "we need to be critical, no matter what happens" this season in terms of silverware because of being near the bottom of the Premier League table.

Listen to live commentary of Bournemouth vs Manchester United on BBC Radio 5 Live at 14:00 on Sunday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League and FA Cup news conferences, plus the rest of the day's football news

Manchester United could offer Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, to Atalanta in exchange for Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman, 27. (Sun - subscription required, external)

Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, 25, is willing to join Manchester United, who are determined to finalise a deal for the Brazilian this summer. (Sky Germany, external)

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford, 27, on a permanent basis this summer. (Football Transfers, external)

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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BBC's chief football news reporter Simon Stone has been discussing the uncertainty around Marcus Rashford's future on the World Football podcast:

"It felt like when Rashford went to Aston Villa that there was no way back and I think nothing that's happened since then gives any indication that the situation has changed.

"Manchester United want clarity because Ruben Amorim needs to know how much money he is going to get. Qualifying for the Champions League is going to have a big impact on that.

"Rashford is on a huge amount of money, far more really than anyone else apart from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. When he went to Aston Villa, United agreed to pay part of his salary. The difficulty is how do you do a deal like that early in the summer.

"I don't think either Rashford or the people around Rashford are wanting to get involved in a swap-deal scenario at all. They are massively complicated.

"I suspect it is going to be one of those deals that is not done until far nearer the start of the season, if not the transfer window deadline.

"United cannot think that they're going to drive this situation, and I don't get the impression that Rashford is in any big rush to make a decision."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds