Manchester United

Sunderland fans should be thanking me, really, because I keep saying they will be beaten and Regis le Bris' side keep on proving me wrong.

So far, I've said the Black Cats will lose five of their six games. The other one was against Burnley in week two, where I went for a draw... and they suffered their only defeat of the season.

I am going to do the dirty on them this week, and I am going to predict they will win - which obviously means they won't - so apologies to all Sunderland supporters, because they must be absolutely furious with me for doing this.

I am not just backing them for the sake of it, clearly. They are extremely well organised and everything about them has been impressive.

Manchester United, on the other hand, are still a mess.

You can blame Ruben Amorim for that as much as you like but when your centre-half is running out and taking a chance on an offside on a long ball, like Harry Maguire did for Brentford's first goal last week, then that is just terrible defending.

That's where I feel for Amorim. Altay Bayindir should also have done better with Brentford's second goal and the goalkeeping situation is perplexing too - they have brought Senne Lammens in, but where is he?

It is just all muddled thinking at United and Amorim is starting to look like a guy who wants to be put out of his misery.

They are just not improving under him, although he might actually get a result here off the back of me saying Sunderland will win.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Under-fire Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim takes charge of his 50th fixture, with in-form Sunderland the opponents. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes before Saturday's match.

Amorim admitted his side need "more personality to control games" following last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Brentford, a result which means United remain without back-to-back league wins during his tenure. But the 40-year-old rejected claims his 3-4-2-1 formation is not working, insisting "when we win it's not the system, when we lose it's the system".

Nonetheless, the error-strewn performance in west London ramps up the pressure to beat newly promoted Sunderland.

It is the type of fixture in which Amorim's United have generally been able to make their class tell. While the Red Devils have won just seven Premier League games this calendar year, that includes all four meetings with newly promoted opposition. However, the Black Cats' strong start to the season means this match is anything but a formality.

If United can win, there will be one positive omen for Amorim. None of the club's previous five managers won their 50th game in charge, with the last to do so Sir Alex Ferguson in 1987.

Lucky omen for Black Cats?

Sunderland head to Manchester buoyed by last weekend's victory at Nottingham Forest and vying for back-to-back top-flight away wins – a feat they last achieved, coincidentally, courtesy of a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford in May 2014.

Seb Larsson scored the winner that day, earning the Wearsiders their only victory away to United since 1968 and effectively ensuring survival for Gus Poyet's team.

Staying up looks an increasingly realistic prospect for the current crop of players. This is the Black Cats' 17th season in the Premier League but the first in which their points tally has been in double figures after six games. They have not made a better start to a top-flight campaign for 70 years.

Regis le Bris' men are only the seventh promoted side to reach 11 points at this stage of a Premier League season – the other six all stayed up.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United's game against Sunderland on Saturday will be preceded by a minute's silence to pay tribute to the victims of Thursday's attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.

The players will also wear black armbands. The club's women's team will pay the same tributes before Friday's Women's Super League match against Chelsea.

Ruben Amorim was asked about the attack, which is being treated as a terrorist incident by police.

The United boss, who has not lived in the area for long but understands how badly it will be affected by the incident, said: "It is a crazy world we are living in.

"Of course our sympathies go to the victims and we will pay tribute tomorrow."

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Sunderland at Old Trafford (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Amorim responded to criticism from ex-players this week, including Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville, over Manchester United's results and system: "It is normal and you cannot run away from the results. And then you have baggage from last season but, for me, last season doesn't matter. We had six games this season and we lost three. We have to look to the games we lost."

• He continued: "If we lost against Arsenal due to the system - it is your job to make the opinions. Manchester City - was it first thing you think when the game starts? You don't think first about the system in that moment. If we look to the games we didn't win, people have different opinions and that is OK."

• The United boss feels they have had "some moments this season", but they are "not always the same team in small things, more in the way we play" and added: "We put the maximum effort in every thing. It is not the same in different matches [so] we have to find the balance. It will change everything for us."

• On what he would say to fans sticking with the team: "It is not time to say, it is time to show."

• He added: "I can look at the games this season and, for me, they are completely different. There are some things the same; [it is] not about position on the pitch or where we put the ball, it is other things we can't change. I have nothing to say in this moment. My job is to prepare the team and we go again."

• Amorim praised opposition manager Regis le Bris for his team's "clear identity" and expects a "tough match" at Old Trafford: "They are confident. They know we are going to be be under pressure."

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

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary of Man Utd v Sunderland at 15:00 on Saturday

Manchester United have added 21-year-old Brentford and Ukraine defensive midfielder Yehor Yarmolyuk to their list of transfer targets. (Caught Offside), external

Joshua Zirkzee is still of interest to Juventus and AC Milan, with the forward also a January loan target for Como. (ESPN), external

United have finalised a deal to sign 17-year-old Colombian midfielder Cristian Orozco from Bogota club Fortaleza. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Tottenham and Manchester United are ahead of Fulham in the race to sign Middlesbrough's 23-year-old English midfielder Hayden Hackney. (Teamtalk), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Dan Roan
Sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

A decision on whether to scrap the Premier League's controversial Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and adopt an "alternative system" is "coming up", says chief executive Richard Masters.

The current regulations, introduced in 2015-16 to prevent clubs from overspending, allow losses of £105m over a three-year reporting cycle.

However, they have been criticised by several top-flight teams for limiting their ability to invest.

BBC Sport has been told a decision on any changes is likely to be made at a meeting in November.

In February, clubs chose to continue with PSR for the current season.

However a squad cost ratio (SCR) system of financial control was adopted by the Premier League on a shadowing, non-binding basis.

SCR is similar to Uefa's existing financial rules and allows clubs to spend up to a percentage of their total revenues on squad-related costs.

Nine of the league's 20 clubs already have to comply with Uefa's SCR as a result of qualifying for Europe. Both Chelsea and Aston Villa were fined by Uefa in July for breaching the rules.

Asked about SCR at the Leaders sports conference in London, Masters said: "We are talking to our clubs about an alternative system. That's not to say we don't think the PSR system works."

He added: "It's about closer alignment with European regulation, which is squad cost ratio, which is a revenue test. In Uefa, it's now set at 70%. Our system will be 85% because we always want our clubs to have the ability to invest.

"The Premier League has been built on the back of investment in which international capital flows [are] coming in. We don't want that to be to be stifled off."

Read more here

Beth Tucker
Fan contributor

Beth Tucker discusses the future of Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.

She recognises Ruben Amorim is not the only issue at Old Trafford, but is very concern at seeing no progression to the squad during his tenure.

Find more from Beth at The United Stand, external

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

The 3-4-2-1 system is working very well for Oliver Glasner but not for Ruben Amorim - so, clearly, it is not the system that is the problem.

‌Another defeat for Manchester United, this time at Brentford, is beyond serious for the club.

Is it the squad that does not suit the system, the players not buying Amorim's ideas or years of mismanagement that has led to there not even being a flicker of surprise at the current predicament?

‌As ever, it is probably all of the above to some degree.

‌All the happenings with the 'bomb squad' have not helped in building any sort of trust and belief in the team. As a player, you know precisely just how you are going to get treated when the boss does not fancy you any more.

‌I watched Harry Maguire after he was subbed and he looked awfully like a guy who has had enough of the situation. Considering he has always had such a perfect, professional attitude, it made me wonder.

‌It made me consider one of the most overused and misused cliches in the game: has the manager lost the dressing room?

‌I can't be sure, but I am pretty certain he is very close to losing part of it.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Image source, Getty Images

Lincoln City had a comfortable evening against Manchester United, who included Jack and Tyler Fletcher in their starting line-up, the twin sons of former Old Trafford favourite Darren, but went down 3-0.

Tom Hamer put the 2018 winners in front early in the second half and Erik Ring doubled the lead before Reeco Hackett fired into the far corner with his left foot with two minutes remaining.

The result drops United to the bottom of Northern Group D after one game played.

Manchester United insiders fear Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim, 40, will resign before he is sacked. (iPaper), external

Meanwhile, Real Madrid's 27-year-old Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde has emerged as a target for Manchester United next year. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Following disappointing results or performances, former players are often heard saying "but this is Manchester United Football Club" - but can that still be said?

Everyone knows the success that Sir Alex Ferguson brought to the club, but it has been 12 years since he left and it is the same narrative around rebuilding.

"This is just what Manchester United are and that is why I think what Wayne Rooney said is really interesting," said The Observer's Rory Smith on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

"Twelve years is quite a long time in football. That is a substantial amount of time and a chunk of the team's history.

"There will be fans who are 23 years old who don't really remember United being good because it has been so long.

"I don't actually see the point in sacking Ruben Amorim because if you do, you are just continuing the cycle. They are in so deep that they almost have to stick with it.

"He has come close on occasions to making me think he is daring them to sack him. I am sure he is not, but you do sometimes wonder whether he thinks it is time to call it quits here.

"It is a sense you get. I don't have any proof of it but he has said a few things that you don't normally hear managers say.

"It is obvious he doesn't know how to make the system work. The system doesn't suit the players, so he is moving people around to try to make it work, but it just doesn't."

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

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United defender Tyrell Malacia has returned to first-team training.

Malacia was the one remaining member of the 'bomb squad' exiled by head coach Ruben Amorim at the start of pre-season who did not get a move away from Old Trafford.

United sources say the plan had always been to reintegrate players still at the club and Malacia's return is not connected to any injuries or loss of form.

The Netherlands international spent the second half of last season on loan at PSV Eindhoven and was linked to a deadline day move to Spain this summer. His time at Old Trafford has been scarred by injury.

It remains to be seen if Malacia will be involved in Saturday's home game with Sunderland.

Alex Turk
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United are sleepwalking towards a third disastrous Premier League season on the bounce unless a change is made.

That does not necessarily mean a managerial change, but the ball is in Ruben Amorim's side of the court, and he has to make a move before he leaves his higher-ups with no choice.

There is plenty of scrutiny over Amorim's 3-4-3 system and whether he should surrender and switch to a more traditional four-at-the-back formation.

Such coverage is natural, considering he has picked up just 34 points in 33 Premier League matches and lost 17 times, almost double his nine wins.

But Amorim is right to downplay the commotion over his system. Oliver Glasner, touted as a potential replacement because of his transformational work at Crystal Palace, previously said it best.

"The system is not important, the habits are important. The patterns and how you want your players to behave on the pitch are more important," the Austrian insisted.

Glasner also utilises a three-at-the-back system but has adapted from his preferred 4-4-2 to suit the players at his disposal at Selhurt Park. He has used a plethora of alternative formations at other clubs.

Why can't Amorim do the same?

The Portuguese head coach is nearing his first anniversary as United boss, and he has not yet overseen back-to-back Premier League wins. It is a ghastly reality that I still have to read twice to believe.

Glasner is proof that a three-at-the-back system can work in English football. Amorim failing so dramatically is a glaring indicator that the "habits" and "patterns" are the real problem.

If he is unable to identify and fix them, he is, frankly, not of the standard required to lead a club of United's magnitude. The past several months suggest he cannot, and will not, before it is too late.

Find more from Alex Turk at Turk Talks FC, external

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United youngster Sam Mather will be integrated back into the club's Premier League 2 squad after his proposed move to the UAE could not be completed.

Mather was the subject of numerous discussions over the past few weeks, with advanced discussions taking place with clubs from Portugal and Turkey among others.

Al Wahda were keen to take the 21-year-old but no agreement could be reached over a potential sell-on clause.

Mather spent last week training with Ruben Amorim's senior squad, although he was not involved in Saturday's defeat at Brentford.

He has made two appearances for Travis Binnion's under-21 side this season and it is expected he will now be involved on a more regular basis until the transfer window opens again in January.

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo is continuing to attract interest despite signing a new contract in the summer, with Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa all keen on the 25-year-old Ghana international. (TBRFootball), external

Barcelona will wait to make a decision about signing Marcus Rashford on a permanent basis. (Football Insider), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Michael Carrick becoming interim manager at Manchester United if Ruben Amorim gets sacked has been suggested on the latest episode of BBC Radio Manchester's The Devils' Advocate podcast.

"I now have zero faith that this is going to change and get better," co-host Gaz Drinkwater said, referring to Amorim's time at Old Trafford.

"What is the point of hanging on to a manager if we know it's not going to get better?

"People say it's not all on the manager, and I agree. But there are many, many other managerial options available who would get better out of these players. That forward line is enough [to improve results].

"Some people also say we shouldn't bring another interim manager in because it didn't work last time. Yes it did! Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did a brilliant job as interim. I am not saying [hire] Ole, but I think he would play much more exciting football with this team and get better results.

"If you don't want to get Ole, go down the United route and get Michael Carrick until the end of the season.

"That is the only hope we have to save our season."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Manchester United fell to a disappointing 3-1 defeat against Brentford on Saturday afternoon.

Here are some of your replies:

Garry: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. As a lifelong United fan of more than 60 years, I cannot watch this garbage any more. We have the players but we do not have the system. I will not watch another game until either Ruben Amorim changes his formation or he is sacked. It's not so much losing, it's the manner of the loss.

Alan: Another nail in the coffin. Dead ducks in the water. Couldn't beat a drum. These descriptions do not even come close to describing Manchester United at the moment.

Sam: Once again, United put in a shambolic defensive display and failed to break down their opponents' defence. These are things that an average coach should be able to put right during training sessions. Amorim has had all week with the players and still fails to sort their problems out. He won't change so get him out. Bring in an 'average' coach - he is hopeless!

Maurice: A Sunday league manager. Every manager must be able to change the way the team plays at times and change formation, but he won't change his system. Will the board allow this to go on or are they like a rabbit in the headlights waiting for something to happen when clearly it never will? It is relegation form. They need to get a grip, admit their mistake and send him on his way.

Stephen: How long is this going to be allowed to continue? The whole team and the manager are shot to pieces. I feel for Amorim in many ways, but clearly this latest attempt to get the club back to something like even a competent Premier League team has failed miserably. I don't know what the answer is to fix this, but this present set-up is not it.

Moe: Who is there to replace Amorim? Nobody wants to manage a team of losers. From goalkeeper to captain to substitutes, this is a team made up of players who are not even League Two players.

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Transformation of the Old Trafford area has moved a step closer after the public body due to be chaired by Lord Coe was approved by Trafford Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants a new stadium to be a central part of the plans.

Ratcliffe unveiled impressive designs for the proposed stadium in March last year that included a distinctive 'circus tent'.

However, as negotiations with Freightliner, the organisation that owns land needed for the stadium, are proving difficult, it is understood United have asked for alternative plans to be drawn up.

No decision has been made on the exact nature of the proposed stadium and planning permission has yet to be requested.

However, the establishment of the Old Trafford Regeneration Mayoral Development Corporation is viewed as being critical to the overall development of the area, which will include 15,000 new homes.

It will be legally formalised following Parliamentary approval.

A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: "The MDC will be a powerful organisation that will bring significant advantages to this ambitious, complex and long-term project.

"Its broad public and private sector expertise at board level will focus on co-ordinated and consistent delivery to develop and deliver the strategic vision to make Old Trafford a world-class, community and sports-led visitor destination, rich in culture and entertainment."