Manchester United

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag to Sky Sports: "I think it's the fourth clean sheet this season. You see we had a very good organisation and togetherness. There was good character and good spirit as a team. Determined, resilient.

"We almost didn't concede a chance, when you defend like this and get some luck, in the end they had a big chance but it was almost the only chance I think.

"We created some chances, also not so many chances. We hit the crossbar and also Rashford had chances. But the two teams were really balanced.

"In Porto our build-up was brilliant, so good in the first 25 minutes, we out-played Porto. Also Palace, in possession we were so good, we have had games this season where we are good. But today we didn't create too many chances, but also we played a great team.

"We create loads of chances in our seven games but we have to step up. We have to take into consideration Hojlund is returning, he's still coming up to full fitness. But others are stepping up. I was impressed from Rashford, also Garnacho is so good, and Antony at the end."

Was Rashford one foul away from a red card?: "Yes that was one of the reasons to take him off. If it was another foul probably he would be sent off. We can't take another risk."

On Maguire injury: "He didn't feel well after half-time so I had to take him off.

"We know in this moment we have a lack of goals, in that perspective it's not a good start, we have to step up. That's an area we have to improve. But we have four clean sheets. That's good because we have to defend proper."

Has he spoken to the club's hierarchy?: "We always speak, every week we speak. We are all on board together, on one page, we know what we are working through it's a long-term process.

"We have come through two very tough away games. This is a team, we showed the belief and faith we have."

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Manchester United have failed to score in their last three games in the Premier League - a run of 308 minutes without a goal.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Villa's performance, external

What did you make of United’s display?, external

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

Follow reaction and read the match report

There are three matches in the Premier League on Sunday and we will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Man Utd - 14:00 (listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• Chelsea v Nottingham Forest - 14:00

• Brighton v Tottenham - 16:30 (listen live on BBC Radio 5 Live)

All kick-off times BST

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week seven, he takes on Will Champion and Jonny Buckland from Coldplay, whose latest album, Moon Music, came out on Friday.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

The worry for Aston Villa is injuries - Amadou Onana limped off against Bayern Munich on Wednesday and Leon Bailey had to be subbed after coming on.

I was at Villa Park for BBC Radio 5 Live and saw Bailey warming up on his own with a fitness coach before the game, so I suspect that was injury-related too, and I am also concerned about Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who was brilliant against Bayern, because it looked like he had a hamstring issue.

If Manchester United get an absolute battering here, forget Erik ten Hag because it will be more like Erik ten minutes.

I am not expecting that to happen, though. United are desperate for a result and I have a feeling they might get something.

I just wonder if after all the emotion of Wednesday night, Villa will feel drained and find it hard to raise themselves again.

The atmosphere will definitely not be the same as it was, at 2pm on a Sunday, and that will help United - as well as any Villa absentees, because they are stretched.

Will and Jonny's prediction: 2-1

Read the rest of their predictions, and have your own say here

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The noise around Manchester United is deafening at the moment. With the speculation over Erik ten Hag's future and the patchy form on the pitch, there is little room to go deeper.

But you know your club best and earlier this week, we asked you to tell us one thing that is going under the radar at Old Trafford - and you delivered.

Here are some of your comments:

Steffan: Hardly anyone is talking about the lack of obvious alternatives available should Manchester United opt to sack Ten Hag. If you can think of any, how sure can you really be that they can definitely just step in and handle the pressure and scrutiny that managing this huge club entails?

Ravi: I don't understand why Rasmus Hojlund isn't getting a run in the team. He's a good, up-and-coming striker who has already got a year's experience in the league. There is no point putting him on in the 80th minute if our main issue is converting chances into goals. He needs to be starting.

David: Ten Hag has not yet been able to put a full team out on the field. The new £50m defender Leny Yoro is recovering from a broken foot and has not appeared yet, while Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia have been out for the whole season. Mason Mount has hardly been available - neither has Rasmus Hojlund - and Manuel Ugarte has started once. Ten Hag must be given the chance to play a few games with a full team.

Rajen: No-one is talking about how poor Diogo Dalot's performance has been. The guy does not know how and when to overload the midfield. He was also pathetic versus Tottenham.

Iain: Much was talked in the close season about strengthening the defence, replacing an aging midfield and the lack of a striker. Yet no-one seems to be concerned about the goalkeeping position. Andre Onana seems, to me, to be a vastly overrated loose cannon and is showing little sign of improvement.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes under-pressure Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag remains a winner - despite his troubles at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman takes United to Villa Park on Sunday after Harry Maguire's last-gasp leveller rescued a 3-3 draw in their Europa League game at Porto on Thursday.

United blew a 2-0 lead to trail 3-2, which looked like pushing Ten Hag closer to the brink.

The visitors are 13th in the Premier League after winning two of their six games, with Villa - who beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday - fifth.

Emery said: "I respect him a lot. I have to respect him because he has beaten me more than I’ve beaten him. He's a winner - they won the FA Cup. He is a very good coach. The demands there are huge demands but he is doing a process.

"We won the first match when I arrived here but since we have lost four matches against them. They are a winning team and they have an experienced coach and experienced players. The club is usually a winning club.

"They are not getting consistently good results in the Premier League but, playing only one match, they can exploit their capacity and skill.

"I will prepare for the match more than how I prepared against Bayern."

Emery, who could be without Leon Bailey and Jacob Ramsey after they came off in the win over Bayern, has also warned his players they cannot relax despite Wednesday's victory.

"To be consistent in the Premier League is the first objective," he said.

"We enjoyed Wednesday a lot. We have six points [in the Champions League] but there is no change in my mind. The ambition I have in this club, since I arrived here, is the same.

"We are getting a lot of success sooner than I was thinking. Of course, now my expectation is to keep it. My example is to keep demanding and don't relax. Everyone relaxes when they get comfortable and has success.

"Now I will want to win on Sunday."

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Chief football news reporter Simon Stone is answering your Manchester United questions.

Ben asked: "What are your thoughts on Bruno Fernandes? Everyone knows he is a great player. But I don't think he would get near the Manchester City, Arsenal or Liverpool first teams because he loses the ball 34 times per game. The system means nothing when you have your captain and third midfielder having no discipline."

Simon answered: "This is a tricky one. Bruno gets questioned a lot but he is a leader - and United don't have that many of them - and their most creative force. I agree that he sometimes lacks discipline. That is why I thought the decision to use him as a false nine in the FA Cup final was an excellent one because he doesn't wreck your defensive shape if he gets in the wrong position. I thought that may hint at what was to come this season but Ten Hag doubled down on his preference to have a striker by signing Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna.

"Bruno has not played well this season and I had thought his red card against Tottenham would force United into another tactic during his three-game ban. That position has now changed - but maybe Ten Hag will look at something against Fenerbahce later this month. It is definitely a problem and there are no easy answers."

Read the rest of Simon's Q&A and the latest football news

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Chief football news reporter Simon Stone has been answering your questions on Manchester United.

James asked: "Why is it that a player like Matthijs de Ligt, once one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe, starts playing for Manchester United and looks very, very average. The same thing happened to Raphael Varane. It is just baffling."

Simon answered: "There are two separate issues here. Varane was an outstanding player but his body wasn’t capable of coping with the rigours of the Premier League. Maybe United should have known that. De Ligt has not developed into the player he seemed destined to become when he skippered Ajax to within a minute of the Champions League final in 2019.

"I have spoken to coaches who have worked with him who have suggested there are flaws in his game that need to be eradicated. That is a worry because it feels as though Ten Hag wanted De Ligt to partner Leny Yoro as part of his first-choice central defensive partnership and, as the more experienced player, De Ligt should be guiding the Frenchman round the pitch, not the other way round."

Read more of Simon's Q&A and the latest football news

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Aston Villa have won just one of their past 25 Premier League home games against Manchester United with the victory coming in Unai Emery's first game in charge in November 2022.

United have won 40 Premier League games against Villa, with only the Old trafford side beating Everton (41) more often in the competition's history.

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is calling for patience with his side struggling in the early stages of the season.

United needed a late goal from Harry Maguire to rescue a 3-3 draw against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday but Ten Hag says more time is needed to help summer signings and new staff settle in at Old Trafford.

"I appointed new staff, we bought new young players and we have to integrate them," he explained. "Manuel Ugarte was one of the top players we wanted to sign this season but he needs time to integrate.

"I know in top football you don't get time - they have to perform immediately - but that's not always realistic. He has to get used to his role, his team-mates and the intensity of the Premier League. We need time."

Rasmus Hojlund made his first start of the season in Portugal and Ten Hag believes the Denmark striker's return to fitness will be a big boost to the side before the trip to high-flying Aston Villa on Sunday.

"I was very pleased with the return of Hojlund," he said. "We couldn't play him in the first two months of the season.

"Hopefully he is now fit, keeps improving his fitness levels and has a consistent season where he can help us. Then, this team can grow and improve and we'll see where we end."

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Manchester United’s Treble-winning midfielder Jesper Blomqvist says "it is really hard to watch" his former club in the present.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live following the draw at Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, Blomqvist said: "It is a strength when you are one man down to get an equaliser as it shows a bit of character - but I can't really see it helping Erik ten Hag [in the long run].

"Porto is a tough place to go but you still expect more from Manchester United. I also don't think you can look at it as just one game. They have one win out of 10 in the Europa League and that has to be looked at. That is not good enough.

"It is really tricky when everything starts going against you as it is hard to get team spirit. But a lot of these players have been recruited by Ten Hag so they should be working really hard in order for him to stay.

"A lot has been said by Ten Hag in recent weeks, but he is running out of excuses."

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BBC chief football news reporter Simon Stone has been answering reader's questions on all things Premier League.

Katy asked: Marcus Rashford was fantastic in the first half against Porto so are people going to climb off his back any time soon do we think?"

Simon said: "Hiya Katy. I feels as though Rashford is one of those players people like to criticise for what they don’t do, rather than what they do. The movement and control that carried him into the penalty area for United’s opener last night was sensational. Not many players are capable of that and it is why I would always want Rashford in my team.

"I do think there are issues in terms of closing opponents down and leading the press. He is moving into the prime of his career so there can be no excuses on that score any more.

"But he remains an excellent player and when the confidence is flowing, he is very difficult to stop."

Read the rest of Simon's Q&A, as well as the latest football news, on our daily live page

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone is answering your Manchester United related questions.

PS asked: Hi Simon, the two people most responsible for hiring and firing managers at Manchester United, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Dan Ashworth, were presumably not part of the decision to stick with Erik ten Hag as they joined after.

Do you think it would have been a different decision if those two were involved? And would it have a bearing on Ten Hag's future now?

Simon replied: "When I – along with a few other journalists – spoke to Berrada and Ashworth on the morning of the Liverpool game, they said they played no part in the decision to keep Ten Hag but were supportive of it. We have no choice other than to take those comments at face value.

The key issue is who would have replaced Ten Hag? United resolved there was no-one around who was better. Would Berrada and Ashworth have unearthed someone United had not already looked at? That seems doubtful to me.

A senior executive at another Premier League club told me in the summer that no managerial appointment was without risk. You can only do your due diligence, make what you feel is an honest decision and hope it works out. Ten Hag had just won the FA Cup, thrillingly, against Manchester City.

There is no guarantee anyone else would have done any better this season.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone is answering your Manchester United questions.

Jason asked: Jurgen Klopp is available - could Manchester United bring him out of retirement?

Simon replied: Hiya Jason. Is this a serious question? There is an absolutely legitimate argument about why United didn’t work harder to get Klopp when he was at Borussia Dortmund because he always struck me as having the perfect personality to be a Manchester United manager, which is a tough job for anyone.

However, he went to Liverpool, one of the greatest clubs in the world, and built his legacy in English football there. Why would he risk his reputation as a manager and destroy it as a club legend by moving to Old Trafford?