Manchester United will guarantee themselves a place in Europe if they can better Newcastle’s result on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag’s side currently sit eighth in the Premier League table, level on points with Newcastle after Wednesday’s 3-2 victory. Realistically they can no longer qualify for the Europa League via their final league standing, though Europa Conference League football will be secured if they can better the Magpies’ result on Sunday.
Europa League football returning to Old Trafford is still a possibility, with a victory over Manchester City in next week’s FA Cup final enough to book a spot in Europe’s secondary club competition. However, Ten Hag will not want to head to Wembley knowing his side’s hopes of playing in Europe next term rest solely on the outcome of the showpiece event.
Away from the pitch, Ten Hag’s future continues to dominate the news cycle. Thomas Tuchel has been linked with a move to United but it’s claimed he could now be set to stay at Bayern Munich.
We’ll bring you all the latest on Ten Hag’s future and build-up to Sunday’s clash with Brighton in our live blog
09:59Ross Jackson
What United dressing room think about VAR
Harry Maguire has revealed the United dressing room is ‘split’ on the ongoing VAR debate.
Premier League clubs will vote on whether to keep the much-maligned system at their annual meeting next month.
Speaking about the use of VAR and how the United dressing room feel about the technology, Maguire said: “There is a split. Some players want to get rid of it. VAR offsides do kill goal celebrations a bit. In the back of your mind, players think whether or not it is a goal. For sure, I don’t want to see penalties decided by VAR – just let the referee make the decision.
“There have been far too many soft penalties this season. Penalties decide football matches and are such an important part of the game.”
09:18Tyrone Marshall
Martinez moment shows why United missed him
One minute Alexander Isak is dancing across the edge of the Manchester United penalty area and threatening a Newcastle equaliser. The next the ball is in the net at the other end and it’s game over. It took 18 seconds for the danger to be snuffed out at one end and the jeopardy in the game to be extinguished at the other.
Rasmus Hojlund took the plaudits for scoring his 15th goal of the season to put United 3-1 up but it was a move that began with a piece of aggressive and proactive defending from Lisandro Martinez. That is something that Erik ten Hag has missed this season.
Read on here >>>
09:00Key Event
Ratcliffe’s £6bn blow
According to The Sunday Times Rich List, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has lost more than £6billion in the last year.
The United co-owner remains the richest person in the North West and is the third richest person in the country. He is still worth more than £23.5bn.
Of course, it never hurts to have the backing of a billionaire in the transfer market, though FFP restrictions mean clubs have to monitor their spending regardless of the wealth of their owners.
The MEN revealed recently that United are expecting to reach double figures for outgoings this summer, with a lot of their summer business dependent on who leaves Old Trafford over the coming months.
Read more here >>>
08:33Ross Jackson
Hello!
Welcome to today’s United transfer blog!
We’ll bring you all the build-up to Sunday’s huge clash with Brighton on the south coast, with early team news already filtering through.
Erik ten Hag confirmed yesterday that Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane are back in training and they will be assessed ahead of Sunday’s game. Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw remain unavailable. The former hopes to be back for next weekend’s FA Cup final but Shaw has suffered a setback in his recovery.
Stick with us as we bring you the latest on all things United throughout the day.