Manchester United transfer news LIVE Man Utd squad vs FC Copenhagen as FA make Alejandro Garnacho decision
The latest Man United injury latest, transfer rumours and breaking news ahead of FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.
Alejandro Garnacho has escaped punishment from the FA.
Alejandro Garnacho has escaped punishment from the FA.(Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Alejandro Garnacho has escaped punishment from the FA after a controversial social media post a fortnight ago.
Garnacho posted a picture of Andre Onana alongside two gorilla emojis, following the goalkeeper’s added-time penalty save against FC Copenhagen. The FA have spoken with the player and decided against charging him.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag has confirmed his 23-man squad for tomorrow’s trip to the Danish capital, with Kobbie Mainoo absent after being named in the under-19s squad for the UEFA Youth League clash earlier the same day. Marcus Rashford trained at Carrington on Tuesday morning and will be hoping to reclaim a place in the starting line-up for what is another vitally important European clash with the Danish club.
Meanwhile, prospective investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has held talks with United co-chairman Joel Glazer. The pair have discussed plans via video calls. The former is keen to secure a 25 per cent stake in the club and it is understood that they have discussed potential changes to United’s structure, including possible personnel changes.
Keep across all the updates from our live blog below.
KEY EVENTS
Why Mainoo missed United training on Tuesday
13:40
United training squad confirmed ahead of Copenhagen tussle
12:00
Rashford training ahead of Copenhagen clash
11:50
Ratcliffe holding virtual meetings with Glazer
10:40
16:37KYLE NEWBOULD
Copenhagen confident
FC Copenhagen defender Kevin Diks believes his side are the favourites to win against United tomorrow.
Speaking at this afternoon’s press conference, Diks said:
“I would say we are [favourites],” Diks said. “I am not saying that we are always favourites against them. But we have shown what we can do against them. We will see. But of course, I see us as favourites. It’s not about luck.
“We have to give a little more to make the result go our way. It’s the little things that decide the matches in the Champions League. You see that many raise their level in the big matches, and if you don’t take the last sprint, you don’t win those matches.
“So even though we played close to perfect in Manchester, we have to do our part to make sure it’s a goal and not a goal for us this time.”
FULL STORY: Garnacho avoids FA charge
Alejandro Garnacho will not be charged by the Football Association over the use of a gorilla emoji that accompanied a post about goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Garnacho, 19, uploaded a photograph of Onana onto his Twitter account after his penalty save at the death of United’s Champions League group stage win over Copenhagen last month and accompanied it with two gorilla emojis.
The teenager deleted the tweet and the following day Onana posted on his Instagram account: “People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what @garnacho7 meant: power & strength.”
The FA sought Garnacho’s observations on the upload and a spokesperson today confirmed they are satisfied with the Argentina international’s explanation.
BREAKING: Garnacho avoids punishment
The FA have decided not to punish Alejandro Garnacho, who posted a picture of Andre Onana alongside two gorilla emojis after his penalty save against FC Copenhagen a fortnight ago.
An FA spokesperson said:
“We have concluded an investigation in relation to a recent post on Alejandro Garnacho’s social media. We sought the player’s observations as part of our investigation, and he explained that the use of two gorilla emojis was intended to highlight the strength and power of his teammates – specifically Andre Onana and Harry Maguire – following the pivotal roles that they played in Manchester United’s win over FC Copenhagen.
“We are satisfied with Alejandro Garnacho’s explanation and the context that it provides, so we will not be issuing disciplinary proceedings on this occasion. However, we have reminded the player of his responsibilities around social media posts and the use of emojis in particular which can be interpretated in different ways.
“We also intend to liaise with Kick It Out and the PFA to discuss other potential issues around the use of emojis and similar forms of messaging, and education that can be provided about them.”
Alejandro Garnacho has escaped punishment from the FA.(Image: Clive Rose/Getty Images)
15:27KYLE NEWBOULD
Travelling squad
Erik ten Hag has named his 23-man squad for tomorrow’s Champions League clash. It is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton.
Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Sergio Reguilon, Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Hannibal, Scott McTominay, Mason Mount.
Forwards: Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Omari Forson, Rasmus Hojlund, Anthony Martial, Facundo Pellistri, Marcus Rashford.
Onana hails former United star Van der Sar
United goalkeeper Andre Onana has said he will always be thankful to former Reds shot-stopper Edwin van der Sar for his help and support.
Onana, who swapped Inter Milan for United in July, worked with Van der Sar during his time at Ajax. Though the Dutchman was never part of the coaching staff, he would sometimes swap his position in the boardroom for the training pitches.
You can read what Onana had to say here.
OPINION: United hopes could rely on keeping a controversial partnership
“There is obvious hypocrisy to pick Jonny Evans, 35, ahead of him given he can only really manage one start a week, though it does highlight Erik ten Hag’s desire for consistency in a key area of the pitch. With Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire having defended well and kept a clean sheet at Craven Cottage over the weekend, there is argument to suggest they should keep their place against Copenhagen on Wednesday night. There is an obvious caveat that the games United have won with that defensive partnership have been against Brentford, Sheffield United and Fulham, three matches they were always favourites to win. Indeed, the duo were handed a harsh reality check when they started against Manchester City last month.”
Can Jonny Evans play an even bigger role this term?
United ‘pushing hard’ to sign Neves
United are ‘pushing hard’ to sign highly-rated Benfica midfielder Joao Neves. That is according to a report by Portuguese newspaper Record, as cited by Football Talk, which suggests the Reds are looking to do a deal as soon as January.
The 19-year-old, who is a defensive-midfielder, is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in Europe, earning regular plaudits. Despite his youthfulness, he has already cemented himself as a key player at Benfica.
Manchester City have also been credited with interest in his signature.
(Image: Bruno de Carvalho/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images.)
14:00GEORGE SMITH
Ferdinand outlines why he sympathises with Hojlund
Former defender Rio Ferdinand says he sympathises with United striker Rasmus Hojlund amid his recent struggles in front of goal.
Following his arrival from Atalanta in the summer, the Dane has scored just three goals for the club so far. He is still searching for his first Premier League goal and he was visibly frustrated after being substituted in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Fulham.
Why Mainoo missed United training on Tuesday
Youngster Kobbie Mainoo didn’t train with United’s first-team squad earlier today ahead of tomorrow night’s Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen.
That is because the youngster, who is still working his way back towards full fitness, is set to play for the club’s Under-19s in the Youth League instead.
(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
13:20GEORGE SMITH
Goalkeeper confirms United transfer interest
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos has confirmed United were interested in signing him during the summer transfer window.
The shot-stopper, 29, joined Forest from Benfica on the final day of the window on September 1. That move brought an end to his five-year stint at Benfica.
After explaining how his move to Forest unfolded, Vlachodimos was asked if there was interest from the Reds, to which he told Gazzetta: “Yes, there was.”
(Image: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images.)
12:40GEORGE SMITH
Inter ‘set’ Dumfries valuation amid United links
According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, as cited by Calciomercato, Inter Milan will not sell right-back Denzel Dumfries for ‘less than €50million’.
The Dutchman has regularly been linked with a move to United ever since fellow countryman Erik ten Hag took charge in May 2022. Chelsea have also been credited with interest in his signature.
(Image: Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)
12:20GEORGE SMITH
United’s remaining Champions League group stage fixtures
At the halfway mark of their Champions League group stage campaign, United’s hopes of progressing to the last-16 are out of their own hands.
They are currently third in Group A, one point behind second-placed Galatasaray. The Turkish club beat United 3-2 at Old Trafford last month.
Here are United’s three remaining fixtures:
FC Copenhagen (A) – November 8
Galatasaray (A) – November 29
Bayern Munich (H) – December 12
12:00KEY EVENT
United training squad confirmed ahead of Copenhagen tussle
Marcus Rashford trained with the rest of the United squad this morning ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League clash with FC Copenhagen in Denmark.
The forward sustained a heavy knock in United’s final training session before facing Fulham on Saturday and failed a late fitness test ahead of kick-off. It remains to be seen if he will, however, be fit enough for the trip to Denmark.
Rashford training ahead of Copenhagen clash
United forward Marcus Rashford is training at Carrington this morning ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League encounter with FC Copenhagen.
He missed Saturday’s 1-0 win over Fulham through injury, despite travelling to London with the rest of the squad on Friday.
OPINION: United know what to do to help Hojlund
“During a conversation with confidants in the summer, Erik ten Hag outlined his conviction about Rasmus Hojlund and dubbed him a ‘proven goalscorer’. Hojlund is the polar opposite – unproven – and it is showing. Ten Hag is believed to have specifically referred to Hojlund’s international record. At the time, Hojlund’s goals for Denmark had come against Finland, Kazakhstan and Slovenia. What stands Hojlund in good stead is his character. He has not hesitated in remonstrating with Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, United’s two most senior attackers.”
Crooks lauds Fernandes after making Team of the Week
BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has lauded Bruno Fernandes after the United captain made it into his Team of the Week.
Fernandes scored a dramatic winner to help the Reds edge past Fulham on Saturday, winning 1-0 at Craven Cottage.
Crooks told BBC Sport:
“Love him or loathe him, you can’t ignore him – Bruno Fernandes is too good a player. The Portugal international pulled United out of the fire with a touch of class when it mattered at Craven Cottage. It would have taken a special save to have stopped Fernandes from scoring the winning goal but Bernd Leno couldn’t live up to the billing, which was unfortunate because at this point Fulham were worthy of a point. Fernandes didn’t just provide the winning goal, he saved Erik ten Hag from having another week full of speculation about his job and his ability to manage United. A true captain’s performance if ever I saw one. ”
(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
11:00GEORGE SMITH
United ‘keeping tabs’ on Lyon star
United have joined Newcastle United in ‘keeping tabs’ on Lyon attacking-midfielder Rayan Cherki, according to a report by Football Insider.
The two Premier League clubs, who went head-to-head in the Carabao Cup last week, are said to be ‘long-term admirers’ of the 20-year-old. He has made a total of 112 appearances for Lyon, 10 of which have been this season.
Lyon are currently bottom of Ligue 1 in France.
(Image: Dave Winter/FEP/Icon Sport via Getty Images.)
10:40KEY EVENT
Ratcliffe holding virtual meetings with Glazer
Prospective investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been holding virtual meetings with United co-chairman Joel Glazer.
It is believed that the British billionaire has been holding talks via video calls as he attempts to seal a deal that will bag him a 25 per cent stake in the club. Ratcliffe is believed to have held talks about potential changes to United’s structure, including possible personnel changes.
Chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough are thought to be at risk.
Stat attack
United are back in Champions League action tomorrow night, facing FC Copenhagen in Denmark.
The Reds have won just one of their last seven away games in the competition, that being a 2-0 win over Villarreal almost two years ago under the caretaker guide of Michael Carrick.
Furthermore, United have lost two of their last three away matches against Danish opposition in the Champions League.
(Image: Jose Miguel Fernandez/NurPhoto via Getty Images.)
10:00GEORGE SMITH
Carragher compares Hojlund to Liverpool ace Nunez
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has compared Rasmus Hojlund’s start at United to Darwin Nunez’s maiden season at Liverpool.
Hojlund, who joined United from Atalanta in August, has scored just three goals for the club so far, each of which have been plundered in the Champions League. Saturday’s 1-0 win over Fulham marked his eighth blank in the Premier League.
Click here to read the full story.
(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
09:40GEORGE SMITH
Saudi clubs ‘expected to register interest’ in Varane
Saudi Pro League clubs are ‘expected to register interest’ in United defender Raphael Varane ahead of the January transfer window.
That is according to Football Insider, which claims the Frenchman ‘matches the profile’ of a player the clubs within the mega-rich league want to add.
Varane joined United from Real Madrid in August 2021.
(Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
09:20GEORGE SMITH
Neville appointed Portland Timbers boss
Former United ace Phil Neville has been named as Portland Timbers’ new head coach ahead of the 2024 MLS season.
Neville, who is a graduate of United’s academy, has joined the US outfit on a contract until 2026. His appointment has meant a swift return to management for the 46-year-old, who was only sacked by Inter Miami in June.
On landing the job, Neville told Portland’s club website:
“I am massively excited about the challenge ahead, and from the very first moment I met the staff I knew it was the right opportunity for me, the right club for me and the right city for me. The fans are the most important part of this football club with their intensity and support, and I think this journey is going to be something special. I have great memories visiting Portland, which reminds me of Manchester, my hometown, and I can’t wait for my family to get to know this beautiful city.”
OPINION: United are putting too much pressure on Hojlund
“With Antony’s form nosediving and Marcus Rashford struggling to get anywhere close to last season’s levels, there is an expectancy on the centre forward to score. For a player still learning his trade at this level, that can soon create a spiral where he puts even more pressure on himself at a team when the goals aren’t coming as freely as he would like. Rasmus Hojlund is getting no help in front of goal and there is no real option there to help ease the burden. There was talk when he signed of needing time out of the team, of days when Rashford or Anthony Martial might lead the line instead. Rashford can’t be used in that position at the moment and Martial is bordering on unplayable given his staggering lack of impact when he is involved. As strikers go for Erik ten Hag at the moment, it is Hojlund or nothing.”
Sporting have ‘no interest’ in selling Inacio amid United links
Following the news we brought you earlier about Real Madrid rivalling United for the signature of Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio, it has been claimed elsewhere that the Portuguese club have ‘no intention’ of selling him anytime soon.
It is claimed by Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, as cited by Sport Witness, that Sporting have ‘no interest’ in selling him now, suggesting a move in January or even next summer could be out of the question.
(Image: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images.)
08:20GEORGE SMITH
United’s next six fixtures
United will be looking to build on Saturday’s 1-0 win over Fulham when they face FC Copenhagen in the Champions League tomorrow evening.
It is another crunch European encounter for the Reds, who have won just one of their opening three group games so far this season.
Below is a quick reminder of United’s next six games in all competitions…
FC Copenhagen (A) – Champions League – November 8
Luton Town (H) – Premier League – November 11
Everton (A) – Premier League – November 26
Galatasaray (A) – Champions League – November 29
Newcastle United (H) – December 2
Chelsea (H) – Premier League – December 6
08:00GEORGE SMITH
SURVEY: Have your say on Ten Hag’s future
Despite Saturday’s 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage, United manager Erik ten Hag remains under pressure.
The Reds have been slow out of the traps this term, and both performances and results have been far from encouraging.
The MEN, as a result, is inviting you to have your say on the club’s current struggles and Ten Hag’s future.
United ‘in the race’ for Scalvini
According to a report by Tutto Atalanta, United are ‘in the race’ to sign Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini.
The centre-back, 19, is attracting a wealth of interest from a series of big-name clubs, including United and Inter Milan. Juventus are also said to be interested.
The report, however, claims United have an ‘excellent relationship’ with Atalanta and they could land Scalvini for £43.4million.
(Image: Isabella Bobotto/AFP via Getty Images.)
07:20GEORGE SMITH
United ‘step in’ to sign Boey
United have ‘stepped in’ to try and sign Galatasaray right-back Sacha Boey, according to a report by Fotomac.
The Frenchman has been strongly linked with a move to M16 in the past couple of weeks. The Reds are likely to target a new right-back next year as Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have struggled to make the position their own.
Boey is out-of-contract at Galatasaray in June 2025 and it is claimed he is stalling over the prospect of signing a new deal.
(Image: Ahmad Mora/DeFodi Images via Getty Images.)
07:00GEORGE SMITH
United face ‘competition’ for Inacio
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, United face ‘competition’ from Real Madrid to sign Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio.
The centre-back has been closely linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks amid United’s plans to strengthen their defensive options next year. Inacio is considered as one of the most highly-rated defenders in Europe.
However, it is claimed that Madrid are also in the running for him, and it is suggested that they are ‘considering’ a move for him either in January or next summer.
(Image: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images.)
DANIEL MURPHY
United’s team could change again vs Copenhagen
When this season began Erik ten Hag would have had a pretty good idea of his strongest United team and 10 of them started on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
At that point, it had felt like a pretty productive summer and Ten Hag had the pieces he wanted to form his team. More depth could be added, but the additions should have allowed him to build this side more in his image.
It was clear in pre-season that the Dutchman wanted United to be more proactive in his second season, playing higher up the pitch and pressing with more intent. He had a new striker, the midfielder he wanted and a transformative goalkeeper.
Read on.
(Image: Manchester United via Getty Images)
DANIEL MURPHY
Sabitzer gives glowing review of Manchester United boss Ten Hag
Marcel Sabitzer has sung the praises of United boss Erik ten Hag and explained that his ‘straight’ explanations and instructions make him such a good manager to work for.
United moved to sign Sabitzer on deadline day of the January transfer window last season after Christian Eriksen suffered a serious injury. The Austrian arrived on a short-term loan from Bayern Munich and made a good first impression.
The combative midfielder slotted into the side well and looked to be heading towards a permanent deal until an unfortunate injury ended his campaign prematurely. Sabitzer played 18 games for United, scoring three goals, and enjoyed working with Ten Hag throughout his tenure.
Here’s what he said.
Former Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer(Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
DANIEL MURPHY
Rashford’s five word response to ‘malicious’ rumours he could leave United
Marcus Rashford has delivered a five-word social media comment hitting back at a United fan channel who were debating whether he has a future at the club.
The striker has not had a fruitful season up to this point, scoring just one club goal having also been admonished by boss Erik ten Hag for attending a party hours after the derby defeat to Manchester City eight days ago.
He was left out of the squad for Saturday’s triumph over Fulham having picked up a knock in training and subsequently failing a late fitness test. Rashford netted a career high 30 goals last term and secured a new five-year deal in July.