Richard Martin

A £60 million-plus Manchester United signing from Brazil would normally be guaranteed a place in the starting line-up in the biggest game of the season at Liverpool. And yet Matheus Cunha is most likely to spend the first part of Sunday’s visit to Anfield in the Premier League warming the bench due to the renaissance of another £60m man in Mason Mount.

Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim has welcomed the public backing he recently received from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in spite of the team's ragged results this season. The Portuguese claimed he already felt supported by the club's hierarchy even after losing four of United's opening eight games in all competitions. And he revealed the person who puts him under the most pressure.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted he does not know when Rodri will return from injury as he confirmed that the Ballon d'Or winning midfielder will miss Saturday's Premier League clash with Everton. Rodri suffered a hamstring injury in City's 1-0 win at Brentford before the international break, missing two World Cup qualifiers for Spain as a result.

Pep Guardiola longed to see Jack Grealish return to being the player he was when he helped Manchester City sweep to the treble. He waited and waited, and now has finally got his wish, albeit not in the way he would have hoped. Grealish feels like a brand new player away from City on loan at Everton, even more influential than in 2023, a talisman for his new club rather than just one of many stars.

Of all factors explaining the chasm between Manchester United and Liverpool right now, not one can compare with the differing approaches to appoint their latest managers. Liverpool were compelled to hire Arne Slot after consulting a highly sophisticated data model developed by a Harvard-educated physicist. United, meanwhile, recruited Ruben Amorim largely because of the vibes.

Thomas Tuchel has done the bare minimum expected of him when he was appointed as England manager one year ago: Qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel has done it with minimal fuss, too, as the Three Lions have won all six of their competitive games to top their qualifying group with two games to spare. It has not always been pretty, but that will count for little once the tournament gets going next summer.

England are going to the 2026 World Cup, and they are going there in style after another 5-0 win away from home as Latvia became the latest victims of a team that is well and truly taking shape under Thomas Tuchel. The Three Lions have booked their place at next summer's bonanza in North America with two games to spare after winning their first six qualifiers, without conceding a single goal in the process.

A typically insatiable Harry Kane fired England to the 2026 World Cup as the captain scored twice in the 5-0 hammering of Latvia which extended the Three Lions' 100 percent record in qualifying. Kane, who had missed Thursday's friendly win over Wales with an ankle injury, returned to set a new England record by scoring more than once for the 13th time in international football to move on to 76 goals for his country.

Premier League fans, particularly those of a Tottenham Hotspur persuasion, were left disappointed this week when Harry Kane declared that he has no plans to come home as he is enjoying life with Bayern Munich so much. And why would he? He is primed to add another Bundesliga title to his maiden trophy won last year after firing Bayern to an explosive start to the season.

There was an air of resignation in Ruben Amorim's voice when he addressed reports of Manchester United's potential plans to jet off to Saudi Arabia in the middle of the season to play friendly games. The Portuguese is a coach that talks of the importance of focus, on having lots of training sessions, of being fully committed to the cause of reviving the club's fortunes. And exhibition tours fly in the face of all that.

If we have learned one thing above anything else so far in the Premier League this season, it is to not turn off your television or leave your seat early. There was yet more late drama but this time champions Liverpool were the victims and not the beneficiaries of the added time as they were dealt a late sucker punch by Chelsea's Brazilian wonderkid Estevao.

Mason Mount has revealed how much Manchester United players are struggling with their difficult start to the season. The Red Devils got some relief after losing three of their opening six games by beating Sunderland 2-0 on Saturday thanks to first-half goals from Mount and Benjamin Sesko. The midfielder highlighted how important the win was to the whole squad and to under-fire coach Ruben Amorim.

Ruben Amorim said he could feel that his Manchester United players do not want him to get sacked after they beat Sunderland 2-0 to ease the pressure on the coach. Goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko gave United a third win of the season and soothed the pain of last week's defeat at Brentford, which led to high profile figures such as Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney fiercely criticising Amorim.

Ruben Amorim can put his feet up and enjoy the international break knowing his job is safe for now after Manchester United enjoyed a surprisingly comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland. Mason Mount struck early to get the Red Devils off on the right foot before Benjamin Sesko pounced after waves of pressure from the hosts, who deservedly won a third home game in a row.

Ruben Amorim has made light of the deep criticism he has received in recent weeks amid Manchester United's dismal start to the season by insisting it is nothing like what he used to face back in Portugal. Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher all took a swipe at the United boss in the aftermath of the 3-1 defeat at Brentford but he insists he takes it all in his stride.

Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Manchester United will play mid-season friendlies to raise extra revenue and gave his backing to the prospect of playing extra games abroad. The coach's admission has raised the likelihood of United facing Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia in the near future. United have extra time to play the games due to missing out on European competition.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim insists his system is not to blame for his team's poor run of results after he faced scathing criticism from club legends Gary Neville and Wayne Rooney as well as Jamie Carragher. The coach's 3-4-3 shape has come in for fresh scrutiny after last week's 3-1 defeat at Brentford although he claims that there are other reasons why his team have lost three of their first six Premier League games.

Manchester United will pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack at a local synagogue this week when they play Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday. Two men were killed when a man drove into members of the public before stabbing people worshipping in the north of the city on Thursday. The perpetrator was shot dead by armed police, who accidentally killed one of the victims.