Richard Martin

Manchester United are ready to fast-track Rasmus Hojlund's eventual sale to Napoli and sell the Danish forward to the Serie A champions when the January transfer window opens. Hojlund, who joined United from Atalanta in 2023, has hit the ground running for Antonio Conte's side since moving on loan on transfer deadline day, scoring four goals in six matches in all competitions.

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha paid off sizeable chunks of their big transfer fees with spectacular displays as Manchester United beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-2 to record three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time in 20 months. Cunha netted his first for the club to open the scoring while Mbeumo struck twice, his last goal seeing off the growing threat of a Brighton comeback.

Bruno Fernandes made his 300th appearance for Manchester United as he started against Brighton on Saturday. The Portuguese midfielder joined United in January 2020 from Sporting CP and is regarded as the best signing the club has made in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. The captain made his milestone appearance five months after rejecting a succulent offer to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.

As Marcus Rashford prepares to face Real Madrid as Barcelona's most productive player this season, fresh from scoring two classy goals against Olympiacos in the Champions League, it is worth remembering that the striker was mocked in some quarters for having the audacity to think he could even play for the Blaugrana after two disappointing seasons, let alone rip it up for them.

Youth football is in Pep Guardiola's blood. He emerged from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and then took his first steps as a coach after being appointed manager of the Catalans' B team all the way back in 2007. When he became first-team coach at Camp Nou one year later, he promoted the likes of Sergio Busquets and Pedro, plus the returning Gerard Pique, as Barca swept to the treble in style.

Bruno Fernandes consulted the opinion of Cristiano Ronaldo when he was weighing up the possibility of leaving Manchester United to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia over the summer. The United captain revealed that he spoke to his Portugal team-mate when the lucrative offer came in but rejected it after discussing it with his family and coach Ruben Amorim.

Ruben Amorim has sought to explain why Manchester United have not yet opened talks with Harry Maguire about a new contract. Maguire scored the goal which gave United their first away win at Liverpool for nine years but his future with the Red Devils is in doubt as he is into the last year of his contract. From January, he will be allowed to speak to foreign clubs about joining as a free agent.

Manchester City's youth academy is one of the most productive talent factories in the world, although the reality is the vast majority of graduates end up having to seek their fortune away from the Etihad Stadium. Phil Foden is the pride and joy of City's youth system, but for many years he was the exception that proved the rule.

Erling Haaland has opened a window to all the hard work and preparation that lies behind his incredible goal-scoring form. In the first video on his brand new YouTube channel, the Norwegian takes viewers inside his home and into Manchester City's training ground to show them a day in the life of a striker who has scored 24 goals already this season for club and country.

Erling Haaland scored for the 12th game running for club and country as Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday. Bernardo Silva also netted to rubber-stamp City's first away win in Europe's top competition for more than a year, taking Pep Guardiola's side on to seven points from their three games in the league phase.

Manchester City's Champions League visit to Villarreal should have been a triumphant homecoming for Rodri, a return to the club that made him. But the midfielder will get no warm welcome back from his former fans at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday as he instead recovers from a hamstring injury that has raised further doubts over his ability to get back to his best a year after undergoing knee surgery.

The last time Manchester United won at Anfield, Great Britain was still in the European Union, Donald Trump was best known as the presenter of The Apprentice and Leicester City were top of the Premier League. Marcus Rashford had not yet played a first-team game, Arne Slot had not yet entered management and Ruben Amorim was seeing out his playing career in Qatar.

Harry Maguire ended Manchester United's long, long wait to win away at Liverpool as he snatched a 2-1 victory which could kickstart the Ruben Amorim era at last. Maguire headed home Bruno Fernandes' swerving cross in the 85th minute to restore United's advantage shortly after Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo's quick-fire opener.

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.