Clutch Maguire rises for Amorim's finest hour

Lord Harry Maguire of Slabhead

When Cody Gakpo equalised for Liverpool 12 minutes from time you feared the worst.

For those of us watching at home, and for the 3,000 or so in the away end at Anfield, you could sense what was coming: United would s**t themselves in the face of a full blown onslaught from the wounded but hungry champions. It was an achingly familiar and unpleasant feeling from deep inside. United, as we have done so often, were going to snatch defeat when victory was within reach. 

Clutch Maguire comes up trumps 

Except, this time, it was different: United had their own battering ram in the familiar form of Harry Maguire's forehead. The man for the big occasion who has come in clutch so often rose again to head himself into Old Trafford folklore and end United's near decade-long wait for a win on enemy territory. An entire generation of United-supporting kids have never seen this before. 

Maguire's last six goals have all come in late and dramatic fashion: equaliser vs FC Porto (91 minutes), 93rd-minute winner against Leicester, the winner over Ipswich, THAT extra-time header vs Lyon, 89th-minute at Grimsby to level and now his 84th-minute intervention here. Surely this man deserves a statue...

Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata, Robin van Persie, Carlos Tevez, John O'Shea, Ryan Giggs and Diego Forlan. The list of United players to score winners here over the past few decades is not extensive but you can now add Maguire to it. 

Reward and vindication for Amorim 

This was United's finest result and performance of the Ruben Amorim era - and what better place to finally pick up the long-awaited second successive Premier League victory. For the first time in a long while, Amorim, the players, us fans and the club as a collective can puff out our chests with pride. 

Amorim's team selection raised eyebrows before kick off. Benjamin Sesko was back on the bench despite two goals in as many games and Leny Yoro, consistently impressive this season, was dropped. Amorim reverted to the same back three as the Brentford debacle and also included the weary Casemiro who played back-to-back 90 minutes for the Selecao, on the other side of the world. 

Yet for a man who has had so much criticism both on these pages and elsewhere (not all of it justified, in fairness), it was difficult to find fault here. He came with a game plan to pin Liverpool back and bypass their press and was rewarded with a superb display of contain and counter-attack. The public backing of his boss, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, may have allowed him a manager who has looked at odds with himself at times this season to breathe a little easier.

Whether Amorin does, indeed, last the three years Ratcliffe wants, or only another three months, both men will always have this to remember fondly. 
The first United manager to win here since 2016, succeeding where Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag failed. 

Granted, the Reds, clad in all white, rode their luck at times. Cody Gakpo struck both posts and the bar, whilst Senne Lammens saved superbly from Alexander Isak. You expect that at Anfield - Liverpool may look poor right now but they are the still the champions and this was Anfield. Sometimes you need a bit of fortune and we got it here. 

But United could, indeed probably should, have been a couple of goals ahead by the break when Bruno Fernandes fired wide from a good position.

But this was no smash and grab. We were well worth our win and responded superbly when Arne Slot's needs-must substitution changed the game and eventually brought the leveller. United kept their heads and Maguire used his at the crucial moment.

It is testament to Maguire's resilience and ability he is still a United player. Lesser beings would have thrown in the towel after losing the captaincy then seeing multiple attempts to sell him. Bullied by trolls and a much malinged figure of fun, But he never lets his head drop, always does his best and - in an age where nearly every metric of a player's game can be measured - Maguire has something that is simply priceless: character. May your apologies be louder than your disrespect. 

Amad, Mbeumo and Cunha lead the charge 

Bryan Mbeumo

United were spearheaded superbly by the magic of Bryan Mbeumo and the fleet-footed finesse of the in form Amad. The two dovetailed perfectly against Sunderland and Amorim deserves credit for keeping faith with the duo when perhaps the more defensive-minded Noussair Mazraoui would have made more sense. Mbeumo struck the quickest ever goal in this fixture and has looked the part since his summer signing from Brentford. 

As for Matheus Cunha: this lad was born to play for us. He may be yet to notch his first goal for United, but his multitude of assets was vital. He covered every blade of grass, knitted everything together, the ball stuck to him like glue, had the most touches of any United player, and he was a constant thorn in Liverpool's side. His ball carrying and physicality is elite and he celebrated the award of a late free-kick like a winning goal. What a player. 

Despite his, and our, critics, there are signs the tide is turning for Amorim's United. Into the top half and only three points off both our vanquished rivals and fourth place. Of course, we have to back this up now with a win against a Brighton side victorious on their last three trips to Old Trafford. But - the Grimsby and Brentford aberrations aside, we've not been nearly as bad as has been made out. 

And so United have thrown down the gauntlet and passed the ultimate test. This team and the manager have proved they can do it, we are capable and have in it us to pull off a result like this one. The challenge now is to do so on a regular basis. 

He won't turn the Reds around... Ruben Amorim

 It's time to be honest and say it like it is: I have lost faith in Ruben Amorim. 

Ruben Amorim

I like the guy - he's articulate, carries himself well, speaks sense, genuinely does seem to care and has strong charisma and charm.
That's all well and good, and would stand you in good stead in most other jobs. But the pressure cooker, goldfish bowl world of professional football management is not 'most other jobs'. Amorim is paid very handsomely to win football matches, and even win some of them well, but - right now - he is failing spectacularly to do so. 

He is clearly an intelligent man and coach, which makes the nature of some of his decisions all the more baffling. There is no evidence of progress, we're not building anything and there are no tangible signs of improvement to point at.  

Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko are promising and could prove to be the best trio of signings United have made in years: but even their bright starts to life at Old Trafford are threatening to become swallowed up by the banquet of ineptitude they find themselves at.

It can't be a question of giving Amorim time - time for what, exactly? You can back him on hypotheticals but very little hard evidence. I've used the Mikel Arteta argument (he finished 8th twice before he started to make an imprint on Arsenal) but, as most Gooners will tell you, even then there were the green shoots of a beautiful flower growing in the right direction. There were baby steps towards where they are now. I really wanted it to work, I wanted him to come good and, as the chant from the Stretford End says: 'turn the Reds around'. But I've seen enough: we're only going one way under this manager. 

I don't even mind not winning if, at least, you can see something to get you off your seat: some flair, some artistry, a bit of magic or even good old fashioned 'handbags'. But there is nothing. Absolutely nothing to keep your attention when watching United at the moment. 

We're not going to win every game 6-0; I don't think anyone expects that. But we do expect to have something to back, something to believe in. Something to make us believe what he told us: the good times are coming.Amorim's steadfast refusal to shy away from his contentious 3-4-2-1 formation is only part of the problem. 

Bruno Fernandes flailing as a no.8 in midfield; the continued selections of serial losers Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Manuel Ugarte, the misuse of our best Academy graduate in years, constantly subbing one centre back for another, the omission of Leny Yoro. Amorim's charge sheet is lengthy and continues to grow. It's the same mistakes we've seen for the best part of a year. He is not learning from them or taking any responsibility. Nine wins in the equivalent of virtually a full Premier League 38-game season (and not one of them in succession) is abhorrent for any club let alone this one. 

People in any walk of life have to adapt to the world around them: you put a coat on when its raining, you might get a bus if your train is cancelled. You might be moved from a job in the office to a job on the shop floor, or in a warehouse. Yet you make the best of the situation in front of you; sometimes you have to think on your feet or even maybe take action you'd rather not. 

It's the same for football managers: you have to adapt to the squad you have and take its strength and weaknesses, its limitations and its variables, into account. You have to find the best solution to solve the problems: Amorim either can't or won't and is sacking himself as a result. 

Xabi Alonso took Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double with his thrilling, swashbuckling 3-4-1-2 set up. Only Atalanta prevented Alonso's unfashionable Die Schwarzroten from doing a historic treble. That success earned Alonso a crack at the biggest job in world football at the Bernabeu, and since going there, he has gone from strength to strength. Alonso may have proved that a three-at-the-back formation can, and does, work. But, even in his short time in the Real Madrid hotseat, he has regularly changed and tweaked his tactical set-up playing just about anything from a 3-4-3 to a 4-3-3. You could argue that Real Madrid have such an embarrasment of riches the manager's blueprint shouldn't matter, and you could be right, but the point is Alonso has shown a willingness to adapt to his surroundings. 

The players Amorim has at his disposal have never been asked to play this way.  Too many of them are tasked with jobs they are simply not cut out for. I just cannot see how this is ever going to work and when its obvious something isn't working, and the person primarily responsible isn't going to change it, there can only be one result. 

Quite why INEOS looked at Amorim, a man wedded to a system United have never used, and thought it would work in England with these players, is beyond me. It is another question mark against their reign of terror in the corridor of power. 

He has gone from the most exciting young manager in Europe, a manager with the highest win rate in Sporting's history, to the one with United's lowest. Amongst ever-present Premier League sides since his arrival, United are bottom of the pile. 

Yet you know the craziest thing of all? Amorim doesn't even need to change his formation to improve this. All he has to do is put Fernandes further up as one of the 10s and drop Mainoo in alongside Casemiro and you would see an instant uptick. He could still play his beloved 3-4-2-1 but it would be more mobile, more disciplined and harder to beat. We would have a modicum of control with Mainoo, Fernandes would flourish in his natural position and we'd at least string a few results together. The answer is literally staring him in the face. 

United signed Serge Lammens in January: I understand not throwing him into high profile clashes with City and Chelsea as that's tough for any new players to come into. But surely a game at Brentford, a club known for their set piece prowess, would have been the ideal scenario for a debut? Bayindir is an accident waiting to happen and is worse than Andre Onana - United really did have the worst pair of keepers in the league. A far cry from the days of David de Gea and Sergio Romero. 

The sands of time are surely ticking with Amorim's United hurtling towards another season in the trenches. 

Grimsby Town vs Man United: Amorim to make changes but pick strong side

Ruben Amorim takes his United side to the Lincolnshire coast for a first meeting with Grimsby Town in 77 years. 
The Reds will hope to avoid being all at sea against the fourth tier Mariners in the unchartered waters of the Carabao Cup second round. 
United are still searching for a first win of the campaign and this tie against League Two opposition will provide a perfect opportunity to get our season up and running. 

There are expected to be several changes with many of United's big names given the night off, but Amorim is likely to still select a relatively strong side.

Here is how we think the Reds will line up at Blundell Park. 

Home of Grimsby Town FC, Blundell Park

GK - Tom Heaton

Andre Onana is out of favour and the unconvincing Altay Bayindir has started the first two league games. The 39-year-old veteran has started only three games since returning for his second spell at Old Trafford - two of which came in this competition during United's run to Wembley which ultimately ended in glory. 
Heaton shouldn't expect a busy night against a Grimsby side who will likely defend in numbers, so this is ideal for him to get a run out

RCB - Tyler Fredricson

The young defender caught the eye on the left hand side of the three-man defence when he made a long-awaited debut last term. With United minds on Bilbao, Fredricson impressed against Wolves and Brentford and has stayed at the club despite being linked to a move away. I'd like to see him get another go here.

CB - Harry Maguire

The senior man in United's back three, Maguire will start after two brief substitute appearances. With regular skipper Bruno Fernandes to be given the night off, expect Maguire to be named as stand in skipper for this one. 

LCB - Ayden Heaven

Came on late against Fulham and, with Mathijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro rested, will come into the defence. Like his senior partner Maguire, this will be Heaven's first start of the season and he will lay down his claim to displace the current Yoro/De Ligt/Shaw triumvirate. Heaven impressed in his debut campaign at Old Trafford and this will be a good opportunity for him to get minutes in the legs.

RWB - Noussair Mazraoui

Missed the latter part of pre-season and the first two competitive fixtures with a knock, but Amorim has said the Moroccan full-back is close to a return. This tie could come too soon but, if fit, it's a good platform for Mazraoui to get a run out and up to speed. One of the few players to consistently impress last term, Mazraoui's return provides United will strength in depth in an important area of the team

CM - Kobbie Mainoo

There has been much furore over Mainoo's absence from the side against Arsenal and Fulham. He hasn't even played a minute amidst doubts over his future. But we expect him to get his chance in this one with Casemiro and Fernandes to get the night off. He's better than a rotation option against a League Two side, but  - if he impresses - might he force his way back into Amorim's thinking? Surely this is the game for Mainoo. 

CM - Manuel Ugarte

After chaotic cameos in two sub appearances, let's hope we see a more controlled and composed Ugarte here. He should see plenty of the ball, and his link up with Mainoo will be key with United expected to monopolise possession and break down Grimsby. Largley seen as one of Mainoo's rivals for this position in midfield, with the pair having played alongside each other only ten times last season. This will be the eleventh and the under-pressure Uruguyuan needs a good showing. 

LWB - Diego Leon

The most unheralded of United's four summer signings, Leon is another South American export hoping to impress. Expected to ply his trade in the youth set up with an eventual pathway to senior football, Leon will be eyeing this tie for his Reds bow. Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu will be rested, paving the way for Leon to become United's latest debutant. It will give us a first look at the young Paraguyuan - the first man from that nation to turn out for our first team. 

CAM - Amad

Yet to hit the heights of last season, Amad came on against Arsenal but was hooked early at Fulham. He will operate further forward at Blundell Park charged with sparking United's rotated attack into life. The young Ivorian was one of the very few bright spots in our dismal season last term, and will again look to be tormentor-in-chief. Like some of his colleagues, Amad will hope a strong performance here will help him kick on after a frustrating start to the campaign. 

CAM - Joshua Zirkzee

With big money summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo not needed here, Zirkzee will get his first minutes of the season. The Dutch forward can play through the middle or in a deeper playmaking role. Zirkzee was much malinged during his early months as a United player but enjoyed something of a renaissance in the second half of last season. Although not prolific, Zirkzee will fancy his chances of a profitable night's work against a fourth tier defence. Worked hard to turn around his fortunes with his movement and link up play impressive and will surely get his opportunity here. 

ST - Benjamin Sesko 

Although United have the likes of Chido Obi waiting in the wings, we think Sesko will come in for his first start in Red. The giant Slovenian needs minutes and momentum as he gets up to speed with the English game after two sub appearances in which he we did not see the best of him. Once that first goal goes in an opposition net, Sesko's confidence will rise and he will be an entirely different proposition. This Carabao Cup tie provides an ideal opportunity for that impact to be made and put him in the picture for a first league start against Burnley on Saturday.

A rotated Reds side but still a team with plenty of experience and one that should be strong enough to get the job done. The bench will feature several youngsters - perhaps the likes of Godwill Kukonki, Harry Amass, Obi and the Fletcher brothers Tyler and Jack. There may well be a few first team names there too with Cunha, Fernandes and Casemiro et al. Just in case... 

Prediction: You can never safely predict the outcome of a United match, but surely even we cannot mess this one up. We think it could be tight and scrappy for an hour but then Grimsby will tire and United's superior quality shines through. Amorim's side to win it

Grimsby Town 0-3 Man Utd 

Kobbie Mainoo is a player United should build the team around

There should be a simple solution to Ruben Amorim's midfield malaise at Manchester United. 

For all the talk of a megamoney move for Carlos Baleba, the answer to United's issues is right in front of us - sitting on the bench in 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo. 

He is a player United should be looking to build our team around for the next 10, 15, 20 years - a fantastic, generational talent and the future of that United midfield. Instead, if the rumours are to be believed, we are looking to cash in on him and let him go. That would be absolutely criminal and the worst decision this club has made for decades. INEOS risk losing the fans for good if they sanction the sale of one of our best academy graduates in the past decade. 

A little more than two years on, 
these four players may have left the club 
by the time the window shuts 

I cannot tell you how angry this has made me - in what world should Mainoo be one of the first out the door. The maelstrom surrounding Mainoo could well turn out to be exactly that - with only a week left of the transfer window, there remains a very good chance of the man who's been at this club since he was six not going anywhere.  But the fact it is even a topic of conversation is worrying. 

Not only would we be dispensing with one of the finest products of Carrington's conveyor belt, but delivering a strike to the heart of Manchester United's ethos - the trust, belief and development in youth. With Mainoo forced to the fringes of the first team with a World Cup looming, the timing could not be worse. 

Mainoo has not played a minute in United's opening two games of the campaign against Arsenal and Fulham with the unconvincing Manuel Ugarte coming on ahead of him. Mainoo played only the closing seconds of the Europa League final in Bilbao. It is not even certain he will get a start on Wednesday when the Reds visit fourth tier Grimsby in the Carabao Cup. Amorim does need appear to rate him and it says a lot about Mainoo's current place in the pecking order. 

Unless Fernandes is moved into one of the no.10 positions currently occupied by summer recruits Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, it is difficult to see Amorim dropping his key man and captain. 

Mainoo's path at United is blocked, with Amorim's comments that he's competing with captain Bruno Fernandes for a spot in midfield suggesting he's not getting near the XI any time soon. Never mind the fact they are completely different types of players in different positions, a Man United midfield with Mainoo in it offers an instant upgrade. Why can't Mainoo and Fernandes play in a double pivot with Casemiro or Ugarte? 

In all honesty, I would rather Fernandes, Amad or any other player leave the club before Mainoo. If it does happen, I would be Amorim out because any project without Mainoo at its centre is one I cannot get behind. If the answer is to sell Mainoo because he doesn't fit the system, then the system and the manager are the problem. 

A player with the quality and ability of Mainoo must be integrated into this team. Of course, no player is ever undroppable but, off the back of his scintillating breakthrough season, he should be one of the first names on the team sheet. Particularly given United's struggles in controlling the midfield and dictating games. Fernandes is not an 8, but Amorim kept him on the pitch and even put Mason Mount alongside him when Benjamin Sesko came on at Fulham. With United only playing one game a week, opportunities to rotate will be minimal.

How did it all come to this for a player who already has quite the CV? Ever since his magnificent full debut at Everton in November 2023 where he bossed the space between defence and midfield, he has been touted as United's next big star. 

That star only continued to shine as he ran the game at Anfield, catching the eye as the ultimate big game player. His highlights reel is impressive: that 98th-minute curling winner at Wolves, another screamer in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford, and dragging United - kicking and screaming - back from the dead on that famous night against Lyon. Then there was his goal and man of the match showing in the FA Cup final and his impressive Euros campaign, culminating in getting the nod against Spain as England finished runners-up. 

Mainoo's future remains uncertain but United must do whatever it takes to keep him. 

Welcome to Manchester United, Benjamin Sesko

Manchester United look set to complete the signing of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko from under the noses of Newcastle, as per BBC. 
Sesko will become Ruben Amorim's fourth summer signing and will slot in as the spearhead of his new-look attacking trident with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo completing the triumvirate. 
Eddie Howe's Magpies seemed to be in pole position to land the lad from Leipzig as a replacement for wantaway star Alexander Isak. But - like a long distance runner in a 5,000m race - United sat in, bided their time and overtook their rivals with a late bid in the home straight.

Benjamin Sesko to Man United 

There can be no doubt 75m is a lot of money for a 22-year-old Bundesliga striker with 39 goals in two season. But there can also be no argument United are in desperate need of reinforcements having scored a record low 44 league goals last term. So whilst Sesko's hefty price tag and, therefore, increased expectations, will carry a lot of weight, he surely cannot be any worse.

As always, the Reds have been linked with a series of strikers all summer long - from the sublime (Viktor Gyokeres) to the ridiculous (Nicolas Jackson), via Ollie Watkins, Hugo Ekitite and Victor Osimhen. 
Sesko has attracted United's admiring glances for a couple of years now, but it was only once Newcastle entered the room that things gathered pace.

You can criticise INEOS for a fair bit of behind-the-scenes chaos at Old Trafford, but Jason Wilcox, Omar Berrada and Christopher Vivell have played this one to perfection. An official bid was only sent in for Sesko once it became apparent he wanted to sign for us, and from there, it has become a formality. Although Newcastle's initial bid was slightly higher than United's first offer, they have since matched it and Sesko has eyes only for Old Trafford. The stage is set for Manchester United's new centre forward to enter stage left. 

A switch to Newcastle offers Sesko Champions League football and arguably a club on a more stable footing. But despite the lure of the St James Park riches, the pull of Manchester United was too great, as per Sky Sports. The chance to lead the line for one of the world's most iconic and famous club - and the opportunity to bring us out of the doldrums - ultimately came up trumps. Who's that team we call United?! 

It is quite remarkable how a side with the worst attacking output in the league last season now has a front three fit to grace any of Europe's elite. The arrivals of two of the Premier League's best attackers in Cunha and Mbeumo, behind the imminent Slovenian, provides an instant upgrade for Amorim's United. With Amad, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount - who caught the eye in pre-season - also at the manager's disposal, there can be no excuses this time around.

Of course, this feels like a path United have walked down before. A young, emerging striker from Europe coming to Old Trafford for a large price tag as a relative unknown? For Sesko in 2025, read Rasmus Hojlund in 2023. It is with a touch of irony that the former is already seen a replacement for the latter. But there is no reason why the two cannot operate in tandem - indeed, perhaps the arrival of Sesko can spur Hojlund on to greater heights as we approach World Cup year.  

Hojlund of course could still leave, either on loan or permanently, but it's believed he wants to stay and fight for his place. Either way, it feels like Hojlund's United career is already in the 'last chance' saloon: a damning indictment on a player we spent so much on only two years ago. We can only hope Sesko does not go the same way. 

Benjamin Sesko

What is the true value of a striker? Do you invest in an experienced no.9 with a prolific goalscoring record like Haaland, or do you buy in to the future where a player can grow and learn into the role, like we did with Hojlund and like we're doing with Sesko? Delap at Chelsea is another example of an up and coming player tasked with leading the line for a Premier League giant. 

Sesko's signing continues the trend of European strikers making big money moves to the Premier League this summer: Delap to Chelsea, Gyokeres to Arsenal and Hugo Ekitite to Liverpool. Isak could be pending. 

So what are we getting with this lad? A player with 39 goals in 87 games across two seasons at Leipzig, Sesko plied his trade in Austria before his switch to the Bundesliga, and plundered 29 in 79 for Red Bull rivals Salzburg. A tall, rangy striker at 6ft 5, he is good in the air and, unusually for a tall man, his pace and technical ability makes him one of the most highly-rated players in Europe. A player with 41 caps for his country, he would become the first Slovenian to don the red of United. 

Welcome to Manchester United, Benjamin Sesko. It's going to be quite the ride...

Five strikers Man United could sign this summer

Viktor Gyokeres of 
Sporting CP

Manchester United are looking to sign a top quality centre-forward in the summer with Ruben Amorim reportedly losing faith and patience with Rasmus Hojlund.

This side needs a goalscorer but the lack of European football means the Reds face a battle to lure the continent’s top talents to Old Trafford.

With Bruno Fernandes eyeing up a possible move to the riches of the Saudi league, United could have a large chunk of money to spend on a replacement.

Here are five strikers the Reds could sign this summer

Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting)

The hottest property in Europe right now, Gyokeres has plundered 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting. He surely will not be with the Portuguese champions much longer, with every major side on the continent queuing for his signature. He will come at a heavy price, though, and surely a player of his quality will want to showcase his talent in the Champions League. His transfer makes the most sense as a player whom has played under Ruben Amorim at Sporting, is proven at the top level and fits this system like a glove.  It’s been a remarkable rise for Gyokeres – from Brighton squad player to one of the best in the business.

Victor Osimhen (Napoli, on loan at Galatasaray)

Another player in high demand, Osimhen has long been linked with a move to United. This move has more leverage than any potential deal for Gyokeres as Napoli want Alejandro Garnacho. United’s wantaway Argentine could be used as a makeweight to bring the Nigerian to Old Trafford, but without European football, United may struggle to compete with several other leading lights in the battle for Osimhen. A more all round attacking threat than his Sporting counterpart, his pace, strength and athleticism would provide some much-needed physicality to United’s attack.

Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

Different in style to both Gyokeres and Osimhen, Mateta’s starring role in Palace’s FA Cup win capped his finest season for the Eagles. A typical ‘battering ram’ of a centre-forward, Mateta’s assist for Eberechi Eze showcased everything the powerful Frenchman has to offer – he bullies defenders, runs in behind, can hold the ball up with a decent touch and gets on the end of balls into the box. Basically, everything Hojlund isn’t.

I would take Mateta at United in a heartbeat – proven in the Premier League, a player to have thrived in the 3-4-3 Amorim identikit and an instant upgrade in attack. Having gone down in south London folklore for his part in their FA-Cup exploits, the time has come for Mateta to move on from Palace’s perennial mid-tablers – even as they embark on their debut European campaign next term.

Mika Biereth (AS Monaco)

Biereth never played for the Gunners during his time in London (although he did make the first team bench), but has been a man reborn since moving to the Principality. Having hit 14 in 25 at Sturm Graz, the Dane continued his prolific season at Monaco with 13 goals in 18 games to fire them to a third place finish in Ligue 1. Like all of the other strikers on our list, Biereth is certain of Champions League football next season if he stays at Monaco, and any transfer would be his third in twelve months. Physical and quick, Biereth scored a hat-trick of hat-tricks in February alone and ten goals in as many games for Monaco saw him earn a first Denmark call

up. Hojlund’s compatriot and doppelganger has scored goals for fun on the continent and continues to go from strength to strength. A move back to the Premier League surely beckons on his current trajectory.

Hugo Ekitite (Eintract Frankfurt)

A relative unknown outside of Frankfurt until this season, Ekitite’s impressive numbers have attracted many a suitor. Despite losing star forward Omar Marmoush to City in January, unfashionable Frankfurt finished third in the Bundelisga, their highest position in 13 years, thanks to Ekitite’s 22 goals in 48 games – a decent return for a 22 year old in his first full season.
That form has catapulted him into the spotlight and caught the eye of several Premier League suitors. An intelligent and hard-working forward, Ekitite plies his trade both as a ‘traditional’ number nine but also as a ‘between the lines’ forward.
Like Hojlund, Ekitite is still young and has no Premier League experience so he’s a left field alternative with Amorim ideally looking for a more proven striker. He is expected to leave Frankfurt this summer with Newcastle and Chelsea also showing interest in the Frenchman. But the chance to turn United’s fortunes around and take us back to the top is still an attractive prospect and you can be sure United will be in the conversation when it comes to Ekitite. Given they sold Marmoush for 59m, Ekitite is likely to carry a similar price tag.

Welcome to the new reality of Man Utd in 2025

It is the morning after the night before. Barely 24 hours on from events in Bilbao and I'm struggling to make sense of it all.
What has become of the club I've loved since I first set eyes on it at six years old? It was not supposed to be like this. We were not supposed to go this low. I didn't think it could get any worse last season when we finished eighth. This is not the club I fell in love with attending that first game with my uncle almost three decades ago. I've never felt more dispirited or disconnected. To be honest, I'm at the point where I don't really care any more. 

Of course, as a fan you have to take the thick with the thin and there are, ultimately, bigger things in life than a team losing a game of football.

Bleak days ahead for Man Utd

But this seems and feels like so much more. So much worse than that. A team can lose finals, of course, and Gdansk in 2021 hurt. But at least then there was a fillip - we were unlucky to lose to Villarreal in that final and had a decent domestic season. We had the cushion of European football the next season and were going in the right direction. It stung but we could see a way forward.

Four years on and this defeat to the Hotspurs of Tottenham - a club infamous for its allergy to silverware - hurts like nothing I've ever had before. It will sting for the next few weeks and into the summer. I will still be hurting when next season's European competitions kick off without United. Even if we had stunk the gaff out in the Champions League, the financial benefits alone would have been worthwhile.

Instead, we are left with nothing. No European football, no Viktor Gyokeres or Rayan Cherki. Inflated ticket prices and the prospect of all our rivals strengthening whilst we get weaker. This is bleak, ladies and gents. It's very bleak. I can't see how we improve for next season. I don't expect us to be anywhere near the top half of the Premier League again in 2025-26 either. Who would have thought we'd be here when Erik ten Hag was sacked. Since then, United have collected only 28 points, slipped to 16th in the league with ten wins and lost a make of break European final to Spurs.

These players will go down in infamy

The initial grief and shock has come and gone, and my sadness has turned to rage. I'm absolutely furious this has been allowed to happen. My anger towards the Glazers, bubbling beneath the surface for 20 years, has now reached boiling point. This is all their fault. They got the club into this mess through criminal negligence and financial mismanagement. I'm fuming at the players for binning the league off to focus on this competition then turning in the most apathetic, anodyne and arrythmic showing I've ever seen from any side in a major final. The final criminal act of negligence in a season of infamy. This squad will forever be remembered as the United side that resided over our worst season in living memory and lost to Tottenham in a final. 

A touch over 17,000 Reds spent thousands of pounds in getting to Bilbao - some without tickets or beds - taking the proverbial trains, planes and automobiles for one of the biggest matches in United's history. That performance was an insult, a disgrace, to every single one of those fans who made the journey. at great personal cost and expense. The players on the field never came close to matching the fans passion, energy and dedication. The 'Bilbao or bust' tightrope spun from United's grasp at the final hurdle. As the minutes ticked down and United fought against the dying of the light, I never like we were going to score. 

Reds miss out on continental feast

United will be without European football of any kind in a season for only the second time in my life. The last time was 2014-15 under Louis van Gaal - before then it was 1989/90 in the fledgling early days of Alex Ferguson. Fans, players and coaching staff will have to adapt to the new reality of playing oen game a week. 

The counter argument is no European football might actually help: it's not like we were going to win it and, now, Ruben Amorim can spend more time fine tuning his methods in training. But there are also significant drawbacks - the lack of 'pull' when approaching new potential new signings, far less TV, broadcast and commercial revenue and an escalation of our already dire financial situation. 

There needs to be clarity from the club now. Where do we go from here? What is the INEOS vision for the summer? What does the future look like? There will be sales - Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund will likely leave and don't rule out Bruno Fernandes going either. 

United need a better attack, a better goalkeeper with Andre Onana still not convincing two seasons in, and better options at wing-back. I admire Amorim's brutal honesty, but he is a struggling employee who needs clarification and support from those above and around him. 

It's a Heartache 

United are hurtling headlong towards financial and footballing oblivion and everyone seems powerless to prevent it. It will be tough to take as we step out into the wilderness and many years in the doldrums before the beast stirs again. Often, the only way out of situations like this is to simply plough on through.
This is a harsh lesson: no one is above rebuke, no one is above the fickle hand of complacency and misalignment. What we're seeing and living through is the culmination of two decades worth of treachery, negligence and abhorrent decision making at every turn. 

It is both apt and painfully ironic Amorim is serenaded with our own terrace take of the Bonnie Tyler hit 'It's a Heartache'. Right now, our hearts certainly are breaking at the state of our beloved football club. As for Amorim bringing the glory days again.... that, too, looks a long long way in the future.