Michael Carrick insisted Manchester United must not take Fulham lightly, warning it would be “bang out of order” to do so while accepting his side may need to repeat the pragmatic gameplan that produced recent derby results.

United arrive at the match as clear favourites but Carrick was keen to temper expectation. “So it might be a case [that] it’s the same flow of the game as what we’ve had the last two weeks,” the reliably unflappable head coach shrugged. “No shame in that. We’ll deal with the game, what’s in front of us, and do whatever it takes for us to be able to come out on top.”

That approach was on show in the derby win over Manchester City, a victory that was only United’s second at Old Trafford since Halloween and one built on a surgical counter-attack through the middle. United recorded just 32% possession in that game, the fourth-smallest share of the ball recorded by the club in a home game over the past 20 years.

Fulham have proved difficult opponents for the division’s bigger teams. Under Silva they took four points from back-to-back fixtures against Liverpool and Chelsea in January and pushed Arsenal and, especially, Manchester City close in defeats earlier this year. Silva’s tactical tweaks were decisive in the 1–1 draw in August, when he explained: “We knew how they defend and we know they like to squeeze from the back five,” he revealed post-game. “And if you don’t give bodies for them to squeeze from the back five you can create superiority in the middle. We know they play with two in the middle, we tried to overload with our three plus Alex [Iwobi]. It was as simple as that.”

Carrick has reverted to a 4-2-3-1, bolstering the centre with Kobbie Mainoo alongside Casemiro, who both sweep up behind Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes’ return to the No. 10 role has been significant; he assisted goals against City and Arsenal. Silva’s side will look to exploit the space between the lines, with Bryan Mbeumo and Fernandes known to swap positions.

The squad’s mood has shifted under Carrick. Lisandro Martínez captured that change: “For me, when you touch my heart, I will give everything for you, and he touched it already and you can see that on the pitch we give everything,” and “You need people who understand your quality, and I think [Carrick] is doing that,” Martínez added. “He’s getting the best out of everybody, not just the players, but the staff. The standard, structure, and demands, are really important.”

Carrick has been emphatic about the emotional side of the job. “You’ve got to play with feeling. You got to play with emotion. You got to play with excitement,” he told assembled media on Friday. The manager will also be mindful of the early praise surrounding Ruben Amorim, who “hadn’t even taken charge of his first Manchester United game by the time players were already queuing up to laud his “top training sessions.””

Pepi opened the 2025–26 season in outstanding form for PSV Eindhoven, scoring 11 goals in 22 appearances. That momentum was interrupted when he broke his arm in January and began a recovery process expected to take two months.

Despite the injury, Fulham maintained interest. According to ESPN, the Cottagers submitted a €32 million ($38 million) offer after PSV had rejected an earlier €28 million ($33.3 million) bid in December. The reigning Dutch champions are thought to be seeking around €35 million ($41.6 million) for the attacker, who joined PSV in 2023.

The move would place Pepi among a small group of his generation who have tried to establish themselves in the Premier League. Christian Pulisic remains the most notable recent example. Pulisic left Borussia Dortmund and joined Chelsea ahead of the 2019–20 season. He made 145 appearances in his four seasons at Stamford Bridge, scoring 26 goals and winning three trophies with Chelsea, including the 2020–21 Champions League title. Pulisic became the first American player to ever play in a Champions League final and only the second to lift the trophy after Jovan Kirovski.

Pulisic’s spell at Chelsea was not without problems. Recurring fitness struggles, inconsistent minutes and a carousel of managers and attacking personnel affected his time at the club, and he eventually transferred to AC Milan ahead of the 2023–24 season. Alongside players such as Antonee Robinson and Chris Richards, Pulisic has helped demonstrate that talented Americans can thrive in the Premier League.

If PSV and Fulham reach an agreement before the January transfer window closes, Pepi would be taking a significant risk. He was in the form of his life before the arm break, attracting attention from USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino. A transfer to the Premier League usually requires time to adapt, and returning from injury while attempting to adjust to a new team and a more demanding league could complicate Pepi’s prospects for consistent minutes ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Since 1992 the Premier League has been defined by English talent and by players from abroad and neighboring nations who provided steadiness season after season. Some of the competition’s most trusted appearance makers are not English, with many racking up matches after arriving from overseas or from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Schwarzer arrived as a dependable presence and proved something of a lucky charm in the top flight. The former Bradford City man played his part in Boro and the Cottagers reaching UEFA Cup/Europa League finals, and he even ‘won’ the Premier League twice—with Chelsea and Leicester—despite not making a single league appearance in either title-winning campaign.

Sylvain Distin was a Premier League stalwart for years, retiring in 2016 at the age of 38. His first venture in England was a season-long loan with Newcastle United that led to a permanent move to Manchester City. He went on to captain the future Premier League champions prior to their big-money investment, then enjoyed a two-year spell at Portsmouth that yielded FA Cup success. Everton benefited from Distin’s prime extending into his 30s and he made almost as many appearances for the Toffees as he did for City—174 in six seasons.

Ryan Giggs’s record of 13 Premier League title wins with Manchester United will probably never be bettered. The Welshman was already an established United player when the Premier League kicked off in 1992–93, and he was a key figure for Sir Alex Ferguson as the club rose to the top of the country. Later in his career Giggs converted into a central midfielder and produced some of his best football. Winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in the 2008–09 season at age 35 was followed by another two Premier League titles prior to his retirement in 2014.

Forget Arjen Robben, Damien Duff was the real star winger in José Mourinho’s early Chelsea sides, yet he’s often underrated and not given the credit he deserves. A pacy, consistent performer, Duff rose to prominence at Blackburn Rovers as a natural left winger, terrifying right backs with his running and superb delivery. Goals followed and Chelsea came calling after the Roman Abramovich-led takeover in 2003. Duff was instrumental in Chelsea winning the Premier League two seasons in a row before being phased out. Newcastle United were the next stop in his 18-year top-flight career, followed by Fulham and then a move Down Under.