Manchester United suffered another fitness concern during the international break when Ayden Heaven was hurt while featuring for England’s Under-20s on Friday. The 19-year-old required notable on-pitch treatment but was able to continue to the end of the first half. He was replaced at halftime by Crystal Palace’s Eyimofe Jemide.

England Under-20s boss Futcher was optimistic in his post-match comments but offered limited detail on the issue. “He picked something up,” said the England Under-20s boss. “I don’t think it is too serious but we will have to see how it settles down.” Futcher stressed the need to monitor how the problem develops in the coming days.

The timing of the setback is problematic for Manchester United as they prepare for a high-profile Premier League meeting with arch rivals and reigning champions Liverpool next weekend. Ruben Amorim will be managing squad selection while already contending with a depleted defensive group. Lisandro Martínez remains a long-term absentee, having been missing since February, and Noussair Mazraoui is a doubt for the trip to Anfield after sitting out the 2–0 win over Sunderland before the international period.

There are no further fixtures for England’s Under-20s during the October break, which should give Heaven a window to recover ahead of the Liverpool match. Given the circumstances, he is unlikely to be in the starting XI, but if fit he would offer useful depth to United’s defensive options for the weekend fixture.

Manchester United’s long-standing record of including an academy graduate in every matchday squad for the past 87 years has emerged as a complicating factor for Kobbie Mainoo’s proposed January departure. Reports say Mainoo, frustrated by limited opportunities, is expected to push again for a move midway through the season, but his status as an academy graduate could work against a transfer, according to ESPN.

Squad turnover over the summer reduced the pool of senior graduates available to Amorim. The sale of Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea, combined with loan exits for Marcus Rashford and Toby Collyer and Jonny Evans’s retirement, leaves Mainoo as one of only two senior academy graduates in Amorim’s squad. Third-choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton contributes to the tally and young defender Tyler Fredricson is an occasional feature in matchday squads, but options are thin.

In the 2–0 win over Sunderland before the international break, Mainoo was the sole academy graduate named in the matchday squad. Allowing the midfielder to leave would place heightened scrutiny on Amorim if the 87-year run were to end. “We want to maintain it,” Amorim said of the record recently. “The past of Manchester United is built on kids. I don’t want to be the guy that breaks that.”

United are preparing for crunch talks with Mainoo about his future ahead of the January transfer window. Striker Joshua Zirkzee is also seeking clarification over his role after tumbling down the pecking order; he has managed just 82 minutes of playing time across all competitions this season.

Both players are anxious about their international prospects ahead of next summer’s World Cup, with neither earning a place during the current international window. There is reported interest from Serie A: Napoli have been linked with Mainoo and Zirkzee has been identified as a target for Juventus. Those external enquiries add urgency to the internal discussions the club must hold in the weeks before January.

A representative of Arsenal striker Viktor Gyökeres has claimed Sporting CP reached an agreement to sell the Sweden international to Manchester United earlier this summer, but the player refused to be forced into the transfer.

There had been reports of a late hijack attempt from United, with former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim linked to a possible reunion. According to the agent team, Sporting and United agreed a fee that exceeded Arsenal’s payment, yet the transfer did not proceed because of the player’s decision.

Jonathan Chalkias, an assistant to key agent Hasan Çetinkaya, spoke to Studio Allsvenskan and outlined the offers and the negotiations. “There were crazy amounts offered from Saudi Arabia,” he said. “We’re supposed to act in his best interest. Of course [agents take a percentage]. It’s a lot of money. Maybe Viktor should respond to that some day.

“I don’t think we pressured him once to accept the offer. At the end of the day, money comes and goes and this move to Arsenal brings us a lot of marketing.

“[Sporting] had concluded a deal with Manchester United behind our backs, that was a problem. United offered a higher transfer fee.”

Chalkias criticised Sporting’s handling of the situation and singled out decisions he felt undermined the process. “If [former sporting director Hugo] Viana were still at Sporting, the deal would have been done within an hour,” Chalkias continued.

He added: “Everything was written but we didn’t have time to start a legal battle. I don’t understand how a player who scored so many goals and won three trophies didn’t deserve more respect.

“The industry is about trusting people. The sacrifices we made were probably the turning point in getting the deal done. They offered him to Real Madrid , made headlines with Madrid and even United, but from day one there was a commitment to Arsenal.”

The agent’s account frames the transfer as a contested process in which offers from multiple parties were considered but the player elected to join Arsenal.