José Mourinho used a post-match press conference to remind a room full of reporters of a decision he made while at Manchester United and to celebrate a former player who has since flourished in Italy. After Benfica’s 2–0 Champions League victory over Napoli this week, the Portuguese coach entered the room carrying a bag. When asked what it contained he replied, “It’s Scott McTominay’s shirt.”

Mourinho leaned into the moment with some context from his United days. “I put him in, I benched Paul Pogba for him at Manchester United . The least he could do was give me his shirt.” The line referred back to McTominay’s first appearances for United in 2017.

McTominay made his debut in a Premier League match against Arsenal at Old Trafford in May 2017, coming on as a late substitute for Juan Mata in a 2–0 defeat. On the final day of that season he was given his first senior start in central midfield alongside Paul Pogba, with Mourinho rotating the side heavily ahead of the Europa League final three days later. Young colleagues who featured in that rotated line-up included Josh Harrop, Demetri Mitchell, Joel Castro Pereira, Axel Tuanzebe and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

The Scotland international went on to make 255 appearances for Manchester United before his permanent move to Napoli in 2024. Since arriving in Italy he has increased his goalscoring output, registering 14 Serie A goals in less than one-and-a-half seasons, a tally the draft notes is five short of his entire Premier League total over seven years. He is also the reigning Serie A Footballer of the Year after playing a part in Napoli’s title win.

McTominay’s international story was also recounted. Born and raised in England to a Scottish father, he was eligible for both nations. As a first-team player at United he was on England’s radar despite never representing the Three Lions at junior level. Alex McLeish credits Mourinho with alerting him that the player was likely to opt for Scotland. “I rang José that morning,” McLeish recounted recently . “‘Come here for 12, let’s have lunch and a chat about Scott and then we’ll get him in the room.’ He couldn’t have been more accommodating,” the ex-Scotland boss continued. “I’d sensed Scott was keen, but I thought he’d still take a lot of persuading. He came in and was pretty clear in his own mind that he wanted to represent Scotland.”

Manchester United reported a notable increase in net debt in the opening quarter of 2025–26 after a heavy summer spending programme, even as the club posted an operating profit for the period.

The latest accounts show net debt has climbed past $1 billion (£749 million) for the first time, following a £105 million borrowing to cover transfer instalments and outstanding payments. The club took on that borrowing in addition to historic debt accumulated under the Glazers and subsequent borrowings, producing the new net debt total of £749 million.

Revenue for the three months to Sept. 30, 2025 came in at £140.3 million, down from £143.1 million in the same period a year earlier, a 2% reduction. Every revenue strand fell: commercial revenue slipped from £85.3 million to £84.2 million (-1.3%), broadcasting dropped from £31.3 million to £29.9 million (-4.5%) and matchday income edged down from £26.5 million to £26.2 million (-1.1%). The report attributes the largest fall in broadcasting to the absence of European football this season.

United recorded a £13 million operating profit but a £6.6 million net loss for the quarter. The operating result marks an improvement on the prior-year period, when the club reported an operating loss.

Omar Berrada sought to emphasise the positives in his response to the accounts. “These robust financial results reflect the resilience of Manchester United as we make strong progress in our transformation of the club,” Berrada said.

“The difficult decisions we have made in the past year have resulted in a sustainably lower cost base and a more streamlined, effective organisation equipped to drive the club towards improved sporting and commercial performance over the long-term.

That has helped us to invest in our men’s and women’s teams, sitting in sixth and third places in the Premier League and Women’s Super League respectively.”

The report also details cost-cutting actions linked to changes under co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Around 250 roles were cut in 2024, followed by a second round earlier this year that was expected to affect up to 200 staff, reducing the workforce by almost 40% from over 1,100 since Ratcliffe’s partial takeover.

Benjamin Šeško, the 22-year-old summer signing, is close to returning from an injury that has kept him out for almost a month, his agent Elvis Basanovic has said. Basanovic told Arena Sport that the striker’s rehabilitation is progressing well and that a comeback could be only days away.

“Benjamin [Šeško] is feeling very good, his rehab is going as planned,” Basanovic said, via ESPN . “He’s really eager to return to the pitch, he misses playing.

“He’s missing games and he’s a bit impatient, so hopefully he’ll be back soon and be where he feels most comfortable. But I think we’ll see him very soon on the field, perhaps even sooner than it might seem at this moment.”

Šeško had been in the early phase of adjusting to the Premier League when the setback interrupted his momentum. His imminent availability comes at a timely moment for Manchester United, with fellow attacking summer signing Bryan Mbeumo bound to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations within the next week.

United face a congested winter programme and the return of Šeško would increase manager Amorim’s options during a demanding period on the calendar. Having another forward fit and ready would help the manager rotate and cope with absences across competitions.

Basanovic also urged patience while praising the manager who played a role in the transfer. “I must say he [Amorim] received Benjamin excellently,” Basanovic said. “I think Ruben first of all is an excellent person with fantastic charisma, extremely intelligent, emotionally intelligent and I think he knows what he’s doing.

“It’s not easy to build such a project that requires enormous knowledge and intelligence. United is one of the biggest clubs in the world , if not the biggest and people don’t understand you need time.

“He is a manager with his own vision to bring United to the top, but he definitely needs time.” The Portuguese manager has also asked fans to be patient after Šeško’s difficult start to life in England.