Man Utd
Amorim criticises academy culture after players’ social-media response
Amorim labelled some academy players ‘entitled’ and warned the club must change its culture. in 2025
Ruben Amorim again addressed concerns about the attitude of Manchester United’s younger players on Friday, singling out members of the academy as “entitled” and saying none had come to his office to discuss his earlier comments. The manager made the remarks ahead of Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa and defended his broader message about standards within the club.
Bruno Fernandes’ recent interview also featured in the discussion. Amorim confirmed the 31-year-old had spoken to officials before conducting the interview, the manager noting the captain “said what he is feeling.”
Amorim pointed to the reaction from some academy graduates after he previously questioned standards. Chido Obi and Harry Amass posted pictures on social media celebrating individual successes after suggestions they were not meeting the standards required to be a Man Utd player.
Amorim said his intent was not to be negative but that the players’ responses illustrated a wider cultural problem. “Sometimes strong words is not bad words, sometimes difficult moments is not the bad things for the kids,” Amorim said.
“We don’t need to be always with accolades in everything in every situation, we are not helping. That’s why when you guys talk about a lot of players nowadays that they go against the clubs and everything happened because they feel entitlement.
“I have that feeling all the time that we need to fight against this feeling. Sometimes I’m the first one to say that I’m failing this club inside the pitch, I have that feeling we are not performing the way we should be but outside the pitch, I guarantee you I’m not failing to this club.
“I think it’s something in our club, and we talk about the players sometimes forget about what it means to play for Manchester United. We as a club sometimes forget who we are and that’s that’s the feeling that I have. I understand everything is the environment, is the moment of the players, the kids they feel entitled.
“They feel free to respond to the manager with a picture, my office is open, nobody is coming to talk to me. And that is the way we can solve things. I think we need to change first as a club and then everything is going to change.”
On the reaction to his remarks he added: “I didn’t say anything wrong. I just spoke about how the luck of playing for Manchester United,” he continued. “Sometimes you play for Manchester United and you go see different realities and you understand that football can be so different and that you are really lucky to be in Manchester United.
“That was my point but, again, let’s move on and with the time that I think these things will change.”
Off the field Amorim is also trying to secure more consistent performances. United are sixth in the Premier League, an improvement on last season, but they continue to frustrate, most recently in Monday’s 4–4 draw with Bournemouth, a game in which they surrendered a 2–1 lead to trail 3–2, went 4–3 up and then conceded a late equaliser to Eli Junior Kroupi.
Arsenal
October Premier League award nominees announced
Premier League October award nominees include standout performers and managers across the division.
The Premier League has named the contenders for its October 2026 Player and Manager of the Month awards, with eight players and six managers included on the respective shortlists.
Bournemouth forward Evanilson enjoyed a productive month, finishing October with four goals and one assist from four appearances as his team beat Sunderland, Manchester United and Leeds United after a slow opening to the season.
Aston Villa striker Nicolas Jackson also reached four goals in the month. The former Chelsea player scored twice in the 2-1 win over Manchester City and also found the net in draws against Brentford and Fulham.
Arsenal are represented by Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice after a perfect month. Konsa impressed in defence while William Saliba was absent, keeping two clean sheets in three outings and scoring his first goal for the club. Rice contributed two important assists at the other end.
Jack Rudoni’s form has helped Coventry City. The newly promoted side took two wins from four matches in October, with Rudoni scoring three times as they moved further away from the relegation zone.
Tottenham Hotspur also had an unbeaten month, and Jan Paul van Hecke played a key role in wins over Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace. No player attempted or completed more passes than the Dutch defender last month.
Brighton have two nominees in Luka Vušković and Bart Verbruggen. Three clean sheets in four matches brought recognition for the Seagulls’ defence.
On the managerial shortlist, Chelsea scored more goals than any other team in October with nine, while Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta guided his side to the top of the table. Roberto De Zerbi, Unai Emery, Fabian Hürzeler and Marco Rose complete the list after strong runs during the month.
Month
Player
Club
August
João Pedro
Chelsea
September
Pascal Groß
Brighton
Month
Manager
Club
August
Sergej Jakirović
Hull
September
Aston Villa
Carrick Gets Breathing Space After United’s Roma Fightback
United’s comeback over Roma offers Carrick relief, but Villa and the November break still loom.
Old Trafford has staged many remarkable evenings, but Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League win over Roma may prove especially significant for Michael Carrick. Trailing by two goals inside 18 minutes, United looked to be heading for a damaging defeat before a Matheus Cunha-inspired recovery changed the mood entirely.
The victory does not erase the wider concerns around the team, yet it at least gives Carrick a platform before the weekend trip to Aston Villa. That match will be United’s final fixture before the November international break, a point at which the club’s decision-makers will have a clear chance to weigh up the manager’s future and consider whether a change is needed.
At half-time, with boos around the stadium and United behind, Carrick’s position appeared seriously threatened. Instead, the second half offered a striking response. Any suggestion that the players had stopped battling for him was undermined by a much sharper and more determined 45 minutes.
The numbers reflected the shift. In the opening half, United produced just 0.24 expected goals, five shots and one effort on target, while Roma held the edge in every key area. After the break, the hosts generated 2.46 expected goals, registered 10 shots and placed five efforts on target, scoring three times in the process.
That turnaround gives Carrick a measure of relief and guarantees he will lead the side against Villa. United could still have acted before the break if another poor result had followed, but the 45-year-old now has another opportunity to strengthen his case.
Villa are unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches, yet United can draw comfort from the recent record in this fixture, having won six of the last eight meetings and 13 of the last 15 at Old Trafford.
Even so, the pressure remains intense. United have won only three of their 14 matches across all competitions this season, while public criticism from Lisandro Martínez and Bruno Fernandes has added to the strain. Carrick may have bought time, but the wider picture still leaves his future uncertain.
Aston Villa
Cunha available for Aston Villa after Champions League dismissal
Cunha’s Champions League red-card ban will not rule him out of Manchester United’s Aston Villa fixture.
Matheus Cunha’s eventful Champions League night against Roma ended with celebration, controversy and a suspension that will not affect Manchester United this weekend.
Cunha was central to the comeback, first by earning the penalty that helped change the game and then by scoring the winner after United had been pushed into a strong late position. Bruno Fernandes had earlier converted a retaken penalty early in the second half, before Cunha levelled after a Leo Balerdi error and then finished clinically at Devis Vásquez’s near post following Shea Lacey’s pass.
The Brazilian’s decisive contribution came with a cost. He collected two yellow cards in the closing stages, leaving him with a one-match ban. Even so, Manchester United can still call on him against Aston Villa on Sunday, because disciplinary suspensions from UEFA competition do not carry into the Premier League.
That means the ban will instead be served later this month, when United meet Sporting CP in Lisbon on Matchday 5 of the league phase, on Nov. 25.
Cunha’s first booking came after his goal, as he took off his shirt and then jumped into the crowd, both of which counted against him. The second arrived after Jesús Gil Manzano, who had awarded United a penalty at the start of the second half, was left with no option but to caution him again for his stoppage-time challenge on Balerdi.
It was a dramatic conclusion to a night that had already swung sharply in United’s favour, with Cunha emerging as the key figure in a revival that may have eased the pressure on Michael Carrick, at least for now.
