Michael Carrick chose an unusual way to begin his pregame media duties before Manchester United’s meeting with Bournemouth, opening the press conference with a six-minute statement before taking any questions.

The backdrop is not ideal. United arrive on a seven-game winless run, a sharp contrast to the finish they managed last season, when they produced the best record in the Premier League over the final 17 rounds, better even than champions Arsenal.

Carrick used the moment to address both the team’s recent decline and the expectations that come with the club. His message was aimed squarely at the supporters, especially those who travelled to Italy during the week, and he returned repeatedly to the themes of humility, hard work and collective responsibility.

“I’ll start today,” Carrick immediately told gathered reporters on Friday, rather than waiting for an opening question. Not reading from a script, he took a moment to compose his thoughts and then spoke without interruption for almost six minutes.

“Recently, we haven’t had a good time, I think that’s pretty obvious, so I totally accept that, what we’re going through at the moment,” he said.

He also reflected on United’s recent performances and the disappointment felt by those who follow the team.

“Wednesday was a bad night, it was a bad night for a lot of reasons. It was a bad night and that hurt a lot. It obviously hurt me to see us play like that, to see how the game panned out.

“It was, as I said after the game, it was really unacceptable for us to play like that and to be like that. The supporters are a huge part of this football club for me, the supporters have to make the effort and spend the time and the money to come and support us on Wednesday. And to have the feeling that we all felt after the game was a tough moment. I think that’s pretty obvious.

Carrick stressed that the club’s identity must remain central, saying United must be bigger than any individual and rooted in resilience, humility and hard work. He also referenced figures such as Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt [Busby] and Sir Bobby [Charlton] while underlining that he will not allow those standards to fade.

For Carrick, the task is clear: restore the connection, intensity and pride that marked the earlier part of the year, and make sure United again reflect what this club is supposed to stand for.

Mikel Arteta has played down the idea of David Raya heading back to Spain any time soon, joking that the Arsenal goalkeeper’s next appearance there may only come on holiday.

Raya has made no secret of his long-term wish to play in La Liga. As he put it: “Perhaps, in the future, I could play for a Spanish club. I’m Spanish and I’d love to play there.”

That ambition stands out because Raya has never played professional club football in his home country. Born and raised in Barcelona, he began in the youth ranks at UE Cornellà, which has been owned since April 2026 by Lionel Messi. He left Spain at 16 in 2012, moving to England in search of a career and eventually landing at Blackburn Rovers. After progressing to the first team two years later, he became their starting goalkeeper for the 2017–18 and 2018–19 campaigns.

Brentford later spotted his talent, and Arteta judged in 2023 that Raya was the upgrade Arsenal needed over Aaron Ramsdale. Since then, the goalkeeper has collected three Premier League Golden Gloves across the last three seasons and, by Monday night, could be in position to claim the Yashin Trophy at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony.

Raya has also been a regular presence in Spain squads over the last four years, even if he is not a first-choice international starter. That has brought him both a European Championship and World Cup winner’s medal, yet one major piece remains missing from his résumé: a spell in La Liga.

Arteta was not in the mood to encourage an early return. “I think David has to play in Spain at some point … on the beach with his friends in the summer,” the Gunners boss said. “For the next few years, he needs to play here for Arsenal .”

That timing matters, because Raya is now into the final two years of his Arsenal contract, which ends in June 2028. He will be just short of 33 when it expires. Arteta’s comments suggest Arsenal may soon try to extend that deal well beyond 2028.

If Raya does chase La Liga while still at his peak, the decision point may come no later than 2028. Barcelona would appear the natural fit, though the club’s 2025 move for Joan García complicates that route. Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid could also be possible in time, depending on how the situations around Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak develop.

Aston Villa have delivered the Premier League’s first defeat of Manchester City this season, and they are also the first side to take points from them. Unai Emery’s team earned that landmark result at Villa Park, where City were below their best and paid for it. Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guéhi were both singled out for especially poor showings, Nicolas Jackson struck on loan to make the difference, and Zion Suzuki contributed six saves across the 90 minutes.

City remain top of the current Premier League standings, but the performance offered the first domestic indication that they are not untouchable. Arsenal followed by matching them on points after beating Everton, leaving the title race level at the summit and Arsenal second only on goal difference.

That Arsenal victory came with Bukayo Saka unavailable and possibly out until Christmas. The Gunners were short of natural creativity, but they compensated by rediscovering the set-piece strength that served them so well last season.

With those results, and two others on Saturday, Opta’s supercomputer updated its predictions again.

The title model now has Arsenal first with 79.55 predicted points and a 53.82% chance of finishing champions. Manchester City are second on 76.11 points and 34.39%. Brighton remain the only other side above 5%, while Liverpool are at 3.29% and Chelsea at 1.42%.

The Champions League outlook keeps Arsenal and City well clear, with both above 90% to qualify. Brighton stand at 58.37%, Liverpool at 46.70%, Chelsea at 31.28% and Aston Villa at 21.66%. Brentford, Leeds and Everton are further back, and Manchester United’s five-match winless run has left them below 6%.

At the lower end, Tottenham have made a notable move in the right direction. Two wins in a row have cut their relegation chance to 14%, and the model now projects them to finish 13th. That is not especially strong, but it is a considerable improvement on consecutive 17th-place finishes in the last two seasons.