Manchester United
Carrick urges patience as Mainoo continues to impress after Spurs victory
Carrick urges patience as Kobbie Mainoo impresses in United’s 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in form
Manchester United interim manager Michael Carrick said Kobbie Mainoo still has room to grow despite another strong showing in the 2–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. Carrick warned that pundits and supporters should “not expect too much from him all the time,” while also signalling confidence in the 20-year-old’s upward trajectory.
Much attention has followed Ruben Amorim’s decision to sideline Mainoo during his 14-month reign at Old Trafford. Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system did not play to the young midfielder’s strengths and there was a real possibility Mainoo could leave the club, either permanently or on loan. Mainoo failed to start a single Premier League game this season while Amorim was in charge.
Carrick restored Mainoo immediately on returning to a conventional 4-2-3-1, which has allowed Bruno Fernandes more freedom further forward. “There’s no doubt of Kobbie’s ability and what he can bring,” Carrick enthused in his post-match briefing, before urging expectations to be tempered. “He’s still so young and let’s be careful of not putting so much right on his shoulders and expecting so much of him. He’s still learning the game. Because he’s had the big high and then obviously didn’t play for a bit, it’s easy to think he’s a lot older and more experienced probably than he is.
But credit to him, he’s come right in and find his rhythm with football, which is not easy after a period of time out and he’s found that physically and mentally. We know he can handle the ball and hopefully over time, I’m sure he’ll keep improving. We’ve got to be patient and not expect too much from him all the time.”
Playing alongside Casemiro, Mainoo is picking up aspects of the game by proximity, Carrick added: he is “picking things up just by being next to him,” and is “probably not even realising” it. Before Cristian Romero’s sending off had given United control, Mainoo had already won six of the 11 ground duels he contested, recovered possession repeatedly and moved the ball quickly. He completed 10 vertical passes into the final third, created four chances and delivered the first-time pull back from the corner routine that led to United’s opener, allowing Bryan Mbeumo to score into Guglielmo Vicario’s far corner.
On Mainoo’s future Carrick said: “There’s definitely more to come from him, that’s just the age he’s at, the stage he’s at in his career you’d like to think, he’s just starting out really essentially,” and added: “He has got so much experience under his belt in big games and pressured situations, which is going to help him develop learning the game.
I’m really conscious that he’s come in, he’s played the four games and he’s found his rhythm. Young players, they have times when they’re up and then they might have a little dip. That’s not all of a sudden he’s good or he’s a poor player, Kobbie is what he is. Managing that’s really important, especially for younger players and understanding that. He’s doing fantastic at the moment, he’s having a really big impact on games, and we’ll keep working with him and helping him, trying to keep improving him as well as we go.”
Debate has already started over whether Mainoo will be in England’s 2026 World Cup plans. A starter in the final of Euro 2024 aged 19 and the youngest to play a semi-final four days earlier, he has 10 international caps but has not featured for the Three Lions since that year largely because of his reduced role at Manchester United. “He’s lacking minutes. I don’t think he lacks anything else,” England manager Thomas Tuchel previously said of Mainoo.
Arsenal
Premier League’s longest-serving managers and the rapid reset shaping 2026/27
A summer reset has left the Premier League with a long list of new managers and just one clear outlier.
The Premier League remains a ruthless place for managers, and the 2026/27 season begins with that reality clearer than ever. A summer of upheaval has left dugouts across the division occupied by a fresh wave of appointments, while one club is still waiting to name a new head coach.
At the top of the list, Mikel Arteta stands alone as the league’s longest-serving manager. Appointed by Arsenal on Dec. 22, 2019, he has outlasted every other current rival and remains comfortably ahead of the pack. Behind him comes Unai Emery, who has been in charge of Aston Villa since Nov. 1, 2022, followed by Daniel Farke, who took over Leeds United on July 4, 2023.
Further down the rankings, the turnover becomes even more obvious. Régis Le Bris and Fabian Hürzeler both arrived in July 2024, while Frank Lampard, David Moyes, Sergej Jakirović, Keith Andrews and Michael Carrick all joined their clubs during 2024 and 2025. The list then tightens further still, with a cluster of appointments made only months before the new campaign.
There are notable cases throughout. Roberto De Zerbi, hired by Tottenham Hotspur on March 31, 2026, sits just outside the top 10. Michael Carrick is inside it after first being named interim Manchester United boss in January and then permanently hired in May. At the other extreme, Álvaro Arbeloa is the latest arrival, taking charge of Fulham on July 7 after an unsuccessful spell as Real Madrid boss.
A number of other clubs have also changed course recently, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Over half the division has turned to new managers in 2026 if Newcastle United are included, with the club still yet to appoint Eddie Howe’s successor.
For now, Arteta remains the benchmark for staying power in a league that rarely gives managers much time.
Manchester United
Agent confirms Manchester United talks for Orlando Gill amid transfer negotiations
Manchester United were named in talks as Orlando Gill’s agent outlined a transfer nearing completion.
Orlando Gill’s agent has confirmed that Manchester United were among the clubs involved in early discussions over a possible move, while insisting the goalkeeper is at a stage where a transfer makes sense.
Mario Jara, speaking to DSports Radio, said the Paraguay international is in active talks with English and German clubs and that only two firm offers have been received so far. He added that negotiations are ongoing and that a move is drawing closer.
“We’re in talks with English clubs, as well as some in Germany. There were preliminary discussions with Manchester United . We’ve only received two concrete offers. We’re in the midst of negotiations,” Gill’s former club manager turned representative told DSports Radio .
Jara was equally direct about the timing. “The sale is close—now is the time. We have to handle this very carefully because there are a lot of factors involved. It’s the perfect opportunity for him to take a leap forward in his career. He’s ready and capable of playing in any league, without a doubt.”
Gill’s rise has been unusual and difficult. Only in September 2025 did he make his senior international debut, keeping a clean sheet as World Cup qualification was secured against Peru. His wife, Melissa Ávalos, later described the sacrifices behind that journey. “We had nothing, and Orlando sold his jerseys from the club where he was playing at the time to cover the expenses,” she said after the match. “Our son fought for his life, and his dad was always there. He sold everything.”
The goalkeeper had made only two top-flight appearances in Paraguay before a move to San Lorenzo’s reserves in a deal that raised questions. It took more than a year, along with a run of injuries, for him to make his professional debut, after which he kept his place.
At the World Cup, Gill’s reputation was tested after conceding four against the United States. Jara admitted the response was intense: “Everything he went through at the World Cup wasn’t easy, especially the 4–1 loss to the United States,” he said. “A lot of influential people spoke out.”
Gill responded by keeping clean sheets against Türkiye and Australia, then starring in the knockout rounds. Against Germany, he made six saves and denied Kai Havertz and Nick Woltemade in the shootout. France were beaten too, though Kylian Mbappé did score from the spot after Gill tried to unsettle him, and later refused to shake his hand.
Even with Manchester United named, a move to Old Trafford still looks unlikely.
Man Utd Transfer News
Rashford’s transfer stance leaves United with a narrow set of outcomes
Rashford wants only elite Europe or United, leaving Manchester United’s summer plans in doubt.
Manchester United’s intention to move Marcus Rashford on this summer has run into a familiar obstacle: the forward’s own standards.
Reports have narrowed the picture around the England international, with Fabrizio Romano indicating that Rashford is only open to two outcomes in the window. He would either join a “top, top, top” club in Europe or stay at United.
That position leaves the club in a difficult spot. Rashford, now 28, is not believed to be interested in stepping down a level, which immediately removes much of the market from consideration. In England, United’s decision to exclude Manchester City and Liverpool from Rashford’s release clause makes a move to either domestic rival look impossible. Arsenal could still be a possibility, while Chelsea are not expected to enter the discussion because of their lack of Champions League football.
Elsewhere, the options remain limited. Barcelona are not thought to be in line for another deal after bringing in both Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi, while Real Madrid have no obvious need for another winger, particularly with Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig expected to arrive.
That leaves Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain as the two clubs most often mentioned as possible destinations. Both have previously held an interest in Rashford, yet neither has shown any sign of pushing ahead with a move this summer.
Inter and Atlético Madrid can be included in the wider conversation, but there has been no exploration of a deal from either side.
United had started planning for Rashford’s return towards the end of last season, when Barcelona’s position on keeping him became uncertain. His exile came under former manager Ruben Amorim, who is no longer in charge at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick now holds the role and is understood to be open to a reunion. He is expected to have Rashford back in preseason training in the coming days after a rest following the World Cup.
