Manchester United have added Antonee Robinson to a short list as they seek cover at left back ahead of the next season. Luke Shaw enjoyed what was likely his best campaign since joining in 2014, playing all 38 Premier League matches, but he will shortly turn 31 and is entering the latter stages of his career.

Robinson is an emerging option. Almost 29, the Fulham defender offers distinct qualities: pace, a high work rate and notable attacking output for a full back. This past season is a poor example because of injury trouble, but he made 10 Premier League assists for Fulham in 2024–25. He is a more immediate, perhaps short-term profile than a younger long-term successor would be.

Newcastle’s Lewis Hall has been linked for some time. Sky Sports notes that interest in the 21-year-old continues with ongoing “monitoring,” but Robinson has appeared as the newer candidate. The two represent contrasting targets: Hall is younger and viewed as a potential long-term replacement, while Robinson might arrive to provide reliable depth behind Shaw for the next few seasons.

A comparison of key metrics underlines the difference. Robinson is listed at age 28 with 158 Premier League appearances, 18 combined goals and assists and 54 national team caps. Hall is 21 with 84 Premier League appearances, eight combined goals and assists, four national team caps and a later contract expiry. Transfer values cited in the comparison put Robinson at $25.3 million and Hall at $46.1 million.

Robinson is a United-type signing in profile: a fit, attack-minded full back who can slot in as cover and add quality on the flank. He is also a regular for his national team. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, ‘Jedi’ has played 54 times for the Stars and Stripes since debuting in 2018.

Should United move, the decision between immediate, experienced backup and a longer-term, more expensive prospect will shape the club’s left-back planning.

Rafael Leão received a straight red card for his involvement in an on-field fight during Portugal’s 2–1 win over Chile on Saturday, leaving his World Cup participation uncertain.

Tensions began after Barcelona loanee João Cancelo reacted to a challenge from Felipe Faúndez, who appeared to kick out at the Portugal defender as they fell. Román stepped in to support his teammate, and Leão arrived and escalated the situation.

Leão pushed Román several times in the chest and came close to striking the Chile defender in the throat. Román charged towards Leão and was struck in the face, tumbling to the ground. A straight red card followed and Leão later said he had “no intention” of harming Ramón.

The dismissal had little impact on the final score, but it could have major consequences with the World Cup one week away. The typical suspension for violent conduct is two or three matches. With a single game remaining before the tournament starts, any multi-match ban would carry into the World Cup and could force Leão to miss the opening group fixtures.

Leão must now wait to see whether FIFA imposes a significant punishment, though there is precedent for reduced effective bans. Cristiano Ronaldo received a straight red for elbowing Dara O’Shea in November and was given a three-game ban with the final two matches suspended, allowing him to return after one match. Similarly, Jurgen Locadia, after elbowing Aaron Hickey last month, missed his side’s final friendly and was then available to start at the World Cup.

There is optimism at Old Trafford amid rejuvenation under Michael Carrick, but club leaders expect significant transfer activity. Leão’s ability is not in doubt: seven seasons in Serie A have produced 64 goals and 50 assists and he was the 2021–22 league MVP. Yet he arrives on the back of his most underwhelming campaign and has faced accusations of a poor work rate. United scouts will be mindful of those concerns because a player’s attitude is often held in higher regard than ability, particularly for the Red Devils after recently breaking a culture of toxicity in the locker room.

Diogo Dalot has recounted a moment with Cristiano Ronaldo that left United supporters puzzling over timing and target. In a piece for The Players’ Tribune Dalot wrote: “That season with Cristiano was when I really started to grow as a player and as a person. I lost count of the number of predictions he got right, because he knows so well what it takes to go to the top.

“If anyone skipped a set in the gym, he would notice. We had a striker here who did really well for us in his first season, but Cristiano said, ‘He’s not gonna make it here.’

“I said, ‘Cris, he scored two goals today!’ He said, ‘Yeah, but he didn’t have the fire to go for the third.’”

Dalot’s anecdote prompted a wave of fan investigation. Supporters returned to the 2021–22 campaign to see which player matched the description. The only United player besides Ronaldo to score a brace in that first campaign back was Bruno Fernandes, but Fernandes is an attacking midfielder, not a striker, and he remains at the club. The midfielder is entering his seventh season with the club and was crowned FWA and Premier League Player of the Season.

That apparent mismatch has focused attention on the subsequent campaign. In 2022–23, before Ronaldo departed to join Al Nassr in December, both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford registered two goals within the opening months and later left the club. Martial’s spell at Old Trafford included seven years, 79 goals in 269 appearances and five trophies, among them the 2016–17 Europa League. By the time Ronaldo returned, Martial had struggled for form, was loaned to Sevilla in 2021–22 and scored nine goals when he returned in 2022–23.

Rashford’s record stands at 138 goals in 426 appearances. He managed five goals in Ronaldo’s first season back, recovered in 2022–23, but endured difficult subsequent seasons before moving first to Aston Villa and then to Barcelona on loan, the latter of which where he hopes to stay.