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.

Manchester United have confirmed Jadon Sancho will depart the club on a free transfer when his contract expires, with the club choosing not to trigger an option that would have extended his stay. The decision comes after a difficult five years that will see Sancho join Casemiro and Tyrell Malacia among those leaving Old Trafford.

Sancho arrived in 2021 amid high expectation. At 21 he signed from Borussia Dortmund, where in three full seasons he had recorded 37 goals and 47 assists in just 92 league games. Those numbers helped frame the move as a coup at the time and fuelled hopes he would quickly adapt to English football.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s early endorsement was unequivocal. “He will form an integral part of my squad for years to come and we look forward to seeing him blossom,” said Solskjær. That promise did not materialise: in 14 appearances under Solskjær, Sancho failed to record a goal or an assist as he struggled with the physical demands of the Premier League.

Pressure and off-field matters complicated matters further. Sancho deleted his social media accounts in November 2022 and Erik ten Hag later confirmed Sancho was dealing with “both physical and mental” challenges. Reports suggested the player had not given the club permission to go public with those issues, a development that soured an already strained relationship between player and manager.

Tensions peaked in September 2023 when Ten Hag said Sancho had been dropped for poor training; Sancho responded on social media, effectively accusing his manager of lying and claiming he was being made a “scapegoat.” After refusing to apologise, Sancho returned to Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the 2023–24 season and impressed as his temporary employers reached the Champions League final, including a standout semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain.

Subsequent loans to Chelsea and Aston Villa failed to produce a permanent transfer. Chelsea paid a financial penalty to walk back on an obligation to sign him permanently, and Sancho struggled to establish himself under Unai Emery at Villa. United have now allowed the forward to leave without a fee as his contract ends at the close of the month.

Éderson, on the verge of becoming a Manchester United player in a $46.9 million (£35 million) transfer from Atalanta, has joined Brazil’s pre-World Cup preparations. He will report to the pre-World Cup camp in New York and New Jersey on Monday.

Brazil’s soccer federation (CBF) expressed regret at “beloved” Wesley’s enforced withdrawal. That absence, plus Éderson’s late arrival, shapes a squad picture in which established midfield partnerships remain central to selection plans.

In Brazil’s two warmup friendlies against Panama and Egypt this week, manager Ancelotti persisted with Casemiro and Bruno Guimarães as the central midfield pairing. The outgoing Manchester United veteran and the box-to-box Newcastle United captain are therefore most likely to start Brazil’s opening group match against Morocco on June 13.

Éderson’s timing suggests he will begin the tournament low in the midfield pecking order. With former Liverpool No. 6 Fabinho the natural backup to Casemiro, Éderson is likely to find himself competing with Danilo to be the primary understudy to Bruno Guimarães.

The group offers potential for rotation. Brazil could secure a knockout berth after the opening two matches against Morocco and Haiti, creating scope to alter personnel before facing Scotland on matchday three.

History and recent tournaments show initial omission from a starting lineup need not be terminal. Kobbie Mainoo, only months on from his club breakthrough, managed to force his way into England’s Euro 2024 campaign after an early experiment with Trent Alexander-Arnold as a deep-lying playmaker did not work under Gareth Southgate.

An earlier precedent also exists in Brazil’s 2002 World Cup victory. Kléberson, a largely unknown Athletico Paranaense midfielder with five caps before the finals, moved from the bench in the group stage to a starting role in the quarterfinal against England and kept his place through the semifinal and final as Brazil claimed a sixth trophy.

For Manchester United supporters, Éderson arrives at the tournament with a clear route to break in, but initial minutes will depend on form, fitness and the durability of Brazil’s established midfield pairing.