Manchester United
Maguire Voices Dressing-Room Support for Rashford as United Weigh Their Options
Maguire says United’s squad want Rashford to stay, while Carrick sees him as a possible difference-maker.
Manchester United’s players have made their position on Marcus Rashford clear, with Harry Maguire saying the squad want him to remain at the club for the 2026/27 season.
Maguire admitted that the transfer window is still open, but stressed that Rashford is viewed inside the dressing room as someone who can improve the team. Speaking after United’s final preseason friendly, he said: “Obviously the transfer window is still open,” Maguire conceded when speaking to assembled media after United’s final preseason friendly . “As players, we hope he [Rashford] stays because if he does, he is a big asset to have. He can improve us for sure. You saw when he came on, he threatened the backline really well. He could have scored. He’s a huge threat.
“I’ve played with Marcus for numerous years and I know that playing against him and playing with him in training is going to help us.”
That view is not limited to the players. Michael Carrick has already signalled that he sees Rashford as a possible difference-maker for a side looking to build on last season’s third-place finish. The broader football case is straightforward enough: United are short of natural left wingers.
Rashford had been pushed aside during Amorim’s difficult spell, with Alejandro Garnacho later joining him in exile as the Portuguese coach preferred inside forwards in a 3-4-2-1 shape. Carrick has since returned United to a 4-2-3-1, which places greater value on the sort of wide player Rashford represents.
Carrick had already asked for a new left winger before the summer window, although the club are prioritising a left back and a third central midfielder before any further attacking addition. In that context, Rashford’s return would answer a clear tactical need.
Even though he was handed United’s No. 9 shirt briefly, Rashford remains a natural left winger. His pace stands out, and last season he was the fastest player across the whole of La Liga. He is not a specialist dribbler, but his direct running and movement behind defences offer United a useful alternative.
His Barcelona spell also showed a creative side. He produced more assists and was among the division’s leading chance creators. The underlying theme, though, is that his output depends heavily on his surroundings. Rashford has said his best season in 2022-23 came from being in a “better headspace.”
Manchester United
Fernandes earns peer approval despite missing out on the league title
Fernandes topped the peers’ vote, completing a clean sweep of English football’s big individual awards.
Bruno Fernandes was judged the standout player of the 2025-26 Premier League by the people who had to face him every week, even though he did not finish the campaign with the title.
That verdict mattered because the PFA award is decided by players rather than journalists, supporters, sponsors or panels. It carried extra weight, then, even if the result still stirred disagreement. Fernandes had already collected the FWA Footballer of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season, and the PFA honour completed a clean sweep of the major individual prizes in English soccer.
Not everyone accepted the outcome. “Ridiculous,” said celebrity Arsenal fan Piers Morgan after Fernandes received the large PFA trophy in London, adding that Rice “should have won this.”
Declan Rice had been the most obvious alternative, helped by his role in Arsenal’s first Premier League triumph in 22 years. He still finished with recognition of his own, earning a place in the PFA Team of the Year alongside four Arsenal teammates: William Saliba, Gabriel, Jurriën Timber and goalkeeper David Raya. Fernandes also gave a hint of where his own vote went, saying on stage: “I won’t say who it was but I voted for [an] Arsenal player,”
Yet the pattern behind the voting was familiar. The best individual performer is not always a title winner, and the award history backed that up. Fernandes’s treble followed a run in which the top honours often matched the same player across different bodies, but not always from a champion side.
Rice had an excellent season and was central to Arsenal’s title run, but Fernandes was the more influential figure overall. Manchester United finished third, though that did not stop the captain from being recognised by his peers as the best of the lot.
Manchester United
Carlos Baleba handed No. 20 as Manchester United number carries old significance
Baleba’s No. 20 shirt has a rich United past, with Solskjær and Van Persie among its standout wearers.
Carlos Baleba’s arrival has already been framed as an important piece of Manchester United’s midfield rebuild, but his shirt choice has added another layer of interest. The 22-year-old joins with a $95.5 million (£70 million) fee attached and is expected to settle quickly after a summer that has also brought Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos into the midfield picture.
Baleba has been given the No. 20 shirt, a number that initially appears unremarkable but has built up considerable meaning across United history. Diogo Dalot was the most recent player to wear it, having made the same switch that Gary Neville made in 1996 when he had established himself as Sir Alex Ferguson’s first-choice right back and moved to No. 2.
The number became more notable after Neville gave it up and it was passed to Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the Norwegian striker who became known as the ‘baby faced assassin.’ Solskjær wore No. 20 when he scored the stoppage-time winner in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, and he kept the shirt throughout a United career that brought 12 major trophies, including six Premire League titles.
Robin van Persie also made No. 20 part of United history. He wore it during the 2012–13 campaign, when he won the Premier League title and Golden Boot after scoring 30 goals in his debut season following his move from current Premier League champions Arsenal.
Baleba is not being asked to match that sort of output. His value lies elsewhere. The expectation is that he will add athleticism, energy and dynamism to a midfield that has lacked those qualities for some time. In turn, that should help United press more effectively, win possession more often and transition forward with greater purpose.
Championship
PFA Awards 2026: Fernandes and Shaw lead the honours
Fernandes and Shaw headlined the 2026 PFA Awards after standout seasons in England.
The 53rd PFA Awards took place on Tuesday night at the Manchester Opera House, with the game’s leading players across England recognised for their 2025-26 seasons. The ceremony covered the Premier League, the EFL Championship, League One and Two, the Women’s Super League and the Women’s Super League 2.
Bruno Fernandes claimed the men’s Player of the Year award after a remarkable campaign for Manchester United. The midfielder set a Premier League record with 21 assists in a single season, and he became the first United player since Wayne Rooney in 2010 to win the prize.
In the women’s category, Manchester City forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw was voted Player of the Year for a second time. Shaw scored 21 goals in 22 matches last season and played a key role as City won the title. Her recognition completed a double after she was also named women’s Player of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association in May.
Fernandes also completed a double of his own after being selected as men’s Player of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association in May.
City youngster Nico O’Reilly, 21, received the men’s Young Player of the Year award, while Arsenal forward Olivia Smith, 22, won the women’s Young Player of the Year honour for the second straight season.
Elsewhere, former Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney, now with Everton, was named Championship Player of the Year. Birmingham City forward Lily Crosthwaite collected the WSL2 Player of the Year award, while former Leyton Orient forward Dom Ballard, now at Championship side Bristol City, was named League One Player of the Year.
The event also included the Premier League, WSL, Championship, League One and WSL2 Teams of the Year, with the full line-ups listed separately.
Opta’s early 2026/27 table sees Arsenal on top after opening weekend
Fernandes earns peer approval despite missing out on the league title
