Manchester United
Carrick Keeps His Composure After Opening-Day Defeat to Hull City
Carrick stayed measured after United’s opening-day loss, but Hull exposed familiar faults.
Michael Carrick chose not to lash out publicly after Manchester United began the new Premier League season with a defeat to Hull City, even though the performance clearly left a mark. The early damage was done at MKM Stadium in East Yorkshire, where Hull scored once from a corner and again from a free kick to put United on the back foot in the first half.
There was a better response after the interval, helped by Marcus Rashford making his first competitive United appearance in more than 600 days. Even so, the result carried a historical edge that made it especially unwelcome: this was the first time United have ever been beaten by newly promoted opposition in a season opener, and not just in the Premier League era.
Carrick, though, was determined not to turn one poor afternoon into a wider crisis. He pointed to the strong preseason and the encouraging second half of 2025-26, insisting that the bigger picture still matters. “I’m talking to you quite calmly, but I’m not exactly calm inside and enjoying the day, so there’s a big difference,” Carrick told reporters before heading back west across England to Manchester.
He made clear there is no appetite for drastic reaction. “I played here for a long time. You don’t get to play here for a long time without just going day by day, the results, the ups and downs, but you just carry on as normal,” he said.
Carrick added: “It’s 100% not that, and trust me, it’s not that. It just doesn’t mean that we all have to shout and scream and come out and create some chaos just because of it. Inside we’re hurting and we need to get better. But the calmness doesn’t mean there’s no emotion in it.
“We got beat, we’re hurt and it’s not a nice feeling. It doesn’t mean it’s going to change the whole direction of how we’re going as a team or as a football club. It’s one game and results can happen in football, we all understand that. It’s not nice when they do, but it does happen.”
In a separate postgame interview with TNT Sports, Fernandes said the same mistakes from “every away game” last season played a part. “We [gave] too much of the ball to them. In the first 20 minutes the [Hull] goalkeeper had more touches on the ball, too much time,” he said. “We need to press a little bit more, be more aggressive, and set plays—we need to work on it, to be more aggressive and try not to concede these types of goals.”
Manchester United
United Move to Tie Down Gabriel as Madrid Circle
United have made a scholarship offer to keep JJ Gabriel, while Real Madrid remain the favourites.
Manchester United have made a fresh attempt to keep JJ Gabriel at the club, offering the teenager an official scholarship contract in a bid to prevent a free departure.
The move matters because, under Premier League youth rules, Gabriel could have left in January without a fee had United not acted. The Guardian reports that the club have now returned with a scholarship offer for next season, which means any Premier League side interested in him would have to negotiate a fee directly with United.
If no agreement is reached, the Professional Football Compensation Committee could decide the eventual package, in a process comparable to Rio Ngumoha’s move from Chelsea to Liverpool.
United would hope for more than just compensation in that scenario. Per The Guardian, the club would be aiming for a fee “in excess” of £3 million ($4 million), plus 20% of Gabriel’s next transfer fee. That would be preferable to seeing him depart for another club in Europe and leaving United with only training compensation.
Interest in Gabriel has intensified since he became available. Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are among the clubs linked, but The Guardian says the Spanish side are the “favorites” to sign him.
That would fit the pattern of a young player seeking a bigger platform, though United are still trying to keep him. The problem is that a switch away from Old Trafford now appears “unlikely” to be avoided.
Should Gabriel move to a European club, only FIFA training compensation would be due, generally around £200,000-300,000 ($265,000-397,000).
His frustration at limited first-team opportunities has been central to the situation, yet a move elsewhere would not guarantee more game time. The draft also points to examples involving Endrick, Franco Mastantuono and Yan Diomande, all of whom have found breaking into a strong side far from straightforward.
Arsenal
Five Premier League talking points as Gameweek 6 begins
Arsenal, Chelsea, United, Spurs, City and Liverpool face a pivotal Premier League weekend.
After an international break that was longer than most, the Premier League resumes with a slate of fixtures that should quickly restore the league to centre stage. Gameweek 6 brings heavyweight meetings, difficult home tests and plenty of pressure on sides already searching for rhythm.
Arsenal’s defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion before the break ended a remarkable run and raised the question of how they would react. Five months had passed since their previous league loss, but the 3-0 reverse on the south coast was a severe setback. Leeds United now arrive at the Emirates Stadium unbeaten and sitting fifth, only three points behind the Gunners, while history still strongly favours Arsenal, who have won their last eight meetings with Leeds in all competitions.
Chelsea also need a response after being beaten 3-0 by Brentford. That result was their third consecutive league match without a win and the third time they have conceded three goals in a game this season. Bournemouth’s visit offers little comfort, especially with Chelsea waiting on late checks for João Pedro, Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo and Reece James. Marco Rose’s side may be winless, but they have taken points from Chelsea in four of the last six meetings.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur meet under clear pressure. United have managed only five points from a manageable run, with defeats to Hull City and 10-man Manchester City damaging the mood. Tottenham, meanwhile, sit bottom after two goalless draws and three defeats, and Roberto De Zerbi’s side arrive with their costly new arrivals yet to settle. The stakes are obvious for both clubs.
The weekend’s headline fixture comes at Liverpool, where Manchester City play for the first time since being found guilty of 114 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. After a three-year investigation, the verdict has inevitably shifted attention onto Enzo Maresca and his players, even if they had no part in the issue. City have won all five league games under Maresca, but this is a different test entirely.
Liverpool have every reason to make the occasion felt. They have twice been runners-up to City title teams since 2009 and remain one of the most persistent challengers of the last decade. With the atmosphere set to be intense, this could become one of the defining matches of the round.
Manchester United
Carrick’s United position said to be safe despite looming Spurs test
United’s manager is under scrutiny, but reports say there is no appetite for change at Old Trafford.
There is said to be no immediate danger to Michael Carrick’s role at Manchester United, even if the side return from the extended September-October international break with a disappointing result.
Carrick’s first 17 matches in charge last season brought in more points than Arsenal collected across the same stretch, and he will believe United remain close to the level he expects. Two individual lapses have already cost the club five points, while another match was shaped by an objectively shocking refereeing mistake. Even so, United have generally moved the ball into the right areas and are matching Arsenal in the attacking third.
The Daily Mail reports that there is “no appetite for change” from the club’s hierarchy. The same reporting also draws a contrast with Ruben Amorim, who was overseeing gradual improvement after an extremely poor 2024-25 season before undermining himself by voicing his frustrations publicly last January.
That means the focus is on results rather than panic. Even if the Spurs fixture does not end in victory, the expectation is that the club would not “hit the panic button” over Carrick. Players were also said at the end of September to still back and support him.
Tottenham should provide a favourable matchup for United at this stage. They are bottom after failing to win any of their opening five Premier League matches and taking only two points. United are currently the division’s joint-sixth highest scorers, while Spurs have the second weakest attack, with only two goals and blanks in four matches.
The challenge for United is what follows. Between the end of the international window and the next one in mid-November, they play eight times across two competitions in four weeks. Leeds United away on Oct. 18 looks difficult, especially with Champions League trips to Atlético Madrid and Como either side of it. Bournemouth at home comes next, before Chelsea away, then home games against Roma and an improving Aston Villa.
