Michael Carrick’s tactical change has given Bruno Fernandes room to operate in the right-side pocket behind the front line, and the results are clear. Carrick restored United’s skipper to the No. 10 role after a period in Ruben Amorim’s two-man midfield, and Fernandes says the move has altered his positioning. “I float a lot in that zone there now with Michael,” Fernandes reflected in an interview with Opta. “He doesn’t want me to just be stuck in the middle, so often asks me to find that pocket [of space].”

That positional freedom has put Fernandes on the cusp of two Premier League landmarks with four matches left in the season. He has 19 assists in 2025–26, level with Mesut Özil on the season charts and one behind the all-time single-season mark of 20 set by Thierry Henry and matched by Kevin De Bruyne in 2019–20. No player in the 34-year history of the Premier League has provided more than 20 assists in a single campaign, and Sunday’s derby with Liverpool presents a high-profile chance to close that gap.

Fernandes showed the shift in focus at Brentford, taking no shots as he concentrated on creating. Eventually, Benjamin Šeško finished one of the five chances Fernandes created, taking the skipper to 19 assists and a single assist behind the record.

If Matheus Cunha recovers from a slight hip issue, he is the likeliest direct beneficiary. As Opta note, Cunha has received 19 open-play chances from Fernandes this season—the most chances any player has been provided by a single teammate in the current Premier League campaign.

There is also a set-piece subplot. United’s No. 8 has set the former Real Madrid man up for six Premier League goals this season—another division high—five of which have come from set pieces. Fernandes sits on 10 set-piece assists, one shy of Steven Gerrard’s top-flight record of 11. The midfielder has worked on dead balls and admits the demands have changed: “I will tell you that five years ago, I would go to take a corner and just put the ball into the middle of the box and let’s see if someone gets it,” he revealed. “And nowadays I have to hit a spot, so sometimes it’s even harder to get an assist from a set piece than it actually is in open play.”

Liverpool face a summer of decisions over a changing core as Mohamed Salah prepares to leave and Andy Robertson follows. Virgil van Dijk’s immediate future appears secure, but Alisson Becker’s position is now the subject of growing uncertainty.

Age and availability are the primary factors. Robertson, the youngest of the quartet, has just turned 32. Alisson will be 34 toward the end of 2026. While that is not old for a goalkeeper, recent seasons have been disrupted by injuries. The Brazilian missed 10 Premier League matches in each of the previous two seasons and has not played more than 40 times in all competitions in a campaign since 2022–23. Two separate hamstring absences have kept him out in 2025–26 and he currently remains sidelined.

The Times report that Juventus interest continues to firm up and that Alisson is “receptive” to the idea of securing himself a longer contract in Serie A than he has at Liverpool. Italy has a connection in his career; he first made his name in Europe at Roma.

Liverpool’s hierarchy will be weighing succession, performance and the finances. The club invested in Giorgi Mamardashvili as part of succession planning, agreeing a deal worth $39.4 million (£29 million) if all add-ons are triggered following his emergence at Valencia and a fine Euro 2024. Mamardashvili has had limited opportunity to grow into the role. He has been cast as an understudy who has nevertheless been required to perform quickly and he has also suffered an injury, leaving Liverpool reliant on third-choice Freddie Woodman at times.

Last month the club triggered a 12-month option on Alisson’s contract, extending him until the end of 2026–27. That move preserves his status for another season, but it could also be interpreted as a step that preserves the possibility of a transfer fee. Liverpool have already mutually terminated Salah’s contract a year early to remove his wages from the books. Even a nominal fee for Alisson would bring funds back into the club and assist a reset of the goalkeeping department.

Jurgen Klopp has publicly backed Florian Wirtz to emerge as one of the standout players at the 2026 World Cup after a testing first season at Liverpool. Wirtz struggled to settle in a new league and country and endured intense scrutiny, including being branded a “little boy” by Gary Neville after a heavy defeat to Manchester City. Still, he is not viewed as the club’s poorest summer signing of 2025; that label has been reserved for Isak.

The Germany international finished the season with 17 goals and assists across all competitions for the Reds. Klopp believes the experience will serve Wirtz well and that the player can hit a higher level with Germany this summer. Wirtz started throughout qualifying, primarily on the left wing, and recently scored twice and assisted twice in a friendly victory over Switzerland.

“I hope Flo Wirtz will have a fantastic, fantastic World Cup,” Klopp told BBC Sport. “I think he has everything you need to be a standout player. I don’t want to put any pressure on the boy. I really think he showed already how good he can be in a difficult season.”

German supporters will hope Wirtz can lift his game as the four-time champions look to recover from the shock group-stage eliminations of 2018 and 2022. Liverpool are likely to supply a significant contingent to the tournament in North America: the club could have 12 players called up, including Wirtz. Squad numbers were reduced by injury and selection issues; Hugo Ekitiké is ruled out until 2027 with an Achilles injury and Curtis Jones is unlikely to be selected by England.

Klopp reflected on the personal connections that many former Liverpool players will bring to the competition. “I hope that Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker can enjoy that when they meet each other [for Scotland vs. Brazil]. Can you imagine that you play together for such a long time and Scotland qualifies first time, I don’t know since when, for the World Cup, and you meet each other, your friends, in a game like that? I mean, that must be one of the happiest moments in your life.

“I wish Virgil [van Dijk] will have a great tournament. I really wish for Mo [Salah] that he will have a great tournament. I honestly wish that Sadio [Mané] will have a great tournament. [Alexis Mac Allister], if he won, if they win it again. It was so nice to see him with a medal around his neck.

“So many [of my] former players are part of the World Cup, which is really, really nice.”

Those former Liverpool players named in connection with the tournament include Alisson Becker (Brazil), Wataru Endo (Japan), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Jeremie Frimpong (Netherlands), Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands), Ibrahima Konaté (France), Florian Wirtz (Germany), Alexander Isak (Sweden), Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina) and Mohamed Salah (Egypt).