Chief refereeing officer Howard Webb has outlined why Benjamin Šeško’s strike in Manchester United’s 3–2 win over Liverpool remained valid despite footage that appears to show the ball brushing the striker’s hand.

Liverpool goalkeeper Freddie Woodman parried a header into Šeško and the ball appeared to brush the forward’s hand before rolling into the net. VAR carried out a lengthy review but the on-field decision was not overturned for handball.

Webb said the replay material suggested contact but stressed that VAR must reach a level of certainty to intervene. “The clip speaks for itself. I think it probably does hit the hand,” Webb told Match Officials Mic’d Up. “But of course, the VAR need that conclusivity. They need to be absolutely certain that it does.

“It doesn’t matter what we think, it’s what they think. We do ask them to be sure that something needs acting on. Certainly Šeško doesn’t deliberately handle this, he doesn’t make himself big. It’s all very natural.

“But of course, the laws of the game require any goal that comes off the hand from the player who scores immediately, the goal needs to be disallowed. That means the VAR has no option but to start looking for that.

“Sometimes it looks like they’re being too forensic and you hear the VAR looking from various angles. They want to get it right, if it does conclusively come off the arm. But they don’t get to that level of certainty.

“They probably think it does [hit Šeško’s hand] as well, but they need to be absolutely categorical to get involved. They couldn’t find it. That’s why the on-field decision stood.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot criticised VAR after the game and Webb’s remarks are likely to increase frustration. “If it was a touch, which I think it is, in a ball sport it has a certain curve and it changes it must be a contact, then we should have a debate if that is enough to disallow a goal,” Slot fumed after the defeat.

Manchester United will enter 2026–27 with a heavier fixture list after returning to the Champions League, and squad depth is now a pressing concern. The club believes the extra midweek matches, plus expectations in domestic cups, require reinforcements across several positions already exposed this season.

Central midfield is the most urgent area. Casemiro’s impending departure has left Manuel Ugarte as the only senior cover cited behind the veteran, and the club could need multiple additions to partner Kobbie Mainoo. The draft has linked United with a range of options to replace Casemiro, from Elliot Anderson to Éderson, and the emphasis is on both a starter and depth to cope with the number of games coming.

The left wing is another clear target. The right flank is well stocked with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, but the opposite side has proved harder to secure. Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount have filled the role in recent months while Patrick Dorgu has shown promise when used higher up. The possibility that Marcus Rashford returns from loan and is reintegrated remains, and if Dorgu is redeployed permanently a new left back would also be required.

Left back cover is the third issue. Luke Shaw has been unusually available and effective this season, but dependable alternatives are scarce. Tyrell Malacia is set to leave as a free agent when his contract expires next month. Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui can operate on the left but are not natural in that role.

Goalkeeping continuity is the fourth consideration. United appear to have found an excellent option in Senne Lammens. He adapted quickly after a single full top-flight season before moving to Old Trafford last September and has been a consistent presence since his debut the next month, blending calmness with an unflashy style to brilliant effect.

“Yes, of course [we need more players], it’s a very hard league and next year will be a hard [schedule]. You want to have people in there who can come in when it’s needed,” Lammens told reporters over the weekend. “I think personally we have a lot of quality already in the squad this year. But, of course, next season is going to be a lot,” he added, stressing the importance of calling on depth after United faced Sunderland on Saturday without Casemiro and Benjamin Šeško.

Bruno Fernandes has been awarded the 2025–26 Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year after a season in which his creativity and consistency were prominent features of Manchester United’s revival. His performances have been singled out by the football writers who vote on the prize.

The FWA honour is decided by members of the Football Writers’ Association and is presented annually to “the professional player who by precept and example is considered by a ballot of members to be the footballer of the year.” The prize sits among the season’s principal individual awards and carries considerable esteem among journalists.

Winners of the FWA award often go on to collect the other major individual prizes in the same season. Players who have completed that sequence in recent years include Erling Haaland (2022–23), Phil Foden (2023–24) and Mohamed Salah (2024–25).

Fernandes is the first Manchester United player to win the FWA vote since Wayne Rooney in 2009–10. It is the 10th occasion that someone from Old Trafford has taken the award, stretching back to the 1940s. Cristiano Ronaldo remains the only two-time winner, a distinction that leaves nine different Manchester United players having now claimed the prize.

That United lineage includes Johnny Carey (1948–49), Bobby Charlton (1965–66), George Best (1967–68), Eric Cantona (1995–96), Roy Keane (1999–00), Teddy Sheringham (2000–01), Cristiano Ronaldo (2006–07 and 2007–08) and Wayne Rooney (2009–10), with Bruno Fernandes added for 2025–26. Liverpool continue to hold the overall record for the most FWA awards, with 16 winners from across the decades.

The recognition cements Fernandes’s status among the leading figures in English football for the 2025–26 campaign and places him alongside the recent roll-call of the country’s standout performers.