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.

Casemiro has offered a clear verdict on the make-up of the Real Madrid generation in which he played alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. The Manchester United departing midfielder recalled his four seasons with Ronaldo at Real Madrid, a period that yielded the Champions League on each occasion, and described a team-mate who to him combined a wider range of attributes than the Portugal forward.

On Rio Ferdinand Presents, Casemiro singled out Gareth Bale for particular praise. “Cristiano scores 50 goals, but Bale is attack, defend, head, score,” he said, before adding: “Cristiano is the best, another world. But Bale is more complete. Everything, he does very good. Very quick, too strong. For me, Bale is an unbelievable player.”

Casemiro also used the interview to set out his views on modern passing and creativity. He criticised what he called sterile possession that preserves statistics rather than threatening the opposition. “You finish the game and [a player] has [completed] 97% of passes. But what’s the pass? Pass back, pass back, pass back. Negative passing,” he said.

Those principles explain his admiration for Bruno Fernandes. Casemiro praised the United captain’s relentless forward intent and his willingness to accept risk in order to hurt opponents. “You need to play forward. It doesn’t matter if you lose the ball. Of course, sometimes you need to play good [by keeping the ball]. But what I love about Bruno is he plays forward every time. Every time, he kills the opposing team: ‘You give me space, I kill you.’”

Fernandes’s numbers for 2025–26 were used to underline Casemiro’s point. The United captain has created 124 chances and 30 ‘big chances’ with two games remaining. “I love Bruno’s game because of this, assist, pass, pass, every time pass it forward.” The piece contrasted those totals with the next most creators: Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboslai with 67 chances and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki with 18 big chances. By comparison, Szoboszlai’s accuracy is 87.7%, while Bernardo Silva sits north of 90%. Casemiro made his preference clear: he values forward, decisive passing over safe statistics.

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.