Rio Ferdinand has urged Kobbie Mainoo to take inspiration from Casemiro as he looks to revive his prospects at Manchester United. Ferdinand argued that the Brazil international’s return to the starting line-up under Ruben Amorim offers a blueprint for a young player pushed to the periphery.

Casemiro is now among the first names on the team sheet in Ruben Amorim’s resurgent side, perhaps at Mainoo’s expense. The 20-year-old academy graduate has struggled for minutes under the Portuguese boss and has not started in the Premier League this season. A request to leave on loan in the summer was rejected, leaving Mainoo forced to accept short cameos late on in games while his dreams of travelling to the 2026 World Cup with England appear to fade.

Ferdinand was clear that he did not want to see Mainoo abandon his United career and highlighted the example set by Casemiro. “Watch and learn,” he said on YouTube. “There was a player being told he’s not good enough for Manchester United, exactly what Mainoo’s been through. I think character-wise, personality-wise, there’s a lot to learn from Casemiro.

“Yes there’s football-wise too but they are very different players.”

He also pointed to the value of fighting for a place at the club and criticised the attitude of some academy graduates. “[Casemiro’s fight] is what I think a lot of fans would have wanted from Rashford, from [Jadon] Sancho from Antony, those guys have gone elsewhere now,” Ferdinand said. “Especially Rashford because he’s homegrown. Just stay and fight, be here and fight for it, be a Man Utd player, hold on, grit your teeth and hold on by your fingernails. But sometimes it’s just not the way.”

On Mainoo’s immediate chances, Ferdinand acknowledged the competition he faces. “You’ve got Casemiro, a man in form and Bruno [Fernandes], the most exciting player we’ve got, it’s going to be hard for Kobbie to get in here right now,” he acknowledged. The message was straightforward: learn from Casemiro and keep fighting for minutes at Old Trafford.

Liverpool acknowledge the need for an immediate improvement in results but remain committed to Arne Slot despite a sharp dip in form. After a sequence of early wins sparked by late goals, the club have lost five of their last six matches, including four consecutive Premier League defeats.

Reports of unrest and speculation about Slot’s position have circulated, yet Fabrizio Romano states Liverpool’s faith in the Dutch boss remains unwavering and there are no plans to even consider making a change in the dugout. Club officials are said to be “100% convinced” that Slot is the right manager to guide the side forward.

Inside Liverpool there is an acceptance that alterations to the squad have affected fluidity and cohesion on the pitch, and that those adjustments are a significant factor in the slump. The squad is understood to still support the manager and are prepared to give him time to find solutions.

The club view the recent defeats as primarily tactical problems: opponents have taken approaches Liverpool have struggled to counter. The list of recent losses includes Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford. That sequence has prompted debate about the team’s physical profile and set-piece vulnerability.

Jamie Carragher, who recently argued the Reds were approaching a “crisis”, attributed part of the problem to a lack of physicality, saying the side have failed to deal with long throws and set pieces.

The immediate priority for Slot and his staff is to adjust tactics or personnel to address those shortcomings and restore cohesion. There is hope within the club that such changes will halt the run of poor results.

Slot’s next opportunity to stem the pressure arrives on Wednesday, when Liverpool face Crystal Palace in a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie. Palace were the first side to beat Liverpool in this recent sequence and also prevailed in the Community Shield earlier in the season.

Manchester United remain uncertain about Jadon Sancho’s next step after his loan spell at Aston Villa has produced limited minutes and little market momentum. United had hoped the loan would mirror Marcus Rashford’s six-month spell at Villa Park in the second half of the 2024–25 campaign, but that scenario has yet to unfold.

Sancho has made just five appearances for Villa so far and was substituted after being introduced from the bench in Sunday’s 1–0 victory over Manchester City. The Manchester Evening News report United have not agreed a plan for Sancho’s next move.

The 25-year-old’s contract at Old Trafford runs until next summer, with United holding the option to extend for a further 12 months. Letting the deal expire would mean United accepting a total loss on the £73 million they paid in 2021. Extending the contract would preserve the possibility of a fee in a sale but would carry the risk of another 12 months of his substantial wages if an acceptable offer does not arrive.

United see no long-term future for Sancho at the club and are hoping a successful loan at Villa Park will sustain some value and attract interest next summer. Any decision on the contract extension is expected later in the season, once Sancho has had more time to demonstrate his form at Villa.

Sancho’s start at Villa has been slow. He played just eight minutes across his first three Premier League games before illness sidelined him. He returned to start in the midweek Europa League defeat to Go Ahead Eagles, his second start for the club, but drew attention when he was substituted on and then off in the same match against his former employers.

Emery addressed the episode and acknowledged the player’s feelings while underlining fitness concerns. “Yes, sure [Sancho] is not happy, but I did it before with Morgan Rogers, with Emiliano Buendia, with Leon Bailey, and he played 60 minutes on Thursday,” Emery explained. “When [Buendia] was injured, my plan was maybe in case [Sancho] was going to play 30 minutes, but I decided to play more and he played 45 minutes.

“But my plan was when he was swapped with Emiliano Buendia, the idea was maybe not playing all the minutes until the last moment. And I told him as well, he can feel it, it’s embarrassing.

“Before Morgan, Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey, they felt the same when I subbed them, but it was not a punishment. And now it’s not a punishment.

“He played 45 minutes, I am so happy because his impact was good, his electricity, his skill, but then to play more than now… he’s not ready, fit, to play 90 minutes, 45 minutes is not easy enough for him and I am happy and of course, progressively he’s coming better and better.”