Manchester United
Amorim Sticks With Altay Bayındır Ahead of Etihad Test
Amorim backs Altay Bayindir to continue in goal for Man City trip despite early-season errors today.
Ruben Amorim has confirmed Altay Bayındır will keep his place in goal for Manchester United’s trip to Manchester City on Sunday. The decision leaves Lammens waiting for his chance, despite expectations he might move straight into the first team.
“Altay is going to continue,” Amorim said in his pre-match press conference .
Amorim underlined the adjustment required for a goalkeeper arriving in the Premier League and the value he places on experience. “It is a different league, different country, different ball. I know that we are in the moment that the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience.
“It is a different league, different country, different ball. I know that we are in the moment that the goalkeeper needs to be really strong and have a lot of experience.”
The manager also spoke about the club’s need for stability since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 and how individual players have often struggled amid change. On the subject of a transformational signing in goal, Amorim referenced Edwin van der Sar’s arrival in 2005.
“We had a situation in the past with goalkeepers where we spent a lot of time trying to get a goalkeeper and then Edwin van der Sar came and was like a different player in that position,” Amorim said.
Asked who might follow in Van der Sar’s footsteps, Amorim backed Bayındır to take a step forward. “This week I hope to see Altay Bayindir doing well like Van der Sar. Then in the future, they have to fight for the places. We as a team can help the goalkeepers be better. We are doing that.”
The Turkish international faces a significant challenge at the Etihad. Bayındır has started the first three games of the season and has yet to keep a clean sheet. A mistake in the season opener against Arsenal allowed Riccardo Calafiori to score what proved to be the winner, and United have collected four points from a possible nine so far.
André Onana, before leaving, made two errors against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup second round as they were shockingly upset by the League Two side on penalties .
Man City vs. Man Utd kicks off Sunday, Sept. 14 at 16:30 BST (11:30 a.m. ET).
Manchester United
Amad Volley Secures 2-2 Draw After Controversial Corner Ignites Forest Fightback
Amad Diallo’s late volley salvages a 2-2 draw at Forest after a disputed corner and 2 Forest goals.
Amad Diallo’s late volley produced a stunning equaliser as Manchester United salvaged a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest, extending the club’s unbeaten run to four games. The leveller arrived from outside the penalty area after a half-cleared corner and gave United a share of the points despite a spirited Forest comeback.
The match turned on a controversial moment in the first half when Forest players argued the ball had gone out before the corner that led to Casemiro’s free header. Casemiro’s goal was the opener and was matched by two second-half strikes from the home side.
Morgan Gibbs-White levelled with a header from Ryan Yates’s cross, and Nicolo Savona capitalised on a loose ball after a failure to deal with an aerial challenge to put Forest 2-1 up. The decision that allowed the first goal appeared to galvanise the home team and set the tone for an intense second period.
United threatened repeatedly; Bruno Fernandes hit the post from distance and Callum Hudson-Odoi blazed a low effort wide. From a corner that was half-cleared, the ball found Amad on the edge of the box and his volley arrowed into the bottom-right corner to secure the draw and take United fifth in the Premier League.
Individual contributions were notable. Casemiro produced a combative display and scored the opening goal. Bruno Fernandes offered variety and range in his passing and was unlucky not to score. Amad, who had mixed defensive moments earlier, delivered with superb technique for the finishing strike. Goalkeeper Senne Lammens finished with a 5.6 rating and completed 61% of his passes.
Match statistics underlined a busy evening: Forest 41% possession, Man Utd 59%; expected goals 1.92 to 1.15 in Forest’s favour; total shots Forest 17, United 18; shots on target 3 and 7 respectively. The draw left both teams with plenty to consider, the controversy and the late drama ensuring the fixture will be debated in the days ahead.
Manchester United
Rooney’s Premier League five-a-side and honest reflections on FA Cup and 2006 World Cup
Rooney named a five-a-side Premier League XI and reflected on 2016 FA Cup and 2006 World Cup regrets.
Wayne Rooney set out his preferred Premier League five-a-side while also using a half-an-hour long Q&A session to reflect on career highs and regrets. He deliberately named no current Manchester United players in his selection.
On his first pick Rooney said: “Phil Foden, definitely,” Rooney said almost instantly and without hesitation with his first pick. “Five-a-side, Phil Foden, tight areas, brilliant.” He followed that up by adding: “Probably Cole Palmer as well in there,” Rooney continued. “[Bukayo] Saka, I’m not having a goalkeeper. I’ll put [Moisés] Caicedo in there, he’d be the defensive one but he can attack as well.” His final selection came from Liverpool: “Mo Salah. So yeah, that would be my five players,” Rooney finished.
The group Rooney assembled draws from teams across the league, including players who represent Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea, and a Liverpool forward.
Rooney also assessed his own career in the session. He described the FA Cup trophy he conquered as Man Utd captain in 2016—the only FA Cup triumph of his career—as the biggest achievement of his nearly 20-year career. By contrast he identified one major regret from international duty. On the 2006 World Cup he said: “[My biggest regret] Going to the World Cup in 2006,” Rooney said. “I wasn’t fit, I shouldn’t have went. And it ends with getting a red card . So yeah, if I went back I probably wouldn’t have gone.”
The 2006 tournament was also a difficult personal moment: Rooney failed to tally a single goal involvement in four World Cup appearances in 2006 and was sent-off in the quarterfinals before England lost in a penalty shootout. The Q&A underlined how Rooney balances admiration for the current crop of Premier League talent with frank appraisal of his own career milestones and mistakes.
Manchester United
Premier League to Stage Only One Boxing Day Match in 2025 Calendar Revision
Boxing Day will host only Manchester United v Newcastle at Old Trafford amid packed December schedule
The Premier League has confirmed a significant adjustment to its winter schedule for the 2025/26 season: Boxing Day will feature a single top-flight fixture, Manchester United vs. Newcastle United at Old Trafford. The decision marks a departure from the long-standing holiday period format and follows a reworking of the December calendar.
Instead of a crowded Boxing Day, the league said there will be 10 matches between Dec. 20–22, no matches through Christmas Day and then Manchester United hosting Newcastle at Old Trafford on Boxing Day. The league pointed to congestion across competitions as the root cause: European club competition expansion, a revised domestic calendar and changes to the FA Cup reduced the number of available weekends.
“The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season – impacting an important tradition in English football,” the league said Friday.
The statement elaborated on the scheduling constraints. “There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions—which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup. This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition—fewer than previous seasons, despite being a 380-match competition since 1995,” the league said.
“With fewer weekends to work with, the League is bound by how the calendar falls. The League can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day—as the date falls on a Saturday.”
The recent changes guarantee no team will play two matches within 60 hours of each other. The league published the full slate from Boxing Day through New Year’s Day as follows:
Dec. 26, 2025 — Manchester United vs. Newcastle United
Dec. 27, 2025 — Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City
Dec. 27, 2025 — Arsenal vs. Brighton
Dec. 27, 2025 — Brentford vs. Bournemouth
Dec. 27, 2025 — Burnley vs. Everton
Dec. 27, 2025 — Liverpool vs. Wolves
Dec. 27, 2025 — West Ham United vs. Fulham
Dec. 27, 2025 — Chelsea vs. Aston Villa
Dec. 28, 2025 — Sunderland vs. Leeds United
Dec. 28, 2025 — Crystal Palace vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Dec. 30, 2025 — Burnley vs. Newcastle United
Dec. 30, 2025 — Chelsea vs. Bournemouth
Dec. 30, 2025 — Nottingham Forest vs. Everton
Dec. 30, 2025 — West Ham United vs. Brighton
Dec. 30, 2025 — Arsenal vs. Aston Villa
Dec. 30, 2025 — Manchester United vs. Wolves
Jan. 1, 2026 — Crystal Palace vs. Fulham
Jan. 1, 2026 — Liverpool vs. Leeds United
Jan. 1, 2026 — Brentford vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Jan. 1, 2026 — Sunderland vs. Manchester City
