Manchester United
Mason Mount on Thomas Tuchel’s Call and His England Ambitions
Mason Mount reveals a surprise call from Thomas Tuchel, fueling hopes of an England recall.
Manchester United’s Mason Mount has opened up on a recent conversation with England manager Thomas Tuchel, which has reignited hopes of a return to international duty after two and a half years away. The 26-year-old midfielder, who regained his fitness late last season and featured in United’s final 14 games, is eager to secure a more pivotal role at club level to boost his chances of an England recall.
Mount described the call from Tuchel during United’s preseason tour in the United States: “He called me and he said that he’s calling a lot of players and just wanted to catch up. I don’t know how many players he probably called, 40 or 50 maybe. But it was good to see his face, good to catch up with him and good to speak to him.”
Having been a key figure under Tuchel’s management at Chelsea, where he contributed to the club’s Champions League victory, Mount is aware that this does not guarantee his place in the national squad. “He said to me, ‘There’s no guarantees, even though you played for me.’ But it gives you more. You want to push even more to be able to be back in the squad. So it was really good to speak to him and see what he’s preparing.”
Mount also highlighted Tuchel’s enthusiasm for his new England role: “He looked very excited and had loads of energy, like I remember, and was bang up for the new role.”
However, Mount faces stiff competition in midfield for England, with established players like Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Morgan Rogers, as well as others including Jordan Henderson, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze, and Morgan Gibbs-White all vying for a spot.
Manchester United
Amorim explains substitution decisions after Amad rescue ends United winning run
Amorim defended his substitutions after Amad rescued a 2–2 draw and United saw a winning run end….
Ruben Amorim defended his approach after Manchester United were held to a 2–2 draw at Nottingham Forest, a result that stopped the club’s run of consecutive wins. He said he feared bringing on another striker late in the game might have done more harm than good.
Amorim made attacking changes by introducing full backs Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui while leaving Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee among the substitutes. He replaced Diogo Dalot and Leny Yoro as he looked to create different crossing angles and movement from the flanks.
“Sometimes, if you put more strikers on, I don’t feel we are going to play better,” Amorim explained. “If you see Diogo Dalot, many times with space to make a cross but he has the right foot and is always coming inside, without space…
“With Patrick, we are going to do the same thing but, when you have the ball, got to the side and cross from the spaces there. Because, if you want to come inside, Matheus Cunha is always there to receive the ball.
“If you see the start of the second half, Leny is always the one with the space to run with the ball. Nous is a full back so I try to use the characteristics of the player. It’s not the quality because we have the quality on the bench.
“Also, if I stop the game all the time, I have the feeling I am going to break something. We were going to improve in the second half so the feeling was not to change anything.
“I know Amad can do much better, he is really dangerous one-on-one so, sometimes, we expect it just from that one guy. He was not doing a great game for us but managed to score. He has the potential to do so much better and we lost two points today.
“If [Kobbie] Mainoo and Mason Mount was there, also Josh [Zirkzee] and then you have to imagine the game. Josh is better like a little bit like Cunha, playing between the lines. If you see the game, we need a guy who needs to be inside the box. Ben [Šeško] is the best one to do that.
“Sometimes, it’s the characteristics of the game and they know that it’s just the moment. We try to do our best, it’s nothing to do with the quality on the bench. We have a lot of games where that happens.”
Amad Diallo’s late volley salvaged a point but the young winger was subdued after the final whistle, focusing on the draw rather than the quality of the finish.
“I don’t know if it is Goal of the Season,” he said. “We are really disappointed to go home with one point.
“It’s always difficult to play Nottingham Forest. We wanted to win this game coming from three in a row. We are a bit disappointed because we go home with one point. But we will learn from this.
“I think we have confidence now. We believe in the manager and we believe in the system. We are training to do the best. Everyone is now focused. We had three wins in the row and we wanted to make it four and were unlucky.
“We are doing things step by step and we believe in the manager like he believes in us. Every game for us is like a final. We wanted to bring this team to the top level. We wanted to win this game and we are disappointed as a team.”
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.
