Manchester United

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Barring 15-year-old JJ Gabriel coming in for England Under-20 striker Ethan Wheatley, who has a minor calf problem, Manchester United's 25-man squad for their first two pre-season games in Helsinki and Trondheim has stayed the same.

That surely means anyone from the academy who has a chance of breaking into Michael Carrick's senior squad consistently this season will come from that group.

It means the academy players not involved – including the likes of Gibraltar international James Scanlon, midfielder Jack Moorhouse, who spent the first half of last season at Leyton Orient, and Gabriele Biancheri, who was at Rotherham, will have to seriously consider their next moves.

Australia full-back James Overy also falls into that group.

Overy missed a lot of football with United last term after being picked for both the Under-20 World Cup and Under-23 Asian Cup.

However, the Perth-born youngster did come on as a second-half substitute in the FA Youth Cup final defeat by Manchester City in May.

He is coveted by plenty of A League sides, who are keen to sign Overy on loan, but there is also interest in the 18-year-old, who earned his first call-up to the senior Socceroos squad last season, in Europe.

Real Madrid are open to selling 26-year-old France defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni to Manchester United. (Sun), external

Roma and France midfielder Manu Kone, 25, and Brighton's 22-year-old Cameroon international Carlos Baleba are also being considered as United aim to strengthen their midfield. (Sky Sports), external

Bournemouth's 27-year-old United States midfielder Tyler Adams, who is valued at about £35m, is also an option for Michael Carrick's side. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It had been expected 15-year-old JJ Gabriel would play some part in Manchester United's pre-season this summer given the progress he has made through the club's youth system.

But should the winger feature against Rosenborg in Norway to make his first senior appearance, it will be the latest milestone in the teenager's career.

Gabriel first came to notice outside United circles in April 2025. Striker Victor Musa scored six times in a lopsided 13-1 Premier Under 18 League win over Leeds.

But neither the score nor Musa's double hat-trick was the main talking point – it was a 25-minute cameo from Gabriel on his debut, then aged just 14.

Pace, balance and control were already evident - and he also scored twice to show he has an eye for goal.

He built on that early promise last season. For most of the campaign he seemed destined to finish as the league's top scorer, only for Manchester City's Teddie Lamb to pip him in the final couple of games.

Gabriel was a standout performer last term, scoring 29 times in 32 appearances, helping his team reach the FA Youth Cup and Premier League Under-18 Cup finals.

Because of his slight frame, United's coaching staff moved him inside from his preferred position cutting in from the left last season to keep him away from full-backs who were bigger and stronger and could try to muscle him out of the way.

There was a belief Gabriel would grow this summer and, judging by his social media feeds, he has been working on that.

Having decided to target the youth market to offer the best chance of future success, it would be counterproductive to hold back someone already in their ranks, so Gabriel's call-up for the trip to Norway makes perfect sense.

If Gabriel features against Rosenborg he will be one of the youngest players to play a senior game.

The youngest player to feature in a competitive match for United is David Gaskell, a goalkeeper who made his debut when he was 16 years and 19 days. Gabriel will not be 16 until 6 October.

Manchester United travelling squad: Tom Heaton, Radek Vitek, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Ayden Heaven, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu, , Andrey Santos, Bryan Mbeumo, Chido Obi, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer, Dan Gore, Dermot Mee, Shea Lacey, Ethan Williams, Jaydan Kamason, Jacob Devaney, Jim Thwaites, Dan Armer, JJ Gabriel.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United and Newcastle United have both expressed an interest in Botafogo midfielder Danilo this summer.

The 25-year-old, who was part of Brazil's World Cup squad, is considering his next move after his club received offers of about £25m from Palmeiras and Zenit St Petersburg.

Manchester United are exploring multiple options, including not signing an additional midfielder this summer.

Newcastle were understood to have held an interest in Danilo earlier in the window, as one of a number of possible targets, but the club are now close to signing Aladji Bamba from Monaco in a deal worth up to £34m.

Newcastle have also signed fellow midfielder Sean Steur from Ajax for a fee of up to £23m.

Danilo is assessing his options, with Botafogo keen to sell him abroad despite Palmeiras, where he spent three years between 2020 and 2023, currently pushing hardest to complete a deal.

Nottingham Forest first brought Danilo to England from Palmeiras for £18m in 2023. After two seasons, he returned to Brazil to join Botafogo.

The midfielder appeared as a substitute in all but one of Brazil's matches at the World Cup, where they were eliminated by Norway in the last 16.

Manchester United are exploring a move for Real Madrid and France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 23. (Nicolo Schira), external

Bruno Fernandes has decided to commit his future to Manchester United, with talks around a new deal for the captain ongoing. (Express), external

Meanwhile, Arsenal are edging the battle with United for Bournemouth and England Under-21 midfielder Alex Scott, 22. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Image source, Getty Images

We asked you to pick one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want Manchester United to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Here are some of your suggestions:

Habeeb: I am torn between Mason Mount and Lisandro Martinez. Both are incredibly injury prone and are barely worth half of what the club paid for them. Their high wages will also make it a tall order to shift them, but the club ideally needs to let one of them go and replace. If Mount goes, I'd love for Mamadou Sangare at Racing Lens to come in and be the defensive midfielder we've been crying out for. As for Martinez's potential replacement, I will like Ayden Heaven to get more starting minutes as a left centre-back, and possibly promote an academy lad if the market isn't right.

Dave: One to move on is Martinez - injury prone. One to get in - Aurelien Tchouameni. Magical.

Simon: Martinez out - injury prone and sign holder. Alex Scott in... not a direct replacement but brings depth and energy to a midfield. Kobbie Mainoo, Bruno Fernandes with Andrey Santos, Alex Scott, Youri Tielemans and Mason Mount.

Djemal: Get rid of Marcus Rashford or swap with Arda Guler from Real Madrid.

Steve: Alex Scott would be a marquee signing. It looks like he has a touch of arrogance which is often a hallmark of United greats. Time is up for Joshua Zirkzee. Even if United don't sign another striker, he's hindering chances for the youngsters and is surplus to requirements if Rashford is reintegrated into the squad.

Chris: Zirkzee has to go. I would love to get Jean-Philippe Mateta in from Crystal Palace. Premier League experience, proven goalscorer, slightly older but absolutely not past it. Possibly a really good mentor for Benjamin Sesko and definitely a great alternative/back-up.

Ben: Mason Mount out, horrible fitness record and has not delivered at the club, so time to get rid. Bring in Alex Scott - young and Premier League proven. Has huge potential.

Dale: In Jobe Bellingham. Out the Fletcher twins. Neither are good enough and especially given the two or three new midfield signings.

Image source, Manchester United

Manchester United have released their new 2026-27 away kit, which is blue with a red and white trim.

The club say the kit is built on a "bold royal blue base" which "brings together familiar foundations with refined textures and subtle accents" and it will be completed with matching royal blue shorts and socks.

Man Utd have previously worn blue kits when they won the 1968 European Cup final, the 2009 Champions League semi-final and the 2017 Europa League final.

The new kit will be worn for the first time on Friday when the Red Devils play Rosenborg in Trondheim.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown believes Youri Tielemans "can bring a lot to the team" after signing from fellow Premier League side Aston Villa.

Brown told BBC Radio Manchester: "I like that one. We're missing Casemiro now with his experience. We're signing two [midfielders] and one of them being Tielemans for £35m is a great bargain for me.

"Yes he is a little bit older but he has got the experience, knows about the Premier League and I think he can bring a lot to the team. I think he is a Man Utd fan with what I'm hearing on the grapevine."

• Listen to more Man Utd content on BBC Sounds

Tielemans has played in the Premier League for seven years, firstly for Leicester City before moving to Villa in 2023 when his contract with the Foxes expired.

Brown said: "He understands about the club and I'm glad he is excited to be coming. That's the sort of characters that the club needs going forward."

Listen to more of Brown's thoughts on Man Utd's transfer business below or here on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Clearly just as United need active sellers to buy from, they need buyers so they can offload those players they do not want.

In Marcus Rashford's case, there are a limited number of clubs globally who could match his current salary. And where a club are interested, the player has to want to join them.

Judging by his recent social media post, he would not do anything to jeopardise his England place.

BBC Sport has also been told of some Premier League clubs he would not be keen to move to.

So where will Rashford be when the transfer window closes on 1 September? Currently, the likeliest answer, by some distance, is Manchester United.

After that: Any Spanish club, any Turkish club, any German club. The vagueness there underlines the current lack of market for the 15th highest scorer in United's history, with 138 goals - someone who is only 17 short of a place in the top 10.

There are plenty, including former captain Gary Neville, who feel Rashford's time at Old Trafford is over and there should be no reconciliation.

In the end though, it may have to happen - and not everyone would be disappointed.

"A fit and focused Marcus Rashford has the ability to be one of the best players," said Rashford's friend Sam Smith - the Wrexham forward who scored the winner in their pre-season victory over Carrick's team in Helsinki on Saturday - when speaking to the United We Stand podcast.

"He has everything.

"He has had a difficult time at United and getting away from it all was a good thing.

"I don't know what is going to happen but as his friend, I hope he comes back and proves how good a player he was, how good he can be and starts scoring goals again."

• Read more from Simon on Rashford

Now the dust has settled on the 2026 World Cup, you can officially review your Predictor results for the tournament.

If you played more than four rounds, BBC Sport has done a deep dive into your predictions, tournament performance and compared you to other players.

Don't worry, though, Predictor isn't stopping at international tournaments! Pre-season has kicked off and there are plenty of friendlies and European qualifiers to keep us occupied before the new season gets under way.

So how do you fancy your chances of correctly predicting the scores for our six selected matches every week?

BBC Sport has launched a new weekly Predictor game to cover the 2026-27 season, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from six fixtures from across the leagues.

There will usually be a Friday deadline and the game will also feature streaks, so make sure to build it into your weekly football habits.

Lock in your first round of predictions before Friday, 24 July here

If you're wondering how to play, here are a few easy steps:

• Click on the link above to take you to the selections page.

• For every match, you either choose a winning team or select a draw - once your prediction has been submitted you won't be able to change it, so be sure to pick carefully.

• Then wait for the results to roll in to see how you have done.

• Share your results with your friends and family.

• Every consecutive round you play adds one to your streak, but if you miss a round then your streak will reset to zero.

Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are all plotting a move for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, 28, but the Old Trafford hierarchy do not want to sell him to another English club. (The I - subscription required), external

Manchester United remain keen to sign a central midfielder but have cooled their interest in Brighton's Cameroon international Carlos Baleba and Bournemouth's Guernseyman Alex Scott, both 22, because of their high price tags. (Teamtalk), external

Bournemouth are determined to keep hold of Scott, who is interesting Arsenal, even though the England Under-21 international has rejected a new contract with the Cherries. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Manchester United's 18-year-old Australian full-back James Overy is being monitored by Rangers and several clubs in Australia. (Mail Plus - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mohamed Moallim
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League's financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Since 2016 total summer transfer spending has risen from £1.16bn to a record £3.19bn in 2025 – an increase of almost 175%.

On the surface, that suggests transfer figures are continuing to accelerate. Headline fees, though, tell only part of the story.

Research by Kieran Maguire and colleagues at the University of Liverpool suggests some of the Premier League's earlier record signings represented even greater investments when measured against clubs' buying power at the time.

Using Premier League broadcasting revenues as an index, Alan Shearer's £15m move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 remains the league's biggest transfer relative to clubs' spending power. Rio Ferdinand's £29.1m move to Manchester United in 2002 and Juan Sebastian Veron's £28.1m arrival at Old Trafford in 2001 also rank above any of this summer's blockbuster deals.

The same model suggests Trevor Francis' £1m move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 – English football's first £1m transfer – would equate to about £173m in today's market.

That does not mean the fees paid for Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali were modest. Rather, it reflects how dramatically Premier League revenues have grown, allowing clubs to spend sums that would once have been unimaginable.

When Jack Grealish became Britain's first £100m footballer when joining City from Villa in 2021, the transfer marked another turning point in the evolution of the market.

Only five years later, nine-figure deals are no longer viewed as extraordinary. They have become a familiar feature of Premier League transfer windows.

The next milestone may not be far away.

While no Premier League club has yet paid £200m for a player, football's financial ceiling continues to rise and the first transfer of that magnitude no longer feels beyond the realms of possibility.

• Read more on transfer fee evolution

Daniel Austin
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United fans have reacted with fury after "thousands" had their season-ticket accounts restricted.

The action follows an attempt by the club to identify potential ticket touts and those breaking the club's ticketing terms and conditions.

But supporters have told BBC Sport that those who have been informed their season tickets are now at risk of being revoked include many of the club's most loyal followers, and insist that the majority have done nothing wrong.

"I feel angry about it - they just want us gone," Andy, a season ticket-holder for more than 35 years, who was informed his account has been restricted on Monday night, told BBC Sport.

"My dad has been a season ticket-holder since 1974, when we were in the Second Division, and going to the matches is our bond. Things like that are what keep older people alive sometimes."

Manchester United declined to comment on the process or fan reaction when asked to do so.

As it stands, those under suspicion have had restrictions placed on their online accounts, preventing them from buying and transferring tickets.

Those whose accounts have been flagged have been asked to submit evidence to the club to defend themselves, if they feel they have been wrongly accused.

United have not revoked any tickets so far - and an appeals panel will make a final decision on each case before their Premier League season begins on 22 August.

The club conducted a crackdown on touting last season, cancelling 22,000 tickets for the first five home games of the season. They regard that figure as "the tip of the iceberg" and believe about 10-15% of season tickets are controlled by touts.

"They have already taken my season ticket money," Andy said. "They don't care about how it affects people, their relationships, maybe their health and mental health. There is no empathy.

"I feel like people are punished for their loyalty. They don't want fans, they want customers."

Read the full article here

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Jacob Devaney is happy to go out on loan again this season if it helps his career, but his main focus remains on making it at Manchester United.

Devaney, 19, had an outstanding second half of the campaign at St Mirren, making 18 appearances, including starting both legs of the play-off final with Partick Thistle as the Buddies secured their top-flight status.

Decisions are still being made around which United youth players will be in Michael Carrick's first-team squad at Old Trafford this season and Devaney was part of a second-half team that came exclusively from the club's academy against Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday.

"The main aim for me is to play for Manchester United week in, week out," said Devaney, a Republic of Ireland Under-21 international.

"Obviously, I want to play first-team football, so whether that is at United, learning from the best, for the next year or if I have to go on loan again and gain more valuable experience, like I did at St Mirren, that's what I'll do."

Although Devaney featured in his preferred central midfield role for St Mirren, he returned to central defence, where he was skipper for United's Premier League 2 side last season, against Wrexham.

It meant coming up against experienced Wales forward Kieffer Moore, so Devaney was pleased United were able to keep a second-half clean sheet.

"It goes without saying he's a big physical threat," said Devaney. "He's had a good career.

"It's nice to test yourself against someone like him in games like that.

"I played in multiple positions in the past year or two. No matter who I'm up against, whether it's the lads in training or lads like Kieffer Moore, I'll apply myself, give 100% and always back myself to come out on top."

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United published some fresh training pictures on Tuesday as they gear up for their latest pre-season game against Norwegian side Rosenborg on Friday.

There was a notable addition among those who trained compared to the 25-man squad head coach Michael Carrick took to Helsinki for the 1-0 defeat by Wrexham on Saturday.

Fifteen-year-old forward JJ Gabriel was shown training with Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven.

It remains to be seen whether the England youth international is part of Carrick's squad for the Trondheim trip but it had been expected coming out of last season he would get some first-team exposure.

Despite only being 14 at the start of the campaign, Gabriel was named the Premier Under-18 League's player of the year last term and also United's club under-18 player of the year.

He scored 26 goals as United reached the FA Youth Cup final and the Premier League Under-18 Cup final, although they frustratingly finished on the losing side in both.

In addition to Gabriel, it will be interesting to see if new arrival Tynan Thompson travels to Trondheim given United's World Cup contingent will all still be missing.

Image source, PA Media

Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to Newcastle and England legend Kevin Keegan, who passed away on Monday at the age of 75.

The Scottish manager and Keegan shared one of the most famous rivalries in Premier League history as Manchester United and Newcastle United battled for the title in 1996.

Speaking to Track Radio, Ferguson said: "I had the utmost respect for him. We had many duels when he was manager of Newcastle, but I have to say the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic.

"He re-energised that club and he brought that enthusiasm and fanaticism that great supporters can give. That's the job he did.

"And he also brought three great players to the club - [David] Ginola, [Faustino] Asprilla, Philippe Albert - and added a bit of class to the team, and I must say the challenges we had with Newcastle at that time at United were huge."

Keegan was well known for his passion for the game and one of his most memorable moments in charge at St James' Park came during a Sky Sports interview in the middle of a tense title race against Ferguson's United side. In the now-famous Premier League moment, the England great called out his rivals' mind games as the title race came to a head.

However, Ferguson said the two bumped into each other at Wentworth Golf Club weeks after his side beat the Magpies to the title and the rivalry was quickly forgotten as the pair spent the night around the piano.

"The great thing about him, he held no grudges," Ferguson said. "That was a fantastic quality he had and we had a great night.

"All aside whatever happened in previous weeks, that was soon forgotten. I really respected him for that."

With the 2026 World Cup done and dusted, the return of club football is back on everyone's minds.

Pre-season preparations are under way and we want you to have a think about Manchester United's squad.

Tell us one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want the Red Devils to bring in before the transfer window shuts.

Get in touch with your picks here

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick was watching academy training sessions at Carrington the week before the senior players returned for pre-season training.

There has been a renewed commitment to youth development at United on and off the pitch in recent months.

Off it, they are reinforcing their talent pool by committing £8m to bring in promising England youth international Tynan Thompson from Tottenham.

On it, Carrick, whose son Jacey has been confirmed as a first-year scholar this season, has been spending time assessing the development of players at under-21 and under-18 level.

In Helsinki on Saturday, he fielded an entirely academy-produced side in the second half of the pre-season game against Wrexham and roughly the same group of players will be involved against Rosenborg in Trondheim on Friday.

"It's really important," said Jacob Devaney, who skippered United's Under-21s last season before spending the second half of the campaign on loan at Scottish Premiership outfit St Mirren.

"We speak about it as a group. It's great to have Michael there at the games, and even when we were in training a week before the first team, I think he was out at every session with the staff.

"It's nice that he has knowledge of what you're doing and he's obviously not afraid to throw the youth in. He's shown that last year.

"It's positive to have someone like him in the building."

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater and Joe McGrath discuss transfers in the latest episode of The Devils' Advocate.

Gaz believes United manager, Michael Carrick, might have some hard decisions to make when it comes to midfield this season.

"I've got a lot of thoughts on our centre-midfield and some concerns," he said on the BBC Sounds podcast.

"In an ideal world, Youri Tielemans needs a more defensive-minded partner, which Andrey Santos is. As a centre-midfield pairing, it works quite well.

"But there's just no way United don't play Kobbie Mainoo. Michael Carrick loves him. If Mainoo plays he needs Santos, so a Tielemans and Mainoo partnership doesn't quite fit.

"So it makes me think we should go for another centre-midfielder who would be our marquee signing. Someone like Eduardo Camavinga. But I think that's it."

Listen to the podcast below or on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Marcus Rashford is contracted to Manchester United until 2028. His salary of £325,000 a week makes him the club's top earner at a time when minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is trying to stay on top of salary costs, which are, by some distance, the club's highest expenditure.

Barcelona had an option, in the loan deal they agreed for Rashford last season, to turn it into a permanent transfer for £26m.

As expected, that deadline passed in the middle of June without it being activated.

There was another clause in Rashford's contract that allowed other clubs - Liverpool and Manchester City excepted - to buy him for £40m, which expired earlier in July. As expected, no-one triggered that either.

Sources close to the player felt it was illogical to think a club would come in and offer more than Barcelona would have had to pay.

With England's World Cup campaign at an end, Rashford is now entitled to a three-week break.

Unless the timings are altered, or his situation changes, he will return to Manchester United just as they begin a six-day training camp in the Republic of Ireland, scheduled around an historic meeting with old rivals Leeds at Croke Park on 12 August.

Suggestions around Rashford have been that he is relaxed about the prospect of returning to training at United.

For a start, there is not the same confrontational relationship between the player and his coach.

Ruben Amorim fell out with the forward within weeks of his arrival from Sporting Lisbon. Amorim eventually exiled him, which triggered a loan move to Aston Villa.

Amorim's replacement, Michael Carrick, is a former team-mate of Rashford's. He has also been his coach and was, briefly, his manager, following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dismissal in 2021. The pair are said to get on well.

Carrick's only public statement around Rashford, towards the end of last season, was conciliatory in nature, which is in keeping with his general personality.

For their part, United are sticking to their refusal to renegotiate a deal with Barcelona on reduced terms or consider a second loan to the Catalan giants.

The consistency of United's messaging is being articulated in a summer where they are keen to prove they will not be bullied into overpaying to get deals over the line.

Read more on where Rashford's future lies