The 26-year-old will sign a five-year contract at Etihad Stadium after agreeing personal terms with City.

The deal, which is subject to a medical, includes additional payments if certain clauses are met.

City hope to complete a deal for Reijnders in time for the Club World Cup, which kicks off on 14 June.

His arrival will strengthen an area of the pitch that has been weakened by injury to Mateo Kovacic, who has been ruled out of the 32-team tournament in the United States after undergoing Achilles surgery.

Midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is also expected not to be involved in the tournament, with a move to Serie A champions Napoli looking increasingly likely.

Who is Reijnders?

Capped 22 times for the Netherlands, Reijnders is the type of balanced midfielder that City lacked last season.

The Dutchman scored 15 goals in 54 matches across all competitions for Milan last term, helping him to be named Serie A’s midfielder of the season.

His performances came against the backdrop of Milan’s dismal campaign as the Rossoneri finished eighth and missed out on European qualification.

It was the best goalscoring season of Reijnders’ career, with the 26-year-old hitting double digits for the first time.

But the former AZ Alkmaar midfielder, who made his senior debut for PEC Zwolle in 2018, is far more than just goals.

Capable of playing deep or high in midfield, Reijnders’ appeal to a coach like Pep Guardiola is clear.

The midfielder is capable of taking the ball in tight areas and is adept at beating the press either through his passing or ball-carrying.

With Rodri returning from injury towards the end of last season, Reijnders could either play alongside the Spaniard or in a more advanced role.

But the main benefit he will bring is giving Guardiola greater options in midfield.

Reports have swirled around the Portuguese star in recent weeks, particularly in the wake of United’s limp UEFA Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 1-0 loss left The Red Devils’ with a season to forget, with no silverware and having finished in a historically-low 15th position in the Premier League.

A final-day win over 10-man Aston Villa was their only league victory against a non-relegated team since February.

Fernandes suggested after the Bilbao final that while he was committed to United, the fallen giants may decide to “cash in” on him.

And this week, widespread reports emerged of a £100 million bid from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal to United, alongside a £700,000 per week contract for the midfielder.

On Tuesday evening, Fernandes used his pre-game press conference ahead of the UEFA Nations League semi-final against Germany to put the story to bed.

He said: “There was that possibility. The president of Al Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it.

“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.

“As I have always said, I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so. I spoke to the coach, Ruben Amorim, who really tried to talk me out of it.

“The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave. If I had wanted to leave, they would have made it happen.

“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.

“It would have been easy to move there, but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”

Fernandes led the United ranks for both goals and assists this season, racking up 19 of each across all competitions.

He is nearing a goalscoring milestone for his career in England, sitting on 98 as he now heads into a seventh season.

The club captain has won the League Cup and FA Cup with United, as well as finishing as Europa League top scorer twice en route to collecting runners-up medals.

However the Blues have expressed their interest to AC Milan in signing France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Sancho moved to Stamford Bridge on loan last summer after his relationship with former United manager Erik ten Hag broke down.

United, who signed Sancho for £73m from Borussia Dortmund in 2021, are happy for the 25-year-old to leave.

Chelsea did not pay a loan fee for the player and covered just half of his reported £300,000-a-week wages.

The Blues had agreed an obligation to buy Sancho for a fee of about 25m if they finished higher than 14th in the Premier League, which they did – or pay to get out of the deal.

However, the club and the player’s representatives have not been able to agree on a contract for Sancho, who would have had to take a pay cut from his deal at United.

The England forward has a year remaining on his United contract, and the club still owe £17m to Dortmund.

Sancho scored in the 4-1 win over Real Betis on Wednesday to help Chelsea win the Conference League – their first trophy since February 2022 – and ended the season with five goals and 10 assists in 42 games.

Although he is under contract until 30 June at Chelsea, he is unlikely to play for them in this month’s Club World Cup in the United States.

Maignan emerges as goalkeeper target

Chelsea have learned that doing a deal for Maignan is a possibility, because the goalkeeper would be interested in a move to Stamford Bridge.

The 29-year-old has been a regular for Milan since joining them on a five-year contract from Lille in 2021.

He has been first choice for France since Hugo Lloris retired from international football in January 2023.

Chelsea have struggled to find a long-term option in goal since buying Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018 for £71m, which remains the world-record fee for a goalkeeper.

Two years later they brought in Edouard Mendy, who left for Al-Ahli in 2023, while Kepa has spent the past two seasons on loan at Real Madrid and then Bournemouth.

In the past two years the Blues have also signed Robert Sanchez, Djordje Petrovic and Filip Jorgensen but the club appears unconvinced by all three.

Petrovic spent last term on loan at Strasbourg while Sanchez and Jorgensen both had spells in the Chelsea team.

United head coach Ruben Amorim is prioritising signing additional striking firepower this summer to bolster his misfiring attack.

The Old Trafford side scored only 44 Premier League goals last season – the fifth lowest tally in the league – with big-money signings Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee managing only four and three respectively.

Wolves forward Matheus Cunha has already agreed a deal with United and will complete his move to Old Trafford once his international commitments with Brazil are over.

United feel confident in making a move for Cameroon international Mbeumo, 25, who scored 20 times for the Bees in the league last season, after receiving indications they are his first choice for a move this summer.

It is understood there is no release clause in Mbeumo’s contract, which still has a year left to run, although there is the option to extend it by another year.

Like many leading players, including United goalkeeper Andre Onana, he has been left out of the squad for his nation’s upcoming friendlies against Uganda and Equatorial Guinea.

While Mbeumo, who signed from French club Troyes in 2019, is not a natural number nine, he is viewed as being versatile, dynamic, powerful and fast, and Amorim wants flexible players.

It is understood any deal will not be affected by growing reports suggesting Bruno Fernandes has turned down a huge offer from Saudi Pro-League club Al-Hilal.

Fernandes has spent the past few days seriously considering the deal which would have more than doubled his salary at Manchester United, where he is one of the biggest earners.

However, after discussing the matter with his family, Fernandes has informed Al-Hilal he will not be joining them.

It is likely he will be asked about the situation later on Tuesday, when he is expected to conduct a pre-match press conference in Germany before Portugal’s Nations League semi-final on Wednesday.

United are understood to be delighted by the news, which came after head coach Ruben Amorim on Friday expressed his belief that Fernandes would remain at Old Trafford.

There were no direct conversations between United and Al-Hilal, so they were never presented with a bid they could turn down.

However, it was expected Al-Hilal were prepared to offer between £80m and £100m to sign the 30-year-old in time for this month’s Club World Cup.

It is not clear whether they will now pursue new targets.

Fernandes has made 290 appearances and scored 98 goals for the club since his £47m move from Sporting in January 2020.

Forbes’ annual list of the world’s most valuable football teams ranks United second with a value of $6.6bn (£4.9bn), and a revenue of $834m (£620m) in the 2023-24 season.

According to Forbes, United’s value increased by 1% despite finishing eighth in the Premier League table in 23-24 and failing to qualify for the Uefa Champions League.

United did win the FA Cup that season, whereas in 24-25 they finished 15th in the Premier League and lost the Uefa Europa League final.

Ruben Amorim’s side will not play European football next season as a result.

Despite on-pitch struggles, debts of £1bn and losses of £113.2m reported in 23-24, United continue to benefit from having one of the strongest brands in all of sport.

The club has a massive global fanbase, built over two decades of dominance in the 1990s and 2000s.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe initiated cost-saving measures after he became a minority owner of the club last year.

Last summer, around 250 staff were made redundant, saving the club an estimated £8m-£10m. A further 200 staff could lose their jobs this summer.

In March, United revealed plans for a new £2bn stadium on the site of Old Trafford.

Real top the rankings with a value of $6.75bn and revenue of $1.129bn, while Barcelona are third.

Manchester City boasted the second largest revenue in 23-24 ($901m), but are fifth in terms of total value ($5.3bn), a 4% rise on the previous year.

Liverpool are the fourth most valuable football club in the world with a value of $5.4bn) and a revenue of $773m in 23-24.

Forbes’ team valuations are enterprise values (equity plus net debt) based on historical transactions and the future economics of each league and each team.

Revenue and operating income – such as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization – reflect the 23-24 campaign.

The team values include the economics of each team’s stadium but not the value of the stadium real estate itself.

Debt is measured in terms of interest-bearing borrowings due in more than one year (including stadium debt).

Forbes’ valuations came from club annual reports and documents, team executives, investors, credit rating agency reports and sports bankers.

Top 30 most valuable clubs

The 26-year-old is set to become United’s first signing of the summer after the club activated a £62.5m release clause in Cunha’s Wolves contract.

The former Atletico Madrid attacking midfielder will sign a five-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option of a further 12 months.

Cunha was in Manchester over the weekend to complete a medical with the club.

The deal, which is subject to visa approval and registration procedures, is expected to be completed once Cunha returns from international duty with Brazil later this month.

Cunha left the Lowry Hotel in Salford on Sunday morning to join up with the national side.

Brazil face Ecuador on Thursday (Friday 00:00 BST) in a World Cup qualifier, which will be Carlo Ancelotti’s first game in charge.

The forward scored 31 goals in 76 appearances for Wolves after completing a permanent move in 2023.

He joined the club in a £35m deal from Atletico Madrid, following a successful six-month loan spell the previous season.

Ruben Amorim is keen to strengthen United’s attack this summer after the club’s worst-ever Premier League campaign – they finished in 15th.

Hong Kong coach Ashley Westwood was blunt and to the point when speaking about Manchester United’s post-season tour of Asia.

As an FA Youth Cup winner with United in 1995 – and someone who worked for the club’s in-house television channel MUTV during a recent pre-season trip to Perth – Westwood has an understanding of the pressures and demands associated with being a player for the 20-time English champions.

While publicly United’s players talked up their post-season trip to Asia and privately officials have praised the way they carried out a mountain of commercial demands, Westwood said no-one should be in any doubt about the reality of the situation.

“No-one says it on the record because they can’t, but fans and sponsors pay wages and this trip is all about revenues,” he said.

At half-time in Hong Kong, as United trailed 1-0 to the national side 153rd in Fifa’s rankings, the tour looked to be going from bad to worse.

Two youngsters signed from Arsenal this season – striker Chido Obi and defender Ayden Heaven – scored the second-half goals that brought a below-capacity crowd at a rain-soaked Hong Kong stadium to life – and at least allowed United to head into the summer on a winning note.

Whether the trip itself was a success is another matter.

A trip focused on commercial partnerships

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho arrives at the Bukit Jalil stadium in Kuala Lumpur in sunglasses

United estimate they will generate about £10m from their 14,000-mile, six-day expedition. The payment is not connected to ticket sales, so it is guaranteed.

At a time when their focus in pre-season – both commercially and from a player preparation perspective – is on the United States, where they will go for the third successive summer in July, United’s presence in the region also allows them to ‘service’ existing big-money sponsorship deals with the likes of banking partner Maybank, airline partner Malaysia Airlines, beer partner Tiger and tyre partner Apollo.

If evidence was needed for the real purpose of United’s trip, it came from the knowledge goalkeeper Andre Onana and defenders Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot had been substituted and were heading for the airport as their team-mates were being booed by a large percentage of a 72,550 crowd following their surprise 1-0 defeat by a South-East Asia select XI on Wednesday.

The trio were boarding a private plane to Mumbai, where they would spend Thursday on a packed commercial programme arranged by Apollo, before getting home a day earlier than those who had gone to Hong Kong for the second game.

As Westwood said, United’s players had been given little choice about being on the trip.

Departure immediately after the final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa meant there was no opportunity to back out. Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt was present, even though he was not fit enough to play. United wanted Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof there too but both had personal reasons to decline.

So Ruben Amorim’s squad opted to make the best of it. Unlike a focused and driven pre-season tour, it is fair to say their approach to this event was ‘relaxed’.

The scenes on the flight from Manchester to Kuala Lumpur were said to be like a party, with loud music and drinks. Some players and staff members were seen at a club on Monday, immediately after their arrival. There was also a chance to wind down after Wednesday’s game.

In the wake of their defeat in Kuala Lumpur, there was gallows humour among the squad when it was pointed out somewhat ironically that after the season they just had domestically, they had now managed to get booed by fans 6,600 miles away from home.

Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee nipped out – accompanied by security – to get some late-night food because room service was not to his taste. Amad Diallo, Heaven and Alejandro Garnacho tried to take an e-scooter ride, only to discover they did not have the money to pay for it.

Garnacho does not appear to have been an enthusiastic participant.

Told following Amorim’s return from a post-Europa League final summit with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and other club executives in Monaco he could find a new club in the summer, the young Argentina winger remains popular among supporters, as evidenced by the raucous cheers for him in both matches.

Yet there is evidence of a lack of engagement.

After the ASEAN All-Stars defeat, Garnacho went straight past opposition captain Sergio Aguero – a 31-year-old Argentina-born naturalised Malaysian – despite promising him his shirt from the game. The damage was rectified by a United kitman, who grabbed Garnacho’s shirt from the dressing room and handed it over.

Thursday brought more negativity as pictures emerged on social media of Amad making a one-fingered gesture to a fan as he was leaving the team hotel.

Amad subsequently said he was responding to abuse against his mum. He accepted his reaction was wrong but at the same time did not regret it.

If specific behaviours raise an eyebrow or can be excused, from a corporate perspective, some of United’s decisions have also been dubious.

The context is clearly different but having ruled out having a parade if they won the Europa League final in Bilbao, to see a group of players – including Zirkzee – embark on a bus parade through Kuala Lumpur was bizarre. Some fans did turn out – and there remains enthusiasm for United in this region.

But it is not on remotely the same levels as their last visit to Malaysia, in 2009, when they were Premier League champions, and had the likes of Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney in their squad.

At that time, they struggled to get around their hotel such was the constant presence of fans. Their first game attracted a crowd of 85,000 – and there were 30,000 at a second, arranged at 48 hours’ notice after a terrorist attack in Jakarta, where they were supposed to be going.

Nani was on that tour too and the Portuguese winger was part of a three-man team of ‘legends’ along with Wes Brown and John O’Shea who have been on this trip to push the club narrative.

For Amorim, it has been another eye-opening crash course in what being a figurehead at United means. “More than a manager” was his assessment in Hong Kong on Thursday night.

He was introduced to Anwar Ibrahim – the Malaysian prime minister, and a United fan – during his time in Kuala Lumpur. It is the kind of exposure you do not get at most clubs, even the size of his previous team Sporting in Portugal.

Amorim knows, stripped away from the sideshow, he must deliver results.

Somehow in Malaysia, after a season in which he described his team as “probably the worst” United have ever had, his side managed to lose against a team made up of players from a region with no history of making an impact on the global stage.

United were booed off, Amorim claimed his side were “chokers” and he had to implore supporters to buy tickets for the Hong Kong game. It was a plea that went unheeded judging by the numbers of empty seats.

The squad arrived in Hong Kong to a huge thunderstorm and a deluge that raised concerns the final match of the trip might not take place.

The game went ahead, although it did so amid fresh speculation over the future of skipper Bruno Fernandes, who has been the subject of a huge offer from Saudi club Al-Hilal, who want the Portugal midfielder to be part of their squad at the Club World Cup.

Amorim believes Fernandes will stay, but until the 30-year-old or Al Hilal specifically state otherwise, nothing is certain.

Eventual victory against Hong Kong was well received by the most of those there to witness it.

But Amorim accepts the trip was missing something pretty important.

Between June and August 2011, market research company Kantar conducted a poll of “nearly 54,000 adults in 39 countries” and concluded United had 659 million global “followers”.

In this period of brutal cost-cutting, it seems doubtful Ratcliffe will be commissioning an update any time soon. On the evidence here in Hong Kong and Malaysia, it is hard to imagine United have close to that number now.

Where once they dominated the Premier League commercially, now they trail Manchester City, who have generated greater prize money over the past decade.

United are not the draw they once were, despite the red shirts on show this week, which, in fairness to Fernandes, Garnacho and others, they spent time signing for fans before leaving for Hong Kong airport and home.

It is not known when they will return to the region – but Amorim knows for certain what would make it a better experience than this one.

“We want to return but I would like to come back with better results,” he said.

“The people are really lovely and respectful and we are grateful for everybody. But it would be so much fun to come here with titles.”

Fernandes’ representatives are said to have met Al-Hilal officials in the past few days for further discussions about a move that would allow the 30-year-old to take part in the forthcoming Club World Cup.

The issue has been the topic of conversation on United’s current tour of Asia.

While Fernandes has remained focused and continues to take his responsibilities as captain seriously, he has offered no guarantees about his future, which has led to some thinking he is ready to leave.

Manchester United are said to be relaxed about the situation.

While head coach Ruben Amorim has previously said he wants Fernandes – who earlier this month was crowned the club’s player of the year for a joint record fourth time – to stay at Old Trafford, he also knows a rumoured £80m transfer fee might be the best way of being able to reshape his squad.

Asked about the present situation on the club’s current post-season trip to Asia, Amorim said: “We talk about this many times.

“You can see by his performances. You can see by his leadership. You can see the passion he has for the game. In difficult moments Bruno is the guy who takes responsibility. He should do because he is the captain.”

Fernandes is expected to be involved in United’s game against Hong Kong on Friday (13:00 BST kick-off).

Al-Hilal have been keen to make a statement signing ahead of a Club World Cup campaign where they will face Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg and Mexican side Pachuca in the group phase.

Fernandes signed a contract extension to 2027, with the option of a further year, in August last year.

He is one of United’s highest-paid players – and it is thought the Saudi offer would more than double his earnings if he chooses to accept it.

He finished clear top scorer with 19 goals in the season just ended, with many observers feeling United would have been in serious danger of getting relegated without him.

However, others, notably former skipper Roy Keane, have been critical of Fernandes, saying he is part of the problem at Old Trafford because of a perceived lack of discipline.

The Portuguese has made 290 appearances and scored 98 goals for Manchester United since his £47m move from Sporting in January 2020.

The Ivory Coast international was pictured putting his middle finger up to people outside the team’s hotel in Kuala Lumpur on United’s post-season tour.

A video of the incident was widely shared on social media.

United say the winger’s gesture was in response to “serious personal abuse” about his mother.

“I have respect for people but not for the one who insults my mum,” Amad wrote on X.

“I shouldn’t have reacted like that but I don’t regret what I did.”

The abuse, which occurred as United’s players made their way towards the team coach, was not of a racist nature, according to the club.

It had been suggested that the 22-year-old had taken exception to supporters shouting “Diallo” at him.

The Ivorian was caught up in a trafficking case during his time at Atalanta, which saw him fined £42,000 by the Italian FA in 2021 after an investigation into allegations that false documents and fake parents were used to secure his entry into the country.

After dropping Traore from his name, the player requested to be known simply as Amad.

United lost 1-0 to the ASEAN All-Stars on Wednesday, with Amad appearing in the second half.

They end their post-season tour with a game against Hong Kong on Friday.

After ending a desperate Premier League campaign with a victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, the club flew 6,600 miles to Malaysia only to find there was no respite from their troubles.

Less than 24 hours after Wolves striker Matheus Cunha was cleared to have a medical before completing a £62.5m move to Old Trafford, United’s old goalscoring failings struck again in the first match of the post-season tour to Asia.

In temperatures of more than 30 degrees and high humidity, Amorim’s side failed to take a succession of chances despite regular substitutions which meant they ended up using 25 outfield players.

A second-half goal from Myanmar winger Maung Maung Lwin was enough to give a South East Asia XI victory in front of an official attendance of 72,550 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, triggering boos from a substantial portion at the final whistle from fans who had paid up to £260 to watch United on their first visit to Malaysia since 2009.

“I always feel guilty for the performance of the team since the first game I was here,” said Amorim.

“The boos maybe is something we need because every game we lost in the Premier League the fans were always there. I felt when we finished every time the supporters were with us. Let’s see for next season.”

The United boss would not offer any update on the Cunha situation, stating firmly: “You have to wait for that for the next season.

“It is for you guys (the media) to talk about. I won’t confirm anything. I have no news.

“We will see, but there will be some changes.”

United finished 15th in the Premier League, on 42 points – accepted to be the club’s worst campaign since the 1973-74 relegation season.

They also lost the Europa League final to Tottenham 1-0 in Bilbao to miss out on a place in next season’s Champions League.

It is thought the trip will generate about $10m (£7.8m) for the club, but comes at the end of a season where United have played 60 games in all competitions.

And Amorim seemingly has no answers to his team’s inability to get positive results saying: “We don’t have it in us not to choke in every exercise, in every game – that is what happened.”

United expect Delap decision next week, Fernandes travels with squad to Hong Kong

Image source: EPA

Image caption: Alejandro Garnacho did not play in United’s last game of the Premier League season on Sunday but came on in the second half in Kuala Lumpur

While Amorim refused to offer any insight into the Cunha situation, United’s rebuilding is gathering speed.

Veteran back-up goalkeeper Tom Heaton, 39, is set to sign a one-year contract extension, while United expect to discover next week whether they have been successful in their attempts to bring Ipswich striker Liam Delap to the club.

Delap is available for £30m following Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship, and there has been a huge amount of interest in him.

However, United feel Delap’s decision will be between them and Chelsea, and that the player wants his future resolving before this summer’s European Under-21 Championships.

England U21 boss Lee Carsley is due to name his squad on 6 June for the tournament, which begins in Slovakia five days later.

There is still no word on whether skipper Bruno Fernandes might be tempted by a big-money offer from Saudi Arabia, but he is travelling to Hong Kong with the rest of the squad for the final leg of United’s Asia trip on Friday.

Winger Alejandro Garnacho will also be on the plane even though he has been told he can find a new club.

Speaking to United’s own media before the defeat, chief executive Omar Berrada said the club had a vision for what they wanted to achieve.

“I can’t talk about specifics but I can say that we have been planning for many months now and we were ready for all the different scenarios,” he said.

“Now we know what we need to do, we have a very clear idea of where we need to invest in the squad to improve.

“Now it is a question of executing that plan and doing it in a way that is prudent but is with ambition at the same time.”

The future of striker Rasmus Hojlund will be a talking point if Delap does join Cunha in joining United.

Hojlund scored four goals in 32 Premier League appearances this season and Amorim is left hoping the summer triggers some kind of transformation in the Dane’s form.

“Sometimes you go to holiday, then you arrive [back] on the first day, start a new season and even the environment in training ground can help all these players have more confidence,” he said.

“We do have a lack of goals. We will try to assess that and be prepared.”

There are still around 10,000 tickets left for Friday’s game at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong stadium.

Asked why, having seen what they had just witnessed, why local fans should pay to watch United, Amorim drew on his experiences as a Benfica-supporting youngster in Portugal.

“If you can afford it – and that is the important thing – then you support your club,” he said.

“I had my club as a young kid and no matter what the situation, I was there.

“It was difficult supporting Benfica in the 1990s as they struggled a lot. But I never stopped going.

“These people believe in Manchester United no matter what the context.”

Wolves earlier rejected United’s proposal to pay the fee over five years.

United will be required to pay the full fee for the 26-year-old in three instalments over a two-year period.

They now have permission to conclude a deal with Cunha and set up a medical, with the transfer expected to be completed quickly.

Cunha has made 92 appearances since arriving at Wolves, initially on loan, from Atletico Madrid in January 2023, scoring 33 goals for the club.

The 25-year-old Brazilian winger, who signed for United from Ajax for £85m in September 2022, joined the LaLiga side on loan in January after struggling at Old Trafford on and off the pitch.

Antony scored just 12 times in 96 appearances for Man Utd, playing only 14 times this season under Erik ten Hag and then Ruben Amorim.

Antony was subject to allegations of domestic abuse by three women in September 2023, though he was not arrested or charged in either Brazil or the UK and denies the allegations.

The case in Brazil closed in August 2024 but the Greater Manchester Police investigation into alleged incidents said to have occurred in the UK remains open.

Ten Hag said in January last year that Antony’s “off-field issues” had impacted his form, and on the eve of Betis’ Conference League final against Chelsea, the winger teared up when speaking about the effect it had on him.

“I always say that I had good moments but I had very difficult moments too. Not only on the field but off it,” he told TNT Sports Brazil. “People who ended up disturbing me a lot mentally.

“I went through some very difficult times there that ended up affecting me a lot. But I am very grateful even for these difficult moments that I went through. Today, I feel much more mature, much more prepared, I feel much better.

“It was a moment when I thought about stopping playing. I no longer felt that desire to play football because of everything I was going through, because of all the accusations and because I had remained silent for so long.

“[My career] has changed a lot [at Betis]. It changed a lot because I needed to find myself, for everything I went through there in my personal life. I wanted to do things, but it seemed like it wasn’t happening because I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t feeling that desire to play football anymore, and I needed to find myself.

“Playing football was always something that I loved and I went through difficult times when I didn’t feel that pleasure anymore.

“I would always talk to my brother, I used to say, ‘I can’t do it anymore, I can’t do it anymore’. He said: ‘Hold on a little longer and things will change’.

“I even get emotional because it was very difficult for me. Only I know what it was like inside the house, not even having the strength to even play with my son, having days without eating, staying in my room.

“It was very complicated but with the help of my family with the help of God, I managed to turn things around. I’m already very happy here.”

Antony has scored nine goals and produced five assists in 25 appearances for Betis, becoming one of the standout players in Spain during the second half of the season.

They have lost just four times since he arrived, helping them to finish sixth in LaLiga and reach the Conference League final as they bid for their first-ever European trophy.

Antony praised head coach Manuel Pellegrini for helping him rediscover his form in his usual position on the right wing.

“From the first conversation I had with him, he gave me incredible confidence, he made me feel very comfortable,” said Antony.

“And when I got here, the conversation we had was very positive. He told me: ‘I know your potential, you didn’t join the national team for nothing, you didn’t play in a World Cup for nothing, you know what a player you are, you’ve been through difficult times and you have your responsibilities, you have your part of the blame too’. But he made me feel very comfortable.

“He always gave me a lot of confidence and he always told me: ‘I don’t want you to make 20 plays, I want you to make five, six with the aim of scoring, an assist, that will already help me a lot.

“I took all that advice and Pellegrini is a coach that I’m very grateful to.”

Antony joined Betis on a straight loan deal with his Man Utd contract running until 2027, with a club-held option of a further year.

Antony admitted he has some regrets about his time at Man Utd and said he doesn’t know what the future will hold.

“I have the feeling that I could have done more with the United jersey but I’m also very grateful for everyone’s affection that I had there,” he said. “I even have a lot of contact there.

“It was a difficult moment that I went through, and today I’m smiling here and I’m happy.

“I always say that I’m doing my part. I’m playing football, I’m happy and I’m doing well. I don’t know about the future.

“I’ll keep doing my part so that when the transfer window opens, my agents are working on it. But now my focus is on doing well and we’ll see what happens in the future.”

BBC Sport understands United will be required to pay the full fee for the Brazil attacker in three instalments, during a two-year period.

The two parties are closing in on a total agreement over personal terms, with sources indicating a deal over the forward’s package is now a formality.

Wolves are yet to receive a formal approach, but that is expected in the coming days.

Cunha’s release clause is worth £62.5m, meaning there is no requirement for lengthy club-to-club negotiations – provided United meet the specific terms of the buy-out.

Well-placed sources have indicated that they will be required to pay the full amount by the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

The first £20.8m will be paid upon purchase and the second instalment at the end of next season, with the final amount due in the summer of 2027.

Cunha has made 92 appearances since arriving at Wolves, initially on loan, from Atletico Madrid in January 2023, scoring 33 goals for the club.

The 25-year-old almost certainly played his last game for Wolves in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford and has since taken to social media to post a message to supporters.

He wrote: “Individually it was the best season of my life. All of this was only possible because of all the dedication and love I have for this club.

“I became the Brazilian with the most goals in a Premier League season along with Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Martinelli.

“I made mistakes and got things right, but always because I lived this club so much. All I ever wanted was to do the impossible for Wolves. Another one is over. And thank you for all the affection.”

With Newcastle losing 1-0 to Everton, 10-man Villa were on course to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition before Amad Diallo scored a looping header from Bruno Fernandes’ cross-field ball in the 76th minute.

The goal came just moments after Villa thought they had taken the lead when Morgan Rogers put the ball in the net.

It did not count as the referee judged Rogers had kicked the ball out of goalkeeper Altay Bayindir’s hands – and because he blew his whistle before it went into the net, the video assistant referee was unable to intervene.

Villa boss Unai Emery was incensed by the decision, and was furious again when United were awarded a late penalty after Ian Maatsen brought down Diallo

Christian Eriksen, who is leaving Old Trafford in the summer, scored to seal the 2-0 victory.

Defeat means Villa, who had reached the Champions League quarter-finals this season, will be playing in the Europa League next season.

They had been reduced to 10 men in first-half injury-time.

Rasmus Hojlund collected an underhit backpass from the halfway line from Villa’s Matty Cash, and Martinez charged out of his penalty area to barge the Danish striker to the ground.

Referee Thomas Bramall was left with no choice but to brandish the red card, with Villa having to bring on substitute goalkeeper Robin Olsen in place of playmaker Marco Asensio.

Martinez, a World Cup winner with Argentina, was in tears last week after the 2-0 win over Tottenham at Villa Park, with that leading to speculation that he would be leaving the club in the summer no matter what.

The Argentina international seemed to be on a collision course with his boss after both he and his brother posted messages around Wednesday’s Europa League final defeat by Tottenham, when Garnacho was only introduced as a 71st-minute substitute.

Speaking after the match, Garnacho said: “Up until the final I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know.

“The final will influence [my decision] but the whole season, the situation of the club. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens afterwards.”

His brother Roberto fanned the flames further after the match, stating on social media: “Working as no-one else, helping every round, coming from two goals in the last two finals, just to be on the pitch for 19 mins and get thrown under the bus.”

As first reported by The Athletic, Garnacho has now been told by Amorim he will be allowed to leave.

Chelsea were close to doing a deal with the 20-year-old in January but in the end it failed to materialise.

New Serie A champions Napoli were also keen on the forward, who was born in Spain and joined United’s academy from Atletico Madrid in October 2020.

Asked about Garnacho on Saturday, before Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa, Amorim said: “I will speak with my players but the focus is the last game.

“I don’t know what is going to happen but we have a plan.

“We were prepared for both situations, with Champions League and without. We have an idea of the type of squad we want but we still have the last game. We have time to address all these situations.”

It remains to be seen if Garnacho will be involved against Villa.

As the player classes as ‘homegrown’ under the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, his sale would create greater flexibility for Amorim, who is preparing to reduce the size of his squad given they have no European commitments next season, to make new signings.

United have been heavily linked with Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, who has a release clause of £62.5m in his contract.

Amorim has had an uneasy relationship with Garnacho.

He had only been at United for a month when he axed the winger, along with Marcus Rashford, for the victory at Manchester City on 15 December.

Amorim said the decision was because of “training performances, game performances and engagement with team-mates”.

Unlike Rashford, Garnacho was handed an immediate recall. Yet he has always seemed an uneasy fit in the system Amorim’s prefers because there is no space for an orthodox wide player.

Although Garnacho is United’s second highest scorer this season with 11 goals, he was omitted in Bilbao as Amorim preferred Amad Diallo and Mason Mount in the advanced roles behind central striker Rasmus Hojlund.

Club insiders say the actual process, which could lead to 200 staff losing their jobs, has been ongoing for a number of weeks, with most staff already aware if they are to remain at the club or not.

However, BBC Sport has been told some staff connected to the first team were not informed of their fate prior until Friday so that preparations for the Europa League final against Tottenham were not disrupted.

It is anticipated that the sports science, medical and scouting departments will be among the areas that could be affected, with up to 200 jobs set to go.

Now the game is out of the way, staff in the affected areas are being informed. Sources claim those staff had early been told their positions would be clarified at a later date.

It means in cases of specific roles in those areas being cut back, staff affected are being told whether they are to remain at United or not.

Morale around the club is said to be at a low ebb given this latest news has come so soon after Wednesday’s defeat by Tottenham in the Europa League final.

Club sources are adamant the timescale for the redundancies has not changed.

United had about 1,100 employees before the first wave of cuts last year.

About 250 employees were made redundant during the first round of redundancies, saving the club between £8m and £10m.

United chief executive Omar Berrada said earlier this year that between 150 and 200 redundancies were set to follow.

Defeat in Bilbao means United will be without European football next season for only the second time since 1990, leaving a £100m hole in the club’s finances.

Ratcliffe has embarked on a series of cost-cutting initiatives since purchasing a minority stake in the club in February 2024.

Club ambassadors, including Sir Alex Ferguson, have had their roles reprised, while a canteen for staff was closed and replaced with the offer of free fruit.

Ratcliffe and fellow co-owner Avram Glazer attended Wednesday’s final defeat in Bilbao, with Ferguson pictured alongside them.

Sources have told BBC Sport that a number of cars were driven to Bilbao before the final for the use of Ratcliffe and senior club officials during their time in Spain.

The club stuck to plans to hold a barbecue for the first-team squad and family members at Carrington following the defeat by Spurs.

But the latest cutbacks come against a bleak financial backdrop, with United losing more than £370m over the past five years.

Brennan Johnson’s first-half goal ended Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought and with it ensured United would be without European football next season.

Garnacho, 20, was benched in favour of Mason Mount in Bilbao and only replaced the England midfielder with 19 minutes remaining of normal time.

The Argentina winger, who was linked with Chelsea and Napoli in January, was critical of Amorim’s decision to hand him a limited role in the final.

“Up until the final I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” said Garnacho.

“The final will influence [my decision] but the whole season, the situation of the club. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens afterwards.”

Garnacho posted an image on his social media six hours before kick-off upon learning that he was starting on the bench, depicting him celebrating in the 2024 FA Cup final and 2024 Community Shield.

Roberto Garnacho, his brother, posted on his Instagram account that the winger had been “thrown under the bus”.

“Working as no-one else, helping every round, coming from two goals in the last two finals, just to be on the pitch for 19 mins and get thrown under the bus,” wrote Roberto Garnacho.

The post followed Amorim’s post-match comments, in which the Portuguese head coach referred to a miss by Garnacho in the semi-final second leg against Athletic Bilbao.

Asked if he should have brought Garnacho on earlier, Amorim said: “How many times have we had this conversation, and it was the opposite? Some players come in, like Mason Mount, against Bilbao and changed the game.

“So now it is easy to say. Who missed the big opportunity in the first half against Bilbao? Yeah [Garnacho]. Of course, now it is easy for us to talk about a lot of views.”

Garnacho apologised to then United manager Erik ten Hag last season after ‘liking’ social media posts criticising the Dutchman following a Premier League defeat by Bournemouth.

The winger, along with team-mate Marcus Rashford, was dropped for December’s visit to Manchester City which Amorim said was down to “training performances, game performances and ngagement with team-mates”.

In February, Amorim said Garnacho had apologised to the rest of the squad for walking down the tunnel after being substituted against Ipswich.

Garnacho was not the only United player to raise question marks over his future, with captain Bruno Fernandes suggesting he could leave Old Trafford if the club choose to “cash in” on him.

The 30-year-old has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

“I have always been honest,” said Portugal midfielder Fernandes.

“If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cashing in or whatever, it’s what it is. Football sometimes is like this.

“I’ve always said I will be here until the club says to me that it’s time to go. I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to the great days.

“The day that the club thinks that I’m too much or it’s time to part ways, football is like this, you never know it. But I’ve always said it and I keep my word in the same way.”

Victory means under-fire head coach Ange Postecoglou has fulfilled a promise to deliver silverware in his second season at Spurs.

Postecoglou, who said he would “never be a clown” in his pre-match address, brought smiles and unbridled joy to the faces of the 15,000 official and many unofficial Tottenham fans in Bilbao’s San Mames Stadium.

Victory may not save Postecoglou from a Spurs exit in the coming weeks. But the Australian will leave as a hero after joining Bill Nicholson and Keith Burkinshaw in winning a European trophy with the north London giants.

In addition to following the lead of Newcastle and Crystal Palace in making this a season of glory for clubs who rarely, if ever, win a trophy, Tottenham are also set to benefit from a £100m windfall after qualifying for next season’s Champions League.

As had to happen in a battle between the two lowest-placed teams ever to contest a European final, for the losers, there was no silver lining.

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim will send his side into the final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa on Sunday with huge questions over his ability to make them competitive following their worst season since the 1973-74 relegation campaign.

Amorim enjoys the backing of the ownership, but his decision to pick Mason Mount ahead of Alejandro Garnacho in an attacking role did not work. And with skipper Bruno Fernandes unusually subdued, United lacked the guile to drag themselves back into the game once they had fallen behind.

They came close to an equaliser with a Rasmus Hojlund header, following Guglielmo Vicario’s error, that was acrobatically cleared off the line by Micky van de Ven midway through the second half.

Vicario then made a dramatic late save to keep out Luke Shaw’s header.

The winners of Wednesday’s Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham in Bilbao could be the lowest league finishers ever to win a major European trophy.

And they will certainly become the lowest team to ever qualify for the European Cup or Champions League.

United sit in 16th place in the Premier League, with Spurs 17th – and a combined 39 league defeats.

The only league games either have won since 2 February have been against sides who were relegated – or each other.

Their points tally could have had them relegated in some previous seasons.

“I can’t remember such a game which was so highly pressurised for both teams,” said former Celtic striker Chris Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.

And yet one of them will celebrate glory – and a return to the riches of the Champions League next season.

Who has had the worse season?

BBC Sport senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel and chief football news reporter Simon Stone, who will both be at San Mames for the final, have had their say on whose season has been worse.

Mokbel on Spurs: “Underperformed, underachieved, unacceptable. Domestically, at least.

“While Tottenham will cling on to hope of somehow turning a catastrophic season into a historic one, there can be no running away from the fact that results and performances have been largely disastrous.

“Twenty-one defeats in the Premier League and counting. Of course, all that will be forgotten if Spurs lift the Europa League trophy on Wednesday night.

“Whether that is enough to keep Ange Postecoglou in a job, however, is the million-dollar question with all the indications pointing towards the Australian departing regardless of the outcome in Bilbao.

“The fact Postecoglou’s tenure in north London looks set to end imminently illustrates just how pitiful their domestic campaign has been.

“In their defence, injuries have debilitated Tottenham’s season. They have lost key players for long periods of time.

“But this is an expensively-assembled Tottenham squad – one that includes the club-record £65m signing of Dominic Solanke.

“United are in a season of transition, having changed managers midway through the season.

“It’s different for Tottenham. Following Postecoglou’s encouraging first season in charge, in which Spurs finished fifth, this was a team set up to compete for Champions League qualification.

“Instead, they could finish one place above the relegation zone. That’s undeniably poor.”

Stone on United: “Manchester United have been worse because much of the damage has been self-inflicted.

“United were the ones who reflected on Erik ten Hag’s tenure, both in the wake of their 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace last May, then after the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City, and decided to stick with him.

“United gave him money to spend, specifically on Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee in the summer, then sacked him after nine games.

“And United told Ruben Amorim he had to start immediately, not wait until the summer to join from Sporting.

“Now, the safety net is Bilbao and then that United hit the ground running at the start of next season, which would justify the refusal to wait for Amorim.

“But, in the here and now, United have been woeful.

“There have been periods in games when they have looked fluid and their passing triangles have worked.

“However, Rasmus Hojlund has not looked a threat at one end of the field and basic mistakes have undermined them at the other.

“With six minutes left of extra time in their Europa League quarter-final against 10-man Lyon, it was not easy to strike a single optimistic note on United’s behalf. Somehow, they rescued themselves.

“Since then, United have got one point from five Premier League games. No-one has done worse than that.

“By any measure, this is United’s worst season since the 1973-74 relegation campaign. And they announced financial losses of £113.2m last September.

“To spend so much and be so bad really takes some doing.”

Who are the worst European winners ever?

Only two teams have won a European trophy after finishing below 12th in their domestic league.

That includes the old Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, European Cup Winners’ Cup, Uefa Cup, European Cup, Champions League, Europa League and newish Conference League.

The lowest-ranked team yet was West Ham just two seasons ago when they finished 14th in the Premier League but won the third-tier Conference League.

The highest Manchester United or Spurs can finish is 14th – with several results having to go their way.

The other lowest finishes have all come in various iterations of the Europa League.

Inter Milan finished 13th out of 18 teams in Serie A in 1993-94, only staying up by one point (in the old system of two points for a win), but won the Uefa Cup.

And a team finishing 12th have won it three times – Arsenal in the 1969-70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Schalke in the 1996-97 Uefa Cup and Sevilla in the 2022-23 Europa League.

That Sevilla team are the lowest-placed to have ever qualified for the European Cup or Champions League – until now.

Former Chelsea player Sutton said: “There’s not going to be a great deal of quality on show.

“Both sets of players will be apprehensive and nervous.”

On Amorim and Postecoglou making changes in recent Premier League games, he added: “I don’t understand why they are gripped by fear. Both managers want to go into the cup final with momentum.

“That really adds to the occasion and the pressure.”

Europa League finalists and their league position

Source: Opta

The sixth all-English European final

This will be the sixth all-English final in European competition – with all of those involving either Tottenham or Chelsea.

England is the first country to have so many in Uefa competition (excluding the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup).

Tottenham beat Wolves for the 1972 Uefa Cup final and Manchester United defeated Chelsea to win the 2008 Champions League.

In 2019, both finals were all-English – with Liverpool beating Tottenham in the Champions League and Chelsea seeing off Arsenal in the Europa League.

Chelsea beat Manchester City to win the Champions League in 2021.

Who has the best trophy record?

Both managers are looking for their first trophy in charge of an English club – but they have won silverware abroad.

Postecoglou, 59, has the bigger trophy haul, although he has been managing a lot longer than his 40-year-old opposite number.

Image caption: Excludes Super Cups, finals to decide the Australian league champions – plus those with Australia youth teams

An important game for different reasons

Both sides will be desperate to win this match, but their incentives are quite distinct.

For Tottenham, this would be a first trophy since the 2008 Carabao Cup and their first European trophy since 1984.

It would vindicate Postecoglou’s early-season declaration that he always wins a trophy in his second season.

And somehow their worst domestic season since the 1970s could turn out to be their best in years.

“I’m sure if that happens on Wednesday night Ange will be smug walking off the pitch and say ‘see you later, I’ve told you what I do mate’,” said former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given.

Sutton reckons if Spurs lose, Postecoglou may not even be in charge for the final game of the Premier League season at home to Brighton on Sunday.

“If Postecoglou wins he’ll be hailed,” said the former Blackburn forward. “But just imagine the atmosphere against Brighton if Tottenham lose.

“I suspect he might not be in charge if that happens because that will be as toxic as anything.”

For Manchester United – who have won domestic cups in the past two seasons – Champions League qualification is the ultimate goal here.

“Financially, it’s the most important match in the club’s history,” says football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

Sutton feels the game is a potential “get-out-of-jail-free card” for Amorim.

The Portuguese, who is hoping to oversee a summer rebuild, said: “I think [qualifying for the] Champions League is more important for everything, to prepare the next season.

“We are supposed to be in the Champions League and the Europa League here is not enough, you have that feeling here. The best way to help us get to the top in a few years is the Champions League.”

The key stats

• Opta’s supercomputer says the game will be extremely close – giving Spurs a 50.3% chance of winning.
• Not only have Tottenham won all three meetings so far this season, but they have led for 90% of game time. United have yet to go ahead in any game.
• Since Ange Postecoglou took over as Spurs boss, only Brentford have dropped more points from winning positions in the Premier League.
• Three of the past four Europa League finals have gone to penalties.
• In the Premier League, Spurs’ shot conversion rate of 12.8% is the sixth highest in the division. United are second bottom with 8.4%.
• Only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (34) and Radamel Falcao (30) have scored more goals in the Europa League than United captain Bruno Fernandes (27), while he is top for assists (19) and total goal involvements (46).
• United keeper Andre Onana has been responsible for five errors leading to goals in all competitions this season. Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario has only been responsible for one in his two seasons.

The 72-year-old’s wealth has declined from £23.519bn to £17.046bn in the past 12 months.

He has slipped from fourth to seventh on the annual list of the UK’s 350 richest people.

Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group bought a 27.7% stake in United in February 2024 in a deal worth about £1.25bn ($1.6bn) that saw Ineos take control of football operations.

The British billionaire’s time at Old Trafford has drawn criticism after United raised ticket prices and made two rounds of redundancies in a bid to improve the club’s finances.

Ratcliffe defended some of United’s financial cost-cutting measures in a wide-ranging BBC interview in March in which he said the club would have “run out of cash by the end of this year” had he not made “unpopular” decisions.

However, in March United unveiled ambitious plans to build an “iconic” new £2bn, 100,000-seater stadium close to Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe has said that financial pressures on British petrochemical firm Ineos would not impact Manchester United.

Ineos walked away early from its sponsorship deal with New Zealand Rugby in February, while it also parted ways with four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie earlier this year after backing the Britannia America’s Cup sailing team since 2018.

The company has blamed “cost-saving measures” across its business, citing the struggling chemicals industry in Europe because of “high energy taxes and extreme carbon taxes”, along with “the deindustrialisation of Europe”.

When asked about Ineos’ financial issues, Ratcliffe told BBC sports editor Dan Roan in March: “Ineos is in a good place today but not in as good a place as it was three or four years ago. Europe has become a very difficult place to do business for industrial companies because energy prices now in Europe are five times America, which is where a lot of our competition is.”

Sitting 16th in the Premier League with two games remaining, United’s hopes for silverware and European football next term rest on their encounter with Tottenham in the Europa League final on Wednesday, the winner securing a place in the Champions League.

McIlroy, Joshua, Murray & Kane see fortunes rise

While Ratcliffe has seen his wealth decline, athletes such as Rory McIlroy, Anthony Joshua, Sir Andy Murray and Harry Kane have increased their fortunes.

Golfer McIlroy is the leading athlete in the Sunday Times’ 40 under 40 list, which charts the worth of the 40 richest people under the age of 40.

The Northern Irishman, who completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters last month, is 19th on the list after increasing his personal fortune from £225m to £260m.

Boxer Joshua appears 24th on £195m, despite not fighting since his defeat by Daniel Dubois in September, while Murray is 35th on £110m following his retirement from tennis in August.

England men’s football captain Kane, who won the first major trophy of his career when Bayern Munich won the Bundesliga earlier this month, just makes the list in joint-38th place after seeing his fortune increase by £25m to £100m.

Spanish full-back Cucurella guided in Reece James’ excellent cross to secure a win that moves Chelsea up to fourth place in the Premier League.

The Blues needed this result to ensure a top-five finish would be in their own hands going into the final weekend of the domestic campaign.

For a large part of Friday’s game they were frustrated by the visitors, but the result means they sit above Aston Villa on goal difference and are a point clear of sixth-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

Although his United side have a crucial game against Tottenham in the Europa League final on Wednesday, visiting boss Ruben Amorim named a strong side for this trip to west London.

It looked like the decision could produce a morale-boosting win when Harry Maguire fired home an excellent volley in the first half, but it was ruled out for offside after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR).

Chelsea’s James then hit the left post with a swirling effort before the break, and the Blues thought they had a penalty in the second half when Tyrique George went down inside the box as Andre Onana rushed out to push away the ball.

A spot-kick was given initially but then ruled out after a VAR check as replays showed Onana got the ball first.

But the home fans were celebrating soon after when James expertly curled a delivery to the far post from the right and Cucurella rose to guide a header beyond Onana.

Chelsea will travel to Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season knowing they can guarantee Champions League football in 2025-26 with a win.

Defeat for Amorim’s United, meanwhile, was their 18th in 37 Premier League games and leaves them 16th in the table.

In the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s Premier League defeat by West Ham, Amorim said if he could not sort the club’s problems out heading into next season United should find someone who could.

That has been interpreted as the former Sporting boss beginning to realise he has taken on a job that might be beyond him.

However, in a Uefa briefing at Old Trafford arranged to preview the Europa League final against Tottenham on 21 May, he said that was not the case.

“I’m far from quitting,” he said.

“I have a clear idea of what to do and I understand the problems of the team.

“Since I arrived here, I’m always talking about standards. I cannot see the team having these results, especially in the Premier League, and not say anything or take the responsibility.

“What I’m saying is that we need to perform or else they [the club’s hierarchy] will change us. That is normal.”

While Amorim has guided United to a European final for only the third time since 2011, his side have been terrible in the Premier League.

They go into the penultimate round of fixtures in 16th place and are heading for their worst finish since the 1973-74 relegation campaign.

United have won four league games in 2025, three of which were against the teams who got relegated. Their only league victories since winning at Fulham on 26 January were against Ipswich and Leicester.

It could be argued a failure to beat Tottenham would at least provide more clear midweeks for Amorim to work with his squad next season.

The coach does not view it that way at all.

“I am not going to use that as an excuse,” he said. “That would be really bad.

“If we don’t win it is going to be really tough, and the patience of the fans and you guys [the media] next year is going to be on the limit.

“We would have to be perfect to continue with everything – I know that. So it’s not going to be better in that way.”

Losing final would be ‘a waste of time’

The aftermath of the West Ham defeat has been filled with stories about the plans United’s hierarchy have put in place around the final.

Limits have been placed on the number of tickets players are allowed – and what staff are entitled to.

There will be no parade in the event of a win against Tottenham. Instead celebrations will be restricted to a low-key barbeque at the club’s Carrington training ground when Amorim’s squad return on Thursday.

Evidently, Amorim and his players have the financial muscle to pay for their friends and family to get to Bilbao if needed.

However, others who work closely with the first team are not in the same fortunate financial position.

So, at a time when a second round of up to 200 redundancies are planned following the 250 jobs that were axed last year, Amorim and his players have decided to help out by paying for some tickets for the backroom team’s families.

“The situation is simple,” he said. “We have a lot of things, with people leaving and a lot of changes in the staff, so at this moment in our club sometimes it is hard to know when to give and when to take.

“We have to respect the people whose jobs are being taken to survive and rebuild.

“It is complicated for the club to start giving to other members of staff, which makes it a really hard position.

“That situation was explained so my reaction was to help.

“It is not going to change my life [financially]. To help the staff be there and comfortable means they will be better staff for the final.

“We talk to the players and the players have the same reaction – everybody wants their families there.”

Amorim has his own experience of a Europa League final, as a player in the Benfica side beaten on penalties by Sevilla in Turin in 2014.

Aside from the £100m financial windfall that qualification for the Champions League would bring, as a straightforward football match Amorim knows next week is not a game to lose.

“I will never say I was a finalist,” he said. “The feeling has to be ‘what a waste of time’.

“My message to the players is we have to win or it doesn’t matter.”

While United’s squad have been told they can purchase up to 10 more tickets for the game against Spurs on 21 May at San Mames Stadium, they will also be responsible for organising how friends and relatives get in and out of the northern Spanish city.

United say they are committed to ensuring as many tickets as possible from the club’s official 15,000 allocation go to supporters.

At the weekend it was revealed staff will not receive free tickets for the game as previously used to be the case. Instead a viewing party is being hosted in central Manchester.

The decisions come after a series of cost-cutting measures at the club which have included redundancies and the removal of free lunches for staff.

In addition, it has been established if United win, their intention is to celebrate by holding a barbeque at the club’s Carrington training ground.

Tottenham are yet to announce their plans in the event of victory but it is expected they will have a parade to show off the trophy.

Newcastle held a parade in the city in March to mark their Carabao Cup triumph, while Liverpool are due to host one on 26 May following their Premier League title success.

United have not held a trophy parade since 2013, which coincided with Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. Players were famously irritated in 2008 to discover there was no such celebration to mark their Champions League triumph over Chelsea.

Hosting one this season would have been logistically tricky.

Unlike their last Europa League success, against Ajax in Stockholm in 2017 during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge, United will still have a Premier League game to play after the match in Bilbao – when Aston Villa visit Old Trafford on 25 May.

Immediately after that game, United fly to Asia for two post-season matches against local opposition in Malaysia and Hong Kong.

They return to Manchester on 31 May, after which players have to immediately report for international duty.

Portugal have a Nations League semi-final with Germany on 4 June, which would involve Bruno Fernandes and, if fit, Diogo Dalot.

World Cup qualifiers also take place in South America on 5 June and in Europe from 6 June.

Tomas Soucek and skipper Jarrod Bowen scored the goals for a team that had not won in its past eight league games.

It was a straightforward away win for the Hammers against a Manchester side that started with five players who are expected to feature against Totteham in Bilbao on 21 May.

However, the loss of defender Leny Yoro to a foot injury severe enough to lead the Frenchman to cover his face with his shirt and head straight for the dressing room, suggests Amorim may have to revise his plans. The United head coach immediately took off Luke Shaw, who would be an alternative to feature in his three-man defence in Spain.

United have now equalled their worst Premier League run of seven games without a win, back in 1992. However, that sequence included five draws, compared to the current one, which has five defeats.

The only teams Amorim’s side have collected three points against since 26 January are relegated duo Ipswich and Leicester.

The nearest they came to dragging themselves back into this contest were two Rasmus Hojlund efforts and Harry Maguire header, all of which were superbly saved by West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola.

United survived a first-half wobble on Thursday to eventually beat Spanish side Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate and set up an all-English final against Tottenham.

Beating Spurs would also result in Champions League qualification for 2025-26, which would drive an additional £100m into United’s coffers at a conservative estimate.

“The money is not the most important thing,” Amorim said. “To win a title as a coach brings a feeling, a feeling we can do good things, that we can give something to our fans.

“I agree it is not just playing Champions League next season. It is that feeling we can change things.”

After winning 3-0 in Bilbao, Amorim said he could not be sure which version of his United side would turn up for the second leg and so it proved as they struggled for 70 minutes against the Basque outfit.

United were 1-0 down and looking nervous before rallying late on thanks to two goals from Mason Mount either side of efforts from Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund.

For a coach brought in because he has a certain style of play, the admission he does not know what will happen at any given moment must make Amorim shudder.

“I should be a better manager at this moment,” the Portuguese said. “The team should be better at this moment.

“But we are trying. We did quite well in Europe but we struggled a lot in the Premier League.”

Amorim’s side has certainly struggled against Tottenham this season.

They have already lost three times to Ange Postecoglou’s men and have won only twice in the Premier League – against Ipswich and Leicester – since the third of those reverses, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in February.

However, Tottenham have been no better overall this season than United and remain behind Amorim’s side in the table.

Postecoglou is widely expected to leave his job at the end of the season, win or lose.

“Both teams are going to play all or nothing,” said Amorim, who was appointed as United head coach in November 2024..

“The position of the coach is similar, I know Ange has one more year [in his job] but both of us are struggling. That is the good thing.”

The additional joy of victory for United came through the contribution of Mason Mount.

A £55m arrival from Chelsea in 2023, Mount has spent virtually the entire time since either getting injured or being on the comeback from one.

He is still only trusted to come off the bench in important games as Amorim nurses him back to the kind of form that made him an automatic pick for England boss Gareth Southgate at Euro 2020.

Mount has only started 10 Premier League games for United. Before his latest contribution he had only scored two goals and none at Old Trafford.

He has been ridiculed at times for his limited involvement but finally appears to be starting to change the narrative. His equalising goal was excellent, turning quickly onto Leny Yoro’s short pass before curling a shot into the far corner.

The second was inspired as he took advantage of Bilbao goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala being well out of position after clearing the ball upfield, finding an empty net from 45 yards.

“When I saw him [the goalkeeper] come out I had it in my head if it comes to me, ‘first touch and shoot’,” said the 26-year-old.

“I didn’t want it to come on my left foot. Then I was just trying to get it on target.

“My first goals at Old Trafford; a night I’ve been waiting a long time for.”

Amorim looked at the situation from a wider perspective.

“It’s not just me,” said the United boss.

“If you look at the bench and see the other guys, they are so happy for Mason Mount.

“Everyone in that dressing room can see Mason doing everything he can to be available.

“He is a really good player and both goals were really good.”

On an anxious, nervy, mistake-ridden night at Old Trafford, fingernails were starting to get chewed at the sight of the home side making it so hard for themselves despite starting the second-leg of their semi-final with Athletic Bilbao holding a three-goal advantage.

But Mount chose exactly the right time to step up.

Beset by a succession of injuries that have limited the England man to just 10 Premier League starts since his £55m move from Chelsea in 2023, Mount had only been on the pitch 10 minutes when he turned onto Leny Yoro’s short pass inside the Bilbao penalty area.

Mount’s strike was true and arrowed into the far corner.

It was his third United goal but it was by far the most important and ended lingering fears the visitors might become the first side in 134 attempts in Uefa competitions to overturn a three-goal first leg deficit away from home.

But there was more to come.

After Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund had steered United into a winning lead, Mount pounced on a loose ball 45 yards out and floated a superb shot into an empty net.

The goal capped a memorable Old Trafford night although the final outcome was harsh on the Spanish visitors, who were the better side for long periods and led at half-time thanks to Mikel Jauregizar’s magnificent 30-yard effort.

That did not matter to the home fans at the final whistle as they will now get a shot at salvaging their season against the Premier League’s other great underachievers.

Fernandes’ contract runs to 2027 but the Portugal playmaker has been the subject of interest from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, who are thought to be willing to offer a huge salary for the 30-year-old to move before next month’s Club World Cup.

Amorim knows he must sell players in order to fund an extensive summer squad rebuilding exercise and that situation will be even more acute if United fail to win the Europa League and secure qualification for next season’s Champions League.

“Our idea didn’t change,” he said. “We want to keep the best players – and Bruno is clearly one of the top players in the world. We want Bruno here.”

Fernandes has scored 19 goals and claimed 18 assists so far this season.

“It is easy to understand [his importance] – not just because of the numbers but the way he plays and the importance he has during his five years here,” Amorim added.

“It’s normal a lot of clubs want a player like Bruno. He is a leader and he’s the captain, so he’s really important. He is a top player, we need top players.”

United will be expected to reach a Europa League final against either Tottenham or Bodo/Glimt after their 3-0 semi-final first-leg win over Athletic Bilbao.

On the 133 occasions a side has won an away leg in a European match by three goals or more, that team has made it through 133 times.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to imagine United losing their advantage on Thursday (20:00 BST) against an Athletic side who travel to Old Trafford without three of their most effective attacking players – the injured Inaki and Nico Williams and top scorer Oihan Sancet.

However, last season they led Championship side Coventry by three goals 20 minutes from the end of their FA Cup semi-final and required the most slender of video assistant referee offside decisions to go their way to take the tie into a penalty shootout.

Three weeks ago, they led 2-0 against Lyon with 20 minutes left and found themselves 4-2 down in extra time against opponents reduced to 10 men before dragging themselves out of the mire.

“If you look at our season, anything is possible,” said Amorim. “We cannot say today what is going to happen.

“[With] some teams, the story is going to be like ‘this’ and [they] control the narrative. We cannot do that.

“Sometimes it is not which kind of team we will be tomorrow. Sometimes during the game we are one team, then something happens and we lose our mind a little bit.

“I feel we need to score to go to the next round. We will have to suffer a bit to go to the final.”

The uncertainty is part of the reason Amorim launched into his team following their 3-1 home defeat by Brighton in January, labelling them “maybe the worst” in the 137-year history of the club.

Amorim accepts he might have gone too far with his observation – but not by much.

“I think you have to see the quote in the moment and things can change but if you look to the Premier League, I think we are the worst team in terms of results,” he said.

“At the end of the season, we can be the worst team in Premier League history with a European title.

“We know this season was really disappointing for everybody. I felt that. I still feel this season was the worst, I don’t say in history but in the last 50 years?”

Mason Mount gave the visitors the lead with just his second goal for the club, finishing off a fine cross from winger Alejandro Garnacho.

Brentford equalised when captain Mikkel Damsgaard saw his cross deflect in off defender Luke Shaw, who was captaining a much-changed United side.

The Bees took the lead six minutes later in controversial fashion, when Kevin Schade towered over United defender Tyler Fredricson to power in his 10th goal of the season with a superb header.

However, United were furious when play wasn’t stopped after defender Matthijs de Ligt went down with an injury earlier in the move.

Schade wrapped up the three points 20 minutes from time, heading in his second of the day from close range from a Bryan Mbeumo cross.

But Brentford were not done there, with the Bees cutting through United’s defence to allow Michael Kayode to slip in Yoane Wissa for a fourth of the afternoon.

Argentina international Garnacho scored a stunning long-range effort eight minutes from time to give United a sliver of hope.

United then ensured it was a nervy finish for Brentford when second half substitute Amad Diallo scored five minutes into seven added minutes of injury time, but the Bees saw out the win.

The defeat leaves United in 15th, on 39 points from 35 matches, while Brentford move into ninth, one point behind eighth-placed Bournemouth.

Playing at a vociferous San Mames Stadium, the visitors could have been 2-0 down after Inaki Williams sent a header from a good position over, before Victor Lindelof blocked Alex Berenguer’s shot on the line.

But the game turned dramatically in United’s favour in the 30th minute when Harry Maguire produced some good skill on the right before his cross was flicked on for Casemiro to head in.

It got even better for the visitors seven minutes later when, after a review by the video assistant referee, they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Rasmus Hojlund by Dani Vivian, who was subsequently sent off.

Bruno Fernandes then closed out the loud boos from the home fans to coolly place the spot kick into the back of the net.

And a rampant United went 3-0 up just before the break when Manuel Ugarte played a clever flick to send Fernandes through and the captain made no mistake.

Ruben Amorim’s side could have had more in the second half with Casemiro – impressive throughout – clipping the outside of the post with a header from a corner.

A fourth would have firmly put the tie beyond Bilbao and although it was not to be, a three-goal deficit is still likely to be too much for the Spanish side to overcome when they head to Old Trafford next Thursday.

With Tottenham beating Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in their semi-final first leg, an all-English Europa League final is looking likely.

Andoni Iraola’s men looked set for victory thanks to Antoine Semenyo’s 11th goal of the season midway though the first half.

But the contest turned on a controversial decision to upgrade Evanilson’s 70th-minute challenge on Noussair Mazraoui from a yellow card to a red following a video assistant referee (VAR) review.

Evanilson appeared to slip as he closed down the United defender but referee Peter Bankes upgraded his initial yellow card, meaning the Brazilian must now serve a three-match ban.

United piled forward looking for an equaliser and after Mason Mount’s shot had been deflected wide, Hojlund turned Manuel Ugarte’s effort home from close range after the Uruguay midfielder had been set up by Luke Shaw.

The result lifts Ruben Amorim’s side to 14th in the Premier League but, in truth, their sights are fully trained on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first-leg trip to Athletic Bilbao.

But the goal is devastating for Bournemouth, who remain below Fulham and Brighton in the quest for an eighth-place finish which would secure a spot in next season’s UEFA Conference League if Crystal Palace don’t win the FA Cup.

The Portuguese, who took over in November, says he has “an idea” of what he wants his squad to look like next season.

Given United are heading for their worst finish since the 1973-74 relegation campaign, it seems certain he is wanting to execute major surgery.

United are interested in Wolves’ Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha and have also been heavily linked with Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, who has a £30m release clause that will make him attractive to a number of clubs.

United need to win the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League, and are at risk of only a second season without European football since English clubs were allowed back in 1990 following the Heysel tragedy.

Amorim has no doubts about whether United are an attractive proposition despite that.

“It’s Manchester United,” he said. “Every player wants to play for Manchester United.

“If you look at our club in the moment, with all the problems, including changing coach, it looks a little bit of a problem.

“But we have a clear idea and that’s the easiest part to explain for a player.”

Amorim refused to confirm United’s interest in Cunha, who has a £62.5m release clause and is understood to be open to an Old Trafford switch.

The former Sporting boss cited veteran midfielder Casemiro as an example of a player who has changed his mind about their long-term future at the club.

The Brazil midfielder, 33, has a year left on his deal and recently said he would like to stay at Old Trafford.

And Amorim said United’s plans for next season’s squad are starting to take shape.

“It is a conversation for the end of the season and things can change,” he said.

“But we want to do things early and we have an idea.”

United head coach Ruben Amorim is thought to be a big admirer of Semenyo and has ideas about how to deploy him in a new-look attack next season.

However, Man Utd are expected to face competition from a number of other Premier League clubs, including Liverpool.

In fact, every top-six club apart from Arsenal is thought to have shown some interest in the 25-year-old.

Outside of the top six and United, Tottenham are also believed to be keen on Semenyo ahead of a summer window that is expected to see a significant turnaround in players across the Premier League.

Bournemouth will not give up Semenyo lightly and are understood to value him as high as £70m.

However, the structure of a deal remains undefined and could include a lower fixed fee with add-ons, similar to the £65m deal Bournemouth did with Spurs for Dominic Solanke last summer.

United want and need to do business, and new forwards are among their priorities, with Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Antony all expected to leave the club permanently, most likely to their current loan clubs.

Semenyo, who has scored 11 goals in all competitions so far this season, signed for Bournemouth in January 2023 for £10.5m from Championship side Bristol City.

He still has four years left on his contract after signing a new deal last year.

Rashford scored his fourth goal since joining Aston Villa on loan in February during their 2-1 loss at Manchester City on Tuesday.

The striker’s loan deal at Villa Park expires at the end of the season.

But while his United contract is due to run until 2028, and it is not completely out of the question Rashford might return, sources close to the player do not see an obvious way back into the Old Trafford fold.

Rashford was exiled by Amorim from the first team in December, then, aside from the home defeat at Newcastle on 30 December when he was an unused substitute, did not pick him in his matchday squad again.

In the wake of the Villa move, Amorim said: “I couldn’t get Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it.”

It means United will have to decide whether to sell the 27-year-old or let him move away from the club on another loan deal this summer.

As United – and Amorim – are trying to juggle their finances in order to reshape a squad so it fits with the former Sporting boss’ preferred style of play, having clarity over one of their most highly paid players would be beneficial.

However, that is unlikely.

Rashford has ruled out the possibility of moving to London, and ideally would join a club that has qualified for the Champions League.

Sources close to the player are adamant Rashford is yet to have talks about his future and is not planning to do so until the middle of June.

However, it is understood he has no interest in being part of a swap deal – after recent speculation around United’s interest in Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze.

Rashford is a more attractive proposition for potential suitors than he was when he joined Villa on 2 February.

While four goals in 17 games could not be regarded as prolific, his overall contribution – including six assists – to the Villa cause has been significant.

It earned Rashford a recall to the England fold and has kept fellow international Ollie Watkins frustrated on the Villa substitutes bench.

Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final meeting with Crystal Palace and a continuing battle for a Champions League place, after his excellent performance against Paris St-Germain last week, is a far more positive position than United’s ongoing struggles.

As one of United’s highest earners, the number of clubs who could meet Rashford’s salary is not extensive.

However, United did fund part of his wages to push the Villa move through and the feeling around the Rashford camp is there is likely to be significant interest in him in the summer, which is when he wants to assess his options.

Villa boss Unai Emery has been cautious about discussing Rashford’s future at the club.

“I am so happy with him,” said Emery after Villa’s defeat by City. “He is performing very well. His adaptation has been quick and his commitment to the process is really important for us and for him.

“He needs to keep going and on Saturday, hopefully he can help again.”

The Brazilian, who has a £62.5m release clause in his Wolves contract, is expected to leave Molineux at the end of the season.

Multiple club sources have told BBC Sport the 25-year-old is one of a number of attacking options on United’s shortlist, with Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap, 22, also of interest.

Improving United’s scoring record is a priority for head coach Ruben Amorim. Only Southampton, Leicester City, Ipswich, Everton and West Ham have scored fewer than the 38 goals United have managed in 33 Premier League matches this season.

Cunha is viewed as an ideal addition to play in one of the two attacking midfield positions in Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation.

Cunha – Wolves’ top scorer this season with 16 goals to his name in all competitions – plays in a similar system under current boss Vitor Pereira.

United are set to face competition from a number of Premier League clubs for Cunha, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle all known to be looking to sign a forward this summer.

Cunha has scored 32 times in 87 appearances for Wolves but his disciplinary record may be of some concern to suitors.

The former Atletico Madrid striker has been sent off twice this season, missing six games in total through suspension.

The forward said in an interview with the Observer in March that he has told Wolves he needs to “take the next step” and fight for titles.

United’s planning for next season is hindered by uncertainty over their financial situation.

At a conservative estimate, the club stand to gain around £100m in additional funds if they win this season’s Europa League and qualify for the Champions League.

But, with each league position worth £3m in the Premier League, United stand to lose around £24m should they finish in their current position of 14th compared to an eighth-placed finish last season.

Following Sunday’s home defeat by Wolves, Amorim said the club have a “plan” to improve the squad but that the situation could not be addressed until the summer.

Yes, Andre Onana’s £47.5m transfer was one of those “inherited” deals namechecked by co-owner Sir Jim Ractliffe, as part of the £400m the club still owes on unpaid transfer fees.

And Ratcliffe did mention Onana by name as he talked about getting “the house in order” financially, and explaining why it will take time for the club “to move away from the past into a new place in the future”.

But when former United midfielder Nemanja Matic labelled Onana one of United’s “worst-ever goalkeepers” – and then the Cameroon international subsequently made two more errors in last week’s 2-2 draw in Lyon – yet another ‘crisis’ in United’s chaotic season emerged.

Head coach Ruben Amorim will be asked by media on Wednesday who will start in goal for their crucial Europa League quarter-final with Lyon, Onana or United’s latest scapegoat, number two Altay Bayindir.

Whether he chooses to answer or not is a different matter. But when the choice is made between the goalkeepers, it could shape what the future looks like for Amorim and his ailing team.

Leaving Onana out of the Premier League defeat at Newcastle was the easy bit.

In terms of the domestic situation, barring an unlikely late season surge into a Uefa Conference League spot, United’s campaign is done. Telling Onana to have the weekend off and clear his head was a decision with few negatives attached.

The same cannot be applied to the decision Amorim has to make on Thursday. No matter which keeper misses out, they have to be on the bench.

The goalkeeper overlooked will surely be looking for a new club this summer.

And it could yet turn out both will leave – meaning more money being paid out on replacements that the club can ill afford.

It is not an ideal situation and not one United chiefs were thinking about when Amorim arrived at the club from Sporting in November.

How on earth did we get here?

Onana on back foot from first moment

The motivation for Matic’s attack has not been explained.

He was responding to relatively innocuous comments Onana made about Lyon in the build-up to the game, when he said he respected the French club but believed United were “way better”.

However, it is notable how strongly the former Serbia midfielder defended the man Onana replaced, David de Gea, when the Spaniard made his own series of mistakes in May 2019, saying, “He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and will be for years to come.”

Was Matic using Onana as collateral damage to reinforce a point shared by many that United made a mistake and treated one of their best players of recent times badly when they opted not to renew De Gea’s contract in 2023 and sign the Cameroon international instead, for £47.2m from Inter Milan?

The situation was heightened when Onana, rather than remaining silent or at least waiting until after the game to respond, ignored cautionary advice and hit back, adding: “At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.”

Matic never won a trophy as a United player.

It was against that backdrop Onana made a catastrophic mistake for Lyon’s opening goal in the 2-2 draw, then erred for the injury-time equaliser, the negativity for that heightened massively by the first inexplicable blunder.

If that performance was an isolated one, it would have been bad enough.

But it is acknowledged even by those closest to the former Ajax and Inter Milan goalkeeper that Onana’s United career has been scarred by a series of big mistakes.

He has eight errors leading to goals in all competitions since he joined United – the most by any Premier League goalkeeper in that time.

A feeling Onana was being scrutinised in a way he hadn’t been previously in his career became evident in his first few weeks at United, when he was chipped from 50 yards in a pre-season friendly against Lens.

Onana had been following instructions to take up a starting position higher up the pitch when his team had the ball, only for Diogo Dalot to give it away under no pressure.

The reaction was intense and the keeper was lampooned in some parts of social media. Even though he wasn’t to blame, his performances became the subject of debate.

It put Onana on the back foot from the first moment.

Onana makes the most saves per game

Man Utd goalkeepers with 900+ Premier League mins in last 20 years

Tap on Saves per 90 or Saves % columns to order by highest/lowest

Source: Opta – correct as of 9.4.25

The long wait for Bayindir

Bayindir meanwhile, waited patiently for his chance. And waited. And waited.

A £4.3m arrival from Fenerbahce in September 2023, Bayindir was a regular member of the Turkey squad.

Yet Erik ten Hag would not play him. The former United boss even persuaded Onana to delay his departure to the Cameroon squad for the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2024 long enough to allow him to play in an FA Cup tie at League One Wigan and Premier League draw with Tottenham.

Bayindir did eventually make his debut during Onana’s absence in the FA Cup fourth round at Newport, which United won 4-2 after throwing away a two-goal lead. It turned out to be Bayindir’s only appearance of the season. It was not much of a show of faith from Ten Hag.

Before the Newcastle game, Bayindir had played six times this season, all in cup competitions. He featured in the last two games of United’s Europa League first-phase campaign but was injured for the last-16 tie with Real Sociedad and back on the bench in Lyon.

Little wonder that the feeling had been growing from those close to him he would move on in the summer.

Newcastle offered a chance to change the narrative. But Bayindir’s kicking was shaky and he made a mistake for the home side’s fourth goal.

What was to be expected, countered Bayindir’s supporters, with the 27-year-old pitched into a much-changed team, with some players badly lacking in confidence.

Does ‘leader’ Onana still have Amorim’s faith?

Yet Onana, outwardly so boisterous and confident, could be forgiven for sharing the same uncertainties.

His leadership around the dressing room is viewed as a major strength in a squad that lacks them. Yet, reunited with his old boss Ten Hag partly because of his ability with the ball at his feet, Onana is now frequently asked to go long and hit strikers who struggle to hold the ball up.

It is felt Amorim is hugely supportive of him but the change in defensive structure, with players largely not used to the system, has been hard to adapt to.

He is more comfortable with life off the field than he was in Italy, mainly because he and his family speak English. But Onana knows United’s performances have not been good enough. He knows he bears some responsibility for that but is starting to feel he is shouldering most of the blame when there are multiple factors at play.

Those closest to him also suspect if United’s Europa League campaign does not end with them lifting the trophy in Bilbao next month and taking with it that prized Champions League berth, the events in Lyon will be cited as a significant reason, which could hasten Onana’s departure from Old Trafford.

That is a situation United had not bargained for six months ago.

They have known for some considerable time multiple areas of Amorim’s squad needed work – everyone can see a goalscorer is desperately required – but felt first-choice goalkeeper was reasonably secure.

United will still be paying off Onana’s fee in instalments spread across his five-year contract, meaning they would surely lose money if they were to consider selling him this summer.

Image caption: Since the start of 2023-24, only Jordan Pickford (8.7) has prevented more goals based on Opta’s expected goals model in the Premier League than Manchester United’s Andre Onana (7.5).

Onana concedes a goal every 63 minutes on average

All Man Utd goalkeepers with 10+ Premier League apps

Source: Opta – correct as of 9.4.25

The Netherlands international, 23, limped off in the second half of Sunday’s defeat at Newcastle and has been undergoing tests to determine the extent of the injury.

Head coach Ruben Amorim will address the issue when he speaks on Wednesday before the crucial Europa League match against Lyon at Old Trafford.

But multiple sources have indicated to BBC Sport there is some doubt over whether Zirkzee can feature again this season owing to the severity of the injury.

The news arrives as a blow to Amorim before Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Lyon, with the tie evenly-poised at 2-2.

Zirkzee, who has scored seven goals for United since his arrival from Bologna in the summer, started at Newcastle, having scored in the first-leg draw at Lyon.

United have six Premier League games left, their final one against Aston Villa on 25 May.

If United reach the Europa League final, they will play in Bilbao, Spain, on 21 May.

Howe was admitted to the hospital on Friday having felt unwell for a number of days.

Assistants Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones took charge against United and the players responded with a fine performance as they recorded a first league double over their opponents since the 1930-31 campaign.

United boss Ruben Amorim dropped first-choice goalkeeper Andre Onana after his two mistakes against Lyon in Thursday’s 2-2 Europa League quarter-final first-leg draw, but replacement Altay Bayındır was guilty of a serious error to seal an easy home win.

The Turkey international clipped a ball straight to Joelinton who headed into the path of Bruno Guimaraes to make it 4-1 in the 77th minute.

By then, though, Newcastle were in complete command.

They were the better side from the first minute to the last and opened the scoring when Alexander Isak’s lobbed pass over the visiting defence ended with Sandro Tonali finding the net.

Italy midfielder Tonali went close to doubling the lead from distance, while Bayındır did well to deny Isak, before Manchester United equalised against the run of play.

Alejandro Garnacho kept his composure eight minutes before the break to shoot beyond Nick Pope for his side’s first goal in three top-flight games.

But Newcastle moved up to fourth spot – just a point behind third-placed Nottingham Forest – when Harvey Barnes put the game out of reach with two second-half goals.

After tapping home Jacob Murphy’s pass across the six-yard area to make it 2-1 in the 49th minute, Barnes produced a ruthless finish 15 minutes later after a slip by Noussair Mazraoui. Bayindir’s howler just compounded United’s misery on Tyneside.

United, who lost Joshua Zirkzee to a suspected hamstring injury, dropped below Everton on goal difference to 14th in the table – and just three points off fourth-bottom West Ham – after a 10th defeat in 21 Premier League games under Ruben Amorim.

Onana was at fault for both Lyon goals in his side’s 2-2 draw in the Europa League on Thursday – a day after he had been called “one of the worst goalkeepers” in United’s history by former Red Devils player Nemanja Matic.

Sources confirmed Onana has been omitted from Ruben Amorim’s squad for the game at St James’ Park to allow the Cameroon international to “rest and disconnect”.

It is expected he will be in contention to face Lyon in the return leg of the quarter-final tie at Old Trafford on Thursday and has been assured the change is not regarded as permanent.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe will miss Sunday’s match after he was admitted to hospital having “felt unwell for a number of days”, the club has said.

Turkey’s Altay Bayindir is expected to deputise for Onana at Newcastle in what would be only his sixth appearance of the season and his first Premier League game.

He has not featured since January, having played only in cup games this season.

Since the start of last season Onana has made eight errors leading to goals in all competitions, the most of any keeper playing for a Premier League club.

Amorim defended the 29-year-old after the performance against Lyon, saying he had made more mistakes this season than Onana.

Onana has struggled to live up to his £47m transfer fee since his arrival from Inter Milan in 2023 but has played all 69 Premier League games since he joined the club.

Former United manager Erik ten Hag ditched popular first-choice David de Gea, believing Onana was better with the ball at his feet.

However, Onana has made a series of mistakes, with the first goal in Lyon, when he dived to push a routine shot away from goal but inexplicably missed it, a prime example.

Aside from Onana’s on-field issues, he has also had to deal with off-field problems.

His wife Melanie Kamayou was robbed as she left a restaurant in Cheshire last month.

Onana concedes a goal every 63 minutes on average

All Man Utd goalkeepers with 10+ Premier League apps

Source: Opta – correct as of 9.4.25

Onana makes the most saves per game

Man Utd goalkeepers with 900+ Premier League mins in last 20 years

Tap on Saves per 90 or Saves % columns to order by highest/lowest

Source: Opta – correct as of 9.4.25

Onana was at fault for both Lyon’s goals in his side’s 2-2 draw in the Europa League on Thursday – a day after he had been called “one of the worst goalkeepers” in United’s history by former Red Devils player Nemanja Matic.

Since the start of last season, Onana has made eight errors leading to goals in all competitions, the most of any keeper playing for a Premier League club.

But Amorim, who was appointed United manager in November, said: “If you look at the season I’ve made more mistakes than them during these last games and during these last months.

“There’s nothing I can say to Andre in this moment that will help him, so the most important thing is to be natural and then when the time comes I will choose the best XI to play. But I’m really confident in Andre.”

United host Lyon in the second leg at Old Trafford next Thursday (20:00 BST).

With the Red Devils 13th in the Premier League their only realistic hope of European football next season is through the Champions League spot afforded to the Europa League winner.

When asked if he still had faith in his keeper, Amorim told TNT Sports: “We continue to do the same thing. Training, seeing the games, trying to choose the best eleven to win every match.”

How was Onana at fault against Lyon?

United went behind after 25 minutes when Onana failed to get a strong enough hand to Thiago Almada’s wide free-kick.

The 29-year-old reacted late to Almada’s cross, having to wait to see if a Lyon player would divert the ball, and was caught out when the free-kick kept its line.

The ball bounced just before Onana and then skidded through his gloves before hitting the net.

After turning the tie around, United conceded a second with virtually the last kick before the final whistle when Onana spilled Georges Mikautadze’s shot and Rayan Cherki tapped in on the rebound.

On BBC Radio 5 Live former England midfielder Aaron Lennon said Onana’s team-mates would be “fuming” with the goalkeeper’s performance.

“They’re two massive mistakes,” he said. “He has got to save both of them in my opinion and he has cost United today.”

Amorim also said his side “should have taken a one goal advantage to the next game”.

But the Portuguese manager stressed “when one player has a mistake, all the team has a mistake so we continue like that”.

Can Onana really be called worst keeper in United’s history?

The pressure was on Onana on Thursday night after he and Matic exchanged verbal blows the day before.

Matic, who played for the club between 2017 and 2022, called Onana “statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United history”.

The Serb, who was an unused substitute for Lyon, had been responding to comments by Onana who said his side are “way better” than their French opponents.

Onana was given a rowdy reception when he came out to warm up and was booed every time he touched the ball inside Groupama Stadium.

He dropped to his knees and celebrated passionately when his side took the lead in the 88th minute.

Onana has the worst minutes per goal conceded ratio of all Manchester United keepers with 10 or more Premier League appearances.

But, since moving to United, he has also ranked second on Opta’s goals prevented metric behind only Jordan Pickford.

Onana concedes a goal every 63 minutes on average

All Man Utd goalkeepers with 10+ Premier League apps

Source: Opta – correct as of 9.4.25

Onana makes the most saves per game

Man Utd goalkeepers with 900+ Premier League mins in last 20 years

Tap on Saves per 90 or Saves % columns to order by highest/lowest

Source: Opta – correct as of 9.4.25

Despite a hot atmosphere inside the ground, United were comfortable in the early stages. But then, on 25 minutes, Onana opted not to come for Thiago Almada’s free-kick, dived when it was almost past him, and could only help it into the net.

Just before the break, though, United were level, a corner cleared and Manuel Ugarte hooking a shot that was headed wide, until Leny Yoro leapt and twisted to head home his first goal for the club.

United improved in the second half and, with two minutes to go, looked to have seized a crucial win, Joshua Zirkzee heading home powerfully after being found by Bruno Fernandes’ cross.

But with the ref just about to blow for time, Onana couldn’t send Corentin Tolisso’s shot away from goal, and Rayan Cherki flipped a lovely equaliser over his desperate dive.

Serbian Matic, 36, was asked about Onana’s comments from earlier this week that United were “way better” than French club Lyon as the two sides prepare to meet in the Europa League quarter-finals.

Speaking at Wednesday’s news conference Matic, who played for United from 2017-2022, said: “You know, I respect everyone but to say that then you need to give the answer.

“If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s history, you need to take care what you’re talking about.

“If it was [Edwin] Van der Sar, [Peter] Schmeichel or [David] De Gea saying that, then I would question myself. But you need to have cover to say something like that.”

In reply to Matic, Onana then posted on social media to deny he was being disrespectful.

“I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent,” Onana said on X.

“We focus on preparing a performance to make our fans proud.

“At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.”

Matic made 128 appearances for the Red Devils and joined Ligue 1 side Lyon in 2024 after spells at Rennes and Roma. He won the Premier League twice, plus the FA Cup and EFL Cup in a four-year spell at Chelsea.

Onana signed for £47.2m from Inter Milan in 2023 and has won the FA Cup at Old Trafford, keeping 23 clean sheets in 93 appearances.

The Europa League is the final opportunity for Ruben Amorim’s side – currently 13th in the Premier League – to save a disappointing season.

Cameroon international Onana’s initial comments came after Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Manchester City, when he was confident despite describing Lyon as a “very good team”.

“Of course, it’s not going to be easy but I think we are way better than them,” Onana said.

“We all know the importance of this game, we will go there with the winning mentality. It’s not our best season but we still have something to win and we will go for it.”

The first leg of the Europa League quarter-final takes place in Lyon at 20:00 BST on Thursday.

‘Just a misunderstanding’ – Amorim

United head coach Ruben Amorim has played down the situation and does not expect the comments from either player to impact Thursday’s match.

“Tomorrow it will not matter,” he said. “If you see the full quote of Andre Onana, it’s quite different.

“The first sentence is Lyon is a very, very good team, so I think sometimes the players or coaches don’t listen to the full quotes.

“Sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding and I know Matic also. He’s a great guy. Tomorrow is going to be a normal game.”

Amorim confirmed Onana will start at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium and reiterated that he did not believe the goalkeeper meant to disparage the Ligue 1 side.

“It’s really hard to deal with that,” he said. “Again, if you look at the quotes, you cannot see disrespect there. Just respect, but trying to give confidence and to show confidence in his team, especially in this year.

“Everybody can talk bad things about Manchester United. Sometimes our group as a player, as a coach, as a staff, has to show some confidence in our team.

“I know really well Nemanja Matic and how good a guy he is. He hears some things by half, not the whole story. That for me is clear in this situation.”

How does Onana compare?

Onana makes the most saves per game

Man Utd goalkeepers with 900+ Premier League mins in last 20 years

Tap on Saves per 90 or Saves % columns to order by highest/lowest

Source: Opta – correct as of 9.4.25

Onana succeeded David de Gea at Old Trafford after the Spaniard ended his 12-year stay at the club in July 2023.

De Gea, who is now at Fiorentina, was four-time United player of the year and twice won the Premier League Golden Glove, which is given to the keeper with most clean sheets.

He is fourth in the all-time Premier League clean sheet list with 147.

In total, he kept 190 clean sheets in 545 games and won the Premier League, FA Cup, two EFL Cups and Europa League.

His predecessor was Dutchman Edwin van der Sar who in a six-year spell at United won the Champions League, four Premier Leagues, Club World Cup and two League Cups.

He had a record of 135 clean sheets in 266 games and is tied for eighth on the Premier League’s all-time clean sheet list with 132.

Prior to signing Van der Sar in 2005, United went through a number of goalkeepers as they searched for a long-term replacement for Peter Schmeichel.

Fabian Barthez, Tim Howard, Roy Carroll and Mark Bosnich all had stints as number one but while United won three league titles between 1999 and 2005, none of these fully convinced.

They had a very hard act to follow given Schmeichel’s legendary status at a club where he played 398 times over eight seasons.

The Dane won five Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, one League Cup and a European Super Cup before signing off with the Champions League as part of a then unprecedented treble.

Onana did not make a list of the top goalkeepers in the world, published on Wednesday by the CIES Football Observatory Index.

CIES uses methodology to take into account the level of games played, the results of matches and the deviation in the percentage of saves at domestic league level compared to the expected value.

City did threaten twice at Old Trafford through Omar Marmoush but the Egypt forward could not beat United goalkeeper Andre Onana on either occasion.

United created a succession of half-chances. But once Alejandro Garnacho had been sent sprawling by Ruben Dias on the edge of the City box in the opening seconds, a familiar story unfolded. As on so many occasions this season, Ruben Amorim’s side did not seem as though they believed they could score.

The nearest they came was 13 minutes from time when substitute Joshua Zirkzee turned a Patrick Dorgu cross goalwards but Ederson was able to push the Dutchman’s effort to safety.

A draw keeps United anchored in the middle of the lower half of the table but City are now sweating on a Champions League spot, remaining in fifth – which would almost certainly be enough – but with Newcastle two points behind them with two games in hand.

Arguably the most inspiring moment of the whole afternoon came before kick-off when United captain Bruno Fernandes accompanied seven-year-old mascot Bobby Moore from Belfast on to the pitch.

The Portugal international invited Moore to Old Trafford after seeing a video of the youngster celebrating his goal in a previous Manchester derby. In the process Moore became United’s first-ever wheelchair/powerchair-using mascot.

The winger, who joined United as a 12-year-old, sprinted 70 yards before finishing into the bottom corner to catch the visitors cold with an early winner.

He joined Forest from United for £15m in 2023, in search of regular football, and continued his excellent season against his former club.

Murillo ensured the win with a dramatic goalline clearance from Harry Maguire in the final seconds.

Forest remain third in the Premier League with an eight-point lead over fourth-placed Chelsea, who host Tottenham on Thursday, and it is hard to see how Nuno Espirito Santo’s side fail to secure Champions League football from here.

Into the FA Cup semi-finals – where they face Manchester City at Wembley this month – and on the brink of a first European campaign since 1996, Forest are almost in dreamland.

Efficient and effective, they completed a double over United for the first time since 1991-92 with a 13th clean sheet of the season and condemned the visitors to their 13th defeat of the campaign.

Ruben Amorim’s side were neat and tidy in spells but there was little punch to their attack, as they were unable to break down their organised hosts, while they struggled to contain Elanga.

Diogo Dalot’s first-half header bounced off the bar and Bruno Fernandes tested goalkeeper Matz Sels early on but they are still looking for successive Premier League wins this season.

United remain floundering in 13th before Sunday’s derby with Manchester City and there was little suggestion at the City Ground their position will improve.

Club captain Fernandes – who signed a contract extension until 2027 last August – has been United’s star player this season.

Over the weekend reports emerged linking the 30-year-old with a move to Real Madrid.

“No, it’s not going to happen,” said Amorim, when asked about the rumours in his news conference before Tuesday’s Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest.

When asked how he could be so certain, the former Sporting coach added: “He’s not going anywhere because I’ve already told him.”

There was the familiar spark in Amorim’s eyes as he delivered the message, suggesting he was having a bit of fun.

Fernandes has scored 16 times in all competitions this season while no other United player has reached double figures.

In the final week before the most recent international break, Fernandes scored five goals, including a hat-trick in the Europa League last-16 victory over Real Sociedad.

Only Mohammed Salah (54) and Erling Haaland (33) have more than Fernandes’ combination of 31 goals and assists in the Premier League this term.

United have struggled in the league and are in 13th position before they face third-placed Nottingham Forest at the City ground.

‘This is the kind of player we want’

Amorim and predecessor Erik ten Hag, have repeatedly backed Fernandes, despite external criticism from former United captain Roy Keane in particular.

“I want Bruno here because maybe in the lowest moments of our season he…,” said Amorim, before tailing off and switching his answer to strike a more positive note.

“We want to win the Premier League again so we want the best players to continue with us. He’s 30 but he’s still so young because he plays 55 games every season and between assists and goals he’s there for 30 at least.

“We are in control of the situation,” said Amorim. “But I feel he is really happy here because he understands what we want to do.

“He is also a supporter of Manchester United so he really feels it.

“Sometimes the frustration you see, that everybody sees and maybe says is not a good thing in a captain is a sign he wants this so bad. This is the kind of player we want.”

Premier League goal involvements

Since Bruno Fernandes’ debut on 1/2/20

Source: Opta

The 24-year-old joined Chelsea on a season-long loan in August in a deal that included an obligation to buy for between £20m and £25m, providing the London club finish at least 14th in the Premier League this season.

Chelsea are fourth, with nine games of the season remaining.

However, as initially reported in the Athletic it has now been confirmed by sources with knowledge of the deal that a clause exists that would allow Chelsea to send Sancho back to Old Trafford providing they pay United £5m in compensation.

Chelsea have previously stressed they are not thinking of taking that step but doubt persists over whether Sancho will remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the end of the season.

Sancho joined Dortmund on loan for the second half of last season following a falling out with former United boss Erik ten Hag over the Dutchman’s public condemnation of his performances in training.

United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe namechecked Sancho in an interview with BBC sports editor Dan Roan as a player that United are “buying” this summer because of outstanding payments following his £73m move from Dortmund in 2021.

“For Sancho, who obviously now plays for Chelsea, and we pay half his wages, we are paying £17m to buy him in the summer,” said Ratcliffe.

The 24-year-old initially impressed following his move to Stamford Bridge but his form has dipped since.

Sancho has contributed just one assist in 18 appearances since scoring the last of his two goals this season against Tottenham on 8 December.

Chelsea are known to be targeting the signing of another winger and a striker in the summer.

They have also signed Sporting winger Geovany Quenda, 17, for £42m with that move set to go through in 2026.

Sancho’s present United contract runs to 2026, although United have the option to extend by a further year.

The 33-year-old Denmark midfielder joined on a free transfer in July 2022.

He had previously had a short spell at Brentford after resuming his football career following a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020.

Eriksen has played 66 matches in the Premier League for Manchester United, though game time this season has been limited to 16 top-flight appearances.

His contract expires in the summer and he said there have not been any discussions over a new deal.

“I haven’t heard anything from the club, and therefore I assume that the collaboration will stop – that’s how I interpret it,” said the Dane.

“I am prepared to find something new. I am fine with that. Where it will be, I haven’t decided yet.”

After starting his career at Ajax, Eriksen spent seven years at Tottenham before moving to Inter Milan.

Spurs had been interested in bringing Eriksen back to the club before he joined Manchester United.

“The intention is not to stay in England,” added Eriksen.

“I am not going to the USA – we are not going that far. We would like to stay in Europe, but it is too early to go home to Denmark.

“I feel like I have some good years abroad left.”

The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) says the increase is “less than many feared”, and there has been a price freeze for under-16s.

But MUST says United fans have “expressed their disappointment” that the club has “ignored” the call for a widespread price freeze.

Since becoming the club’s co-owner last year, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos group have tried improve the club’s finances but several changes have been unpopular, resulting in fan protests, in particular at last week’s home game with Arsenal.

Some of the latest changes for the 2025-26 season include the introduction of a game categorisation model for non-season ticket holders, where premium games cost more.

United are also increasing the minimum usage requirement for season ticket holders from 15 to 16 of their 19 Premier League home games.

United’s chief executive Omar Berrada says the club “worked hard to come up with a pricing package that is fair and reasonable” and that the new changes are being made “to offset continued rises in operating costs”.

However, MUST says that “we fail to see any justification for the increase” and that the new categorisation model is “a source of major concern”.

A MUST statement read: “For several months we have argued long and hard that the club need to look at the big picture and freeze ticket prices for next season.

“Other clubs have done that already and at United it would have sent a powerful message about the need for everyone to pull together to get the club out of the very difficult position it finds itself in.”

Berrada said: “We understand that any price rise is unwelcome, especially during a period of under-performance on the pitch, and we listened carefully to the strong arguments put forward by the FAB (Fan Advisory Board) in favour of a freeze.

“However, the club has decided it would not be right to keep prices unchanged while costs rise and the club continues to face financial issues.

“We have kept the increase to the lowest possible level and protected our youngest season ticket holders from any rises, while ensuring the club remains financially strong enough to invest in improving the team.”

Cost-cutting measures continue under Ineos

After freezing season ticket prices for 11 years, United are now increasing them for a third straight year.

This comes after a second round of redundancies at the club was announced last month, and there was a mid-season rise in some ticket prices to £66, with no concessions. Other cost-cutting measures including the removal of free lunches for staff.

Ratcliffe has said the decisions are necessary in order to slash losses, which last year exceeded £113m, and last week he told the BBC Sport “the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don’t do those things”.

The latest season ticket changes represent an average increase of £2.50 per game.

Ratcliffe told the BBC: “Well, I don’t get involved in the detail of ticket pricing. That’s for the management of the club, not for me really.

“My sort of general principles on ticket pricing are that it should be fair, affordable for the people in Manchester.

“We do need to look after the under-16s and the older people who do not have as much money, but at the same time ticket income is part of the overall income of the club.

“The club receives income from ticketing, from merchandising and from TV. They are all major components of how much money we have to spend on new players and the squad.”

What other changes will Man Utd make?

The introduction of a game categorisation model, plus the increase in season ticket prices and the minimum usage requirement are just some of the latest changes:

• United’s ‘senior’ discount will now track the state pension age of 66, giving older fans 25% off. Some had previously received a 50% discount.
• Fans behind the dugouts will be relocated, allowing the club to convert those seats for hospitality and sell them at premium prices
• Fans who sell their ticket back to the club less than 14 days before a game will be charged £10
• Car parking charges will rise by 15%

Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho also ended their goal droughts as United were comfortable winners at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester had failed to score in their previous five games coming into the tie and striker Jamie Vardy lacked sharpness as he steered a fourth-minute effort at goalkeeper Andre Onana.

United took hold of the first half with Christian Eriksen rattling the post with a curling effort before Garnacho ran through on goal and drilled his effort low into the net.

Garnacho was also looking to end his goal drought and saw a second-half effort chalked off by a very late off-side flag.

However, moments later Fernandes’ pass was deflected into his path to score United’s second goal.

Leicester pushed for a way back into the game but were met by a stubborn defence as Matthijs de Ligt rescued his side to deny Facundo Buonanotte.

United finished the evening in style with Fernandes curling home his side’s third goal.

The only dampener on the victory was the injury to teenage defender Ayden Heaven who was stretchered off the pitch following a first-half challenge.

The 72-year-old last year spent £1.3bn for a 28.94% stake in the club, in a deal which led to his company Ineos taking control of football operations.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Ratcliffe said he “doesn’t mind being unpopular”.

Last month, it was confirmed there would be a second round of redundancies at the club, which will result in up to 200 people losing their jobs in addition to the 250 who departed last year.

There has also been a mid-season rise in some ticket prices, affecting under-16s and pensioners.

On Tuesday, Ratcliffe announced plans to build a new £2bn stadium with a 100,000 capacity.

The unpopular Glazer family bought the club in 2005 via a leveraged takeover and retain a majority stake.

“I mean, I can put up with it for a while,” Ratcliffe said. “I don’t mind being unpopular because I get that nobody likes seeing Manchester United down where they are, and nobody likes the decisions we’re having to make at the moment.

“If I draw a bit of the ire, I can put up with that. But I’m no different to the average person. It’s not nice, particularly for friends and family.

“So, eventually, if it reached the extent that the Glazer family have been abused, then I’d have to say, look, enough’s enough guys, let somebody else do this.

“They can’t really come to a match, the Glazers. They’ve retreated into the shadows a bit now, so I’m getting all the stick.

“We bought in and I haven’t seen them since. It’s, ‘thank you, Jim, you’re doing a really good job’.

“At the moment, I don’t have security, I don’t have to walk around like that. But it would defeat the object, wouldn’t it? You couldn’t tolerate it at that level, it just wouldn’t be fun.”

When Ratcliffe and Ineos joined the Old Trafford hierarchy, many fans welcomed the arrival of a boyhood fan and billionaire to help restore the club’s former glories.

However, a year on, the relationship with some supporters has soured.

Several moves taken by the club which have attracted criticism, with cost-cutting measures including the removal of free lunches for staff, culminating in a protest against United’s ownership by fans last weekend.

Banners saying “we want our club back” and “£1bn stolen”, referring to the amount spent on servicing the debt loaded on to United when the Glazer family bought the club in 2005, were on display at the protest.

United’s current total debt, including £300m in outstanding transfer fees, is in excess of £1bn. In the last financial year they paid £37m in interest on the debt.