Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will this Manchester United team be under Ruben Amorim, with it likely to require patience – and the chequebook – for the Portuguese to turn the Red Devils back into true contenders again.

It is still early days, although the signs are promising following his first window in charge, with the summer arrivals of Senne Lammens, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko all making an impact to date.

That investment will surely be just the start as Amorim seeks to shake things up, however, with a turbulent 2025/26 thus far having again showcased the scale of the task at hand, with reinforcements needed all across the park.

At wing-back and central midfield, in particular, there remain problems to be solved, with January providing the perfect opportunity for the required upgrades to be found.

With that in mind, here’s a look at how United could shape up after the window closes, should all go to plan in this dream scenario…

1 GK – Senne Lammens

Perhaps up there with Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka as the bargain of the summer in Premier League terms, United’s £18m man is yet to taste defeat in his new surroundings, having hardly put a foot wrong to date.

He might not be the second coming of Peter Schmeichel – who is – but he’s certainly made a stronger first impression than Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir, that’s for sure.

2 RCB – Matthijs de Ligt

Second time’s the charm for Matthijs de Ligt, with the Dutchman building on a solid, but unspectacular first campaign to emerge as arguably one of Amorim’s key lieutenants this time around.

The hero at the death against Spurs, the 26-year-old is the only member of the squad to play every minute in the Premier League this season. A future captain in waiting?

3 CB – Marc Guehi

So close to a last-gasp move to Liverpool over the summer, Marc Guehi is now for anyone’s taking heading into January, with a potential bargain deal on the cards amid his expiring contract.

Those at Anfield might still be frontrunners, but reports have suggested that United will also be in the mix for his coveted signature, with the England international a possible successor to the ageing, but influential, Harry Maguire at the heart of the backline.

4 LCB – Lisandro Martinez

Not seen in action since early 2025 due to an ACL injury, Lisandro Martinez is inching ever closer to a return to action – providing a significant boost for Amorim and co.

Luke Shaw, for what it’s worth, has held the fort impressively in the left-sided centre-back role of late, yet the Argentine – part of United’s new-look leadership group – looks destined to start when fit and firing again.

5 RWB – Amad

The Amad and Mbeumo combination endured some early teething problems, although in recent weeks, United’s right-hand side has been so effective, with the pair notably combining for the opener at Anfield last month, as well as in the game’s first goal against Spurs.

Such form – which also saw Amad net late on at the City Ground – will only serve to make it all the more concerning when the pair head to AFCON in December.

6 CM – Bruno Fernandes

The debate will rage on over whether this is Bruno Fernandes’ best position, but the 31-year-old – who came close to an exit over the summer – is still quietly pulling the strings from his deep-lying role.

Two goals, three assists and two penalties missed in the Premier League this season showcases that the Portuguese maverick is still bringing the usual chaos and consistency as the heartbeat of Amorim’s side.

There’s no dislodging him just yet…

7 CM – Carlos Baleba

He wants United – by all accounts – and United want him. So make it happen INEOS.

The midfield “monster” – as hailed by analyst Ben Mattinson – was touted with a £100m plus move to Old Trafford over the summer, although there might be some wriggle room in negotiations, considering his drop in form in 2025/26.

Those woes – which have seen him substituted at half-time on three occasions already – may be cause for concern, but at his best, the athletic, all-action 21-year-old could be the Casemiro successor that United are crying out for.

8 LWB – Federico Dimarco

The caveat to this next addition would be that if United and INEOS were to fork out for Guehi and Baleba, there would likely have to be notable sales made to balance the books, be it a figure like Joshua Zirkzee or Diogo Dalot.

The beauty of moving for Federico Dimarco is, however, that the Italian defender has just 18 months left on his current contract at Inter, ensuring an astute deal could be struck amid reported interest from Manchester.

At a time when neither Dalot nor Patrick Dorgu has nailed down that left wing-back role, signing a specialist like Dimarco would be the perfect upgrade for 2026.

9 RAM – Bryan Mbeumo

As already stated, Mbeumo and Amad are emerging as a deadly duo down the right flank, although it is clear to see who the main man in that pairing is, with the Cameroonian already scoring six times in 12 games following his £71m switch from Brentford.

Comfortable on either foot, or with his head, the 26-year-old is the ready-made attacking spearhead that Amorim needed. Long may his rampant form continue.

10 LAM – Matheus Cunha

While Casemiro may be approaching the climax of his United journey, with just six months left on his deal, the club do have a new Brazilian hero to cherish in the form of Cunha, with the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman already earning rave reviews at Old Trafford.

Powerful and elegant in equal measure, the 26-year-old has the makings of a future United star, although he will have to improve upon his return of just one goal to date.

No thrilling finish but draw with Gloucestershire is enough for Foxes combined with stalemate at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025There was no thrilling finale on the field but Leicestershire could celebrate nonetheless after securing the draw with Gloucestershire that, in the event, ensured their promotion to Division One of the Rothesay County Championship.With two fixtures still to play, the result at the Uptonsteel County Ground combined with the draw between Middlesex and Derbyshire at Lord’s guarantees that Leicestershire will finish in the top two in Division Two and end a 22-year-exile from the top division.Set 316 to win from a minimum 74 overs when Gloucestershire, who felt their outside chance of a promotion required them to win here, declared four overs before lunch on 175 for 3 in their second innings, Leicestershire were 93 for 1 from 30.3 when the afternoon’s third interruption for rain proved heavy enough for the final day’s play to be abandoned at around 4.10pm.It is a first promotion for Leicestershire since the County Championship adopted its current two-division format in 2000. Led for most of the season by Australian international Peter Handscomb – now back home preparing for his domestic season – Leicestershire have been the dominant side in Division Two all season after winning five of their first seven matches and suffering only one defeat.They last played in Division One in 2003 and have since become almost perpetual stragglers, finishing bottom of DivisionTwo on eight occasions. In four of those, the last as recently as 2022, they failed to register a single victory, famously going 37 matches over 933 days without a Championship win between September 2012 and June 2015.Leicestershire, whose next target is to secure the points they need to guarantee they are crowned Division Two champions, went into the final day in the comfortable knowledge that while a victory would seal the deal in terms of confirming promotion, a draw might do it anyway depending on the result at Lord’s, or at worst leave them needing minimal gains from their final two fixtures.Gloucestershire’s need for a win, therefore, put the onus on them to set up a finish, to which end they added 165 in 21 overs before declaring just before lunch, setting the home side 316 to win in a minimum 74 overs.Against a Leicestershire attack that was a man down because of Ben Mike’s ongoing hamstring problems, 21-year-old opener Joe Phillips further enhanced his growing reputation with an unbeaten 69 from 73 balls.Ben Charlesworth cleared the midwicket boundary off Logan van Beek and landed back-to-back sixes off Chris Wright in his 56-ball 61 before a miscue to deep third man ended his charge. Ian Holland limited Ollie Price to just 8 but Miles Hammond plundered another 28 from 26 before top-edging into the off side, Holland veering away in his follow-through to be under the ball when it came down.Gloucestershire asked Leicestershire to face four overs before lunch possibly more in hope than expectation. The wicket of Sol Budinger perhaps came as a bonus, the opener making no attempt to rein in his natural attacking instincts but perishing after just 13 deliveries, tempted by a widish ball from Ajeet Singh Dale despite having collected three boundaries already and picking out the fielder at wide third.The visitors’ cause was not helped by showers after lunch, which eventually washed out 43.3 overs of the scheduled 74.Yet there never seemed enough jeopardy in the fourth-day surface to make 10 wickets a realistic possibility. Rishi Patel finished unbeaten on 42 with acting captain Holland on 27. Gloucestershire’s frustration was cushioned a little by taking 15 points for the draw, but the gap between themselves and second-placed Glamorgan remains at more than 30 points.

Are Manchester City starting to build some serious momentum?

On Wednesday night, the Sky Blues demolished Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the Champions League, with Phil Foden bagging a brace, Erling Braut Håland scoring his customary goals and then Rayan Cherki getting in on the act late on.

Back in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s team have won five of their last seven, including four in a row at the Etihad, rediscovering their best form ahead of Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad on Sunday.

If the serial champions are going to defeat the reigning champions in this weekend’s headliner, which “exceptional” star should Guardiola start in his forward line alongside Foden?

Is Phil Foden getting back to his best?

On Friday morning, Thomas Tuchel’s England squad was announced for next week’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia at Wembley and Albania in Tirana, with Phil Foden one of the noteworthy names included.

The 25-year-old has not featured in any of England’s last six matches, seeing just 179 minutes of international action, out of a possible 1,260, that is only 14%, since the Three Lions’ defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

His return to the England squad is an indicator of Foden’s return to form at club level, with his double against Dortmund taking his tally to four goals for the season, having bagged only ten throughout the entirety of the previous campaign, not including the Club World Cup.

Following Wednesday night’s Champions League victory, Guardiola asserted that Foden is back, labelling him a “special player”, while Barney Ronay of the Guardian noted that he was the ‘best player on the pitch’, adding that he was ‘perky and precise all night’.

Thus, Foden’s recent performances mean he is a guaranteed starter against Liverpool, but who should come into the team alongside him, thereby forming part of the Citizens’ attacking quartet in support of Håland?

The exceptional star Pep Guardiola must start against Liverpool

In mid-week, it was Tijjani Reijnders, Savinho and Jérémy Doku who all started alongside Foden, but Guardiola surely must tinker with his lineup this weekend.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

That’s because, having recovered from a thigh injury, Rayan Cherki is starting to show glimpses of what he is capable of.

The Frenchman came off the bench to score his fourth goal for the Citizens on Wednesday, having previously netted against Al Ain, Wolves and Swansea.

When he arrived from Olympique Lyonnais for £34m in June, big things were expected of the 22-year-old, with Guardiola describing him as “exceptional”, and his statistics in Ligue 1 last season underlining why.

Goals

8

25th

Assists

11

1st

Goals – xG

+3

7th

Key passes

75

2nd

Big chances created

22

1st

Passes into area

77

1st

Shot-creating actions

146

1st

Goal-creating actions

24

2nd

Progressive carries

106

10th

Carries into area

91

2nd

Successful dribbles

48

13

Touches in attacking 3rd

826

3rd

Average rating

7.6

2nd*

*minimum 25 appearances.

As the table documents, Cherki was one of the outstanding players in France’s top-flight last season, leading Ligue 1 for assists as well as a whole host of other creative metrics, behind only Désiré Doué in terms of goal-creating actions.

This season, despite sitting out eight matches due to injury, Cherki has already started to produce in a Man City shirt, registering three goals and three assists as well as creating four big chances in the Premier League; only seven players have more across the entire division, despite the fact he’s featured in only 163 of a possible 900 minutes to date.

Two of his three assists came against Bournemouth last Sunday, both times setting Håland free to burst in behind to slot the ball beyond Đorđe Petrović.

Thus, this forthcoming Sunday, a similar game plan is surely required.

During their sequence of six defeats from seven games, Liverpool were very susceptible to players running in behind, with Virgil van Dijk not at his dominant best and Ibrahima Konaté largely looking all at sea throughout the entire campaign.

With that in mind, Guardiola will want to pick a team that can exploit this weakness, featuring Håland running in behind and Doku giving right-back Conor Bradley nightmares with his dribbling, pace and trickery.

In order to best supply these other attackers, he must find room for Cherki, who demonstrated against Bournemouth last weekend that he possesses the right skillset to unlock Man City’s other attackers.

In the possible absence of Rodri, Reijnders will be in the team to offer support to Nico González while, as already documented, Foden’s flurry of goals makes him undroppable.

This leaves Savinho, who is still yet to score in the Premier League or Champions League this season, meaning the Brazilian is the most likely candidate to make way for Cherki, who simply has to be included in the starting lineup if Man City are going to become the latest team to defeat Arne Slot’s Reds this season?

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Poor weather and cancellations have left the squad under-prepared for England’s three-match visit

Matt Roller16-Sep-2025

Paul Stirling has admitted that his Ireland team are “underprepared” for their T20I series against England, voicing his frustration at a sparse summer schedule that has seen them go three months without a men’s international fixture.Ireland’s men have only completed three matches during their home summer, losing another three to the weather when West Indies toured in May and June. A planned incoming tour by Afghanistan was cancelled, with Cricket Ireland (CI) citing “financial reasons”, while the planned European T20 Premier League (ETPL) was again postponed.While England’s saturated schedule has prompted them to rest several multi-format players for this week’s three-match series in Malahide, which starts on Wednesday, their Irish counterparts have been crying out for more competitive cricket. Those frustrations will not be helped by a poor weather forecast for Friday and Sunday’s late-summer fixtures.Ireland’s winter programme should be busier, with a tour of Bangladesh later this year and some fixtures in the Middle East before the T20 World Cup. But Stirling admitted his frustrations that he had played so little this summer, and said that weather had hampered Ireland’s preparations to the extent that Tuesday’s training was their only full session before the series.Related

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“We’ve probably been under-prepared, would be the honest answer,” Stirling said. “It’s nice to get together as a squad for the first time in about four months. We got a little bit of work done yesterday at the HPC [High-Performance Centre], not much done on Sunday, and a good session in today. That’s about all we’ve had.”We’re looking forward to giving it a good go against England. We’ll need things to go our way probably. It’s just nice to get together. It feels like the beginning of our winter programme, rather than the end of our summer programme. That’s the stage we’re at. Certainly, it feels like the start of something, rather than the end.”This week’s short tour was initially slated as a three-match ODI series in June in the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, but was changed last year to a T20I tour with an eye on next year’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka and moved to mid-September.CI scheduled a short ‘best vs best’ 50-over series earlier this month to fill the gap left by the ETPL, but only one of the three fixtures was completed. “We were supposed to have three or four weeks of highly competitive franchise cricket here, if things went well,” Stirling said. “In theory, it would’ve been fine, but in practice, it isn’t.”The primary reason for the slimline fixture list is funding, with CI regularly citing the exorbitant costs of transforming club grounds into international venues with temporary infrastructure. The issue should be alleviated in years to come by the proposed development of a permanent stadium at Abbotstown in time for the 2030 Men’s T20 World Cup.But Stirling said that his players were “obviously disappointed” at such a limited international schedule. “We can’t hide that fact,” he said. “We want to play as much cricket as we can. We’re going to be judged on our performances on the pitch and to not have consistent cricket, which allows you to bring the best of yourselves throughout a summer, is tough.”It is tricky, because you’re expected to deal with those things no matter what. That’s why international cricket is so hard: no-one will remember this in 18-24 months, when we hopefully do have cricket, that, ‘Oh, by the way, their preparation wasn’t good in 2025.’ It’ll be, ‘X, Y and Z didn’t do this, didn’t do that.’ It’s really important that you’re able to use your experience.”It’s not ideal. There’s no hiding that fact. We want to play more cricket and fingers crossed, hopefully, we’re going to travel to Bangladesh in October-November, from there, for 12 or 18 months, it’s packed full of cricket. That’s our hope. But it’s certainly disappointing that in the summer months in Ireland, as a professional cricketer, you’re not playing enough cricket.”

Rangers are now on red alert in the transfer race to sign Shea Charles from Southampton, who are set to make their decision on selling the Manchester City graduate, according to reports.

Danny Rohl has settled well at Ibrox, much to the 49ers’ relief, and for the first time this season there is reason to be optimistic at Rangers. Their recent victory over Dundee made it three league wins from three for the new manager, who has already earned more points than predecessor Russell Martin in the Scottish Premiership.

Any talks about a potential title comeback are still incredibly premature, but the Gers are at least up to fourth and now just five points behind Celtic in second. For the first time in forever, both Old Firm sides have the task of catching alternative leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.

There will be no one more relieved than Kevin Thelwell after Rohl’s solid start. The transfer chief has come under fire for his decisions over the summer and the role he played in hiring Martin.

There’s no doubt that he’s got plenty of making-up to do and that may well start in the January transfer window. On that front, Rangers are already reportedly interested in signing Lennon Miller from Udinese and Mujaid Sadick.

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A move for Miller would particularly make sense. He’s struggled since leaving Motherwell in the summer and a return to Scotland would certainly help turn his recent fortunes around.

He’s not the only name on Rangers’ reported shortlist, however. The Scottish giants have also set their sights on reuniting Rohl with former Sheffield Wednesday star Charles.

Rangers on red alert in Shea Charles race

According to Sports Boom, Rangers are now on red alert in the race to sign Charles from Southampton, who could look to sell the Man City academy graduate as part of a winter clear-out.

The Northern Ireland international has started 12 of Southampton’s 15 Championship games so far this season, but has failed to prevent a slump which has featured just four wins.

If an exit is now on the cards for the 22-year-old, then Rangers should take full advantage of their Rohl connection. The German manager worked with Charles at Sheffield Wednesday last season as he proved his worth in England’s second tier. Full of praise for his midfielder at the time, the Rangers boss described him as “fantastic”.

If Rangers want to hand Rohl an instant show of confidence in the winter window, then they should go all out to reunite him with a player who he rates so highly and worked so well with just one season ago.

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Legendary former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has opened up on the possibility of a return to the club, with the Frenchman claiming that he can "never say no" to club president Florentino Perez. Benzema didn't rule out a reunion with his former employers, where he enjoyed a glorious 14-year spell before leaving for Al-Ittihad in the summer of 2023.

Benzema enjoying life at Al-Ittihad

Benzema has been having the time of his life in Saudi Arabia after achieving everything there was to achieve at club level following a glorious 14-year spell with Real Madrid. Signed on a three-year contract in 2023, Benzema has delivered success to Al-Ittihad while also becoming one of the pioneers of Saudi Arabian football. He fired Al-Ittihad to a domestic double last season, as his 25 goals across competitions helped the Tigers claim the Saudi Pro League and King's Cup titles. 

Since leaving Europe, Benzema has scored 46 goals in 75 games, and still looks in great form. His goal scoring numbers are on par with what he produced in his final few years at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, with the Frenchman into the final seven months of his deal in Jeddah, his future has become a topic of hot debate. 

In a recent interview, the 37-year-old opened up on his future, where he addressed a possible return to Los Blancos.

AdvertisementAFPBenzema open to Real Madrid return, but only on one condition

Speaking to , the French forward was asked if he imagined Real Madrid calling him for a possible reunion. He gave a pretty straightforward response, claiming that it could be possible as long as Madrid president Florentino Perez is at the club. 

"Why? (Laughs). He's someone I can never say no to. Florentino is special," he acknowledged. "If Florentino is still there, it could happen, it could happen. I talk to him and it's possible. I'm a Real Madrid fan. I feel it in my soul. Madrid is still my city, I feel like a Real Madrid fan and a Madrileno. We'll see what happens. If he's there…"

He added: "It will always be my team. I still watch the games whenever I can. It's the best club in the world. It always has been and it always will be. It's a team with a lot of potential that I think can do more than it's doing right now."

Benzema: A bona fide Real Madrid legend

Benzema's Madrid career began in the summer of 2009, when he was signed from Lyon. The Frenchman created history and broke several records at Madrid. He is one of the most decorated players in the club's history, winning 25 titles, which includes five Champions Leagues and four La Liga titles. 

Benzema stands in fifth position as far as all-time Real Madrid appearances are concerned; the striker played in 648 games for the club and is the non-Spanish player with the highest appearances for the 15-time European champions. Not just that, he is also the second-highest goal scorer in Madrid's history, scoring a whopping 354 goals. No other player has had more assists for Madrid than Benzema's 165. His illustrious career in the Spanish capital culminated in him winning the Ballon d'Or in 2022.

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Getty Images SportWhat does the future hold for Benzema?

As things stand, Benzema's future in Saudi Arabia continues to be clouded in uncertainty. With his contract expiring at the end of this season, there's no news about a possible extension. However, Benzema has confirmed that he will continue playing for two more years.

"For the moment, I'm very happy here; they show me a lot of affection," he said. "Players, fans, coach, people who work here… I watch Real Madrid matches. I watch the Champions League and imagine what's next. The Champions League is magical. My contract here is nearing its end, that's true. I still can't say whether I'll stay or leave; it depends on many things. I'll be 38 in December. I see myself playing football for another two years. Physically, I'm fine, I work hard, and I'm playing football. I love football; I enjoy it. We'll see what happens, what the club thinks. I like to talk face-to-face and see what they think."

Benzema also hinted that a return to Europe cannot be ruled out, revealing that he has several offers from European outfits.

"The best thing for me is to continue here, but also not just stay for the sake of staying for a year or two," he added. "I can't do that. I think the level of football in the Saudi league is getting better and better. I've been here for three years now, and it keeps getting better and better. It's true that I have offers from Europe. I have to look at everything, choose wisely, and see where I feel comfortable, without forgetting that I feel good here and receive affection from everyone. But we'll see. They ask me for things, and I give them things. Everything's fifty-fifty, but there are things happening. I'm not going to quit football and stop competing in six months."

Stats highlights from the match between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam

Sampath Bandarupalli30-Mar-20256 Dismissals for Travis Head against Mitchell Starc across all formats. He’s faced Starc on nine occasions, scoring only 34 runs off 47 balls. After the IPL 2025 match between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam, Head’s record against Starc in the IPL is ten runs off 7 balls for two dismissals in two innings.5-35 Starc’s figures against SRH – his first five-wicket haul in his 144-match T20 career. He also completed 200 wickets in T20s on Sunday.3 T20s in which Starc has taken three wickets in the powerplay. Two of those have been against SRH – in Ahmedabad in 2024 and Vizag on Sunday.3 Player-of-the-Match awards for Starc in his last three games against SRH – ten wickets at an average of 8.30.12 Sixes Aniket Verma has hit in the 57 balls he’s faced so far in the IPL – the most any batter has hit in their IPL career at this point. Jake Fraser-McGurk hit 12 sixes in his first 60 balls faced in the IPL, while Deepak Hooda (11), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (10) and Romario Shepherd (10) struck ten or more sixes.350.00 Aniket’s strike rate while playing the lofted shot on Sunday, as per ESPNCricinfo’s ball-by-ball logs. He scored 63 runs off 18 lofted shots, hitting all five of his fours and six sixes before holing out on the boundary. The rest of the SRH batters played 15 lofted shots for 23 runs, with eight resulting in dismissals.