Manchester

Simon Stone in Los Angeles
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Erik ten Hag wants Manchester United to continue the search for new players until the transfer window closes.

United have already committed £90m on young defender Leny Yoro and forward Joshua Zirkzee.

However, they have had two bids for Everton’s England international Jarrad Branthwaite turned down and they have also been negotiating with Bayern Munich for Matthijs de Ligt, who captained Ten Hag’s Ajax team that reached the Champions League semi-final.

“We work continually,” said Ten Hag.

“It’s good thing we already signed two players, but a club like Manchester United needs to look if there are opportunities to be better and there is time until 31st August.”

Simon Stone in Los Angeles
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There was a show of strength from Manchester United’s hierarchy at the opening training session at UCLA on Friday.

Club director Sir Dave Brailsford was present, along with sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.

They had a group chat with manager Erik ten Hag at one point.

One other familiar face was Ruud van Nistelrooy, who has returned to the club as assistant manager, 18 years after his stint as a player ended, with the Dutchman scoring 150 goals in five seasons.

Van Nistelrooy has been out of the game since leaving PSV Eindhoven in 2023 and was speaking to a couple of clubs, including Burnley, about becoming their manager.

However, when Ten Hag got in touch, he felt he had to accept and Van Nistelrooy has no issues working for a boss rather than being one.

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Manchester United have announced Andreas Georgson has joined the club as a first-team coach.

Georgson, 42, moves from Norwegian side Lillestrom, where he has been head coach since January.

He has previously worked at Brentford, Arsenal and Southampton.

His arrival follows that of Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who joined Erik ten Hag's coaching team earlier in July.

United have also moved to appoint Jelle ten Rouwelaar as a goalkeeping coach.

Georgson will work alongside first team coaches Steve McClaren and Darren Fletcher.

The Premier League season is fast approaching and clubs are continuing their pre-season preparations.

Here are the teams in action on a busy Saturday.

All times BST

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Our chief football news reporter Simon Stone is following United in the United States on their pre-season tour and he has been answering more of your questions.

Here is the final part:

Russ asked: I haven't seen anything about Marcus Rashford. Either I'm not looking hard enough or there's not much for the media to report. Do the club want him, does he want to stay and is there any transfer interest?

Simon answered: I get the strong sense Rashford is trying to keep his head down and work extra hard to rediscover the form that made him so lethal two seasons ago. There has tended to be a lot of noise around Rashford but that has gone quiet. This is not a bad thing.

The rights and wrongs of his Euros omission can be debated - so can his general fitness last season, when injuries were a factor in his performance. But the reality is his output simply was not good enough and he knows it. That has to change. Given his contract, I can't see a move as a realistic way forward and he has always spoken of his love for Manchester United. He needs a reset in terms of his form.

Chris asked: I'm quietly impressed with Ineos' transfer dealings so far this season and I'm optimistically looking forward to the next five years. Am I naive?

Simon answered: I wouldn't say naive, Chris, I would say you are glass-half-full kind of guy. I would say Leny Yoro looks an extremely good signing and Joshua Zirkzee should be a positive addition in attacking ranks. The Mason Greenwood situation needed resolving and the outcome is the best one, even though some may argue otherwise. Donny van de Beek clearly had no future at the club and while Willy Kambwala did show promise last season, with PSR rules as they are, it makes sense to cash in.

My concern is that a number of players United could probably do without are on huge contracts and shifting them will not be easy. The secondary issue is I could offer a long list of signings in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era who promised lots and delivered little, either because they were over-hyped, didn't fit into the system, didn't fit into the club, got injured - or a combination of some or all of these. The transfers do look good. But I will reserve judgement until the meaningful games start.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There was a sign of how Manchester United has changed on their first day of training at the UCLA complex in Los Angeles.

Co-chair Avie Glazer was present as normal on United tours.

However, he was joined with board representative Sir Dave Brailsford, sporting director Dan Ashworth and technical director Jason Wilcox.

It is a huge change from 12 months ago, when United trained in New Jersey and San Diego and the club was still in the middle of its strategic review.

The key now is to change fortunes on the pitch as well as off it.

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We asked you for your questions to put to Simon Stone, our chief football news reporter who is on tour with Manchester United.

Here's the latest selection:

Nigel asked: Do you think Bruno Fernandes is an effective captain and leader of the team, or should United appoint someone who is perhaps less emotional, particularly when things are not going to plan, and a real leader? I am not sure who - any ideas?

Simon answered: There are a significant points here that go right to the heart of the matter. First, Erik ten Hag feels he is a real leader. He may be emotional but he is the player I see rising to the challenge more often than anyone else. In that sense, Fernandes leads by example, which is a reason why he would be the captain.

The secondary point - as you make - is who else? It has to be someone who plays every week, that you could see as being an integral part of the club going forward. The candidates are not obvious. Kobbie Mainoo is clearly far too young, Luke Shaw is not really a captain and Lisandro Martinez has not been at the club for very long.

The additional point is if you take the role off Fernandes, he is probably not going to react well, which would place his future at the club in doubt. On balance, I would stick with him.

Sam asked: What is happening with the Matthijs De Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite transfers?

Simon answered: We are in a holding pattern. United are yet to hit the figure Everton are demanding for Branthwaite - there was a sense earlier in the summer that the Merseyside club had to sell, but evidently, for that player specifically, that was not the case.

De Ligt has more experience and would presumably have a more senior role in Ten Hag's squad given how well he knows the central defender. But Bayern Munich are not making it easy and United will not get him on the cheap. It might be a late one in the window if either man ends up being signed.

Tony asked: Is everyone fit and available for the coming season?

Simon answered: Clearly Tyrrell Malacia isn't, otherwise he would be here. I guess the main doubt is how Shaw has come through the Euros. After spending so long last season without a left-back, Ten Hag needs to have one who is fully fit from day one.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Our chief football news reporter Simon Stone is following Manchester United in the United States on their pre-season tour and he has been answering your questions.

Here is a selection:

James asked: Has Amad Diallo made a strong case to be first-choice right winger this season?

Simon answered: He has made a case, James. But I am not sure it is a strong one. I have seen flashes - but flashes are not enough. He has to deliver on a consistent basis, both within games and from match to match.

I am not comparing him with Antony – if there is a choice between the two I would probably go for Diallo. However, if Manchester United are to get to a point where they are really challenging for the biggest honours, I am not convinced Diallo is a regular starter.

Dave asked: There are a lot of young players coming through the ranks now, which has always been the lifeblood of the club. Do you think players like Harry Amass, Toby Collyer and David Healey will get a realistic amount of game time this season? And will this be a defining season for Diallo?

Simon answered: There are some young players who come into a team and through their performances make a case for continued inclusion that is so strong they cannot be left out. Marcus Rashford did it when he came through and Kobbie Mainoo did the same last season - albeit I did think there was a point where he needed a rest. But for the majority of youngsters, the path to the first team - at United or elsewhere - is not as straightforward.

Players who excel in pre-season may be determining where they go on loan, or if they can be part of the first-team squad and dip in and out to gain experience. I think the three you talk about - and I would include Jack Fletcher and Radek Vitek in this group - have a lot of promise. Generally, I think they would be better getting a loan where they are going to play.

At the moment, it feels United are trying to recruit experienced players in their prime. That will limit opportunity even further. On Diallo, it really is up to him. But yes, I do think it will be defining in terms of his United career.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire says missing out on the two career highlights of playing in the FA Cup final and representing England at Euro 2024 was "tough" and " really frustrating".

Maguire’s first reaction when he sustained the training injury was that it would be "tight" to recover in time for the final against Manchester City at Wembley four weeks later, but a setback in the week of the game, which United memorably won 2-1, ended his hopes.

Another setback on England duty led to Gareth Southgate leaving him out of his European Championship squad because he could not risk taking Maguire and United team-mate Luke Shaw to Germany when neither were fully fit.

"No I didn’t," said Maguire when asked by BBC Sport if he thought he would miss both showpiece events.

"It was always going to be tight for the cup final but I still believed I would be available. But when I had a setback in cup final week I thought: 'I will be fine for the Euros.' But then I went away with England and had another setback.

"It has been really frustrating, working all season to get myself mentally and physically at the top of my game and be in a position to feel I could really make a difference for Manchester United and my country. To miss out was tough."

Maguire earned praise last season for refusing to quit United when he was stripped of the captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag and at times dropped down to fifth-choice central defender.

He made 31 appearances, despite not starting a Premier League game until October.

Even with a year left on his contract, the former Leicester defender is ready for a renewed challenge for his first-team slot.

"There was a lot of uncertainty over my future last year but I sat down with the manager, he told me where I was at, said he believed in me and I would get chances," said Maguire.

"I proved last season when I got the chances I took them really well."

United’s FA Cup final victory probably saved Ten Hag's job but Maguire knows the eighth-placed Premier League finish was not good enough.

With a new boardroom structure in place, the 31-year-old expects improvement but is realistic about how immediate it might be.

"I don't think we will go from finishing eighth in the league to winning all the trophies overnight," he added.

"But I do think we are moving in the right direction now and the decisions that have been made at the top will help this club get back to where it should be."

Simon Stone in Los Angeles
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United's veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton is not ready to hang up his gloves just yet.

Heaton failed to make a senior appearance for the Old Trafford club last term and was drafted into Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad to help with England’s training drills.

But the 38-year-old is not thinking of turning to coaching just yet.

Having signed a one-year contract extension with his boyhood club this summer, Heaton is determined to play for United again.

"I still have a hunger to play," he said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here.

"There is still a drive to get into the team. I know the natural way of things. I have not played as much football as I would have liked, certainly not last season. You get to a certain point and there is a supporting role.

"But there is no loss of appetite. Fighting to get into that Manchester United shirt is something special."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen says he is in "no rush" to find another club.

Eriksen is about to enter the final year of his Old Trafford contract.

The 32-year-old Denmark international found his game time reduced last term and he was an unused substitute in the FA Cup final.

There has been rumours about a potential return to Dutch giants Ajax, where he spent four years before joining Tottenham in 2013.

But Eriksen, who left Spurs for Inter Milan six months before his contract was due to expire in 2020, is not in a hurry to make any significant decisions about his future.

"I am really happy at United," he said. "I have had two very good years and am going into my third.

"It is a special club and a special place. Also my family is settled in Manchester, so I am in no rush.

"Obviously I want to play as much as possible and do everything I can. But that is nothing to do with the club - it is up to you and the manager.

"But in terms of how I feel, I feel very good at United."

Manchester City have made a concrete offer to sign 26-year-old Spain midfielder Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig. (Foot Mercato - in French), external

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

Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 26, has rejected advances from West Ham and would prefer a move to Inter Milan this summer. (Talksport), external

Manchester United have revisited a potential swap deal involving Wan-Bissaka and Inter's Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries, 28. (Mail), external

England defender Jarrad Branthwaite, 22, is intending not to sign a new deal at Everton unless they can match the £160,000 a week being offered by Manchester United. (Mail), external

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