MANCHESTER UNITED are currently top of the Premier League table – and things will stay that way if they beat Liverpool this weekend.
On the transfer front, the Red Devils are being heavily linked with a move for David Brooks while we've the very latest on Odion Ighalo's future.
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Follow all the latest with our blog below…
- Ian Tuckey
WAYNE'S WORLD OF GLORY FOR MAN UTD
Here's Wayne Rooney's role-call of amazing honours during his famous 13 years at Manchester United from 2004.
- Ian Tuckey
UTD LEGEND ROONEY QUITS PLAYING
United legend Wayne Rooney has quit playing to focus on managing Derby.
Ex-striker Rooney, 35, is United's record scorer with 253 goals, and also England's on 53 goals.
Rooney is the only Man Utd player to have scored more than 250 goals Rooney had been the Rams' interim manager after Dutchman Phillip Cocu's axing in November.
The Merseyside born striker began his playing career with boyhood club Everton, and announced himself on the English stage in spectacular fashion.
He was 16 years and 360 days old when he scored his first Premier League goal – for Everton against Arsenal in October 2002 – making him then the youngest goalscorer in the competition's history.
He moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2014for a club record £26million.
Rooney is the only player to have scored more than 250 goals for the Red Devils, eclipsing Sir Bobby Charlton's record in 2017.
- Ian Tuckey
ED OUT OF THE UTD TEAM
Man Utd legend Paul Scholes believes Edinson Cavani should be dropped from the starting XI – despite impressing him following his arrival.
Speaking to ESPN, Scholes said Mason Greenwood should be drafted into the line-up instead.
He said: “I think Ole really needs to start playing Mason more regularly now.
“He will score goals whenever he gets chances and is the type of striker who could be hitting 25-30 a season when he gets more experience.
“But he isn’t going to score if he isn’t playing, and he’s at a stage where he needs to be out there.”
Before adding: “Cavani has surprised me. I thought he had run out of steam at Paris Saint-Germain, but I still don’t think he is a player who should be starting.”
- Jake Lambourne
MAD WORLD
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stated that he is confident Amad Diallo will make his Man Utd first team debut this season.
Speaking to Dagbladet, he said: "Amad Diallo is now with the first team.
"He’s an exciting talent and we’ll give him time.
"He’s in one of the best clubs to reach his best potential.
"Amad can be called up with the squad soon, I think he’ll make his debut this season."
- Jake Lambourne
DIALL ME IN
Amad Diallo has been training with Manchester United's first-team ahead of the Liverpool clash.
The winger, 18, completed his £37million switch to Old Trafford from Atalanta earlier this month.
Diallo – who will wear the No19 shirt – was shown around United's training facilities on Wednesday.
The Ivorian star then trained with new team-mates for the first time on Thursday.
He was seen working closely with Mason Greenwood during the session at Carrington.
The Red Devils shared a snap of him in action alongside the caption: "Great to see you settling in, @AmadDiallo_19."
- Jake Lambourne
ROO THE DAY
Wayne Rooney has officially hung up his boots after being appointed the permanent Derby manager.
The Manchester United legend, 35, penned a two-and-a-half-year contract after stepping in as interim boss when Phillip Cocu was sacked in November.
With the club previously rock-bottom of the Championship, Rooney has won three out of his nine games in charge and drawing four.
They remain in a relegation spot but sit behind 21st place Sheffield Wednesday on goal difference.
There have been clear signs of improvement on the field including a 4-0 victory at Birmingham, an impressive 2-0 home win over Swansea and five clean sheets.
- Jake Lambourne
CODE RED
Liverpool host Manchester United on Sunday in the biggest North-West derby for years.
The Red Devils boast a three-point lead over the defending champions ahead of the trip to Anfield.
But how do they compare when fit into a combined XI of each sides' top stars?
SunSport has formulated a line-up out of the players we might see on Merseyside this weekend.
- Jake Lambourne
STORM BRUING
Take a look below as to why Bruno Fernandes was named December's Player of the Month.
- Jake Lambourne
RED ALERT
Man Utd will be delighted that Emili Rousaud has pulled out of the race to become Barcelona's next president.
Rousaud, 54, had vowed to bring Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland to the Nou Camp if he landed the job on January 24.
It was claimed that Rousard had reached an agreement in principle to sign the 20-year-old for the Spanish giants.
But that will not happen now that he has withdrawn from the race to replace Josep Maria Bartomeu.
The 54-year-old confirmed that he would prefer to 'stay out' as he described the process as a 'dirty war'.
As cited by Marca, he said: "It was a day of impressive dignity because, to my surprise, the majority decision was not to agree to join another candidacy, because we cannot tolerate the dirty war and we prefer to stay out.
"Our sporting and economic proposals were the best."
- Jake Lambourne
PLAYED 'EM OF THE PARK
Man Utd icon Park Ji-sung has revealed his performance against Chelsea in 2011 was his best display of his career.
The midfielder won four Premier Leagues, three League Cups and a Champions League with the Red Devils.
reckons his finest hour was against Chelsea in May 2011 – a 2-1 victory which virtually sealed United's 18th top-flight title.
In an interview with Four Four Two magazine, he said: "I believe it was my best in a United shirt – I was everywhere.
"I think it was after this game when fans started believing in what I gave the team.
"My performance that afternoon, especially in the first half, was incredible.”
- Jake Lambourne
IRN BRU
Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes has been named as the Premier League's Player of the Month for the second time coming.
The Portugal international chipped in with three goals and four assists in December in the top-flight.
- Jake Lambourne
GOOD SPOT
Premier League leaders Manchester United travel to arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday.
And bookmakers William Hill are offering new customers a staggering 40/1 on a penalty being awarded at any point during the top-of-the-table showdown at Anfield.
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Result
Liverpool – 1/1
Draw – 14/5
Man Utd – 5/2
- Jake Lambourne
FLASH GORDON
Man Utd are reportedly in competition with Liverpool in the race to sign Derby starlet Kaide Gordon.
According to Sky Sports, the highly-rated 16-year-old will leave Pride Park in the next fortnight.
It has been claimed that the Rams have already turned down an offer in the region of £1million for the attacking midfielder.
Gordon made his Championship debut in Derby’s 4-0 victory at Birmingham last month.
- Jake Lambourne
PAUL THE OTHER ONE
Man Utd legend Paul Scholes believes Edinson Cavani should be dropped from the starting XI – despite impressing him following his arrival.
Speaking to ESPN, Scholes said Mason Greenwood should be drafted into the line-up instead.
He said: "I think Ole really needs to start playing Mason more regularly now.
"He will score goals whenever he gets chances and is the type of striker who could be hitting 25-30 a season when he gets more experience.
"But he isn’t going to score if he isn’t playing, and he’s at a stage where he needs to be out there."
Before adding: "Cavani has surprised me. I thought he had run out of steam at Paris Saint-Germain, but I still don’t think he is a player who should be starting."
- Jake Lambourne
MACH TO LEARN
Fedrico Macheda has admitted that he perhaps was not well equipped to deal with the demanding life of a professional footballer.
Few have burst onto the scene like the Italian, who struck two winners in his first two games for the club.
But he failed to live up to expectations and left in 2014 having scored five goals in 35 games.
Speaking to the Mail, he said: "I think I could have done more. I was working in an amazing team and I feel I let myself down. The whole picture, not just one thing.
"The way of playing, looking after my body, my life. The way of thinking, because when you don't play you have to fight and I was finding excuses.
"I had the wrong reaction and I wasn't working as hard as I should have done.
"When you're young, you don't understand many things. If I had the mentality I have now, things could have been much different for me."
- Jake Lambourne
NO WAY, JOSE
Jose Mourinho made Manchester United ‘savvier’ in the art of winning penalties.
United have been awarded an incredible 42 spot-kicks since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge of the club in December 2018.
But Marcus Rashford has revealed it was his predecessor Mourinho, now the boss at Tottenham, who did the groundwork to make sure any fouls lead to awards.
Rashford, 23, said: “I remember when Jose was manager, there were five or six times where I should have had a penalty.
“Jose ended up saying to me ‘If you are not savvy about the way you do it, then you are not going to get it’
“After that, we started to get a few penalties. It was something in terms of development, you have to learn that and understand it.”
- Jake Lambourne
DON'T BANK ON IT
Premier League sides have reportedly accepted that pre-season tours around the world won't happen this summer due to coronavirus.
It will be the second summer in a row that the money-spinners are shelved as the pandemic rages on.
MailOnline reports that 'tours are already off the agenda', with there even being concerns around trips within the UK.
The government is rolling out a huge vaccination programme with it hoped that by mid-July 'huge numbers of the UK population will be vaccinated'.
But there are still worries that travel restrictions will remain in place.
Premier League clubs are set to miss out on millions in merchandise and TV deals from games around the globe.
And Mailonline adds that they could be hit with 'penalty payments' for being unable to honour deals with sponsors.
- Marc Mayo
MORNING, UNITED FANS
Bournemouth's David Brooks is again being linked with United – but fellow midfielder Jesse Lingard is tipped to stay at Old Trafford.
As new leaders United prepare for Sunday's Premier League clash at second-placed Liverpool, there is less of the usual transfer speculation over midweek match-winner Paul Pogba's future.
And that will be just what boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants – as more and more pundits tip United to remain serious title challengers.
Former Old Trafford left-back Mikael Silvestre even claims it's already just a three-horse title race between the top two plus Leicester… which might raise eyebrows at United's third-placed neighbours City.
Wales star Brooks has faded off the United radar in recent weeks but it's claimed they still have an interest, despite Aston Villa being the new favourites to sign him if he leaves promotion-chasing Bournemouth this month.
And England ace Jesse Lingard is rated increasingly likely to remain at Old Trafford until at least the summer, as Solskjaer stabilises his close-knit squad.
In contrast, loan frontman Odion Ighalo is expected to return to Shanghai Shenhua at the end of the month – but wants to stay.
Off the field, United’s operating revenue plummeted 18.5 per cent to £516million, due to the coronavirus crisis.
And striker Marcus Rashford says United's mantra of never giving up has helped him in his award-winning fight against child poverty.
- Ian Tuckey
RASHFORD: WE'VE FAILED IF WE DON'T WIN TITLE
Marcus Rashford claims anything but winning the title will be a failure for Manchester United this season.
The Red Devils visit bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday, knowing victory will give them a six-point lead over the champions.
Rashford said: “It is going to be a good feeling if we manage to win the league — but if we finish second or third, then it’s not going to be a good season for us.
“It is not what we set out to try to do at the beginning of the year.”
United go into the clash on an unbeaten run of 11 Prem games, nine of them wins.
England ace Rash, 23, added: “We are a team which is still improving, we are in a good run of form, so we just have to focus on ourselves and do the best we can.”
- Ian Tuckey
HUGGING IS BUGGING FOOTBALL CHIEFS
Prem stars have been ordered to PRACTISE socially-distanced goal celebrations in training.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard will today warn his squad to cut out the hugging.
And Manchester United ace Paul Pogba says players will 'find another way to celebrate' to comply with the strict new Covid rules.
Club captains and managers had meetings with PL chiefs on Thursday amid alarm over players ignoring social distancing when celebrating goals.
And the Premier League, FA and EFL have now released a joint statement warning football to 'set the right example to the public on and off the pitch' in helping tackle the pandemic.
West Brom boss Sam Allardyce wants MPs to stay out of football and focus instead on rolling out life-saving vaccines.
But in the 'hugging summit' meetings, clubs were told to toe the line – or risk the Government locking down football.
- Ian Tuckey
HIGH MARC FROM COPYING TOP THIERR
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford has revealed he hangs on Thierry Henry's every word on TV and in interviews – because he leaRns so much about his role from the legendary Arsenal striker.
Rashford said: “He was someone that I paid close detail to and he is just a wonderful footballer.
“He really knows his football as well, so I still listen to his interviews and the way he speaks about finishing.”
“When I was about 16 or 17, when I first started to play in that No 9 role, Henry was someone that I looked at because he is not a traditional No 9.
“He is someone that drifts to the left, he does things with the ball, he is just not what you would consider the traditional striker in English football.
“When I first went into the No 9 position, I knew I could never be that type of traditional No 9.
“Someone who is going to hold the ball up, win headers and do stuff like that. But I also know the qualities that I do have and what I can do as a striker.
“At the time, he was someone I looked to because I could see similarities with what I wanted my end goal to look like with the way he was playing.”
- Ian Tuckey
DIALLO WILL QUIZ BAILLY FOR HELP
Amad Diallo will look to fellow Ivorian Eric Bailly for help in adapting to life at Manchester United.
Having arrived from Atalanta, the young winger also named Paul Pogba as a senior star who can offer him advice at his new home.
He told the club website: “Eric will be a definite reference point for me.
“I’ve actually already been in touch with him over the last few months and we’ve been chatting.
“I’ll be asking him for advice and will be listening to all he says, and also the other players who speak French and Italian like Pogba for example, he will be another good reference point for me.”
- Ian Tuckey
ODION DREAMS OF EXTENDING UTD STAY
Odion Ighalo is set to leave Manchester United this month, but the striker has revealed he is desperate to extend his loan at the club.
The Nigeria striker, 31, has played just four times this season – with just one of those coming in the Premier League – after his loan from Shanghai Shenhua was extended.
Ighalo has slipped further down Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's pecking order thanks to Edinson Cavani's summer arrival.
And while the ex-Watford ace has admitted he wants to stay at Old Trafford, he's aware his time could be coming to an end.
Ighalo told ESPN: "Today, I’m in Manchester but at the end of the month I don’t know where I’m going to be.
"If it’s possible I’d like to stay here but if not I have to go. I have options. I wait for my agent. He is doing his job and I’m doing mine.
"At the end of the month, we have to decide what is best and we’ll take it."
- Ian Tuckey
VILLA EYE UTD TARGET BROOKS
Manchester United target David Brooks is now on Aston Villa's radar.
Wales star David Brooks is one of the Championship's most wanted playersCredit: Getty Images – Getty Bournemouth's Wales midfielder, 23, has shone since returning from injury this season, notching three goals and five assists from 17 games.
Brooks is keen on getting back to the Premier League but the third-placed Cherries are hoping for an instant return after relegation.
But Villa are now considered favourites, should he move in this transfer window.
- Ian Tuckey
UTD CAN PUNISH 'FRAGILE' LIVERPOOL
United have been told that they can take advantage of Liverpool during the two sides top of the table clash on Sunday.
Former Reds midfielder Jason McAteer has claimed Jurgen Klopp's men are in a 'fragile state' following their recent run of poor form.
United leapfrogged Liverpool this week to claim the top spot in the league following their narrow 1-0 win over Burnley.
And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side can put down a marker to establish themselves as title contenders when they travel to Merseyside on Sunday.
But former Liverpool star McAteer has warned that Liverpool still wouldn't be panicking if they suffer defeat to their old rivals this weekend.
He told FreeSuperTips: “Even if Manchester United were to go to Anfield on Sunday and beat Liverpool, the Premier League title isn’t won in January so I’m sure there won’t be too much panic around Liverpool.
“Liverpool are in a fragile state and not in the greatest form. This is due to physical and mental tiredness as the squad is stretched with so many injuries.
“The one thing that worries me about Manchester United is even though they don’t have the best team or that great of a squad, defensively they are so vulnerable. They have the worst defensive record out of the top 11 teams, conceding 24 goals."
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