Crystal Palace
January 2026
Palace’s planned £50m move for Strand Larsen is reportedly close to collapsing, despite an agreed framework, with Palace signalling they could pull out. Wolves are not under pressure to sell and cite the striker’s attitude and focus; Strand Larsen’s output has dropped this season amid Wolves being bottom, which is part of the risk profile for Palace’s spend.
Jorgen Strand
January 2026
Palace are close to a verbal agreement to sign Strand Larsen in a package worth £45m plus up to £5m add-ons, moving ahead of Leeds and potentially clearing the way for Jean-Philippe Mateta to leave before deadline day. Leeds had multiple bids rejected up to £40m and will not go higher; Palace’s stronger offer and progress on fee and personal terms has put them in pole position.
Ruben Amorim
December 2025
Ruben Amorim’s refusal to start Kobbie Mainoo in the Premier League, despite the midfielder’s explosive 2024 breakout and England impact, has fuelled anger among Manchester United fans who see homegrown talent as core to the club’s identity and now question the manager’s direction. Mainoo has logged just 183 league minutes and mostly late cameos while Casemiro starts, with Amorim even sniggering when asked about him after the West Ham draw before defending his selection rights, a reaction branded disrespectful by many supporters and criticised by former players such as Paul Scholes.
Ruben Amorim
December 2025
Ruben Amorim says a blunt half time message, rather than tactical tweaks, sparked Manchester United’s 4-1 win at Wolves after Jean Ricner Bellegarde cancelled out Bruno Fernandes’ opener and briefly threatened another setback against the Premier League’s bottom club. Amorim told his players at the interval that domination meant nothing without ruthless finishing, urged them to cut out sloppy passing that was gifting Wolves belief and later played down the importance of climbing to sixth while focusing on improving performances and managing looming AFCON absences.
Bruno Fernandes
December 2025
Bruno Fernandes hit two goals and an assist in Manchester United’s 4-1 win at Wolves, taking his side to sixth and becoming just the fifth player to register an assist in five straight Premier League away games. His streak began with a late cross for Harry Maguire at Anfield, then set-piece deliveries for Casemiro at Nottingham Forest, Matthijs de Ligt at Tottenham and two assists at Crystal Palace, before supplying Mason Mount’s volley at Molineux.
Mason Mount
December 2025
Mason Mount says he is finally ready to push on at Manchester United after scoring his third goal of the season in a 4-1 win at Wolves, matching his combined league tallies from the previous two injury disrupted campaigns at Old Trafford. The 25 year old midfielder, signed from Chelsea in 2023, has already featured in 12 of United’s 15 league matches, volleyed in a Bruno Fernandes cross at Molineux and insists staying fit, making forward runs and adding ruthless finishing are now his main priorities.
Ruben Amorim
November 2025
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim plans talks with the federations of Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Morocco to delay AFCON call-ups for Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui so he can keep them deeper into December during a packed Premier League and FA Cup run. AFCON rules allow nations to demand players two weeks before their first group games, which could remove the trio around the Wolves match on 8 December, but United are pushing for release after Bournemouth on 15 December to limit the number of fixtures they miss.
Matheus Cunha (Manchester United)
November 2025
Matheus Cunha has strengthened his connection with Manchester United supporters by agreeing to help launch Altrincham’s “Neon Noel” Christmas celebrations, underlining his commitment to the local community while he continues adapting on the pitch following a £62.5 million move from Wolves. Despite only one league goal so far, his tireless work and versatility in Amorim’s system have impressed fans, who now see a boyhood United supporter embracing the area as he turns on the lights alongside actor Sam Aston. Cunha says Old Trafford always felt special from childhood days watching Premier League games at his grandmother’s house.
Enzo Fernández (Chelsea)
November 2025
Player-of-the-match versus Wolves, Fernández disclosed an ongoing issue ruling him out of upcoming internationals. He controlled tempo and progression to unlock a compact block, but medical prudence prevails for Argentina’s friendlies. Chelsea leveraged his diagonals and switch play to create width for full-back overlaps and weak-side entries. Post-match, he flagged the problem as significant enough to skip call-ups, prioritising club-managed rehab to avoid escalation.
Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)
November 2025
Maresca praised Garnacho’s two-assist display in the 3-0 win over Wolves, then implied United’s training standards left the winger short of fitness on arrival. He stressed Chelsea minutes require output on and off the ball; Garnacho has “slowly” reached required levels. Garnacho created Malo Gusto’s opener with a looping cross and later fed Pedro Neto to seal it. Maresca framed improvement as conditioning plus work rate without possession. The message doubles as leverage: intensity is non-negotiable for selection under his model.