Our Man Utd correspondent Steven Railston answers questions on the club and what is going on at Old Trafford.

04:00, 10 Apr 2026

Manchester United’s lengthy gap between games in the Premier League is almost over. United drew 2-2 with Bournemouth before the international break, and 24 days will have passed without a game when they play Leeds at Old Trafford on Monday.

United filled the gap with a four-day training camp at Carton House in the Republic of Ireland, which provided Michael Carrick the opportunity to oversee an intensive training period to prepare for the run-in.

Carrick’s future will be at the top of the agenda until the end of the season. He has won seven of his 10 games in charge as interim boss, and this week’s Q&A has touched on whether he should land the job permanently.

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We run weekly question and answer sessions, so click here to submit your questions, and we’ll answer them next week. Here are the answers to some of this week’s questions:

If Carrick can maintain the top 3 until the end of the season, why not give him the job? Oswald

Many fans will have the same opinion. Carrick has done a wonderful job since his arrival in January, winning seven from 10 games, and he is the frontrunner to land the role on a permanent basis this summer. United sources have maintained they are undergoing a thorough process to decide who gets the job, but there is no other outstanding, attainable alternative on the managerial market.

If an elite manager is available, United must make an effort to bring that candidate in. Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique have a proven track record at elite European clubs, and they are admired by United, but Nagelsmann will manage Germany at the World Cup this summer, and Enrique is expected to sign a new deal with Paris Saint-Germain.

Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola have done well at Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, respectively, but managing United is another level. Carrick is already in the building and he is proving he can cut it. The players have backed him for the job, and he should get it if he secures Champions League football, provided Nagelsmann and Enrique are unavailable.

I want to know if Bruno Fernandes will stay? Joshua

United had a very good summer transfer window last year, but you could argue their best piece of business was keeping Fernandes, who has enjoyed a magnificent campaign. United must do the same this summer, but Fernandes won’t discuss his future with his agent until after the World Cup. That’s what he said when I spoke to him during a sit-down with fellow journalists at Carrington in October, anyway.

You never know in football, but I’d be shocked if Fernandes left at the end of the season. United are set to return to the Champions League and could mount a Premier League title challenge with a few more great signings, so Fernandes should be inclined to stay put in Manchester, a city he loves.

How settled a player is at a club is often overlooked, but it’s hugely important. Fernandes’ wife loves Manchester and told him that their future was at United when it was up for debate last year.

And I understand there is no desire for Fernandes to leave United ahead of a summer transfer window in which investment will be made to strengthen the midfield, so it would be a big surprise for him to leave.

Will JJ Gabriel play for the first team next season? Godwin

You’re not the only supporter who is wondering whether Gabriel will play for the first team. The 15-year-old has trained with the first team on several occasions, and United are set to include him in the pre-season tour squad.

Gabriel might have made the bench this season for the first FA Cup fixture, but there weren’t many senior players missing due to injury, and United were drawn against a Premier League team (Brighton).

The talented youngster was 14 when the season began, so he’s not been eligible to feature in the Premier League this term, but the FA Cup rules are different and allow younger players to compete, which is why I asked Darren Fletcher about him ahead of the Brighton game.

However, he will be old enough to play in the Premier League in 2026/27, and there are plans to give him an opportunity in the right circumstances, so a debut could come in a cup competition.

Are United still looking for a lender for their new stadium? Eli

United recently confirmed that a new 100,000-seater Old Trafford will be financed privately. They are having ongoing “positive conversations” with potential investors and stakeholders to thrash out deals. Sir Jim Ratcliffe initially floated the idea of taxpayers partly funding the £2billion project, but that wouldn’t have been realistic when the economy was booming, let alone given the state of the United Kingdom today.

The update raises the possibility that United could reach record levels of debt to finance the new stadium project. In February, United announced their financial figures for the second quarter, and the numbers shockingly confirmed the club’s debt is close to reaching the £1.3bn mark. The levels of debt could each reach an unthinkable amount, depending on the terms of the agreements reached to fund the project.

With the new stadium project, is there a way Ineos could build the stadium and then loan it back to the club, or the club pay an annual fee to use it? Therefore, the debt is not leveraged against the club and would not affect the FFP. JT

That’s a clever idea, and it would protect the football club, but Ratcliffe would not allow his petrochemical company, Ineos, to take on the liability at a time when they are cutting costs. Financial outlets reported at the start of the year that Ratcliffe was in talks to sell parts of Ineos in the hope of raising millions of pounds to tackle rising debt.

There has been a prolonged downturn in the global chemicals industry, and Ratcliffe is trying to future-proof by selling off assets, so funding the £2bn Old Trafford project wouldn’t make sense for his company.

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

Harry Maguire’s new deal could spell the end for two Manchester United defenders – but that’s not his problem.

In a break with recent tradition, Manchester United have made the right decision. And no-one deserves to benefit from it more than Harry Maguire.

In a move that ends speculation about Maguire’s immediate future, United have handed him a new contract. It will keep him at Old Trafford until 2027, and perhaps 12 months longer if he continues to perform to a high level.

Which is what Maguire did to earn his contract extension in the first place. The duration of the deal could take Maguire past the age of 35. Which means he has committed what remains of his career to a club he hopes will help him win some big trophies before hanging up his boots.

A fitting reward for a defender who has travelled on a rollercoaster ride since joining United in 2019. Back then the deal made him the most expensive defender in world football. The problem he had, however, was that certain managers didn’t always rate him as one of the best defenders at the club, let alone on the planet.

Most notably Erik ten Hag, who went as far as to strip Maguire of the United captaincy. But while notable managers have come and gone during Maguire’s time at United, the 33-year-old remained steadfast in his determination to prove he deserved to be at the club.

The sacking of Ruben Amorim at the start of 2026 proved to be the break Maguire needed. Maguire was not always first choice in the mind of Amorim.

But Michael Carrick returned on an interim basis and took the sensible decision to value Maguire’s experience and leadership. Maguire has responded with some consistent performances.

The one which stood out more than most was Maguire’s display in helping United win at bitter rivals Liverpool several months ago.

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And since then, he has gone on to be one of the best English defenders in the Premier League. He has earned a recall to the England squad ahead of the World Cup. And should be on the plane to the United States at the start of June.

In the meantime, United’s decision to commit to Maguire will spell bad news for the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt.

While Maguire can be relied upon moving forward, this duo cannot. De Ligt has been missing in action for months on end, and when it comes to woeful fitness problems due to constant injuries, Martinez is not far behind him.

If Maguire continues to perform at a high level, it’s difficult to see how De Ligt, in particular, gets back into the team, and questions could also be asked of Martinez if his wretched luck with injuries continues.

Maguire, meanwhile, continues to be the rock around which United’s defence is built. And despite approaching the twilight of his career, Maguire could still have his best and most successful seasons ahead of him.

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Old Trafford is not a host venue for the 2028 European Championship because it withdrew from the selection process.

Manchester United might be kicking themselves for withdrawing from the selection process to host Euro 2028 games, which will be co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.

In 2023, United released a statement to confirm they had withdrawn Old Trafford from the list of potential venues, saying: “Manchester United was pleased to put Old Trafford forward as a potential host of UEFA Euro 2028 matches and proud of the strong case we made.

“However, during follow-up discussions with the FA, it became clear that we were unable to provide the necessary certainty around availability of Old Trafford due to potential redevelopment of the stadium. As a result, we have mutually agreed to withdraw from the shortlist of potential hosts.

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“We are committed to maintaining Old Trafford’s status as the largest and most iconic club football ground in England and look forward to future opportunities to host international matches and major events at the Theatre of Dreams.”

United did not want to commit their stadium to being involved in the tournament, and a mutual decision was reluctantly reached with the Football Association to withdraw it from consideration.

The club felt it was necessary to remove Old Trafford from contention because, at that time, they were weighing up whether to redevelop or build a new stadium.

Last year, United announced they would build a new 100,000-seater stadium close to the current ground, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe tentatively targeted the 2030/31 season for its completion.

Ratcliffe’s soft target was ambitious, but it made sense to withdraw from hosting the Euro 2028 games given the completion date, as there would have been upheaval and construction work ongoing.

However, spades have not been driven into the ground, and a new 100,000-seater stadium is not expected to be completed in time for 2030/31. United need to reach an agreement over land, confirm investors to fund the £2billion project, and then it could take five years to finish construction.

Speaking last week, Collette Roche said: “I think when we launched the idea of a new stadium 12 months ago, we did say it would take between four and five years for construction.

“And that’s right. But I think people read that as we might have the stadium ready for 2030. But as you know, with a stadium build as complex as the one that we’re going to enter into, it does take one or two years to get ready for construction.

“To get the land assembled, to get the funds in place and to get the planning permission. So that’s the part that we’re doing right now. So we’ve not named a date for opening, but we are on track within those timescales.”

This essentially means that United may have needlessly missed out on Old Trafford hosting Euro 2028 games, which is a shame for the venue, the tournament and the local area.

Old Trafford is the largest club football ground in the United Kingdom. It will feel wrong to watch Euro 2028 without it hosting games, but United were between a rock and a hard place.

And it could have been more detrimental for United to have committed to hosting games at the tournament, only to later realise that it was a mistake. Nonetheless, the situation could have been avoided with better planning.

The nine host stadiums for Euro 2028

• London – Wembley Stadium (90,652)
• Cardiff – National Stadium of Wales (73,952)
• London – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (62,322)
• Manchester – Manchester City Stadium (61,000)
• Liverpool – Everton Stadium (52,679)
• Newcastle – St James’ Park (52,305)
• Birmingham – Villa Park (52,190)
• Glasgow – Hampden Park (52,032)

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Those flouting the rules face fines across Old Trafford

Tighter enforcement of traffic offences is set to come into effect in Old Trafford. New cameras have been installed in the area as part of efforts to improve road safety and ease congestion, especially on Manchester United match days. They will monitor the red route implemented along the A56 Chester Road in 2024.

A red route prevents drivers from stopping along the marked stretch at any time. Exemptions exist for blue badge holders, buses and taxis in designated places.

The restrictions were introduced due to reports of obstructive and dangerous parking in the area, particularly on event days at Old Trafford football stadium and Victoria Warehouse. They have been monitored by foot patrols and a roving camera car since.

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The changes will see enforcement cameras go live along the route from April. Any motorists caught pulling in where they are not supposed to will be issued a £70 fine.

In addition to providing continuous surveillance, the new measures will free up civil enforcement officers to spend more time at other ‘trouble spots’ across the borough, the council has said.

Funds raised by these fines will be kept by the council and will be spent on the costs of enforcement, on public transport provision, or on highways or environmental projects.

Stephen Adshead, Trafford council’s executive member for highways, environmental and traded services, said: “We are pleased to be able to add these new cameras, to improve safety and traffic flow for everyone [who] lives near or travels through the A56 in the Old Trafford area. The Red Route and Red Route Clearway have been great improvements to this busy stretch and we want to make sure that as many motorists as possible are following the rules for the benefit of all road users.”

Vernon Everitt, transport commissioner for Greater Manchester, added: “We are supporting local authorities across Greater Manchester to bring forward plans for no stopping Red Routes. These routes help to keep traffic moving, our Bee Network buses running on time and they improve safety for everyone who uses our roads.

“The new cameras Trafford Council has installed on the A56 Chester Road will help strengthen the effectiveness of the red route on this busy corridor connecting Old Trafford with Manchester city centre.”

Man Utd unveiled ambitious plans to build a world-class 100,000-seater new Old Trafford at an event in London last year.

Collette Roche has hinted that Manchester United’s new stadium may be completed later than the initial 2030 target. Last year, United unveiled ambitious plans for a state-of-the-art stadium, but the timeframe for completing the project was also considered ambitious.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe identified the 2030/31 season as the target. The British billionaire will be 77 when that Premier League campaign begins, and he views the new stadium as a legacy project.

However, United have not begun construction, suggesting the stadium project will be completed later than 2030. Spurs spent nearly three seasons at Wembley while the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was under construction, and Everton took four years to build Hill Dickinson Stadium.

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In January, Roche was appointed as ‘chief executive officer, new stadium development’, formalising her role in leading the club’s participation in the Old Trafford regeneration planning. Roche recently sat down with club media to discuss plans for the new Old Trafford, and she was asked for a fresh update on the club’s timeline for completion.

“I think when we launched the idea of a new stadium 12 months ago, we did say it would take between four and five years for construction,” she said.

“And that’s right. But I think people read that as we might have the stadium ready for 2030. But as you know, with a stadium build as complex as the one that we’re going to enter into, it does take one or two years to get ready for construction.

“To get the land assembled, to get the funds in place and to get the planning permission. So that’s the part that we’re doing right now. So we’ve not named a date for opening, but we are on track within those timescales.”

Before United can push ahead with new stadium plans, they must reach a deal for the rail yard surrounding Old Trafford. The land is owned by Freightliner, but the club are hoping to reach an agreement in the “next few months.”

Roche said: “We’ve made a lot of progress in the last 12 months. But to be fair, a lot of it has been behind the scenes. So people might not have seen that, but some of the examples of progress we’ve made is first and foremost on the land assembly.

“We want to make sure we get the best possible position for this stadium, one which has got plenty of land around it to put the right facilities in place, one that’s connected and offers a great match day experience.

“So I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to all the local landowners to understand where that needs to be, and we’re progressing that really, really well, and I’m hoping to be able to share some positive news on that front in the next few months.”

Speaking about delivering the stadium project, she added: “Same ambition, same vision. We want to build a stadium that’s befitting of our past, but also fit for the future. We want to make sure that we keep what’s important, the special memories that people have had, and not just for our fans, but for our players.

“So we need to create a new stadium that retains that essence the match day routines, the emotion, the intimidating atmosphere for the away fans and make sure we build something really, really special.

“And we think we can do that through a 100,000 seater stadium. And because we’re so blessed, we’ve got a season ticket waiting list at the moment, so we think it’s our duty and obviously our desire to be able to give them the opportunity to come and witness what we know will be a fantastic experience in our new stadium.”

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Man Utd have confirmed how a new 100,000 seater Old Trafford will be financed after unveiling plans last year.

Manchester United have confirmed a new 100,000-seater Old Trafford will be financed privately, and “positive conversations” with potential investors and stakeholders are ongoing. Sir Jim Ratcliffe initially floated the idea of taxpayers partly funding the £2billion project.

When plans for a new stadium were announced, Ratcliffe said: “People in the north pay their taxes, and there is an argument you could think about a more ambitious project in the north which would be fitting for England, for the Champions League final or the FA Cup final.”

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester, had stated that no public funding would be granted for the stadium itself, but the club had not gone on record to clarify how it would be funded.

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That changed at the latest fans’ forum when a United spokesperson said: “Our proposed new stadium will be financed privately, and we continue to have positive conversations with potential investors and all stakeholders.”

The update raises the possibility that United could reach record levels of debt to finance the new stadium project. In February, United announced their financial figures for the second quarter, and the numbers shockingly confirmed the club’s debt is close to reaching the £1.3bn mark.

In August, football finance blogger Swiss Ramble placed Everton and Tottenham above United in his debt league, but both of those clubs have borrowed to build new stadiums. United have calculated that a new Old Trafford would cost around £2bn, which could in theory push debt to around £3.3bn.

Ratcliffe forges political allies with a new 100,000-seater stadium in mind, but it remains to be seen whether his comments on immigration have weakened relationships in government.

During the fans’ forum, United were asked whether they were concerned about the possibility of a deteriorating relationship between the government at both local and national levels, and the impact this would have on the development of a new stadium.

The club responded: “Our strong relationships with local and national government have been built over many years. The Old Trafford Regeneration project has strong stakeholder support.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build not only the world’s best football, but also a transformational programme supporting national economic growth at scale.

“Delivery of 15,000 new homes, including affordable housing, creation of 48,000 local jobs and over 90,000 nationally, and a long-term economic contribution of £7 billion per year to the UK economy.”

United said the appointment of Collette Roche as ‘chief executive officer, new stadium development’ was an important next step. “She has been closely involved in the progress we’ve made so far on the pathway toward a new stadium, and her appointment formalises that work,” a spokesperson said.

“The new role gives Collette and the club a much sharper focus on what we need to deliver: the world’s best football stadium. It’s a clear signal of commitment, and an important step forward as we move from vision to delivery.”

Before United can push ahead with stadium plans, they must reach a deal to purchase the rail yard surrounding Old Trafford. The land is owned by Freightliner and talks over an agreement have stalled.

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Why have Man United ignored the credentials of Unai Emery when it comes to appointing a permanent boss?

Unai Emery ticks most of the boxes where Manchester United are concerned. He lives for football and stops at nothing in a bid to get the most of himself, not just those around him.

He is a proven winner and has managed some of Europe’s biggest clubs. These include Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Sevilla. And up until a few weeks ago, had led Aston Villa into a title race alongside Arsenal and Manchester City. But it’s understood the Spaniard is not even on United’s radar as part of the club’s search for the next permanent manager. Which is odd.

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Emery is a manager who is more than hands-on – and doesn’t like being told what to do. Someone who could be regarded as a threat to some of those who sit on the United board of directors.

It’s true Emery can be a complex character. He is fuelled by umpteen cups of coffee a day, and is generally well and truly full of beans.

And Emery’s work ethic at Villa has become the stuff of legend. His days start early and finish late. He wants to spend as much time as possible at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, working on his tactics, solving puzzles and holding meetings with his players.

The kind of manager who leaves no stone unturned in his quest to win matches. He will head to Old Trafford on Sunday with Villa, looking to put one over his main rival for Champions League qualification.

Yet he will arrive inside the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ without having registered his name in United’s thinking. Beating United might see this change.

And so it should. Because United have become fixated with targeting managers who appear to be unattainable., while allowing Michael Carrick to enhance his own chances, or ignoring those who could be attainable. And Emery should at least be in the conversation.

He would back himself to succeed at United, despite it remaining a monumental challenge.

Man Utd said they planned to build a new Old Trafford for the 2030/31 season when plans were unveiled last year.

06:00, 10 Mar 2026

There are 52 months until August 2030. That date is significant because Manchester United said they hoped to move into a new 100,000-seater Old Trafford for the 2030/31 season.

Last year, United unveiled ambitious plans for a state-of-the-art stadium at an event in London, but the timeframe for completing the project may also be ambitious.

There are no official deadlines, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe identified the 2030/31 season as the target. Ratcliffe will be 77 when that Premier League campaign begins. The British billionaire is a man in a hurry, and will see the new stadium as a legacy project in the city where he was born.

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For that ambition to be realised, there will need to be spades in the ground sooner rather than later. Tottenham left White Hart Lane in 2016, spent nearly three seasons at Wembley, and moved to their new 61,000-seater venue in 2019. Everton’s new stadium, the Hill Dickinson, took four years to build.

United must reach a deal to purchase the rail yard surrounding Old Trafford before they can push ahead with stadium plans. The land is owned by Freightliner, and the parties are yet to reach an agreement.

Last summer, reports claimed Freightliner valued the land at £350million, although Andy Burnham played down that figure, saying: “I think everyone should file that one away.”

The last update from a United spokesperson was: “While Manchester United owns a significant portion of land around Old Trafford, it is not all in a single, continuous block.

“To accommodate the scale of the proposed new stadium – including a canopy – and to avoid disruption to the existing stadium during construction, we are working to secure additional land.

“We’ve been engaged in constructive discussions with neighbouring landholders and are optimistic about reaching mutually agreeable terms in the coming months.”

The stadium design has been paused while United await an agreement on the Freightliner land. United said: “Early design work has been intentionally paused until we have greater clarity on land assembly and fan requirements. As with other aspects of the project, we encourage fans to treat speculative media reports with caution.

“We remain excited by the vision set out by Foster + Partners for a new stadium at the heart of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area.

“We always said this was a conceptual design, with more detailed architectural work to follow. While we remain keen to advance as quickly as possible, the timetable is subject to progress on land assembly and financing, which depends on key stakeholders working together.”

Burnham has suggested compulsory purchase powers could be used to acquire the space if a deal can not be agreed, but it’s understood United are “optimistic” of reaching a breakthrough.

The mayor of Greater Manchester is involved with the Old Trafford regeneration project – the land around the stadium – but he recently clashed with Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe claimed the United Kingdom has been “colonised” by immigrants during an interview about politics in Britain with Sky. He suggested the government needed to make “difficult” decisions, which he claimed his Ineos regime had made at Old Trafford. Ratcliffe received backlash.

Burnham was among the high-profile figures to call on Ratcliffe to apologise. “These comments go against everything for which Manchester has traditionally stood: a place where people of all races, faiths and none have pulled together over centuries to build our city and our institutions, including Manchester United,” he said.

There was a pop at the Glazers included in Burnham’s statement. “If any criticism is needed, it should be directed towards those who have offered little contribution to our life here and have instead spent years siphoning wealth out of one of our proudest institutions,” he added

Ratcliffe cosied up to Kier Stamer at Old Trafford in 2024 as talks over a new stadium gathered momentum. It made sense for Ratcliffe to forge political allies with a new 100,000-seater stadium in mind, and it remains to be seen whether his comments on immigration have weakened relationships.

How a new Old Trafford will be founded is another question. Ratcliffe floated the idea of taxpayers partly funding the £2billion project, saying: “People in the north pay their taxes and there is an argument you could think about a more ambitious project in the north which would be fitting for England, for the Champions League final or the FA Cup final.”

Burnham has previously stated that no public funding would be granted for the stadium itself, and he reiterated that stance to The Added Time Podcast. “Manchester United will be paying for the stadium. There will not be a penny of public money going into that,” he said.

United announced their financial figures for the second quarter at the end of February, and the numbers shockingly confirmed the club’s debt is close to reaching the £1.3billion mark.

In August, football finance blogger Swiss Ramble placed Everton and Tottenham above Manchester United in his debt league, but both of those clubs have borrowed to build new stadiums. United have calculated that a new Old Trafford would cost around £2billion.

United have not communicated how a new stadium will be funded. There is a lot to still work out.

Senne Lammens has settled into life at Manchester United with ease and the club’s new first-choice goalkeeper has aided their upturn in form

Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens has made the position his own since arriving from Royal Antwerp in the summer. The Belgian shot-stopper has already made a significant impact on many within the club.

Lammens was introduced as United’s No. 1 under Ruben Amorim and with Michael Carrick now at the helm, he has kept the role and doesn’t look like giving it up anytime soon. His side are now bona fide contenders for a Champions League place in the English top-flight.

The 23-year-old’s performances have been far less error-strewn than those of Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir between the sticks in recent seasons, and senior figures such as Sir Alex Ferguson have taken notice.

The Manchester Evening News brings you some of the many ways Lammens has adapted to life at Old Trafford, including a dressing room ban and his behind-the-scenes behaviour.

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Dressing room ban

Lammens appears to be quite a superstitious shot-stopper, as according to the Daily Mail he forbids any talk of keeping a clean sheet during the build-up to matches.

This approach has seemingly worked for the Belgian, who has already kept a handful of clean sheets for United this season, notably being named Player of the Match during their 1-0 win against Everton last month.

His former goalkeeper coach at Antwerp, Brian Vandenbussche, shed some light on his pre-match superstitions. He said: “I didn’t like it either… You jinx it.

“I know it’s superstition, but don’t do it. Senne has things he does in a specific order before his warm-up. He always wanted me to stand ready before he went out. He did a fist bump with the other two goalkeepers and with me, that was important to him.”

Sir Alex Ferguson admission

Late last year, comments made by legendary United boss Ferguson about Lammens came to light. In an interview with Raceday RTV, he described the 23-year-old as “outstanding.”

This praise worked its way back to Lammens and he told the club’s official podcast: “Yeah, I read it somewhere and at first I couldn’t really believe it to be honest.

“He is such a big name and especially at this club, so I was a little bit surprised, but it felt really, really good, to be honest. I haven’t met him yet so I’m looking forward to that as well.

“But coming from him, yeah, it’s really nice to hear as well, someone with so much experience and such a big name at this club. It’s only good to hear.”

Training ground behaviour

Accompanying this approval and Lammens’ structured matchday preparations are further reports suggesting he has captured the admiration of other staff members behind the scenes.

The i paper reports Lammens is one of the first players into training and often the last one out. This has supposedly earned him the respect of many around Carrington.

As per the report, he also undertakes extra sessions quite often, working on his distribution and other aspects of his game. Club officials are thought to be impressed by this.

Not one bad word has supposedly been said about the goalkeeper, who only cost United £18.2million when signed from Royal Antwerp last September.

Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package

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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky shows at least 215 live Premier League games each season, an increase of up to 100, plus Formula 1, darts, golf and more.

Rasmus Hojlund failed to live up to expectations at Manchester United and has enjoyed his loan spell at Napoli thus far

Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund appears primed to join Napoli permanently in the summer after spending this season there on loan. And the Italian club will reportedly insert a hefty release clause into his prospective new contract.

United shelled out a total of £72million when they purchased Hojlund from Atalanta in 2023. He had just produced a 10-goal campaign in Italy and hopes were high he could develop into a prolific marksman.

However, things simply didn’t work out at Old Trafford. Over two seasons, Hojlund managed only 14 Premier League goals and quickly fell out of favour when Ruben Amorim took over from Erik ten Hag. With Benjamin Sesko brought into the club last summer for £73m, he departed for Naples.

There, the 23-year-old has turned over a new leaf and has 12 goals to his name so far this campaign, more than he managed the entirety of last term. Napoli have a specific obligation to buy Hojlund at this season and the Dane was sent a telling message before he left United.

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Buy-out clause and £38m obligation

Inserted into Hojlund’s loan move is a £38m obligation to buy the striker that is triggered should Napoli qualify for next season’s Champions League. They sit third in the Serie A table with 12 games remaining.

Reports also suggest that even if Antonio Conte’s side miss out on qualifying for the competition, they would endeavour to purchase Hojlund and have an option to do so.

It seems to be a case of when rather than if Hojlund leaves United for good this summer and Napoli have even supposedly crafted a plan for the striker’s anticipated contract.

According to the Daily Mail, the club will insert a £74.3m buy-out clause in Hojlund’s deal and consider his signing a formality. Sporting director Giovanni Manna reportedly sees no reason why the permanent transfer will not happen in the next window.

Manchester United message

Before he bid goodbye to Old Trafford, Hojlund admits United made it abundantly obvious why an exit was on the cards with their parting message.

He told Sports Illustrated: “United made it quite clear for me that I wasn’t part of the plans for this year coming into the season and with no European football and that sort of thing.

“I’m young, I have to play football and for that reason, I think this was also a good opportunity for me. Napoli saw an opportunity to go and get me and as soon as I heard the interest from them, I made it quite obvious for my camp and for the people around that I only wanted to go there.”

On his first interactions with manager Conte, Hojlund added: “It was a quite short conversation. But a very, very good one. I think we were both quite clear that it was a good step for me. I think we [are] suited, it was a good match.

“I think he’s an incredible coach. I’ve only seen him do good things almost everywhere he’s been so obviously that was a big part of it. When he calls you, you just have to say yes.”

Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£49

£35

Sky

Get Sky Sports here

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.