Sports
Cunha Dropped, £282m Spent – Carrick’s Ideal Man Utd XI for 26/27 Champions League
Manchester United’s plans for the 2026/27 season can finally get underway after Michael Carrick secured Champions League football for next season in a huge turnaround.
After Ruben Amorim was sacked in January, the legendary former midfielder has come in and won 10 of his 14 games in charge, catapulting the Red Devils into third in the Premier League table, and with elite European football confirmed with three games to spare.
It now looks likely that he will be the man to get the manager’s job permanently as a result, and squad planning can begin. But what does an ideal Carrick lineup look like in the Champions League? GIVEMESPORT takes a look.
Lewis Hall Should Be Top Left-Back Target
Man Utd addressed their goalkeeper position last summer, and Senne Lammens has been tremendous since coming into the team, so the number one position is not one that needs looking at.
At right-back, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have the quality, experience, and versatility to continue in their current roles, and Carrick has shown that he trusts them both too. Left-back is a bit of a different story, however.
Tyrell Malacia will leave, while Luke Shaw enters the final year of his contract at Old Trafford. But the England star’s fitness issues over the years have been a major worry, and the club should look to bring in Newcastle’s Lewis Hall as his long-term replacement. The Magpies have missed out on European football, and reports have suggested that he has fallen out with Eddie Howe, which could make a move more realistic. A fee of between £50-60m would likely be enough.
New Centre-Back Would Be Perfect
Carrick has brought in some defensive assuredness by moving back to a back four, with Harry Maguire handed a new contract as a result of his performances. But while Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven have shone alongside him, there are concerns over Matthijs De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez.
The Netherlands international hasn’t played since December due to a back injury, and Martinez is entering the final year of his contract with question marks over his injury record too. In an ideal world, Carrick may want to have another experienced option like Goncalo Inacio to call upon, and his £52m release clause makes a deal easy to do.
Big Money Midfielders to Arrive
Reports suggest that Man Utd want to sign up to three new midfielders this summer, and there is already a verbal agreement in place with Carlos Baleba about a potential switch to Old Trafford.
While the Cameroonian could arrive, Kobbie Mainoo’s position in central midfield is cemented, and the arrival of someone such as Aurelien Tchouameni to replace Casemiro would be the absolute perfect deal to do, especially at the reported £70m asking price. Ahead of that duo, Bruno Fernandes has the number ten position locked down until he doesn’t want it anymore.
There will likely be enough options to rotate the squad too, but on the biggest stage, the France international would be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
New Left Winger is a Priority
After spending over £200m last summer to bolster the attack with Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo, there isn’t too much work to be done in the attack. But with the switch back to a 4-2-3-1 system, and with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho expected to move on permanently, a new left winger is a necessity.
The club have been linked with a number of options, but the perfect signing would be RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande.
The Ivorian has electric pace, an eye for scoring and creating goals, can link up with his teammates, and win games on his own. That’s the type of X-factor Man Utd need, and despite his huge £100m+ asking price, this is a deal they must push to get over the line if they can.
He’d likely take over from Cunha in that wide role, forming a formidable trident alongside Mbeumo and Sesko in the process.
Ideal Man Utd XI for 2026/27 season: Lammens; Dalot, De Ligt, Inacio, Hall; Tchouameni, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Diomande; Sesko.
Man Utd Eyeing Deal to Rapid Sign £69m Champions League Star
Man Utd are looking at left-back options.
Sports
Why Arsenal Will Not Lift Premier League Trophy During Bus Parade
Details have emerged about the upcoming Arsenal bus parade to celebrate their Premier League title. Interestingly enough, it has been confirmed that the club will not lift the trophy during their nine-kilometre celebration route.
The Gunners were able to put to bed 22 years of hurt as they finally lifted the Premier League on Sunday. Their success was confirmed after Manchester City drew against Bournemouth earlier that week, making a trip to Crystal Palace a formality.
Mikel Arteta’s men were still able to pick up a 2-1 win, to finish the season with 85 points, seven points and one place ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side, but the main focus was on the trophy lift at the end of the game. Martin Odegaard led the celebrations, becoming the first Arsenal captain to hold the trophy aloft since Patrick Vieira in 2004.
However, he will not do the same on the title bus parade.
Arsenal Will Not Lift Premier League Trophy at Emirates
The event is scheduled to happen in north London on 31 May. A club statement has already explained: “We are delighted to announce that we will come together with our supporters and community for a special parade around our home borough of Islington, starting from 2pm on Sunday 31 May, to celebrate our title.”
The Gunners, of course, could have two trophies to celebrate with if all goes to plan. Indeed, the night before, Arsenal will take on Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest as they aim to win the Champions League final for the first time in their history.
Regardless of the result, however, there will be no official trophy lifting moment on the parade route. As explained by the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, this is due to the huge numbers expected during the celebrations. They said:
“The parade is over 9km long. No trophy lift at the end or at town hall due to expected numbers. Therefore, there is no advantage in crowding into one area and you are advised to spread along the whole route.”
Police Expect at Least 500,000 People to Attend Arsenal Bus Parade
Both Arsenal and local police are expecting at least 500,000 people to show up for the event. For context, there were an estimated 100,000 gathered at the stadium last Tuesday after Man City drew with Bournemouth, confirming the win. Aston Villa had approximately just 50,000 at their parade after winning the Europa League, while the official estimate for the City parade – celebrating Pep Guardiola and the two domestic cups they won this season – was 6,000, plus a further 14,000 in the Co-op Arena later.
It would not be a surprise if figures were actually well over that 500,000 mark either. The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust also revealed that there will be road closures near the Emirates Stadium from 4am Sunday morning, due to the number of attendees at the title parade. Fans are advised not to park anywhere nearby if they want to access their car later on the same day.
They then added that there will be no event at the stadium on the day of the parade. What’s more, the club’s official shop, the Armoury, will also be closed.
Sports
Man Utd Eye £100m Aston Villa Forward Morgan Rogers
Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox and manager Michael Carrick both want to sign a Premier League forward in the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils have been heavily focusing their recruitment on signing a new midfielder in the summer, but there’s no doubt they’ll be looking to strengthen in other positions.
Qualifying for the Champions League was a huge achievement for the club, but it comes with the need to spend significantly in the market.
Not only do United need better players in order to deal with the stronger opposition, they also need a deeper squad.
Signing a versatile forward could be a useful option for them, and it appears multiple members of the team are keen on signing one player.
Man Utd Eyeing Move to Sign ‘Special’ Tottenham Star in £60m Deal
Manchester United are looking to take advantage of Tottenham’s difficult last few years.
Man Utd Want ‘Superstar’ Forward
According to a fresh report from talkSPORT, Manchester United are interested in signing Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers ahead of the summer transfer window.
Director of Football Wilcox is known to be an admirer of the England international, but he’s not the only one.
A previous report claimed that if Carrick was appointed as the permanent manager of United, their number one target could change to Rogers in the summer window.
With multiple figures at United who are involved in the recruitment strategy in favour of signing Rogers, it will be interesting to see if they make a move.
Rogers Could be Expensive Addition for United
Although Rogers would be a huge signing for United if they can get a deal over the line, it’s certainly not going to be cheap.
The report from TalkSport claims that a bidding war could drive Rogers’ price up to around £100m, which is a huge fee even in the modern era.
Rogers, described as a ‘superstar’, is attracting interest from a host of clubs this summer, so it’s never going to be an easy deal for United to complete.
It will be interesting to see whether the England international does leave Villa in the coming weeks and months, as the £100m asking price could put people off.
Sports
Liverpool Open Talks to Sign Yan Diomande
Liverpool are in talks over a deal to sign star forward Yan Diomande this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Reds had a disappointing campaign in the Premier League and Champions League, finishing fifth in the top flight after conceding a record number of goals and losing 13 games, while they were eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain, losing both legs of the tie.
The Anfield club are now planning major upgrades during the summer transfer window as they look to replenish their squad, and talks have begun for their first big signing.
Liverpool Open Talks for Yan Diomande
Diomande, who has been described as ‘lethal’, has been one of the breakout stars of the 2025/26 season with RB Leipzig, registering 13 goals and eight assists in all competitions in his first season with the club.
The 19-year-old has emerged as one of the most sought-after attackers in Europe ahead of the transfer window, and the Bundesliga club have slapped an £87m asking price on his head as a result, while they have also offered the Ivorian a new contract to boost his wages and include a release clause, in order to keep hold of him for another season.
But Liverpool are keen to get a deal done to bring him to Merseyside as they search for long-term replacements for Mohamed Salah, and they have now opened talks with the player’s camp to find an agreement.
Diomande has previously revealed that it is his dream to move to Anfield, having grown up as a Liverpool fan, but the club are also looking at alternative options just in case a deal cannot be done.
Paris Saint-Germain also have a strong interest in Diomande, and have also opened talks over a deal.
Diomande a Legend in the Making
While it may be early in the career of Diomande, he has all the attributes and quality to become a true legend at Anfield.
Liverpool fans love having tricky wingers who can get them off the edge of their seat and provide excitement, and Diomande is someone who can do just that, and more.
The massive transfer fee may prove to be a bit of a hurdle, but the club showed last summer that they are not afraid to splash the cash if they feel it’s the right thing to do. Diomande would be the spark this squad needs, and it could be a huge statement signing this summer.
Fabrizio Romano: ‘World-Class’ Liverpool Transfer Collapses After Decision Made
Liverpool have made their decision.
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