Manchester United are only getting started with their signing of Andrey Santos, who will join the club on a big-money deal from Chelsea. The Red Devils are paying £48million to sign the young Brazilian, who has a big future ahead of him, but there is no room for him in terms of regular minutes for the Blues.

The deal came after United canceled a deal to sign Ederson from Atalanta weeks after agreeing a deal. The Red Devils requested a second medical after the World Cup, and they didn’t like what they saw, even if Atalanta still maintain there is nothing wrong with the player physically,

Michael Carrick wants two or three new midfielders this summer, well aware that he needs to replace Casemiro while adding further depth, and in Santos, United now have a modern hybrid midfielder who can play almost every role in the midfield, but he is only the beginning of the club’s business this summer.

Fabrizio Romano on Man Utd’s next steps after Andrey Santos transfer

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Man Utd are still looking at midfielders after the Andrey Santos deal, which is done even if not yet announced, and it looks as if there will be more than one new midfielder recruited.

“Man Utd remain keen on signing new midfielders because Andrey Santos is done,” Romano said on his YouTube show. “Also, many of you asking me why Andrey Santos is not official. Guys, I’m not controlling the social media of Manchester United to make announcements, but I can guarantee you Andrey Santos is signed and completed. Also, the contract has been signed yesterday (Friday). The deal is done.”

That will be seen as good news for United fans, who will know the midfield is the one place where Carrick can’t afford to be caught short if they have big ambitions.

What will Man Utd look for next?

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It’s likely United have another big-money midfielder in mind. While Santos is able to play in a deeper role, it would be surprising if Carrick did not sign a more senior player who specialises in the holding or pivot midfield role.

Casemiro was a huge presence in that deep role, and in the modern game, you are not going to compete without a top player in that position. PSG have Vitinha and Joao Neves, Man City have Rodri, Arsenal have Declan Rice and Bayern Munich have Joshua Kimmich. There are few more important positions in the modern game, and United are going to have to go and get one if they have ambitions of competing for titles, even if it’s likely to be a pricey deal.

Argentina have been at the forefront of many controversial decisions during the 2026 World Cup, and many fans have been left questioning the legitimacy of the tournament and whether FIFA has a biased agenda towards Lionel Messi and Argentina.

Messi had a stellar 2022 World Cup campaign as he was the main man behind Argentina’s tournament win, and he hasn’t let up in this tournament four years on, as he currently battles for the tournament’s golden boot award.

However, the Argentine has perhaps benefited from some controversial refereeing decisions, which have cast doubts over the tournament, and it isn’t the first time Messi has been the centre of refereeing problems.

Messi’s 2022 World Cup Controversy

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Flashback to 2022, Argentina were facing up against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and had taken a 2-0 lead. Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz had dished out 17 bookings during the game, including sending off Dutch full-back Denzel Dumfries. The Netherlands had brought the game back to 2-2, taking the tie to a penalty shootout, which Argentina won and went on to win the tournament.

Speaking after the tie, Messi said: “This match shouldn’t have ended as it did. I don’t want to talk about the referee because they sanction you. But people saw what happened. We were afraid before the match because we knew how he was and I think FIFA has to review this. You can’t put a referee like him for these matches.”

Fellow Argentina teammate Emiliano Martinez also spoke out after the game. He said: “The ref gave everything to them. It all turned upside down. He gave 10 minutes extra time for no reason. He just wanted them to score.

That referee is crazy. Arrogant. You say something to him and he talks back to you. It’s crazy. Because Spain were eliminated, he wanted to eliminate us. He is the worst referee at the World Cup. Hopefully we won’t have him again – he’s useless.”

After these post-match quotes from Messi and Martinez, Lahoz was never to be seen in the World Cup. The referee was suspended and kicked out of the tournament; that would be the last match he refereed in the competition.

As far-fetched as claims of bias towards Messi may seem, seeing a referee sent home from a tournament following comments from the Argentine does raise some interesting questions.

Referees rarely receive ‘punishments’ as such following poor standards, so seeing Lahoz disappear after an incident with the world’s biggest star does seem interesting, to say the least.

Messi went on to lift the World Cup in 2022, beating France in the final, and the winger added another Ballon d’Or to his tally.

Is the 2026 World Cup a Similar Story?

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This World Cup has also seen similar controversies surrounding Messi and his Argentina side. In the group stages, Messi appeared to challenge an Algerian player from behind, with his studs digging into the player’s calf, yet there was no referee intervention, and VAR allowed the game to continue.

In their most recent game, Argentina got away with many decisions as they came back from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2. Egypt had a goal ruled out following a foul that had happened at the complete opposite end of the pitch, whilst Argentina scored similarly, yet their goal was allowed to stand.

Egypt’s Mostafa Ziko alleged that the World Cup was ‘rigged’ in Messi’s favour. If Argentina does go on to win this World Cup, FIFA could be faced with some tough questions to answer from the footballing world.

The long-awaited return of Conor McGregor ended in perhaps the most disappointing fashion, as an injury brought a stop to the contest just after the one-minute mark, with Max Holloway picking up the win via TKO.

From the off, McGregor didn’t look himself, with him struggling to put weight onto his right leg before even entering the Octagon. It only got worse as the fight began, as every time he applied weight onto the leg, he seemingly buckled to the mat.

The situation has led to plenty of discourse over how the injury came to be. Many have wondered whether it was an issue from training camp, or if it came from the early kick. Doctor Brian Sutterer has now given his thoughts on the whole situation, with a detailed breakdown of what actually occurred.

What’s Been Said About Conor McGregor’s Injury

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In the post-fight press conference, Holloway admitted it felt like McGregor was different even prior to getting into the cage, as he said: “Even with him walking to the Octagon, it didn’t seem like the same Conor.”

He acknowledged his calmness, which perhaps differed from the rowdy McGregor we have seen over the past decade.

It wasn’t just Holloway who gave his thoughts, however, as Paddy Pimblett also reacted to the situation.

After talking with the doctor, UFC president Dana White talked about the injury potentially being a torn ACL, saying: “We are assuming a blown ACL. I’m no doctor, but that’s what I figured when I saw it, and doctors think the same way too.”

This is, of course, a fresh reaction to the situation, with doctor Sutterer providing a different view.

Doctor Analyses Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 Injury

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Sutterer almost immediately took to his YouTube channel after watching the fight, and gave his analysis on what happened to McGregor. Among his thoughts, he looked at the first exchange, and what happened to the knee of the Irishman as he tried to land an early head kick.

“As he goes and lands, that knee is going to twist and rotate. This is a compromising position that’s challenging on the knee, but we don’t see that classic tibia shift forward, pop backwards to confirm that this is 100% an ACL,” he said.

After looking at more of the exchanges, and how McGregor seemingly couldn’t put any weight on his right leg, he gave his initial reading on what the issue actually is.

There was also some consideration of how awkward McGregor looked when preparing to walk into the Octagon. Notably, he looked quite considerate about not putting pressure on the leg.

“This absolutely to me looks like somebody who was dealing with something on that right knee, and didn’t want to put their weight down on it to brace and catch their fall,” Sutterer explained.

In terms of when McGregor can look to return, Sutterer thinks that, if it is just the meniscus tear, then it may be surgical with a three-to-sixth month recovery. However, if it is more serious than that, with the ACL, it will be a much longer absence.