With just weeks to go until the Premier League starts, Manchester United have upped pre-season preparations with their latest friendly against Paris Saint-Germain. Playing against the French giants, the Red Devils had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

As well as helping his players build fitness, these pre-season games are a good chance for new permanent manager Michael Carrick to get a good look at what he can expect from his squad in 2026/27. After finishing third last term, Man Utd will be back playing in the Champions League, so they need to be prepared for a testing campaign.

With that in mind, after what he saw in his team’s latest friendly, Carrick may be concerned by one player.

Cause For Carrick Concern After PSG Friendly

via Reuters

Against PSG, Carrick’s men got off to a rather slow start as Ibrahim Mbaye found the back of the net after just two minutes. Bryan Mbeumo, however, was able to pull things level in the 32nd minute. This wasn’t before key midfielder Mason Mount came off with an injury after just 20 minutes.

The former Chelsea player arrived on big £150k-p/w wages in 2023 but has hardly lived up to expectations. Due to injuries, he’s failed to play more than 23 Premier League appearances in any of his three seasons since arriving. He’s also contributed just five goals in that time. By comparison, at Chelsea he managed over 30 league appearances in three of his four seasons with the Blues, scoring 27 goals in total.

While it’s unclear how bad this latest injury is, it’s a setback at a point in the year where the midfielder should be hoping to gain fitness. If he is to now spend more time on the sidelines, it’s far from ideal preparation for the upcoming season.

Man Utd Fans Lose Faith in Mount

Amid Mount’s latest fitness woes, many Man Utd fans appear to have finally lost patience with the Englishman. Indeed, some are calling for him to be sold this summer, with one writing:

Someone added: “Mason Mount should be sold this window. Play 4 games miss 15 games. Manchester United deserve better than this.”

On that theme of frustration, a third wrote: “Mason Mount off injured after starting 4 pre-season games in a row, what a shocker. The talent is there but his inability to stay fit is shocking.” Another warned: “Utd will never be able to sell Mason Mount and he will end up being another Jadon Sancho.”

One more simply insisted: “The Mason Mount experiment is well and truly finished. Good grief.”

Former five-time World Darts Champion Raymond van Barneveld has found himself in trouble with the sport’s top officials on a number of occasions after a new report into disciplinary matters was published by the Darts Regulation Authority.

The 59-year-old Dutchman was one of a number of top stars to have been punished for their conduct, in addition to other top names such as Luke Humphries, Rob Cross and Gary Anderson.

The recently-published list covers all offenses committed between June 2023 and April 2026 this year. The transgressions vary in their seriousness. For example, Humphries was cited for offensive language during a tournament, which cost him a £250 fine, while Cross was forced to pay £500 after making an offensive gesture on stage.

Raymond van Barneveld’s Offenses

Curiously, though, Van Barneveld’s name appeared twice on the document. Firstly, he was written up for “inappropriate behaviour and using offensive language’ at Players Championship 2 event in Wigan in 2025. This saw him hit with a £3,000 fine, as well as a three-month ban [suspended for 12 months].

Remarkably, Van Barneveld was summoned again just six months later, when he was handed a formal warning for “failing to report damage to a hotel room”.

Despite the surprising nature of his disciplinary record, Van Barneveld was far from the worst offender to be hauled in front of the DRA. Scotland’s Cameron Menzies was handed a four-month ban and a £2,500 fine for his viral outburst at the 2026 World Darts Championship.

Cameron Menzies Punished For World Championship Outburst

Menzies repeatedly punched a table several times following his first-round loss to Charlie Manby. However, his ban is suspended until the 23rd of July 2027, meaning that he will avoid having to serve it so long as he isn’t involved in any further incidents up until that time.

His fellow Scot Gary Anderson was also named in the document. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ found himself in trouble for “aggressive and abusive behaviour” at the 2025 World Matchplay in Blackpool. The former world champion was fined £3,000 [of which £1,000 was suspended].

While it is not a good look for several of the sport’s biggest names to find themselves in disciplinary trouble, none of the above players were the worst offenders.

The largest fines given on record were incidents of match fixing, of which five competitors were found guilty. The most serious of these cases involved Prakash Jiwa, who was hit with an 8-year suspension in January 2025, and was fined over £17,700.

Rangers are making progress in their pursuit of PSV Eindhoven star Couhaib Driouech, having tabled an offer worth in the region of €7.5 million (£6.4 million) for the winger, according to Sky Sports journalist Luca Bendoni.

Driouech was productive when granted opportunities last season, netting nine times and providing eight assists across all competitions for PSV. That said, Peter Bosz kept the Moroccan on the periphery of his squad for much of last term, handing him just 946 league minutes, prompting the wide man to consider an exit this summer.

The player’s output has sparked interest from Rangers, who are desperate to bolster their forward department by adding flair on the flanks in this window.

Talks between the Scottish giants and the Eredivisie champions are said to be ongoing as the two parties seek an agreement.

Rangers Progressing in Talks For Couhaib Driouech

via Reuters

Rangers have been active in the transfer market thus far this summer, adding several players to bolster Derek McInnes’ chances of usurping Celtic for the title next season.

Ivan Pandur has arrived from Hull City for £6 million, Lawrence Shankland has joined on a free transfer from Hearts, while Partizan Belgrade star Vanja Dragojoevic has been added to the Teddy Bears’ ranks, among others.

Despite this rampant activity, Rangers’ business isn’t finished. There’s a feeling at Ibrox that more offensive firepower is needed to compete with Celtic, and they may be on the cusp of completing a statement move.

Writing on X, Sky journalist Luca Bendoni revealed that a £6.4 million bid for PSV’s Driouech has been made, and that the Gers are making progress on this front.

Couhaib Driouech Would Be a Statement Signing For Rangers

Born in the Netherlands, Driouech developed through the academy of Heerenveen, before spending three years at Eredivisie outfit Excelsior. Impressing in these three years, Dutch giants PSV made a move to sign the Morocco international in 2024.

While he’s largely fulfilled a squad role in Eindhoven, the winger has shown his quality whenever he’s been granted the opportunity to do so.

As shown by the data above, Driouech excels in the final third, displaying intelligent movement to get into dangerous positions to get shots off and creating high-quality chances for his teammates at an exceptional rate.

Just 24, Rangers would be making a statement by adding this coveted wide man to their squad, with the player primed to explode from an output perspective.

All Statistics via FotMob – correct as of 08/08/2026