Daily Express

Manchester United are convinced that qualifying for the Champions League will be sufficient to prevent Bruno Fernandes from leaving Old Trafford. And with United requiring just two more points from their remaining four league fixtures to seal a top five finish, senior club officials are growing increasingly optimistic Fernandes will remain, with Michael Carrick potentially at the helm.

The Portuguese international faces a major decision this summer. He is tied to United until 2027, with the possibility of an additional 12 months. United are under no pressure to offer the attacking midfielder fresh and improved terms. But United's ownership recognise that his impact on the side moving forward is vital to the club's prospects of significant silverware.

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While the 31-year-old has a £57million release clause in his contract, meaning United would be unable to retain him should a club he wished to join come forward and match the figure.

Fernandes has made it plain he wants United to be capable of matching his own aspirations when it comes to securing major trophies.

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But with United set to guarantee a return to the elite tier of European football, the English giants will be in a stronger position to attract their top targets to Old Trafford.

Among their midfield targets are Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba, Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde and Adam Wharton. The one potential obstacle concerns the managerial situation. Carrick has performed miracles since assuming control on an interim basis.

However, United are weighing up all possibilities on the table before reaching a final verdict. Fernandes shares a close bond with Carrick, and would prefer United to hand him the role on a permanent basis.

The former Sporting CP star arrived at United in 2020 for £47m and has since become one of their finest acquisitions of the past decade.

Despite United's recent struggles, Fernandes has been a picture of consistency. He sits one shy of the Premier League's all-time assist record of 20 in a season, and is also tipped to claim both the PFA and FWA Player of the Year honours.

Xavi Simons has provided an update on his recovery after confirming he faces months on the sidelines following a serious knee injury. The Dutch winger sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during Tottenham's 1-0 victory over Wolves on Saturday afternoon.

Simons was stretchered off the pitch following the incident, and the club released a statement confirming supporters' worst fears. On Monday, Spurs announced: "We can confirm that Xavi Simons has ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee. The 23-year-old suffered the injury during the second half of our Premier League fixture at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

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"Xavi will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and, following that, will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team. Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur sends Xavi our love and support - we will be with him every step of the way."

But just days on from the crushing news, Simons has already remarkably posted pictures of himself training in the gym as he embarks on his road to recovery. The creative talent shared the surprise image on Snapchat, captioned: "No matter what!"

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The 23-year-old faces a desperately difficult period ahead, with the injury expected to keep him sidelined for as long as eight months.

As a result, he will almost certainly miss out on a place in the Netherlands squad for the forthcoming World Cup. Taking to Instagram to express his feelings, Simons said: "They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way. My season has come to an abrupt end and I'm just trying to process it."

"Honestly, I'm heartbroken. None of it makes sense. All I've wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me... along with the World Cup."

"Representing my country this summer...just gone. It'll take time to find peace with this, but I'll continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we'll win this fight."

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"I'll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me. TTP. COYS."

Simons joins a mounting list of injury casualties at Tottenham, a club that has endured a torrid campaign. Cristian Romero faces eight weeks on the sidelines with a knee tear, while Wilson Odobert is also set for a lengthy spell out following an ACL injury.

Tottenham are said to be eyeing a move for Marcus Rashford this summer should the Manchester United loanee fail to secure a permanent switch to Barcelona. Rashford's loan stint at Barca draws to a close at the end of the season, leaving considerable doubt hanging over his future. Rashford has made no secret of his ambition to seal a permanent move to Barcelona this summer, having relished his time at the club.

He has registered 13 goals and 13 assists in 45 appearances for Hansi Flick's side and has absolutely no desire to return to United. Yet despite his impressive displays, Barca have been slow to progress negotiations with United. The Catalan giants are reluctant to meet the £26million fee required to make his loan permanent and are instead pushing for a second loan deal for the 2026/27 campaign, owing to their well-documented financial difficulties.

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United are holding out for a permanent departure for their academy product, who still has two years remaining on a contract worth £325,000-a-week. They are refusing to budge in their dealings with Barca - and the ongoing deadlock could hand other suitors an opening.

Catalan publication Sport reports that Tottenham have demonstrated 'genuine interest' in landing Rashford and could prove to be a complicating factor, provided they retain their Premier League status. Spurs currently occupy 18th place, sitting two points adrift of safety with four fixtures remaining.

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Barcelona are making a move for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez their top priority this summer and are well aware the Argentina star will command an astronomical price tag. They are consequently cautious about overspending on Rashford, who is not considered a potential successor to departing veteran centre-forward Robert Lewandowski.

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Atleti boss Diego Simeone confirmed on Tuesday that Barca are among those pursuing Alvarez. "It's normal that an extraordinary player like Julian Alvarez is wanted by Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona," he said. "It's normal because he's very good."

All of this complicates matters for Rashford, who is understood to be staying calm as he attempts to secure a dream transfer to Barcelona, where he has settled comfortably and is relishing life.

The 28-year-old enjoys a strong rapport with Flick and is optimistic that the German manager's backing will prove a decisive factor.

United are bracing themselves for an enormously consequential summer transfer window, with the club hiring a new long-term manager to succeed Ruben Amorim while reshaping their squad.

They are looking to finance the acquisition of a top-class central midfielder through player sales, with Rashford on the transfer list alongside fellow loanees Rasmus Hojlund, Jadon Sancho and Andre Onana.

It is therefore firmly in United's interests to conclude a deal for Rashford at the earliest opportunity, yet Barca sporting director Deco is likely to push hard for a reduced fee should another loan be ruled out.

For Spurs, should they remain in the Premier League, they could pull off two impressive free transfers with personal terms already agreed with Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson. The Scot will become a free agent in July.

As will Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi, with reports claiming advanced talks are ongoing and the Argentine has verbally committed to joining the north London club at the end of the campaign for free, provided they are not relegated to the Championship.

Tottenham and West Ham have just four fixtures remaining before their Premier League destiny is sealed. But who would be staring down relegation if their forthcoming results mirrored the reverse fixtures?

The battle for top-flight survival will soon reach its climax, with Wolves and Burnley already relegated. One drop zone place remains and it is presently occupied by Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham. Spurs were without a win in 2026 before defeating Wolves 1-0 on Saturday and despite this triumph, remain in 18th, heading for the Championship as matters stand. Both Leeds United and Nottingham Forest have strung together results in recent weeks and while they could be dragged back into the dogfight, but it is West Ham who find themselves in 17th.

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The Hammers secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Everton at the weekend and they hold two more points than Tottenham. With only four matches remaining, Express Sport examines Spurs and West Ham's run-in and what transpired the last time they met their remaining opponents.

Starting with Tottenham's fixture list, they travel to Villa Park on Sunday to take on top-five-chasing Aston Villa. Unai Emery's side presently occupy fifth position. Villa are in action in the midweek as they face Forest in the first leg of a Europa League semi-final, having already beaten Spurs 2-1 in the reverse fixture.

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The two sides also clashed in the FA Cup, and it was Villa who sent Tottenham crashing out of this year's competition, defeating them 2-1 once again back in January. Next up for De Zerbi's men is a home fixture against Leeds United on May 11. When Tottenham visited Elland Road in October, they got the better of their upcoming opponents, winning 2-1.

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Spurs round off their season with an away trip to Chelsea and a home encounter against Everton. Tottenham fell 1-0 to their London rivals in November, having dismantled the Toffees 3-0 a month prior.

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Should Tottenham replicate those four results, two defeats and two victories, they would finish the campaign on 40 points. West Ham's forthcoming opponents are Brentford, who triumphed 2-0 in the reverse fixture back in October. Nuno Espirito Santo's side then face Arsenal on May 10. The earlier meeting between these two sides saw the Gunners come out on top 2-0.

The Hammers subsequently face a trip to Newcastle United and a final-day home clash against Leeds. West Ham overcame the Magpies 3-1 in November but succumbed to Leeds 2-1 in October. So, should those reverse results be repeated, West Ham's campaign would conclude with three defeats and one victory, meaning they would hypothetically face the drop on 39 points.

Naturally, both sides could produce different outcomes than the reverse fixtures, for better or for worse, as both did on Saturday. Spurs had drawn 1-1 with Wolves in the earlier meeting before their victory, while West Ham did likewise, being held by Everton when they clashed in September.

A "heartbroken" Xavi Simons is facing up to eight months on the sidelines after suffering a ruptured ACL at the weekend. The Dutchman was chasing a loose ball alongside Hugo Bueno during Saturday's clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolves when he jarred his knee on the pitch.

Simons immediately collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, as Spurs medical staff rushed over to attend to him before he was carried out of Molineux on a stretcher. The 23-year-old has now been told the full extent of his devastating injury. Not only will Simons miss the remainder of the season with Spurs, but he will also be ruled out of this summer's World Cup in North America in a crushing blow.

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Taking to Instagram, the attacking midfielder posted a deeply emotional update for his followers. He wrote: "They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way.

"My season has come to an abrupt end and I'm just trying to process it. Honestly, I'm heartbroken. None of it makes sense. All I've wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me...along with the World Cup.

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"Representing my country this summer...just gone. It'll take time to find peace with this, but I'll continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we'll win this fight. I'll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me. TTP. COYS."

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The news represents yet another crushing setback as Spurs battle to stave off relegation to the Championship for the first time since the Premier League was founded in 1992. At the time of writing, the Lilywhites find themselves 18th in the table with just four matches remaining, sitting two points adrift of safety.

And Simons is far from the only key player the club will be forced to do without as they look to finish the season strongly against Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton next month. Cristian Romero faces approximately eight weeks on the sidelines after partially tearing his ACL against Sunderland AFC, while Wilson Odobert continues his own lengthy rehabilitation from a knee issue.

Dejan Kulusevski is yet to pull on a Spurs shirt this season due to his own knee trouble, while Ben Davies appears unlikely to feature for the club again - out of contract at the end of the season and recovering from a fractured ankle sustained against West Ham back in January.

The Premier League will be required to reschedule one of Tottenham Hotspur's remaining Premier League fixtures before the end of the season following Chelsea's victory over Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final.

The Blues secured a 1-0 win against Leeds at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with Enzo Fernandez netting the decisive goal for Calum McFarlane's side.

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The triumph means Chelsea will go head-to-head with Manchester City in next month's FA Cup final, after City booked their place in the showpiece fixture with a 2-1 win over Southampton on Saturday.

The final between Chelsea and City is scheduled to take place at Wembley on Saturday, May 16 - the very same weekend Spurs are due to face the Blues in the Premier League, a fixture that will now need to be rearranged.

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The Premier League is expected to confirm the revised date for the match in due course, though there appears to be only a narrow window in which the Stamford Bridge fixture could realistically be fitted in.

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Tottenham and Chelsea are both in Premier League action next weekend, with Spurs taking on Aston Villa on Sunday, May 3, while the Blues face Nottingham Forest on Monday, May 4.

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It is precisely because Chelsea are in action on the Monday evening that the Tottenham fixture is unlikely to be rescheduled for the week of May 4-10.

The Blues then return to Premier League duty on Saturday, May 9, when they travel to face Liverpool at Anfield. Spurs will then take on Leeds United in the same game week on Monday, May 11 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It is the timing of this fixture that rules out another midweek spot for the match between Tottenham and Chelsea.

Chelsea will subsequently meet City in the FA Cup final on May 16, and it is only after this date that Spurs can expect to take on the Blues.

The showdown between Chelsea and Tottenham is likely to be scheduled in the week following the FA Cup final and ahead of the Premier League's final day on May 24.

This would result in Tottenham facing Chelsea in a midweek fixture, before taking on Everton in their last league outing of the season.

For Chelsea, this would see the Blues going up against City in the FA Cup final, followed by a rescheduled fixture against Tottenham, then a Premier League finale against Sunderland all within the space of a single week.

Xavi Simons has posted a 'trust the process' message on his Instagram story after sustaining a potentially serious injury during Tottenham's victory over Wolves. Simons was stretchered off just after the hour mark at Molineux, with concerns mounting that he may have suffered an ACL injury.

The Netherlands international, who could miss the World Cup should the worst be confirmed, has eased some fears by resharing Spurs' post-match victory graphic on his Instagram story with the caption, "TTP always [white heart emoji]."

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While relegation rivals West Ham also claimed three points, it was nonetheless a crucial win for Spurs. The result has, however, been somewhat overshadowed by two injury setbacks, with Dominic Solanke the other player forced to leave the pitch.

Addressing the injuries, manager Roberto De Zerbi said: "For Xavi it is a problem of his knee. We go to see in the next days. Monday or Tuesday.

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"For Solanke it is not a big problem. I don’t know how many games we lose him but I would like to know the situation with Xavi because the knee is always different than the muscular injury."

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On Simons, De Zerbi later added: "He felt pain. Now I spoke to him two, three minutes ago. He feels better than the beginning of the injury."

De Zerbi will be hoping Simons can play a part in the remaining fixtures, with James Maddison, despite featuring in the last two matchday squads, still not guaranteed to return from his own ACL injury before the season concludes, reports football.london.

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Should Simons indeed be ruled out for the rest of the season, Tottenham could find themselves without a single fit and available attacking midfielder.

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When quizzed on how he intends to address any lack of creativity, De Zerbi said: "We can play with Mathys Tel on the left. Kolo Muani on the right. Souza on the right. [Lucas] Bergvall on the left. We have to create.

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"I don’t want to change too much (like) three defenders or four defenders, I don’t want to put more confusion on the players, especially this season because they changed a lot of tactical disposition.

"I want to be clear and simple but for your question, we need to stay strong in the head and positive in ourselves."

Next up for Spurs is a trip to Aston Villa, with Unai Emery's side also set to face Nottingham Forest in a Europa League semi-final either side of that fixture. Tottenham then welcome Leeds the following weekend.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Peter Crouch believes every single Spurs player will be up for sale this summer, and has cast serious doubt over the quality within his former side's ranks. His old club find themselves embroiled in a fierce relegation battle, sitting two points below West Ham United and Premier League safety.

Roberto De Zerbi has just four matches remaining to secure Spurs' Premier League survival. After beating already-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon, they face further clashes against Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton.

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Crouch believes attacking midfielder Dejan Kulusevski has been a colossal absentee this season through a knee injury, and that his loss has played a significant role in Spurs' alarming slump. Nevertheless, the former Lilywhites frontman maintains that the club's precarious position is a true reflection of the talent at their disposal.

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Speaking to Paddy Power, Crouch said: "To me, everyone is available [to be sold]. I think they need a complete rebuild. There's not enough quality there.

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"To me, Dejan Kulusevski is the biggest miss this season. His injury is just a massive mystery at this point and his absence is one of the main reasons they're down in 18th.

"Unfortunately, their current position reflects their current team. I don't think they're much better than West Ham."

De Zerbi is pulling out all the stops to drag Spurs out of their current predicament and, ahead of the clash with Wolves, declared: "For sure my words are not enough and I try to find the best solution to reach every player. Sometimes you arrive with a video, sometimes with words, sometimes with red wine, or a beer. I don't know.

"Sometimes analysis videos but sometimes what they have done in their career, also in other clubs. (Randal) Kolo Muani, if I play with Kolo Muani as right winger it's because he has played in that position.

"If you go to YouTube, and you go to Kolo Muani (at) Eintracht Frankfurt, you can see he played very well in that position and he scored a lot of goals in that position. When I don't work in my office, I go to find something to be important for me to give more information about the players because we have no time and we have to consider everything to stay up.

"YouTube or WyScout, I use to find something to think what can be the best solution, for the players, not for me. Today is April 24 and we have not won a game in 2026.

"Do you think the players suffer for this? For sure. To win a game can give us, give them more energy, more confidence, more positivity but they are human."

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to suffer relegation in Opta's final Premier League table with West Ham retaining their top-flight status. The north London outfit sit 18th in the standings and are two points adrift of the Hammers with five fixtures remaining in the campaign.

Fellow relegation battlers Nottingham Forest secured a vital triumph on Friday when thrashing Sunderland 5-0 at the Stadium of Light to move eight points clear of danger. The commanding performance by Vitor Pereira's men has afforded them crucial breathing space in what appears to be a two-horse race, with Spurs and West Ham seemingly set to scrap it out in the closing stages.

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Opta's projected table had Arsenal as the Premier League champions and Spurs finishing 18th with a points tally of 36.90. West Ham finished marginally above in 17th with 38.49 points and Forest some way clear in 16th with a final total of 44.02 points. Still without a Premier League victory in 2026 with their last success coming in late December against Crystal Palace, Spurs make the trip to the already-relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon.

With forthcoming encounters against Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton, securing three points at Molineux is absolutely vital and as Roberto De Zerbi stated, is a must-win fixture for his team. The Italian manager was speaking ahead of the vital encounter and emphasised that while he does not wish to heap pressure on his squad, they understand the importance of the fixture. He said: "I don't want to put pressure but we have to know the situation.

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"We can't forget the table; we can't forget we need to win. What we have done until now is not enough. If we win at Wolves, it's not finished. There will be four games. We deserve to win games. I knew Brighton was one of the best teams in the league. After Chelsea, everyone understood. We played a good game but we were unlucky."

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Despite suffering 4-0 and 3-0 defeats to West Ham and Leeds respectively in their previous two outings, Wolves' recent formidable home record makes for uncomfortable reading for a Spurs side already plagued by a complete absence of confidence.

Discussing his team's journey to Wolves, De Zerbi emphasised: "It's not an easy game. The last three at home, they drew with Arsenal, and won against Aston Villa and Liverpool. It's a tough game because they have nothing to lose. We have to be able to play, not too much pressure.

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"My work is to prepare the game in my best way, but to play football. These players are very good players. They have important qualities, and they play without too many problems in their head."

Tottenham are staring down the barrel of relegation from the Premier League. The north London club's starting line-up would look dramatically different next season should they drop into the Championship.

Spurs are yet to win a top-flight match in 2026 and their staggeringly poor run of results has seen them tumble into the bottom three. Roberto De Zerbi replaced the beleaguered Igor Tudor at the start of the month, yet his side still find themselves two points adrift of West Ham in 17th place. Should De Zerbi's men go down, it is reasonable to assume the squad would undergo an overhaul ahead of life in the Championship. Express Sport takes a look.

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First and foremost, there are a number of current Tottenham stars who would be unlikely to remain at the club in the second tier, given both their quality and their wage demands. These include Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

This quintet, valued at £230m by Transfermarkt, could go some way towards helping Spurs stabilise their finances. It could equally be argued that the likes of Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie and Lucas Bergvall may also seek a transfer. Randal Kolo Muani and Joao Palhinha's loan arrangements would almost certainly not be made permanent.

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Numerous other first-team regulars could look to depart, leaving Spurs potentially reliant on academy talent to step up. Young Mikey Moore has impressed on loan at Rangers this season and could return to lead the Spurs attack, while Wilson Odobert brings Championship experience from his stint at Burnley.

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Dane Scarlett could spearhead the attack at centre-forward for Tottenham, having gained valuable loan experience at Oxford United and Ipswich Town in the second tier. Conor Gallagher and James Maddison are both reportedly amongst the club's top earners, meaning wage reductions would be necessary should they remain.

However, the English duo may back themselves to bounce straight back up and opt to stay. Archie Gray has been a rare bright spot during a turbulent period for Spurs and could anchor the midfield. At the back, Kevin Danso's reportedly modest wages could make him an attractive option, with Radu Dragusin also potentially staying on.

Souza could be handed the left-back berth, and a fairytale homecoming for Kyle Walker, who has just suffered relegation with Burnley, is not out of the question. It is also worth noting that while relegation would deal Spurs a financial blow, there remains scope to bolster the squad. Antonin Kinsky, however, can remain between the posts.