football365.com

Manchester United’s bid to bring back the glory days has had numerous false starts but optimism has rarely been higher at Old Trafford following the early impact made by interim boss Michael Carrick.

It’s hardly too fanciful or pessimistic to think that, under Ruben Amorim, United would have taken one point out of nine from fixtures against Manchester City (h), Arsenal (a) and Fulham (h).

They managed just two from the corresponding matches last year but under Carrick the rejuvenated Red Devils banked all nine.

Even the manner of victory has summoned up United of old thanks to late winners against both Arsenal and Fulham.

Carrick’s men are heavily fancied by the bookmakers to extend that stunning start with victory over a Spurs side that can drive their own fans to despair but then occasionally find a spark out of nowhere.

That was the case last weekend when they looked down and out against Manchester City at half-time but produced a storming second-half comeback to strike twice and draw 2-2.

Both sides have momentum and, to add further intrigue, Spurs won this very fixture 3-0 last season and are unbeaten in their last eight games against United in all competitions. That includes the very forgettable (for non-Spurs fans) Europa League final in May 2025.

How to watch Man Utd v Tottenham

Man Utd v Tottenham kicks off at 12.30 GMT on Saturday, February 7 at Old Trafford.

The game will be shown live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting from 12pm.

TalkSPORT will provide full match commentary.

Man Utd team news

United boss Carrick, who spent two years as a Spurs player, revealed in his press conference that midfielder Mason Mount and defender Matthijs de Ligt are still unavailable, although the former should be back sooner.

Mount is “not far away” while De Ligt is “taking good steps”, said Carrick.

Patrick Dorgu remains on the casualty list while striker Benjamin Sesko will be pushing for a start after his injury-time winner against Fulham.

The bench looks most likely for the giant Slovenian however, with Bryan Mbeumo set to play as United’s most advanced attacker for the fourth game in a row.

Man Utd expected line-up

(4-2-3-1) Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martínez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Cunha; Mbeumo.

Tottenham team news

Thomas Frank has been given a boost with the news that key defenders Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven should both be fit to start after concerns.

Djed Spence is also in contention, with Frank saying it will be “touch and go” for the full-back. Archie Gray is set to fill in.

Dominic Solanke took a knock to the ankle in the 2-2 draw against Man City but has been training this week so should get the green light.

Tottenham’s long-term injuries include Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Richarlison.

Tottenham expected line-up

(4-2-3-1) Vicario; Gray, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Gallagher; Odobert, Simons, Kolo Muani; Solanke.

Man Utd v Tottenham stats

– Man Utd are winless in their last six league games against Tottenham Hotspur (D3 L3), their joint-longest ever run without a win against them (also 6 between 1914 and 1921).

– Tottenham won this exact fixture 3-0 last season – only once have they won consecutive away games against Man Utd in the Premier League, doing so in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

– Tottenham are unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Manchester United in all competitions (W5 D3). It’s their longest ever run without defeat against them.

– Manchester United are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games (W4 D3) and have won all three since Michael Carrick returned as manager. The Red Devils last won four in a row in February 2024 under Erik ten Hag.

– Tottenham are winless in their last six Premier League games (D4 L2), their longest run since their last seven in 2024-25. However, five of Spurs’ seven league wins this season have come away from home.

– Manchester United are unbeaten in all nine of their Premier League games this season when they have less possession than their opponents (W7 D2), winning all seven when having less than 45%. They’ve won just four of their 15 league games when having over 50% of the ball (D6 L5).

– Only bottom two sides Burnley (23) and Wolves (21) have conceded more first-half goals than Tottenham (18) in the Premier League this season.

Man Utd v Tottenham predictions

It’s easy to jump on the Carrick bandwagon and pencil this in as another win for the new boss – especially as Spurs have far more bad days than good.

But the 4/7 doesn’t get the pulse racing, especially with United almost blowing a 2-0 lead against Fulham at Old Trafford last weekend.

Tottenham, for all their faults, are actually unbeaten in four games (two wins in the Champions League and two draws in the Premier League) while they’ve scored twice in each of their last three away matches.

Then there’s that eye-popping head-to-head record which shows Spurs are unbeaten in their last eight games against United.

There’s enough there to think that Tottenham can grab a point and the draw at 7/2 makes plenty of appeal – as does the 14/1 for a 2-2 correct scoreline, the result when these two met in London earlier this season.

Dominic Solanke has five goals in his last five games against United (two of those in his Bournemouth days) and is worth a punt at 11/4 to net again following his brace against Man City last weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero has been urged to “just shut up and play football,” with one pundit claiming manager Thomas Frank should strip him of the captaincy.

Romero vented his frustration over a lack of squad depth following Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday.

Romero’s Instagram rant sparks controversy at Tottenham

He wrote on Instagram: ‘Great effort from all my team-mates yesterday… only had 11 players available – unbelievable but true and disgraceful.

‘We’ll keep showing up and taking responsibility to turn this around, working hard and staying together.’

It is not the first time the Argentina international has spoken out against the club’s hierarchy, and his latest outburst has sparked transfer speculation, linking him with a move to Atletico Madrid.

Spurs boss Thomas Frank admitted this week that he is unsure if Romero will remain at the club next season.

“That’s a question I have no idea about [whether Romero will be a Spurs player come July],” Frank told reporters.

“Right now, he is the captain, he has a long-term contract, and we signed a new contract with him.”

READ: Man Utd v Spurs guaranteed to deliver red cards, all of the goals and late, late twists

Agbonlahor to Romero: ‘Just shut up and play football’

Romero has been heavily criticised for his “disrespectful” Instagram post, with former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor telling him to focus on his own performances and helping Spurs climb from 14th in the Premier League table.

Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: “You won’t see players like Van de Ven like it [the post]. It’s just disrespectful. How about you look at your own performances?

“I rate Romero. I do rate him as a defender. But you haven’t had the best of seasonsm you cost your side on numerous occasions with poor defending. Just shut up and play football.

“Leave that to the manager to speak to the board about signings. It’s none of your Business. Yeah, fans will like it. Would you see an Arsenal captain speak like that?”

MORE ON SPURS ON F365

* Tottenham players send clear Thomas Frank sack message after Sherwood verdict

* West Ham stars reassigned as contract clause guarantees relegation exodus

* New Tottenham signing told he made wrong ‘move’ after hijack on Arsenal – ‘he’s better than that’

As Frank noted, Romero signed a new contract last August, keeping him at the north London club until 2029.

Frank also described Romero as “ambitious,” a claim that talkSPORT football expert Alex Crook scoffed at.

“One of the things Thomas Frank said in that clip we just played is that Romero is ambitious,” Crook said. “He signed the contract with Tottenham. If you are ambitious, you don’t do that. You back yourself to go and play for a big club.

“You’re part of the team that finished 17th in the Premier League last year.”

Why Romero should be stripped of Spurs captaincy

Crook added that Romero should be stripped of the captaincy as punishment for his social media rants.

“He isn’t that good a defender,” he continued. “I don’t think he’s that good of a character, and I think he should have been stripped of the captaincy. This is not how a captain of a Premier League football club should be behaving.

“He’s rash on the pitch. He gets too many bookings. He gets too many red cards. He gets caught out of position too often, and he’s clearly overly emotional off the pitch.

“You use the word ego there, speaking of people who know what goes on in that Tottenham dressing room – there are too many egos.

“There are too many players there who feel they should be playing for far bigger clubs than Tottenham.”

Crook concluded: “It’s nonsense and you’re right, the fans will love it. The fans loved it when the players were getting involved with Ollie Watkins after you dumped about them out of the FA Cup.

“It’s all fake. Do your talking on the pitch, not off it.”

Spurs told to ‘go and beat Man Utd’ amid winless run

Agbonlahor again urged Romero to focus on turning Spurs’ poor form around.

“But when you’re winless in six Premier League games, maybe some of these players who are liking posts, Romero himself speaking out concentrate on getting back to back wins,” he said.

“This weekend, go and put in performance. Go and beat Manchester United.”

The former Premier League striker added: “I look at some of the players now. [Dominic] Solanke, it’s been great for him to come back and score four in his nine appearances season since his injury, but other players, do you’re talking on the pitch.

“Romero, I’d love to play against him, because if the ball comes into your feet, he’s going to come, he’s going to come and try and win it at every opportunity. A little one, two, you’re in behind him.

“Good defender, but wants to win every ball, which you can’t as a centre-half.”

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero ‘will leave’ the Premier League giants in this summer’s transfer window.

Romero is not without his critics during his time at Spurs, as his temper has got the better of him on certain occasions, and he is liable to make a huge mistake.

However, the World Cup winner is one of the only leaders in Tottenham‘s dressing room and Thomas Frank’s side would be in an even more desperate situation if it were not for his centre-back partnership with Micky van de Ven.

Therefore, it will be concerning for Spurs that Romero has spoken out against the club’s board on multiple occasions in the past few months.

On Sunday, Spurs battled back from 2-0 down to draw against Manchester City, and Romero used this spirited comeback to fire a dig at the board over a ‘disgraceful’ lack of players for Frank to select for this game.

‘Great effort from all my team-mates yesterday,’ Romero wrote.

READ: Ranking £138.4m worth of January signings by how excited we are for their debuts

‘They were incredible. I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn’t feeling well, especially since we only had 11 players available – unbelievable but true and disgraceful,’ he continued, accompanying the paragraph with a facepalm emoji.

‘We’ll keep showing up and taking responsibility to turn this around, working hard and staying together. All that’s left is to thank all of you for being there and for always supporting us, the fans.’

Now, Romero is being linked with an exit from Spurs, with Argentinian outlet TyC Sports claiming he ‘will leave’ the Premier League club in the summer.

The report also claims that ‘it won’t be easy’ to strike a deal with Spurs, as Romero is reportedly valued at £60m with his contract not due to expire until 2029.

Romero has been sporadically linked with a move to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in recent months and a report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims he has ‘set’ a ‘condition’ for this transfer.

The report explains:

‘The operation is far from simple. The high cost of the transfer requires precise financial planning and a clear commitment from the sporting management. Furthermore, the player doesn’t consider just any scenario a valid reason to make the leap to La Liga .

‘Cristian Romero has set a clear condition for joining Atlético de Madrid. The Argentine will only consider a move if Diego Simeone remains at the helm. Simeone’s presence is a key factor in his decision, both due to their shared footballing philosophy and the confidence he derives from a manager who understands and enhances the South American defender’s profile.’

Tottenham Hotspur progressed to the semi-finals of the Europa League with a defiant 1-0 win away to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night.

Dominic Solanke slotted away a first-half penalty under pressure to keep Spurs’ trophy hopes alive amid the club’s bid to “repay the fans” for a disappointing season.

It also handed Ange Postecoglou a much-needed lifeline with the outspoken Aussie still able to fulfil his promise of securing a trophy during his second season in charge.

Spurs fell behind in the 6th minute of the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Thursday before battling their way to a 1-1 draw ahead of the visit to Frankfurt.

Clean sheets have been in short supply for a side who have lost 21 matches and conceded 72 goals across all competitions, but the Premier League side stood firm to preserve the lead Solanke gave them.

Speaking to the club’s media team in the wake of the victory in Germany, Solanke reflected on the size of the achievement.

“I think with everything that’s gone on this season, tonight was huge for everyone at the club, the fans… we knew it was going to be tough, but we’re excited to play in matches like this and to get the job done, we’re delighted.

“We need to cherish these moments. We’ve stuck together all season, and this shows that, really. To be together now, it will be a happy journey back, as well!”

MORE ON TOTTENHAM FROM F365…

👉 Postecoglou sack delayed as Spurs keep Europa dream alive with alarmingly grown-up, sensible display

👉 Carragher: Spurs could make ’emotional rather than logical decision’, like Man Utd, to keep Postecoglou

👉 Reassigning Tottenham stars wanting transfers after inevitable Europa League exit

Tottenham’s goalscorer also stressed the difference in quality when Spurs have a fully-fit squad.

“I think that’s the thing, a lot of people will probably neglect the fact that we’ve missed so many players throughout this season and, yes, when we’re together, we know that we can beat anyone.

“This competition, it’s something that, from the start of the season, we’re back in Europe and we’ve had our eyes on winning. Now, we’re a step closer.”

It’s been a testing season for everyone connected with the club, but lifting the Europa League for the first time would help mend the damaged relationship with the fans. Solanke was keen to acknowledge the fans and touched on the motivation they provide.

“Especially the fans who travelled, but not only them, the ones at home also supporting us as well. We’ve had some tough times this season, but nights like this hopefully repay that, and if we can go on to win it, I’m sure everyone will be happy.”

The Englishman also discussed facing down the noisy ultras, remaining calm under pressure to slot home the winning goal.

“I was just trying to stay cool, really,” said Solanke.

“Their fans were making as much noise as possible. It’s quite loud. I just need to stay cold in that moment.”