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Jamie Carragher has questioned Manchester United’s move for Youri Tielemans and says Michael Carrick should have signed new Tottenham star Mateus Fernandes.

United completed a £35m deal for Aston Villa midfielder Tielemans last month, with the Belgium international signing a five-year deal at Old Trafford.

Carrick had already bolstered his midfield options with the £50m signing of Andrey Santos from Chelsea.

Manchester United made midfield reinforcements their focus earlier in the transfer window after losing Casemiro at the end of last season.

But Liverpool legend and ex-England defender Carragher has suggested United signed the wrong midfielder, insisting they should have beaten Tottenham to a deal for Fernandes.

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The Red Devils held talks with West Ham over a deal but pulled out of the running over Fernandes’ asking price of £85m.

‘I was a little bit worried when I saw United linked with Fernandes because I thought that could be a good signing,’ Carragher said on The Overlap.

‘I just looked at him and his age and was surprised United didn’t go for Fernandes. They said it was too expensive but was it that expensive?

‘I know £85m is a lot but you’re never going to get a really top midfielder now for £50m.’

Discussing Tielemans’ move to Manchester United, Carragher added: ‘The thing with Tielemans, I was watching the Super Cup and I’d just seen that Man United were on ITV playing Leeds, so I put it on.

‘It just came to me a little bit – Tielemans was taking a corner, and it come to me, he’s a good player, don’t get me wrong.

‘But you’d almost feel like he should have been at United a few years ago, then gone to Villa – not being at Villa, then gone to United.

‘I’m not saying he’s had his best days, but it almost felt like the wrong way round. The last three years should have been at United, and then he gets sold to Villa.’

Despite bringing two new midfielders to Old Trafford this summer, Paul Scholes still believes a third could be needed as Carrick looks to build on the promising start to his tenure.

Manchester United will try to close the gap on Manchester City and defending Premier League champions Arsenal this season while making their return to the Champions League.

‘That’s a priority position for United,’ Scholes said. ‘We’ve got players who can cover the forward areas – I think [Matheus] Cunha can play centre-forward, and [Bryan] Mbeumo can play centre-forward. And you’ve still got – I don’t know what’s going to happen with Marcus Rashford, but again, there’s another option in that area.

‘So I still think either centre-half or central midfielder is a priority before the end of the window.’

Manchester United face newly-promoted Hull City in their Premier League opener on Saturday.

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Manchester United are set to make a ‘formal approach’ to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali at the end of the season, according to reports.

The 25-year-old Italian has been one of the most influential players at St James’ Park since his arrival from AC Milan in 2023 for £55milion.

Tonali helped Newcastle win the Carabao Cup last season and was a key figure behind the club’s journey to the last-16 of the Champions League this campaign.

And that form has not gone unnoticed by several top clubs, with Arsenal reportedly sounding out a last-minute bid for Tonali at the end of January transfer window only a few months ago.

Speculation over Tonali’s future is likely to ramp up once again in the coming months, with the Daily Mail reporting that the Italian is set to become United’s top target for a new central midfielder.

The Red Devils are also interested in Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson, but are now expected to make a formal approach for Tonali as they hunt for a replacement for Casemiro, who will leave Old Trafford at the end of this season.

The report adds that a move for Tonali has even been endorsed by club captain Bruno Fernandes, who has been impressed by the midfielder’s performances under Eddie Howe.

With three years left on Tonali’s contract – plus a club option to extend by a further 12 months – Newcastle will demand a sizeable fee to let go of one of their prized assets.

Additional reports suggest that a price tag of £80m has been slapped on the midfielder, who has missed just two league matches all season for the Magpies.

Speaking last month, Tonali’s agent Giuseppe Riso hinted that Newcastle may find it hard to keep hold of Tonali should they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

‘Newcastle are having a hard time letting go of Sandro, and he wants to lead the club to the Champions League,’ Riso said

‘We’ll evaluate and decide what to do in the summer. These transfer discussions will take place later.

‘We’ll see how the season ends and then we’ll decide what to do. There’s no preference at the moment.

‘It’s still early. What we’re saying today won’t apply tomorrow. Newcastle couldn’t let him go now, and there’s no point in moving, especially since Sandro is very attached to the club.’

Asked about Tonali’s future at the club, Newcastle boss Howe recently said: ‘The person that matters the most is Sandro. All I’ve ever seen from him is someone who is totally committed,’ Howe said.

‘Very selfless at times, he’s here for the team, not for himself. Forget the noise around him, he’s just fully committed.’

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Bayern Munich insist Harry Kane would need to make it clear that he wants to return to Tottenham in order for a move to happen.

The Bundesliga champions signed Kane from Spurs for an initial €100 million (£86.4m) two years ago and has a contract which runs until 2027.

However, Bild reported on Monday that Kane has a €65m (£56.7m) release clause in his deal which can be activated next summer, although the England captain would need to announce his intention to leave before the end of the January transfer window.

Spurs also have a buy-back option on the 32-year-old and Thomas Frank made it clear this week that he would welcome the chance to work with the striker.

‘He is an unbelievable player who did fantastic for Spurs and is doing fantastic for Bayern. Top player. I think there’s a lot of Tottenham fans, including myself, who would like to see Kane back,’ Frank said.

‘Personally, I don’t think he will do it right now if I’m honest. He’ll probably stay in Bayern and continue performing well. He was top scorer last year, won the championship and he’s doing fantastic now.’

When asked about Frank’s comments on Kane and a potential return to Spurs, Bayern head coach, Vincent Kompany, said on Thursday: ‘He’s in an excellent phase and the last thing I want to do is to open the door to a different discussion.

‘The only thing I always see with Harry is that he wants to win titles and he can do that at Bayern. That’s the only focus.’

Meanwhile, Bayern’s board member for sport, Max Eberl, said that the decision over Kane’s future will be left up to the player himself.

‘I think that at his age he is still making huge progress as a personality on the pitch.’ Eberl said.

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‘At Tottenham, of course, we all knew him from scoring goals but I think the way he’s playing football in this team right now, not just scoring goals, but as a player, as a leader on the pitch and sacrificing himself for the team shows what I’ve been saying.

‘He wants to win titles, that’s what hunger is. He can do that with us, we what to do that with him.

‘He’s old enough to make his own decisions, whether he has a clause or not. If he says, ‘I want to make a decision’, as he showed at Tottenham, then he will make that decision.

‘But of course, our wish is to have a very, very successful season with him and in the future.’

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Arsenal have entered the race with Tottenham and Manchester United to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze, according to reports.

Eze was one of Palace’s standout performers last season with 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, while he scored the winner against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Spurs are targeting Eze as a marquee signing for new manager Thomas Frank, while Manchester United have also viewed the 26-year-old as a potential signing to strengthen Ruben Amorim’s attack.

But according to talkSPORT, Eze is also on Arsenal’s shortlist with Mikel Arteta keen to recruit a versatile attacking player along with a new striker this summer.

It’s understood that Eze has a £68 million release clause in his deal with Palace, which would make him a cheaper option than Real Madrid’s Rodrygo, who Arsenal have also targeted.

Arsenal have also made an enquiry for West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, who has an £85m release clause that can be activated during the first 10 days of July, while they are also interested in Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon.

Talks have also been held for both Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko but Arsenal have yet to reach an agreement with either Sporting CP or RB Leipzig.

Earlier this month, Paul Scholes urged United to sign Eze after the Palacemidfielder emerged as one of the only positives from England’s 3-1 defeat to Senegal.

Speaking after last summer’s transfer window closed, Palace chairman Steve Parish said he was ‘astounded’ by the lack of interest in Eze.

‘I was really worried from a club point of view of losing Michael [Olise] and Ebbs in the same window and we didn’t have in Ebbs the interest that I thought we would have,’ he told Sky Sports News.

‘I was astounded. Genuinely astounded. I mean, the guy’s just an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person.’

Eze, meanwhile, has made no secret of his desire to join a club who are capable of winning the Premier League title.

‘Everything there is for me to win, I want to win, and I’ll do anything I possibly can to win the Premier League,’ he told Sky Sports last month.

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Ange Postecoglou snapped at a question about Manchester United after Tottenham reached the Europa League final on Thursday night.

Postecoglou lost his cool after Spurs defeated Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt 2-0 in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final clash.

The result means the north London club will face Ruben Amorim’s United in the final – a side they have already beaten three times so far this season – with both teams massively struggling in the Premier League this term.

In his post-match press conference, a journalist asked the Australian head coach: ‘United have constantly said this competition won’t save their season… The manager has said it, the players have said it… Is it different for Tottenham? Would it save your season?’

Postecoglou replied: ‘I don’t care. Why should I care what Man United think? Wy is that relevant to me? Ask the United manager why he said that.

‘Me, I’ve said all along that this is important. You should know better than me what a trophy would do for this club. The question answers itself.

‘What’s happening right now is people are fearing that it actually might happenAnd they’re already trying to tear it down somehow or diminish it somehow by talking about the league form.

‘Maybe if we had United’s success, maybe I’d have a different view. I could be sitting here in fifth position and the commentary would be, “that’s great Ange but the club needs to win something” – that’s exactly what everyone would be saying.

‘Of course it’s massive, of course it is. United have got their own journey to go on and maybe if they go 15 years without winning anything they’ll change their perspective on things as well.’

Spurs currently sit 16th in the Premier League table with just three games left, while United are one spot above them in 15th.

Tottenham’s last major trophy came in 2008 when they defeated Chelsea in the final of the League Cup, currently known as the Carabao Cup.

Quizzed further about the upcoming Europa League final against United, Postecoglou added: ‘It’s going to upset a lot of people isn’t it!

‘The debate’s now raging, the latest one is that neither of us will be able to get a trophy if we win, they’re just going to take a team photo because we’re not worthy.

‘I mean, who cares if we’re struggling in the league? Why is that important? If it’s so easy to get to a final, then why doesn’t everyone who finishes in the top three do it? It’s a separate thing.

‘It’s got nothing to do with league form. We understand our league form hasn’t been great. We understand the struggles we’ve had. A lot of them are because of the situation we’ve been in.

‘But how that diminishes the achievement of getting to a final. Like I said, this club and others have finished in first, second or third in the Premier League, and haven’t made finals. Why should that be diminished?

‘I couldn’t care less who’s struggling and who’s not. I think both us and Manchester United have earned the right to be there.

‘I think we’ve probably beaten teams who will be in the Champions League next year, on our road to getting there. So looking forward to it, should be a great game.’

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Paul Scholes has revealed his Europa League final prediction after Manchester United and Tottenham advanced from the semi-finals.

United thrashed La Liga side Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate to surge into the final, which will be played on May 21, while Spurs thumped Norwegian outfit Bodo-Glimt 5-1 across two legs.

The winner of the Europa League will not only secure a major trophy but qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Manchester United and Tottenham are 15th and 16th respectively in the Premier League – more than 20 points outside the Champions League places.

But winning the Europa League final will send one of the struggling Premier League clubs into Europe’s top competition next season and Scholes expects that to be Man United.

‘I’m not saying United will definitely win it but history tells me they’ve got a great chance,’ Scholes said on TNT Sports.

‘We know Spurs have beat them three times this season and they’re a really good team. I like Tottenham.

‘If they watch that first 70 minutes [of United’s second leg against Bilbao] Spurs will think they’ve got a good chance.

‘But I just think about the history of this club. It’s almost like Real Madrid at times, they can not play well and still win cups.

‘I just feels the odds are slightly in United’s favour. But I do think Spurs are a good side on their day.

‘I just think the history and the experience of the club will get them over the line. I really like Ange and think he’s got a good team but I just favour Manchester United.’

Scholes’ former United teammate Owen Hargreaves added: ‘It’s going to be fascinating. There is so much at stake for everyone.

‘But if United in a down season can win a trophy and get into Champions League, it tells you what the club is all about.

‘Right now, momentum is with Manchester United with the energy around the club at the moment.’

Man Utd power past Bilbao

Manchester United took a huge step to reaching the Europa League final by thumping 10-man Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in the first leg in Spain.

Mikel Jauregizar gave the Spaniards hope of a comeback with a first-half opener at Old Trafford but United rallied and won 4-1 on the night thanks to Mason Mount’s brace and goals from Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund.

Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim said: ‘It’s the least we can do for these fans, for the support they have given us in this tough season.

‘I know I should be a better manager and the team should be better at this moment but we’re trying and we are in a European final.’

Spurs too strong for Bodo-Glimt

Tottenham beat Bodo-Glimt 3-1 in the home leg and produced a professional performance in Norway to advance to the final.

Chasing two goals to force extra-time, Bodo-Glimt’s hopes evaporated when Spurs scored twice in six second-half minutes through Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro.

‘I couldn’t be prouder of the lads,’ under-fire Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou said. ‘We knew it was a difficult place to come.

‘We’re aware of the record they have here, the pitch. I think the lads handled it well. Excited, we’re in a final.’

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