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Ian Wright, like every Manchester United supporter, was thoroughly impressed with Kobbie Mainoo’s performance on Saturday afternoon.

The midfielder deservedly retained his spot in the XI for the fourth consecutive game under Michael Carrick; throughout the first half of the campaign when Ruben Amorim was at the reins, he didn’t make a single Premier League start.

Mainoo flourishing in Carrick’s revitalised side

Carrick was keen to correct matters as soon as he got in the dugout, though, and it’s safe to say his trust was instantly paid off by the youngster.

For the wins over the top two in the league, Arsenal and Manchester City, Mainoo covered the most distance of any player on the pitch across both sides, while he also assisted in the 3-2 triumph at the Emirates.

He did the same against Tottenham Hotspur two days ago when he set up Bryan Mbeumo for the opener via a well-worked corner routine from United.

Yet, it wasn’t just his goal contribution that caught viewers’ eyes. As per Fotmob, the Carrington graduate recorded 10 final-third passes, two dribbles, one accurate cross and three touches in Spurs’ box.

In defence, he made two tackles, one clearance, one headed clearance and four recoveries, while winning six ground duels and two aerial duels.

What the pundits had to say about Mainoo vs Spurs

Owen Hargreaves claimed post-match that he had never seen Mainoo play a bad game for United, adding that he plys his trade as if he’s having a kick around with his mates.

Wright proceeded to say of the 20-year-old (via UtdDistrict): “Kobbie Mainoo really ran the game. It’s the kind of performance you’d expect from a Man Utd side that has these players in and around them.

“Michael Carrick’s come in and given them the belief, the formation that they’re comfortable in and, with the quality players they’ve got, you will get the results.”

Michael Carrick could still be without Matthijs de Ligt and Mason Mount for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester United host Spurs this weekend in hopes of extending their emphatic winning run to four matches, having overturned Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham since Carrick took the reins.

United and Tottenham: How they’ve fared as of late

In recent years, Tottenham have been something of a bogey team for United, with the Reds last defeating them in October 2022.

In the meantime, Spurs have gone eight matches without tasting defeat at the hands of the 20-time champions, which included last season’s lacklustre Europa League final in Bilbao.

Both sides have since endured managerial changes: Ange Postecoglou was relieved of his duties and replaced by Thomas Frank over the summer, while Carrick succeeded Ruben Amorim (and Darren Fletcher) as interim boss last month.

However, Frank, who spent seven years with Brentford, is already facing a hugely uncertain future, so will be absolutely desperate to leave Old Trafford with some points to earn some credit in the bank.

Carrick’s team news for Spurs clash

In regards to Carrick’s team options for the contest, it does look as though he’ll again have to make do without the two senior Reds.

Manchester Evening News journalist Steven Railston took to X/Twitter just before midday to confirm that De Ligt and Mount were nowhere to be seen during the squad’s training session.

The centre-half has been unavailable since United’s away win over Crystal Palace on November 26.

On the other hand, Mount, whom Amorim previously hailed as a ‘leader’, has sustained an issue once again, this time in the form of a knock.

Looks like Mount and De Ligt are absent from training. Mount missed the Fulham game after picking up a knock and De Ligt is still recovering from a back injury. The Dutchman last played against Crystal Palace on November 30 #mufc

— Steven Railston (@StevenRailston) February 4, 2026

As a result, he has played for just one minute under Carrick thus far, doing so via a very brief cameo in the closing stages of the Manchester derby.

Appearances Starts Injured Minutes played 66 30 52 2,624

Peter Schmeichel believes Micky Van de Ven would’ve been a perfect fit at Old Trafford had Tottenham Hotspur not scouted him first.

Amidst Tottenham’s ever-turbulent situation over the last two-and-a-half years, the defender has been an ever-present at the heart of their backline.

Van de Ven looks his best when alongside club captain Cristian Romero, though both have had to navigate their fair share of injury woes in recent seasons.

How Van de Ven has fared with Spurs

Both were available for last year’s Europa League final showdown against Manchester United, however, which culminated with them keeping a clean sheet and lifting the trophy in Bilbao following a scrappy 1-0 win for Spurs.

Remarkably, it came towards the end of a term in which the North London outfit finished 17th-placed in the Premier League, yet secured Champions League qualification via their UEL triumph.

Now, after finally putting an end to their lengthy trophyless era and swapping Ange Postecoglou for Thomas Frank in the dugout, Tottenham sit 14th-placed in the division, having failed to win any of their last six matches.

It’s prompted reports that Van de Ven could indeed be on the move in the summer to ply his trade in an all-new environment; before signing for Spurs, the 24-year-old played in his homeland with Volendam and spent two years in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg.

In August 2023, then-Daniel Levy-owned Tottenham agreed a £43 million deal to bring him to the club, shelling out an initial £34.5m to tie him down to a six-year contract.

What Schmeichel had to say about Van de Ven

From Schmeichel’s perspective, United should’ve moved to try and hijack the deal for the Dutch international.

“I think he has been a revelation. I think he is a fantastic player. He has a really, really good understanding of the game, and his speed is so valuable if you want to play offensive football,” said the former shot-stopper, as per Sport Witness.

“I sometimes think that a club like Manchester United or maybe even Liverpool should look for someone like him. Why didn’t they discover a player like him?”

Liverpool are one suitor thought to be looking to make up for missing out on Van de Ven the first time around, as they have identified him as a primary target for the summer window.

🚨 Liverpool want to sign Micky van de Ven as their long-term Virgil van Dijk replacement, according to reports 👀 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/gu8CVmtUe8

— LiveScore (@livescore) January 16, 2026

As for United, a centre-half addition will be necessary if Harry Maguire leaves upon the expiry of his contract, but they would be vying with Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and even young Ayden Heaven for minutes.

Should Joshua Zirkzee decide to embark on a late-window move away from Manchester United, he could well have the option to continue plying his trade in the Premier League.

That’s because, according to TeamTalk, both Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur have enquired over the 24-year-old to gauge the feasibility of signing him before the February 2 deadline.

Why are the two sides interested in out-of-favour Zirkzee?

Palace are preparing to lose top goalscorer Jean-Philippe Mateta in the closing stages of the window after he expressed a desire to leave, which has prompted Nottingham Forest to test the Eagles’ resolve with a £35 million bid.

As for Spurs, Thomas Frank is desperate to add some firepower to his attack amid a five-game winless run in the league. They now sit 14th-placed in the table, and are without centre-forward Richarlison for the coming weeks whilst he recovers from a hamstring injury.

It remains to be seen whether United would give Zirkzee the green light to explore alternative options, given he is poised to struggle massively with game time in the second half of the campaign.

Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo are now back from the African Cup of Nations and have resumed their stellar form, which has led to Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha dropping to the bench for the last two matches.

Zirkzee awaiting return to action

The Dutchman was unavailable due to a fitness concern, but will undoubtedly be seeking some clarification from Michael Carrick over the role he’s likely to play from now until the summer.

Benjamin Sesko was spotted limping out of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon after sustaining an injury in the second half.

Indeed, the Manchester United frontman was only able to make a 32-minute cameo before being withdrawn in the closing stages of the clash.

Sesko leaving the Tottenham stadium this Saturday with knee injury #ManUnited pic.twitter.com/cxd97LhbkN

— Joao Castelo-Branco (@j_castelobranco) November 9, 2025

Benjamin Sesko: What happened vs Tottenham?

Sesko was initially introduced to the action in the 59th minute when he replaced Noussair Mazraoui in an attacking change from Ruben Amorim.

In the 85th minute, when Spurs had pulled one back and the scoreline was tied at 1-1, the Slovenian was granted a golden opportunity to restore United’s lead when he was played through on goal by Mason Mount, leaving him one-on-one with Guglielmo Vicario.

That was until in-form centre-half Micky van de Ven powered through with an exquisitely-timed tackle to poke the ball away from Sesko’s feet before he was able to take the shot and prod it safely into Vicario’s grasp.

Amorim has fresh injury concern to account for

United’s striker then had another issue to account for – aside from being left red-faced from the squandered chance – when it became clear he had sustained an injury in the process.

He was eventually deemed unable to continue and, given Amorim had already used up all his substitutions, the Reds were left with 10 men to see out the game.

Post-match, Amorim did verify that Sesko had suffered an injury to his knee, but could not provide any further details as to the prognosis.

The 22-year-old will presumably undergo tests at Carrington this week to determine the severity of his setback, with United back in action two weeks from today with a home clash against Everton.

Manchester United extended their unbeaten streak to five matches following this afternoon’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in North London.

While Ruben Amorim will undoubtedly be breathing a sigh of relief that his men claimed something from the clash after trailing in injury time, he does have two new injury blows to navigate.

Harry Maguire suffers hamstring injury vs Spurs

Indeed, Harry Maguire was withdrawn for Leny Yoro in the 72nd minute, with TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher suggesting the centre-half had injured his hamstring.

Maguire was given the nod for the outing, having not featured since United’s emphatic win at Anfield, which he directly contributed to by scoring the winning goal.

He sustained a knock during the victory and missed the subsequent match against Brighton and Hove Albion. The 32-year-old returned to the matchday squad for last week’s draw at Nottingham Forest, but was an unused substitute.

Benjamin Sesko squanders superb chance before being forced off

In the final 10 minutes of today’s contest, Benjamin Sesko was through on goal with a golden opportunity to net his third Premier League goal.

That was until Micky van de Ven intervened with a last-ditch, exquisitely-timed tackle to nick the ball from Sesko’s feet and allow Guglielmo Vicario to collect it and restart play.

The Slovenian had only been on the pitch since the 59th minute after he was called upon to replace Noussair Mazraoui in an attacking change from Amorim.

Sesko evidently hurt himself in the process of the chance, as he stayed on the floor and was later forced off. Amorim had already used up all of his substitutes, leaving the travelling Reds with 10 men.

“This is not good at all for Manchester United,” said BBC Sport’s live commentary journalist.

“Benjamin Sesko is injured and is going to have to come off…and the visitors are going to finish with 10 men because they have used all their substitutes.”

Thomas Frank confirmed in his pre-Manchester United press conference that he could be without star attacker Mohammed Kudus this afternoon.

Tottenham Hotspur host the Red Devils in North London in today’s early kick-off slot, meaning the result could hugely dictate supporters’ weekends, depending on how the sides fare.

It’s also the last round of games before yet another international break, after which United return to action in a home clash with Everton on November 24.

United travel to N17 for last outing before int’l break

Entering the break on the back of a win will be the goal for Ruben Amorim and his men, and it’ll take United’s unbeaten streak to five games; winning three on the bounce before drawing to Nottingham Forest last Saturday.

Amorim may just have the slightest advantage over Frank for the outing, too, as Spurs’ coaching staff have been left sweating over the condition of Kudus throughout the week.

The Ghanaian sustained a knock during Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to arch-rivals Chelsea, ruling him out of their midweek Champions League clash against Copenhagen.

Kudus ‘touch-and-go’ before facing United

Fans had been trying to determine whether Kudus had trained with the rest of the squad following their win on Tuesday night, until Frank issued a formal update when pressed on the forward’s condition yesterday.

“Everyone came through it (the game) well. Cuti (Cristian Romero) and Destiny [Udogie] responded well, fit and available. Kudus is touch and go for tomorrow – we’ll see,” said the Danish coach.

Kudus, hailed as an ‘unbelievable’ talent by former West Ham teammate Michail Antonio, has undoubtedly been one of Spurs’ most influential players since 2025/2026 got underway.

No player in Europe’s top five leagues has completed more dribbles than Mohammed Kudus this season 👣🇬🇭 pic.twitter.com/84LyfLj1hU

— ESPN Africa (@ESPNAfrica) October 30, 2025

Being without him for such a high-stakes fixture could prove detrimental to the London outfit’s approach, especially when considering that, prior to their Chelsea loss, they were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup to Newcastle United in the fourth round.

Thomas Frank may be navigating a potentially costly absentee list when Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester United in five days’ time.

Last season’s Europa League finalists lock horns in North London this Saturday in the early kick-off slot, which, for fans, means the result can either make or break their weekend.

How Spurs and United fare heading into matchweek 11

Unlike the Red Devils, whose defeat in the UEL final confirmed they wouldn’t be playing European football this term, Spurs have a midweek fixture to account for in the form of a Champions League clash at home to Copenhagen.

They’re on the back of a narrow defeat to London rivals Chelsea at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, so they will be keen to get back to winning ways at the earliest opportunity.

United and Spurs’ starts to the campaign are almost identical when looking at the league table; although Tottenham sit in fifth and the Reds in eighth, both sides are on the same points (17) and have recorded the same number of wins (five), draws (two) and losses (three). They’ve also scored 17 goals each.

However, Frank’s men boast a considerably better defensive record, having conceded eight fewer goals.

Frank sweating on injury concerns?

Spurs’ Tuesday night fixture has opened the door for Ruben Amorim to receive early intel on how their squad might look come Saturday, as their training session this afternoon has been open to reporters and broadcast on social media.

As a result, it’s been reported via reputable journalist Alisdair Gold that all of Lucas Bergvall, Djed Spence and Mohammed Kudus were nowhere to be seen whilst the rest of their teammates were being put through their paces.

Although he's doing the press conference in a bit, no Mohammed Kudus currently in the session either.

— Alasdair Gold (@AlasdairGold) November 3, 2025

Former Manchester United star Luis Nani has poured praise on midfielder Joao Palhinha, who was a target for the Reds before his Fulham exit.

Back in August 2024, the Portugal international finally completed his desired move to Bayern Munich in a £47.4 million deal, snubbing United in the process.

It came almost a year on from Palhinha’s initial failed Bayern switch, which saw him travel to Germany to undergo his medical and even go as far as partaking in media duties for the club, before it collapsed due to Fulham not being able to sign a replacement in time.

He subsequently flew back to West London to oversee the 2023/2024 campaign as a Cottager.

Palhinha endured a quiet year at the Allianz Arena

Unfortunately for Palhinha, his Bayern tenure left much to be desired throughout his maiden season.

A combination of unrelenting injury woes, combined with Vincent Kompany’s preference for other options in the middle of the park, resulted in the Sporting Lisbon graduate making only 25 appearances across the entirety of 2024/2025 in all competitions and totalling just 986 minutes on the pitch.

Palhinha was granted a measly six Bundesliga starts, making 11 cameos off the bench and being an unused substitute for six fixtures.

While he did end the term with a league winners’ medal to his name, he was keen to avoid a repeat of such a quiet nine months of action – and you couldn’t really blame him in the build-up to a World Cup year.

Alas, in August, the 28-year-old agreed to spend the season on loan with Tottenham Hotspur. The club will have the option of signing him permanently upon the culmination of his temporary spell for around £27m.

Already enjoying a more prominent role under Thomas Frank, Palhinha has started eight of Spurs’ nine league games thus far, as well as both Carabao Cup ties and one of their three Champions League outings.

What Nani had to say about ‘complete’ Palhinha

Nani, a four-time Premier League winner with United, singled out his compatriot for his stellar work ethic when speaking to Covers (as cited by UtdDistrict): “Joao Palhinha is a great player. I played with him at Sporting, where he was growing and learning a lot. After a few years, he became one of the best players in his position.

“He’s very strong and talented at winning and recovering the ball, and tackling. He’s also improved his forward play: scoring goals, connecting with the team, and moving forward with the ball. He’s become a complete player in his position.

“I think he’s a great player and can do really well for Tottenham. He had an opportunity with Bayern and we’re not sure what will happen next season, but he’s a player who can play for any team in the world. He just needs to be consistent and fit, as injuries sometimes cause problems. I trust he will have a fantastic career.”

Further, the ex-winger claimed Palhinha would’ve been an ideal fit in the current Red Devils squad, saying: “He is a player with energy, with power to recover balls and to fight. That is something that fits into Man United’s DNA.

“Having players who are able first to fight on the field, like to recover the ball and challenge opponents to help the team win games.

“You can’t give your opponents any time in the Premier League, and he has the energy and physical abilities to be such an asset for anyone.”

Harry Kane has been put on the spot regarding his future with Bayern Munich amid growing speculation he might opt to return to England.

The world-class frontman has enjoyed a prolific two years in Germany after severing his 19-year ties with Tottenham Hotspur to make the move in 2023.

In doing so, Kane put an end to the prospect of him overtaking Alan Shearer to become the Premier League’s all-time highest goalscorer. At the time of his exit, he sat on 213 goals, with the former Newcastle United hero atop the rankings on 260.

Had the Three Lions skipper stayed put, you can put your money on the fact he’d have broken the record sooner rather than later. Even in his last season at Spurs, he recorded a 30-goal campaign in his 38 appearances.

Why Harry Kane has been linked with a return to England

Alas, reports have suggested that a desire to clinch such a prestigious honour has been quietly spurring Kane to cut ties with Bayern and return to home soil.

A clause in his contract would make such a deal considerably easier to negotiate, too, as he has a £52 million buyout option that can be activated as early as January 2026.

In the event he pushed for a Premier League switch, both his former club and Manchester United are said to be among his top admirers, with the latter holding a longstanding interest in the unstoppable No.9.

Kane looks to end speculation over his future

However, much to the Old Trafford faithful’s dismay, he has spoken out to squash such rumours.

After reaching 100 goals for the Bavarian giants last Friday evening, the 32-year-old said: “No, I’m not thinking about a Premier League return at the moment. I’m really happy here.

“I have two years left on my contract. I’m enjoying every moment. Bayern is the best place to win trophies, absolutely.”

Kane won the Bundesliga title in 2024/2025 to mark his first-ever major trophy, followed by the German Super Cup in August.