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Manchester United have the opportunity to freshen up their ranks this summer

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According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are ‘keen’ on FC Koln ace Said El Mala. The report suggests his price tag could be as high as £52million. Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Barcelona have also been mentioned as potential suitors.

Michael Carrick remains in caretaker charge at Old Trafford. He was named interim boss after their decision to cut ties with Ruben Amorim. He continues to hold the fort until a permanent successor is found.

Who is Manchester United-linked Said El Mala?

El Mala, 19, is a 6ft 2inc winger who has caught the eye at Koln this season. They could face a real battle to keep hold of him this summer amid strong attention from elsewhere. His contract with the Bundesliga outfit expires in June 2030 meaning he still has plenty of time left to run down on his deal.

The Germany youth international joined his current club in 2024 and he has become a key player for them over recent times. He has made 25 appearances in all competitions in this campaign to date. The Western Germany-born man has chipped in with an eye-catchign eight goals.

El Mala broke into the first-team at Viktoria Koln as a teenager before Koln snapped him up from their city rivals. He was initially loaned back out to Sportpark Höhenberg to get some experience under his belt and boost his development. Upon his return, he has since established himself as an important member of the senior set-up and is highly-rated.

He said in an interview this past winter: “I think almost everybody knows by now that I started playing football because of my dad. Given the standards back then, he played in a relatively good league. I think it was the regional league back then.

"He took us onto the pitch and the dads played on the main pitch while the kids played off to the side and watched as well. I think I must have been three or four at the time and I always played with my brother. As soon as it was possible, we were registered with the club and that’s how things started.”

Man City have told Tottenham that one of their players is not for sale despite the interest.

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Man City are preparing to face Leeds United this weekend in a game which could see them climb to within two points of rivals Arsenal in the Premier League title race, although it won’t be easy at Elland Road. They came off a 2-1 win against Newcastle last weekend.

Pep Guardiola will need to rely on all his players during the run-in, especially as they have a very tough route to the final in the Champions League too. Man City are hoping to keep their title hopes alive, and will need their depth.

Guardiola is blessed at the winger position as he has several world-class attackers such as Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo, Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush, Savinho and Rayan Cherki.

Tottenham remain interested in Savinho

One of the more interesting stories at the Etihad Stadium last summer was all surrounding the future of winger Savinho, who attracted a lot of attention from Tottenham Hotspur, who wanted to strengthen their attacking options ahead of a Champions League campaign.

The Brazilian’s role at Man City has been more of a bench option, and so Spurs believed they could try and tempt him away from the Etihad with a £70m bid, but it was quickly rejected by City, who didn’t want to sell the 21-year-old.

However, according to a report by Caught Offside, Tottenham remain interested in Savinho, and could make a move for him in the summer transfer window, especially seeing as they are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements, assuming they don’t suffer relegation to the Championship.

Savinho has made just 15 Premier League appearances for Man City this season, likely due to his injury problems, managing to just provide one assist; He is yet to score in the league this season.

Man City say Savinho is “untouchable”

Despite his faltering form, and his injury struggles this season, City still value Savinho very highly. The same report declares that the Cityzens say Savinho is “untouchable” and they don’t intend on selling him in the summer transfer window.

It is understood that if they were to sell the 21-year-old, Tottenham would need to offer at least £75m, which is a lot of money for a relatively unproven young winger. Instead, Spurs would have been better going after Oscar Bobb, who Man City sold to Fulham in the January transfer window for a fee of just £27m.

The only way that City would likely sell Savinho is if they were able to replace the 21-year-old, but it is very difficult to find young talent who are capable of performing in the Premier league, and Savinho could become the a future star for Man City, so it would be a big risk to sell him to a fellow Premier League rival such as Tottenham.

Manchester United have established themselves as the team to beat in the Premier League this year, despite the fact they sacked Ruben Amorim last month.

United began the year with a draw against Leeds under Amorim, and also grabbed a point against Burnley under caretaker boss Darren Fletcher, before Michael Carrick was appointed head coach.

The Reds are unbeaten in their first six matches under the former midfielder, which have included five wins, to put themselves in a good position to secure Champions League qualification. A top-four finish will guarantee a place in the competition, while a top-five finish will likely be enough due to the current Uefa coefficient rankings.

Here is a look at how United compare with their domestic rivals and the rest of the Premier League since the turn of the year.

There is a clear leading candidate to take over at Manchester City - if Pep Guardiola decides to move on at the end of the season

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Manchester City remain in all four competitions after beating Salford City 2-0 in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday afternoon.

It was a perfect start for the home side who took the lead in the sixth minute thanks to an Alfie Dorrington own goal. However, Salford were able to avoid the scoreline from increasing until the 81st minute when Marc Guehi netted his first goal since joining Manchester City.

With City still in all competitions, Guardiola could oversee another hugely-successful season at the club. However, there have been claims this could be his last campaign with City despite his contract running until 2027.

One name who has been linked is former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.

The ex-Chelsea boss and former Manchester City assistant was sacked by the Blues back in early January after a breakdown in relations with the club hierarchy. Despite links to Tottenham Hotspur, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has insisted that no talks have taken place with the North London club and that Maresca is the prime candidate to take over at Man City - if Guardiola moves on.

He said on X: “No talks between Tottenham and Enzo Maresca so far despite recent links. Understand Maresca remains the clear leading candidate to be next Manchester City head coach… …when/if Pep Guardiola decides to leave.”

Guardiola addressed his future back in early January.

"I have a contract," he said. "I said a thousand million times. It's 10 years here. I will leave one day, but I have a contract."

He was asked a similar question this month but issued the same response.

"I have one more year on my contract," he said. "The question of that is [the same as] one or two months ago, but I will tell you again that it is the same answer."

Man Utd and Spurs are both on the hunt for a new permanent head coach at the end of the season.

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Manchester United could rival Tottenham Hotspur for the same managerial candidates, as both clubs look to appoint permanent head coaches at the end of the season.

United have begun their search for a permanent successor to Ruben Amorim, with Michael Carrick currently in charge of the men's first team, while Spurs have appointed Igor Tudor on an interim basis until the end of the campaign. Neither side wants to rush their next managerial appointment and will give careful consideration to a host of candidates before a final decision is made.

Thomas Tuchel is out of the running for either job after he penned a new contract with the England national team, while Carlo Ancelotti is also set to sign a new deal with the Brazil national team. It means there might be a limited pool of top coaches available this summer, with United and Spurs in possible competition for the same candidates.

De Zerbi 'open' to Premier League return

Roberto De Zerbi is expected to be linked with both the Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur jobs after he left Marseille by mutual consent earlier in the week. The Ligue 1 club admitted it was a 'difficult collective decision' to part company with the 46-year-old less than two years since he was appointed.

The former Brighton boss left his role with Marseille fourth in the French first division, while they were also knocked out of the Champions League. He is not expected to rush any immediate return to management, though notorious transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano claims he would be open to a Premier League return in his next role.

“Roberto De Zerbi is highly appreciated internally (by Tottenham) and would be open to returning to Premier League football," he said in his latest YouTube video. “However, De Zerbi is not a coach who jumps into an opportunity. He wants to understand very clear what kind of project, opportunities there are at any club interested in him. He had plenty of opportunities of the last two or three years, and he also wanted to decide in a very clear way before making any decisions.

“Tottenham’s interest is confirmed, but De Zerbi is assessing the wider market as more positions could open up across Europe between now and the summer. He is going to try, and understand the situation around him before making any decision.

Manchester United won their fourth game in a row under Michael Carrick with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday afternoon

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Manchester United will end the weekend in fourth position in the Premier League after they beat Tottenham 2-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

The win saw Michael Carrick make it four wins from four games since taking over as interim head coach. The Red Devils now have 44 points, and are just three points behind Aston Villa in third and remain one point above Chelsea, who beat Wolves 3-1 on Saturday.

Liverpool are now five points behind while Manchester City are only three points ahead of United before the pair meet at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

Several players starred for United again with the squad looking more settled and a much more organised unit. Carrick has been putting players in their more natural positions and one man who has benefitted more than most is Kobbie Mainoo.

The midfielder barely featured under Ruben Amorim but has quickly re-established his importance under Carrick.

Against Spurs he provided an assist and again was the star of the show. He was handed an 8/10 performance by Manchester World for his display as 75 of his 80 passes finding a teammate - which was a 94 per cent accuracy.

He created four chances and had 95 touches in the game while making two tackles and four recoveries.

After the game, Ian Wright blasted Amorim for his treatment of Mainoo and admits the former United boss should be embarrassed by the way he handled the young midfielder.

“Everybody was confused with what was happening under Ruben Amorim,” he said.

“When you look at (Mainoo), someone who's not played, coming into a Man United side that's not in great form. To play in that midfield which is where all the questions have been around... just the quality.

“You're listening to Bruno (Fernandes) saying they've been given the freedom to express themselves because they're good players. And Kobbie is a very, very good player. I'm just pleased we're seeing that now.

“I think it's very embarrassing for Ruben Amorim if we're going to be totally honest. Because what we seen was a Man United youth product not given the opportunity to play and very, very close to leaving the club.'

“He was brilliant today. Magnificent today.”

Carrick was also keen to praise Mainoo after the game, as he said: “There's no doubt about Kobbie's ability or what he can bring.

“He's still so young, so let's be careful of putting so much on his shoulders, and expecting so much from him.

“I think he's still learning the game but because he's had a big high and then didn't play for a bit, it's easy to think he's a lot older and more experienced probably than he is.

“Credit to him, he came right in and found his rhythm of football, which is not easy after a period of time off.”

Manchester United’s midfielders shone as they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Michael Carrick named an unchanged side from the start with Benjamin Sesko on the bench, a week after his match-winner against Fulham.

Bryan Mbeumo went close when he blazed over from inside the box and Casemiro forced a fine save from Guglielmo Vicario with a fierce strike. Matheus Cunha curled an excellent effort wide from distance and Bruno Fernandes dragged an effort wide from the edge of the box as United continued to turn the screw.

Tottenham had defended reasonably well but were put at a huge disadvantage when captain Cristian Romero was shown a straight red for a reckless foul on Casemiro. It didn't take long for United to make the man advantage count when Mbeumo put them ahead at half-time from a smart corner kick routine.

United continued to dominate after the restart and nearly doubled their lead when Amad Diallo and Cunha both had goals disallowed for offside. Tottenham always looked like they could find a way back into the match but any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Fernandes fired in at the back post to secure the win.

Here is how we rated the United players at Old Trafford.

Man Utd host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League fixture on Saturday lunchtime.

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Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has warned his side about the ‘massive’ threat Manchester United pose in attack ahead of their clash on Saturday lunchtime. United have won their first three matches under new head coach Michael Carrick and will hope to make it four in a row at Old Trafford this weekend.

United have named an unchanged side from the 3-2 win over Fulham last weekend, with Benjamin Sesko on the bench once again. Spurs have made three changes from the team that came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Man City last time out.

It means that United have stuck with the same front three of Amad Diallo, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, with Frank wary of their immense attacking threat. Joshua Zirkzee and Sesko provide additional cover from the bench and the Tottenham boss is aware just how difficult it could be this weekend.

Frank and Carrick preview match

Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of kick-off, Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank highlighted the attacking threat of the Manchester United starting line up. "They are a team that plays with confidence after three big wins and two of the wins where they had to come back from an equaliser against Fulham and Arsenal. They have a massive threat up front but we are ready for it,” he said.

On his starting line up, he added: "Pape [Sarr] went away to Afcon and then he played against Frankfurt and it was too early to play back to back games. I liked his performance against Frankfurt so he comes back into the team. Wilson [Odobert] started five games in a row for us so he needed a bit of a refresher. I'm very happy with him, he is in a top place and he looks very lively and positive so it is very important that he plays."

Michael Carrick has made a big call in attack with Benjamin Sesko named on the bench again, despite his match-winning heroics against Fulham a week ago. The Slovenian will have to wait for his chance to impress but Carrick is confident he can make the difference as a substitute if requried.

He told TNT Sports: “Ben’s been fantastic. He’s going to be a big player for us and everything I’ve seen from him is really encouraging. Today was just a decision I’ve made but Ben will come on and make a big difference for us again.”

READ NEXT: Manchester United face triple injury blow as Thomas Frank issues update ahead of Tottenham clash

Michael Carrick has a welcome selection headache as he prepares his Manchester United side to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend.

United have won their first three matches under the new head coach and will hope to make it four in a row on Saturday lunchtime. Tottenham are the lowest ranked side they have faced under Carrick, but they showed they are still a force to be reckoned with as they came from behind to draw with Man City last time out.

Matthijs De Ligt, Mason Mount and Patrick Dorgu are all expected to miss the clash, while Carrick might have to choose between Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko in attack. Here is how we think United could line up.

The early team news and injury latest as Man Utd face Spurs in the Premier League fixture this weekend.

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Manchester United have ruled two players out of their upcoming clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend. Michael Carrick has won his first three matches as United head coach and will hope to make it four in a row when they welcome his former club to Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime.

United were without three senior players when they secured a dramatic victory over Fulham last weekend, and two of those players have been ruled out of the next match. Patrick Dorgu is expected to spend roughly two months on the sidelines after he suffered a hamstring injury in the recent win over Arsenal and is not set to return until after the March international break.

Matthijs De Ligt has missed the last 12 matches due to a back injury sustained after the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at the end of November, while Mason Mount was absent for the Fulham win after he picked up a knock in training.

Manchester United team news vs Tottenham

Manchester United are set to be without both Matthijs De Ligt and Patrick Dorgu when they host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this weekend. Mason Mount was also absent from training in midweek, though he is not expected to be sidelined for too long and could be back across either of the next two matches.

“Probably Mason sooner, not too far away really,” Carrick said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon. “Matta a little bit. He's working his way back, taking steps. It's a little bit too soon at the moment but hopefully not too long.”

Quizzed on the challenge of facing Tottenham this weekend, Carrick added: “They certainly bring a challenge. The way they finished the game the other day, they’ve had players injured, a lot of changes to the team which makes things more difficult. They’re getting players back, they have really good attackers that look to stretch the backline and play forward and attack the box a lot.

“A slightly different game to what we’ve played in recent weeks but we’re in a good place, the boys have worked well again this week. Feet on the ground, let’s not get carried away. It’s about what’s next.”

GALLERY: Manchester United new strongest line up after January transfer window