Manchester United

Manchester United

Fletcher, taking charge of his first ever game as a senior manager, fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation, going completely against Amorim's previous 3-4-2-1 that the Portuguese was wedded to. He started Senne Lammens in net, although deputy Altay Bayindir could get a look-in for this game. Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw were at full-back, with natural left wing-back Patrick Dorgu in a more advanced position off the left flank.

Finding a long-term successor to Roy Keane before he left under a cloud back in 2005 was tricky, with the expensively-acquired Juan Sebastian Veron failing to make an impression. Michael Carrick earned plenty of respect in the deep-lying role, but was a very different kind of player. Owen Hargreaves was excellent for a brief time, but injuries curtailed his career at Old Trafford.

They started slowly at Burnley, settling into a 4-2-3-1 formation that suits them and pretty much every other team far better than Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 before, midway through the first half, they started to play. The deployment of Bruno Fernandes close to the opposition goal, along with a wide player, Patrick Dorgu, playing on his natural side, meant Benjamin Sesko was, for the first time, provided with decent service.

"What happens in these job interviews? I'm intrigued. Why do they keep giving certain people a job? What happens in the interview that they sit there and go, and 12, 14 months later, 'He's not the guy for us'. "Do you not suss that out when you speak to them? You look somebody in the eye and go... You see who's making the decisions at Manchester United. You still have Ferguson and David Gill hanging on like a bad smell."

It has been a dramatic week even by United's standards: the rapid breakdown in relations between Ruben Amorim and club bosses, a fiery Friday meeting with director of football Jason Wilcox, two incendiary news conferences, and another sacking. It's a club that can sometimes feel more like a soap opera with only a sprinkling of actual football. The latest episode had a new leading man -- caretaker boss Darren Fletcher -- and more twists and turns.

According to Fichajes, citing journalist Diego Firmino, it could be that Palmeiras will come in with an offer for Casemiro amid doubts over his Man Utd future. The report suggests the veteran Brazil international could be offered a two-year deal by Palmeiras, though it remains to be seen if he'll definitely return to the Brazilian league. Casemiro might well end up having tempting offers from elsewhere, with Saudi Pro League clubs perhaps also realistic as potential destinations for him,

The FT was one of the first to have a subscription business model, because we could see that advertising alone could be very volatile depending on the economy, and so we needed to look at subscription models, but also how we could have direct relationships with our customers. And so that was really where I started. And so when I was approached by Manchester United, the question wasn't do you know sport?

The Women's Super League is back after the winter break, with the league table poised nicely ahead of the second half of the season. Manchester City sit six points clear at the summit, taking full advantage of Chelsea's slight slip-up during their incredible winning streak. Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham are still in the mix for the Champions League places, with the former pair kicking off the weekend with a blockbuster clash that could shake things up at the top.

Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have emerged as the frontrunners to become Manchester United's caretaker manager until the end of the season. The former players, who have both previously managed United, are set for face-to-face talks with the club's leadership. It is not out of the question the pair could also work together because Carrick was a significant part of Solskjaer's coaching team when he replaced Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford in 2018.