Luis Enrique has broken his silence on Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid, admitting it is “a pity” that the Frenchman is no longer at PSG.
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World Cup winner left as a free agent
Now a 'Galactico' at Santiago Bernabeu
Spanish coach has nothing but respect
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WHAT HAPPENED?
After several windows of transfer speculation, World Cup winner Mbappe finally made his way to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2024. He bid farewell to his homeland after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain and becoming a free agent.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
He did not always see eye-to-eye with demanding Spanish coach Enrique, with the ex-Barcelona boss taking to dropping him at times. Mbappe was, however, a revelation for PSG across his seven years in the French capital, becoming the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
WHAT ENRIQUE SAID
Enrique has nothing but respect for the player and man that he spent one season working alongside at Parc des Princes, telling a new documentary from : “In Kylian's case, I met a wonderful player. A person of an exceptional personal level, which you rarely find when you arrive and see a player of that level. Human, affectionate, close. He is a wonderful player. What a pity he went to Madrid. Especially for us at the time. But life is also part of the game.
“I hope everything goes very well for him. I have nothing to reproach him for, he conditioned his departure. We always try to improve his virtues and cover his defects. He has always been very polite and respectful. Also his brother and his parents.”
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WHAT NEXT?
Mbappe hit 256 goals for PSG through 308 appearances, having joined them in the same summer of 2017 that saw Neymar complete his record-breaking €222 million (£185m/$247m) transfer from Barcelona. The France international is now another ‘Galactico’ looking to earn hero status in Madrid.
تحدث علي معلول، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، عن رأيه في تغيير طريقة اللعب في ظل تواجد الثنائي يحيى عطية الله وكريم الدبيس.
وقال معلول في تصريحات عبر قناة “الأهلي”: “كريم الدبيس أخي الصغير، منذ أن انضم للفريق وأنا أتبناه وأتحدث معه كثيرًا وأعلمه الكثير من الأشياء، هو من اللاعبين الذين يريدون التعلم، فكنت أتكلم معه دائمًا وأطلب منه أن يتدرب حتى لو لم يلعب، وحتى عندما جاء يحيى عطية الله، كان كريم يشعر ببعض المضايقة، -فقلت له لا بد أن تتدرب، أنت لا تعرف ما الذي قد يحدث في كرة القدم، سيأتي الوقت الذي ستلعب فيه-، وحاليًا هو يتألق بشكل كبير”.
طالع.. علي معلول: الخطيب فعل معي شيئًا نادرًا.. والأهلي لا يخطئ مرتين متتاليتين
وتابع: “يحيى عطية الله لاعب كبير، ويلعب في منتخب المغرب، ولا يحتاج أن أتكلم عنه، حاليًا المنافسة في صالح الفريق، والمدير الفني هو صاحب القرار يعني، مثلًا، حاليًا سأبذل 200% من جهدي لكي ألعب، وغيري قد يبذل 300% لكي يلعب، وكل هذا في صالح الفريق، وبالنسبة للمدير الفني، سيكون الأمر جيدًا لأنه حتى إذا حدثت أي إصابات، سيكون البديل جاهزًا”.
واستمر: “موضوع أن البعض يقول عني أنني كبير في السن، لا يضايقني بقدر ما أصبح سهلًا على اللسان، يعني مثلًا، أنا في سن 34 أو 35 سنة، وألعب كل المباريات، وأؤثر فيها، وألعب 90 دقيقة وأنا من أكثر اللاعبين الذين يركضون في الملعب، فأين هو كبر السن؟ كريستيانو رونالدو عمره 40 سنة وما زال يلعب، وكذلك ميسي ومودريتش وغيرهم الكثير، إذا كنت تحافظ على نفسك خارج الملعب، يمكنك أن تلعب لفترة أطول”.
واستطرد: “أعيش للكرة فقط، أنهي التدريبات وأكون في بيتي، ولا أذهب إلى أي مكان، إذا كان موعدي في النادي الساعة 2، أكون في النادي الساعة 10 وأغادر آخر واحد”.
واستكمل: “لم أكن متوقعًا تحقيق كل تلك الأرقام، لكن بعدما دخلت في المنظومة ولعبت توقعت أن أحققها، لكن لم أتوقع لهذه الدرجة كنت أحب أن أشاهد سيد معوض قبل اللعب في الأهلي، قابلته في الفندق خلال مباراة ودية بين الأهلي والصفاقسي في دبي، وتوجهت لتحيته وقال لي -أنا نفسي تيجي الأهلي، أنا بحبك وبتفرج عليك- بعدها بسنة انضممت للأهلي وكان هو في الجهاز الفني مع حسام البدري”.
وأضاف: “كل الفرق في إفريقيا تنتظر الأهلي بطل دوري أبطال إفريقيا، وكلها تريد أن تفوز عليك لأنك رقم واحد، فهذه مسؤولية وكل الفرق دعمت بشكل جيد، المهم عقليتك لو ركزت في فوز بالبطولة ستتوج بها”.
وواصل: “علاقتي باللاعبين التونسيين جيدة، كلمت حمزة المثلوثي بعد الإصابة وأتمنى له الشفاء ويعود لفريقه في أسرع وقت، لأنه من اللاعبين المحترمين جدًا، وأحزن على اللاعبين مثله وسيف الجزيري كان يحدثني منذ إصابتي وحرص على رؤيتي كل يوم، لكن لأننا نسكن بعيدين عن بعض كان الموضوع صعبًا، هناك لاعبين تونسيين كثيرين مثل رفيق كابو، جوما، وفخر الدين بن يوسف كلنا نحاول التواصل مع بعض، حتى فرجاني ساسي بعد أن ترك مصر ما زلنا على تواصل مع بعض”.
وتابع: “إن شاء الله يكون استمراري بداية خير لي وللنادي الأهلي، وأكون عند ظن الجميع وخاصة الكابتن الخطيب وإن شاء الله علي معلول يعود بشكل جيد، وبالتأكيد سعادة زملائي والجماهير بعودتي ستكون حافزًا لي لأثبت أن دفاعهم عني لم يكن من فراغ، المنافسة الآن أصبحت أصعب، وكل هذا في مصلحة الفريق والمدير الفني، ولن تكون مشكلة بالنسبة للمدرب”.
واسترسل: “كل مباراة بعد انتهائها أعود لمشاهدتها مرة أخرى، لو في مباراة كنت سيئًا، في اليوم التالي أكون في التدريب وعلى وجهي الحزن حتى لو كنا فائزين وأنا قدمت مباراة سيئة، أكون غير سعيد”.
وأتم: “بالنسبة لي، أهم مباراة كانت نهائي القرن أمام الزمالك، قدمنا بها كل شيء لدرجة أنه في الاحتفال بعد هدف أفشة، لم أكن أستطيع الركض من الإجهاد والضغط طوال المباراة، وقفت في نصف الملعب لا أستطيع الركض للاحتفال، هذه أكثر مباراة كنت راضيًا عنها، قدمنا كل شيء دفاعيًا وهجوميًا عشنا أسبوعًا صعبًا قبل المباراة وأغلقنا على أنفسنا، وهذه المباراة كانت الأهم في حياتنا جميعًا، كان نهائي القرن”.
da bet7： Recuperado de uma lesão no joelho sofrida no dia 13 de setembro, contra o Atlético-GO, Roni voltou a atuar pelo Corinthians no clássico deste domingo contra o Santos, na Neo Química Arena, ao ser colocado em campo pelo técnico Sylvinho na etapa final, substituindo Du Queiroz. Porém, logo depois de entrar, o volante fez uma falta mais dura em Carlos Sanchez e foi punido com um cartão amarelo, que já o deixou suspenso do próximo duelo do Alvinegro.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansATUAÇÕES: Jô marca, dá assistência e garante vitória do Corinthians em grande jogo da equipeCorinthians21/11/2021Futebol NacionalRenato Augusto fala sobre força da torcida e diz que o chamaram de louco por ir para o CorinthiansFutebol Nacional21/11/2021BrasileirãoCorinthians bate o Santos, conquista sétima vitória seguida em casa, quebra marca de Carille e está no G4Brasileirão21/11/2021
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GALERIA >Veja até quando vai o contrato de cada jogador do Corinthians
Esse foi o terceiro amarelo seguido de Roni, que assim não poderá enfrentar o Ceará, na próxima quinta-feira, no Castelão, em Fortaleza, pela 35ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Antes do clássico, ele não vinha sendo utilizado por Sylvinho, apesar de ter sido relacionado para outros jogos após superar a lesão.
Suspenso, Roni só ficará novamente à disposição do comandante para o confronto diante do Athletico-PR, no próximo domingo, em Itaquera, pela 36ª rodada da competição nacional, na qual depois o Alvinegro ainda terá pela frente o Grêmio, no dia 5 de novembro, novamente em casa, e depois fechará a sua campanha contra o Juventude, no dia 9, em Caxias do Sul.
Antes de se lesionar no jogo contra o Atlético-GO, Roni vinha se firmando no time corintiano, no qual disputou 14 partidas como titular no primeiro turno do Brasileirão. Ele acumula três gols marcados e uma assistência na competição.
As David Warner prepares for his final Test, a look back at some of the key moments of his career
Andrew McGlashan31-Dec-2023January 5, 2007David Warner makes his professional debut in a T20 for New South Wales against Queensland. He scores 20 off 11 balls batting at No. 6.January 11, 2009Age 22, Warner makes his international debut in a T20I against South Africa before having played a first-class match. He smashes 89 off 43 at the MCG, including consecutive sixes off Dale Steyn to go to a 19-ball fifty. “It was just like you were out there with Gilly [Adam Gilchrist] when Gilly’s in one of those moods,” captain Ricky Ponting said. “It was pretty entertaining stuff, pretty special clean sort of striking.”March 5, 2009Warner is handed his first-class debut for New South Wales alongside Mitchell Starc. He bats a No. 6, hitting 42 off 48 balls and sharing a stand of 80 with Usman Khawaja, who is unbeaten on 172.January 18, 2009Ten days after that game, Warner has his ODI debut in Hobart. He falls for 5, but in his next match in Sydney he makes 69 off 60 balls albeit in an Australia defeat.March 29, 2010Scores his maiden T20 hundred with 107 off 69 balls for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.October 2011Hits back-to-back T20 hundreds (135 off 69 balls and 123 off 68 balls) for New South Wales in the Champions League.December 9, 2011His Test debut had come a week before in Brisbane, but he was a central figure on what became an epic match in Hobart. He carried his bat for 123 in Australia’s second innings but came up agonisingly short of victory when Nathan Lyon fell to give New Zealand the game by seven runs.David Warner celebrates the fourth quickest century in Tests, against India in 2012•Getty ImagesJanuary 13, 2012In his fifth Test, Warner flays 180 off 159 balls against India at the WACA with his century off just 69. “I was actually looking at my strike rate and I said this ain’t Test cricket, this is something different,” Warner said. “It’s just how I approach the game. I show intent, and it came off today.”June-July 2013Warner is suspended by Cricket Australia after an altercation with Joe Root in the Birmingham Walkabout bar following the Champions Trophy match at Edgbaston. He then misses the first two Tests of that summer’s Ashes after being sent on the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe to find form before being recalled at Old Trafford.January-December 2014In nine Tests during the year, Warner scores 1136 runs at 63.11 with six centuries, including back-to-back tons in Adelaide against India. It remains his most prolific year average-wise (except a lone Test in 2020) and the most hundreds he has scored in a calendar year.March 29, 2015Is part of the Australia side that wins the ODI World Cup with victory over New Zealand at the MCG.David Warner at his first press conference a week after the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town•Getty ImagesJanuary-December 2016In ODI cricket, he scores 1388 runs at 63.09 for the year with seven centuries, the most by an Australian in a calendar year.March 22, 2018The most controversial episode of Warner’s career, where he is one of three players banned for the sandpaper ball tampering incident in Cape Town on what had already been a hostile tour of South Africa where he had been involved in a stairway altercation with Quinton de Kock in Durban. Warner, along with Steven Smith, is handed a year’s ban (Cameron Bancroft gets nine months) but it also comes with a lifetime leadership ban.June 1, 2019Warner makes his comeback to international cricket at the start of the ODI World Cup where he hits an unbeaten 89 against Afghanistan and goes on to amasses 647 runs at the tournament with two centuries.July-August, 2019Averages just 9.50 in the Ashes series as he is tormented by England’s quicks, especially Stuart Broad, from around the wicket. It’s the lowest average in history for an opener with at least ten innings in a series.There’s no doubt who won this contest late in David Warner’s career•Getty ImagesOctober 27, 2019Hits his maiden T20I hundred against Sri Lanka, meaning he has centuries in all three international formats.November 29, 2019Warner plunders an unbeaten 335 against Pakistan in Adelaide, the second-highest score for Australia in Test cricket behind Matthew Hayden and one run ahead of Mark Taylor and Don Bradman. “You grow up knowing what those milestones are,” he said. “Forever you talk about Donald Bradman. I remember Michael Clarke at the SCG declared on 329 not out. They’re things that you look at the history books and say, ‘how did they get there – that’s a long time in the middle’. I managed to go out there and do that, but it takes an incredible amount of patience which I surprised myself.”November 14, 2021Is named Player of the Tournament as Australia win the T20 World Cup for the first time with victory over New Zealand in Dubai. Scores 53 off 38 balls in the final.December 8, 2022Warner angrily withdraws his attempts to have the lifetime leadership ban overturned when the appeal panel insists on holding the hearing in public. “Some things are more important than cricket,” he said. “They want to conduct a public spectacle to, in the panel’s words, have a ‘cleansing’. I am not prepared for my family to be the washing machine for cricket’s dirty laundry.”David Warner scaled new heights against Pakistan in 2019•AFPDecember 26, 2022Becomes just the second player to mark his 100th Test with a double-century with his first hundred in nearly two years. “When your back’s against the wall, you can only look to move forward, that’s how I’ve always been,” he said. “It was emotional, it was hard out there, it was draining. The build-up, the articles… but to come out here and just back myself and look to score, have that intent, which was probably missing from the last 12 months. It was a magical moment and so proud to do it in front of my family and friends.”June 4, 2023Ahead of the World Test Championship final and the Ashes, Warner outlines his plan to retire after the Sydney Test against Pakistan in early 2024. “I’ve always played every game as if it’s my last,” he said. “That’s my style of cricket. I enjoy being around the guys, I love being part of the team, trying to be that ball of energy in the group. I want to just keep working as hard as I can to get there.”November 19, 2023Finishes as Australia’s leading run-scorer (535 at 48.63) in the ODI World Cup as they take the title with victory over India. Having also won the WTC earlier in the year, he is among the group of Australians to have held global titles in all three formats.
da 888casino： Manchester United are in a good place for the moment, and they may now be able to offload one of their high earners in the January transfer window.
Man Utd showing signs of life under Ruben Amorim
da cassino： Three consecutive Premier League victories have given Ruben Amorim a great deal of vindication in his quest to restore the Red Devils to their former glories, and they now appear to look like a side that are thriving under his trademark system.
Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have brought a real sense of flair in the attacking areas, while Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens have proved to be two great additions, and their impact has created a solid spine at Old Trafford.
Speaking on Match of the Day, former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has complimented the fluidity present in Amorim’s midfield, pointing out the synergy between all players to track back in order to prevent opposition attacks.
He said: “A lot has been said about the midfield over the last year and how they get their support and help. You can’t expect two players against a good team to deal with three or four players, but they have found a solution to that.
“The forwards are dropping in to support Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro and Luke Shaw is doing the same to almost make it three in midfield. The formation was quite fluid [against Brighton], and they were all willing to track back. It was such a big shift from them all.”
Amad Diallo was another under-the-radar performer against Brighton, and the more attacking quality that continues to shine through from Amorim’s starters, the less likely he is to go to the bench.
With that in mind, one offensive outlet that Manchester United possess could now be set to exit Old Trafford once the January window opens for business.
Man Utd could offload Joshua Zirkzee on loan
According to TBR Football, Roma have made Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee their number one target and could even look to send Evan Ferguson back to Brighton to recruit the Netherlands international on loan.
The £105,0000-per-week earner has struggled for minutes this season, making five appearances, and he has scored seven times in 54 outings for the Red Devils overall.
Manchester United's AlejandroGarnachoand Joshua Zirkzee celebrate after the match
Everton, West Ham United, and clubs in Italy, Spain and Germany are also keen on the former Bologna attacker, according to Graeme Bailey, and he explained that they are going to sanction a loan exit to allow him regular first-team minutes.
Speaking to The Boot Room, Bailey said: “We are told that Roma are now looking at the mechanisms to send the Irishman back to Brighton, which would enable them to bring in a new front-man, and Zirkzee is their favoured choice.
“Zirkzee is set to move and the interest in him is very strong, he can stay in England, has options back in Italy as we have revealed, but there are teams in Spain, France and Germany too – he really is going to have his pick.
“United are going to sanction it, they really like his attitude and commitment, but given the summer arrivals of Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo, they all realise he is way down the pecking order.”
Over the piece, Zirkzee doesn’t seem like someone who is in Amorim’s immediate plans, so it may make sense to reassess the situation next summer once he returns from a loan move.
da doce： Celtic are reportedly preparing to make their first contact with Wales manager Craig Bellamy, who has become the latest of a number of coaches to be linked with the vacant managerial role.
da aposte e ganhe： There’s been a major shake-up in the Scottish Premiership so far this season. It’s not champions Celtic who lead. It’s not their Old Firm rivals Rangers. Instead, it’s surprise champions-elect Hearts who have taken an eight-point lead at the top whilst those in Glasgow have descended into chaos.
Revealed: Scott Brown's chances of replacing Brendan Rodgers at Celtic
The Bhoys are looking for their next manager.
ByTom Cunningham Oct 28, 2025
The Russell Martin experiment proved disastrous at Ibrox and a chaotic managerial hunt then followed before they landed on Danny Rohl. Now, Celtic are set to follow suit following Brendan Rodgers’ decision to leave the club – bringing an end to his second spell in charge of the club.
Those at Celtic Park will be hoping that their managerial search ends far quicker than Rangers’ did, given that their rivals were rejected by their top two choices.
As a result, work is instantly underway in search of a replacement for Rodgers. Names such as Ange Postecoglou, Edin Terzic and even Kevin Muscat, who rejected Rangers, have all threatened to steal the headlines so far, but it remains to be seen if any of the three emerge as priority choices.
Muscat would of course be an interesting choice after he rejected Rangers. Whether he’s the right choice should be the question asked by Celtic, however. The 52-year-old is yet to have any managerial success in European football and has enjoyed much of his career in Australia, China and Japan.
If Muscat is ruled out then the Bhoys could turn towards Bellamy, who has also emerged as a key option.
Celtic preparing first Craig Bellamy contact
According to Sky Sports, Celtic are now preparing to sound out Craig Bellamy among others about their vacant managerial role in the coming week.
The Wales manager has impressed on the international stage and has admirers at Celtic Park, despite losing both games in the last break, a friendly against England and World Cup qualifier defeat to Belgium. Alas, it remains to be seen whether he’d leave his post at Wales in the middle of that qualifying campaign.
Craig Bellamy
Wales Record
Games
14
Wins
6
Draws
4
Defeats
4
As things stand, Wales sit third in their qualifying group and still have hope of reaching the 2026 World Cup. Luring Bellamy away from that may prove all too difficult for Celtic.
There’s no denying that he would be an excellent choice, though. Speaking to Sky Sports when Bellamy was appointed in his current role, former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw said: “It’s an excellent appointment.
“When I was thinking, ‘who could take Wales forward?’ He was one of the first names I thought about. He’s got a very sharp mind, a great passion for the game and they’ve made the right choice.”
Footage from Barcelona’s Camp Nou construction site shows that stadium renovation plans remain way behind schedule.
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Had hoped to be ready for 125th anniversary
Capacity behind raised to 105,000
Still hoping to be in before end of the year
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Twitter @FCBarcelona
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Catalan giants have invested £1.25 billion ($1.6bn) on giving their famous home a serious facelift. The initial plan was to have the upgraded venue ready for Barcelona’s 125th anniversary celebrations in November 2024.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
That deadline passed with no word on when Camp Nou will be in a fit enough state to welcome supporters through its doors once more. The ambitious project is seeing the capacity at Catalunya’s most iconic sporting theatre raised from 99,354 to 105,000.
DID YOU KNOW?
Footage from YouTuber, BarcaStory, shows that no fans will be entering Camp Nou any time soon. There is still a lot of work to be done, with thousands of seats yet to be fitted. A recent report from Relevo claims that the stadium’s roof will not be installed until the summer of 2026.
TELL ME MORE
Barcelona could move back in before then, with a speculative return date of October 2025 being put in place, with La Liga title hopefuls currently playing their home games at the 54,000-capacity Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The allrounder will bring his superb career to an end at the conclusion of the current BBL
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2023
Dan Christian has secured T20 titles around the world•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
Dan Christian, one of the most decorated T20 cricketers in history, has announced he will retire at the conclusion of the ongoing BBL with Sydney Sixers.Currently Christian, 39, has played 405 T20s amassing 5809 runs and taking 280 wickets. Selection permitting, he will have at least four more matches with Sixers guaranteed two shots at reaching the BBL final having finished in the top two of the regular season.”Yesterday at training I told my Sydney Sixers team-mates that I’ll be retiring from playing at the end of the BBL season,” Christian posted on Twitter on Saturday morning. “Sydney Smash tonight, followed by our last round game against the Hurricanes, and then the finals.”Hopefully we can go all the way again this season, but regardless, it’s been a great run. I’ve achieved things and made some memories that I could only have dreamt of as a kid.”Christian has enjoyed success all around the world over the last decade as his career became increasingly focused on T20. Since 2010, he has won nine domestic T20 titles, most recently the 2020-21 BBL with Sixers, two years after he helped Melbourne Renegades to the prize.Those two BBL campaigns showed the impact Christian can have: in 2018-19 for Renegades he made 254 runs and claimed 15 wickets (including being player of the match in the low-scoring final) then in 2020-21 hit 272 runs with a strike-rate of 182.55 and claimed 15 wickets.His last first-class match came in 2018 although there was a surprise return to Australia’s ODI side in 2021 when he played against West Indies in the Caribbean with the side missing several first-choice players due to Covid restrictions.Dan Christian’s T20 titles•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
He returned to T20I cricket at the same time, after a gap of four years, featuring against West Indies and Bangladesh before being named as a reserve for Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup campaign.”What I didn’t expect to learn as a kid though, is how many people I was going to come in contract with that have had an influence on my career and ended up becoming lifelong friends,” he added. “I’m looking forward to now having the time to catch up with you all and not having to use the excuse: “Sorry, I’ve got cricket.”Christian is a chance to head into coaching. He worked as a coaching consultant for the Netherlands at the recent T20 World Cup in Australia.
da betobet： Despite some nervy moments, Manchester United managed to hold on against Chelsea last weekend to win 2-1 at Old Trafford. The Red Devils secured the three points thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, despite a late Trevoh Chalobah header.
da wazamba： Despite playing against 10 men for much of the first half after Robert Sanchez’s early red card, Ruben Amorim’s side also had a man sent off. Casemiro was dismissed late in the first 45 minutes for a second bookable offence. It means that the experienced Brazilian will miss their Saturday lunchtime trip to the capital to face Brentford.
Amorim certainly has options as to who could replace Casemiro in the lineup, however.
The options to replace Casemiro?
Losing Casemiro in the centre of midfield is a huge blow for the Red Devils. However, it does give Amorim the chance to test the depth of his squad and allows another player to stake a claim and start more often.
It is incredibly puzzling that Kobbie Mainoo is unable to get into the starting lineup at Old Trafford. He burst onto the scene and is a sensational talent, but can’t get into the team under Amorim. Ex-United midfielder Owen Hargreaves said after the Manchester Derby loss, “I’ll never know” how he doesn’t get into United’s XI.
Mainoo is yet to start in the Premier League, and has played just 174 minutes across all competitions, despite performing strongly when given the chance.
Against City, he completed 100% of his passes, won 100% of both his duels and tackles, and created two chances.
If Amorim does choose to keep Mainoo out of the side, then Manuel Ugarte is another option. The Uruguay midfielder has struggled in that famous Red shirt of United, and has never managed to lock down a permanent starting spot under Amorim.
The former Paris Saint-Germain man perhaps lacks the on-ball quality needed in that pivot under Amorim. Last season in the Premier League, he averaged just 39 completed open play passes and lost the ball an average of 9.1 times per 90 minutes.
If Amorim continues to stubbornly overlook Mainoo, or deems Ugarte not the right profile for the trip to Brentford, there is another option he could go with.
United’s alternative to Casemiro
So, the obvious choice would surely be to pick Mainoo, or Ugarte if Amoirm decides against selecting the youngster again. But he does have another player in his squad who could be the ideal alternative to Casemiro.
Although he has operated as a number ten this season, Mason Mount could be ideal for the pivot next to Fernandes. Firstly, the pair played next to each other in that role earlier this season, away to Fulham.
Mount, with major injury issues now hopefully a thing of the past, has been a vital cog in the works for the Red Devils in 2025/26.
The 26-year-old has played five games across all competitions and has one assist in that time, against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup.
In terms of what he can offer United, playing in a deeper role, he obviously brings lots of quality on the ball. This season, he’s created 2.3 chances on average per 90 minutes.
Off the ball, he’s also impressed, winning five duels and making 4.1 ball recoveries.
Mount – 25/26 PL so far
Stat
Per 90 mins
Total
Forward passes
8.6
19
Chances created
2.3
5
Through balls
1.4
3
Duels won
5
11
Ball recoveries
4.1
9
Stats from Squawka
Statman Dave said Mount is a “pressing monster”, and it is the out-of-possession energy the England star can bring that could mean Amorim selects him in the pivot. He’s no slouch on the ball either, with two of his four United goals to date having come against the Bees.
With Mount’s ability to press high from midfield and spring attacks from deep, it could be a shrewd selection from the Portuguese boss if he wants to add quality on the ball in midfield.
It would certainly be a bold call away to a physical Brentford team, but one that could be a good decision.
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Ferran Torres has left the Spain squad due to a muscle complaint, ruling him out of the Bulgaria qualifier and severely deepening Barcelona's injury crisis ahead of the season's first El Clasico. The forward's setback, which follows an injury to Dani Olmo, leaves coach Hansi Flick with a major attacking headache before facing Real Madrid on October 26.
Ferran Torres injury adds to Barcelona’s growing concerns
Torres has been ruled out of Spain’s clash against Bulgaria after reporting muscle discomfort following the match against Georgia. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed that the Barcelona forward played the full 90 minutes against Georgia but experienced a muscle overload, though no structural damage was found after medical tests.
The timing could hardly be worse for Barcelona. The Catalan side are already battling a series of injuries to key players, and Torres' setback piles more pressure on coach Flick’s plans ahead of the season’s first El Clasico on October 26. With Olmo, Fermin Lopez, and Gavi already sidelined, the Barca manager now faces a growing challenge in maintaining attacking consistency and rotation depth.
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What Barcelona lose without Ferran Torres
Torres’ resurgence this season has been one of Barcelona’s bright spots. The 24-year-old forward rediscovered his rhythm under Flick, contributing goals and creative energy from both flanks. In La Liga, Torres has already been directly involved in six goals across 10 games, showing sharp movement, improved finishing, and a growing sense of leadership in the final third.
The Blaugrana are also coping with the absence of Olmo, who suffered a calf muscle injury while with the Spanish national team. The setback forced him to withdraw from Spain’s qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria, and he has since returned to Barcelona for medical evaluation. The injury is expected to sideline him for three to four weeks, almost certainly ruling him out of El Clasico. The club have expressed frustration over how Spain handled Olmo’s fitness, as the player had reported discomfort upon arrival to the national camp but continued training.
Lamine Yamal recovery offers hope for El Clasico
Amid the rising injury list, Barcelona may finally have some positive news. Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal is on course to make his return ahead of the crucial El Clasico clash. According to reports, Yamal is expected to receive medical clearance to feature in Barcelona’s upcoming match against Girona, likely as a substitute. If he comes through that fixture without complications, the plan is to start him against Olympiacos in the Champions League, a crucial step before being fully ready for the showdown with Madrid.
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Injury worries grow for both Barc and Madrid
Madrid are facing their own fitness challenges heading into El Clasico. Dani Carvajal has been ruled out for around a month with a calf injury, while Trent Alexander-Arnold remains sidelined due to a biceps femoris problem. These absences have forced coach Xabi Alonso to rely on younger defenders and reshuffled roles, with Federico Valverde occasionally deployed in a deeper position.
Both sides will therefore enter Santiago Bernabeu with depleted squads, adding another layer of unpredictability to a fixture that could shape the early La Liga title race. Madrid currently lead the table with 21 points from eight matches, while reigning champions Barcelona trail closely with 19 points.