Manchester United have managed to get a more consistent run of form together under Ruben Amorim. It took a long time, a year into the Portuguese manager’s reign at Old Trafford, but results have improved in recent weeks, even if consistent performances are yet to follow.

However, one issue United continue to have this season is the fact that they can’t stop conceding goals. The 18 they have let in so far in the Premier League this term are better than just five sides, all of whom occupy 16th to 20th in the top flight.

Despite the defensive frailties, one of the men at the back, Matthijs de Ligt, has been a standout player.

The numbers behind De Ligt's form for Man Utd

It has been a superb second season in red so far for Netherlands international De Ligt. The 26-year-old has been a key man in Amorim’s back three, showing versatility as a central centre-back and a right-sided centre-back.

The Ajax academy graduate has been ever-present in the Premier League. He’s played 90 minutes in all 11 of the Red Devils’ top-flight games, and has surely cemented himself as Amorim’s most trusted defender.

Not only has De Ligt been a colossus at the back, winning 3.55 aerial duels per 90 minutes in the Premier League, but he came up clutch at the weekend. The Dutch defender headed home a stoppage-time equaliser to secure United a late point away to Tottenham Hotspur.

His exceptional performances have not gone unnoticed. Rio Ferdinand, who knows a thing or two about being a top defender for United, was full of praise for the Dutchman recently.

He said De Ligt has been “magnificent” and is “probably the first name on the teamsheet” under Amoirm at the moment.

The defender has been excellent in 2025/26, but it is one of his teammates who could actually be seen as United’s new Nemanja Vidic.

Man United's new version of Vidic

When you think of United’s former captain Vidic, there are a few different things which might spring to mind. He was a colossal defender, and, of course, formed half of that legendary duo with Ferdinand at the heart of United’s defence.

Well, the modern-day version of Vidic under Amorim could be Brazilian legend Casemiro. Of course, he is a midfielder, whereas the former Red Devils number 15 was a centre-back, but there are plenty of similar traits shared by the pair.

Casmeiro, for example, brings a wealth of experience to the United side, which is something Amorim has leaned heavily on this season.

He’s played ten times in the Premier League this season, only missing one game due to suspension after getting sent off against Chelsea.

Games

10

Games started

9

Minutes

620

Minutes per game

62

Goals and assists

4

The former Real Madrid star is also a leader. Of course, he isn’t the club captain, with that title belonging to Bruno Fernandes. Yet, the 33-year-old is a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, and has played under great managers and alongside great managers.

He certainly brings bags of leadership to United’s squad, just as Vidic did all those years ago.

One of the dangers Vidic brought was his set-piece threat. He scored 21 times for United, with many of those bullet headers from a corner or free kick. Casemiro brings the same threat, and even scored from a corner two weeks ago away to Nottingham Forest.

It is easy to see how there are similarities between Vidic and United’s current number 18. The pair are warriors on the pitch, who bring years of experience and a brilliant and important sense of leadership, too.

Casemiro, described as a “monster” player by Statman Dave, has been crucial at Old Trafford under Amorim. Having a player of his calibre in the squad has certainly been vital to their good run of form in recent weeks.

Man Utd star who was "awful" last season is now more important than Mbeumo

Manchester United continue to reap the rewards of this fantastic signing, who could go on to be a future Red Devils captain.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 9, 2025

Karim Benzema has revealed his true feelings about former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo after taking in a supposedly frosty reunion with the Portuguese legend during their respective spells in the Saudi Pro League. Benzema and Ronaldo, who were once colleagues at Santiago Bernabeu, are now in the Middle East with Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr.

• Friends turned foes: Ronaldo & Benzema won many trophies in Madrid

  Benzema and Ronaldo formed part of the fabled ‘BBC’ attacking unit in Spain alongside Wales international Gareth Bale. They savoured La Liga and Champions League triumphs together, while posting jaw-dropping numbers in the goal scoring department.

  Friends have now become foes, with both men heading to Saudi Arabia in 2023. Ronaldo was the first to make that move, following his release by Manchester United, with Benzema following the five-time Ballon d’Or winner after landing a Golden Ball of his own.

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• Getty
  

  Benzema explains his relationship with Ronaldo

  Al-Ittihad have been more successful than Al-Nassr, with Benzema landing a league title and King’s Cup in 2024-25, but Ronaldo is determined to right those wrongs. He did, however, suffer more trophy-chasing heartache in the last-16 of this season’s King’s Cup.

  Ronaldo and Benzema did not have much to say to one another in front of the cameras when Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr locked horns once more, but they were friendlier behind the scenes.

  Benzema has revealed as much, telling when it was put to him that things seemed a little off between two men that were close friends in Madrid: “No, please. We talked in the locker room. We hugged, we talked… Then on the pitch we can't or shouldn't do it again. The same thing again? There's a lot of respect, we're fine. We don't need to teach anything. We're good. We've both learned from each other. It seems like we have to say things or do things in front of the TV. It's not like that. A lot of respect. We find it on the pitch and each of us focuses on our own game.”

• Benzema targets: Veteran striker still going strong

  Benzema added on joining Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, with their presence helping to grow the game in the Middle East: “Saudi Arabia needs players like Cristiano, or like me, or like others who have come here to give them some of the things we have in Europe. We have to teach the local lads what it takes so they can go to other clubs. It's a country that's opening up. The people are well-mannered in their daily interactions. It's a very good place for me.”

  Ex-France international Benzema is now 37 years of age, but has plundered 46 goals for Al-Ittihad through 75 appearances. He said of being in a good place: “Yes, very much so. When I signed, I had just won the Ballon d'Or that season. It wasn't the end of my career; I wanted to keep playing and enjoying football. I feel very good at this club. The fans are great, and the lads are also eager to work hard. These are things I really appreciate on a daily basis.”

  On his immediate targets, he added: “Keep scoring goals, keep playing, keep creating plays, keep giving and transmitting that emotion to people. Not just in Saudi Arabia, but to the whole world of football. Every time I step onto the pitch, I want people to see that. I like to always be doing things, even in training.”

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  What next for Benzema? Contract in Saudi Arabia running down

  Like Ronaldo, Benzema is heading towards retirement. He is yet to decide what will happen when boots are hung up for the final time. Quizzed on whether he could move into management, the veteran frontman said: “I don't know. I have friends who are already involved in coaching and they're always talking to me about it, but it's difficult. Being a footballer or a coach seems different, but it's the same pressure. It's complicated.”

  For now, Benzema is fully focused on his playing commitments. He is only tied to a contract through to next summer, when free agency could be reached, and will celebrate his 38th birthday on December 19.

David Moyes has been reluctant to rotate at Everton this season. The Merseysiders are 14th in the Premier League after a summer of sweeping change, yet signings such as Tyler Dibling and Merlin Rohl remain on the fringe.

In fairness, Moyes did say at the start of the season that Everton’s deep-rooted issues would take more than one summer to eradicate and remould into something progressive, but some are questioning why more is not being made of the resources at hand.

Premier League 25/26 – Fewest Players Used

Club

Position

Players Used

Everton

14th

19

Man United

8th

20

Tottenham

6th

20

Brentford

12th

21

Data via Transfermarkt

However, there is one change the Scotsman would love to make that hasn’t been possible. Indeed, Jarrad Branthwaite continues to languish on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury, and his return would do the Toffees the world of good.

Moyes needs Branthwaite back at Everton

Branthwaite is arguably Everton’s best player. Certainly, he would be the most profitable, with Manchester United billed £70m for the potential signing of the England international last year. No move came to fruition.

But he has yet to grace the Hill Dickinson pitch, having sustained an injury in pre-season. Several weeks ago, a complication in the defender’s muscular recovery led to surgery, and now he is set for an extended spell on the sidelines, with some sources suggesting he will not be ready until after the new year.

This is a powerful and front-footed centre-half whose 6 foot 5 presence demands respect. Much has been made of Everton’s struggles in the final third this season, but we must also acknowledge the ramifications of not having your best defender fit for the opening months of the campaign (this was also true for Sean Dyche last year, when the Blues started off on a four-match skid).

Michael Keane has done a fine job in stepping in for the younger man this season, arguably outplaying the vice-captain James Tarkowski beside him, but there’s no question that Branthwaite, described as an “absolute monster” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, would walk back into the line-up when fit enough to do so.

Everton have made headway this season, but further improvements are needed if Moyes’ side are to break the surface of expectations and find a space among the heavyweights in the Premier League.

Moyes, to be sure, must be more open to unleashing those bit-part members of the squad. Perhaps they could make a marked difference. There’s one youngster who is considered an elite talent, and yet he has not featured this term. Moyes must now unleash him.

Moyes must unleash "generational" youngster

This summer, Everton completed a wave of signings. The most notable addition was Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City, while big buys included Dibling and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry.

But the arrival of Adam Aznou from Bayern Munich, for around £8m, has fallen under the radar. The 19-year-old is an attack-minded left-back, though his versatility permits moonlit roles further up the field and even in an alternative right-back placement.

It is his dribbling that stands out most. Last season, while out on loan in La Liga with Real Valladolid, Aznou averaged two dribbles per game, which stood as the second-highest success rate of any defender in the Spanish top flight (data via BBC).

The Moroccan has even been described as a “generational talent” by the aforementioned Kulig, and it’s curious to note he is alongside Branthwaite in having yet to make his first-team debut for Moyes’ side.

The difference is that he has not been injured, but rather, kept from the action by his manager. Seven times in succession, he has sat on the bench in the Premier League, and seven times in succession, he has remained unused.

There are concerns about the player’s physicality, but there is undoubtedly a reluctance on Moyes’ part to unleash youngsters. Last month, Dibling started against Crystal Palace and ended the 63-year-old’s 185-match streak of not naming a teenager in the starting line-up. Dibling was hooked at half-time.

It has been said that Everton are open to loaning the teenager out this winter, sending him somewhere for a short stay and with the view toward providing him with a suitable environment for growth.

There is reason to this possible route, but whether it is truly the best course of action for an Everton side in need of more dynamism down the flanks is another question. However, Branthwaite before him went out on loan with PSV Eindhoven and returned to the Premier League a better player for it.

Perhaps Aznou could emulate his fellow defender in this regard, heading out for the second half of the campaign before returning next summer and shining thereafter.

Vitalii Mykolenko is limited in his attacking output, with data platform FBref ranking the Ukrainian among the bottom 9% of full-backs in the Premier League this season for shot-creating actions per 90 (0.86). Likewise, Jake O’Brien has been dependable in his makeshift right-back role, but he is naturally a centre-back and his game reflects this.

The left-footed Branthwaite’s return and the robustness he adds could actually be perfect for Aznou as the Morocco international looks to establish himself on Merseyside. It’s a debate with substance on both sides: Aznou could help Everton with his progressiveness this year, and yet a slow, gradual integration might be better for his long-term development.

Patience was always going to be required for a young and talented full-back whose experience on the major stage is shallow. In this, Moyes’ decision to keep him on the sidelines is understandable.

However, many would not agree. There have been opportunities to unleash Aznou, and instead, he plies his trade under Paul Tait’s wing in the development squad.

There’s a sense that Everton are going to attack the January transfer window and target a new centre-forward and fresh full-backs besides. Might it be that Aznou is the answer to the club’s issues down the wings?

In La Liga last season, he won an average of 2.2 tackles and 5.8 duels per game (as per Sofascore), triumphing in 51% of that latter metric.

Work is needed, of course it is, but surely this wonderful and exciting prospect deserves a chance to shine after Everton won the summer tussle for his signature.

Related Everton flop "failed a succession of managers", now he's saving Moyes

This Everton veteran is proving to be the unlikely signing of the summer.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Nov 7, 2025

It's no wonder Camilla Kuver can't stop smiling. After making her Champions League debut only a couple of weeks prior, the 22-year-old has just won her first and second caps for Germany, starting both games against France over the last international break to help her country qualify for the Nations League final. These would be milestones worth celebrating for any player, but they are particularly special for the Wolfsburg defender, given the incredible bad luck she has had with injuries over the past four years.

“I’m not even really sure how I handled it all,” Kuver admits. Coming into this season, Germany’s new centre-back had made just five first-team starts since tearing her ACL in November 2021, at the tender age of 18. In fact, she didn’t get onto the pitch once in the 2024-25 campaign, that her second season with Wolfsburg, the two-time European champions and the most successful club in the history of German women’s football.

But after enduring setback after setback, Kuver looks to finally be on the other side and back on track in a career that still has so much promise. After all, despite all of those injuries, her goals in football were never really gone. “They were just postponed,” she notes.

Now, as huge Champions League encounters with the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and, on Wednesday, Manchester United loom, Kuver has plenty of opportunity to show everyone just why she remains one of the most highly-rated young defenders in the game.

Getty ImagesInjury hell

As GOAL walks through Kuver’s injury history with her, it’s no wonder she admits there were times where there would be questions in the back of her mind asking, ‘Is it even worth it?’ After coming through the youth national teams as a talented and versatile full-back, and breaking into the Eintracht Frankfurt first team as a 17-year-old, an ACL tear during her second senior season would spark the beginning of an incredibly difficult few years.

Kuver was back on the pitch at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, only to suffer another knee injury that would keep her out for eight more months. Then, after making just five appearances during her first season at Wolfsburg, having completed a move to the German giants during her rehabilitation process, she would miss the entire 2024-25 campaign in what she describes as “definitely the toughest” part of an extremely taxing time. Having overcome cartilage damage in her knee that sidelined her for half of the year, a dislocated shoulder and a ligament injury in her foot took care of the rest.

“At some point I couldn't even take myself seriously, I feel like, because I came back from injury and then the next one came. Then I thought, 'Okay, now I'm really getting back', and then the next thing came,” Kuver tells GOAL. “Looking back on that time, I'm not even really sure how I handled it all. I just kind of did. I mean, I had to. I think that's what makes this time right now even more special.”

AdvertisementGetty ImagesFighting through

A lot of people would’ve given up had they experienced the setbacks Kuver did. Yet, aside from what she describes as the occasional “tiny questions in the back of my head”, the 22-year-old never considered quitting. Why? “Just because I love playing football,” she responds. “It's always been the greatest joy in my life.

“During rehab, I realised there's nothing that could compare and there's nothing that could give me the same kind of joy. That was something. I just wanted to be back on the field. Also, I had so many goals – for one, the national team goal. I still wanted to prove myself. I still wanted to show what I can do. That was always something, the mindset of, 'I'm not really done yet'. Even though there were all the injuries and stuff, my goals weren't gone. They were just postponed. That was definitely something that kept me going.”

Getty ImagesHelpful factors

Other factors helped, too. Kuver had several friends who were either enduring or had endured long-term setbacks like hers, meaning she could talk to people who knew exactly what she was going through.

“I've always felt it was easier to talk to people who have gone through the same thing because, of course, people are trying to support you and be empathetic, and I'm sure they can imagine just how hard it is, but it's different when you've gone through it,” she explains. “That was definitely easier for me to talk to those people with. It was very, very important, actually.”

School was a welcome distraction during her ACL recovery, while Wolfsburg’s decision to sign her when she was sidelined the following year provided a confidence boost. “It was definitely nice to hear that people saw my abilities and, despite my injuries, they thought it was worth it,” she says.

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Getty ImagesSavouring the 'special' moments

The hope now is that all of that is well behind Kuver. She speaks to GOAL as a regular starter for the team placed second in the Frauen-Bundesliga table and as someone who, last month, experienced Champions League and senior international football for the first time. The player who ranked ninth in the 2022 NXGN list of the best teenage talents in the world is reminding everyone why she generated so much hype as she broke through. And while the injuries are something she would’ve gladly done without, they have made the recent months all the more sweet.

Kuver describes playing for Germany as something she thought about during her rehab process, “because it’s not always easy to be motivated to go to rehab every single day”. “That was just one of the big goals and dreams that made it possible for me to even get through it,” she recalls. “It is a very, very special feeling. I think it's also important that I keep reminding myself that it is very special, given the journey that I've been on.”

With Major League Baseball's trade deadline a week away, the New York Yankees are looking for help in the hot corner.

Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Eugenio Suárez, who has hit a whopping 36 homers this season, is the hot name on the rumor mill. The Yankees are certainly interested—and have inquired—in bringing in his services, but they reportedly have a backup plan in the works.

According to a new report from MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand, the Yankees have interest in Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon if they can't get a deal done for Suárez.

Suárez, 34, is slated to become a free agent after this season while the 30-year-old McMahon's current contract runs through the 2027 season. McMahon is in the midst of his ninth MLB season, all with the Rockies, and was named an All-Star last year. This season, he's slashing .219/.315/.406 with 16 homers and 35 RBIs for the MLB-worst Rockies.

The Yankees have had six different players play at least one game at third base this year: Oswald Peraza (47), Oswaldo Cabrera (33), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (29), Jorbit Vivas (12), Pablo Reyes (5) and J.C. Escarra (2). As Suárez enters the deadline on a heater and the best bat available, several teams could be willing to give up a better package than the Yankees are willing and able to offer. Although the D-Backs just got swept by the Houston Astros which bumped them 5 1/2 games back of the National League's third wild card, they could decide to keep Suárez too.

Even if he doesn't land in pinstripes, the Yankees seem zeroed in on getting help at third base ahead of the July 31 deadline.

Sometimes, you just don't have a good day at work. We've all been there. Such a day unfortunately came for future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw on Sunday during the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Milwauke Brewers. Kershaw cruised through three innings and looked to be on track towards earning a victory after the Dodgers spotted him a 3-0 lead.

But the wheels fell off in the top of the fourth inning.

The Dodgers defense let Kershaw down, committing a pair of errors that led to to the Brewers plating three runs. In the top of the fifth, Kershaw exited the game after hitting a batter, then allowing a single, after which the Dodgers committed another error.

The southpaw kept his cool on the mound in the midst of the errors but let his frustrations out when he got back to the dugout.

These have to be among the most frustrating days for a starting pitcher. The win is seemingly within the team's grasp, and then, because of circumstances out of the pitcher's hands, the lead disappears.

We feel your pain, Kershaw, we feel your pain.

لا يتعلم نادي برشلونة الإسباني من الأخطاء التي وقع بها سابقًا في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، وتكرر الأمر خلال سقوطه أمام تشيلسي الإنجليزي، بمواجهة الفريقين أمس الثلاثاء.

والتقى برشلونة وتشيلسي على ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج” في لندن، الثلاثاء، ضمن مباريات مرحلة الدوري بالجولة الخامسة، ومُني الفريق الكتالوني بهزيمة بثلاثة أهداف دون مقابل.

وسلطت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية الضوء في تقرير لها، على أخطاء تكررت من قبل فريق برشلونة بمنافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا، وأثرت على نتائج الفريق.

شهدت المباراة تسجيل هدف عكسي من جول كوندي في شباك برشلونة، منح تشيلسي التقدم، كما تلقى رونالد أراوخو بطاقة حمراء بعد حصوله على بطاقتين صفراوتين في نهاية الشوط الأول.

ومن بين آخر ست هزائم للفريق في دوري أبطال أوروبا، شهدت ثلاث منها طرد لاعب من برشلونة قبل نهاية الشوط الأول.

أراوخو ضد تشيلسي، تلقى بطاقته الصفراء الثانية لعرقلته كوكوريلا وكان في طريقه إلى المرمى ضد خوان جارسيا، وكان بإمكان مدافع البلوجرانا تجنب العرقلة، خاصة وهو على علم بأنه إذا تحصل على بطاقة صفراء ستكون الثانية.

اقرأ أيضًا | فليك يضطر لتغيير خطته مع لاعبي برشلونة بعد ثلاثية تشيلسي

كما كان بإمكان أراوخو تجنب البطاقة الصفراء الأولى، والتي تلقاها بسبب احتجاجه على خطأ على لامين يامال.

وفي موسم 2023/2024، تلقى أراوخو بطاقة حمراء كان من الممكن تفاديها ضد باريس سان جيرمان، حين تدخل على باركولا الذي كان في مواجهة تير شتيجن.

وبرشلونة كان متقدمًا بنتيجة 1-0 في تلك اللحظة، وكان متقدمًا بالفعل بنتيجة 3-2 في مباراة الذهاب في باريس.

أكمل برشلونة المباراة بعشرة لاعبين من الدقيقة 29، ومع أداء رائع لمبابي مهاجم باريس سان جيرمان حينها، ودع الفريق الكتالوني البطولة.

وفي الموسم التالي، تحت قيادة فليك، خسر برشلونة مباراته الأولى في دور المجموعات في موناكو، وشهدت المباراة طرد إريك جارسيا، بعد حصوله على بطاقة حمراء بعد 11 دقيقة.

كما شهد برشلونة زيادة ملحوظة في عدد البطاقات الصفراء التي يتلاقها اللاعبون، وقد أثّر ذلك سلبًا على الفريق.

Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has opened up about the controversy surrounding Thomas Tuchel’s exit and revealed that the 2017 team bus bomb attack played a major role in the breakdown of his relationship with the German coach. Tuchel spent two seasons with the Bundesliga club and won the DFB-Pokal in 2017 before being dismissed, a decision that Watzke says he regrets.

• Bomb attack was turning point in Tuchel's Dortmund exit

  Tuchel, who was appointed in 2015, was sacked just days after winning the DFB-Pokal. At the time, the split was believed to be due to internal tension and frustration over the club’s failure to seriously challenge Bayern. Now, Watzke says the turning point came much earlier. He explained that the bomb attack on the Dortmund team bus in April 2017 strained their relationship. The incident happened before Dortmund’s Champions League match against Monaco, and the rescheduled game was played less than 24 hours later. Tuchel publicly criticised the decision to go ahead with the game so soon after the attack, saying the players needed time to process the trauma.

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• AFP
  

  Dortmund chief says relationship with Tuchel had already broken down

  Watzke claims Tuchel's public statement did not match what was agreed internally. He says players were given a choice the night before the game, and that the situation was more complex than how it appeared from the outside.

  "I don't want to go into the details for the hundredth time. What's important to me, however, is that what was reported publicly didn't correspond to what we had discussed internally. Every player was absolutely free not to play the next day without any consequences. We met immediately after the season to discuss how things would proceed," Wazke revealed to .

  He added that once the season ended, talks were held to discuss the future, but the relationship had already broken down.

  "No one tried to find common ground. There was no real dialogue at all. After 20 minutes, it was clear: it couldn't continue."

• Watzke regrets Tuchel exit

  The Dortmund director said tensions between him and Tuchel escalated after the incident, creating a divide that became hard to repair. He believes the situation might have unfolded differently if emotions hadn’t been so high at the time.

  "Looking back: I don't think things would have come to this without the attack," the German said. "And in retrospect, I have to say: I probably wouldn't dismiss Thomas Tuchel today. But back then, we had torn each other apart so much because of this issue that things probably wouldn't have turned out well on a human level."

  Despite the friction, Watzke says he now has a good relationship with the England coach again. "Today I get along well with Thomas again. We talked things out. And I have to say: He is an outstanding coach."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  England thriving under Tuchel

  Tuchel left Dortmund in 2017 and went on to coach Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich before taking charge of England in 2024. He has made a strong start with the national team after a turbulent end to Gareth Southgate's tenure. The Three Lions completed their World Cup qualifying campaign unbeaten and without conceding a goal, finishing with a 2-0 win over Albania. The run has boosted early belief in Tuchel’s project as he prepares for his first major tournament with the English team.