Manchester United have decided not to hold an end-of-season player awards night for the third year in a row despite qualifying for the Champions League, Confidential can reveal.
The club cancelled the gala event at Old Trafford in 2024 after finishing eighth in the Premier League, and again last year when they slumped to 15th and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham. United are on course to finish third under Michael Carrick having already clinched a place in next season’s Champions League with three games to spare by beating Liverpool on Sunday.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is also in contention for the Premier League Player of the Year award after edging closer to the single-season assist record of 20, held jointly by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. However, it has been decided to honour any personal achievements among the men’s and women’s teams in a more private setting at Carrington later this month.
Sources say the decision is not so much a reflection on a rollercoaster campaign – at 40 games, United’s shortest since the First World War because they weren’t in Europe and fell at the first hurdle in both domestic cup competitions – and more because of a move away from gala awards nights.
Foregoing the glitzy event, which has been a regular fixture for the United stars and their WAGs down the years, is also in keeping with Carrick’s assertion that a club of United’s stature should not be celebrating a top-five finish.
Reds target Ederson
Atalanta star Ederson has emerged as another midfield target for United this summer as the club look to recruit up to three players to strengthen the engine room of the team.
Atalanta’s Brazilian star Ederson is in Manchester United’s sights as they target a midfield overhaul this summer
Despite agreeing a new long-term contract with Kobbie Mainoo, United will need replacements for Casemiro and, most likely, Manuel Ugarte.
Sources have confirmed that Ederson, a 26-year-old Brazil international, is a player of interest. He has one year left on his contract at Atalanta and would be available for around £40million after the Italian club failed to agree terms with Atletico Madrid.
United are ready to spend around £150m on midfielders this summer, and Ederson would fall into the middle bracket along with the likes of West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes and Bournemouth duo Alex Scott and Tyler Adams. Reports in Brazil also claim that United have asked about Botafogo’s £35m-rated Danilo, who has Premier League experience with Nottingham Forest.
Targets in the higher £80m range include Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace, Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni – although United accept that their No 1 choice Elliot Anderson, of Nottingham Forest, would cost in excess of £100m and is likely to join Manchester City instead.
If there is enough room in the transfer budget, United could also sign a squad player in the region of £20m, and have sent scouts to watch Southampton’s Shea Charles, who came through City’s academy.
Rashford is the key to Leao move
A left winger is also high on United’s list this summer, but the club are waiting to resolve Marcus Rashford’s future before stepping up their pursuit of targets like AC Milan’s Rafael Leao.
United are still haggling with Barcelona over Rashford, with the La Liga champions-elect keen to renegotiate his £26m buy clause or take the player on loan at the Nou Camp for another year. Even if Barca don’t end up signing Rashford permanently, it seems unlikely that he has a long-term future at Old Trafford, due to his £315,0000-a-week wages. Arsenal and Bayern Munich are understood to be monitoring the situation.
Even so, United cannot commit to signing another left winger while Rashford’s situation remains up in the air despite assessing a number of options such as Leao. The 26-year-old Portugal international is valued at between £50-60m by AC Milan, who are prepared to sell him this summer amid interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.
The other key positions that United want to strengthen are left back, central defence and a back-up goalkeeper.
AC Milan’s Rafael Leao is also of interest to United – but they have to sort out the Marcus Rashford situation before attempting to sign the winger
City have final say
United’s Under 18s are disappointed at the decision for the FA Youth Cup final to be held at City’s Academy Stadium.
After protracted negotiations between the two clubs – so much so that they will not meet the FA’s deadline of playing the match by May 9 – it was determined that it will not be possible to host the match at the Etihad.
It is customary that the Youth Cup, the most prestigious tournament in academy football, hosts the final at a first-team stadium and City are the only club this century to use their academy ground for such an event.
United packed more than 67,000 into Old Trafford when they last reached the Youth Cup final in 2022, with Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho spearheading that winning team.
There have been whispers for weeks that a match beyond the end of the Premier League season was discussed as a potential option, while a switch to play it at Old Trafford was proposed by the FA rather than United. Instead, it will be held on May 14 at the academy stadium.
Sources close to United’s Under 18s team have expressed their disappointment to Confidential. They say it’s a shame that the first all-Manchester Youth Cup final since 1986 could not be played at the Etihad, but are keen not to fall out with their neighbours over it.
Meanwhile, City sources insist they are not willing to pass up home advantage and that the key reason why the Etihad is not viable is due to ongoing construction on the North Stand ahead of a planned test event on May 20.
Jay McEvoy of United’s Under 18s celebrates a goal. His side’s FA Youth Cup final against Manchester City will be held at City’s Academy Stadium
Gunners were keen on Kobbie
Kobbie Mainoo’s winning goal against Liverpool on Sunday only underlined the young midfielder’s huge potential and why United worked so hard to tie him down to a new long-term contract.
It was Mainoo’s first appearance since signing a new £150,000-a-week, six-year deal and he celebrated in style by scoring in the 77th minute to give United a 3-2 victory over their old rivals.
Old Trafford’s popular matchday announcer Alan Keegan captured the mood inside the stadium, saying ‘goal scored by Manchester born and bred, No 37 Kobbie Mainoo’ which drew a huge roar from the United fans.
As inconceivable as Mainoo leaving United would seem now, the disillusioned youngster came very close to going during his exile under Ruben Amorim and there would have been no shortage of takers.
Besides Napoli, who were Mainoo’s preferred destination for a loan move, Confidential understands that Arsenal were at the front of the queue of Premier League clubs waiting to see how the situation played out. Mainoo stayed and the Gunners will be one of the clubs competing with United in the midfield market this summer.
As well as a new contract, meanwhile, the 21-year-old also has a new tribute song among United fans. To the tune of Billy Ocean’s Love Really Hurts Without You, it goes: ‘Mainoo, United can’t play without you, United can’t play without you, and you’re breaking my heart, when you don’t start.’
Kobbie Mainoo celebrates scoring the winner against Liverpool on Sunday. The midfielder was on Arsenal’s radar if he had not signed a new deal at Old Trafford
Miami nice for Casemiro
Despite Matheus Cunha’s cryptic comment about Casemiro’s future at Old Trafford, Confidential understands there is no chance of a U-turn over the midfielder’s contract and he favours a move to Inter Miami this summer.
Cunha raised the prospect of his United and Brazil teammate staying for another year after they played in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Liverpool, saying: ‘We don’t know in the end how it is with his contract, and then of course everyone hopes there’s a little bit more. You never know.’
However, the decision not to extend Casemiro’s £375,000-a-week contract was made by the club, and United are sticking by that decision as they search for a replacement.
Under the terms of the deal, Casemiro would automatically trigger a 12-month extension if he reaches 35 starts for the season in the final three games against Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and Brighton, but he has agreed to waive that clause in his contract.
The 34-year-old will leave as a free agent and is understood to prefer Lionel Messi’s Miami side over LA Galaxy if he moves to Major League Soccer. Casemiro’s family are said to be keen on a move to Florida after going on holiday there, and the player wants the opportunity to play alongside Messi.
David Beckham’s club would still need to create some space within their wage structure to comply with MLS rules, and Casemiro would have to take a pay cut, but a deal now seems on the cards.
Despite Matheus Cunha’s (left) cryptic comment about Casemiro’s future at Old Trafford, the Brazilian will be leaving the club in the summer
Another Toon raid
United have launched another raid on Newcastle’s academy in a bid to strengthen their recruitment operation.
Confidential revealed in December that United had made a move for Newcastle’s head of youth recruitment Paul Midgley who eventually turned down the offer to stay on Tyneside. Now United have headhunted their Premier League rivals’ lead youth technical scout Harvey Busby to fill the role of lead national scout at Carrington.
It’s understood that Busby would be responsible for the Under 14-16 age groups if he becomes the latest addition to United’s revamped set-up.
Statue of liberties
Eyebrows were raised at United when a video of two teenage girls appearing to throw underwear onto the Holy Trinity statue went viral. The stunt, which took place on the forecourt outside Old Trafford, has generated more than 350,000 views on Instagram alone.
Unfortunately for United the forecourt outside the ground is deemed as public property, rather than private, thus limiting their ability to clamp down on such antics.
Kit salute to ’77?
It’s that time of year for next season’s kit designs to leak out, and if one of those circulating on social media is correct, United’s home shirt for the 2026-27 campaign will give a nod to the FA Cup winners of 50 years ago.
The traditional red jersey features a black-and-white striped collar reminiscent of the Admiral kit worn by Tommy Docherty’s side when they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the 1977 Cup Final, ultimately stopping their bitter rivals from winning the Treble.
Of course, there would only be three stripes on the collar of the new adidas shirt – if indeed the images are genuine. Watch this space.
Cristiano’s cooking
There were some memorable tabloid tales about Cristiano Ronaldo’s antics with Anderson and Nani after he took the duo into his Cheshire home for a year after they signed for United at the same time in 2007, but life was more domesticated than you might think according to the Brazil star.
Anderson (left) has been speaking about his time at United, living with Cristiano Ronaldo when Anderson did the shopping and Ronaldo did the cooking
Speaking to the Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, Anderson revealed that he would do the weekly shop at Costco and Ronaldo would take care of the cooking.
‘He took me and Nani inside his house like brothers,’ Anderson told his old teammate Ferdinand. ‘He looked after us so very well, I have to say. He was cooking for me. We have to help in the supermarket. One week you have to pay for the supermarket and then another week. It’s like this because we were living free in his house.’
Life together wasn’t so harmonious with the three players known for their competitiveness and bickering. Nani revealed last year that he and Ronaldo would battle to see who could complete the most laps underwater in the pool at his house.
‘Me, Nani and Ronaldo fought 24-7,’ said Anderson. ‘We always fight, but everyone loved each other. Ronaldo doesn’t like to lose. When you win, he’s mad. He’d go crazy and start to fight. When you play ping pong, he wouldn’t talk to me for two days!’
The full interview can be seen at www.youtube.com/@rioferdinandpresents
Omar builds bridges
A special guest for the Liverpool game was Hakim Hajoui, Morocco’s ambassador to the UK, who was hosted by United CEO Omar Berrada.
Berrada, born in Paris but to Moroccan parents, presented Hajoui with a United shirt signed by the squad as the diplomat and the United chief met to discuss plans to twin Manchester and Casablanca as cities by 2030, when Morocco are due to host the FIFA World Cup.
Morocco view Manchester as a pioneering city for sports tourism, with United a market leader in this department, so Hajoui was sent on a fact-finding mission as part of his diplomatic visit to the North West.
Jones’ early getaway
Spotted on a flight to Turkey, former United defender Phil Jones and his family made an early dart for the sun at the end of the Championship season. The 34-year-old former United defender has been on the coaching staff at his old club Blackburn Rovers under Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill since February.
Blackburn were in the relegation zone at the time and finished the season two places clear, although it’s still unclear if O’Neill will remain in charge at Ewood Park.
Jones, who cost United £16.5m when he moved to Old Trafford from Blackburn in 2011, spent two years working with United’s youngsters at Carrington as part of his coaching badges. The Premier League title and relegation battles may be reaching a climax, but for those like Jones not involved in the EFL play-offs, summer has come early.
