The Athletic’s David Ornstein has named one Manchester United star “going nowhere” this summer, with two reasons given for this transfer stance.

There is expected to be a major squad overhaul at Man Utd this summer as this has been a disastrous season for the Premier League giants, who languish in the bottom half of the table. 

Ruben Amorim‘s squad is not suited to the head coach’s preferred style of play, so upgrades are required in various positions to set Man Utd up for a much better season in 2025/26.

United’s dire season leaves most of Amorim’s squad at risk of being offloaded this summer, but Ornstein expects Mason Mount to stick around.

Injuries have marred the England international following his £60m move from Chelsea in 2023, but he made his return with a decent cameo off the bench against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

Ornstein has revealed that Man Utd think Mount is a “great fit” for Amorim.

“I don’t expect Mason Mount to leave,” Ornstein said in a Q&A for The Athletic.

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“MUFC will be focused on keeping him fit and bringing the best out of him, because they think he is a great fit for Ruben Amorim’s set-up and style.

“Furthermore, I can’t see any club offering MUFC the level of money to produce an accounting profit – and there will naturally be reservations about his injury record. I imagine he’s going nowhere.”

After Man Utd’s 1-0 loss to Nottm Forest, Amorim explained why he thinks Mount is suited to playing as a No.10 in his 3-5-2 formation.

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Amorim said: “If you look at the history of Mason Mount, he played in this system many times, especially in Chelsea, he played left-hand, right-hand [side].

“So I think it’s a very good position for him.”

While Mount is set to stay, Antony could leave permanently after his Real Betis loan ends and former assistant Rene Meulensteen believes an exit is right for all parties.

“Antony has no future at Manchester United,” Meulensteen said. “If I was him, I’d stay at Real Betis, without a doubt.

“He’s never really lived up to the expectations or the price tag at United, but he’s found his feet in Spain. He seems to be a lot happier playing football and in life generally at Betis – which is the most important thing.

“If he returned to Manchester, he’d fall straight back into the rut he was in before he left, which wouldn’t be good for anybody. I can’t see him returning under any circumstance; it’s probably best for all parties that he joins Betis on a permanent deal.”

Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho pinched the nose of Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk in a “physical attack” after a feisty Istanbul derby came to an end.

Mourinho’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat in the Turkish Cup quarter-final against arch-rivals Galatasaray, which ended in chaotic scenes.

Galatasaray’s Kerem Demirbay and Baris Yilmaz and Fenerbahce’s Mert Yandas were all sent off after the final whistle in a melee that was triggered by the former Manchester United and Chelsea manager.

Mourinho was seen clashing with Buruk as the two managers made their way onto the pitch after the match, with the Portuguese head coach pinching his opposite number’s nose.

The Galatasaray manager dropped to the floor dramatically, clutching his face and nose, as players from both sides ran over to see what was happening.

Mourinho, who was pulled away from the incident by his coaching staff, could face retrospective action after getting away without punishment in the immediate aftermath.

Buruk later said: “He pinched my nose from behind. There was a slight scratch. Of course, it wasn’t a very nice or elegant thing to do. We expect managers to behave more appropriately in such situations. I won’t exaggerate this issue, but it wasn’t a classy move.”

Galatasaray vice-president Metin Ozturk added: “Our manager Okan and Mourinho congratulated the referees. After that, while Okan was continuing, Mourinho first verbally and then physically attacked him. Where else in the world can he do this? What does he think of Turkey? I believe that Fenerbahce’s management will impose the necessary sanction before the federation does.”

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There was a backlash in their last Istanbul derby too with Mourinho accusing the Galatasaray bench of “jumping like monkeys” in a 0-0 draw in the league.

That has led to Fenerbahce boss Mourinho filing a lawsuit against Galatasaray in February after they accused him of making racist statements.

Defending himself, Mourinho said in an interview with Sky Sports: “They were not clever in the way they attacked me, because they didn’t know my past.

“They didn’t know my connections with Africa, with African people and African players and African charities. So instead of going against me, I think it boomeranged and went against them.

“Everyone knows who I am as a person. Everybody knows my bad qualities, but that is not one of my bad qualities. Exactly the opposite! The most important thing is I know who I am, and the attack accusing racism was a bad choice.”

Galatasaray trolled Mourinho after their latest match with a viral video…

Galatasaray delirtir. pic.twitter.com/8EzHuxgq4e

— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) April 2, 2025

Scott McTominay claims he was ‘misprofiled’ for much of his Manchester United career as the academy graduate opened up on his reasons for joining Napoli in the summer.

McTominay rose up through the United youth ranks to make over 250 senior appearances for his boyhood club, winning both the League Cup and FA Cup, but was sold to Napoli for £25m in a move the Red Devils are now surely regretting.

He earned the nickname ‘Braveheart’ within a few weeks of his arrival in Naples and has six goals – finding the net in the San Siro, the Olimpico and against Juventus – and four assists in his debut campaign in Serie A as a key cog in Antonio Conte’s Scudetto-chasing side, who are currently three points behind league-leaders Inter Milan.

McTominay says there was an “instant attraction” when he heard of Napoli’s interest amid “difficulties” at United.

“Things were difficult in Manchester,” he told The Athletic. “I didn’t know what was happening exactly. And you instantly know Napoli, the passion of the fans, the quality of the league.”

A number of players who have recently left Old Trafford have enjoyed a significant upturn in their performances, with Marcus Rashford and Antony currently enjoying themselves having left on loan in January, while Anthony Elanga showed his quality to United’s cost on Tuesday.

And McTominay claims he was “misprofiled” for much of his time at United, though doesn’t think anyone in particular is to blame.

“When I got into the first team, I was quite misprofiled in where I was playing,” he said. “It wasn’t the fault of any coaches. My strengths have always been getting into the box, scoring goals, being a problem in there. But I was being used as a No 6, or as a centre-back, and that has never really been my game.

“But when you’re playing for Manchester United and you’re 20, you can’t knock on the manager’s door and say that you expect to be playing at No 8 ahead of Paul Pogba. It’s not realistic. You have to know your place, and do what you’re asked to do. In the last few seasons, I began to get into the box a bit more, to score more goals, and then last year was my best one.”

He was rarely, if ever, considered to be a sure-fire starter at Old Trafford, often lumped in with another midfielder to earn what became a disparaging ‘McFred’ moniker.

He was the victim of annual rebuilds, with Pogba, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro all brought in to fix a midfield that McTominay would inevitably return to by Christmas and be an integral part of the team once again before being deemed not good enough ahead of the summer transfer window.

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“They would always sign someone who wouldn’t necessarily be what people expected them to be,” he added.

“My mentality was that I was always there, ready to go, ready to take my opportunity,” he says. “I always wanted to prove my worth, to show I could play every game. It’s not the sort of thing that affects me. You can only be in control of what you do.”

It was then put to McTominay that he was suffering from being cast as a permanent work in progress having come up through the academy.

“I’d not thought of it like that, but that’s potentially true,” McTominay said.

“It’s Manchester United. You have to be ready. Fans won’t tolerate anyone who isn’t ready. You could play 10 or 40 or 50 games and be moved on, just because you’re not ready at that moment, so you have to go and learn and improve. I was fortunate to play 250 games, to win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, but I wanted to win more. You always want to win.”

Kobbie Mainoo could yet stay at Man Utd and renew his contract with the Red Devils now willing to get closer to his demands, according to reports.

The Red Devils academy graduate has been one of the bright sparks for Man Utd over the last couple of seasons after breaking into the first-team squad during Erik ten Hag’s tenure at the club.

Ruben Amorim has used him further forward at times during his spell in charge of the Red Devils and has been impressed by certain aspects of the 19-year-old’s game.

However, Mainoo is demanding £150,000 a week in order to renew his contract, which goes over and above what Sir Jim Ratcliffe is prepared to pay the youngster.

It has been claimed last month that Man Utd co-owner Ratcliffe has ‘declared war’ with his contract policy recently with Mainoo set to be one of the first casualties.

There had been rumours that Man Utd could now sell Mainoo in the summer transfer window after it became clear that they could struggle to tie him down to a new contract.

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But a fresh report from GiveMeSport claims that Mainoo ‘is open to signing a new contract to remain among head coach Ruben Amorim’s options for the long-term, despite growing rumours involving Europe’s elite’.

The report adds:

‘It is believed that Manchester United are preparing to table a new contract offer, but expectations over his salary remain a key discussion point.

‘Reports have previously suggested a potential 80 per cent pay rise to £180,000-a-week, but this is seen as unrealistic as the Red Devils looks to restructure their wage bill.

‘Instead, they are expected to present an offer well in excess of £100,000-a-week, but closely in line with a deal recently handed to Amad Diallo. Sources say it would be a figure they believe fairly reflects the England international’s rapid rise and growing importance to the team.’

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Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole insists Man Utd will only sell Mainoo in the summer if it comes down to a “financial and business decision” and not a “technical and football perspective”.

Cole told Paddy Power: “Manchester United are in the same situation as a few other Premier League clubs, where they’re going to have to sell academy players to avoid breaking Financial Fair Play. There’s no way that Manchester United will want to sell Kobbie Mainoo from a technical and football perspective, but if they do sell him, it will be a financial and business decision.

“I’d imagine that Kobbie probably doesn’t want to leave United, but he’ll want clarity on where he fits at the club. He’s an England international and one of their better players, so the club looking to sell him will purely be to balance the books.

“I always worry for football clubs like Manchester United, who are predominately making business decisions over football decisions, and over time, that’s not going to do down well with the fans.

“They want to know the club is going in the right direction, they want to see great players and they’ll want to see Kobbie Mainoo in a United shirt because he’s a brilliant footballer.”

Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen claims Ruben Amorim needs to “find a solution” for an “invisible” Red Devils star and another struggling teammate.

Meulensteen – who was at Manchester United for 12 years, the last six of which he acted as first-team coach alongside Sir Alex Ferguson – was used to working with some of the best strikers in world football in his time at Old Trafford.

But Amorim’s current options, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, are not Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez.

And Meulensteen questioned Amorim’s use of the struggling pair, who have each scored just three Premier League this term, claiming Zirkzee was “invisible” in the defeat to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

He told Poker Firma: “Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee aren’t working as a pair up front,” he said. “Hojlund doesn’t work by himself, nor does Zirkzee as a lone striker – he’s more of a ‘nine and a half’. I would like to see him drop deeper and link the play a bit more, but against Nottingham Forest, he was almost invisible! Ruben Amorim has to find a solution for both of them.

“Hojlund relies on service from wide areas, which he isn’t getting; he’s crying out for a ball in behind the back line, that’s what he feeds off. But United overplay too much, so by the time the cross comes in, the defenders are all behind the ball and the opportunity is gone.”

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Meulensteen also believes Antony, who is enjoying his time away from Old Trafford having left to join Real Betis on loan in January, should resist a return to United.

He added: “Antony has no future at Manchester United,” he said. “If I was him, I’d stay at Real Betis, without a doubt. He’s never really lived up to the expectations or the price tag at United, but he’s found his feet in Spain. He seems to be a lot happier playing football and in life generally at Betis – which is the most important thing.

“If he returned to Manchester, he’d fall straight back into the rut he was in before he left, which wouldn’t be good for anybody. I can’t see him returning under any circumstance; it’s probably best for all parties that he joins Betis on a permanent deal.”

Antony has managed four goals and four assists for Betis and the La Liga club are reportedly keen on signing him on a permanent deal in the summer.

But they face competition from Atletico Madrid and surprisingly (very possibly fictitiously) Arsenal, who ‘have identified the Brazilian as one of their priorities to strengthen their attack next summer’ after wiping his two Premier League seasons from their memories.