Maresca hails ‘winner’ Fernández but will not make him captain, and De Zerbi defends Richarlison treatment
Michael Carrick has admitted one transfer window cannot provide an “instant fix” for Manchester United but said he was “largely happy” with the club’s business, despite being outspent by promoted Hull, Ipswich and Coventry. United spent £155m on central midfielders but failed to sign a left-back, leaving Luke Shaw as the only senior player in that position.
United go to Everton on Sunday seeking their first away point, having lost at Hull. There were no signings in the final week of the window, despite a number of inquiries for left-backs. Everton asked about loaning Joshua Zirkzee on deadline day but United deemed it too late to source a replacement striker.
“What squad’s ever the perfect squad?” Carrick said. “You’ve always got to find ways of adapting. When you’re building and trying to push, going through a period where we’re trying to get to the top, that’s the ultimate goal. You’ve got to make steps. It’s not going to be one hit where everything is [fixed] and I’m not just talking about players, individuals … I’m talking about the whole thing of improving as a group, improving as a squad. It’s not just an instant fix and you finish top of the league and you stay there.”
Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba arrived to bolster the midfield, and Karl Darlow was brought in on a free as a backup goalkeeper. United start their Champions League campaign on Thursday and there are questions over strength in depth.
“We went into the window wanting to come out stronger,” Carrick said. “From the group we had last season, we’ve added to that, we’ve done a lot of good work. The situation is what it is in terms of finances and what we can do. The players we brought in I’m delighted with; the quality and level we’ve got I’m really happy with. These other things you can do or could have done, that’s part of evolving the group and trying to push all the time. We had certain things we needed to fill and largely I think we’re in a good group. We’ve a good dynamic in the squad. We’ve got players that are flexible in the team and can play in different positions. Largely pretty happy.” Will Unwin
Unai Emery conceded omitting Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Aston Villa’s Champions League squad, two days after the defender joined in a £25m deal from Southampton, prompted a “difficult” conversation. Harwood-Bellis and the 17-year-old Brian Madjo were surprisingly left out of Villa’s 23-man squad.
Emery spoke to Harwood-Bellis on Thursday to advise the 24-year-old, who has one England cap, that he would not be eligible to play in European competition. Madjo is not expected to play until October owing to a foot injury sustained after scoring in the Super Cup last month, but in that scenario would be injured only for Tuesday’s Champions League opener at Club Brugge.
Harwood-Bellis, a deadline-day arrival, was the last of Villa’s 10 summer signings after being identified as a replacement for Ezri Konsa, who joined Arsenal in a £51m deal. It is understood there is no financial reason for the omissions, though Villa’s fight to meet Uefa’s squad-cost rules is ongoing. Emery said he hoped Harwood-Bellis would play in the Champions League later in the season, potentially in February if they advance to the knockout stages, but for now the midfielders Lamare Bogarde and Boubacar Kamara can deputise in at centre-back.
“It was difficult,” Emery said of his decision to exclude Harwood-Bellis. “It is hard for him, it is hard for me to tell him my decision, but I did it yesterday. I spoke with Taylor and explained to him why. Of course, it was hard, but he understood it. For other players like Madjo and [Modou Kéba] Cissé, there are different circumstances, Cissé and Madjo are injured. Of course, hopefully Madjo will be available after the break and the next challenge is for him to get inside [the squad] in January.”
In February 2025, Emery left Donyell Malen out of his Champions League squad, weeks after the Dutchman joined from Borussia Dortmund, for whom he played in the 2024 final against Real Madrid. In the same window the defender Andrés García, who joined from Levante and is on loan at Getafe, was also omitted.
“Taylor arrived as the last one, and we can get the balance [in defence] with Lamare Bogarde, and we can even play Kamara," Emery said. "We tried to analyse it deeply. Taylor will be here for a long time, and hopefully, we will have the opportunity to play in Europe with us, after January maybe, and the next few years. Madjo is 17 years old and is so, so young. He will have, for sure, more opportunities to play with us this year and the next years in Europe.” Ben Fisher
Enzo Maresca has revealed Manchester City’s players repeatedly asked him whether Enzo Fernández was joining before the Argentinian completed his deadline-day move. Fernández signed from Chelsea for a British record-equalling £125m late on Tuesday.
The deal ended a long-running saga, City having been linked with the World Cup-winner for most of the summer, and Maresca says the midfielder has immediately proved popular in the dressing room.
The City manager said: “He’s a winner and when you belong to a squad and another winner arrives they are always happy. I can promise you that in the last four or five days four or five players in the squad were asking if he was coming or not because they wanted him to be with us. It’s very important that he is with us and we are 100% happy with that.”
