Erik ten Hag has been named as the Premier League's Manager of the Month, joining Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford in gaining recognition for the Red Devils' September exploits.

Rashford was confirmed as the Player of the Month earlier on Friday, and Ten Hag's win made it an Old Trafford double.

A truncated schedule meant United only played twice in the league this month, but they beat both struggling Leicester City and previously undefeated leaders Arsenal.

United are now on a four-match winning run heading into Sunday's derby against Manchester City – Ten Hag's first since being appointed at the start of the season.

This is only the second time a United boss has been named the Manager of the Month since Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013.

The other was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in February 2019, which was also the only other occasion on which Rashford was the Player of the Month.

Marcus Rashford described his delight at working under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United after being named the Premier League's Player of the Month for September.

Forward Rashford scored two goals and assisted two more in United's two league matches this month.

Both games – at Leicester City and at home to leaders Arsenal – ended in victory to extend United's winning run to four in the top flight.

In an interview with MUTV after earning the award for the second time in his career (also January 2019), Rashford deflected praise as he suggested "everyone's chipped in" to aid United's revival.

He also described his "favourite moment" of the month as his assist for Antony against Arsenal, ahead of either of his own two goals that day.

"Antony scoring his first goal on his debut – I think that's a massive moment," Rashford said. "It gives us strength and courage."

And the England international, who was missing from Gareth Southgate's latest squad following injury, believes United as a team are moving "in the right direction" following Ten Hag's appointment as manager at the start of the season.

"It's a fresh start and something to work towards," Rashford added. "For me, it's done me wonders.

"I'm very happy that he's here, and I'm just happy that his desire is to improve everyone and improve the team.

"It's an exciting feeling to be working towards a big end goal. Hopefully we can keep taking steps in the right direction, keep picking up points and keep progressing in tournaments."

A truncated schedule saw United score only four times in September, but Rashford had a hand in each of them and is now looking to perform on a more consistent basis.

"For me, as an individual, it's just about doing that as often as I can, trying to help the team with goals and assists and just my all-round play," he said.

Rashford has three goals and two assists for the season, having only contributed four goals and two assists in the Premier League in the whole of the previous campaign.

The 24-year-old has never previously tallied as many as five goal contributions through his first six appearances of a league season.

Real Madrid were among the contenders chasing Erling Haaland's signature over the off-season.

Los Blancos, along with Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, were keen on the former Borussia Dortmund forward.

Ultimately, the Norwegian decided to join Manchester City, starting on fire with 14 goals in 10 games in all competitions, but Madrid are keeping an eye on him.

TOP STORY – MADRID PLANNING LONG-TERM MOVES FOR CITY DUO

Spanish giants Real Madrid are plotting moves to sign Manchester City pair Joao Cancelo and Erling Haaland, reports AS.

Madrid will attempt to sign the 28-year-old Portuguese full-back in mid-2023, with Cancelo contracted until 2027, although the report claims he will cost around €40-50million (£35-44m).

The Spanish champions are planning a swoop for Haaland but not until 2024, with Karim Benzema in the twilight of his career.

Haaland reportedly has a termination clause in his City contract worth €180m (£158m) up until 2024.

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Star reports that Manchester United and David De Gea are set for key talks on his future, with the goalkeeper's contract expiring in mid-2023. United hold an option to extend his stay.

– Manchester United may struggle in their bid to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, with the Villans to turn down any offer for him in January, claims Football Insider.

– Barcelona are keen to sign Wolves 25-year-old midfielder Ruben Neves as a long-term replacement for 34-year-old Sergio Busquets, reports Sport. Neves will be the Blaugrana's top target at the end of this season.

– Gerard Pique is not interested in joining Atletico Madrid in January, claims Sport. The defender has fallen out of favour at Barcelona, but he is determined to fight for his spot.

– Calciomercato claims that Chelsea are interested in Inter wing-back Denzel Dumfries. The Italian club may be willing to part with the Dutchman for approximately £44m.

– Colombian forward Luis Muriel is ready to leave Atalanta, with a move to Fiorentina on the cards, according to Calciomercato.

– PSV striker Cody Gakpo is likely to have more offers in January with Manchester United, Southampton and Everton all still interested, claims Football Transfers.

– Thomas Tuchel is Real Madrid 's preferred replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, according to El Nacional. The Italian has told the club he does not intend to manage Madrid beyond this season.

The Premier League returns now the September international break is done and dusted, and it will be foot to the floor until the World Cup comes around.

With two disrupted months of the season almost gone, some teams are settling down at this stage, while others are continuing to tinker in the hope of igniting their campaigns.

The Qatar 2022 break is on the horizon, adding an extra dimension as many players jostle to earn tickets on the plane with their national teams.

Opta data points to familiar faces who may be primed to deliver those all-important fantasy football goals and assists this weekend, as well as a couple of less-vaunted prospects who could boost your points tally.

Jose Sa (West Ham United v Wolves)

Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa has seen his side struggle this term, with just one win so far meaning they sit a spot above the bottom three – but it has not been down to his own form, with only Manchester City's Ederson having kept more clean sheets than his three this term.

No side have scored fewer goals than Wolves' weekend opponents West Ham this season (three, tied with Wolves themselves) which suggests Sa could be on course to bank another strong performance between the posts.

West Ham have been wasteful with their chances, and are underperforming against their expected goals (xG) tally by 4.6 goals, the worst such record in the Premier League.

Kenny Tete (Fulham v Newcastle United)

Sitting sixth coming out of the international break, Fulham already look on course to avoid the drop back to the Championship, and that has come with a handy assist from their Dutch right-back.

No Premier League defender has more assists than Tete this season (three), with only Kevin De Bruyne (six) and Bukayo Saka (four) providing more among all players.

In addition, two of those assists from Tete have come in his last two games for the Cottagers, suggesting a rich chance he could maintain his form.

Son Heung-min (Arsenal v Tottenham)

Having endured a dramatic goal drought to start the season, South Korea international Son's freewheeling hat-trick off the bench last time out likely pushes him back to the forefront of Antonio Conte's plans.

If he bags three goals again in the north London derby, he would become the eighth player to achieve the feat in consecutive Premier League games.

What's more, he can continue to build on an exceptional 2022, where only team-mate Harry Kane leads him for overall Premier League goals (18) and involvements (24).

Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City v Manchester United)

While team-mate Erling Haaland has been tearing up the goalscoring charts, the Belgian heart of Pep Guardiola's side remains a surefire bet for any fantasy football player.

No player has provided more assists (6) or created more chances (25) than De Bruyne this season – and after his prior exploits against United in March, he'll be eyeing up another superb performance.

In a 4-1 City win on that occasion, he scored twice and assisted once. Only against Wolves in May, when he scored four times, has De Bruyne had more goal involvements in a Premier League game.

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has hit out at the club's recruitment in recent transfer windows, describing it as a "complete mess".

United missed out on Champions League qualification last season despite spending big to attract the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford, and left it late to do their business this year.

Although Casemiro and Antony arrived shortly before the closure of the transfer window, United frustrated fans with a drawn-out, fruitless pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, while they failed to sign a striker amid uncertainty over Ronaldo's future.

While a run of four consecutive wins has got Erik ten Hag's men back on track after they lost their first two games of the Premier League campaign, Scholes believes something must change.

Recalling last year's transfer activity while speaking to Gary Neville for the Overlap, Scholes said: "[In Sancho] you've got a young player you spent a lot of money on who, don't get me wrong, did great in Germany but was unproven in the Premier League.

"Cristiano was proven, of course he was, but he was 36. Varane, I always think, 'why would a club like Real Madrid let Varane go?' 

"If you looked at him last season, he didn't look right. I didn't think it was a great transfer window. 

"It's been a complete mess. It looks like there's nobody in charge of it. Nobody at the club is taking responsibility for it.

"It is [director of football] John Murtough? Is it the manager? I think they need to put someone in charge of recruitment. What will happen eventually is the manager will get blamed for it."

United began the campaign with humiliating defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford before Ten Hag adopted a more pragmatic counter-attacking style, and Scholes believes that approach is necessary given the make-up of their squad.

"I think even with the new manager now, he's stumbled across it," Scholes said."I think the Old Trafford crowd get nervous when the goalkeeper is trying to play it 10 yards to the centre-back.

"When you talk about a club with a philosophy, that's not Manchester United, it's Barcelona, it's Manchester City now, it's Ajax. 

"I don't know if the manager's done it on purpose or just got lucky. After Brentford he realised, 'I don't really have the players to do that'. After the Brentford game, there was a change."

Cristiano Ronaldo can be much more than a super-sub for Manchester United this season and still has plenty to offer, according to a former Old Trafford favourite.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has started just once in the Premier League this season, also making five appearances off the bench, and he has yet to score or have an assist.

A derby at Manchester City awaits United on Sunday, and it remains to be seen whether manager Erik ten Hag considers 37-year-old Ronaldo for a starting role at the Etihad Stadium.

Last season's 24-goal top scorer for United missed the club's pre-season tour in July for personal reasons, and he has looked to be lacking in sharpness in the early weeks of competitive action.

Raimond van der Gouw, who spent six seasons at United during the Alex Ferguson era, suspects Ronaldo will come good again, suggesting it is just a question of getting the timing right in terms of elevating his involvement.

Asked if Ronaldo might be a perfect impact substitute for United this season, Van der Gouw told Stats Perform: "I will not say that. No, no, no, no.

"I mean, okay, he's not 30 any more. He's 30-plus, but he's so fit. But he missed a part of the pre-season."

Former goalkeeper Van der Gouw said those weeks before the season gets under way are hugely important, and anyone not up to speed when the competitive action gets going can struggle. He sees Ronaldo offering far more than cameos from the bench in future.

"You look for your form, you're still a little bit behind in the condition. So it's a matter of when is the right time to fit in," Van der Gouw said. "But in the meantime, you have seen the team is performing, so then you don't change so quickly a team. I think it's a matter of time of when do you put Ronaldo in, and can he deliver what he can deliver?

"And I think with his age, he's still good enough.

"You can be fit and doing your work in a gym, but you need your match fitness, and you only get that by playing games. And that's what he didn't do it in the beginning. So he's a little bit behind."

Ronaldo has played 207 minutes in the Premier League this term, taking 12 shots in that time, with just two of those going on target.

He scored his first goal of the season in the Europa League, with a penalty against Sheriff, before going away on international duty.

Even with Portugal, where he played full games against the Czech Republic and Spain, Ronaldo has not been immune to flak.

After a 1-0 defeat to Spain this week, Ronaldo's performance was heavily criticised, to the dismay of his sister, Katia Aveiro.

She said the critics were "sick, petty, soulless, stupid and forever ungrateful".

Ronaldo was also defended by Bruno Fernandes, his Portugal and United team-mate, who said: "This is a phase. When the goals start to appear, he will have more capacity and tranquillity to continue scoring many goals for our national team. We cannot forget that he is the best scorer ever."

The Ronaldo of years gone by might have hit back at detractors by producing a match-winning performance in his next game, but the bench may beckon again this weekend.

Van der Gouw has no doubt City will provide tough opposition for United.

"Well, at the moment, it's obvious City's much further [ahead] than Man United. It's quite clear," said Van der Gouw, who was for many years Peter Schmeichel's deputy.

"So in a certain way, you're hoping that it will be an interesting game. It's always a different game compared [to others]. It's not just a normal game if you play against City.

"Everybody has to be really sharp. And then we will see who's going to be the winner. That's a massive game. Massive."

Jude Bellingham is attracting plenty of admirers with his impressive performances for Borussia Dortmund and England.

The 19-year-old midfielder joined Dortmund from Birmingham City in 2020.

Bellingham is contracted until 2025, but clubs are queueing up to sign the young prospect.

TOP STORY – BLUES JOIN QUEUE FOR BELLINGHAM

Chelsea are the latest club to join the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, reports the Telegraph.

Fabrizio Romano claims that Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Manchester United along with the Blues are all pursuing a deal for the teenager.

Romano reports that Dortmund are not in talks with any clubs yet, instead deferring any discussions and decision on a price tag until after the 2022 World Cup. The Telegraph claims that Bellingham will cost around £130 million (€145m).

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Mail reports Manchester City want assurances from Bernardo Silva that he will not push for a move at the end of this season following links with Barcelona during the last transfer window. City are said to be planning talks with Silva in the coming months.

– Barcelona are interested in Ilkay Gundogan, who has less than a year remaining on his Manchester City contract, reports Sport. The German midfielder, who turns 32 in October, has been with City since 2016.

– Karim Benzema and Real Madrid are close to agreeing to an extension on his contract, locking him down at the club until 2024, reports Italian journalist Nicolo Schira.

– Tuttosport claims Milan have offered Rafael Leao an improved contract worth €6million per season plus bonuses, as they attempt to fend off interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.

– The Sun claims Arsenal will make a January move for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz after failing in an attempt to sign him on deadline day.

– Socceroos 18-year-old forward Garang Kuol has flown to England to sign with Newcastle United having reached an agreement with his Australian club Central Coast, claims Fabrizio Romano. Sky Sports reports that Kuol will be loaned out in January.

Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland can reach the levels of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, according to former Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Mohamed Sissoko.

Both PSG forward Mbappe and Manchester City striker Haaland have proven to be highly talented players with phenomenal goalscoring records in recent seasons. 

Haaland scored 67 goals in his two and a half seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, and has subsequently lit up the Premier League since his transfer to City – scoring 14 goals in 10 outings in all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side. 

Meanwhile, PSG's main man Mbappe has not been shy of scoring goals for some years now and on the biggest of stages, not least in the 2018 World Cup final with France.

With Messi and Ronaldo approaching the twilight of their respective careers, questions over who is to replace them have inevitably arisen. 

Sissoko believes Mbappe and Haaland can reach those levels, telling Stats Perform: "They are scoring a lot of goals. They are different players also.

"I think Mbappe is a top player, Haaland also. I think they can reach Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, for sure."

Much was made of PSG's transfer window, with Mbappe initially linked with a move away before he decided to stay under new head coach Christophe Galtier, who was brought in as Mauricio Pochettino's replacement.

Sissoko commented: "I think [Galtier] is the right appointment. He knows French culture. He worked with a lot of Portuguese people so he knows how to manage this type of player.

"He has a sporting director [who is] very good and very respectful. So I think they are doing everything well to win, one day, the Champions League."

When pressed further of PSG's chances of winning that illustrious first Champions League, Sissoko said: "I don't know because the teams are very strong, like Bayern Munich and Manchester City. All of them are very good. We will see."

Cristiano Ronaldo held talks with Al-Hilal over a possible move from Manchester United during the transfer window, according to the Saudi club's president Fahad ben Nafel.

The Portugal international was repeatedly linked with an exit from Old Trafford following the arrival of Erik ten Hag, but a move away did not materialise before the deadline.

Riyadh-based Al-Hilal, who won the Saudi Professional League last season, were one of a number of teams touted as a possible destination for Ronaldo.

They were reported at the time to have offered Ronaldo a two-year deal worth the equivalent of a mammoth £211million, which works out at around £2m a week.

And in an interview on the Thamanya YouTube channel, Ben Nafel claims a blockbuster deal for Ronaldo only fell through due to the club being placed under a transfer ban.

"Yes, we negotiated with Ronaldo. The problem was not in the money or the principle," he said.

"Al-Hilal is able to bring in the stars of the world, but it was in the decision of the Sports Arbitration Center that prevented us from registering the players.

"We did not stop negotiating with the players despite the decision to ban, but we were delaying entering the final stage of the negotiations until the ban was lifted."

Ronaldo rejoined United from Juventus in August 2021 and has another eight months to run on his existing contract.

The 37-year-old missed the majority of United's pre-season campaign owing to family reasons and has started just one of their six Premier League games this term.

Jamie Carragher believes Harry Maguire's England place may now be untenable and thinks the defender must leave Manchester United to recapture his best form.

Maguire started United's first two games of the Premier League season – defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford – but has been relegated to the bench amid a four-game winning run for Erik ten Hag's men.

Maguire's lack of game-time at Old Trafford led to criticism of Gareth Southgate's decision to select him for England's Nations League ties against Italy and Germany, and the defender did not help his case with two nervous performances.

Having started as the Three Lions were relegated from League A with a meek 1-0 loss in Milan last week, Maguire gave away a penalty in Monday's 3-3 draw with Germany.

On Wednesday, former Liverpool and England defender Carragher said criticism of Maguire's performances was justified, writing in the Telegraph: "Harry Maguire should be angry.

"He should be angry that he has gone from England's best defender at the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Euros, where he was named in the team of the tournament, to being presented as a laughing stock.

"He should be angry that he has gone from a player England fans saw as 'one of their own' when singing his name incessantly during internationals, to someone who some supporters think it justified to boo whenever his name is announced in the stadium.

"He should be angry that he finds himself fighting to justify his place in England's World Cup squad on the back of being left in limbo at Manchester United.

"And he should also be angry when looking at himself and asking; 'how have I allowed it to come to this', when not so long ago he would have been alongside Harry Kane as one of the first names on Gareth Southgate's team sheet.

"No-one deserves the kind of mockery coming Maguire's way. Some of the criticism towards him is that which you would expect directed at bad apples – poor characters who undermine their clubs or teams. 

"Maguire is not that. But strong reactions are inevitable when you become an £80million player. 

"Criticism of his performance against Germany is valid and justified and Southgate must assess if Maguire is mentally right for a World Cup, able to show he can put all the issues behind him. 

"In the past, it is something Maguire has struggled with. How can the manager make such a big call before the opening game against Iran unless Maguire is playing for his club?

"'We've got to pick our best and experienced players unless we're in a situation where it is almost untenable,' Southgate said on Monday night. Unfortunately for Maguire, we may already be at that stage."

With Ten Hag preferring Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez at the heart of a new-look United defence, Carragher thinks the time has come for Maguire to call time on his spell at Old Trafford.

"Too often, it looks as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders, like he is a startled bunny more than the authoritative centre-back he was," Carragher added.

"I think it is too late at club level. I wrote last year he was fighting for his Manchester United career.  He needs this to be his final season at Old Trafford and start afresh. Now it is England's problem.

"When I watched Maguire in the last two games, I felt sorry for him. But that is not a good look for any sports person. Sympathy will not get him back where he was two years ago."

Having failed to win any of their last six matches, England are experiencing their longest winless run going into a major tournament, and their worst patch of form since another sequence of six games without victory in 1993.

Luke Shaw had no grievances about being dropped by Manchester United in August, even agreeing that Erik ten Hag needed to change something.

Shaw started United's first two Premier League games of the season, defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and then Brentford.

The 4-0 loss to Brentford meant United finished a day bottom of the Premier League table for the first time in 30 years – 1992 was also the last time United had begun a league season with back-to-back defeats.

Shaw and Harry Maguire were the ones to pay the heaviest price. Neither has started any of the four league games since, all of which United won, while the left-back has not played a single minute in those games.

Despite a lack of action, both players featured for England during their two Nations League games in the past week and Shaw is hopeful of playing more regularly for United ahead of the World Cup, even if he accepts being dropped for Tyrell Malacia was not hugely surprising.

Asked by talkSPORT about playing more before Qatar 2022, Shaw said: "That's what everyone wants.

"I think Ten Hag, the boss, he knows my qualities, he knows what I'm capable of and we've had chats.

"It's understandable that – and I even agree – the start of the season wasn't good enough and he had to make changes. And I fully accept that, I accepted it.

"The only thing I can do is train hard and wait for my opportunities, whether that's in the cup games or the Premier League.

"Whatever I play in, I just have to be ready and play at the standard I should be at."

Shaw scored in England's 3-3 draw with Germany on Monday, a result that did little to ease the pressure on manager Gareth Southgate.

England's loss to Italy three days earlier confirmed their relegation from the top tier of the Nations League, but Shaw thinks the criticism of Southgate is unfair given what he has achieved in the job until now.

"You look at the results of the last two major tournaments and it's bizarre how people can attack him and say it's not good enough," Shaw added.

"At the moment we haven't won, we have to win a major tournament to be extremely successful, but we're heading in the right direction and he's guiding us in the right direction.

"From when he first came in, you've seen the difference in the England team to where we are now but of course the results recently haven't been good enough. We'll be ready in the World Cup."

England captain Harry Kane was "proud" of Harry Maguire for playing through injury towards the end of Monday's draw with Germany despite it being a nightmare match for the defender.

Centre-back Maguire has become a much-maligned figure at Manchester United, with his performances routinely called into question over the past 12 months or so.

That ultimately led to him being dropped by new manager Erik ten Hag in August after United lost their first two games of the new Premier League season – he has not started since in the top flight and the Red Devils have won four matches on the bounce.

England manager Gareth Southgate backed Maguire at the start of this international window, suggesting he would stake his reputation on the defender's selection before starting him in both Nations League games despite previous vows to pick players on form.

Serie A-winning Milan defender Fikayo Tomori was left out of the squad entirely on Monday while Maguire went on to endure a nightmare, with his individual errors contributing to England finding themselves 2-0 down.

England remarkably fought back to go 3-2 up with three goals in 12 minutes before Kai Havertz's second rescued a point for Germany, and while the focus was already on Maguire – who was later spotted limping through the mixed zone – Kane praised his character.

"Any individual mistake, you're going to be gutted. But we are a team, we will get behind each other," Kane said.

"They [Maguire and goalkeeper Nick Pope] will learn from [their errors] and they'll move on. They have been great for us every time they put the shirt on.

"H [Maguire] had a pretty decent injury there at the end, where he played another five, 10 minutes, on almost one leg.

"Great character from him [to keep playing], I'm really proud of him for that."

After the match, Maguire said sorry to supporters on Instagram following his errors.

The first was a poor pass out from the back that was intercepted by Jamal Musiala, whom he then clumsily fouled in the area. Ilkay Gundogan scored the penalty.

For the second goal, Maguire was robbed of possession – again, Musiala was his nemesis here – up the pitch and Germany sprung a rapid counter-attack that was rounded off by a gorgeous Havertz finish.

"Mistakes are part of the game, I apologise," Maguire wrote.

"Great fightback and spirit to get us back into the game by the lads. Take the positives and look forward to Qatar. The tough times will make us stronger."

Marcus Rashford is reaping the benefits of getting "back to basics" this season, according to Manchester United legend Andrew Cole.

England forward Rashford endured a desperately disappointing 2021-22 campaign for the Red Devils, in which he scored only five times in 32 matches across all competitions as United finished sixth in the Premier League.

This term, Rashford already has three in six – scoring once in the 2-1 win over Liverpool and celebrating a brace in a 3-1 triumph against Arsenal.

While his improvement in form failed to yield an England recall for the Nations League matches against Italy and Germany, Cole – who won five Premier League titles and was part of the famous treble-winning team of the 1998-99 season – is happy to see Rashford back among the goals.

"It's nice to see [Rashford doing well]," Cole told United's official website. "He's got the confidence back, [and] scoring goals. I think he'll be really happy with that.

"If he can propel Manchester United forward this season, gets us into – I'm not sure what position we are going to end up in exactly, but if we can finish in the top four, it'll be good.

"It's the first time we've seen Marcus run in behind and stretch teams since he first got into the first team. 

"I think he went away from his strengths [last season], which was stretching teams.

"If you look at how he's playing now to when he first got into the team, people will turn around and say, 'that's the Marcus Rashford of old.'

"If he sticks to that, he'll score goals."

Cole is confident Rashford will also earn a call-up to England's World Cup squad in Qatar if he can continue his good form.

"You'd believe that [he can play for England in Qatar this year]," he added. "But I think the only person you can ask about the World Cup squad is [Gareth Southgate].

"Your bread and butter is always your club football, and if you do well for them, you've always got a chance."

Juventus have reportedly made contact with Christian Pulisic's camp as they begin the process of putting together a January offer for the out-of-favour Chelsea winger.

Pulisic, 24, has only started one game this season in all club competitions, and he was subbed off in the 60th minute. He also has made five appearances as a substitute, but the longest has lasted 26 minutes.

The United States international, who was signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £58million fee in January 2019, now finds himself on the outside looking in, and long-time admirers Juventus are seeking to capitalise on the potentially depreciated asset.

TOP STORY – JUVENTUS CONTACT PULISIC ABOUT SERIE A MOVE

According to Calciomercato, Pulisic has been "very fond of the Juventus management for some time" and he plans on leaving at the end of the season when he has one year remaining on his contract and more leverage.

While Pulisic may wish to see out the remainder of the season and give things a go with new boss Graham Potter, Chelsea are said to have set his price at a reasonable figure of £31m. If the Italian side view that as a fair price, and if Pulisic has not broken into a starting role by January, things could progress quicker than anticipated.

However, further Calciomercato reports claiming Juventus are eyeing moves for defenders Benoit Badiashile from Monaco and Evan Ndicka from Eintracht Frankfurt at the end of the campaign could imply they do not have the necessary funds to make any serious additions mid-season.

ROUND-UP

– According to iNews, Newcastle United are considering a £50m bid for Shaktar Donetsk's rising 21-year-old winger Mykhalo Mudryk. 

– Marca is claiming Real Madrid's "main target" at the end of the season will be Borussia Dortmund's prized English midfielder Jude Bellingham.

– Corriere dello Sport is reporting Chelsea plan to increase their previous offer of £44.5m for 26-year-old Inter defender Denzel Dumfries, and would be willing to loan him back to the Italian club for the remainder of the season if they can come to an agreement in January.

– With Manchester United reportedly ready to move on from goalkeeper David de Gea, Football Insider states they are monitoring Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez as a replacement.

– RAC1 claims Real Madrid's Marco Asensio has already signed a preliminary contract with rivals Barcelona, with his Madrid contract set to expire at the end of this season.

Christian Eriksen's quick emergence as a key player at Manchester United has not surprised former Red Devils midfielder Michael Carrick.

Denmark international Eriksen joined United on a free transfer in pre-season after playing the second half of the 2021-22 campaign with Brentford.

It was initially unclear how United would fit Eriksen into the team given the importance of Bruno Fernandes, but Erik ten Hag's inability to land key transfer target Frenkie de Jong seemingly made the decision for him.

Eriksen has generally featured slightly deeper than Fernandes and the pair's collective creativity has been a real asset for United in midfield.

That was particularly plain to see in the impressive 3-1 win over Arsenal, as Eriksen's passes to Fernandes were crucial in the build-up to two of United's goals.

Of the United players to feature for more than 190 minutes in the league this season, no one has averaged more passes (50.4), successful passes ending in the final third (11.2) or passes into the box (5.6) on a per-90-minute basis than Eriksen, highlighting how quickly he has managed to stamp his personality on their style of play.

"I'm not surprised one bit," Carrick told United's official website.

"I played against him a lot; I've watched him a lot. I like him a lot. He's a fantastic footballer. He's clever, he's smart.

"It almost doesn't matter what position he plays, he can adapt. He's just a clever, intelligent footballer with great quality.

"I was pleased when we signed him, and he's not surprised me one bit. He's a top player."

Eriksen carried his encouraging United form – which earned him their Player of the Month award for September – with him into the international window, impressing for Denmark over the course of their two games.

He scored a stunning long-range effort in the 2-1 defeat to Croatia before producing a wonderful performance in Sunday's 2-0 win over France as he remarkably laid on eight chances for team-mates.

To put that into context, Eriksen has only registered more key passes in a single club match twice (nine both occasions) since joining Tottenham from Ajax in 2013.