Manchester United

All 20 teams are in action on the final day of the 2023-24 Premier League season, with the title winners, European spots and one relegation place still to be confirmed.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

We asked how you are feeling going into the final game of the 2023-24 season, whether Erik ten Hag should be shown the door and what Manchester United's plans should be for this summer.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Moeed: This season has been more humbling than anything. Coming into it, we all thought we would perform better than last season, which was obviously not the case. Apart from the injuries, there should be no other excuses for the shambolic season we have had. I think we need a summer revamp of the squad.

James: Rubbish season, terrible management and coaching. Erik ten Hag shoud have been sacked after the Champions League fiasco. We need a total clearout of the players. I think the last nail in coffin will be if we lose the FA Cup final.

Edward: Ten Hag has brought trouble on himself by his strange team selections. The repeated picking of Antony when Diallo was there is mystifying. He has taken people off and replaced them with no-hopers. His record of buying dud players is further proof of his sad judgement. There are better managers out there and he should be sacked.

Jamie: I would be ashamed of the club if we sacked Ten Hag. We have been on the manager merry-go-round for too long now and we need some stability. Everyone is overlooking the awful injury list we have had this year. If we get the right players in this summer, we will see an improved side - if everyone can stay fit.

Dunk: We need to see what happens next season in order to fully understand what happened during this campaign. It seems likely that the summer transfer window will shed a bit of light on things too. The team was purring along quite nicely at one point, but a perfect storm of injuries and uncertainty really put a stop to our chances in the league.

Chris Sutton is making predictions for every Premier League game this season against a variety of guests.

For this weekend’s final games of the season, he takes on Gladiators star Legend.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

I've been talking for a while now about how the season has fizzled out for Brighton and Roberto de Zerbi, and their poor form continued against Chelsea on Wednesday.

The Seagulls can still secure a top-10 finish with a win here though, and things cannot be too bad if that counts as a disappointing campaign for them.

Fair play to Manchester United for getting over the line against Newcastle United on Wednesday, but they are still only in eighth place. If they finish there, it will be a pretty accurate reflection of their season.

Legend's prediction: 1-2

It is between Chelsea, Newcastle United and Manchester United for sixth and seventh place - and the final European slots.

I am so torn there because I actively dislike all three of those teams. With United that feeling is just inherent but, weirdly, out of those three teams I would rather they got into Europe.

They are going to concede goals but they do still look dangerous going forward, and Brighton are struggling.

Read all of Sutton’s predictions for the final day of the season here

Image source, Getty Images

If you haven't done so already, you have until 10:00 BST on Wednesday, 22 May to cast your vote for Manchester United's player of the season from our shortlist.

The candidates have been chosen by fan writer Dale O'Donnell from Stretty News, external.

Find out the reasons behind his selections and make your choice here

Manchester United may have to give midfielder Bruno Fernandes a pay rise from his current £230,000-a-week contract if they want to keep their captain. (Star), external

United will turn down any offers that arrive this summer for Fernandes as they see the 29-year-old as untouchable. (Caught Offside), external

The Old Trafford club are willing to pay £55m for 21-year-old English defender Jarrad Branthwaite, but Everton want £80m. (Givemesport), external

Meanwhile, United have been offered the opportunity to appoint long-term target Massimiliano Allegri as manager after the Italian was sacked by Juventus. (Express), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Saturday's full gossip column

Image source, PA Media

Manchester United have fielded interest from at home and abroad in striker Mason Greenwood, whose loan deal with Getafe expires in the summer.

Getafe stepped in to sign Greenwood on deadline day last summer.

It is not completely out of the question Greenwood returns to United next season. That is very much viewed as a third option though, with a sale to a European club thought most favourable. Serie A outfit Napoli are the latest club to be linked with Greenwood, while Getafe have said they would like him to return.

As a home-grown player, any sale would be beneficial for United in Profit and Sustainability terms, whilst a second successive loan has not been ruled out.

Greenwood's United contract is due to expire in 2025, although United have the option to extend that by a further season.

Image source, PA Media

Erik ten Hag says he is enjoying the "luxury problem" of having competition for places in his Manchester United squad, with the Premier League finale and an FA Cup final appearance looming.

United have endured an injury-hit season and go into Sunday's final game at Brighton knowing they could register their lowest finishing position in the Premier League era.

Captain Bruno Fernandes, centre-back Lisandro Martinez and striker Marcus Rashford all returned to action in Wednesday's home win over Newcastle, while midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and winger Amad Diallo have taken opportunities to impress when starting United's past two games.

"It's internal competition and I think they perform well," said the United boss of Amrabat and Diallo. "I think the way they're progressing across the season is very good for both and now they deserve the chance, they took the chance and that's a luxury problem.

"Which is good and that is actually what I need, what I was waiting for so long. Actually, I was waiting for a whole season, such a luxury problem and we need a squad to win both games."

Referring to the 4-0 loss at Crystal Palace earlier this month, Ten Hag added: "There was only one very poor performance (recently), so all the others, there was always very good spirit.

"I would almost say across the season, across all the problems we had - I don't think I have to sum them up again, but we have had them - but the spirit in the team, the fighting spirit, was always there. The dynamic was always there and I think we had also some good performances, even when the best players were not available.

"But you know when all the best players are not available, and you have to change so many things, the patterns are not there, the new routines are not there.

"Now, lately, the last two games, we are returning some players, players who progress very well came in the team and the performances, as you say, were good in the last two games."

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League season finishes on Sunday, with the league champions, qualifiers for European competitions and the third relegated club all yet to be confirmed.

The title

Manchester City start the day two points ahead of Arsenal but with a marginally worse goal difference.

City will be champions:

• If they beat West Ham

• If they draw or lose AND Arsenal fail to win

Arsenal will be champions:

• If they beat Everton AND City fail to win - an Arsenal win and a City draw would hand the title Arsenal on goal difference

The remaining European places

The fifth-place finisher qualifies for the Europa League. For sixth and seventh, it will depend on the outcome of the FA Cup final, the winners of which earn a Europa League place.

If Manchester City win the FA Cup, that Europa League place reverts to the league so the sixth-placed team will play in next season's Europa League, and the seventh-placed team will be in the Europa Conference League.

If Manchester United win the FA Cup, they get in the Europa League wherever they finish, and the highest-placed team not yet qualified for Europe gets the Europa Conference League place.

So let's take it team by team...

Tottenham:

• Will be fifth if they avoid defeat at Sheffield United, or if Chelsea fail to win

• Will be sixth if they lose AND Chelsea win

Chelsea:

• Will be fifth if they beat Bournemouth AND Tottenham lose

• Will be sixth if they win AND Tottenham avoid defeat

• Will be sixth if they draw, regardless of any other results

• Will be seventh if they lose AND Newcastle United win, or if Manchester United win while making up a 16-goal swing in goal difference over the Blues

• Will be eighth if they lose AND Newcastle win AND Manchester United win while making up the aforementioned 16-goal swing

Newcastle:

• Will be sixth if they win at Brentford AND Chelsea lose

• Will be seventh if they win AND Chelsea avoid defeat

• Will be seventh if they draw AND Manchester United fail to win

• Will be seventh if they lose AND Manchester United lose

• Will be eighth if they fail to win AND Manchester United win

Manchester United:

• Will be sixth if they win at Brighton AND Chelsea lose, with United making up an unfathomable 16-goal swing in goal difference on them, AND Newcastle fail to win

• Will be seventh if they better Newcastle's result, if they win and Newcastle fail to win, or if they draw and Newcastle lose

• Will be eighth if Newcastle match their result, if both teams win, draw or lose, or if Manchester United draw and Newcastle avoid defeat - or if Manchester United lose no matter what happens elsewhere

There is a highly unlikely scenario in which Manchester United could overtake Newcastle if both clubs win or both lose. However, it would require an improbable 25-goal swing in goal difference for this to occur. For example, if Newcastle win 1-0, Manchester United would need to win by a margin of 26 goals or more to move above them in the table.

The remaining relegation spot

Luton Town will be relegated unless they beat Fulham AND Nottingham Forest lose at Burnley, while the Hatters would also need to make up a 12-goal swing in goal difference across the two games, which would improbably relegate the Reds instead.

Napoli are interested in Manchester United's Mason Greenwood, who is on loan at Getafe, but they may face competition from Juventus if they want to sign the forward. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), external

Atletico Madrid are also keen on signing Greenwood. (Star), external

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel wants the club to give assurances that they will bring in a defensive midfielder and a playmaker in the summer, before he commits to changing his mind and staying with the Bundesliga side beyond the end of the season, with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes a target. (Independent), external

United are interested in signing 18-year-old French defender Leny Yoro from Lille. (Give Me Sport), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag feels VAR is here to stay – but improvements have to be made.

Ten Hag has been critical of VAR at times this season, although it was United who benefited from the first bone of contention surrounding Wolves in 2023-24 when goalkeeper Andre Onana got away with punching Sasa Kalajdzic in the face inside his own penalty area.

On Thursday, Wolves submitted a resolution to scrap VAR that will be voted on at the Premier League annual meeting on 6 June.

However, Ten Hag does not believe that is the way forward.

"I don’t think there is a way back," he said. “In principle, it makes football more fair. But we have problems. We have to make improvements."

Meanwhile, Ten Hag cast doubt on Luke Shaw’s likelihood of being available for the FA Cup final against Manchester City on 25 May after confirming the full-back has had a setback in his recovery from a muscle injury he sustained against Luton Town in February.

That is not good news for England boss Gareth Southgate, who names his provisional Euro 2024 squad on Tuesday.

"There is a fair chance Harry Maguire will be available for the cup final. Luke is more complicated in this moment. He has a very small chance," added Ten Hag.

"He had a setback - now we have to find out how far it is."

Wolves are in the news this week for their pursuit of a vote on the scrapping of VAR.

Their wishes drew further scrutiny on Wednesday when Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon found himself in the middle of a contentious call before offering a strong view on the technology after his side went down at Manchester United.

"Modified" is the word when we are talking about VAR going to a vote.

We are still getting to grips with it, but we have seen some good come from it. There have been some instances of indifferent decisions because calls are getting too many looks at them from so many angles.

They still do not know what is a good tackle and what is not. I think they need help from some former players, who have been in that situation and understand what the differences are in those challenges.

We keep talking about different angles and that is not going to go away because with VAR or without it, on certain challenges we would still disagree. You could have two current players in a room and they still would not agree.

It is Wolves' opinion on VAR and if they feel it is not working for them, then you can understand why they are saying to have a go without it again.

Molineux boss Gary O'Neil has been very frustrated, but he has also been balanced and tried to stay quiet. Now he does not want to stay quiet because he feels it does not benefit them and decisions are not going their way.

Overall, we have seen good things from VAR, even if it does bring with it a delay and a wait.

It would be a shame now for it to all go away when we have all the technology in place.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has spoken to the media before his side's final Premier League game of the season at Brighton on Sunday (16:00 BST kick-off).

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

• On the potential for Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw to play in the FA Cup final against Manchester City next weekend: "There is a fair chance Harry Maguire will be available. Luke is more complicated. He has less of a chance but has a very small one. He had a setback, now we have to find out how bad it is."

• On whether he knows why his side have had so many injuries this season: "I know but I don’t share. It’s not important. We can’t change things. That is the future and across the summer, not for now."

• On the competition for places created by the form of Amad Diallo and Sofyan Amrabat: "They have progressed across the season. They deserved their chance and took it. That’s a problem which is good. It is what I need and was waiting for all season. It’s a luxury problem. You need competition to win games."

• On facing Brighton: "It’s a difficult style of play. I admire it. It’s a real challenge so it's up to us to get the right plan and the right execution."

• On the prospect of ditching VAR: "I don’t think there is a way back. In principle, it makes football more fair, but there are some problems. We have to find the solutions to these problems and make improvements."

Here are the key facts and figures before Brighton host Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

• Brighton have won their past four Premier League games against Manchester United. The last side to beat the Red Devils in five consecutive league games was Norwich City between 1988 and 1990.

• United have lost four of their six Premier League away games against Brighton (67%) - their highest loss rate away against any side in the competition.

• Brighton have lost their final game in four of their six Premier League campaigns - the exceptions being a 2-1 win at Burnley (2019-20) and a 3-1 home win over West Ham (2021-22).

• Manchester United have lost their final league game in two of the past five seasons, as many times as they had in the previous 33 campaigns (W23 D8).

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham United striker Michail Antonio and Fulham captain Tom Cairney have both chosen Alejandro Garnacho's stunning acrobatic strike against Everton as their goal of the season and agree it surpasses Wayne Rooney's iconic Manchester derby bicycle-kick.

During the 3-0 win at Goodison Park in November, Garnacho spectacularly adjusted to Diogo Dalot's deep cross to throw himself into the air and make perfect contact to send the ball past Jordan Pickford.

It drew immediate comparison with Rooney's goal in 2011 which has gone down as one of the best in Premier League history.

"There's only one answer - Garnacho," Antonio told the Footballer's Football podcast. "Nobody else can talk to him.

"The craziest thing is that three weeks later I had the opportunity against Spurs to overhead kick - I tried to take it down! There's no way I can get my leg up that high - I'm tearing my hamstrings and everything.

"I think Garnacho's is better because Rooney's is slightly closer, middle of the goal, while Garnachos' is further out. It's ridiculous."

Cairney added: "It's not even close. He's facing the dugout and he's jumped higher than I've ever jumped easy. Half-scissor - bang [and] Pickford nowhere.

"Garnacho's is outrageous. He's jumping backwards. He jumps away from it and he's higher as well [than Rooney's goal].

"I think because it's Manchester United v Manchester City as well Rooney's is so special."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

It has been a difficult season for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United, so how are you feeling with one Premier League game left?

Do you just want to consign this campaign to history?

Should Ten Hag be shown the door regardless of what happens in the FA Cup final?

And what next as Ineos get a first summer to reshape things at Old Trafford?

Have your say here.

Image source, Getty Images

Amad Diallo has had to be patient waiting for his chance to shine at Manchester United - but the Ivorian has finally started to make an impact.

After impressive loan spells at Rangers and Sunderland, Amad - a £19m signing from Serie A side Atalanta in 2021 - returned to Old Trafford in the summer with the aim of competing for a regular first-team place.

However, he suffered a knee injury during a pre-season game against Arsenal in the United States and did not play a first-team game until the end of December.

It was another two months before his next appearance and despite scoring the last-gasp extra-time winner in the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool in March, he did not start a game until the Premier League encounter with Arsenal at the weekend.

The 21-year-old kept his place for Wednesday's win over Newcastle United, scoring the second goal in a 3-2 win with a well-taken half-volley from the edge of the area after the visitors failed to clear a corner.

"As a player you need to be patient," he said. "It’s not easy when you train hard but don’t get what you want. Now I have got my chance and I scored. I’m very happy for that."

It was tough for Amad as he worked on his recovery during the first half of the campaign, having returned for pre-season training with such high hopes of what was to follow.

"I did well at Sunderland and wanted to come here and help my team," he said.

"I got that injury and I was a little bit sad. It was one of my most difficult moments - but now I want to forget it.

"I’m happy to be back and hope to help the team for the rest of the season."

We asked for your views on Thursday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Newcastle United.

Here are some of your responses

Man Utd fans

Dean: It is a great shame a lot of the players did not show up this season like they did on Wednesday. One thing is for sure though, if you give Erik ten Hag the tools to work with, he will deliver.

Peter: Why, oh why, leave it to the penultimate league match to prove they can get it together? I suppose a lot of the players are getting very worried about being sold as nobody else will offer the same sort of wages they have been used to.

Royston: The only positive tonight is the result. Could have gone behind on a few occasions with Newcastle missing clear chances. Yet again United won thanks to individual quality. Similar story all season. I can only hope they are not going to be embarrassed by Manchester City in the cup final. Forget Europe next season and start the rebuild from here.

Ian: I thought we were very lucky as it probably should have been a penalty for Newcastle and we also gave them plenty of chances. Ten Hag is hanging on by the skin of his teeth. No doubt he will have watched a different game though.

Newcastle fans

Steve: As usual Newcastle come out of the blocks flying but if they do not score early they run out of ideas. Too many Championship players in the side, so it is definitely time for a summer sale and build a team that can shine in Europe. Lewis Hall looks a great prospect so it is not all doom.

David: Poor defending yet again. It is just not good enough if you want to play with the big boys. Sort it Eddie!

Rob: We had our fair share of chances including an obvious penalty not given, even by VAR. Unlucky on the night to not at least get a point, but we just needed a bit of luck and better finishing to get a win.

Alex: Trippier looked lazy tonight. Another game where his lapses in concentration have cost us. He was directly at fault for the first goal keeping Mainoo onside and he forgot Garnacho existed leading to the corner for their second. His creative output, as with the run of games before his injury, was severely lacking. Would not be against a sale.

Wolves and Manchester United are the focus of Thursday's back pages.

The Red Devils are in the spotlight after a hard-earned 3-2 win over Newcastle.

'Amad for it' is the lead on the Daily Star after 21-year-old Amad Diallo performed well and found the net in the victory.

Wolves meanwhile have called for a vote on scrapping the use of the Video Assistant Referee at the Premier League's next meeting.

Their move proved timely as in Manchester United's win, a contentious VAR call saw Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon not given a penalty when he appeared to have been brought down in the box.

Afterwards, Gordon shared his frustrations with the media, demanding VAR improve or disappear.

Manchester United want to sign England striker Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa as the 28-year-old fits the profile of player they are looking to recruit. (Talksport), external

Erik ten Hag's chances of remaining Manchester United manager are rated at 50-50, with the 54-year-old Dutchman's future to be decided after the FA Cup final on 25 May. (Guardian), external

Thomas Tuchel, who is on Manchester United's shortlist of potential replacements for Ten Hag, is in talks to stay at Bayern Munich, having been set to leave at the end of the season. (Times - subscription required), external

Everton(Manchester Evening News), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column