Manchester United return to Premier League action this weekend as they host Tottenham at Old Trafford, with midfielder Carlos Baleba potentially in line for his debut. The £70million summer signing from Brighton has yet to feature for the club due to injury but could face his former manager, Roberto De Zerbi, on Saturday evening.
Baleba was named in the matchday squad for the 1-1 draw with Fulham but did not come off the bench. He could now have a chance to make an impact against Spurs as the Premier League resumes.
Sir Alex reveals private Pep chat
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he regrets not inviting Pep Guardiola to dinner sooner so he could have persuaded him to join United. Years before Guardiola brought success to Manchester City, Ferguson met with the Spaniard for dinner in the year before he left Old Trafford.
Writing in his new book, Games of My Life, the legendary manager imagines winding back time and enticing Guardiola to take over from him at the Reds.
Ferguson wrote: "Over the past ten years, I have often wondered what might have happened if the dinner I had with Pep in New York in 2012 had taken place a couple of months earlier. At the time, I hadn't decided for certain that I was going to retire. And Pep was convinced that, after achieving huge success in just four years in La Liga with a Continental treble as well as a League and Champions League double, he wanted to try life in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich."
"If I could rewind time, we would have dined some months earlier, I would have poured plenty of Tignanello (Italian wine) and I would have tried my hardest to convince him that his future lay in Manchester. Unfortunately for us, it did. Enough said."
Scott McTominay update
Scott McTominay is being linked with a remarkable comeback to United, two years after his departure. The Scotland international has enjoyed considerable success at Napoli, claiming the Serie A title and establishing himself as an integral figure for the Italian side.
Sky Sports Switzerland has reported that the midfielder could depart as early as January, with United already making enquiries about bringing him back. Aston Villa and Real Madrid have also expressed interest, while McTominay's representatives are understood to be in discussions with "several" Premier League clubs.
According to reports from Italy, the midfielder has tasked his representatives with attempting to thrash out a fresh contract with Napoli, though he remains "open" to a return to England. Should negotiations over a new deal with the Serie A club break down, McTominay could find himself considering a departure in just a matter of months.
