Manchester United have the perfect opportunity to avenge Sunday’s defeat to Aston Villa when they welcome the same opponents to Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup on Thursday.
But following that 3-1 loss to the Villains, Unai Emery’s secret plan that he told his new players before the hosts saw off Erik ten Hag’s side has been revealed. Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo has been told that he can still “make the difference” for United, while Ten Hag has been accused of breaking the golden rule of a club legend.
Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest stories coming out of Old Trafford.
Unai Emery reveals secret Man Utd plan
Ahead of Aston Villa’s 3-1 victory over Man United on Sunday, Emery unleashed a secretive plan to his players just before kick-off in order to secure all three points.
The Spaniard was taking his first game in charge of the Villains after replacing the recently sacked Steven Gerrard at the helm, and got off to the perfect start against the Red Devils. However, striker Ollie Watkins said Emery kept his cards close to his chest ahead of the game.
“No-one had a clue who was playing,” Watkins said. "It was a guessing game but everyone bought into it and we were all involved. We found out the team in our team meeting, which was at about 11.30.”
Read the story in full HERE .
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Ronaldo told he still “makes the difference”
Ronaldo has been told that he still “makes the difference” in Man Utd’s team despite his disjointed start to the season amidst plenty of problems both on and off the pitch for the Red Devils.
The 37-year-old was desperate to leave over the summer and was even dropped from the first team by Ten Hag after storming down the players’ tunnel before the full-time whistle against Tottenham last month. However, Barcelona boss Xavi believes the Portuguese is still the main threat in United’s side.
After Barca drew Man United in a Europa League knockout round play-off, Xavi said: “I think Ronaldo is a great, great player. He has marked an era in world football and can still make the difference."
Read the story in full HERE .
Ten Hag accused of breaking golden rule
Ten Hag has been accused of breaking Sir Alex Ferguson’s golden rule of putting the team before the player following his recent treatment of Ronaldo in the side.
The Dutchman has been praised for the way in which he has managed the 37-year-old’s situation since taking over as manager. However, since restoring him to the starting lineup after banishing him from first team training last month, Emmanuel Petit believes he must stop pandering the veteran striker.
Speaking with Lord Ping, he said: "The priority should be Manchester United so you have to put your best team out all the time. The fact is that the team isn't the same when Cristiano Ronaldo is on the pitch. I know Ten Hag wants to give Ronaldo a second chance but I'm convinced that the solution is to prioritise the team and not the player."
Read the story in full HERE .
