Manchester United v Newcastle United PL match programme, 26.12.25

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MAN UTD

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INSIDE THE LATEST ISSUE OF

UNITED Review

MANCHESTER UNITED MEN’S TEAM HONOURS LEAGUE TITLES

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1908 1957 1994 2000 2008

1911 1965 1996 2001 2009

1952 1967 1997 2003 2011

1956 1993 1999 2007 2013

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

3

1968

1999

2008

1909 1983 1996 2024

1948 1985 1999

1963 1990 2004

FA CUP

13

1977 1994 2016

LEAGUE CUP

6

1992 2017

2006 2023

2009

2010

FA COMMUNITY SHIELD

21

1908 1911 1952 1956 1957 1965* 1967* 1977* 1983 1990* 1993 1994 1996 1997 2003 2007 2008 2010 2011 2013 2016 *Shared

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

1

2017

the match 04 06 08 12 23

features 14 16 32 46

UEFA SUPER CUP

1

30 54 66 68 72 82

2008

INTERCONTINENTAL CUP

1

Picture gallery: Andrei Kanchelskis ⇒ Patrick Dorgu exclusive interview Our century of Boxing Day games United Review’s midterm report

UR regulars

1991

FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP

1

Ruben Amorim column ⇒ Match preview and stats In case you missed it…

Last home match: v Bournemouth Meet the visitors

1999

Museum items: Christmas cards Classic picture: King Cantona Story behind the shot Junior Reds MU Foundation 50-50 quiz

the fans

UEFA CUP WINNERS’ CUP

1

1991

FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION TWO

2

1936

57 58 60 64

Manchester Mind fundraiser United Voices: Martyn Walsh ⇒ Fan messages and photos Chanukah celebration

1975

statistics

FA YOUTH CUP

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1953 1957 2003

1954 1964 2011

1955 1992 2022

1956 1995

75 77 79 80

Stats at the back: top festive foes ⇒ Premier League stats Appearance stats Season statistics

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RUBEN

AMORIM

ood evening and welcome back to Old Trafford.

I hope you all had a great Christmas Day and enjoyed the time with your loved ones.

This is always a special time of the year to play football, and tonight, as we welcome Eddie Howe and Newcastle United to Old Trafford, I hope we can put in a performance that will make you all proud.

Last week we were unfortunate to lose at Villa Park. We had control, played well and were the better team for long periods of the game. We lost on the fine margins and ultimately, it’s the result that is the most important thing.

We can see the improvements in our performances and even if we will continue to be without some players we will never make excuses. We are ready to fight together to get the result we need to get back on track.

G

“WE CAN SEE THE IMPROVEMENTS IN OUR PERFORMANCES AND EVEN IF WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE WITHOUT SOME PLAYERS WE WILL NEVER MAKE EXCUSES”

manchester united football club ltd CO-CHAIRMEN Joel Glazer, Avram Glazer DIRECTORS Bryan Glazer, Kevin Glazer, Edward Glazer, Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Michael Edelson, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill CBE, Omar Berrada, Sir Dave Brailsford SECRETARY Rebecca Britain HONORARY PRESIDENT Martin Edwards

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head coach

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The Reds will step out at Old Trafford tonight for the first of our final two fixtures of the calendar year, with this meeting against Newcastle offering a chance to build some winning form as we head towards 2026

V OLD TRAFFORD: 8pm

We were unlucky not to get anything at Villa Park on Sunday but have the opportunity to begin rediscovering some momentum tonight, in what has become a classic Boxing Day battle…

U

nited v Newcastle has become something of a modern-day regular when it comes to Boxing Day fixtures in the Premier League era.

The Reds have faced no team more often than the Magpies in the competition on this festive day, with tonight’s encounter set to be the fourth time the sides have met on 26 December since the league was rebranded in 1992.

The three previous meetings – in 2012, 2014 and 2019 – have all come here at Old Trafford and been United wins, although never has it been the Premier League’s only offering on this traditional day in the English football calendar.

Tonight’s 8pm kick-off is the sole top-flight match this Boxing Day, with the remainder of the post-Christmas games to

be played across Saturday and Sunday.

It goes without saying that we’ll enjoy that stocking-full of weekend football a lot more with a Reds win on this Friday evening, as we look to get back on track after the loss at Aston Villa last time out.

Ruben Amorim’s men were unlucky to come away empty-handed from that game after an encouraging performance, and particularly given the way that we dealt with a sizeable list of absentees.

Unfortunately, that count was added to when Bruno Fernandes was forced off with a half-time injury that looks set to rule him out of this clash, but the Reds will be able to welcome back Casemiro tonight, now he’s served his one-match suspension.

That’s a boost against a Newcastle team that conceded a two-goal lead to draw at home to Chelsea in their last

match, one weekend after defeat in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland.

Our focus must be on our own recent results though and putting points on the board – particularly here at home, where we have been limited to just two from our last three M16 outings.

Newcastle won’t make it easy – the Magpies winning five of our last six duels suggests that – but this encounter is a real opportunity to begin striking up some momentum, with another Old Trafford game to follow swiftly afterwards, against Wolves on Tuesday.

As always, those of us in the stands have got a big part to play, so let’s get right behind the lads and create a home advantage that can be felt on the pitch from the first whistle. C’mon, Reds – let’s make it a Boxing Day to remember!

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UNITED v NEWCASTLE IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE

It was a five-goal cracker when tonight’s teams last met on Boxing Day – a 4-1 win for the Reds in 2019

UNITED WINS 55% (33)

the match

PLAYED

60

5 75.9% 238

DRAWS 27% (16)

Total games played between the teams on Boxing Day prior to tonight, dating back to 1908 – with the Reds winning four, and Newcastle winning once.

NEWCASTLE WINS 18% (11)

Cunha’s strike at Villa Park brought our Premier League goal tally to 31 so far, with the Brazilian himself on a two-game scoring streak

A good omen for the Reds this evening is that we have the highest win percentage of any club to have played at least five times in the Premier League on Boxing Day. United have won 22 of 29 matches, losing just three times (alongside four draws).

Liverpool are next best (66.7 per cent).

After our trip to Villa Park, only Manchester City had scored more goals than United’s 31 in the Premier League so far this season. Matheus Cunha netted our goal in the 1-2 loss to Villa, ensuring he has got on the scoresheet in each of the Reds’ last two top-flight fixtures.

31

Anthony Elanga, United Academy graduate no.238, could feature for the visitors this evening, following his move from Nottingham Forest in the summer. Our number of Academy graduates grew to 256 last weekend, when Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey both made their senior debuts for the Reds at Villa.

350 Could United reach a landmark tally against Newcastle today?

The Reds have been on target 349 times in our previous 181 meetings with the Magpies, making our next goal in this fixture a milestone 350th strike.

Former Red Elanga made the switch to Newcastle from Forest last summer

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In case you missed it… United Review recaps all the latest news from around Old Trafford

IT’s a family tradition!

Fletcher and Lacey (below) have become the latest Academy players to make their first-team debuts, with the former creating another piece of history along the way

BRIGHTON DATE SET The FA has confirmed that our Emirates FA Cup third-round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion will take place at Old Trafford on Sunday 11 January at 4.30pm. The match will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports, and follows our Premier League match against Burnley the preceding Wednesday. It’s the start of our bid to win a record-equalling 14th FA Cup – we currently trail Arsenal by one in the all-time stakes – and our first since 2024’s memorable triumph over Manchester City. If you haven’t already secured your ticket yet, head to tickets.manutd.com for all the latest information.

There were several reasons for positivity at Villa Park on Sunday, despite the disappointing scoreline. Chief among them were the two debuts handed to young Academy hopefuls Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey, who were introduced as Ruben Amorim’s team went in search of what would have been a deserved equaliser. Sadly, that didn’t materialise, but midfielder Fletcher did manage to carve out a little slice of United history. When he took to the field, it confirmed him and his father, Darren Fletcher, as only the second dad-and-son duo in United history to represent our first team. The other pairing?

John Aston Snr and John Aston Jnr. The former was part of our 1948 FA Cup-winning side and the latter was key in our legendary European Cup triumph of 1968.

UA92 COMES TO OLD TRAFFORD University Academy 92, a higher education institution founded by Gary Neville and other members of United’s famed Class of ’92, is set to use Old Trafford as part of its campus. From January, the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand will become an educational hub for hundreds of young people studying various courses and qualifications, including Business of Football, Sports Management, Digital Marketing and Football Broadcast and Journalism. The older of the two Neville brothers, Gary, said: “This is a full circle moment for me – Manchester United is where my dreams started and now we have the privilege of helping the next generation achieve theirs. Old Trafford has always been a place where young people dream big, and now it will also be a place where our Members of our famed Class of ’92 are delighted that students at the education institution they founded will students can learn, grow have access to Old Trafford to further their studies and build their futures.”

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Ferdinand’s big return Have you heard the latest episode of our new podcast series, Inside Carrington? Our latest guest is United legend Rio Ferdinand (above), fresh from hosting the 2026 World Cup draw in the United States. As ever, Rio is full of great stories and sharp insight, so why not give it a listen?

You’ll hear fascinating takes on the World Cup, Luke Shaw’s impressive season, and the ever-changing media landscape, which Rio is, of course, a big part of. Check it out now wherever you listen to your podcasts, or watch the video edition on our official YouTube channel.

United Women are into the semi-finals of the Subway Women’s League Cup, following a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday. It was our second match against the Lilywhites in seven days, following the previous weekend’s crazy Women’s Super League clash, which saw the Reds battle back from 3-0 down inside the last 20 minutes to earn a remarkable draw. We had to come from behind in this tie too, after Drew Spence volleyed home in the first half, but summer signings Jess Park and Fridolina Rolfo got the job done after the interval. We’ll face Arsenal in the last four when our season resumes in January after the Christmas break.

Rolfo’s winner against Spurs last Sunday sees the Reds advance to the League Cup semi-finals and a showdown with Arsenal

it’s BACK TO MADRID

A 1-0 win over Juventus in our final group-stage fixture means the Reds face Atletico Madrid for a spot in the Champions League final eight

The Premier League has announced three further changes to United’s fixture schedule for the month of February. Our home game against Tottenham will still take place on Saturday 7 February, but will now kick off at the earlier time of 12.30pm. Our following match, away at West Ham, will start at 8.15pm on Tuesday 10 February, and our first-ever fixture at Everton’s new Hill-Dickinson Stadium is now on Monday 23 February (8pm).

Our final match of the month, at home to Crystal Palace, remains scheduled for Saturday 28 February (3pm), but this could yet change, depending on Crystal Palace’s progress in Europe.

round-up

MUW UP FOR FEBRUARY’S league cup FIXTURE CHANGES

Sticking with United Women, Marc Skinner’s United Women side are also through to the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League, if you weren’t already aware. We now know that the girls will meet Atletico Madrid in the play-off round, after finishing sixth in the group-stage table and narrowly missing out on the top-four spot that would have sealed our automatic qualification for the quarter-finals. The first leg of the play-off will take place on Thursday 12 February in Madrid – where we won 1-0 against Atleti in October – before the teams reconvene at the Progress With Unity Stadium in Leigh a week later. Why not head down and support the team? Head to tickets.manutd.com for more information.

SCAN HERE FOR LATEST TICKET INFORMATION

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SUPPORTING MANCHESTER UNITED

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laSt home fixTure...

An enthralling eight-goal show last time out at Old Trafford ends in frustration for Amorim’s Reds Fernandes adds another world-class free-kick to his distinguished tally as he thumps the ball around the defensive wall and into the top corner of the Cherries’ net via the underside of the bar

Everyone who was at Old Trafford for our last home game against Bournemouth will doubtless remember it for a long, long time. And they will hope that parts of what transpired on a helter-skelter occasion can be replicated here this Boxing Day evening against Newcastle – though some parts, not so much.

The attacking side of United’s game was searing against the visiting Cherries, picking up from a second half a week earlier at Wolves during which chance creation hit impressive heights. In that game at Molineux, the Reds finished with 27 shots in all, which was the highest top-flight

number in Ruben Amorim’s reign so far.

To that tally, Amorim’s men added another 25 shots against Bournemouth to take the total above 50 across two matches – an emphatic endorsement of United’s recent attacking intent and effectiveness.

The disappointment, of course, is that despite scoring four goals, just as we did against Wolves, this time we picked up not three points but just the one. The fact that Bournemouth’s four goals came from significantly fewer shots (14) and lower expectations (1.86xg to our 3.29xg) only added to the feeling of points going begging, especially given the Reds were

ahead three times during the game.

The goalscoring sequence was truly ding-dong. Amad put the fast-starting Reds deservedly ahead after 13 minutes with a close-range header, only for Antoine Semenyo to drill home off the post, against the run of play, on 40 minutes. United did go in at the break with the lead their performance merited, though, when Casemiro got on the end of Bruno Fernandes’s deep corner to nod home at the far post.

Andoni Iraola’s side made a quick start of their own in the second period, however, with Evanilson’s smart finish

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Amad puts us ahead (right), with Casemiro restoring a deserved first-half lead just before the interval – heading home at the far post

match recap

manchester united 4

AMAD 13, CASEMIRO 45+4, FERNANDES 77, CUNHA 79

BOURNEMOUTH 4

“We are really disappointed. Crazy game. We dominated and created so many chances. In the end we deserved more. It was a fun game for everyone at home” – RUBEN AMORIM from Marcus Tavernier’s pass making it 2-2 inside the first minute of action after the restart. Worse was soon to follow for the Reds when Tavernier struck home a direct free-kick, putting the visitors in the lead for the first time in the match.

There was resolution in adversity to admire from Amorim’s team, though – personified by the skipper (right). Bruno’s free-kick from the edge of the box on 77 minutes was a thing of beauty to make it 3-3, kissing the bar as it sailed in past the helpless Djordje Petrovic.

The Old Trafford rollercoaster ride was not yet done with the twists, however. Matheus Cunha’s goal two minutes

later sensationally turned the match around again, putting United 4-3 ahead.

But that scoreline, by which we have twice dramatically won in recent memory, could not be made to stick. Eli Junior Kroupi had the final goalscoring say with a composed finish on 84 minutes to make it 4-4.

There was still time for Senne Lammens to distinguish himself with a couple of late saves that preserved a point for the Reds – which seemed a frustrating one at the time, but still lifted us to sixth position in the table after 16 matches, and may yet prove to be a worthwhile addition to the tally.

SEMENYO 40, EVANILSON 46, TAVERNIER 52, KROUPI 84 15 DECEMBER 2025 | 8PM | OLD TRAFFORD United XI: Lammens; Yoro (Martinez 69), Heaven, Shaw (Dorgu 90+3); Amad, Casemiro (Mainoo 61), Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo (Zirkzee 90+3), Mount (Sesko 69); Cunha Unused subs: Bayindir, Fredricson, Malacia, Ugarte Booked: Dalot, Casemiro

Cunha registers our fourth, but five minutes later the visitors would be back level again

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a BlAST

FROM THE PAST Our former flying winger Andrei Kanchelskis returned to Manchester recently, and joined MUTV for a behind-the-scenes tour of our Carrington training ground…

Greeted by MUTV’s Mark Sullivan and our camera crew, our special guest is gifted a retro version of the 1992-94 shirt he wore with such distinction

Kanchelskis wasted little time in embarking on a tour of our plush Carrington complex – and he clearly enjoyed seeing images of the club’s most famous faces

Andrei walks past many of the trophies won by the club, plus one won by him – the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award.

The winger was the inaugural winner of the trophy when it was renamed in honour of Sir Matt for the 1994/95 season

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pic gallery

Andrei is remembered fondly for his role in helping the Reds to end a 26-year wait for the league title, then (as shown here) retaining the trophy in 1993/94

Our former winger is currently the coach of Russian second tier side Dynamo Bryansk, and found the tour of United’s training ground facilities a hugely interesting contrast from those he enjoys at his club

Andrei noted how much the facilities have improved since his days at the Cliff – including having 14 pitches now rather the two in his day!

Part of his visit to Carrington, which he made with his son (another Andrei!), was to watch first-team training

Andrei (snr) and Andrei (jnr) enjoy a bit of Manchester sunshine, on what they said was a fascinating visit for the former Russia international

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P keep going

UR interview :

WE JUSt need to

As he approaches 12 months as a Red, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu joins us to reflect on life in Manchester, his United story so far, and the growing bond between the first-team squad…

We’re coming towards the end of your first year at United, Patrick – how do you reflect on your time here so far?

It’s been good. I’ve learned a lot and I think I’ve adapted to the league well, so I’m happy with the first year.

welcoming me, so it was nice. Obviously, I came at a tough moment, but everyone took care of me well and integrated me well into the team. I had Rasmus [Hojlund] and Chris [Eriksen], so it was nice to have some familiar faces that could help me through the first couple of months. That was good.

I think you’d made just 57 appearances for Lecce when you joined us. What was your reaction when you heard United were interested in signing you?

Yeah. I was out eating, actually, with some of my old team-mates. My agent called me. I was very happy because it’s a big club, one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I was happy, excited and ready for the challenge. It’s good, as a young player, to be in a big team, to be able to develop, to be able to play with big players.

And what about life in Manchester? How have you settled in away from the football?

It’s good. I have my own place and my family come to visit me a lot. It’s nice, it’s chilled, and a good place to live. I like to eat, to chill and play video games with my friends, and watch Netflix and YouTube. I’ve had some interactions [with people around Manchester] too. Everyone is nice and talking well to you, so that’s good.

And you were unveiled on the pitch alongside Ayden Heaven at Old Trafford. Tell us a little bit about that first day…

It was a big day. We had a game [against Crystal Palace] that day, so it was a special feeling watching the game, hearing the fans and stuff, and it was my first time [visiting Old Trafford].

I thought it was top. I hadn’t heard so much noise [in a stadium] before, so it was really good.

How did your first days in the squad feel, around Carrington? What were your first impressions?

The environment was good. Everyone was

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You mentioned that it was a difficult period when you joined last season. But we also had some high points too – what were your personal highlights from those first few months?

For me, it was probably our run in the Europa League.

For me to get my European debut and to go on all the way to the final, that was very special for me.

You had some great moments on that run too, like the Real Sociedad game, where you notched your first assist, winning a penalty…

Yeah, that was nice. It was an important game after we drew away from home, so it was good for me to get my first assist.

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interview

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PAT R IC K CHINAZAEKPERE D ORGU

P

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And you won another penalty, but you told the referee it wasn’t a foul, right?

I just told him: ‘You can go and check but I didn’t get touched!’ They went and looked but there wasn’t anything there. It was fine because we won the game, but obviously I wouldn’t have done that if we were not leading! But I was confident in the team.

And then we had the Lyon game at Old Trafford too, which you started. A crazy night…

Yeah, crazy, with last-minute goals! That was a great atmosphere and a great experience to be part of, a special game.

And tell us about this season. It feels like we’ve made progress – what do you think the difference is between this season and last?

I think we play more as a team now. We try to get everyone involved, and we just need to keep going and hopefully do well.

Where do you think the biggest improvement has been – off the pitch, in terms of the culture around the squad, or on it?

I think it’s both. We’re more together this season than when I came in the beginning. The pre-season was good too, to [help] integrate everybody and bond the team, and obviously the few results we had before the [last] international break helped us as well to get that team spirit in. I think we bonded well off the pitch too, so that’s good.

Dorgu receives the acclaim of his team-mates following his goal and Man-of-the-Match performance against Bournemouth during our pre-season tour of the States

You mentioned pre-season – you had some really strong performances on the tour, and were Man of the Match against Bournemouth, and the manager spoke about how much he was looking forward to getting a full pre-season in. So you feel that’s had a definite impact?

Yeah, I think that helped the group a lot, to understand his ideas better and for us to bond more, and to have those intense trainings and to stay together, do activities together. It helped us as a team.

And what was the tour like in general? New players often say it reminds them of how big United is…

Yeah, there were a lot of United fans in America.

I didn’t know that. Also, when we were in Malaysia [on the post-season tour], I didn’t know that we had such a big fanbase over there also. It was a great feeling. It was my first tour and also my first time being in America, so that was great.

We brought in a few new faces over the summer too. Can you tell us a bit about them? Matheus Cunha first...

He’s a good personality! He’s funny and he just came into the group fast and talked well with everyone.

He’s a lovely guy and a good player as well.

PATR IC K C H INAZ AE K P E RE D O RGU

P D

You said in an interview that he asked you not to kick him! That must have been a funny moment…

That was from a game when he was at Wolves – I kicked him one time! So [when he joined] he was like: ‘Don’t do that again!’ It’s all jokes!

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Having settled in well during his first year in Manchester, our Danish international has his sights set on achieving great things with the Reds

And what about Bryan Mbeumo? I’m guessing you face him directly in training quite often, with him playing on the right?

Yeah, I face Bryan a lot. He’s a good player, a funny guy, and he came into the group very well too.

Obviously, he can speak French to some of the guys, so it was easy for him to join and integrate into the team. He has a lot of good movements.

You need to know to stay tight on him, because he can always find a shot from nowhere. He’s very clinical in front of goal and he’s a strong player, so it’s always difficult to play against him.

“that chelseA GAME was a very important win for us, and I was happy with that assist. That was probably my highest point of the season so far ” my highest point of the season so far. The best team performance? Either the Chelsea game or Brighton at home. Anfield as well. Anfield was very good, the team spirit was very good there. But the Chelsea game… to stick to the lead [with 10 men] and to fight for each other at the end, that was good to see.

And what about Benjamin Sesko?

As a character, he’s more chilled than the two others, but he’s a funny guy, a good guy. On the pitch you can see he has good hold-up play, he can link up well. He can jump very high! He shoots very well as well. I think he will be very good for us.

Moving on to tonight, Newcastle have improved a lot over the last few years, and beat us the last time we met, at St James’ Park. What are their strengths as a team, in your opinion?

I think they press very high, they’re very aggressive as a team, they play very direct and they have a very good midfield to control the game, so it’s always difficult to play against Newcastle. They just fight for every ball; they’re a very aggressive and strong team.

I think the physical battle and being calm on the ball [will be important]. We need to try to get the ball in their half so they cannot press us so high.

Senne Lammens was the last to arrive – how has he helped the defence, from your perspective?

I think he helped with his calmness. He’s very calm and he’s talking a lot to the defenders and helping everyone on the pitch with his communication.

He’s just calm and he tries to take responsibility to help us defenders as well. He came in well and he’s doing really well, so he just needs to keep going.

2026 is obviously a big year for United and for Denmark. You have the World Cup play-offs coming up. How motivated are you to make it to North America?

Yeah, it would be my first World Cup in the summer, so I am very excited to get the play-off games going and then hopefully qualify. It would be a special moment in my career, to play my first World Cup.

Personally, what are your best moments of this season so far? You had a great assist for Bruno against Chelsea…

That game was a very important win for us, and I was happy with that assist. That was probably

And what are your ambitions for the next 12 months with United, personally and collectively?

The ambition for me, personally, is just to get as many starts as possible and to help the team to succeed in our goals. ●

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With a solitary league win on the road this season, and a chastening derby defeat in their last away outing, the Tynesiders are out to land a Boxing Day blow in M16…

THE VISITORS

NEWCASTLE United

KEY DETAILS Nickname: The Magpies Founded: December 1892 Stadium: St James’ Park (right, capacity 52,305) Last season: Premier League, 5th; FA Cup R5; League Cup winners Top achievements: English league champions:

1904/05, 1906/07, 1908/09, 1926/27; FA Cup winners: 1910, 1924, 1932, 1951, 1952, 1955; League Cup winners: 2025; Inter-Cities Fairs Cup winners: 1969

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The highly influential Guimaraes celebrates opening the scoring in the early-December win over Burnley

TALKING POINTS The competing demands of Premier League and Champions League football have resulted in an inconsistent Newcastle United season thus far, with the insipid 1-0 Tyne-Wear derby defeat

by Sunderland 12 days ago a wake-up call Eddie Howe is determined his side learn from. Having seemingly overcome an erratic start to the campaign with 10 points from their previous 12 available, the Magpies were unusually passive in both demeanour and set-up as summer signing Nick Woltemade’s own goal – a bullet header the German would have been proud of at the other end – spelled more turmoil on the road.

The Toon have just one away league win all season – a 4-1 late-November victory at Everton that featured Howe’s side at their fluent, counterattacking best – and must improve on their travels to extricate themselves from the mid-table Premier League blob.

“You want your players to go on to the pitch and give absolutely everything they have within their soul and their body to get a positive result,” Howe said post-Sunderland, describing the “horrible feeling” of a derby defeat.

“We have lost a little bit of that, and

it’s up to us to try to find a way to get that glue back.”

Going the distance Crucial to re-finding the shift in mentality – the word most often used

by Howe, on-field captain Bruno Guimaraes and effervescent winger Anthony Gordon – that came to define last term’s fifth-place finish and League Cup triumph is staying on the front foot for longer and not dropping deep.

Newcastle have conceded 10 times in the final 15 minutes of games this term – before the weekend visit of Chelsea, no top-flight side had shipped more – with six coming in stoppage time, including three result-changing efforts against European rivals Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham that turned five points into one.

There’s no doubting the talent and squad depth that exists on Tyneside, though, with the 2-1 mid-November win against Manchester City that sparked a four-game unbeaten run highlighting Guimaraes’ expert promptings, Sandro Tonali’s industry and Harvey Barnes’ direct wing play.

“You want your players to go on to the pitch and give absolutely everything... it’s up to us to try to find a way to get that glue back” – Eddie Howe after the derby loss to Sunderland

The box-to-box industry of Tonali is instrumental to the Magpies’ fortunes

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tactics board At its best, Howe’s fluid 4-3-3 offers versatility, overlapping potential and solidity in central areas, but only when the Magpies employ a high-pressing system. Part of the reason for the Sunderland reverse, for example, was a surprising low block to absorb pressure in the opening half-hour that surrendered 73 per cent possession and no little momentum.

First-choice full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento are both 23 and under, dynamic and excel in tight half-spaces, particularly the latter as an auxiliary midfield presence, while the former offers width and dead-eyed left-footed delivery. Fellow youngster Lewis Miley, still in his teens but with 60-plus senior appearances to his name, is among a coterie of devilish set-piece experts that also include

Guimaraes, Anthony and Tonali.

Centre-forward Woltemade has had to learn on the job since his club-record £65m arrival from Stuttgart but the languid 6ft 7in 23-year-old’s aerial threat, combined with the odd backheel finish he displayed against Brighton, provide Howe with both a velvet-touch target man and a willing channel runner.

Fellow summer arrival Yoane Wissa is nearing full fitness after persistent knee issues that have precluded his AFCON selection with DR Congo – the former Brentford hitman’s 20-goal 2024/25 is a sign of what the multi-faceted forward can add post-Christmas.

At centre-back, Fabian Schar’s extra mobility in the absence of Dan Burn (rib) and Sven Botman (back) will help Malick Thiaw deploy a higher line to squeeze opposition space.

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Ramsdale Livramento Thiaw Burn Hall B Guimaraes Tonali Miley Elanga Woltemade Gordon

s qua d GOALKEEPERS

PLAYER Nick Pope John Ruddy Mark Gillespie Aaron Ramsdale

DEFENDERS

PLAYER Kieran Trippier Lewis Hall Sven Botman Fabian Schar Jamaal Lascelles Malick Thiaw Emil Krafth Tino Livramento Harrison Ashby Dan Burn Alex Murphy

EDDIE HOWE

The 48-year-old has overseen the Magpies’ five wins in their last six meetings with the Reds thanks to a trademark mixture of high-pressing forwards and rapid transitions.

The ex-Bournemouth boss has guided his club from relegation possibles in November 2021 to a first trophy in seven decades earlier this year.

NATION England England England England

AGE 35 21 25 34 32 24 31 23 24 33 21

NATION England England Netherlands Switzerland England Germany Sweden England Scotland England Republic of Ireland

MIDFIELDERS

PLAYER AGE NATION Joelinton 29 Brazil Sandro Tonali 25 Italy Harvey Barnes 28 England Jacob Murphy 30 England Joe Willock 26 England Bruno Guimaraes 28 Brazil Jacob Ramsey 24 England 19 England Lewis Miley

FORWARDS

The manager

AGE 33 39 33 27

PLAYER Yoane Wissa Anthony Gordon William Osula Anthony Elanga Nick Woltemade

AGE 29 24 22 23 23

NATION DR Congo England Denmark Sweden Germany

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25 YEARS CHAMPIONING GRASSROOTS Shout it from the terraces, it’s our anniversary! Since 2000, we’ve been transforming lives, giving every community great places to play sport. We're not finished yet, so here's to more game-changing investment.

Search Football Foundation to find out more

jet-heeled winger ANTHONY GORDON

Only Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe has more goals and assists combined in this season’s Champions League than the jet-heeled winger’s seven, which makes Gordon’s limited domestic output all the more perplexing. Penalties in successive home games against Burnley and Tottenham at the start of the month were the 24-year-old’s first Premier League goal involvements this term, but the Everton academy graduate’s lithe frame, fierce acceleration and relentless work-rate remain highly prized for club – and increasingly country, with 16 caps (and two goals) for England to his name.

Academy starlet LEWIS MILEY

Miley’s fine header in the recent 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League added yet another record to the 19-year-old’s burgeoning list. Part of the Magpies furniture since he was seven, the midfielder was already the club’s youngest Champions League debutant and broke Hugo Viana’s record as their most junior goalscorer in Germany, having already held the club’s same honours in the Premier League. The 6ft 2in youngster has a football IQ to match his physical attributes and can play as a six, eight or 10.

Top stopper MALICK THIAW

German-born to a Senegalese father and Finnish mother, centre-back Thiaw has settled quickly on Tyneside since his summer arrival from AC Milan. The 24-year-old Schalke academy graduate scored two towering headers in the 4-1 Premier League win away to Everton but his ability with his feet is just as impressive.

“I saw the prospect, but I didn’t see him being this good,” said former Toon midfielder Don Hutchison recently. “For £35 million – what a player.” Only Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn have started more often this term for Howe’s side.

70 Years waited for a domestic trophy prior to their League Cup success in March – although Newcastle did win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1968/69, and the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2006.

5th Newcastle’s league position last term, meaning they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the second time in three years. Their last previous UCL fixture was a qualifying round defeat to Partizan in 2003/04.

6 Tonight will be the sixth time the Reds and the Magpies have met on Boxing Day, with three of the previous five coming in recent years (2012, 2014 and 2019 – all wins for the home side: 4-3, 3-1 and 4-1).

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FIRST, LAST AND ONE IN BETWEEN As Newton Heath, our first encounter with Newcastle United came in April 1895.

The Magpies took an early lead at our former Bank Street home through Charles Dickson before Joe Cassidy beat two men to equalise at the interval. Helped by a fierce second-half wind at their backs, the Heathens ran riot as Cassidy struck a bouncing second before a brace for Dick Smith was rounded off by an own goal from Robert McDermid for a 5-1 win.

Some 180 matches later, our latest meeting resulted in a similarly wide scoreline, this time in Newcastle’s favour.

A Harvey Barnes brace helped deliver a 4-1 victory at St James’ Park for the Tynesiders, who completed a first league double over the Reds since 1930/31.

Among the myriad fixtures in between is an April 2005 game enlivened by an era-defining moment. A week after beating the Magpies 4-1 in the FA Cup semi-final, United went 1-0 down after

V WE REWIND TO MEMORABLE PREVIOUS CLASHES BETWEEN TONIGHT’S TEAMS

Darren Ambrose pounced on goalkeeper Tim Howard’s errant pass. Without Ruud van Nistelrooy, a suspended Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo lasting only 37 minutes through injury, the Reds needed something special – cue a fired-up Wayne Rooney in his first United season.

Furious that Alan Shearer had not been booked moments earlier, and noticing David Bellion warming up, the limping teenage forward forgot about his dead leg and surged forward towards Roy Keane’s half-cleared long ball. Still

“I took my anger out on it... it’s probably the cleanest I’ve ever struck a ball” – Rooney on his 2005 strike

mid-contretemps with referee Neale Barry, Rooney smashed a brutal volley of fierce swerve into the top corner of Shay Given’s net for one of the all-time great Premier League goals.

“I took my anger out on it,” said the man who would go on to become the Reds’ all-time leading goalscorer.

“It’s probably the cleanest I’ve ever struck a ball.” Wes Brown’s first goal in 117 league games sealed a late winner.

“That epitomised what Wazza was about,” Reds defender Rio Ferdinand later recalled. “So explosive.”

Twenty-four hours after the first-ever video was uploaded to YouTube (‘Me at the zoo’, a 19-second film featuring site co-founder Jawed Karim discussing “really, um, long” elephant trunks) the nascent sharing platform had the sort of spectacular snackable content that would become its stock in trade.

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Rooney celebrates his outlandish and perfectly struck volley against the Magpies in April 2005

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born & bred b

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Festive greetings, from United...

From decades past to the present day, the club museum’s Christmas card collection offers a glimpse into the Reds’ festive history...

This aerial view of Old Trafford was used for the 1960 Christmas card, with this specific one from the archives sent out by the club‘s chief scout Joe Armstrong

The club Christmas card for 1988 was an adaptation of the artwork of a video entitled the Official History of Manchester United. It was a documentary produced with the BBC, narrated

by John Motson, and released earlier in the year

A year later, every member of staff at United featured on the card, with this specific one sent to the family of the late Reds legend Billy Meredith

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club MUSEUM

The 1995 festive card – sent out to friends of the club, partners and staff – showed the eventual Double winners, who famously pipped Newcastle to the league title five months later

This eye-catching card was produced by the Association of Former Manchester United Former Players. Very seasonal!

All wrapped up! The FA Cup trophy is given pride of place in the 1990 official Christmas card, with the ribbons replaced by tinsel

The late, great Sir Bobby Charlton was joined by children from Manchester United Foundation partner schools for this striking club Christmas card from December 2016

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BOXING OFF A CENTURY As Newcastle arrive for our 100th Boxing Day game, we look back at the excitement supplied by our busiest date on the calendar, revisiting famous wins to unforgettable drama – and plenty of memorable United moments…

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Ferguson oversees his first Boxing Day encounter in charge of the Reds – a 1-0 win at Anfield in 1986

RYAN MIGHTY As could reasonably be expected of the player who got closest to 1,000 outings for the Reds, Ryan Giggs heads the way as United’s leading appearance-maker on Boxing Day. Of his 15 fixtures on this date, the Welshman suffered just a solitary defeat and two draws, winning a stupendous 12 times and augmenting his displays with five goals and three assists.

Giggs gets his fifth Boxing Day goal, in the 2-0 home defeat of Bolton in 2004

A PROUD RECORD

Sir Alex Ferguson, inevitably, had an unbelievable record with the Reds in Boxing Day fixtures, winning 20 of his 25 and losing just three times. The tone was set from the start, when Norman Whiteside’s late effort secured a 1-0 success at Anfield in 1986, less than two months after Ferguson had taken the Old Trafford helm, and hiccups thereafter were rare.

Newcastle’s Glenn Roeder bagged the only goal of 1987’s meeting on Tyneside, two years before the Reds slipped to a 0-3 reverse at Aston Villa, but United would fail to take maximum points only three times between 1990 and 2013; unbelievably, Middlesbrough’s 3-1 win in 2002 – during a season which United ended as

champions regardless – was the only breakwater in a sequence of 16 straight wins – seven before that Riverside setback, nine after.

Fittingly, the boss rounded off the most prolific and profitable date in his Reds career in victorious fashion, seeing off tonight’s visitors in unforgettable scenes through Chicharito’s late winner in 2012.

As with most metrics, of the other 20 managers to helm the Reds on Boxing Day, Sir Matt Busby is the only boss in United history to come close to Sir Alex for combined success and longevity, winning 12 of his 19 Boxing Day encounters to ratchet up an enviable win ratio of 63.2 percent. David Moyes, for the record, is the only United boss with a 100 per cent win ratio on 26 December, overseeing 2013’s pulse-racing comeback at Hull City.

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for Jose Mourinho’s side, before a return to Christmas customs ever since, with Huddersfield, Newcastle and Aston Villa all beaten in our last three Boxing Day home fixtures.

YOUR place OR OURS?

Both Crickmer’s Boxing Day fixtures in charge came against opponents from the Midlands

Walter’s wild ride A two-time caretaker manager, Walter Crickmer’s stints at the helm fell six years apart, but contained Boxing Day experiences of intensely contrasting fortunes. Firstly, he oversaw the date’s record defeat, a 0-7 obliteration at Molineux against a Wolves side managed by former Reds player Frank Buckley. When Crickmer subsequently stepped back into the breach to replace the departed Scott Duncan, his next Boxing Day fixture came in 1938 and started in dramatically different fashion, with his Reds roaring into a 3-0 lead – which would remain the final score – inside the first five minutes, through a Billy Wrigglesworth brace and a third from Johnny Carey.

Tonight’s visit of Newcastle beautifully encapsulates the Christmas tradition of alternating venues, ringing up a half-century of home fixtures within our 100 Boxing Day games.

Of United’s hosting duties, the first five came at Bank Street, but have fallen at Old Trafford ever since 1910 - when Arsenal were rinsed 5-0 – the only exception coming in 1946, immediately after the Second World War while OT was still being rebuilt, when Maine Road platformed a 1-0 victory over Bolton.

Of our 50 away fixtures on Boxing Day, Goodison Park has been the most regular destination, with the Reds making four visits to Everton’s former home down the years. Away games on Boxing Day have been a rarity in recent years, with only

three in the last decade, but last year’s visit to the Black Country cemented Molineux as arguably United’s unhappiest overall hunting ground on this date: three defeats in three Boxing Day games, scoring once and conceding a dozen. Ouch.

BELATED CARDS

During last year’s visit to Molineux, United’s frustration was encapsulated by Bruno Fernandes’s second-half dismissal.

The skipper picked up a first-half booking for fouling future team-mate Matheus Cunha before, with the game still goalless, he was harshly handed a second caution just two minutes after the restart when he was adjudged to have caught international colleague Nelson Semedo.

That prompted just the third Boxing Day red card ever shown to a United player, the previous instances ranging from the unexpected – Antonio Valencia at Hull City in 2013 – to the somewhat less surprising: Paddy Crerand during 1963’s 1-6 demolition at Burnley, while the Reds were already 1-4 down.

FESTIVE FORTRESS

Of the Reds’ 49 home ties on this date, only five have resulted in away wins, and none in the last 20 since 1978’s defeat at the hands of Liverpool. Since that loss, United have taken 54 points from a possible 60 at the Theatre of Dreams, posting a sequence of 12 home wins in a row between Everton’s visit in 1997 and a 3-1 triumph over Sunderland in 2016.

Burnley halted the run in 2017 when a second-half brace from Jesse Lingard was required to overturn a two-goal deficit

Last year’s Boxing Day outing saw Fernandes become only the third Red to be dismissed in the traditional fixture

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Let us support you.

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Chicharito meets Michael Carrick’s pinpoint delivery to prod home the late winner against Newcastle in 2012

FOES, then FRIENDS

Coincidentally, in all three instances of United finishing a Boxing Day fixture with 10 men, another statistical outlier has surfaced. Of course, last year’s defeat at Wolves was initiated by a stunning opener – scored direct from a corner –

by Matheus Cunha, who moved to Old Trafford the following summer.

That was the fifth time a future Red had netted against United on Boxing Day, following Willie Morgan – scorer of a brace either side of Crerand’s Turf Moor dismissal – Terry Gibson (Coventry, 1983), Charlie Craven (Grimsby, 1933) and Billy Meredith (Manchester City, 1898).

Only twice has a former Red scored against United on this date: Tom Nutall for Everton in 1913 and Hull City’s James Chester a century later. Chester went on to carve an even deeper Boxing Day niche by netting the winner for United that afternoon, inadvertently powering home a late headed own goal to complete a comeback win for David Moyes’s side.

CHRISTMAS COMEBACKS

That Chester-led rollercoaster capped another rarity: a Boxing Day turnaround for the Reds. Of our 54 wins, only seven have been achieved in United’s customary

comeback style. Tonight’s visitors have suffered two of them, most memorably back in 2012 as Chicharito’s last-gasp effort sealed the points for the hosts on an afternoon when the Magpies had led on three occasions.

Seven years later, Matty Longstaff’s early opener again had the away section in fine fettle, but those hopes were quickly dashed as Anthony Martial hauled Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side level within seven minutes, sparking a 4-1 stroll in United’s favour. Old Trafford’s most recent Boxing Day encounter contained more sustained jeopardy, with Aston Villa taking a two-goal lead into the interval back in 2023, only for Alejandro Garnacho’s brace and Rasmus Hojlund’s maiden Premier League strike to spark bedlam inside the Theatre of Dreams.

On occasions when victory has proven elusive, the Reds have still managed to procure a share of the spoils against the odds, overturning a 0-3 deficit at Hillsborough with three goals in the final 23 minutes to snatch a 3-3 draw. In a similarly madcap fashion, in what proved to be Wilf McGuinness’s final outing as United manager, 1970’s trip to Derby unfolded thrillingly as the Reds trailed by two, led 3-2, fell behind again and then snatched a 4-4 outcome at the Baseball Ground. The rousing turnaround wasn’t enough to save manager McGuinness, however, as he was dismissed and Sir Matt Busby temporarily reappointed.

Hojlund’s first Premier League goal for the Reds helped turn a 2-0 deficit into a Boxing Day bonanza as Erik ten Hag’s side ran out 3-2 winners against Villa

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SECOND HELPINGS

From United’s 99 Boxing Day encounters, 19 have come with a hefty lilt of déjà vu, just a day after a Christmas Day encounter against the same opposition.

Tonight’s visitors were the first opponents in such a quickfire double-header, back in 1908, as Newcastle overcame the Reds on Tyneside on 25 December, but succumbed to a 1-0 United victory back at Bank Street the following day.

That oscillation of results is something of a festive trend in such one-twos; in the 19 double-headers, only six times did the games’ outcomes match, with United winning both against Chelsea (1912) and Sheffield Wednesday (1953), and losing both to Everton (1913), Barnsley (1923), Grimsby Town (1933) and Sunderland (1950). The latter pair of defeats was especially galling for John Aston Senior, who gave the Reds a second-minute lead on successive days at both Roker Park and Old Trafford, only to see his side fall to 2-1 and 5-3 reverses. For the biggest disparity between outcomes, nothing comes close to United’s 1931 showdowns with Wolves,

in which a 3-2 Christmas Day success at Old Trafford was eclipsed by a 0-7 towsing at Molineux just 24 hours later.

FESTIVE MISERS

Although United haven’t registered a clean sheet on this date since 2011’s 5-0 romp over Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford, we’ve mustered a total of 37 in 99 Boxing Day games. Sir Alex was the master of the shutout, overseeing an incredible 15 clean sheets in his 25 Boxing Day fixtures at the United helm, including a staggering run of 12 in 15 between 1996 and 2011.

At the other end of the field, last year’s 0-2 defeat at Molineux was only the 17th time overall that the Reds have failed to score on this date and only the second time in the Premier League era, echoing 2015’s 0-2 reverse at Stoke City.

Since a pulsating 3-3 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in the division’s inaugural season, United have scored an average of 2.5 goals per game on Boxing Day – a stark contrast to the 1.07 goals conceded on average in the same timeframe.

The stats show that Old Trafford is a good place to be on Boxing Day, with the Reds winning 35 of our 49 fixtures on this date

Boxing Day debutants Eight United players have enjoyed their first-team bow as a belated Christmas gift – although, oddly enough, half of them have had to do so on Merseyside…

William Booth vs Blackpool (h) 1900 James Saunders vs Lincoln City (a) 1901 Harry Wilkinson vs Burton United (a) 1903 Arthur Potts vs Everton (a) 1913 Sam Cookson vs Liverpool (a) 1914 Norman Tapken vs Leicester City (h) 1938 Andy Ritchie (top) vs Everton (a) 1977 Nicky Wood (right) vs Everton (a) 1985

The first Boxing Day fixture of the Premier League era saw Eric Cantona complete our three-goal comeback in a pulsating six-goal draw at Hillsborough

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Berbatov wraps up a 5-0 home win over Wigan in 2011 by completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot

BIT OF GENEROSITY

The Reds are well-balanced for Boxing Day own goals, with three for and three against. Despite first benefitting from Wilson Greenwood’s errant effort against Grimsby back in 1899, there wasn’t a single own goal for or against in any of United’s further fixtures on this date prior to the 21st century. Gary Neville briefly drew Everton level at Old Trafford in 2003, Jonny Evans cancelled out his own effort in 2012’s thriller against Newcastle and Axel Tuanzebe inadvertently gave Leicester City a share of the spoils in 2020, while only two players have erred in the Reds’ favour: Anton Ferdinand, who deflected in against Sunderland in 2010, and James Chester’s aforementioned thumping header at Hull back in 2013.

Getting it SPOT ON

Chester’s belated Christmas gift of an own goal in our 2013 visit to Hull helped David Moyes’s Reds come away with a 3-2 win

Penalties have been similarly well poised, with the Reds marginally ahead in the overall balance, scoring nine and conceding seven. The most recent Boxing Day spot-kick came a whopping 14 years ago as Dimitar Berbatov completed his hat-trick against Wigan back in 2011, meaning United haven’t scored a Boxing Day penalty in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. In that same timeframe, only one has been netted against, with that honour falling to Papiss Cisse for Newcastle with a late consolation in 2014. While that concession spoiled an otherwise blemishfree Boxing Day for the Reds, an identical outcome would be most welcome this time around as we take on the Magpies under the Old Trafford lights. ●

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UNITED Review

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UNITED Review 41-44_Posters.AOCGPD.indd 2

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Shaw U K E

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L I S A N D R O

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WHAT IS STYLE? IT’S THE CREATIVE CONTROL TO REWRITE THE RULES. TO LIBERATE YOUR SENSE OF SELF. TO SHOW UP AND BE YOUR BEST. IT’S CELEBRATING INDIVIDUALITY AND BEING UNITED. IT’S HAVING THE FREEDOM TO PLAY WITH STYLE.

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United Review’s Midterm Report What do you make of 2025/26 so far? We speak to seven Reds – from experts and fans, to former players and pundits – to assess a ‘rollercoaster’ few months for the team 46 46-52 Review season.AOCGPD.indd 4

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feature In an undulating season to date, the Reds can take comfort from some standout performances, including the 4-1 win at Wolves earlier this month

A

s United Review went to print, just before last weekend’s tough away game at Villa, the Reds were sixth in the Premier League table and firmly in contention for a Champions League spot. But what do our panellists think of United’s efforts to this point?

Adam Marshall, club journalist: “There are definitely reasons for encouragement, and positive signs.

Since Bilbao – one of my lowest experiences in many years of supporting and working for the Reds – I’ve been lifted by some of the play and, particularly, the attacking thrust we’ve shown. We all have expectations of how we want to see United play, and there is no reason why European qualification cannot be achieved with things so tight in the Premier League.”

Carly Lyes, Fans’ Forum member: “There has clearly been some progress compared to last year, which felt like we were on a real downward trajectory. This season it feels like there’s been a degree of progress. There’s still been inconsistency, but it’s not felt like last season.”

Andy Mitten, United We Stand editor: “It’s been a rollercoaster, with some unexpected highs – Anfield, winning at Palace – and some really difficult lows – losing to Everton at home against 10 men, and Brentford away. But if the aim this year is to finish in a European place, then we’re on par for that.”

Deb Henry, Fans’ Forum member: “We’ve seen some green shoots, but also some incredibly frustrating performances, certainly the last three games at home. It’s a bonus that we’re in an elevated position in the league table compared to last season, but I think we’ve missed opportunities to

really maximise other teams’ poor results. We haven’t managed to take advantage. But we look better going forwards, and there’s a long way to go.”

Andy Cole, legendary former striker: “It’s been up and down. But once you find consistency and confidence, things change: you win more matches than you’ll lose or draw. It’s that simple: we need to be more consistent.”

Liam Bradford, MUTV commentator: “United are in the middle of a total shift, not just tactically, not just in terms of football, but off the pitch as well.

And what we’re seeing is a real growth and progress towards the new vision.

Change is hard and it can be difficult to see the wood for the trees sometimes.

You can go: ‘This result is really disappointing, so everything’s terrible.’

But I think they’ve taken giant strides towards being the team we want them to be, and I don’t think we’re that far

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This season we’re going up from 128 to

Premier League matches

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Our new additions this season, including our current leading scorer Mbeumo, have made solid starts and offer great hope for the future

Cole: “The lads that have come in have made a real good, solid start. Cunha has had a couple of injury problems, but he and Mbeumo have both made good solid starts. Naturally, it’s a different challenge for those guys, coming from their respective clubs to Manchester United, and trying to get Manchester United back to where it should be at.”

Ganley: “The relationship between Amad and Mbeumo down the right has been thrilling at times, and as I speak, only City have scored more Premier League goals than our 30 – which is a massive step up from the 44 we managed last season.”

“Cunha and Mbeumo have both made good, solid starts in trying to help get Manchester United back to where it should be at” – Andy Cole away from the consistency we need.

It’s just requiring a bit of patience to let that play out.”

Joe Ganley, club journalist: “I think most fans would broadly have expected us to finish somewhere between fourth and eighth, and that’s where we are as things stand. The performances have a greater coherence to them compared to last season – the second half against Bournemouth aside! – and there’s definitely more resilience, too. Heading into the Villa match, it was just one defeat in the last 10 games.”

moments. The Wolves equaliser was a great example. It came from their only shot, full stop, in 45 minutes. It’s a tiny 10-second error, rather than there being 45 minutes of poor football.”

Mitten: “Cunha, Mbeumo, Lammens.

It’s a long rebuild we’re on, and the bar was set low last season, but we’ve just got to reach European football.

If we don’t, I think it’s a failure. It’s a simple pass or fail: United need to be in Europe.”

Henry: “When we’re attacking and we attack at pace, we look good. Mbeumo and Cunha have come in and looked good, Lammens as well. They’ve come in, settled, and actually improved the squad and the team.”

Cunha is another new arrival who has helped sharpen our attack, as the goal and shot statistics show

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL Most Reds agree there has been progress, but in what areas?

Bradford: “The culture. That started in America on the pre-season tour. My previous experiences on tour would be groups of players going out in twos and threes; this year I watched them go out together in 10s and 15s. That’s the biggest thing for me. And errors that were being made maybe 12 months ago were big errors – now we’re seeing tiny

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BEST PERFORMANCE Which match showed Amorim’s United in its best light?

Fernandes’s stunning free-kick in this month’s draw with Bournemouth is among the leading contenders for our goal of the season so far

Lyes: “I enjoyed Wolves. It was good to see us actually put a number of goals past a team, even though we could have finished the game off a lot earlier, and we shouldn’t have given them the space to respond. But it was great to see us comprehensively beat a team.”

Marshall: “It has to be the win at Liverpool. Nothing beats getting three points at Anfield and we had not done it since 2016. Harry Maguire [below] will always be remembered for that headed winner, following a clever cross from Bruno Fernandes, and we will be talking about it for years to come.”

Cole: “Arsenal. I know it was the first game of the season, but I think everyone looked at that and thought: what a good performance. Yeah, we should have won the game, but I think people were quite buoyant afterwards, knowing that we could play like that against a good Arsenal side.”

Bradford: “Brighton. But there have been moments in others. Even the first game of the season, against Arsenal. We lost, but we showed enough quality to win. But in terms of a whole game, Brighton.”

Mitten: “The first half against Bournemouth was excellent. I thought we were excellent against Chelsea too.”

Ganley: “The first-half performance against Bournemouth was the best 45 minutes I’ve seen from United under Amorim, period. It stung that we couldn’t finish the job, but it showed what this team is capable of at its best. More importantly, it looked like a United team – aggressive, positive, quick, relentless. I also loved the togetherness the players showed against Liverpool and Chelsea.”

“Nothing beats getting three points at Anfield.

Harry Maguire will always be remembered for that headed winner, and we will be talking about it for years to come” – Adam Marshall Henry: “I actually would still think of that Arsenal game at the beginning. I know we didn’t win but it showed us something; it showed us that there was potential there and that this can be a solid team. Obviously, it was frustrating that we lost, but there were still positives in there.”

GOAL OF THE SEASON What it says on the tin: what’s the best United goal of 2025/26 so far?

Marshall: “Amad’s volley at Nottingham Forest. I was lucky to be working the match from the press box at the City Ground and had the perfect view of the clean strike in all its glory. It was

such a stunning moment that I let out an involuntary short yelp, which was not useful considering the home fans were sat close by, in front of me! I only received a few disapproving looks, but I felt if Amad had scored that later chance he had, I’d have been best-served keeping my thoughts fully to myself!”

Cole: “I’ll go for Bruno’s free-kick against Bournemouth. At that stage of the game, knowing you need an equaliser to try and go on and win the game afterwards… the quality was top drawer.”

Mitten: “Bruno’s free-kick against Bournemouth was fantastic, and came at a key moment in the game as well.”

Ganley: “Amad’s volley at Forest from a technical point of view, but it has to

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be Maguire against Liverpool, for the ‘limbs’ in the away end. Winners at Anfield don’t come around often, and it was doubly pleasing that Harry was the player responsible. He’s a solid character who shirks nothing and has never let United down.”

Bradford: “Maybe Bruno to Mason against Wolves. Bruno’s ball was fantastic and Mason’s volley is brilliant too. So that, just for the quality.”

LEADING CANDIDATES We’re not even halfway through the league season yet, but which Reds could be in line for Player of the Year?

Cole: “I tell you who’s done really well since he’s come: the goalkeeper [Senne Lammens]. Blimey, I think he’s done a real good job. You’re going to concede goals, of course you are, but at times he’s stood up and made some really good saves.”

Henry: “Matthijs de Ligt, and we’ve seen why recently. It would have been a different result against Bournemouth with him in the team. He’s given an assuredness at the back and, in many ways, you don’t see how good some players are until they’re not playing, and that’s definitely the case with De Ligt. He’s also a potential future captain, I think.”

Marshall: “I find it hard to look beyond Bruno Fernandes [right]. I really appreciate how much he loves the game and is so fully immersed in it.

The numbers speak for themselves and he remains such a massive influence, even after moving to a deeper role.”

Lyes: “It’s hard to not say Bruno, even though some people are adamant he hasn’t had a particularly good season! The amount of effort he puts in and the impact he has...

I find it incredibly difficult to overlook that. Mbeumo has made

a really positive impact too, so I’d be looking towards those two.”

Bradford: “If I could give a joint award, it would be De Ligt and Shaw. Maybe De Ligt just edges it, but I don’t think Shaw has had a bad game. He has this incredible ability to be in the right place at the right time, making crucial tackles... but he also progresses the ball brilliantly and makes off-the-ball runs to make space down the left-hand side for whoever is at wing-back or left-sided no.10. The work he gets through, and the quality of work he gets through in 90 minutes, is very underrated by people at the moment.” ●

“Matthijs has given an assuredness at the back and, in many ways, you don’t see how good some players are until they’re not playing” – Deb Henry

Mitten: “I would say De Ligt or Mbeumo. De Ligt has been very consistent and has really been missed when he’s been injured. Mbeumo has had a quiet few weeks, and should have scored some of his chances against Bournemouth, but he’s the top scorer and a big reason behind why the team are scoring more goals.”

Ganley: “Amad. It’s just a joy watching the little fella run at opponents. His close control is dazzling, he works his backside off, and he’s shown great willingness to take on the challenge of right wing-back and adapt to a different role. It’s great seeing the leap he’s made to becoming one of United’s key players during the last 12-18 months.”

The consistency De Ligt has shown so far this season, and how much his absence is felt when he’s unavailable, is testament to his abilities and influence on the team

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Moment

Behold, the king of kings...

Who are we looking at? The one and only Eric Cantona – a player United fans nicknamed ‘King Eric’ for his magisterial demeanour and on-pitch leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson’s great mid-1990s side.

Where and when was this taken? At Old Trafford on 8 May 1997, ahead of the Reds’ penultimate Premier League game of the ’96/97 season, with our visitors Newcastle giving Cantona and the United players a guard of honour after they’d been confirmed as champions a few days earlier. It was the 11th of our 20 league titles.

How did the game, and the season, go for United? Well, the season had obviously been a good one: landing the title again, our second consecutive crown, with the only disappointment being our frustratingly luckless Champions League semi-final exit to Borussia Dortmund a fortnight earlier. Still, as silver linings go, this was a pretty good one for Cantona and his team-mates. And the game? Not the most memorable, ending goalless, although both sides hit the woodwork and had strong shouts for penalties.

What’s the significance of the photo? It shows one of the many memorable moments we’ve enjoyed against the Magpies across our 181 meetings prior to tonight. This particular image also shows Cantona in one of his final appearances for the Reds, with the Frenchman shocking the football world by announcing his retirement from the game (aged 30) just weeks later. Affection for Eric remains incredibly strong, with the ‘Twelve Cantonas’ song being heard at our recent games – well, it is the festive season!

– and his image adorning several of the many banners in the increasingly colourful Stretford End. C’est magnifique!

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The section dedicated to you, the supporters.

Got a United story or a message to share? Get in touch at united.family@manutd.co.uk

NITE

ONE MORE STEP!

fan story

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Legendary MUFC fanzine Red News is doing some epic fundraising this month…

The editor of Manchester United’s oldest fanzine is aiming to walk 501,000 steps during December, in a bid to raise money for vital charity Manchester Mind.

Much-loved supporter Barney Chilton, who founded Red News back in 1987, has been pounding the streets since the start of the month to try and beat the step count he reached last year.

It’s all part of Red News’s annual Christmas fundraising drive for Manchester Mind – an independent local charity which helps more than 11,000 young people and adults with their mental health needs each year. Barney and the rest of the Red News sellers donned Santa hats before our rollercoaster 4-4 draw with Bournemouth earlier this month – in truly awful weather, we might add – to raise awareness for their fundraising exploits.

They are now encouraging fans to donate to the cause, or even up their own step counts in order to promote general wellbeing within the United community. Or just stop by for a chat on matchdays!

“It’s more important than ever that we all take care of ourselves, and our minds,” says Barney.

“If you are able to talk, please do. You can contact Manchester Mind direct – or please see us when we sell the fanzine for a chat. Take care of yourselves, Reds, please.”

Barney (left) and the Red News team are aiming to better last year’s step count as part of their epic fundraising efforts this month, with the proceeds going to Manchester Mind, a local charity whose important work continues to be highlighted throughout their walks

Scan here to donate. If you need help, visit manchestermind.org or call on 0161 769 5732.

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UNITED VOICES

MARTYN WALSH

The Inspiral Carpets bassist tells us about growing up as a Rusholme Red, and the differences between United and City

The Inspirational Carpets bassist recounts the time he first heard United fans sing their song, saying it was one of the best feelings he ever had

“There is something about Ruben Amorim that I really like: his ethos of ‘I want to do it this way and I have an identity’. I get that, really; we just have to keep the faith.

I admire what he is trying to do, though I think we still need a few more players: maybe a striker with Premier League experience and a defensive, Remi Moses-type midfielder who can do the unglamorous stuff and let the flair players free.

The other week we were on stage in Sheffield while United were playing West Ham, and our roadie, Paul, held up a sign during the gig saying ‘1-0’. But then later he was making a cut-throat sign, saying it was 1-1. I was gutted!

We’re just constantly throwing it away at the moment, aren’t we?

But being a United fan means I made the right choice in life. Though the reason I became a Red is a bit of a weird one, because I was born in Rusholme, really close to Maine Road. My dad was a Red but my grandad was a City fan, and he used to go in the Lord Lion pub and play dominoes and darts with the City players Bert Trautmann and Roy Paul.

They’d leave their pints, get the bus to Maine Road, and then come back after the match and finish their dominoes!

I remember my dad taking me to watch City, but then a couple of days later we went to Old Trafford to watch United’s reserves – Paddy Roche let a goal through his legs! My first proper

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Formed in the early ’80s, Inspirational Carpets were part of the Madchester movement and have been busy peforming tour dates since reuniting in 2022

match was United v Liverpool in 1977, though. I remember being in the Stretford End and literally being held up and passed around the crowd when United scored – it was just a biblical experience. For an eight or nine-year-old, Old Trafford was magical, intense, and electric.

My peak period following United was going home and away under Ron [Atkinson]. Especially the classic Barcelona game in 1984 and the FA Cup final when Whiteside scored in 1985! You were treated badly as an away fan back then, but there was a good camaraderie between the fans. I went with mates from Denton and we’d pick the coach up to away games outside the Brunswick pub in town.

For that Barcelona game, one of our gang ‘borrowed’ a Union Jack from the local Conservative Club and painted ‘Denton Reds’ on it!

But being in the Inspirational Carpets, one of the best feelings I’ve ever had is hearing United fans first singing the chant to our song This Is How It Feels. I can’t remember what game it was, but me and my mate were walking past Trafford Bar after and all the crowd started singing: ‘This is how it feels to be City…’ and that was brilliant! It was sung all the time at the match.

Sadly, it’s been hijacked now by City fans, and there’s nothing worse than hearing them singing it! I don’t know how they have the nerve to nick other people’s songs! They did the same with ‘Giggs will tear you apart’ – get your own songs!

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I don’t know why City never took with me. At the time I was growing up they were quite a family club, but it was a bit sterile.

The thing is… it was always exciting at United. You never knew what was going to happen. And United have always had that X factor, with players like Cantona and Keane who played football on the edge, and City have never really had that.

United are a global brand because of the excitement we have created with our style of

fan column

“ONE OF THE BEST FEELINGS I’VE EVER HAD IS HEARING UNITED FANS FIRST SINGING THE CHANT TO OUR SONG THIS IS HOW IT FEELS” football, and the fact we have always been trailblazers – like entering the European Cup in 1956, for example.

That legacy is what has made players and managers want to come to United since Fergie retired, and ignoring that tradition is what gets managers in trouble.”

Martyn counts Whiteside’s FA Cup winner in 1985 as one of his most memorable moments following the Reds

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MATCHDAY MESSAGES EMAIL: UNITED.FAMILY@MANUTD.CO.UK

Happy birthday, Aydin! Hope you have a great day. Lots of love from Mum, Dad and Oli.

Shout-out to Juvraj Singh Showker, and here’s wishing you a very happy 10th birthday.

Happy 14th birthday, Jalen Simister. Glory, glory Man United!

Happy 70th birthday, David Proctor. Love from Roy, Amy and Luke.

Wishing a very happy birthday to United’s biggest fan, Zigman!

Happy 40th birthday to Farouk Ahmed.

Hello to Rory McCloskey, 10, and enjoy the game at Old Trafford tonight.

Happy Christmas, Robert and Rio. Love from Mum, Dad, Nana and Bampi.

Steven Moore is celebrating a birthday today – have a good one at the game!

Evan, Sadhbh and Tadhg Hoarty, pictured here with Choccy, are here tonight with their parents, Niamh and Ronan, from Ireland. Sadhbh and Tadhg are visiting the Theatre of Dreams for the first time!

Wishing a very happy 11th birthday to diehard United fan Cohen, and have a brilliant time at Old Trafford tonight.

A big Old Trafford welcome to Alex, seven, and Jake Molloy, 10, here with members of their family as part of their Christmas present for their first-ever game.

Happy 21st birthday, Evan Green – pictured here a little younger!

We’d like to say a big hello and congratulations to Arandeep Singh Grewal and Manpreet Kaur Grewal, here at their first game as husband and wife.

It’s also Manpreet’s first-ever United match. Enjoy!

Happy birthday for today, Rohit Dayal – here all the way from the United States to celebrate!

All the family would like to wish Ruben a very happy 18th birthday! Hope you have the best birthday celebration at Old Trafford.

Dear Radhika and Akshay: happy anniversary! Radhika – it is a special life milestone for Akshay, who has dreamt of this day for a long time. Welcome to the Theatre of Dreams and the United family.

Happy 10th birthday, Patrick.

Wishing you a great day. Love from Mum, Dad and Fergus the dog.

Wishing a very happy birthday to Haissam, who has been supporting United for more than 30 years.

Lots of love from your wife, Dora, and your children, Dany and Leo.

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messages

Wishing a happy birthday to Vicky Pennington. Enjoy your special day.

Happy 37th birthday to Christopher for 10 December.

He loves coming to games with daughter Belle and wife Danielle.

We hope Ethan and his cousins, Conor and Liam, had a brilliant time at their first Old Trafford game, against West Ham recently.

Happy 14th birthday, Evie Campbell!

With love from all your family.

‘Happy birthday, Binky. I hope you have the best birthday ever with us! Love from Mavie and Daddy.’

‘Wishing everyone a very happy New Year and a win for the Reds!

We’re here tonight for Will’s eighth game at Old Trafford.’

Muckamore Reds MUSC member Logan Burtonwood is visiting Old Trafford tonight for the first time and will be watching from the Bobby Charlton Stand with his dad, Philip, and mum, Barbara.

His favourite player is Martinez.

Robert Burton turns 70 today.

He’s been coming to Old Trafford for 32 years and is pictured with his grandson, Lucas – another big United fan. Happy birthday, Robert, from all your family.

Happy 13th birthday, Woody Mulligan. Have the best birthday.

Lots of love, Mum, Dad and Cerys.

Happy 13th birthday to Ellis, United’s no.1 fan. Lots of love, Mum, Dad, Saul, Grandad and Jane.

Wishing the happiest of birthdays to Jay Harish Jethwa.

Brothers Isaac and Finley Wilkes, aged 10 and nine respectively, are at Old Trafford with their dad, Alex, thanks to tickets from Santa Claus.

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Happy birthday to Tom, the biggest United fan! Love Mum, Dad and H. Here’s Charlie Horan, aged 12, and Dad, from Ireland, enjoying a matchday at the Theatre of Dreams.

Happy 14th birthday to Mohamed Zayaan for 13 December. Hope to make your dream come true one day, and to be at Old Trafford.

Once a Red, always a Red. Love all the way from South Africa.

Glory, glory Man United!

Happy 20th birthday, Charlie. Have an amazing day and enjoy the game.

All our love, Mum, Dad, Dan and Bex.

Wishing a very happy 14th birthday to Oliver Borcherds.

Wishing a very happy 13th birthday to Jasmine Heyman for tomorrow.

Jasmine is a season ticket holder and is at the game tonight with her dad and two sisters cheering on the Reds! She plays for her local team and her favourite players are Bryan Mbeumo and Ella Toone.

Ryan Connor is a huge Red and hopes to play for Manchester United one day. He’s here tonight from Ireland with dad Philip.

Christopher Keogan is celebrating his 11th birthday with a visit to Old Trafford for tonight’s game.

Many happy returns, Christopher!

Happy birthday, Jack. Another blessed year of family memories on matchdays at your happy place!

Wishing a very happy seventh birthday to United-mad Gene Jordan Rothwell. Lots of Love from Grandads Colin and Paul, Grandmas Janet and Tracey, Mum, Dad, Meadow and all the family.

Happy fourth birthday, Arthur. Lots of love, Mummy, Daddy and Amelie.

Happy birthday to Jack Pennington, who turned 27 at the end of November. He’s pictured ahead of April’s Europa League trip to Lyon, alongside Robbie Savage.

With love from Mum and Dad.

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Happy 16th birthday, Ben Foster.

Hope you have a great day.

Many happy returns to Noah Pennington for his second birthday on 22 December. He’s already a massive Red! Lots of love from Nannie and Grandad.

Happy 18th birthday, Freddie! Lots of love from Mum, Dad and Raffi.

Happy ninth birthday to Jack Hannon, who is at tonight’s game from Ireland and is seeing the Reds at Old Trafford for the second time.

Wishing a happy 21st birthday to Ella Barber. Love Mum and Dad.

Happy 14th birthday, Thomas.

Have a superb day and enjoy the game. Lots of love from Mum, Dad, Alexandra and Wilsy Woo.

To Braeden Bell: happy 12th birthday. Love Mum, Dad, and everyone at the Roger Byrne Gorton Memorial Fund (RBGMF).

Wishing the happiest of 14th birthdays to Harley Booth. With love from Mum, Dad and Kian.

IN MEMORIAM

In memory of Joshua Groom (2003–2020), a lifelong Manchester United supporter whose passion for the game and love for Old Trafford shone brightly, especially during the 2019 Treble Reunion – a day he spoke of with pride and excitement. Loved for his gentle spirit and big heart, Joshua’s legacy inspires us to care for one another and to keep breaking the silence around men’s and young people’s mental health, especially through the power of football and sport. Forever 17, forever a Red.

Ron Swift was a devoted Manchester United supporter whose passion never wavered, even through his courageous three-year battle with illness. Win, lose, or draw, Ron stood by his club with unwavering pride, sharing his love for United with everyone around him. His warmth, humour, and loyalty touched all who knew him, and matchdays will never feel the same without him. Though he is no longer with us, his spirit lives on in every roar from the stands.

Forever United, forever remembered. We will never forget you, Dad, aka Rocket Ron.

In loving memory of Chris Ashforth, a huge Manchester United fan who followed them home and away when he was younger. He introduced his son at an early age and they both attended games together with their friends up until his recent passing on 24 November, at the age of 54. A man who was truly loved by all and brought a smile to many people’s faces. Rest in peace, Dad. We will all miss you.

In memory of Elizabeth Anne Lewis (30.07.1942-05.11.2025), a lifelong United supporter who attended games at Old Trafford since being a teenager.

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Chanukah celebration Our Jewish Reds recently came to together for a special evening at the Theatre of Dreams…

Manchester United proudly co-hosted Old Trafford’s first Chanukah celebration earlier this month, a special evening of faith, food and talks to mark the recent Jewish festival of lights.

Together with our Jewish Supporters’ Club – which launched last season and already has over 200 members – we welcomed fans, colleagues and local community members to what was a landmark event at the Theatre of Dreams.

To kick off the evening, guests heard speeches from Toby Craig (United’s chief communications officer), Joseph Eskenazy and Dan Delew (co-founders of our Jewish Supporters’ Club), and Rabbi Daniel Walker (Rabbi of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation).

The talks highlighted the significance of the inaugural event and poignantly paid tribute to those affected by the

The lighting of the menorah was a poignant moment in the evening and symbolised hope in the face of heartbreak

recent attacks at Bondi Beach in Sydney and the Heaton Park synagogue in our city of Manchester, explaining how Chanukah’s enlightening values of hope, optimism and resilience can help to dispel the darkness of such heartbreaking adversity.

This was followed by the ceremonial lighting of the Chanukah menorah when,

on behalf of the club, non-executive director Michael Edelson and director of football Jason Wilcox were among those to light candles. Attendees were then invited to enjoy a kosher food buffet before a raffle, with a collection of donated prizes – including a shirt signed by United’s men – won around the room.

Joseph and Dan, co-founders of the supporters’ club, said: “The evening

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The special evening of faith and food was accompanied by various talks, with several senior club officials also in attendance

fan story

Rabbi Daniel Walker delivers his speech

marked a defining moment for us as co-founders and for the wider Manchester United Jewish Supporters’ Club.

“Bringing together 85 members of the Jewish community alongside representatives of the club, including Rabbi Daniel Walker and Jason Wilcox, felt incredibly powerful. At a time when Jewish spaces can feel fragile, standing together at Old Trafford to celebrate Chanukah, culminating in the lighting of the menorah, was deeply moving.

“What began as a simple idea has become a real community. Seeing that sense of unity, pride and belonging in one room is something we will carry with us forever.”

Rick McGagh, United’s director of fan engagement, added: “Events like

The celebration was held at Old Trafford for the first time and proved a huge success

United’s director of football Jason Wilcox chats to MUJSC’s co-founders

“At a time when Jewish spaces can feel fragile, standing together at Old Trafford to celebrate Chanukah was deeply moving” this show the power of football. You can bring communities together, communities who have been through some really tough times recently.

“Chanukah is a festival that reminds us of resilience, hope, and the power of community – values that resonate deeply both within Jewish tradition and within the spirit of this great football club.

“Our network of official supporters’ clubs is something we’re incredibly proud of, with over 350 clubs

around the world bringing fans together in their shared love of United. Joseph and Dan have done a great job in setting up the Jewish Supporters’ Club and putting on this event for their members.

“We had a fantastic turnout on the night, and we look forward to doing many more of these events in the future.”

Our Jewish Supporters’ Club is free to join, and you can find out more by scanning the QR code or by emailing ManchesterUnitedJSC@gmail.com.

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STORY BEHIND THE SHOT There was plenty of goalscoring action to capture during our home outing against Bournemouth, and club photographer ASH DONELON (above) got the perfect Stretford End shot of goal number seven thanks to some brilliant remote work…

CROSSING THE LINE When and where: United v Bournemouth, Old Trafford, 15 December 2025.

Ash says: “Football is a dynamic and unpredictable subject to photograph because the action takes place over a relatively large area, so I utilise several cameras with different focal-length lenses to get coverage of the whole pitch. At home games I also place a camera behind one of the goals to get a different perspective. I connect it to my other cameras via radio transmitters so whenever I take a photo with the camera in my hand, the remote goalmouth camera takes one simultaneously. I have to choose the position and angle of the remote camera before the match and leave it there until full-time, so it’s always a bit of a gamble, but when it pays off it makes all the set-up effort worthwhile. When Matheus Cunha scored his first Stretford End goal, I was sat level with the six-yard box where my view was partially blocked by other players, but thankfully I’d put my remote camera in the perfect spot to capture the moment as the ball crossed the line.”

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How did our women’s team reform?

JUNIOR

Reds

game at Blackburn in United’s women’s team line up for an away as an amateur side 1995, 18 years after their formation but still

There was much excitement when news broke in March 2018 that a new team of professional footballers was to be formed. A team that was to be known as ‘Manchester United Women’. Except, this wasn’t so much a forming of a club as a reforming – with there previously having been a female Reds team from 1977 to 2005, a group of amateur trailblazers known as Manchester United Ladies.

Those pioneering players didn’t get paid – having to fit the football around their jobs – and they usually lined up on Sunday league pitches, with more people running around in the mud than watching on the sidelines! What’s more, in their early years they didn’t even play in a United kit, although they always wore their red shirts with pride.

The Manchester United supporters’ club secretary, Anne Smith, was the smart thinker who got things started, organising the amateur team’s first-ever game. Played on Sunday 6 March 1977,

it was between some local female United supporters and a team of Irish female United fans, known as Eleven CC, who had travelled over from Dublin to watch the men’s Manchester derby that weekend. The local Reds won 4-3, with the game refereed by United men’s 1968 European Cup-winning goalkeeper Alex Stepney.

Over the following years, more and more talented female footballers from England’s North West (especially the United-supporting ones!) would hear about this team and try to get involved.

The Reds were soon flying up the league table. From playing in the Three Counties Women’s Football League, in 1982 they would join the Greater Manchester Women’s Football League – a newly formed division they were invited to enter after United became part of the Women’s Football Association.

Many league titles would follow over the next decade, and by then the

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kids’ pages

d Casey Stoney was appointed Unite Women’s first manager in 2018 and a as Reds the quickly established new force in the women’s game

The triumphant Reds celebrate at Wembley in 1996 after winning the Littlewoods Charity Challenge trophy against Newcastle, but it would still be another 22 years before the team would turn professional

‘ladies’ were training once a week at The Cliff – the Reds’ iconic training ground, where they would rub shoulders with Alex Ferguson’s men’s team. And then came the ’90s, and two special fixtures the amateur Reds will never forget, both played at Wembley in front of thousands of fans. The first was ahead of the men’s 1994 FA Cup semi-final against Oldham Athletic; the second against Newcastle in 1996, just before the men’s Charity Shield (now known as the Community Shield).

The club covered all the costs as they travelled together from Manchester, while they played in new United kits, and they even got to lift a trophy – the Littlewoods Charity Challenge trophy – after winning the 1996 game 2-0 against the Magpies.

Those involved, such as captain Donna Douglas, would have felt like Arnot (left of picture) scored this famous first goal

professional footballers that day, but sadly it would take another 22 years for that to become a reality.

Although the amateur Reds stopped playing in 2005, the girls’ football continued at United, with youngsters such as Ella Toone, Katie Zelem and Millie Turner all part of our ‘Regional Talent Club’, run by Manchester United Foundation, throughout the following decade. But once these young starlets finished their education, they had no choice but to join another club so they could try to pursue a proper career in the game.

So when Casey Stoney was appointed United Women’s first manager in 2018, she was smart enough to get the trio back to Manchester as soon as possible – and this time as professional players. With all three being massive United fans, they

DID YOU KNOW? United Women’s first-ever competitive fixture was in the League Cup, away to top-flight Liverpool on 19 August 2018. They won 1-0, thanks to Lizzie Arnot’s 83rd-minute goal (left). Their maiden league fixture was even more memorable: a win away to Aston Villa on 9 September 2018.

The score? 12-0, with Toone scoring her first United goal to complete the dozen!

Our women’s team enj season as a professio oyed a first nal outfit, topping the 2018/19 Champion to earn promotion to ship table the WSL

didn’t need much persuading! All three would go on to become club legends.

With the new team starting out in the Championship (the second tier) in 2018/19, they took little time to gel, storming their way to promotion with 18 wins, one draw and just one loss in 20 league games, while scoring 113 goals in all competitions! Current Lioness Lauren James, still only 16 at the start of 2018/19, scored 17 times, one behind top scorer Jess Sigsworth, with a teenage Toone netting 15 and future captain Zelem bagging 11.

It certainly made for an exciting first season for the new team as the attendances grew at their Leigh Sports Village home. But the most encouraging games came in the cups, as United beat top-flight opposition in Liverpool, Everton, Brighton and West Ham, and were only narrowly beaten in a League Cup semi-final, away at Arsenal. The Reds had more than proven they were ready for the Women’s Super League…

69 68-69_Junior Reds history (cg).AOBAPD.indd 2

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GUESS THE RED

tonight’s MASCOTS What a line-up we have!

Who are the hidden players from our recent win at Palace?

HO HO HO, HA HA HA!

Mariam

Jude

Rocco

Lev

Ollie

Liam

George

Zack

Aimee

Ethan

Some festive funnies to enjoy!

WHO G E T S A LWAY S AT C H S E N T O F F R Rudo I S T M A S ? lph t h

ca rd

Re i n

E W H AT ’S T H M A S T IS BEST CHR ER? SONG EV r

WHY IS THE PITCH SO NOISY AT CHRISTMAS?

e re d deer !

W H Y D O E S IR IN D A LTAY B AY E D ’S IT N M A K E U AS C H R IS T M D IN N E R ?

s all H e k n ow ey ! rk u T about

Because of all the jingle balls!

t fo All I wan as is m st ri Ch ! it U…n ed

WHY DO S A N TA ’S HELPER P L AY S O M S U F O O T BA L L C H ?

It ’s good fo r their elf !

...and Edward!

And for the visitors →

Joseph

Guess the Red: 1. Luke Shaw; 2. Joshua Zirkzee

ANSWERS

70 70_Junior Reds v2 (cg).AOSMPD.indd 1

19/12/2025 17:10

THE OFFICIAL

COLLECTION

UNITED BOOK SHOP CHRO N I C LES

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ULTIMATE MANCHESTER UNITED QUIZ BOOK RRP £9.99, ONLY £5.99

Test your knowledge of the club with more than 1,400 questions on a range of topics and eras of the club’s history.

THE REDS’ INCREDIBLE HISTORY TOLD IN 30 EPIC STORIES

OLD MANCHESTER UNITED IN COLOUR

UNITED CHRONICLES

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Iconic and rarely seen images are now seen in full colour for the first time, to show United’s history as you’ve never seen it before.

Learn about our greatest teams, iconic managers, famous goals, dramatic matches and trophy triumphs in this illustrated story of the world’s most famous football club

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76_Man Utd Books_NEW_Ad.indd 1

12/12/2025 07:45

Six pupils from Manchester United Foundation’s partner schools had a day to remember spending time in the company of men’s and women’s team players for the filming of our Christmas advert – with more gifts still to come this festive season!

The group of deserving young people – from the Foundation’s Street Reds projects and partner primary, secondary and special educational needs schools – were invited to Old Trafford as an early Christmas surprise, rewarding them for the efforts they have shown in our sessions.

As well as receiving a full Manchester United kit and a pair of football boots each, the youngsters also met their Reds heroes, including Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Millie Turner and Gabby George.

A final surprise was revealed to the participants as they opened their gifts around a Christmas tree, learning they would be invited back to M16 as mascots for our festive fixtures!

Jude, Rocco and Mariam will walk out alongside Ruben Amorim’s starting XI for today’s game against Newcastle, before we welcome Isabelle, Kayla and Luca to do the same ahead of kick-off against Wolves next week.

One of these passionate Reds, Rocco, a pupil at our partner school Abingdon Primary, had never been to Old Trafford before this special day of festive surprises, and naturally was overjoyed by the experience.

Rocco said: “I’m very thankful that I’ve had this experience, it was amazing meeting the players, getting their signatures, and this will always be special for me and my family.

“This has never happened to me before, I’ve always dreamed of this.

Being a mascot is going to be an amazing experience. Come on United!”

christmas -- AT OURS! Foundation participants enjoy plenty of festive fun on the set of our seasonal film, along with some added surprises...

United Women’s Gabby George (above), plus Hannah Blundell and Leah Galton (below) join the six Foundation participants at Old Trafford to help deliver an unforgettable early Christmas surprise to the deserving youngsters

Luca, a pupil at Philips High School, is among next week’s mascots for the Wolves fixture. He said: “I’m speechless, it’s indescribable. Man United is one of the biggest teams in the world, there’s going to be a massive crowd watching and I’ll be with a really famous player. It’s going to be special and one of the best days of my life. It will probably be better than actual Christmas Day, honestly!”

Isabelle, one of the Foundation’s Street Reds participants at The Oldham Academy North, added: “It means a lot to me to be chosen because I like not only that I’m going to be with the players in real life, but also being able to watch the game.

“Meeting all the players and getting their signatures has been great. It’s overwhelming, I’ve loved it.”

72 72-73_Foundation NEW v2 (cg)(approved).AOBAPDCG.indd 1

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Participants from our Sir Bobby’s Street Reds session in Moss Side have received a free football from the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation this month – honouring the legendary Red’s belief that “the greatest gift a child can receive is a football”.

Another United icon, Nicky Butt, was on hand to deliver this special gift to the young people – also spending time joining in with their football session,

taking photos and signing autographs, taking part in a Q&A and sharing his own memories of Sir Bobby.

Manchester United Foundation delivers Sir Bobby’s Street Reds sessions twice a week in partnership with the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation, providing free football opportunities for youngsters aged 8-18, extending the legacy of the great man while honouring his passion for supporting young people.

foundation

Club legend’s ball giveaway Treble winner Nicky Butt delivered gifts of footballs to youngsters on behalf of the Sir Bobby Charlton Foundation

FOUNDATION FESTIVITIES

Stay in touch!

Instagram: @manchesterunited foundation

facebook.com/ manchesterunited foundation

Foundation partner primary school pupils at Manchester’s Play Factore, where they received a scarf as part of a festive gift

X: @MU_foundation

TikTok: @manutdfoundation

Young people from across Foundation projects have enjoyed everything from silent discos, cinema trips and so much more as part of a series of seasonal parties that have taken place this month.

More than 400 young people were invited to join the end-of-year celebrations as a reward for their efforts with the Foundation this season.

Participant Teddy said: “I’ve been having fun and spending time with my friends. I loved going down the slides and bouncing on the trampolines!”

Melanie Wilkinson, business manager at Hadfield Infant School, said: “The kids have had a fantastic day today, they never get this opportunity usually, so we’d like to thank Manchester United Foundation for inviting us today.”

YouTube.com /manutdfoundation

73 72-73_Foundation NEW v2 (cg)(approved).AOBAPDCG.indd 2

19/12/2025 13:56

Our impact 1,324 Season 2024/25

517k+ total free-of-charge attendances at sessions and events

signed and charitable items distributed

£2.3m raised by fans and fundraising

125 41% 41,289 projects

female participation

unique participants

Find out more mufoundation.org/ourimpact

20_Foundation_Our Impact_Ad.indd 1

17/10/2025 11:24

infographic

Top 10 festive foes The Magpies are set to go level as our all-time most played opponent on 26 December tonight, so here’s a rundown of the teams we’ve faced the most come Boxing Day…

6

5

4

Everton, Liverpool, Newcastle United*

Aston Villa, Wolves

Blackpool, Burnley, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United, Sunderland

Liverpool: United duelled with our Merseyside rivals on the day after Christmas in three consecutive years, between 1978 and 1980 (above).

Newcastle: The Magpies are our equal most regular opponent on 26 December in the Premier League era – the last being in 2019 (a 4-1 win, above).

Aston Villa: The Reds’ last Boxing Day outing here in M16 was against the Villans in 2023 (above), a game that saw us come from two goals down to win 3-2.

* includes tonight’s fixture

75 75_Stats at the Back.AOCGPD.indd 1

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OFFICIAL CLUB BOOK

THE REDS’ INCREDIB LE HISTORY TOLD IN 30 EPIC STORIES On sale now from reachsportshop.com *plus P&P. Offer subject to change. Order by December 18th for UK delivery in time for Christmas, subject to Royal Mail 76_United Chronicles book_Ad.indd 1

12/12/2025 07:45

PREMIER LEAGUE

LEADING ASSISTS

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

1

Arsenal

17

12

3

2

31

10

21

39

2

Manchester City

17

12

1

4

41

16

25

37

3

Aston Villa

17

11

3

3

27

18

9

36

4

Chelsea

17

8

5

4

29

17

12

29

5

Liverpool

17

9

2

6

28

25

3

29

6

Sunderland

17

7

6

4

19

17

2

27

7

UNITED

17

7

5

5

31

28

3

26

8

Crystal Palace

17

7

5

5

21

19

2

26

9

Brighton

17

6

6

5

25

23

2

24

10

Everton

17

7

3

7

18

20

-2

24

11

Newcastle

17

6

5

6

23

22

1

23

12

Brentford

17

7

2

8

24

25

-1

23

13

Tottenham

17

6

4

7

26

23

3

22

14

Bournemouth

17

5

7

5

26

29

-3

22

15

Fulham

16

6

2

8

23

26

-3

20

16

Leeds

17

5

4

8

24

31

-7

19

17

Nottingham Forest

16

5

3

8

17

25

-8

18

18

West Ham

17

3

4

10

19

35

-16

13

19

Burnley

17

3

2

12

19

34

-15

11

20

Wolves

17

0

2

15

9

37

-28

2

CLEAN SHEETS

7

Virgil van Dijk

1318

David Raya

9

Igor Thiago

11

Rayan Cherki

6

Lewis Dunk

1256

Robert Sanchez

8

Hugo Ekitike

8

Mohammed Kudus

5

Jan Paul van Hecke

1191

Gianluigi Donnarumma

7

Antoine Semenyo

8

Samuel Chukwueze

4

Ruben Dias

1152

Dean Henderson

7

Phil Foden

7

Jeremy Doku

4

Trevoh Chalobah

1114

Jordan Pickford

6

Jean-Philippe Mateta

7

Jack Grealish

4

Elliot Anderson

1087

Robin Roefs

6

Richarlison

7

Erling Haaland

4

Joachim Andersen

1067

Djordje Petrovic

5

Morgan Rogers

7

Quilindschy Hartman

4

Declan Rice

1056

Nick Pope

5

Danny Welbeck

7

Yankuba Minteh

4

Martin Zubimendi

1034

Guglielmo Vicario

5

Nick Woltemade

7

Granit Xhaka

4

Dominik Szoboszlai

1030

Emiliano Martinez

4

▶

Bruno Fernandes

▶

19

▶

TOTAL PASSES

Erling Haaland

▶

(Table and statistics below up to 21.12.2025)

LEADING GOALSCORERS

POS TEAM

PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE 2025/26

At 5.30pm tomorrow, it’s Chelsea v Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. For Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, a win is vital if they are to keep pace with their opponents in the Premier League standings.

Moving on to Sunday, Sunderland v Leeds is an intriguing encounter at the Stadium of Light at 2pm. While the Black Cats have undoubtedly enjoyed the stronger start to ’25/26 since these two teams were promoted last summer, Leeds have found some fine form in recent weeks, helped by the impressive scoring run of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has six in his last five outings.

And finally for matchweek 18, it’s Crystal Palace v Tottenham at Selhurst Park (4.30pm on Sunday).

▶

2025/26 PLAYER STATISTICS

While the Uniteds of Manchester and Newcastle kick off the festive schedule in the top flight tonight – the division’s only Boxing Day fixture – the 18 other teams are all in action over the next two days.

First up is the 12.30pm game tomorrow, between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.

The Tricky Trees will have fond memories of winning this fixture 1-0 at the City Ground last season, and how current boss Sean Dyche would love a repeat outcome.

Arsenal will also be hoping for a Forest win, with the high fliers from north London hosting Brighton at 3pm – one of five games at this time, alongside Brentford v Bournemouth, Burnley v Everton, Liverpool v Wolves and West Ham v Fulham.

pl stats

Nine fixtures over the next two days follow’s tonight’s action in M16…

77 77_PL Stats.AOCGPD.indd 1

22/12/2025 12:21

SUBSCRIBE NOW GET OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMMES DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR

UNITED Review Follow the Reds in every home game with the official Manchester United matchday programme

SINGLE ISSUES ALSO AVAILABLE

£125 £58 26 ISSUES 12 ISSUES P R I C E S I N C LU D E U K D E L I V E R Y

TO SUBSCRIBE VISIT

www.manutd.com/programme

Subscriptions start with the next available issue. Delivery is subject to Royal Mail and not guaranteed to arrive for matchday.

We can be contacted at enquiries@reachsportshop.com. Prices subject to change.

78_UR Subs (add UR cover).indd 1

18/12/2025 06:55

LEAGUE APP GLS 39(14) 11 4(1) 0 10 0 80(12) 10 0(6) 0 12(2) 3 134(20) 4 38(4) 3 18(10) 0 208(4) 67 0(1) 0 2 0 0(1) 0 0 0 6(4) 0 48(14) 14 0(1) 0 11 0 149(26) 8 43(18) 3 16(9) 0 52(11) 3 40(6) 0 16 6 22(23) 5 1(6) 0 72 0 217(70) 87 41(17) 9 7(2) 2 198(17) 3 25(15) 1 0(3) 0 23(15) 0 17(25) 4

FA CUP APP GLS 1(5) 1 0 0 2 0 7(3) 3 0(1) 0 0 0 19(1) 2 2 0 1 0 20(3) 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 0 7(1) 1 0 0 0 0 16(4) 4 7(2) 2 3(2) 0 4(2) 0 3 0 0 0 0(2) 0 0(1) 0 7 0 27(9) 9 3(1) 1 0 0 22(3) 1 3 0 0 0 2(1) 0 1(2) 1

APPEARANCES & GOALS, 2025/26 SEASON

LEAGUE CUP EUROPE APP GLS APP GLS 1(3) 1 7(9) 3 0 0 0(2) 0 3 0 2 0 8(2) 4 23(4) 4 1 0 2(2) 0 1 0 0 0 12 0 31(8) 4 1(2) 0 8(1) 0 1 0 7 0 9(5) 4 54(4) 22 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0 2 0 0(1) 0 1 0 1 0 1(3) 0 17(4) 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12(2) 1 39(6) 4 2(1) 0 1(9) 2 4 0 11(2) 0 6(1) 0 17(2) 0 1(2) 0 14 0 0(1) 1 0 0 2(1) 0 3(8) 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 19 0 16(9) 16 52(23) 26 1(2) 0 11(6) 2 1 0 0 0 8(4) 0 41(10) 0 4 0 8(2) 1 0(1) 0 0 0 1 0 7(1) 1 1(3) 1 6(5) 2

TOTAL OTHERS APP GLS APP GLS 1 0 49(31) 16 0 0 4(3) 0 0 0 17 0 1 0 119(21) 21 0(1) 0 3(10) 0 0 0 13(2) 3 1 0 197(29) 10 0 0 49(7) 3 0 0 27(10) 0 1 0 292(16) 103 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0(2) 0 0 0 2(1) 0 0 0 8(5) 0 0 0 73(22) 26 0 0 0(1) 0 11 0 0 0 1 0 217(38) 17 1 0 54(30) 7 0 0 34(13) 0 1 0 80(16) 3 0 0 58(8) 0 0 0 16(1) 7 1 0 28(34) 7 0 0 1(7) 0 1 0 102 0 1(2) 0 313(113) 138 0(1) 0 56(27) 12 0 0 8(6) 2 1 0 270(34) 4 0 0 40(17) 2 0 0 0(4) 0 0 0 33(17) 1 0 0 25(35) 8

UNITED CAREER STATISTICS

PLAYER AMAD Harry AMASS Altay BAYINDIR CASEMIRO Toby COLLYER Matheus CUNHA Diogo DALOT Matthijs DE LIGT Patrick Chinazaekpere DORGU Bruno FERNANDES Jack FLETCHER Tyler FREDRICSON Daniel GORE Tom HEATON Ayden HEAVEN Rasmus HOJLUND Shea LACEY Senne LAMMENS Harry MAGUIRE Kobbie MAINOO Tyrell MALACIA Lisandro MARTINEZ Noussair MAZRAOUI Bryan MBEUMO Mason MOUNT Chido OBI Andre ONANA Marcus RASHFORD Jadon SANCHO Benjamin SESKO Luke SHAW Manuel UGARTE Ethan WHEATLEY Leny YORO Joshua ZIRKZEE

LEAGUE CUP APP GLS 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0(1) 0 1 0 0(1) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 1 0(1) 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0(1) 0

OTHERS APP GLS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lisandro Martinez is now just four appearances away from a century of games for the Reds, with his second-half outing at Villa Park being his 96th for the club. Meanwhile, Leny Yoro brought up his first notable appearance milestone in last weekend’s game – the Frenchman making his 50th outing in all competitions.

MANCHESTER UNITED EDITORIAL TEAM

PUBLISHED BY

EDITOR Paul Davies MANAGING EDITOR Charlie Ghagan CONTRIBUTORS Joe Ganley, Mikey Partington, Ben Ashby, Sean Mullan, Andy Murray, Matthew Brown, Ste Canavan, Sam Carney

CONTENT SALES DIRECTOR Fergus McKenna HEAD OF COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS David Scripps OPERATIONS MANAGER Nick Moreton COMMISSIONING EDITOR Clare Fitzsimons MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Claire Brown PRODUCTION EDITOR Adam Oldfield

PHOTOGRAPHY Ash Donelon, Zohaib Alam, Poppy Townson, Getty, Alamy, Mirrorpix THANKS TO Andrew Ward, Toby Craig, George McCaffery, Ellie Decrop, Mark Froggatt PRINTED BY Buxton Press

TOTAL APP GLS 15(1) 2 6 0 14(1) 4 13(2) 3 13(3) 1 13(1) 1 9(8) 0 17(1) 5 0(1) 0 1 0 5(2) 0 0(1) 0 11 0 5(4) 2 1(11) 0 0(5) 0 6(3) 0 16(1) 7 9(6) 3 1 0 8(6) 2 17 0 4(8) 0 11(6) 0 3(8) 1

player stats

One of the positives from last Sunday’s game at Aston Villa, despite our defeat, was the first-team debuts of two Academy graduates. Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey (above) took their first senior steps as second-half substitutes at Villa Park, which took the total number of players to make an appearance for the Reds this season to 25.

LEAGUE FA CUP APPEARANCES & GOALS, 2024/25 PLAYER APP GLSSEASON APP GLS AMAD 14(1) 2 0 0 Altay BAYINDIR 6 0 0 0 CASEMIRO 14(1) 4 0 0 Matheus CUNHA 12(2) 3 0 0 Diogo DALOT 12(3) 1 0 0 Matthijs DE LIGT 13 1 0 0 Patrick Chinazaekpere DORGU 8(8) 0 0 0 Bruno FERNANDES 17 5 0 0 Jack FLETCHER 0(1) 0 0 0 Tyler FREDRICSON 0 0 0 0 Ayden HEAVEN 4(2) 0 0 0 Shea LACEY 0(1) 0 0 0 Senne LAMMENS 11 0 0 0 Harry MAGUIRE 4(4) 1 0 0 Kobbie MAINOO 0(11) 0 0 0 Lisandro MARTINEZ 0(5) 0 0 0 Noussair MAZRAOUI 6(3) 0 0 0 Bryan MBEUMO 16 6 0 0 Mason MOUNT 9(5) 3 0 0 Andre ONANA 0 0 0 0 Benjamin SESKO 7(6) 2 0 0 Luke SHAW 17 0 0 0 Manuel UGARTE 3(8) 0 0 0 Leny YORO 11(6) 0 0 0 Joshua ZIRKZEE 3(7) 1 0 0

79 79_App stats.AOCGPD.indd 1

22/12/2025 13:17

2025/26 FIXTURES VISIT MANUTD.COM/FIXTURES FOR ALL THE LATEST FIXTURE INFORMATION

DATE

AUGUST

COMP OPPOSITION

Sun 17 Sun 24 Wed 27 Sat 30

VENUE

K/O

SCORE

ATT

FORMATION LINE-UP

PL PL LC PL

Arsenal Fulham Grimsby Town (R2) Burnley

H A A H

4.30pm 4.30pm 8pm 3pm

0-1 1-1x 2-2↓ 3-2x

73,475 27,512 8,647 74,257

3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1

Bayindir Bayindir Onana Bayindir

Yoro Yoro Fredricson Yoro

De Ligt De Ligt Maguire 1 De Ligt

Shaw Shaw Heaven Shaw

Dalot Amad Dalot Amad

Casemiro Casemiro Mainoo Casemiro

PL PL PL

Manchester City Chelsea Brentford

A H A

4.30pm 5.30pm 12.30pm

0-3 2-1 1-3

52,534 74,124 17,193

3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1

Bayindir Bayindir Bayindir

Yoro De Ligt De Ligt

De Ligt Maguire Maguire

Shaw Shaw Shaw

Mazraoui Mazraoui Dalot

Ugarte Casemiro 1 Ugarte

PL PL PL

Sunderland Liverpool Brighton & Hove Albion

H A H

3pm 4.30pm 5.30pm

2-0 2-1 4-2

74,004 60,337 73,987

3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1

Lammens Lammens Lammens

Yoro De Ligt Yoro

De Ligt Maguire 1 De Ligt

Shaw Shaw Shaw

Amad Amad Amad

Casemiro Casemiro Casemiro 1

PL PL PL PL

Nottingham Forest Tottenham Hotspur Everton Crystal Palace

A A H A

3pm 12.30pm 8pm 12pm

2-2 2-2 0-1 2-1

30,778 61,210 74,158 25,189

3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1

Lammens Lammens Lammens Lammens

Yoro De Ligt 1 Yoro Yoro

De Ligt Maguire De Ligt De Ligt

Shaw Shaw Shaw Shaw

Amad 1 Mazraoui Mazraoui Amad

Casemiro 1 Casemiro Casemiro Casemiro

PL PL PL PL PL PL

West Ham United Wolverhampton Wanderers Bournemouth Aston Villa Newcastle United Wolverhampton Wanderers

H A H A H H

8pm 8pm 8pm 4.30pm 8pm 8.15pm

1-1 4-1 4-4 1-2

73,938 30,338 73,951 43,157

3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1 3-4-2-1

Lammens Lammens Lammens Lammens

Mazraoui Mazraoui Yoro Yoro

Heaven Heaven Heaven Heaven

Shaw Shaw Shaw Shaw

Amad Amad Amad 1 Dalot

Casemiro Casemiro Fernandes 1 Ugarte

PL PL FA PL PL

Leeds United Burnley Brighton & Hove Albion (R3) Manchester City Arsenal

A A H H A

12.30pm 8.15pm 4.30pm 12.30pm 4.30pm

PL PL PL FA PL PL

Fulham Tottenham Hotspur West Ham United Fourth round Everton Crystal Palace

H H A – A H

2pm 12.30pm 8.15pm – 8pm 3pm

PL FA PL PL

Newcastle United Fifth round Aston Villa Bournemouth

A – H A

8pm – 3pm 3pm

FA PL PL FA PL

Quarter-finals Leeds United Chelsea Semi-finals Brentford

– H A N H

– 3pm 3pm – 3pm

PL PL FA PL PL

Liverpool Sunderland Final Nottingham Forest Brighton & Hove Albion

H A N H A

3pm 3pm – 3pm 4pm

SEPTEMBER

Sun 14 Sat 20 Sat 27 OCTOBER

Sat 4 Sun 19 Sat 25 NOVEMBER

Sat 1 Sat 8 Mon 24 Sun 30 DECEMBER

Thu 4 Mon 8 Mon 15 Sun 21 Fri 26 Tue 30 JANUARY

Sun 4 Wed 7 Sun 11 Sat 17 Sun 25 FEBRUARY

Sun 1 Sat 7 Tue 10 13-16 Mon 23 Sat 28* MARCH

Wed 4 6-9 Sat 14 Sat 21 APRIL

3-6 Sat 11 Sat 18 25/26 Sat 25 MAY

Sat 2 Sat 9 Sat 16 Sun 17 Sun 24

EMERGENCY PROCEDURE

Manchester United and Greater Manchester Police have very detailed emergency procedures and contingency plans in place to deal with any emergency scenario which might arise at the stadium. Part of these procedures can involve evacuation plans should such an eventuality be required. We strongly advise that should any unforeseen emergency incident develop then

please remain in your position and listen carefully to any public address announcements or directions from the attendant stewards. Loudspeakers are located in the stands, concourse areas, hospitality areas, toilets and outside the stadium. Depending on the nature of the incident, whole stands, part stands or even the entire stadium may be evacuated. There is also an option to evacuate spectators on to the pitch. Our public address system operates on a

*Date/kick-off on 28 Feb subject to change in event of Palace entering UEFA Conference League play-off round

80 80-81_Season fixtures.AOCGPD.indd 1

22/12/2025 12:21

KEY

COMPETITIONS

United United score score listed listed first. first.

PL – Premier League

Scorers Bold

First sub

FA – Emirates FA Cup

Penalty (underlined)

Second sub

LC – Carabao Cup

x Own goal

Third sub

Yellow card

* After extra-time

Fourth sub

Red card

↑/↓ Won/lost on pens

Fifth sub

All All fixtures fixtures subject subject to change to change –– Premier Premier League League broadcast broadcast picks picks confirmed confirmed up to the up toof1August.

March 2026. end

Fernandes Fernandes Ugarte Fernandes 1

Dorgu Dorgu Dorgu Dalot

Mbeumo Mbeumo Amad Mbeumo 1

Mount Mount Cunha Mount

Cunha Cunha Sesko Cunha

Amad Dalot Fernandes Zirkzee

Sesko Sesko Mbeumo 1 Mainoo

Ugarte Ugarte De Ligt Sesko

Maguire Maguire Mount Mazraoui

– Heaven Zirkzee –

Fernandes Fernandes 1 Fernandes

Dorgu Dorgu Dorgu

Mbeumo Mbeumo Mbeumo

Amad Amad Cunha

Sesko Sesko Sesko 1

Maguire Ugarte Mainoo

Mainoo Cunha Yoro

Casemiro Mount Mount

Zirkzee Yoro Zirkzee

Mainoo –

Anthony Taylor Peter Bankes Craig Pawson

Fernandes Fernandes Fernandes

Dalot Dalot Dalot

Mbeumo Mbeumo 1 Mbeumo 2

Mount 1 Mount Cunha 1

Sesko 1 Cunha Sesko

Dorgu Ugarte Heaven

Cunha Dorgu Mainoo

Mainoo Sesko

Maguire Yoro Ugarte

Ugarte Mainoo Zirkzee

Stuart Attwell Michael Oliver Anthony Taylor

Fernandes Fernandes Fernandes Fernandes

Dalot Dorgu Dorgu Dalot

Mbeumo Amad Amad Mbeumo

Cunha Mbeumo 1 Mbeumo Mount 1

Sesko Cunha Zirkzee Zirkzee 1

Dorgu Sesko Mount Mazraoui

Mazraoui Ugarte Dalot Martinez

– Yoro Mainoo Mainoo

– Mount

– Dalot

– Dorgu

– –

Darren England Samuel Barrott Tony Harrington Robert Jones

Fernandes Fernandes 2 Casemiro 1 Fernandes

Dalot 1 Dalot Dalot Dorgu

Mbeumo Mbeumo 1 Mbeumo Mount

Cunha Mount 1 Mount Cunha 1

Zirkzee Cunha Cunha 1 Sesko

Yoro Martinez Mainoo Martinez

Dorgu Yoro Martinez Zirkzee

Ugarte Mainoo Sesko Fletcher

Mount Dorgu Dorgu Lacey

Martinez Zirkzee Zirkzee –

Andrew Kitchen Michael Salisbury Simon Hooper Michael Oliver

stadium zone-by-zone basis. It may be that certain zones are affected by an incident but not others. In such an event our main attention will be focused on the zone concerned.

If you hear an announcement in an area other than your own, you should ignore it and respond only to messages directed towards your section or by stewards. All spectators are asked to respond calmly and as quickly as possible to emergency directions.

Dorgu

line-ups

REFEREE

USED SUBSTITUTES

Simon Hooper Chris Kavanagh Tony Harrington Samuel Barrott –

MATCHDAY TEXT SERVICE

Help tackle discriminatory or offensive behaviour inside Old Trafford by texting ACTION to 66777* followed by the STAND, ROW and SEAT of the offender and then the nature of the problem. Allow us to do the rest. *Texts are charged at the standard network rate.

81 80-81_Season fixtures.AOCGPD.indd 2

22/12/2025 12:21

You know the drill by now – you’ve got to get all 10 or it’s not a win!

easy

ANDY COLE 2.

WOLVES

OR

2023

Kobbie Mainoo got the opener against Newcastle in May 2024 as United beat the Magpies by what scoreline?

2-1 5.

OR

In which year was the Reds’ most recent Boxing Day fixture at Old Trafford?

2022 4.

KEITH GILLESPIE

Who did we face on Boxing Day last year?

WEST HAM 3.

OR

OR

3-2

Which word has appeared in the name of more Premier League teams?

CITY

OR

UNITED

DID YOU GET THEM ALL? IT’S A PASS FOR YOU! NOT QUITE? BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME...

Other than United and Newcastle, for which other club did Nicky Butt play in the Premier League?

ASTON VILLA OR

BIRMINGHAM

Of the current squad, who was the last Red to net for United on Boxing Day?

AMAD

OR

OR

OR

OR

9.

TOTTENHAM

For which Spanish club did Matheus Cunha play before moving to England?

VALENCIA

8.

TEDDY SHERINGHAM

Which team have United beaten away in the Premier League most often?

EVERTON

7.

BRUNO FERNANDES

Who got United’s second goal in the 1999 FA Cup final against Newcastle?

PAUL SCHOLES

6.

10.

ATLETICO MADRID

ANSWERS

Who scored Newcastle’s first two Premier League goals against United?

EASY: 1. Andy Cole; 2. Wolves; 3. 2023; 4. 3-2; 5. City (10-5).

HARD: 6. Birmingham; 7. Bruno Fernandes; 8. Paul Scholes; 9. Everton; 10. Atletico Madrid.

1.

1.

hard

82 1 82_Quiz (cg).AOBAPDSM.indd 1

19/12/2025 10:26

MAN UTD

25/26 THIRD JERSEY 83_adidas_Third Kit_Melvine_Ad.indd 1

12/09/2025 16:11

MANCHESTER UNITED

Altay BAYINDIR (GK) Diogo DALOT Noussair MAZRAOUI Matthijs DE LIGT Harry MAGUIRE Lisandro MARTINEZ Mason MOUNT Bruno FERNANDES Matheus CUNHA Joshua ZIRKZEE Tyrell MALACIA Patrick Chinazaekpere DORGU Leny YORO AMAD CASEMIRO Bryan MBEUMO Tom HEATON (GK) Luke SHAW Manuel UGARTE Ayden HEAVEN Benjamin SESKO Senne LAMMENS (GK) Chido OBI Tyler FREDRICSON Diego LEON Kobbie MAINOO Jack FLETCHER Shea LACEY

84_Squads_Newcastle (cg) (no officials here).AOCGPD.indd 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 15 16 18 19 22 23 25 26 30 31 32 33 35 37 38 61

NEWCASTLE UNITED

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 17 18 20 21 23 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 37 39 41 62 64 67

Nick POPE (GK) Kieran TRIPPIER Lewis HALL Sven BOTMAN Fabian SCHAR Jamaal LASCELLES JOELINTON Sandro TONALI Yoane WISSA Anthony GORDON Harvey BARNES Malick THIAW Emil KRAFTH William OSULA Anthony ELANGA Tino LIVRAMENTO Jacob MURPHY John RUDDY (GK) Nick WOLTEMADE Joe WILLOCK Mark GILLESPIE (GK) Harrison ASHBY Max THOMPSON (GK) Aaron RAMSDALE (GK) Dan BURN Alex MURPHY Bruno GUIMARAES Jacob RAMSEY Sean NEAVE Seung-soo PARK Lewis MILEY

18/12/2025 11:45