Manchester

I have a lot of admiration for Manchester United's performance in their FA Cup win against Arsenal, especially to grind it out with 10 men for an hour after Diogo Dalot was sent off.

But these next three games, at home against Southampton, Brighton and then Rangers, are a very different test for them compared to their trips to Emirates Stadium and Anfield in the past week.

I do not want to devalue what United did against Arsenal or Liverpool but they were games where the expectation was not on them to get results.

We know United are good on the counter-attack away from home, but against Saints at Old Trafford the onus is on them to take the game to the opposition.

That is exactly where they have been struggling recently and, like I said on 606 on Sunday night, it would be just like Manchester United to be flat, find things difficult, and drop more points.

Southampton under Ivan Juric are very different to the way they played under previous boss Russell Martin because most of the time they just lump it forward now, and they are far more direct.

Saints may come into this game with a bit of confidence after beating Championship side Swansea in the FA Cup, ending a run of 12 games without a victory that went back to the start of November.

I still think United will find a way to win, but I am not so sure it will be a completely routine one.

I loved the way they defended against Arsenal and I thought it was quite pointed from Ruben Amorim when he came out afterwards and talked about that desire aspect.

He was speaking about traits which you would hope were pretty basic traits for any team to have - that ability to fight and scrap for a result.

United have shown they can do that part. Now they have to show their quality too.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United are unbeaten in their past 15 Premier League games against Southampton since a 1-0 home loss in January 2016.

Saints lost 13 of their first 14 Premier League away games against United but have since lost on just three of their past 10 league visits to Old Trafford.

Napoli are set to join the race to sign 27-year-old England and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford. (Sun), external

Napoli are also confident of signing Alejandro Garnacho, 20, from Manchester United and have offered the Argentina winger a five-year contract. (Il Mattino - in Italian), external

However, the Serie A side will face competition from Tottenham for Garnacho. (Football Transfers), external

Manchester United have held talks with several clubs, including Real Betis, as they attempt to offload 24-year-old Brazil winger Antony this month. (Sun), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Watch highlights and analysis from eight midweek Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth

• Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool

• Everton 0-1 Aston Villa

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

In the final part of our interview with Nani, he explained he would potentially be interested in managing a club at some point in the future but that he has his academy for talented youth players just outside Lisbon in Fernao Ferro.

"I think this is another god gift that I can be involved and give knowledge that I built all these years in many clubs," he said. "I feel like I can help the kids for the future and motivate them to get better as people and players. I want to take kids from the street and give them good examples and help my community."

He is also an active part of the ownership group for promotion-chasing fourth division side Sintrense, who recently faced Porto in the Portuguese cup, the Taca de Portugal.

"We decided to get involved in this club as it is a great, historical place where people live for football," he said. "The team is built to achieve promotion by me and my business partner. This is a big opportunity to grow both a club and a city but it is a humble team, which we are building slowing through hard work."

Finally, Nani is keen to return to Old Trafford - having not visited the club since watching the 2-1 Europa League win over Barcelona in February 2023. He would relish watching a match managed by his former team-mate Ruben Amorim.

"Amorim was a very calm, disciplined professional, who wanted to work and do everything correctly when I played with him," Nani said.

"He wanted to understand what the coach was doing and hearing about his success he had at small Portuguese clubs, I thought he deserved his chance at Sporting and I think he is the right man for Manchester United. He just needs time to build his own team and people he trusts. The problem for United is that they have had many of the same players for five years.

"They keep changing coaches but you need to understand what the problem actually is to fix it. It's not just clicking your fingers and it will get better. It may have also been better to give him a pre-season.

"But I think now is the time to be a little bit patient and we will see it improve by the start of next season."

Another week and another two points dropped by Manchester City, after a 2-0 win unravelled at Brentford on Tuesday.

There has been plenty of talk this week about the futures of some of City's high profile players as well as a focus on the defence.

But what's the one thing no-one seems to be talking about but really should be?

Tell us here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nani's legacy is underrated

He won 17 trophies, while playing 730 matches in eight different countries.

He says part of the reason for his longevity is the model he saw during his time in the Manchester United dressing room.

"I had a lot of inspiration from other players; Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand," he said. "They kept playing until they were old, which was motivation. I didn't care if people said I wasn't the same player.

"I could have played even longer, for several more years because I didn't have injuries. I thank god for my genetics and health. I still play football - I show up to friendly games with non-professional people and they are shocked but I have fun and enjoy with my friends and family. I like to show I can still match the kids."

"I just made the decision to stop. It's a new generation and it's not the same. The mentality of this new generation is not the same. I appreciated the club from my city a lot."

Nani was also a key part of the Portugal team that won the European Championship in 2016, captaining his side after Cristiano Ronaldo got injured in the final against France. That result ranks as the country's greatest achievement in international men's football.

All of the starters in Paris have continued playing football, with former Real Madrid defender Pepe the first to retire, aged 41.

According to Nani, who is just the second of that side to leave the sport, the professionalism and work ethic of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo rubbed off on his team-mates.

"Cristiano is a big, big example," he added. "In the last few years, he was motivating everyone to continue to play because he's a player who is doing great for so many years. So you then continue to motivate yourself.

"I always knew that he would play until he can't play anymore because he has a lot of ambition and love. We have a group where we send each other messages and enjoy each other's achievements."

Henry Brownsey
BBC Sport journalist

After seven years at Manchester United, Nani left in 2014, a year after helping them to their 20th and most recent Premier League title.

Image source, Getty Images

It was Nani's cross against bitter rivals Manchester City in February 2011 that set up Wayne Rooney for one of the most memorable goals in Premier League history.

That 2010-11 Premier League season was Nani's most productive for the club, scoring nine goals and registering 17 assists.

Image source, Getty Images

In October 2010, he was also involved in one of the most controversial goals in Premier League history.

Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes rolled the ball out for a free-kick after Nani had handled the ball in their box, but the referee did not penalise Nani for it, and the winger rolled the ball into an empty net.

Image source, Getty Images

In the summer of 2009, Nani's club and international team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo departed for £80 million - a world record transfer fee. That season, United finished second, one point behind Chelsea.

One of Nani's most memorable goals that season was a magical run against Arsenal, beating a number of defenders before forcing goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to palm it into his own net.

Image source, Getty Images

In his first season at the club, he played 41 games and helped the club win the Champions League, Premier League and Community Shield.

He scored in both the Champions League final and Community Shield's penalty shootouts.

Image source, Getty Images

He was only 20 when he signed in the summer of 2007 from Sporting.

Image source, Getty Images

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Former Manchester United winger Nani has decided to retire amid personal tragedy but told BBC Sport he still has optimism for the future.

Nani, 38, moved to his hometown club, Estrela da Amadora, in the summer - a move which represented, in his own words, his 'last dance' - a reference taken from the Michael Jordan docu-series on Netflix.

But his focus quickly switched to caring for his father Domingos Antonio Cunha David, who passed away in November.

"I was already thinking about retiring but my ideas and feelings changed, because of the love and passion I have for this sport," Nani told BBC Sport's Nizaar Kinsella. "This was an opportunity to play for my people in Portugal and it sounded like a great idea to give them the last dance.

" But a lot of things have happened in my life, including my father passing away a few months ago so it helped me make this decision early. I spent some difficult months visiting him in hospital and trying to make him stay with us but it was not possible.

"I felt after that moment that I was ready to make this big decision in my life because I have a lot of other opportunities as well. I have opened a new academy to help top youngsters develop their talents and inspire them to follow their dreams. That made it much easier to make this decision."

• Not a Manchester United fan? Find and follow your club here

Nani joined Manchester United from Portugese side Sporting in June 2007 and went on to play 230 times for the club, scoring 41 goals.

His time at Old Trafford was successful, winning the Champions League in his first season, plus four Premier League titles and two League Cups in eight seasons.

Nani's standout campaign with United was 2010-11 when he was named the club's players' player of the year, named in the PFA's Premier League team of the year, and registered a league-high 14 league assists.

At international level, Nani scored 23 goals in 112 caps - and won Euro 2016.

Alex Turk
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The rocky start to life at Manchester United for Ruben Amorim was predictable, given the mess he had to pick up represented shattered glass between a football match every few days.

Amorim would have forgotten what defeat felt like at the height of his self-built empire at Sporting. He will remember now.

However, the arrival of 2025 has offered a welcome second New Year's present after his family joined him in Manchester on 27 December.

Amorim finally has time on the training pitch. A week before Liverpool. A week before Arsenal. United harvested positive results from both.

• Not a Manchester United fan? Find and follow your club here

The Portuguese tactician inherited a plethora of problems he had to fix at Old Trafford upon his arrival in November. United's new boss is already addressing one of the biggest.

Erik ten Hag's domestic cup pedigree was undisputed. He won 19 of his 21 such matches in charge, lifting the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in two years (did he mention that?).

But the Dutchman simply could not set up his team to consistently get results away from home - especially against United's biggest rivals.

The Red Devils travelled to 'Big Six' opposition 10 times under Ten Hag's leadership. They did not return to M16 with a win once, losing seven and drawing three.

Amorim has been in the job for two months with a squad including many who will not last in his rebuild and has conjured up victories at Manchester City and Arsenal, while also avoiding defeat at Liverpool.

He did not need long to win over a fanbase starved of optimism. A warm demeanour mixed with brutal realism from the moment he landed sparked hope.

A point at Anfield - that c(sh)ould have been three - and an FA Cup scalp at Emirates Stadium has turned hope into confidence that better days are ahead.

Find more from Alex Turk at Stretford Paddock, external