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USMNT star Matt Turner has never heard of “second-season syndrome”, but he is hoping to avoid it in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest.

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• Keeper left Arsenal for Forest
• Made No.1 spot his own for now
• Eager to avoid any complacency

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United States international goalkeeper has been in the English top-flight since linking up with Arsenal in the summer of 2022. He lasted just 12 months in north London before completing a £10 million ($12m) transfer to Forest. Turner has quickly made the No.1 spot his own at the City Ground, with regular game time now being enjoyed having struggled for minutes at Emirates Stadium.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Turner is enjoying his spell in Nottingham and has told when asked about early season form in 2023-24 that suggests Forest can avoid a case of second-season syndrome – having successfully steered clear of relegation last term: “I’ve never really heard of that, but I think for us – a lot of new faces but the same manager, and he’s done a really great job of integrating everybody together. The messages are clear within our locker room, within our camp, about what we want to be able to achieve this season. We’ve had some really great tests of our character already this season with some tough away trips and we’re looking forward to continuing and building after the international break.”

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Forest have taken nine points from eight games, allowing them to sit five clear of the drop zone. Turner added on whether that “cushion” is allowing collective focus to look up, rather than down: “I don’t think we look at it as a cushion or confidence, given the performances it’s probably fair. We’ll still be feeling a little bit of ‘what if’, could we be a little bit higher, and I think that’s a really positive sign when you’re not feeling that complacency of ‘yeah, we’re good, we’re safe’. We’re really feeling that we can achieve more and do better and get better results.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Turner has now linked up with the United States squad ahead of their international friendly dates with Germany and Ghana. Forest will be back in Premier League action when playing host to Luton on October 21.

Aaronson could only watch on as Real snatched a last-minute win thanks to Bellingham's tap-in.

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• Union Berlin beaten by Madrid
• Aaronson came on in second half
• USMNT man unable to influence match

Union Berlin made a strong impression in their first ever appearance in the Champions League, despite losing 1-0.

Coming up against the kings of the competition in the Santiago Bernabeu in their debut was a massive task, but the visitors held tight and came excruciatingly close to earning a point.

After handling the immense pressure from the Spanish side for 90 minutes, the visitors' hopes were destroyed by Jude Bellingham, whose wonderful start to life in Madrid continued with his sixth goal for the club right at the death.

The goal will come as a devastating blow to Union Berlin, who had done so well to keep the score level until stoppage time, but they can take a lot of pride from the performance.

Among those who dug in and came close to pulling off a historic upset was Aaronson, who came on in the second half and looked lively for the visitors, but it was not to be for the USMNT man and his co-stars.

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Leeds loanee came on midway through the second half, replacing Aissa Laidouni. Aaronson almost got a sniff at goal when Berlin managed to whip it into the box in a rare venture forward, but Madrid managed to clear the danger.

  Laidouni had been active for the visitors until his replacement, getting a decent amount of touches, though his passing was certainly not good enough. Aaronson, meanwhile, was lively as soon as he came on, always looking to rush forward but holding his position as his side tried to soak up the pressure from the dominant hosts.

  He was energetic and moved into space to receive a pass as he looked to instigate an attack for Berlin, but there were not many forward options as Madrid marked the Berlin players well. The American appeared to have a chance of creating something outside of the home team's box but he fell under the challenge from Toni Kroos.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Considering the strength of the opponent, Aaronson looked bright for Berlin despite not being able to create any direct threat on Kepa Arrizabalaga's goal.

  Given he has started just one of the five matches in which he has featured for the Bundesliga side, he will hope that he was lively and a positive enough figure to convince Urs Fischer to give him another chance in the first 11.

  The pressure is on him to prove his worth in the German top-flight, especially after he was sent off with two yellow cards in just his second match of the season for Berlin.

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  USMNT IMPACT

  Aaronson came off the bench in both of the recent international friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman and he will be hoping to convince Gregg Berhalter that he is worthy of a chance in the starting XI for next month's matches against Germany and Ghana.

  He showed some positive signs against a strong opponent but it will require consistency, a regular starting spot and a lot more strength on the ball if he is to succeed in his battle to become a key figure for the national team.

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• GOAL'S RATINGS

  Brenden Aaronson (6/10):

  The 22-year-old tried his best to get on the ball in the 25 minutes or so that he was on the field. He tracked back, made himself available for passes and tried to move the ball on to boost Berlin's chances of threatening the Spanish giants before the game's heartbreaking conclusion.

Nottingham Forest have reportedly submitted an official complaint to PGMOL regarding the officiating in their 3-2 defeat to Manchester United.

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• Red Devils recovered from going two goals down
• Big decisions went in favour of the home side
• Marinakis & Cooper raise issues with PGMOL

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Reds left Old Trafford stunned when taking advantage of some questionable defending from the hosts to go two goals up inside four minutes. United hit back to take all three points, but the performance of referee Stuart Attwell made as many headlines as those put in by Bruno Fernandes and Co.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis and head coach Steve Cooper were left fuming at Attwell following the final whistle in Manchester, with claiming that their grievances have now been taken to PGMOL chief Howard Webb – with this not the first time that the East Midlands-based outfit have felt the need to tread such a path since returning to the top-flight in 2022.

• AND WHAT'S MORE

  Forest have taken issue with big decisions that went against them at Old Trafford. Captain Joe Worrall was shown a straight red card for a foul on Fernandes early in the second half, despite fellow defender Willy Boly seemingly getting round on the cover. United were then awarded a penalty for a supposed trip on Marcus Rashford by Danilo – with both on-field decisions upheld despite VAR checks.

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Attwell has incurred Forest’s wrath before, with a penalty shout waved away during a crucial promotion-chasing clash with Bournemouth back in 2021-22. Saturday’s game with United was Attwell’s first in charge of the Reds since that match at the Vitality Stadium, and he has done little to improve his reputation in the eyes of those at the City Ground.

Get French Football News’ Adam White has questioned whether Paul Pogba and Eduardo Camavinga would work well together in the heart of Manchester United’s midfield.

Camavinga made 39 appearances for Rennes last season and has sprung to the attention of a host of big-spending clubs.

The 18-year-old is on Manchester United’s radar, although they face competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

With the France international midfielder’s Rennes contract set to expire next summer, it is thought the Ligue One side are open to negotiating a deal before the transfer window shuts at the end of next month.

Like Camavinga, Pogba is facing an uncertain future as his current Red Devils contract only has another 12 months to run. However, United are in the process of offering Pogba a bumper new deal, according to reports.

Fans are excited by the prospect of Pogba and Camavinga linking up, but White insists it could hinder the form of one of United’s stars.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, White said: “It would certainly be an exciting prospect. I guess it depends on what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans are for midfield if Pogba stays and they do sign Camavinga. For them to play together, I think you would need to play a flat 4-3-3 and a holding midfielder to support them.

“That would suit Pogba and allow Camavinga a little bit more freedom to play a dynamic box-to-box role.

“But then where does Bruno Fernandes play? You’re already into a jigsaw puzzle there. I think, in theory, Pogba and Camavinga in the same midfield sounds great. But does it work?”

Vietnam's recent rise has been impressive, but they'll need a miracle to make it through the group stages

Vietnam are one of eight teams making their Women's World Cup debut in Australia and New Zealand this summer. Making it to the grandest stage of them all, though, would have seen fancical when they played their first ever game in 1997.

However, steady improvement over the past decade means they will be mixing it with some of the best players on the planet in Group E. The United States, the Netherlands and Portugal are their opponents – three extremely tough tests on paper.

Vietnam will therefore need a minor miracle to make it through to the knockout stages, but the fact that they have made it here at all is a source of enormous pride back home. Their journey begins with a daunting match against reigning champions, the U.S., where they'll be hoping to avoid a heavy defeat in front of a global television audience.

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  How they got here

  The 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup was used to determine World Cup qualification in Asia. The tournament was hosted by India and each squad was subjected to strict coronavirus rules. The hosts themselves even had to withdraw from the competition after a spate of Covid-19 cases decimated their playing ranks.

  Vietnam were placed in Pot Three for the draw and ended up in a strong group alongside 2011 World Cup winners Japan, South Korea and Myanmar. As expected, they found it tough. Japan and South Korea each helped themselves to 3-0 victories over Vietnam, with their game against Myanmar ending 2-2.

  Despite earning just one point, they squeezed through to the knockout stages as the second-best third-placed team, due to Iran losing each of their group games. Vietnam met eventual winners China in the quarter-finals, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat.

  However, salvation came in the form of another safety net. As a result of the World Cup being expanded to 32 teams, an additional automatic place was available via a round-robin play-off contested between each of the fallen quarter-finalists – minus Australia, who qualified automatically as hosts.

  Vietnam began with a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over fierce rivals Thailand and a second win over Taiwan meant they topped the group and progressed to their maiden World Cup. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy was the hero in the second, decisive game, dedicating her winner to her late father, who passed away in 2016.

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  A rising power in Asian football

  Although they remain well behind China, Japan, South Korea and Australia, Vietnam have emerged as the leading footballing power in Southeast Asia in recent years.

  They have won the women's football tournament in each of the past four SEA Games, most recently defeating Myanmar 2-0 in the 2023 final in Cambodia. Vietnam also won the 2019 AFF Women's Championship, shocking hosts and bitter foes Thailand in the final.

  The fact that they have made it to the World Cup, and their long-time rivals have not, makes their maiden tournament appearance all the sweeter. The next step in their development will be looking to challenge the AFC's big four, though this is easier said than done due to the vast resource gap.

• Full squad

  Position	Player	Club
  Goalkeeper	Tran Thi Kim Thanh	Ho Chi Minh City
  Goalkeeper	Khong Thi Hang	Than KSVN
  Goalkeeper	Dao Thi Kieu Oanh	Hanoi
  Defender	Chuong Thi Kieu	Ho Chi Minh City
  Defender	Tran Thi Thu Thao	Ho Chi Minh City
  Defender	Tran Thi Thu	Ho Chi Minh City
  Defender	Luong Thi Thu Thuong	Than KSVN
  Defender	Le Thi Diem My	Thank KSVN
  Defender	Tran Thi Hai Linh	Hanoi
  Defender	Hoang Thi Loan	Hanoi
  Defender	Nguyen Thi My Anh	Thai Nguyen T&T
  Defender	Tran Thi Thuy Nga	Than KSVN
  Midfielder	Duong Thi Van	Than KSVN
  Midfielder	Tran Thi Thuy Trang	Ho Chi Minh City
  Midfielder	Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy	Ho Chi Minh City
  Midfielder	Thai Thi Thao	Hanoi
  Midfielder	Nguyen Thi Thanh Nha	Hanoi
  Midfielder	Ngan Thi Van Su	Hanoi
  Midfielder	Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung	Phong Phu Ha Nam
  Forward	Huynh Nhu	Lank Vilaverdense
  Forward	Pham Hai Yen	Hanoi
  Forward	Nguyen Thi Thuy Hang	Than KSVN
  Forward	Vu Thi Hoa	Ho Chi Minh City

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  The MVP

  This wasn't a hard choice. Huynh Nhu is Vietnamese football's first superstar. Not only is she her country's all-time leading scorer with 67 goals in just 103 caps, Nhu is also the only player in the squad who plies her trade overseas.

  In August 2022, she was snapped up by Portuguese side Lank FC Vilaverdense. Located in Braga, the team are reported to be increasing her salary to around $3,200 per month next season following an impressive maiden campaign in Europe.

  The move is a source of enormous national pride back home, with coach Mia Duc Chung telling FIFA.com: "It is a great honour when a European country signs a South-east Asian player, a Vietnamese one. It’s a big achievement for Huynh Nhu and I think it's an honour for our country. She is a good example for our female players to follow and it will help Vietnam women's football to be well known and respected."

  The five-time Vietnam Golden Ball winner is a set-piece wizard and chipped in with some vital goals in qualifying. If they are going to make the net bulge this summer, she is the most likely player to do it.

Chelsea have proven to be shrewd players on the transfer market

Chelsea, a traditional powerhouse in English football, are known for buying star footballers. The Blues do not think twice if the opportunity presents itself to snap up a talented footballer, as they have shown many times in the past – be it splashing out £50 million ($60m) on Fernando Torres in 2011 or £97.5m ($116m) on Romelu Lukaku in 2021.

And while their expensive strikers have often struggled at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's bold approach to the transfer market has paid off in titles. They are one of the most successful English clubs in the 21st century, winning five of their six league titles since 2005.

When you add two Champions Leagues and a couple of Europa League titles into the mix during that time, you see why they've had to expand the trophy cabinet quite a bit in recent years.

However, Chelsea are not simply a buying club. They are shrewd operators and make quite a bit of money through player sales too.

Indeed, the Blues have a well-earned reputation for acquiring young talented players on the cheap and then selling them for a massive profit much later on.

Indeed, Chelsea have raked in over €1 billion (£840m/$1.01bn) in transfer sales since the turn of the century…

Chelsea biggest transfer sales by season

Chelsea top 10 most expensive sales

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  Romelu Lukaku | £31.8m | Everton | 2014

  Lukaku was yet another potential star Chelsea's scouting network picked up. The striker was brought in from Anderlecht at the age of 18. Though highly regarded, Lukaku failed to make an impression despite getting a few first team chances in his debut season in 2011-12.

  The imposing Belgian did sparkle at West Brom on loan next season. Another loan spell to Everton followed in 2013-14. An impressive season for the Toffees, however, was not enough to convince Chelsea and the club sold him permanently to Everton in the summer of 2014.

  Although he left Chelsea without scoring a goal for them, Lukaku would return in 2021 to West London as the club's most expensive player ever.

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  Tammy Abraham | £36m | Roma | 2021

  A Chelsea youth product, Tammy Abraham was a regular for the club in the 2019-20 season under Frank Lampard. He had earned the chance after impressive loan spells at Bristol City and Aston Villa. However, despite scoring 18 goals that season, Abraham never convinced anyone at the club.

  Thomas Tuchel who took over in 2020-21 season was also not impressed by Abraham. Struggling for gametime, Abraham ended up moving to Roma for €40m (£36m) in the summer of 2021. However, Chelsea did include a buyback clause.

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  Nemanja Matic | £40.2m | Manchester United | 2017

  As far as trusted lieutenants of Jose Mourinho go, Nemanja Matic is right up there. The Serbian midfielder, who joined Chelsea as a 20-year-old in 2009, was the cornerstone of Mourinho's Premier League-winning Chelsea side in 2014-15.

  Interestingly, he had returned to Chelsea after being sold to Benfica in 2011. In his second spell at Chelsea (from 2014-2017), Matic helped them win two Premier League titles.

  By 2017, Mourinho was at Manchester United. Desperately seeking reinforcements in midfield, the Portuguese manager turned to Matic, shelling out £40m ($47m).

  Interestingly, Matic left United and joined Roma in the summer of 2022, reuniting with Moutinho.

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  Juan Mata | £40.3m | Manchester United | 2014

  Juan Mata had a sensational start to his career at Chelsea. After moving to Stamford Bridge from Valencia in 2011, Mata was an instant hit. He played a key role as the club won the Champions League (2012) and Europa League (2013) in back-to-back seasons.

  But Mourinho's arrival in 2013 derailed Mata's Chelsea career. The Portuguese was not impressed by the Spaniard and Mata eventually became a bit-part player under him. And, in January 2014, when Manchester United came calling, Mata was quick to grab the opportunity.

The Blues' defence struggled to contain the Barca winger as she followed up her goal at Stamford Bridge with one at Camp Nou

Chelsea battled hard but fell short of reaching the Women's Champions League final after losing 2-1 on aggregate in their semi-final second leg clash with Barcelona.

The Catalans were 1-0 up going into Thursday's second leg after winning at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and the Blues made it difficult for them again, with the deadlock not broken until Caroline Graham Hansen's opener after the hour.

Emma Hayes' side replied almost instantly through Guro Reiten and started to pose more of a threat to Barca from there, but they couldn't nick a goal that would've taken the game to extra-time.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players at Camp Nou…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Ann-Katrin Berger (6/10):

  Made a good save to deny Salma Paralluelo in the latter stages but didn't have much to do in the game despite Barca's dominance.

  Eve Perisset (7/10):

  Solid again, as she was in the first leg. Did well to ensure Barca didn't get much joy down her side.

  Jess Carter (6/10):

  Made a few mistakes but did well to put pressure on the Barca attack and thwart their efforts.

  Maren Mjelde (6/10):

  Generally a solid presence at the back, though there were a few more difficult moments for her than last week.

  Magdalena Eriksson (5/10):

  Had quite a few shaky moments and didn't get a lot of help from her wing-back.

  Niamh Charles (5/10):

  Needed to help Eriksson more at the back to deal with Graham Hansen. Didn't track enough.

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  Midfield

  Erin Cuthbert (7/10):

  Looked to be positive when she got the ball and battled well in midfield, as always. Was her tackle that started the attack that led to Chelsea's goal.

  Melanie Leupolz (6/10):

  Lovely pass to Kerr in the build-up to the goal. Her influence on the game grew as it went on.

  Jessie Fleming (7/10):

  Added quality on the ball when Chelsea were able to have possession.

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  Attack

  Guro Reiten (6/10):

  Didn't get much service and struggled with her own final ball at times, too, but was on hand to finish the equaliser.

  Sam Kerr (6/10):

  Great run that led to the equaliser. Struggled with her hold-up play, though, and that meant Chelsea's ability to get forward was limited.

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  Subs & Manager

  Lauren James (N/A):

  Came on with less than 15 minutes to go but couldn't impact the game.

  Pernille Harder (N/A):

  Came on alongside James and also struggled to have an influence.

  Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (N/A):

  Was subbed on with less than 10 minutes to go and couldn't get into the game.

  Emma Hayes (7/10):

  Hayes' decision to start Fleming was a good one, with her adding quality to Chelsea's possession, while the same five at the back system allowed the visitors to frustrate Barca again.

The New York City FC loanee plundered four goals against the European champions to continue his impressive season in La Liga after tearing up MLS

Not many players get to score four goals past Real Madrid, but Valentin 'Taty' Castellanos joined an elite club with a striker's masterclass for Girona as the Catalan minnows thumped the European champions 4-2 in La Liga on Tuesday.

The Argentine conquered Major League Soccer with New York City FC, firing the Boys In Blue to the MLS Cup in 2021, and he is now tearing up La Liga in his loan spell with Girona.

In his first season in Spain, Castellanos has scored 11 goals, as many as Antoine Griezmann and one more than Vinicius Junior.

The 24-year-old is the latest success story of the City Football Group, shining for three clubs in Manchester City's stable of teams in South America, North America and now Europe.

And after his goal blitz against Madrid, clubs across the continent will be taking notice of Castellanos, who is available in the summer for just €15 million ($16.5m).

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  In the footsteps of Lewandowski

  Madrid had kept consecutive clean sheets in their last four matches before facing Girona, but Castellanos only needed 12 minutes to score against them, netting with a simple header.

  Later in the first half he out-paced and out-muscled Eder Militao before beating goalkeeper Andrii Lunin with a powerful low finish.

  He pounced again right at the start of the second half with a first-time finish to complete his hat-trick, before netting a second header for goal number four.

  No team had scored four goals past Real this season, but suddenly Castellanos had done so all by himself.

  He became the first player to score four times against Madrid in any competition since Robert Lewandowski for Borussia Dortmund in 2013, and was the first player to do so in a La Liga match for 76 years, since Real Oviedo's Esteban Echevarria.

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  Bouncing back

  Castellanos called it "the dream night".

  "We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and I could not have imagined that. Scoring against Real Madrid was already a dream, so scoring four goals, I couldn't even imagine it," he said.

  Coach Michel paid tribute to his striker for dusting himself off and responding to a big setback earlier this month, when he missed a big chance to score the only goal against Barcelona at Camp Nou.

  Castellanos was so affected by the reaction to the miss that he shut his social media accounts.

  “The other day he had a miss against Barcelona and it looked like it was the end of the world for him,” Michel said. “But this is his first season in Europe, coming from a league that is very good but has nothing to do with Europe in terms of rhythm, tactics and situations, so he had to adapt to that and I think that he has been doing that perfectly.”

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  Globetrotting in search of success

  Castellanos' journey to stardom has taken him around the world. Born in Mendoza in western Argentina, he began his career in the youth set up of local side Independiente Rivadavia.

  But he ended up seeking his fortune across the border with Universidad de Chile, making his professional debut in 2017 in the Copa Sudamericana, South America's equivalent of the Europa League.

  Later in the year, he was swiftly sent on loan to Uruguayan side Montevideo City Torque, who had just been taken over by the City Football Group.

  After helping Torque get promoted to Uruguay's top-flight in 2018, he went out on loan to NYCFC, the Manchester club's first expansion side, at the age of 19, before sealing a permanent move in 2019.

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  Learning alongside David Villa

  Working under coach Domenec Torrent, Guardiola's former assistant at City, Castellanos came of age in the Big Apple.

  His development was helped by meeting the best mentor he could have hoped for: World Cup and Champions League winner David Villa.

  "What I learned from him was incredible," Castellanos told . "Training with someone like that teaches you so much. First of all human values, but on a footballing level too. He taught me how to take free-kicks, how he shaped to shoot, how he would find space, how he would play with only one touch."

  Castellanos scored 11 goals in his first full campaign at the club, though his best season came in 2021, when he netted 22 times and was nominated for the Landon Donovan MVP award.

  The Argentine was also pivotal to NYCFC winning the MLS Cup for the first time, scoring in the final against Portland Timbers and converting his penalty in the shootout victory.

  Having proved himself in the United States, it was time for a move to Europe, and Girona, where CFG own a 47 percent stake, was a logical move.

Erik ten Hag needs to make an example of the Portugal midfielder after he treated the armband with disdain during Sunday's Anfield debacle

In times of trouble, a football team looks to its captain for a lift. Some support, a little leadership, a rallying cry. So imagine being a Manchester United player and seeing Bruno Fernandes' behaviour during Sunday's horrifying 7-0 defeat to Liverpool.

Amid the club's worst-ever Premier League result and joint-worst defeat in its history, Fernandes was moaning at everyone, from the officials to his team-mates.

He was constantly waving his arms about, not tracking back when Liverpool were destroying United on the break, and even pushed an assistant referee.

And worst of all, he appeared to ask to come off when Erik ten Hag instead substituted Marcus Rashford after the sixth Liverpool goal.

When the ship was sinking, Fernandes' priority was to get off, rather than help the team.

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  'Nothing short of disgraceful'

  Two former United captains, Gary Neville and Roy Keane, could only look on in horror as they covered the match for .

  "Fernandes' body language today was nothing short of disgraceful," said Keane. "A really talented boy, he's your captain, but his body language, waving his arms, not running back, you wouldn't be happy with him in your dressing room."

  Neville went further: "Bruno Fernandes is stood in the centre circle with his arms raised asking: ‘Why is it me not coming off?' Honestly, I have to say some of his behaviour in the second half has been a disgrace.

  "The second half has been an absolute disgrace, a shambles. Epitomised by no one more than the captain Bruno Fernandes, who I think has been embarrassing at times in this game."

  Trouble for Bruno Fernandes! FA set to investigate Man Utd captain

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  The United armband is an honour

  How exactly should Ten Hag deal with a situation like his captain making a mockery of his position? Take the captaincy off Fernandes immediately.

  Ten Hag has been strict but fair with his United players since taking charge, and, correctly, made an example of Cristiano Ronaldo when he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham earlier this season.

  Ronaldo's behaviour, when he left the stadium before full-time during a hugely impressive 2-0 win over a top opponent, was admittedly worse than Fernandes' actions at Anfield.

  The midfielder does not need to be forced to train alone, and he does not need to leave the club. When Fernandes is on form, he is one of the team's most important players.

  He is United's second-top scorer and second-top assist provider this season, and has been key to huge victories over Manchester City, Barcelona and Spurs. He has arguably been the club's most consistent player since he joined in January 2020.

  But the Manchester United armband should be an honour for whoever is blessed to wear it. It is too important to be treated with the disdain Fernandes showed it.

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  The alternatives

  With first-choice captain Harry Maguire way down the pecking order in team selection, Fernandes is the club's de-facto skipper and he needs to be reminded of his responsibilities. Against Real Betis on Thursday, he cannot be wearing that armband.

  Who could take it instead?

  Why not Marcus Rashford? He is a born and bred United fan who grew up in the club's academy and showed true leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, embarrassing the country's elected representatives.

  If not Rashford, then Casemiro would be a decent second choice. His English might not be perfect, but the dressing room is multilingual any way, and he has utterly embraced United since joining.

  David de Gea is another strong choice, given he is the club's longest-serving player, the last survivor of the Sir Alex Ferguson era. He has grown into his position as a club servant, and last season routinely fronted up in post-match interviews after big defeats.

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  Ten Hag's latest big call

  Ten Hag has taken many big decisions in his first season at the club, such as making the team run 14 kilometres after the 4-0 thrashing by Brentford, banishing Ronaldo from the squad and dropping Rashford to the bench against Wolves at Molineux after he was late for a team meeting.

  Now he must stamp his authority on Fernandes.

  Ten Hag reported at training ground at 7am post-Liverpool thrashing

Mikel Arteta is set to ring the changes for the Gunners' latest European outing

Arsenal host FC Zurich in the Europa League on Thursday night looking to secure their passage through to the knockout stages as group winners.

A win will be enough to do that, as will a draw – providing PSV Eindhoven do not win in Norway against Bodo/Glimt.

So how are things shaping up at Arsenal ahead of the game? GOAL takes a look.

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  Arsenal team news

  Things are looking good for Arsenal on the injury front, with both Bukayo Saka and Oleksandr Zinchenko taking a full part in training on Wednesday.

  It’s unlikely that either player will start against Zurich, but they could be on the bench.

  Mohamed Elneny also comes into contention having been training for the past couple of weeks following his hamstring injury, which has kept him sidelined since August.

  Emile Smith Rowe (groin) is still out, as is Matt Turner (groin), with Aaron Ramsdale expected to start once again.

  Arsenal will be without Granit Xhaka for the match as the midfielder is suspended having picked up two yellow cards during the previous group-stage games.

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  Talking point

  Arteta’s team selection is the main point of discussion ahead of the game.

  Ideally, the Arsenal boss would like to give all of his star men the night off to give them time to rest ahead of Sunday’s trip to Chelsea.

  But with Arsenal still needing to get a result to top the group, he can’t do that.

  So the big question is who does he start? Does he risk Bukayo Saka? Does he go with Gabriel Jesus again? Those are all questions that fans are asking ahead of Thursday night’s kick-off.

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  What has Arteta said?

  When asked whether he would rest his star names on Thursday night with Sunday’s trip to Chelsea in mind, the Arsenal boss said: “I don’t approach games thinking that after half an hour or 45 minutes we will get the result that we want.

  “I will have a really competitive team out there. 

  “We missed the chance in Holland last week and Thursday is the last opportunity to achieve our goal [of topping the group].”

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  Key man

  Eddie Nketiah: After a strong start to the Europa League campaign, the Arsenal striker has failed to score in his last three European games.

  He will be desperate to end that run against FC Zurich, who he did find the net against when the sides met earlier in the season.

  Nketiah knows he needs to take full advantage of the opportunities he gets in the Europa League and so will be out to make an impression at the Emirates.

  Arsenal should create plenty of chances against the group’s bottom-placed group, so Nketiah will need to take them.