Articles by Scott Trotter

Technology

Matheus Cunha shares Mbeumo and Sesko's reactions to his first Man United goal

Manchester United striker Matheus Cunha was advised to savour the moment following his maiden goal for the Red Devils during their triumph against Brighton in the Premier League . The Brazilian attacker had been desperate to break his duck prior to the match and struggled to articulate his emotions after fulfilling a dream . United secured Cunha's services from Wolves during the summer transfer window as part of a £200million spending spree to bolster their attacking options, also bringing in Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo . Cunha's new teammates had already opened their accounts this campaign, leaving the 26-year-old determined to follow suit. Ruben Amorim's offensive weapon broke the deadlock at Old Trafford as his team withstood a spirited late fightback from the Seagulls to clinch a 4-2 home victory . The result represented the club's third consecutive triumph following wins over Liverpool and Sunderland in their preceding fixtures. Cunha appears to be developing a strong rapport with his fellow forwards, who clearly delighted in witnessing him find the back of the net. The striker expressed his pleasure at being part of such camaraderie. "It is hard to say something now," Cunha admitted. "I have worked so hard for this. This is the club and this performance needs to be common and normal. "I feel so good to be part of this. My first goal here at Old Trafford, I dreamed a lot of this but of course the win is much more important. "I joked with Bryan [Mbeumo] and [Benjamin] Sesko, I told them I need to have this feeling [scoring], I felt so anxious to be a part of this and when I scored they said 'look you can enjoy it now.' All the day the support for my team-mates, I feel so good to be part of this." United manager Amorim was equally delighted to witness Cunha find the back of the net, though he acknowledged the striker's displays have been impressive throughout. The Portuguese tactician heaped praise upon the Brazilian's contributions. "You felt that – I think everyone felt against Liverpool – he feels more confident if the game is harder, he wants the responsibility," said Amorim in his press conference. "I really like the way he defends today. He was not jumping all the time. He was not jumping and then returning to position without the right pace. Today, [he] defend really well. "And when he has the ball, he's not my concern. I have no concerns [when] Matheus has the ball. He was struggling about not scoring goals. He can try to hide, but I understand. "He was really happy, but I'm [happy] not just with Matheus. I think everyone understood really well how to beat a very good team." Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories. And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .

Technology

Ex-Man City star shares Pep Guardiola successor theory with exit clause hint

Vincent Kompany was handed a new Bayern Munich contract to ward off any interest in the manager from Manchester City when Pep Guardiola eventually leaves the club, suggests former Germany midfielder Dietmar Hamann. Kompany recently put pen to paper on a contract that sees him committed to the club until 2029, despite having two years remaining on his deal . The City legend was appointed by the Bundesliga giants in May 2024 and won the league in his first season with the club. The Belgian's side are setting the pace once again this season and enjoy a perfect record after seven matches, with Kompany's stock now at an all-time high after starting his coaching career with Anderlecht and Burnley . City boss Guardiola signed an extension at the Etihad in November 2024 and is under contract until 2027. Their previously matching expiration dates could have provided the perfect opportunity for Kompany to return to the club with which he won four Premier League titles as a player. So, as much as Kompany's deal could be a reward for a promising spell, ex-City, Liverpool , and Newcastle midfielder Hamann reckons Bayern are protecting their investment, alhough the pundit is not ruling out the possibility of a clause that would facilitate Kompany becoming Guardiola's successor. “FC Bayern extended Kompany’s contract until 2029, even though he still had 20 months left on his contract. I mean, the extension wasn’t a must, but I understand why they did it,” Hamann told Sky Germany . “Bayern probably have in mind that Manchester City will be interested in Kompany at some point when Pep Guardiola retires. It would be interesting to know if Kompany has a clause in his contract. "Christoph Freund didn’t reveal anything about that on Wednesday evening, but he didn’t completely deny it either.” Kompany did not concern himself with the timing of new terms being offered. The 39-year-old instead was only interested in avoiding any distractions during the season. “I didn’t really think about the timing; I was too busy preparing for the games," he said. "Then the proposal came up, and my only request was that it doesn’t become a big topic and that we could quickly refocus on the next game. "It probably surprised you [journalists] more than me. It was important to me that there were no big discussions, no speculation, just a quick and clear answer." Club president Herbert Hainer painted the deal as a strong vote of confidence in their manager. "The contract extension with Vincent Kompany is a strong vote of confidence from the club after the great job he's done up to now, as well as a clear sign for continuity and stability at Bayern," he said. "Vincent is held in high regard by the players, the club management and the fans. We're happy about the early extension of our cooperation." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Technology

Martin Odegaard admits injury is 'tricky' in Arsenal fitness update

Arsenal star Martin Odegaard has revealed his return could be 'quick' if his rehabilitation continues to go 'really well'. But the Gunners captain refused to set a timeline for his return amid some uncertainty over how it could unfold. Odegaard picked up the issue against West Ham United and was forced to miss international duty with Norway. The 26-year-old injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee , and Mikel Arteta has previously noted his charge will be out for weeks. The former Real Madrid ace is expected to be out of action until after the November international break . That could see him return in time for the north London derby on November 23. And now, Odegaard has spoken out about his injury. The midfielder appears confident in his work so far but cautious over his progress. The playmaker anticipates being able to offer a clearer picture when he returns to the pitch. In part, that is down to the location of his injury. "It's tricky to set a return date with this type of injury because, especially it being my left leg, a lot depends on how it goes when I start getting back on the pitch," said Odegaard in his programme notes. "Sometimes it can be quite sore when you start passing the ball and shooting and all these things with that leg, so it’s really hard to say a date. "All I can say is I'm progressing really well at the moment. I think we will know more when I start getting back on the training pitches and we'll see how that goes. If that goes really well then it can be quick." Odegaard believes he has been unfortunate to suffer so many setbacks this season. The captain has already missed games through a shoulder injury. "It's hard work and long days in recovery, but that’s what you want and I feel like it’s going well so far," Odegaard explained. "I feel like I’ve been really unlucky a few times this season. "It was a knee-to-knee contact in the West Ham game, and at the time I didn’t know if it was bad or not because they can be quite painful, but normally you can run it off. So that's why I tried to keep going, to see if it was getting better. "I was hoping it was just a knock that would improve in a couple of minutes. But it didn't get better and I felt like something was wrong, so in the end it was better to come off. "As soon as we got inside, the medical team had a proper look at it. When the adrenaline stopped flowing and it settled down a bit, then it was quite sore." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.