MARCUS RASHFORD has handed Manchester United a huge injury boost.
The in-form forward is back in training ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby, SunSport can exclusively reveal.
Though Harry Maguire could miss two weeks in another blow to the struggling defender.
The Manchester United captain, 29, picked up a thigh injury during England's 3-3 draw with Germany.
He played on despite the issue to see out the full 90 minutes at Wembley on Monday but was later spotted limping through the mixed zone.
Get all the latest news, updates and transfer gossip here…
- Ian Tuckey
So S-painful for Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo sported a painful looking black eye as Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the Nations League.
The defeat means Ronaldo and Portugal miss out on the last four of the Nations League with Spain overtaking them to finish top of group A2.
Ronaldo played the entire match and missed a chance to score before former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata notched a late winner.
CR7 showed off his black eye days after being whacked in the face by Czech Republic goalkeeper Tomas Vlacik.
The striker was left in a bloody mess following the collision but later returned to the pitch with a bandage on his nose.
He then conceded a penalty for handball and fans joked he was trying to protect his hooter.
Ronaldo still had not fully recovered for the Spain clash with a bruise around his eye and cut on his nose still visible.
But the superstar will likely feel more pained by Portugal's exit from the Nations League, having won the competition in 2019.
- Ian Tuckey
Gareth: Maguire must prove himself
Gareth Southgate delivered a World Cup warning to defender Harry Maguire after his Germany nightmare.
The England manager, set to name his 26-man squad for Qatar on November 10, made it clear he needs under-fire Maguire to get his confidence back and play more games for Manchester United.
Southgate continues to back centre-half Maguire — who picked up a thigh injury in a nightmare game against Germany on Monday — but is concerned about his lack of game time for United.
Crocked Maguire could now be unavailable for a couple more United games and the national boss said: “I know everybody says Harry is important to me but he’s important to us. It’s us — it’s not me.
“Why do we pick him? Because he’s one of the players who gives us the best chance of winning. So really, we should all be wanting a Harry Maguire that’s playing regularly and playing with confidence.
“That applies to, of course, quite a few players but he’s the one that everything lands on, which must be a tough space for him really. But he’s showing tremendous character.
“I think he has got the character to get over this because he’s a boy that has been from Sheffield United to Hull City. He’s not one where everything has been smooth.
“Sometimes you get lads who, in the early part of their career, haven’t had to handle adversity and when it hits them, it’s harder to cope with. He’s like most of us really, in that he’s had lots of hurdles — and that shapes your character.”
- Ian Tuckey
Shaw 'agrees' with Man Utd dropping him
Luke Shaw expects to again be only a Manchester United sub in Sunday's derby at City – and even BACKS Erik ten Hag's decision.
Left-back Shaw bagged the opening goal when playing all of England's 3-3 home draw with Germany last night.
But he's still out of favour at Old Trafford behind Tyrell Malacia after being axed following their poor start to the season.
And he said: “It’s understandable, and I even agree.
"The start of the season wasn’t good enough and he had to make changes. I fully accept that.
“The only thing I can do is train hard and wait for opportunities, whether that’s in cup games or the Premier League.
"Whatever I play in, I just have to be ready — and then play at the standard I should be at.”
And he believes Ten Hag still rates him.
He added: “I think Ten Hag knows my qualities, he knows what I’m capable of and we’ve had chats.”
- Ian Tuckey
Rashford winning fight to face City
EXCLUSIVE: Marcus Rashford is winning his battle to be fit for Sunday’s Manchester derby, writes NEIL CUSTIS and RICHARD MORIARTY.
The Manchester United forward has been out since suffering a hamstring injury during the club’s 3-1 win over table-toppers Arsenal.
Rashford scored twice in that game and netted in the 2-1 win over bitter rivals Liverpool.
It was proof that he was finally back on form after a difficult year.
But the injury saw him miss United’s subsequent Europa League games against Real Sociedad and FC Sheriff.
It also made him unavailable for the England squad. He was expected to be called up after his upturn in performances.
But Rashford, 24, is now training again — and feels ready for the Etihad showdown.
- Ian Tuckey
Shaw tips Harry to beat 'rough period'
Luke Shaw has rallied behind his Manchester United team-mate Harry Maguire, following the England defender’s horror show in their 3-3 draw against Germany.
Maguire was responsible for two of the German goals as England went 2-0 down before roaring back to go 3-2 ahead, only to get pegged back late on.
Shaw said: “I will be honest, it is a tough period at the moment.
“Of course Harry is an amazing player, an amazing character.
“He has taken a lot of stick, probably more than I have ever seen before in football but he never hides away, he is always there.
“You can have people that can hide away and not want to be in the spotlight but he keeps putting himself in the spotlight and it shows the strength and character he has got because, come on, everyone knows that he is an unbelievable player.”
- Ian Tuckey
Saudi side Al-Hilal say Ronaldo DIDN'T reject move
Cristiano Ronaldo "didn't reject" a summer transfer to Al-Hilal, according to the club's president.
And he revealed the two parties were heading into the final stages of negotiations before the mega-money move collapsed.
But Fahad ben Nafel insisted it was not Ronaldo who pulled the plug. Instead, he claimed a transfer ban placed on the Saudi Arabian side proved the critical blow.
Nafel told the Thamanya YouTube channel: “Yes, we negotiated with Ronaldo.The problem was not in the money or the principle, Al-Hilal is able to bring in the stars of the world.
"But it was in the decision of the Sports Arbitration Centre that prevented us from registering the players.
"We did not stop negotiating with the players despite the decision to ban, but we were delaying entering the final stage of the negotiations until the ban was lifted.”
Ronaldo, 37, looked on course to quit United in the summer after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League with just 12 months left on his Old Trafford contract.
He was linked with Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli but they all opted against trying to sign the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
- Ian Tuckey
Jude 'fits' United
Jude Bellingham would be a "great fit" for Manchester United and soon a key man.
That's the view of transfer insider Dean Jones as United reportedly vie Chelsea and Liverpool for Borussia Dortmund's England midfielder.
Jones reckons the 19-year-old has the confidence to assert himself under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
But it's Chelsea who could be more likely to launch a £100million-plus offer for Bellingham in the summer.
- Ian Tuckey
Jan-uary bid possible
Manchester United could pounce for Atletico Madrid keeper Jan Oblak – possibly even in January.
Fichajes reckon the Spanish giants might be ready to cash in on the Slovenia superstar for £27million in January.
United and Tottenham are amongst the clubs strongly linked to the 27-year-old.
Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag is thought to have one eye on finding a long-term successor to David de Gea.
- Ian Tuckey
Now Maguire's injured…
Harry Maguire is set to be sidelined for two two weeks in another blow to the struggling defender.
The Manchester United man, 29, picked up a thigh injury during England's 3-3 draw with Germany.
He played on despite the issue to see out the full 90 minutes at Wembley on Monday but was later spotted limping through the mixed zone.
And the extent of the damage to his leg means Maguire will be unavailable for selection for a short while.
United face rivals Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday and then a double header with Omonia in the Europa League sandwiches a trip to Everton on October 9.
However, Maguire has been left out of recent starting XIs for the Red Devils anyway with Erik ten Hag preferring "leader" Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as his centre-half partnership.
The England defender endured a rough evening last night.
He was booed by a section of the home fans before kick-off and then was at fault for both goals as Germany opened up a 2-0 lead.
And to top it off, he sustained the muscle problem late on.
Three Lions' skipper Harry Kane said: “H had a pretty decent injury there at the end and he played another five or ten minutes on almost one leg, great character from him, really proud of him for that.”
- Ian Tuckey
Hend of the road for Qatar
David Seaman believes Dean Henderson will NOT be one of England's three World Cup keepers.
The Manchester United keeper, on loan at Nottingham Forest, was an unused sub against Italy and Germany over the past week.
And former Three Lions and Arsenal stopper Seaman believes Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsey will go to Qatar behind No1 choice Jordan Pickford.
He told FootballDaily: "It’s a tough one, but looking at it and the experience that everyone has got, I think that unfortunately, Dean might miss out.
"He's not made a lot of appearances for England, it's his first season back in with Nottingham Forest. I would imagine he's the one that misses out.
"I say fingers crossed no one gets injured because you never know, there's still a few months to go before the World Cup and you never know what might happen.
"But I think in Aaron and Nick, you've got two guys there that are really close in being number two."
- Ian Tuckey
Harry can talk through his problems
Struggling Harry Maguire should visit a psychologist to boost his confidence, according to Manchester United legend Gary Neville.
But Nev wants the Old Trafford centre-back to START England's World Cup campaign as first-choice despite giving away two goals in Germany's 3-3 draw at Wembley..
The Sky Sports pundit told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I’ve been there myself.
“I gave away two really bad goals against Vasco de Gama in a World Club Championships in 2000, then six months later went on to have a horrible Euros tournament for England in Belgium and Holland.
“Harry is going through a difficult moment. I felt for him.
"But he’s a good solid character, he’s got a good family and people around him at Manchester United who will try and help him.
“It’s a tough period for Harry, there’s no getting away from that. But there’s nothing you can do other than show up, try your best and not give in.
“At some point, his form will return because he has been an excellent player for United at times and England.
“He has to go to the World Cup. England haven’t got a massive pool of centre-backs for a start. Harry’s done very well for England and Gareth Southgate.”
- Ian Tuckey
Maguire must Stam by and then deliver
Jaap Stam has told Harry Maguire he must be ready when – not if – he gets the chance to reclaimhis Manchester Unite place.
Centre-back Maguire is under fire for costing two goals in England's 3-3 draw with Germany yesterday, having been dropped by United for the past four Prem matches.
And former Old Trafford defensive powerhouse Stam praised the Red Devils' new pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez – while urging Maguire to remain positive.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “They’ve got a very good partnership – it’s promising
"With Martinez, he’s had a very good couple of games, although you need to do that across a full season.
You need to play steady for 60 games. If you achieve that, then we can judge him, instead of playing for five games. He is a quality player.
"When he [Maguire] gets his minutes, because you’re going to have injuries and suspensions, he needs to use that opportunity to step in and show himself.
"The other two are doing well and that’s how it goes in football. You need to train hard and stay on your toes.
"If you’re not ready to step in, somebody else will play. That’s how you raise the bar and the level of football."
- Ian Tuckey
Eti-glad to be back
Manchester City host Manchester United in a mouth-watering derby on Sunday – and here are some helpful details for any fans who plan to watch it at home.
The clash will kick-off at 2pm at the Etihad and precedes Leeds at home to Aston Villa (4.30pm KO) as one of two Prem clashes on the day.
The derby will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 1pm, and is also being streamed live via the Sky Go app.
City enjoyed a Prem double over United last season, winning 2-0 at Old Trafford and 4-1 at the Etihad.
- Ian Tuckey
Pogba proud of his yellow streak
Paul Pogba went to great lengths to pull off a new look that shocked his former Manchester United team-mate Jesse Lingard.
The Juventus star paid a trip to his trusted barber A-Star, who cut his hair for much of his stay at Old Trafford.
A-star transformed the midfielder and had him looking sharp with a fresh shape-up.
The barber also applied a stripe of bleach across Pogba's face to create a blond streak which started at the top of his head and reached his chin, also cutting through his eyebrow and moustache.
Pogba, 29, shared a quick clip of his haircut on Instagram alongside the caption: "No limit for the new look yeassirr! 🙌🏾🔥."
After A-star was finished Pogba jokingly put him in a headlock and began giving him a noogie, and the barber did not look too pleased.
- Ian Tuckey
Reece reveals Lions' support for Harry
Reece James says nobody in the England camp doubts Harry Maguire’s “quality”.
Manchester United centre-half Maguire was under pressure heading into back-to-back Nations League games against Italy and Germany – and his performances did nothing to placate his critics.
Chelsea defender James started next to Maguire in defence in both games and says the squad are still right behind him.
He added: “When you are playing and make a mistake you are experienced enough to know you made a mistake, so you don’t need to be told.
“Harry has not been playing too much this season. He has been finding his rhythm, we know the quality he has.”
- Ian Tuckey
Utd 'eye £27m Oblak bargain'
Manchester United could pounce for Atletico Madrid keeper Jan Oblak – possibly even in January.
Fichajes reckon the Spanish giants might be ready to cash in on the Slovenia superstar for £27million in January.
United and Tottenham are amongst the clubs strongly linked to the 27-year-old.
Old Trafford boss Erik ten Hag is thought to have one eye on finding a long-term successor to David de Gea.
- Ian Tuckey
Wembley Poch watch
Job-hunting Mauricio Pochettino watched England's 3-3 thriller withGermany at Wembley as he targets a managerial return.
The former Tottenham boss has been out of work since leaving Paris Saint-Germain on July 5.
He was linked with the vacancies at Manchester United and Chelseabut remains unemployed.
And now the 50-year-old is the third-favourite to take over from Gareth Southgate as the next England boss.
So it certainly raised eyebrows when news broke the Argentine was in attendance at Wembley on Monday.
The Telegraph report Poch was not invited by the FA but decided to go to the thrilling Nations League draw with assistant Jesus Perez and a friend because he is currently in London.
- Ian Tuckey
Let's welcome a Rash on the Sterling
David James says England would benefit from replacing Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford in their starting line-up for the World Cup.
The retired 53-cap Three Lions keeper, 52, believes Rash is finally showing his true potential for his club and is ready to help spearhead a successful campaign in Qatar.
James told the Games Cabin: “I’d be looking to get Marcus Rashford in England’s starting XI because this season he’s producing the form that Manchester United and England fans have been waiting for.
“I’d possibly have Marcus Rashford in there instead of Raheem Sterling.
“Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane would be my preferred front three, but it would be a tight call as Mason Mount is one of my favourite footballers.”
- Ian Tuckey
Jose 'will be f***ing mad' at FA verdict, Fergie laughed
Laughing Alex Ferguson claimed Jose Mourinho would be "going f***ing mad" after the Manchester United legend dodged an FA fine.
Ex-FA 'sleazebuster' Graham Bean has revealed his extraordinary tactics when he represented Fergie AGAINST football chiefs.
Fergie labelled Neale Barry's performance "sinister" after the ref failed to give United a penalty when Andy O'Brien challenged Alan Smith down during a 2-1 home win in April 2005.
Stamford Bridge counterpart Mourinho had been fined £5,000 a month earlier for suggesting to Chelsea TV that United players "cheated" in the Blues' Carling Cup semi-final triumph in January that year.
But when the FA dealt with Fergie over his Barry claims in July 2005 he was merely warned over his future conduct.
Now Bean has told The Athletic he tried to unsettle his former employers the FA by writing to them saying Fergie felt he was "the subject of a campaign of harassment" from football authorities.
Bean admitted his aim was to "muddy the waters by lobbing in this grenade… a tactic I used a number of times".
He also hinted the FA were almost in awe of Fergie as they treated him like the "top dog" at hearings.
Credit: Refer to Caption - Ian Tuckey
World Cup odds bash Harry
It is now odds-on for Harry Maguire to be dropped for England’s World Cup opener against Iran.
Ladbrokes are offering 8-11 for the Manchester United to not be in the Three Lions starting XI for their first game in Qatar on October 21.
Maguire drew criticism for defensive mistakes in last night’s 3-3 with Germany at Wembley but has been repeatedly backed by his national team boss Gareth Southgate.
- Ian Tuckey
Juventus linked with De Gea
Italian giants Juventus could move for unsettled Manchester United keeper David De Gea nest summer, according to Calciomercato.
They report the Old Lady might be making a call to Old Trafford if the Spain star does not renew a deal which runs out in June and therefore becomes a free agent.
- James Colasanti
TV details for Manchester derby
Manchester City host Manchester United in a mouth-watering derby on Sunday – and here are some helpful details for any fans who plan to watch it at home.
The clash will kick-off at 2pm at the Eithad and precedes Leeds at home to Aston Villa (4.30pm KO) as one of two Prem clashes on the day.
The derby will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event from 1pm, and is also being streamed live via the Sky Go app.
City enjoyed a Prem double over United last season, winning 2-0 at Old Trafford and 4-1 at the Etihad.
- James Colasanti
Ronaldo's Portugal 'better than Spain'
Spain boss Luis Enrique has ruffled a few feathers by saying he thinks Portugal are better than his own national side.
Portugal – who boast talent including Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva – will host Spain in a Nations League clash this evening.
Ex-Barcelona boss and playing legend Enrique, 52, said: "Regarding Spain today, Portugal has better players than Spain.
"Starting players in the Premier League, La Liga and other championships. It exports a lot of players, it's very interesting.
"I hope both teams triumph in the World Cup."
- James Colasanti
Antony and Casemiro watch
Manchester United fans might be watching Brazil versus Tunisia tonight with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.
New Red Devils superstars Antony and Casemiro could both feature in the friendly for the Samba Boys and both will be determined to cement their World Cup credentials in a superstar-packed squad.
And while United supporters will be hoping for thrills from at the Parc des Princes from their Boys from Brazil – they will also be praying neither picks up a knock ahead ofSunday's crunch derby at Manchester City!
- James Colasanti
James can relate to Maguire
David James says he has first-hand experience of the type of criticism Harry Maguire is now facing.
The retired England keeper, 52, was once dubbed 'Calamity James' for blunders he made during his 26-year playing career.
Manchester United and Three Lions centre-half Maguire is currently facing similar scrutiny after a testing start to the season for club and country.
James told GGRecon: "I feel for Harry Maguire on the basis where he doesn't seem like he can do a lot right in people's eyes.
"I've been in that position myself where it's almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"It's like people wait for you to make a mistake and do something that's not quite right, and that's what they were expecting.
"He's not starting for his club at the moment but I feel that Erik ten Hag is almost re-introducing him to the side rather than being dropped."
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