Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is not expecting to delve into the transfer market on deadline day despite losing Christian Eriksen to injury for three months.
United confirmed on Tuesday that Eriksen is likely to be out at least until late April after sustaining an ankle injury in the FA Cup win over Reading on Saturday.
He was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Andy Carroll, who went unpunished before eventually getting sent off for another two forceful challenges.
Losing Eriksen is a major blow for United given his prominence in his first campaign at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes (2,603) the only outfield player to record more minutes on the pitch than the Dane (2,274) for Ten Hag's men this term.
United will suddenly be without one of their chief creators, as Eriksen's 53 key passes is second only to Fernandes (81), and he leads the way for assists with nine.
But Ten Hag is confident he has the options to cope.
"Of course, [Eriksen] is disappointed about [the injury], we are disappointed about it," the manager told reporters ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.
"It happens in top football, you have to deal with it."
He added: "As you said, something coming out on deadline day is difficult and you can't make policy on such bad injuries, but we have players in the midfield department, good players, we also have players who can fill the gap."
With Donny van de Beek out for the season, Eriksen's injury leaves Ten Hag with senior midfield options of Fred, Casemiro, Fernandes and Scott McTominay, while 17-year-old Kobbie Mainoo has made two appearances in cup competitions and been among the substitutes on a handful of occasions in the Premier League.
Zidane Iqbal, a 19-year-old Iraq international, has also been on the bench often this season, though he is yet to make his debut and had reportedly been lined up for a loan move.
Either way, Ten Hag accepts there will have to be a degree of adaptation regardless of who steps up because they will not have the same attributes as the Denmark star.
"I think you can never fill that because every player has their own characteristics and identity, so another player will always fill it in in a different way," he said.
"So, it doesn't mean that you have to be less successful, but it's quite clear that Christian Eriksen, for our squad, brings top quality and he has some specifics that are hard to replace. For instance, his impact in the final third, [with his] final ball."
Brazil midfielder Fred would appear to be the most likely to benefit from Eriksen's absence.
Although the 29-year-old has made only five Premier League starts this term, in total he has played in 17 top-flight games, with Ten Hag seeming to value his energy and tenacity in the second half when others might be tiring.
There is also the added convenience of him regularly playing alongside Casemiro with the Selecao.
"You mentioned already in your first sentence, he's playing together with Casemiro in the Brazilian squad, I would say that's not the worst squad in the world," Ten Hag said with a grin.
"They have so many choices what they can make but they often prefer to play them together. So, that tells something about the quality Fred has and what he can contribute to the team.
"He has done it several times with his performance for instance against Tottenham, for instance against Manchester City.
"When he's coming on [in the] last game [against Reading], he's scoring a goal straight away. He has a lot of qualities. I think they are a really good combination, Casemiro and Fred."
Women's Super League: Title race and relegation drama as attendances boom
With relegation and the title race all still to play for, the weekend's Women's Super League did not disappoint fans in what turned out to be a drama-filled Sunday of football.
This has been a record-breaking season for the women's game in England.
For the first time ever between the Barclays WSL and the Barclays Championship, both leagues have achieved a cumulative attendance of over one million at fixtures this season.
Based on the twists and turns we have experienced over recent weeks, it is easy to see why fans are attending in increasing numbers.
Relegation Battle
Bristol City knew they would have a mammoth task in their race for survival when they welcomed Manchester City who, at the other end of the table, are pushing to win their first title since 2016.
West Ham, meanwhile, were travelling to Villa Park and knew even a point, assuming Bristol City were to lose, would mean safety for the Hammers.
It was a nervy start from both teams at Ashton Gate in front of the 8,749-strong crowd. City piled on the pressure in the first half with Lauren Hemp and Chole Kelly both having multiple chances to take the lead. The Citizens really looked as if they missed their star striker Khadija Bunny Shaw, who had been ruled out for the season earlier in the week.
The second half, however, saw Matildas star Mary Fowler manage to break the deadlock for the Citizens, with a moment of individual brilliance that City were so desperately needing.
Fowler then added a second shortly after and the floodgates were opened at Aston Gate, Bristol shipping a further two - with an own goal from Amy Rodgers and Alex Greenwood's header rounding off the win.
Bristol City, in their first season in the WSL, have found it a challenge to keep up. They have failed to score in nine of their 20 games - no team has failed to do so more often in the league.
They faced a Man City side that have scored in their last 14 games, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since going 25 straight games with a strike from 16th October 2022 to 5th November 2023.
Bristol City Manager Lauren Smith reflected on the season with Sky Sports, saying: "Some of the performances we’ve been really proud of, but we still haven’t got results off.
"Even in this game, up to 60-something minutes, I was very, very proud of how we defended, created some really good counter-attacks in the first half.
“I think we’ve shown up, but we haven’t shown up for 90 minutes week-in, week-out, and I think that’s been the difference.
“We have to start looking at what next year looks like. I’ll be working with the chairman to make sure that we do what we need to do to make sure that we are stronger next year.
"We have to continue to build and that’s on the pitch, off the pitch and to make sure our fanbase is as incredible as it is right now next year.
"All of us as a club are part of that, and we will be looking to make sure we continue this trend and excitement about women’s football in Bristol.”
West Ham were pleased to secure their WSL status in a clash that saw them grab a late goal to make it 1-1 at Villa Park. The Hammers have not had a good season under Rehanne Skinner, who joined in late July, and maybe with her experience more would have been expected of West Ham.
Skinner has struggled to get her team to find any consistency, and they have failed to win in their last seven games - their last longer winless streak was from 14th October 2023 to 21st January 2024, a run of nine games.
The Hammers arguably have a young squad and there was very little time to recruit before the season started. However, she did put the January window to good use, bringing in US and Australian Internationals, respectively in Kristie Mewis and Katrina Gorry to bolster the midfield, along with two other key signings, Shelina Zadorsky and Marika Bergman-Lundin.
This seems to have been the boost West Ham needed to stay in the top flight ahead of Bristol City.
The Title Race
Manchester City continued their march at the top to go six points clear of their rivals Chelsea with their 4-0 win at Bristol City. Arsenal knew they had a big opportunity to go level on points with Chelsea and further put pressure on their London rivals.
Jonas Eidevall's side, however, could not manufacture the win in a match that saw them dominate all the stats, except the one that mattered. It was 1-1 at the final whistle, leaving the Gunners all but out of the title race.
Arsenal had needed to ensure they won all their remaining games to even be in with a shout, but their away form has let them down this season.
The unlikely Everton star to score the 95th-minute equaliser was 16-year-old Issy Hobson, who headed home for her first senior goal to ruin Arsenal's chase for the top.
The Gunners have scored in each of their last 10 games in the English Women's Super League, scoring 22 goals in that run. The goals alone, though, have not been enough to challenge for the title this season.
With Beth Mead back in the side and looking more and more like the player before her ACL injury, Alessia Russo scoring regularly, getting her 10th of the season against Everton, having Leah Williamson back in the side and the signing of Emily Fox, things are on the up for Arsenal as the season draws to a close.
They have also won some silverware this term with the League Cup title, beating Chelsea to spoil Emma Hayes' final campaign.
Eidevall shared his thoughts on the remainder of the season, where Arsenal can still have a big impact on the title race, in his post-match press conference.
Arsenal may now be out of contention to lift the WSL title, but this coming weekend will see them face Manchester City at the Joie Stadium. It is a match-up that could undoubtedly decide the title race, so they still have a tremendous role to play as the drama unfolds.
Eidevall said: "I need to consult the Opta supercomputer to see what the probability is for not staying in third position.
"For next weekend, it doesn’t change anything. It is to say it is really important for us to finish the season strongly. We haven’t won at Manchester City for a long time and I would very much like to change that.
"We have an obligation to the league and all the teams competing. We know we will have a strong vote in that sense. Every team needs to do their very best and, in the end, the best team is going to win the league and that is fair.
"Me personally, I couldn’t care less whether Chelsea or Manchester City win it. I don’t have any preferences there. From our perspective, we need to do our very best in all games to make sure that the league is as fair as possible."
Before Arsenal's huge clash with City, which takes place on Sunday, there is a key game for Chelsea as they travel to face Liverpool on Wednesday.
Preston 0-3 Leicester City: Foxes seal Championship title in style
Leicester City cruised to a 3-0 win over Preston in the Championship on Monday to clinch the title with a game to spare.
Jamie Vardy was the star for the Foxes as he scored in both halves before Kasey McAteer made sure of the points with an unmarked header.
Abdul Fatawu had the chance to cap an already memorable night for the travelling fans but hit the post with his curler.
Preston slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat, while Leicester go into their final game against Blackburn Rovers with the knowledge that they will lift the trophy after the final whistle.
Data Debrief
Jamie Vardy has scored 18 goals this season (two in this game), more than any other Leicester player in the competition. He has also netted in his last three games, scoring four goals in total.
It was a dominant performance from the Foxes, who had 19 shots with 11 of those on target. At the other end, Preston only managed to test Jakub Stolarczyk once from their five attempts.
'I know my worth and I will show it' – Antony vows to silence Man Utd critics
Manchester United winger Antony has pledged to silence his critics after ending his long wait for a Premier League goal on Saturday, saying: "I know my worth and I will show it."
Antony has struggled since swapping Ajax for Old Trafford in an £86million ($108m) deal last year, only managing five goals and three assists in 52 Premier League appearances.
The Brazilian failed to net in his first 26 league games this season before ending his goal drought against Burnley on Saturday, though Zeki Amdouni's late penalty earned the Clarets a 1-1 draw.
Antony was also roundly criticised for taunting Coventry City's players in the aftermath of United's FA Cup semi-final win over the Sky Blues earlier this month, with the Red Devils inching through on penalties after surrendering a 3-0 lead in a 3-3 draw.
Having struggled to live up to expectations since arriving in England, he was asked by The Athletic whether his price tag had put him under additional pressure, but he says that is not the case.
"It doesn't really impact me because I know my worth," Antony said. "The money is the money and obviously everyone speaks about it, but no one would if the performances were at the top.
"It's just a way of working harder, knowing I can get better, I know my worth and I will show it. The critics are going to exist, and they make me want to work harder and prove it to myself first.
"I'm going to keep working, giving everything for the group because it's most important to have a good mentality and to be focused."
Saturday's draw officially ended United's hopes of a top-four finish, heightening speculation regarding the future of manager Erik ten Hag.
While Antony accepts United have not been good enough this season, he is hopeful they can end the campaign on a high with another FA Cup final against Manchester City to come.
"It's been a very tough year for me and the team, the results are not ones we expected," Antony added.
"I am someone who takes criticism very well and I want to work on it, and I think we all have to focus on finishing the season the best we can.
"We still have five games and we have to think game by game, get better and go into the final in the best way possible to win it."
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