Erik ten Hag's arrival at Manchester United last year began a process of culture reset. For years, the club allowed big egos to inflate, and the team's mentality to shrink, while an arrogant hierarchy seemingly assumed waving big cheques guaranteed success.

Ten Hag has taken steps to fix all of the above, and in the roughly eight months since he began working in May, the difference has been significant.

"There was no spirit," Ten Hag said last week. "I saw no team dynamic in the squad. The mental resilience was very low. I saw that as an outsider – and also noticed it in my first weeks at the club.

"I looked at the culture of the club. I asked, 'how did Manchester United become great?'. The club has bought an unimaginable number of players in recent years who have not been good enough. Most purchases have been average – and at United average is not good enough. United's shirt weighs heavily."

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and you can't say Ten Hag's impact has come without "waving big cheques". But the problem with previous eras was how the money was spent.

Casemiro, who cost £60million, is the prime example. At 30 years old, there's no doubt some fans were unsure he was the man to reinvigorate a midfield that had quite literally been a problem for over a decade, but he's been exceptional and a big part of United's transformation.

From slow start to key man

Saturday's Manchester derby will be a true litmus test of not only United's progress under Ten Hag, but also the influence Casemiro has.

Let's not forget, City crushed United 6-3 at the start of October. Pep Guardiola's men were even 6-1 up for about 11 minutes before a late Anthony Martial double.

Their midfield of Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes simply couldn't handle City's dynamism, and then Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were irresistible in front of goal.

That was, unsurprisingly, the last game before Casemiro took ownership of the holding midfield role at United. Casemiro has played 1,330 minutes across all competitions since, second only to Fernandes (1,349), while Scott McTominay has managed just 439.

Over the same period, only Newcastle United (24) have claimed more points than the Red Devils (23) in the Premier League, with November's 3-1 reverse at Aston Villa their sole defeat.

Of course, it's difficult to attribute United's improvement to Casemiro alone, but there's no doubt his effective blend of destructiveness and creative subtlety have made Ten Hag's midfield a completely different proposition.

Not only is he so adept at reading the game and snuffing out attacks, Casemiro's long-underrated technical abilities suit Ten Hag's style of play down to the ground.

More than meets the eye

Anyone who regularly watched Real Madrid during Casemiro's long stay will have already known there's more to him than simply kicking people. Admittedly, frequent viewers of arguably the most popular team on Earth is hardly a niche group, yet there was certainly a lack of awareness from fans and pundits alike regarding Casemiro's 'other' talents when he joined United.

Because Ten Hag wants his team to generally dictate possession, players without excellent technique will stick out like a sore thumb, which is presumably one explanation for Aaron Wan-Bissaka featuring so irregularly until the past couple of weeks.

The fact Casemiro has become so influential speaks volumes.

Every 90 minutes he averages 6.3 involvements in open-play passing sequences that end in a shot, a record bettered by only five central midfielders in the Premier League this term (min. 500 minutes), including more recognised creators like Fernandes (7.3) and Kevin De Bruyne (8.0).

Additionally, just five players in the entire league (min. 500 minutes) have been involved in more shot-ending build-up sequences (48) without creating or taking the shot. Both of these highlight how central Casemiro's playmaking skills are from his deeper role, even if he's not necessarily the one playing the key pass.

But he is proving extremely effective without the ball as well, and his powers of ball recovery combined with smart distribution make him such an asset, with only Rodri (32, from 1,391 minutes played) initiating more shot-ending open-play sequences after winning possession than Casemiro (22, from 979 minutes played).

It's arguably that hard-working, destructive nature that makes him so refreshing for United, though. The only other central midfielder they've had over the past 15 years who has recorded at least three tackles and eight duel wins (3.8 and 8.1) on a 90-minute basis over a season is Marouane Fellaini in 2013-14 (3.1 and 9.3) and 2016-17 (3.0 and 10.8).

Fellaini's stats will be boosted by his aerial effectiveness, and obviously the Belgian never had the same technical grasp Casemiro has, with his two brilliant passes in the build up to Marcus Rashford's goals in the EFL Cup win over Charlton Athletic earlier this week prime examples of his class in that respect.

He's probably the most complete midfielder they've had since Roy Keane, and the fact Ten Hag so emphatically filled a void that's been gaping throughout the post-Alex Ferguson era is proof enough of the manager's culture shift at Old Trafford.

Beating City will be another major statement.

After a week's break for the FA Cup, the Premier League is back with a full round of fixtures this weekend – in fact, some teams have midweek games too.

As such, fantasy football managers turn their attention back to team selections, transfers and captain choices.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform has picked out four options that might be worth your consideration…

Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest v Leicester City)

Forest endured a pretty brutal reality check upon their long-awaited return to the Premier League, but things have started looking up in the past few weeks.

Henderson has undoubtedly been a shrewd addition between the posts and his recent form reflects Forest's general improvement.

Four of his five Premier League clean sheets this term have come in his seven most recent appearances, while Forest have collectively restricted their opponents to two or fewer shots on target in four of their past five outings.

Sven Botman (Newcastle United v Fulham)

Newcastle have excelled in many areas this term, hence their position in the top four. Defensively they have been solid, and Botman has more than played his part.

Eddie Howe's men have kept a clean sheet in each of their past four league games, with Botman playing at least 87 minutes in all of them.

Only four players have contributed to more clean sheets than his seven this season, and another will see the Magpies record five successive top-flight shutouts for the first time.

Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United v Manchester City)

Granted, Fernandes is not exactly an "out there" selection, so this is more of a reminder of the value he can represent.

For starters, he is in good form having provided an assist in each of his past two league games, and for the season only Kevin De Bruyne (41) has created more chances in open play (40).

While he only has three assists, his 4.3 expected assists is the third best in the division, suggesting his team-mates have not fully made the most of his craft.

But with Marcus Rashford in such form and a big game against City – following by a midweek trip to struggling Crystal Palace – up next, Fernandes will be a leading candidate to be decisive.

Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion v Liverpool)

From a slightly obvious pick to a real wildcard, but bear with us.

Ferguson has made a big impact at Brighton over the past few weeks. The 18-year-old has been involved in three goals across his past two games (two goals, one assist).

If he gets another goal against Liverpool at the weekend, he will be the youngest player (18 years and 87 days on Saturday) to score in three consecutive Premier League games since Michael Owen (18y, 12d).

Is it written in the stars?

The New England Patriots are aiming to fend off the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers by extending inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo's contract.

While Cleveland are looking for a new defensive coordinator after firing Joe Woods, while the Panthers want a new head coach.

There appears little appetite from the Patriots' side to let linebackers coach Mayo leave, however, with a team statement confirming talks on a contract extension were under way.

"The Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick have begun contract extension discussions with Jerod Mayo that would keep him with the team long-term," read a statement released to the media.

Mayo has spent his entire senior career with the Patriots since he was drafted by New England in the 2008 draft.

He retired in 2016 after three successive seasons derailed by injury, but joined the coaching staff in 2019.

New England also confirmed they are on the search for an offensive coordinator after a disappointing campaign saw them miss out on the playoffs.

Jordan Spieth owns a share of the lead after the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, tied with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery at six under.

A three-time major champion, Spieth has one PGA Tour win in each of the past two seasons, and this week he is seeking his first top-10 finish since The Open in July.

He posted seven birdies and one bogey during his first trip around the picturesque Waialae Country Club course to shoot 64, while Kirk and Montgomery reached their scores in identical fashion, joining Spieth at the top after both birdieing their final hole.

Kirk has not won a PGA Tour event since the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2015, but he flashed some form this past season with four top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth at May's PGA Championship. Montgomery entered the season with no career top-10s, but has three in his seven starts this campaign.

There is a seven-way tie for fourth place at five under featuring Slovakia's Rory Sabbatini from the early group and South Korea's Seong-hyeon Kim from the late finishers.

The densely packed field means there is a further logjam at four under including Maverick McNealy and top-five finisher from last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions, J.J. Spaun.

England's Aaron Rai is at three under, Japanese major champion Hideki Matsuyama is at two under and fellow former Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia is at one under.

The highlight of the day came from Ryan Armour, who finished his round at even par, but enjoyed a moment he will never forget after hitting his second ace of the season on the par-three 17th.

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson believes a capable quarterback is the only thing missing from a team he called "loaded and ready to go".

The Jets boasted the fourth-best defense in the NFL based on yards allowed, but their offense could only finish 25th, hamstrung by mediocre quarterback play.

They tried to address their quarterback void by selecting Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 draft, but after a horrific second campaign where he threw more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (six), the Jets are not willing to persist with the 23-year-old as the starter.

Johnson addressed Wilson's struggles, and pointed to the instability at starter – as Mike White and Joe Flacco combined for eight of the 17 starts this season – as a reason for the dysfunction.

"Zach had a tough year, there's no denying that," he said. "I still have confidence that I've seen some kernels of real talent there. 

"[His] confidence level, whatever it was, went down, so that was certainly frustrating for him. And then we had that rotation, which is very hard to do in the NFL – changing quarterbacks."

He spoke about his willingness to reverse the fortunes of the offense in a similar fashion to the defense from a year ago, which was ranked as the league's worst in 2021.

"This team is loaded and ready to go," he said. "Our defense was an unbelievable story you saw this year, from last-place to close to the top in defense in terms of every measurable.

"If you can do the same thing on offense, it looks pretty good, right?"

The Jets are unlikely to enter the new season with another rookie under center, so to address their need, the Jets will need to either make a trade or venture into the free agent market.

The upcoming free agent class is headlined by the legendary Tom Brady and former MVP Lamar Jackson – players who will likely not come at a discount – but Johnson said he is willing to spend.

"Absolutely," he said. "We've got a cap, so there's an amount you can spend. But, yeah, that's kind of the missing piece."

When asked if he would give the coaching staff a playoff mandate, Johnson shot down the idea, saying it is not the right way to approach the situation.

"No, I don't do mandates," he said. "We've had a long wait. 

"Fifty-four years from the last Super Bowl is too long, way too long. I'd like to change that fast, but mandates don't work."

The NFL announced that Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host a potential AFC Championship Game between the number two seed Buffalo Bills and the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs.

In a statement released on Thursday, the NFL confirmed that the game would be played on Sunday January 29, with Atlanta only used as the venue if those two sides are matched up.

That came following the cancellation of the Week 17 game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals after Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in the first quarter and went into cardiac arrest.

The NFL had already confirmed that in the event of a Bills-Chiefs' AFC Championship Game matchup that the contest would be played at a neutral site, given both sides played an unequal number of regular season games due to the Bills-Bengals' cancellation.

The Bills are due to host the seventh-seed Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in the Wild Card round, while the Chiefs have a bye and will face the lowest AFC seed remaining in the Divisional round.

"We are heartened by the continued improvement and progress of Damar Hamlin in his recovery, and Damar and his family remain top of mind for the entire NFL community," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in the statement.

"We are also grateful to Arthur Blank and the Atlanta Falcons for agreeing to host the AFC Championship Game in Atlanta should the Bills and Chiefs advance. We thank both of those clubs for their assistance in the planning process."

Mercedes-Benz Stadium was opened in 2017 and has an American Football capacity of 71,000.

Wide receiver Mike Williams has been listed as questionable by the Los Angeles Chargers due to a back injury for their AFC Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

Williams left Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos with back spasms, though initial X-rays were negative, offering hope the problem would not impact his participation against the Jags.

The 28-year-old has not practiced all week, although head coach Brandon Staley said Williams needed time off, having had chronic back issues for years.

"He's progressing, getting treatment," Staley told reporters. "Just trying to get him as much rest as possible because of the short time frame of the week.

"We're at the point of the season where the reps aren't what matters – the rest is – in his case. Just trying to get him as much rest up until game time."

Under-fire Staley was criticised for not resting key players against the Broncos, given they were locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs ahead of the game.

"I stand behind what we did in that football game," Staley added on Thursday. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt in that game regardless of their status."

Williams has 63 receptions for a team-high 895 yards with four touchdowns this season.

The Baltimore Ravens haven’t had starting quarterback Lamar Jackson on the field in over a month and it does not appear he will be ready to play Sunday's Wild Card game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jackson missed his 17th straight practice Thursday and then posted on social media that his left knee "remains unstable," putting his availability for Sunday in serious doubt.

"Thank you everyone for your support and concerns regarding my injuries," Jackson posted to Twitter. "I want to give you all an update as I am in the recovery process. I’ve suffered a PCL grade 2 sprain on the borderline of a strain 3. There is still inflammation surrounding my knee and my knee remains unstable.

"I’m still in good spirits, as I continue with treatments on the road to recovery. I wish I could be out there with my guys more than anything but I can’t give 100% of myself to my guys and fans I’m still hopeful we still have a chance."

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has not officially ruled out Jackson returning Sunday, but he has not practiced with the team since December 2, and has not appeared in a game since a 10-9 win over the Denver Broncos on December 4.

With Jackson likely unavailable, Huntley would be in line to start, but he has been battling shoulder and wrist injuries that kept him sidelined for the regular-season finale at Cincinnati last weekend.

Huntley resumed throwing at practice Thursday and was officially listed as a limited participant. It was the first time since January 1 that he was seen throwing passes.

"He looked good," Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "It’s day-to-day. He’s making progress. We take stock on it every day."

Rookie Anthony Brown started the final game of the regular season and was 19 of 44 for 286 yards with two interceptions in his only career start, a 27-16 loss to the Bengals.

Baltimore went 8-4 and averaged 23.1 points in games Jackson started this season, and were 2-3 while averaging 13 points in games without him.

"Obviously, Lamar is Lamar," Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said. "You can’t replace that kind of guy, but I do still think that we have quarterbacks who can go out there and get the job done and play at a high level."

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss at least a fortnight after suffering a left elbow sprain and mild left knee bone contusion.

The Pacers confirmed the injuries on Thursday, having left Wednesday's 119-113 loss to the New York Knicks on crutches after falling awkwardly in the third quarter.

"He underwent an MRI this afternoon on his elbow and knee in Indianapolis and the team is awaiting additional opinion on the results of those scans," the Pacers announced.

"Haliburton will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks and updates will be provided as appropriate."

The 22-year-old has been enjoying an All-Star level season, leading the league in assists with 10.2 per game. He is also averaging 20.2 points per game while flirting with 50/40/90 efficiency, currently shooting 48 per cent from the field, 39.9 per cent from deep and 88 per cent from the free throw line.

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson accepts Socceroos forward Garang Kuol is not the "finished article" but is thrilled to land the 18-year-old on loan from Newcastle United.

The Edinburgh club confirmed the temporary signing – subject to international clearance – of Kuol from the Premier League side on Thursday, reportedly beating several Championship clubs to him.

Kuol impressed with two cameos for Australia at the 2022 World Cup, where the Socceroos reached the round of 16 for the second time.

In September, the teenager agreed a pre-contract deal to join Newcastle in January from A-League club Central Coast Mariners, with the Magpies eager to loan him out for first-team experience.

The Egypt-born talent only debuted for Central Coast in December 2021 and made just 22 first-team appearances – netting seven goals – before joining Newcastle.

"It's fantastic news that Garang has committed himself to Hearts for the next six months," Neilson said.

"It's no secret that we were extremely interested in him and he came up for a look around last week. He was impressed with what he saw and what we're trying to do here, which is pleasing.

"We're getting a player who is by no means the finished article but there is a lot of talent there – you don't get called up to and play in the World Cup for nothing.

"He'll offer us new options going forward as we look to continue our good form and continue to make progress in the league and in the Scottish Cup, and we're really looking forward to working with him."

Kuol joins fellow Australians Kye Rowles, Cammy Devlin and Nathaniel Atkinson at Hearts. All four were part of the Socceroos' World Cup squad.

"The gaffer also persuaded me to come here with the plan that he put to me for my development," Kuol said.

"Overall, the club has great ambitions and goals, and that was something I wanted to be involved in. I think it was a very good decision."

Hearts are third in the Scottish Premiership with 32 points from 20 games, 26 points behind leaders Celtic.

Boston Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown will miss "a week or two" after suffering an adductor strain during Wednesday's win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Brown, who scored 41 points in that win, told reporters after the game that he had tweaked his groin, but he was not officially ruled out of Thursday's road game against the Brooklyn Nets until 90 minutes before the contest.

The 26-year-old is enjoying a career-best season, setting new personal bests in points per game (27.2), rebounds (7.1), field goal percentage (49.8) and free throw percentage (79.5) – all while playing in 40 of the Celtics' first 42 games.

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla said Brown had tried to warm-up in preparation for the Nets, but was unable.

"I anticipate [his absence] being pretty short – probably a week or two," he told reporters. "I'm not sure what the timeline is.

"I know he tried to give it a go today, and wasn't able to do it. We'll know more in the next couple days, see how he responds."

Celtics center Robert Williams III has a chance to eclipse 25 minutes for the first time this season in the absence of both Brown and starting big Al Horford (lower back stiffness), while the Nets will also be without Kevin Durant as he recovers from a knee injury.

The Celtics entered Thursday's game with the best record in the NBA at 30-12, while the Nets are two games back at 27-13.

Graham Potter says Joao Felix's red card was the turning point in Chelsea's 2-1 defeat to Fulham, but the under-fire Blues boss understands why the debutant was dismissed.

Chelsea had levelled Thursday's contest at Craven Cottage when Joao Felix was sent off by referee David Coote for a studs-up challenge on Kenny Tete.

Carlos Vinicius went on to head home a winner for Fulham as they beat their west London rivals for only the fourth time in 53 top-flight matches, and the first time since 2006.

Potter was left to rue a sloppy challenge from Joao Felix, who was thrust straight into the starting XI after arriving on a short-term loan deal from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

He is the first Chelsea player to be sent off on his Premier League debut, and the first for any club since Federico Fazio for Tottenham against Manchester City in October 2014.

"It was a forwards' tackle. There was no malice in it but I understand why it was a red," Potter told BT Sport of the Portugal international's lunge on Tete.

"It is another blow for us; the hits keep coming at the moment. [Joao Felix] was really good. You could see his quality in the game so it is doubly disappointing for us."

Willian had given Fulham the lead against his former side Chelsea, but the visitors responded through Kalidou Koulibaly's close-range finish after Mason Mount had hit the post.

Carlos Vinicius' first goal for Fulham prolongs 10th-placed Chelsea's terrible run of form, which now stands at seven defeats in 10 matches in all competitions.

"I think we controlled the game early, won the ball back high, created some opportunities, maybe missed the last pass. We made a couple of mistakes for their goal," Potter said.

"Second-half I think we responded well and then the red card changes the game. It makes it a little more difficult for us.

"But I thought the application when we went down to 10 was really good. I'm disappointed with the [winning] goal because I think we could do better and that is what cost us."

Chelsea's return of 25 points from their first 18 Premier League matches is their fewest at this stage since the 2015-16 campaign (18 points), when going on to finish 10th.

Further questions will inevitably be asked of Potter, who only succeeded Thomas Tuchel in September, but the Englishman has called on his squad to stick together.

"We have got to keep working, there is no other solutions," he said. "You have to keep working stay together and try to get the three points."

Former Chelsea winger Willian did not celebrate his first-half opener against old suitors Chelsea, whom he won five major honours with earlier in his career.

"I had an amazing seven years at Chelsea," said Willian, who is the 26th player to score against Chelsea in the Premier League after previously playing for them.

"I have a big respect for the fans and the club. I play for Fulham now and have to do my best. It was a special night.

"We deserved the win. We know how difficult it is to play against Chelsea. They are in a difficult moment but we are a really good team. We deserved it and we have to carry on."

A fourth top-flight win in a row for Fulham – the first time they have achieved that since April 1966 (a run of five) – moves them within four points of the Champions League spots.

Bradley Beal is nearing his return for the Washington Wizards after being cleared for full basketball activities.

Beal has not played since suffering a left hamstring strain on January 3, but received a positive update during Thursday's re-evaluation.

The Wizards are scheduled to host the New York Knicks on Friday, but it is unclear if Beal will suit up for that contest, with the team announcing "his return to play will be based on his progression".

The 29-year-old is averaging a team-high 22.9 points, and while that is his lowest figure since the 2017-18 season, he has reached a new level of efficiency this campaign.

Having never posted a field goal percentage greater than 48.5 per cent during his 10-year career, Beal is sitting at a career-high 52.5 per cent this season.

He has done so by being more particular about the kind of shots he takes, with his usage rate of 27.8 also a five-year low.

The Wizards have lost three of their past four games since Beal's injury, relegating their record to 18-24, placing them 12th in the Eastern Conference.