Tyrell Malacia is closing in on a return from injury while fellow Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are making progress in their recoveries, Ruud van Nistelrooy has revealed. 

Malacia has not featured for United since the final day of the 2022-23 season, missing the entirety of last campaign after undergoing knee surgery.

The Netherlands international has recently returned to training, however, and interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy says he is almost ready to receive competitive minutes.

"[All the injured players are] different cases, all of them," Van Nistelrooy said ahead of Thursday's Europa League clash with Greek giants PAOK.

"Tyrell is the furthest along the road to recovery at the moment – he's been part of team training for a couple of weeks now, full in team training, no restrictions.

"So it's good for him to plan game minutes, maybe in the Under-21s. We have to see."

United have been forced to field Noussair Mazraoui or Diogo Dalot as makeshift left-backs this season, with Luke Shaw also yet to feature in 2024-25 due to a calf issue.

Fellow England international Maguire, meanwhile, has been absent since limping out of a goalless draw at Aston Villa last month.

Van Nistelrooy said of the duo: "Harry is still inside, working on his rehab."

"Luke also does pitch work like he did today, and he's progressing there to also do partial team training, hopefully soon."

After welcoming PAOK to Old Trafford on Thursday, United host Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday, their last match before Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim takes the reins. 

Tottenham believe Cristian Romero has avoided serious injury, but Richarlison is set for a period on the sidelines after the pair limped out of Sunday's win against Aston Villa.

Both Romero and Richarlison were substituted in the second half of a 4-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Argentina World Cup winner Romero appeared to hurt his foot in a blow to a Spurs team already missing Micky van de Ven, while Richarlison was injured in creating the third goal for Dominic Solanke.

Neither will feature for Tottenham at Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday, but the outlook beyond that is rather more positive for Romero.

"From the weekend, obviously Richy unfortunately injured his hamstring," Ange Postecoglou said. "I'm still getting the final information, but I think he'll be out for a while.

"Romero, I think, is nothing too serious, hopefully. Hopefully, he still has a chance for the weekend [against Ipswich Town]."

Providing a further update on his squad for the Galatasaray match, Postecoglou said: "Timo Werner has been carrying a bit of a groin complaint, which is still there, so he didn't travel, and Mikey Moore picked up a bit of a virus yesterday, so we've left him at home as well.

"I think everyone else who's fit and eligible is here."

Given their injuries, a trip to a talented Galatasaray side might be considered daunting, but Postecoglou is relishing it.

"We're looking forward to it," he said. "It's a fantastic stadium, the supporters create an unbelievable atmosphere here, they love the big European nights.

"They're a very, very good team. It's exactly the kind of games you want to be involved in in Europe. Whether you're young, you're old, irrespective of the role you have, you look forward to it."

Shakhtar Donetsk staged a quick first-half comeback to earn a 2-1 home victory over Young Boys in their Champions League clash on Wednesday.

Both sides entered the game winless, and Young Boys grabbed the lead in the 27th minute when Kastriot Imeri struck from close range.

But Shakhtar responded swiftly in Gelsenkirchen as Oleksandr Zubkov tapped in four minutes later to restore parity.

And Heorhii Sudakov, who teed up the equaliser, then put Shakhtar ahead four minutes before the interval, with that goal proving enough to take maximum points.

Shakhtar now have four for the campaign, while Young Boys are still waiting on their first point after four straight defeat to begin the campaign.

Data Debrief: Breakthroughs at last on matchday four

Not only were both teams looking for their first wins on Wednesday, neither had even found the net.

Imeri broke Young Boys' duck with their 40th shot of the campaign, but the lead was short-lived as Shakhtar's 25th attempt of the season brought them level.

The Ukrainian outfit went on to register their third Champions League home win in four matches as they pursue a place in the play-off round, while Young Boys are really up against it.

They have not won any of their 11 away games in the competition and must surely end that run against Stuttgart or Celtic to have any hope of advancing.

Tyrone Mings' calamitous mistake proved costly as Aston Villa lost 1-0 to Club Brugge in the Champions League.

Villa had won their opening three games in the competition, but their unbeaten run came to a shuddering halt in Belgium on Wednesday.

Mings was at fault as he conceded a bizarre penalty early in the second half.

On his first Champions League appearance, Mings inexplicably picked the ball when it was passed his way by Emiliano Martinez, believing it was not in play.

The referee pointed to the penalty spot, with the spot-kick confirmed by VAR, and Hans Vanaken converted from 12 yards.

Unai Emery's side failed to create much of note from then on, and finished with just 0.4 expected goals (xG) from what was a disappointing attacking display.

Brugge are now on six points, three behind Villa.

Data Debrief: Brugge finally claim an English scalp

This was Brugge's first win over an English team in Europe since they beat Chelsea in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1995, ending a run of 14 matches without a victory against English teams.

Villa, meanwhile, failed to become just the fourth team to win their first four Champions League matches, after Milan (1993), Paris Saint-Germain (1994) and Juventus (1995).

Cole Palmer's availability for Chelsea's crunch Premier League clash with Arsenal on Sunday is still to be decided.

Blues talisman Palmer was on the end of a painful challenge from Lisandro Martinez in last week's draw with Manchester United.

With seven goals and five assists in the Premier League already this season, following a breakout campaign last time out, Chelsea will be keen to have Palmer back for their next league match against Arsenal.

But Enzo Maresca revealed ahead of his side's Conference League meeting with Noah that Palmer was yet to train with the team again.

Palmer is not part of Chelsea's European squad for the league phase and so would not have featured on Thursday regardless, but his status for the Arsenal encounter is uncertain.

"Cole didn't train [on Tuesday], so we will see today if he can train with us," Maresca said on Wednesday.

"We hope [he will be available for Sunday]. We need to wait and see and then decide."

Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League, above Arsenal on goal difference, while they lead the Conference League table after two matches.

Maresca's men have so far succeeded in that competition due to their incredible strength in depth, although the vast number of options means some star names are struggling to see minutes in the Premier League.

Asked about Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku, Maresca said: "I would like to give him more minutes in the Premier League, but I have said many times: we need defensive balance and we cannot play with Joao, Cole, Christo.

"I like to put all of them inside the pitch, but then you also have to defend and you need the right balance between the two phases of attacking and defending.

"This is the only reason why. There is no doubt if Joao keeps working well, he is going to find his moment also in the Premier League."

Qinwen Zheng booked her place in the last four of the WTA Finals with a dominant 6-1 6-1 victory over Jasmine Paolini.

The Olympic gold medallist hit 12 aces as she powered past this season's French Open and Wimbledon finalist in just over an hour in Riyadh.

This was the winner-takes-all clash in Purple Group, with both players aiming to join world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals.

The form player since Wimbledon with 29 wins from 34 matches - also including titles in Palermo and Tokyo, plus a run to the final in Wuhan - Zheng quickly asserted her authority on proceedings.

The 22-year-old scored five breaks of serve on the way to becoming the youngest semi-finalist on her WTA Finals debut since Petra Kvitova in 2011.

"Finally, I showed off some tennis I really want to play," she said. "Of course, when you enter the match, you are nervous, but at the same time, you feel confidence because you know your level. And I know how capable I am.

"I remember in 2022, my serve was quite strong. I don't know why but, suddenly in 2023, my serve started to drop. In this tournament and the rest of this half-year, it is the first time I've felt like the serve is starting to come back."

Beating two top-10 players in the same tournament for the first time, Zheng is the first Chinese player to achieve the feat since Li Na (four) at this event 11 years ago.

The seventh seed also follows in the footsteps of Na and Kimiko Date in 1994 as one of three players representing an Asian country to reach the last four at the WTA Finals. 

Sabalenka's place in the semi-finals was already secured, rendering her 6-4 3-6 6-1 defeat by Elena Rybakina academic, though ending a seven-match winning streak.

Having shared the two meetings this season in Brisbane and Madrid, the players took a close set each here, but it was one-way traffic in the decider.

In the final match of her first tournament since withdrawing from the US Open with a back injury, Rybakina did not face a single break point in the final set, while winning all 12 points on her first serve, to bow out with victory.

Though academic, it was an historic victory for the Kazahstani, who became the first player representing an Asian country to defeat the world number one at the WTA Finals.

Rybakina is also the fourth player to achieve six or more wins over the WTA's number one across a two-season span, after Tracy Austin (1979-80), Venus Williams (1999-00) and Lindsay Davenport (2000-01).

Bernardo Silva says Manchester City must "look at ourselves individually and collectively" ahead of facing Brighton on Saturday.

The reigning Premier League champions head to the Amex Stadium having suffered three successive defeats across all competitions for the first time since 2021.

After their 32-game unbeaten league streak was ended by last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth, City's latest setback saw them well beaten 4-1 by Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday.

And Silva has urged his team-mates to stop the rot heading into the international break.

"We just need to look at ourselves individually and collectively and see what we can do better, because we need to turn things around," the City midfielder said.

"We have one more game before the international break, which will definitely be good for us. At the moment, with the injuries that we have and the psychological part as well, it will be good to have that rest.

"But before that, we have a big game again; a very tough game, Brighton away is never easy. Three points would help massively to keep us in the race or in a good position to then come back and still be close to the top.

"We'll look at ourselves and try to do better on Saturday."

Brighton are also seeking a response after they were beaten 2-1 last weekend by Liverpool, who are two points clear of City at the Premier League summit.

Florian Hurzeler's side led at Anfield through Ferdi Kadioglu's first-half strike, but the Reds struck twice in the space of two minutes to condemn the Seagulls to only their second league loss of the season.

"It's a disappointing result because I think my team deserved more," the Brighton boss. "We didn't carry on playing in the second half like we did in the first half.

"We expected Liverpool to press with more intensity and, of course, there were two goals from outside the box.

"It was a tough experience, but if we stick together and learn to find the solutions when the opponent is pressing with more intensity, then I am sure the results will come."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brighton and Hove Albion – Danny Welbeck

Welbeck is certainly Brighton's man in form, having either scored (three) or assisted (one) a goal in each of his last four Premier League games.

The forward is now looking to register a goal involvement in five successive league games for the first time.

Manchester City – Phil Foden

Still seeking his first Premier League goal of the season, Foden will welcome the opportunity to face Brighton.

The England forward has netted more Premier League goals against the Seagulls than he has any other opponent, with eight in just seven starts.

Foden will also be encouraged by the fact Brighton have never registered a clean sheet against City in the Premier League (14 meetings).

MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER CITY WIN

City have only ever lost successive Premier League games on three occasions under Pep Guardiola - in December 2016, December 2018 and October 2023.

Nevertheless, their historic record against Brighton will certainly offer them a reason to be optimistic heading into this encounter.

City have 37 points from 42 available against the Seagulls in the Premier League (won 12, drawn one), while scoring 40 goals during that span.

Meanwhile, Brighton's defeat at Anfield means they have now dropped 10 points from winning positions this season, just four fewer than they did in the entire 2023-24 campaign.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Brighton and Hove Albion – 25.3%

Draw – 23.3%

Manchester City – 51.5%

Andre Onana is confident he and his "pragmatic" Manchester United team-mates will "step up" under incoming boss Ruben Amorim. 

The Portuguese will officially take over the reins at Old Trafford on November 11, succeeding Erik ten Hag, who was dismissed last week following a poor start to the season.

Amorim masterminded Sporting CP's 4-1 victory over Manchester City on Tuesday in what was his final home game in charge of the reigning Primeira Liga champions.

The 39-year-old's preferred formation is 3-4-3, compared to the 4-2-3-1 system utilised by Ten Hag and continued by interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

However, Onana insists United's squad will have no problem adapting to the new tactics.

"I did watch [Sporting's game against City] yesterday, it was a great victory for them," the goalkeeper said ahead of United's Europa League clash with PAOK on Thursday. "It's a different system, but my team-mates are all pragmatic.

"I think everyone here is capable of playing in each system, so I don't think this will be an issue for us. We have big players, they will step up."

Meanwhile, ahead of his penultimate match in charge, Van Nistelrooy provided an update on pre-season signing Leny Yoro.

The defender, who is yet to make his competitive debut for the Red Devils, returned to full training on Wednesday having fractured his foot in August.

"He's been managed very well after his injury in pre-season," the interim boss said. "Obviously, we knew it was going to be a long one.

"It's a big moment for him as it's the first time that he's been back in full training. We will bring him back partially over the coming weeks, and look to get him on board as soon as possible."

Thiago Motta feels Juventus "deserved more" against Lille, insisting "I cannot be happy" with the 1-1 draw in the Champions League.

The spoils were shared at Stade Pierre Mauroy, where a second-half Dusan Vlahovic penalty cancelled out Jonathan David's opener in the 27th minute.

Juve responded well to falling behind, controlling large periods of the contest after the break, but were unable to turn their superiority into a winning goal.

That moved the Bianconeri onto seven points after four games, though Motta believes their tally should be greater.

"I'm happy with the players, but I cannot be happy with the result, we deserved more than a draw," he said.

"We faced a team who were well-organised, defended very well and who were ready to hurt us on the break. Lille know what they are doing, they are full of confidence at the moment. But it was a great performance from my lads.

"We certainly could've done better in the final third, though the quality of our football improved in the second half.

"We wanted a different result and created the opportunities to get that, but I am happy with the performance. We can improve certain things but, overall, I am satisfied with the way the team played."

Motta also praised the performances of Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz, with the pair carrying some of Juventus' greater threats down the wings.

"The two wingers who started were in good form, we knew that we would have to go down the flanks to break Lille down," the Bianconeri coach added.

"It was tough for us to push through the middle today because Lille were closing up all the spaces, so we had to attack wide with the wingers, and also the full-backs overlapping.

"Kenan and Francisco are very good at taking men on in one-on-one situations to break down teams that are clammed up.

"I really liked them in the second half, as they were in the right zones to accept the ball, and I am glad about what they both did."

Ruben Amorim was lifted into the air by his players following Sporting CP's 4-1 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday in his final home game in charge.

City had initially gone a goal ahead through Phil Foden inside four minutes, but the Portuguese side came roaring back.

Viktor Gyokeres equalised before half-time, while Maximilaino Araujo put the home side ahead within seconds of the restart. Gyokeres had his second from a penalty three minutes later, while Erling Haaland hit the bar from the spot in the second half.

The rout was complete with a Gyokeres hat-trick and another penalty with 10 minutes to go, and Amorim agreed after the game that it was a magical way to sign off 

"Looking at the game, it was written on the wall," he told reporters. "The opponent missing a penalty. There are days when things have to happen in a certain way.

"I couldn't ask for a better farewell. I'm very happy for this moment. It will still be better if we win in Braga, but I don't think I could ask for better.

"The result helped with the farewell. Everyone deserved this moment. We were very happy here in the [Jose] Alvalade [Stadium]. We've been through difficult times and to finish like this is special."

While Amorim has achieved incredible success at Sporting – winning two Portuguese titles and 10 games out of 10 this season – he said that he understands the need for a different approach at United.

"When I'm at the next club, the approach will have to be different. Not much is taken from here because we will have to play differently in the future," he said.

"Both are historic clubs. It will certainly be a different game."

He also vowed to ignore the press and pressure from social media to begin with.

"I'm certainly not going to read anything for six months. I did the same at Sporting. I'm not going to read anything or have access to anything. It's the only way to do my job." he said.