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• Carsley yet to speak to incoming England coach Tuchel in person

  England interim manager Lee Carsley has said he has not spoken to permanent head coach-to-be Thomas Tuchel in person since it was announced he would take over last month,

  Carsley is scheduled to take England's Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland before he returns to the Under-21s and Tuchel takes the job in January.

  He said they had only exchanged text messages up to now, but was unconcerned that they were yet to see each other in the flesh.

  “I think it’s quite clear in terms of the starting date,” Carsley told a press conference

  “It was more of a text message to him, which was ‘congratulations’ and he said ‘good luck for the window and look forward to meeting up’.

  “He is fully respectful that I am in charge at the moment, that is the priority. I do not feel hard done by or shunned.

  “If anything I look forward to hopefully create a situation where we can hand over a healthy squad of players to the new coach and his squad.”

  Carsley had raised eyebrows in the previous international break by struggling to give a straight answer when asked if he wanted the job permanently.

  Tuchel had signed the contract two days before England were beaten by Greece at Wembley, but Carsley said that he was unaware of that at the time.

  “My focus was massively on the games, on the camp. In terms of my position, I’m really comfortable with the way that it was handled," he said

  “I didn’t feel undermined or anything like that. If anything I felt really well supported.

  “So in terms of the Greece performance there is definitely not an excuse or that I knew something or I didn’t. In respect to the performance it was down to me.”

• Van Nistelrooy aiming to restore Old Trafford fear factor in final Man Utd outing

  Ruud van Nistelrooy has challenged Manchester United to be ruthless, with the interim boss saying Old Trafford has less of a fear factor after their recent results.

  Van Nistelrooy led the Red Devils to a 2-0 win against PAOK in the Europa League on Thursday and remains unbeaten in his time as Erik ten Hag’s temporary successor before Ruben Amorim’s arrival next week.

  All three of his games in charge have come at the Theatre of Dreams, which culminates with another home fixture against Leicester City in the Premier League, a side he has already beaten in the EFL Cup at the end of last month.

  United have picked up just seven points from their five home league games this season, with only seven teams winning less, something Van Nistelrooy says must improve.

  "That's something that is important to change," he told TNT Sports. "Home games at Old Trafford were basically hardly won [by the visitors].

  "As I said, the reason why I'm here is to get United back to that point. It's hard work, it needs to be done, but, of course, it is a chance to get a home win after a long time."

  "I don't know. I think less because of the results that more teams got at Old Trafford, that means something. How teams are coming and playing here, so again that's something you have to build again.”

  Leicester, meanwhile, come into the encounter at Old Trafford after snatching a point late on against 10-man Ipswich Town, with Jordan Ayew netting in the second half stoppage time.

  The Foxes are without a win in three games in all competitions since back-to-back victories against Bournemouth and Southampton in the Premier League in October.

  While head coach Steve Cooper was happy his side were able to add another point to their league total, he said he left Portman Road with mixed feelings after reflecting on the encounter.

  “A point away from home in the Premier League is never anything to be too despondent about. It will feel like a win scoring late, but I think we'll feel better about the result than what Ipswich will,” Cooper said.

  “It's miles a better result than it is for Ipswich, but we think of ourselves, we think internally we shouldn't be satisfied with just the point. There should be some disappointment and frustration there, but we also know that we worked really hard in the end to get something out of the game.

  “We started really strong, finished really strong, but bits in between were a little bit too up and down for my liking, so it’s mixed feelings, but we keep ticking over, and we move on now.”

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Manchester United – Bruno Fernandes

  Fernandes has been involved in eight goals in seven starts against Leicester in all competitions (four goals, four assists), netting twice against the Foxes in last month’s EFL Cup meeting.

  He has also created more chances (15) than any of his United team-mates in the Premier League this term, with his creative edge needed to unlock the Leicester defence.

  Leicester City – Jordan Ayew

  Only Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran (four) has scored more goals as a substitute in the Premier League this season than Ayew (two).

  Both of the Ghanaian’s strikes have come in his last two away games, and both in second half stoppage time (winner against Southampton, equaliser against Ipswich).

  MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER UNITED WIN

  United have lost just two of their last 17 Premier League games against Leicester (W10 D5), with those defeats coming consecutively in May and October 2021.

  The Red Devils have also scored in each of their last 28 top-flight games against Leicester, since a 1-0 loss in January 1998. In their Premier League history, only against Arsenal have they ever had a longer scoring streak (30 between 1953 and 1968).

  United have won 16 of their last 18 Premier League games against promoted sides (D2), since a 1-4 loss to Watford in November 2021, and will be hopeful of continuing to get their season back on track.

  Their 12 points this season is the club’s lowest return after 10 top-flight games in a season since 1986-87 (eight), while their nine goals scored is their lowest at this stage since 1973-74 (also nine).

  Leicester, meanwhile, have won just one of their last 14 Premier League away games against United (D3 L10), picking up a 2-1 victory in May 2021.

  But the Foxes are one of two teams – along with Man City – to have scored in all 10 of their Premier League games so far this season. Only in 2018-19 (first 11) and their 2015-16 title winning campaign (17) have they had a longer streak from the start of a season in the competition.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Manchester United – 65.1%

  Draw – 18.8%

  Leicester City – 16.1%

• Mbappe left out of France squad as 'one-off'

  Kylian Mbappe has been left out of France's squad for their upcoming Nations League matches, with Didier Deschamps saying it is a "one-off decision".

  Mbappe played the full 90 minutes in Real Madrid's 3-1 defeat to Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, and Deschamps did not say if the forward was injured.

  The France captain also missed Les Bleus' last two matches, being rested despite his return to fitness in time for the October international break, with Mbappe coming under scrutiny for his absence.

  The 25-year-old has struggled for form as of late, and although he has scored eight goals in 15 appearances since joining Madrid, he has hit the back of the net just once in his last six outings.

  "I've had discussions with him, it is a decision that I took for this block of matches only," Deschamps told a press conference on Thursday. "Kylian wanted to come."

  Meanwhile, Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier has received his first call-up, replacing Alphonse Areola in the squad. There are also recalls for Adrien Rabiot and N'Golo Kante as the injured Aurelien Tchouameni misses out. 

  France face Israel in the first of their two games on November 14 before finishing their Nations League Group A2 campaign against Italy three days later. 

  France squad in full:

  Lucas Chevalier (Lille), Mike Maignan (Milan), Brice Samba (Lens), Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Matteo Guendouzi (Lazio), N'Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad), Manu Kone (Roma), Adrien Rabiot (Marseille), Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG), Bradley Barcola (PSG), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter).