Bruno Fernandes is "perfectly aware" Manchester United are not ready for a Premier League title challenge but has defended his under-fire team-mate Casemiro after Sunday's loss to Liverpool.
United entered the first international break of the season 14th in the table with just three points, suffering back-to-back defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool.
A Luis Diaz brace and a Mohamed Salah strike condemned United to another embarrassing defeat at the hands of their old rivals, as Ten Hag became the first Red Devils manager to lose three home Premier League games by three or more goals within the space of a year.
United were also beaten 3-0 by Manchester City last October and fell to the same scoreline versus Bournemouth two months later.
Ten Hag is also the only United boss to ever start multiple Premier League seasons with two defeats from his first three games, with the Red Devils doing so three times in the last five campaigns overall (also 2020-21 and 2022-23).
Fernandes is under no illusions regarding the chasm that separates United from their rivals at present, telling DAZN in Portugal: "Yes, I am perfectly aware that this Manchester United is not ready to win the Premier League.
"We are fighting with the concrete and real objective of trying to finish in the top four, in the places that give access to the Champions League.
"But there is still a lot to improve for the greater objective, and for my dream, which is to one day win this championship."
Casemiro was criticised after Sunday's match, having been replaced by 20-year-old Toby Collyer at half-time after making mistakes in the build-up to both of Diaz's goals.
The Brazilian lost possession 14 times in just 45 minutes on the field. Noussair Mazraoui (17) and Diogo Dalot (16) were the only United players to do so more often, with both playing the full 90.
Fernandes, however, has leapt to the defence of his midfield partner, saying: "Casemiro is more experienced than me, he played for the two best clubs in the world in terms of media coverage. He has a lot of quality.
"Mistakes are going to happen to everyone. We just have to be more cautious when they are about to happen and compensate and correct them in time.
"We have to be more alert when we lose the ball, feel and smell the danger and be more objective.
"Whenever we have opportunities, we have to score more goals. We have attacking quality, but few goals."
Gundogan's Barcelona exit not a financial decision, Laporta insists
Barcelona president Joan Laporta insists Ilkay Gundogan's exit was a sporting decision rather than a financial one, despite claims to the contrary from the midfielder.
Gundogan joined Barca as a free agent last year after helping Manchester City win a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble, only to return to the Etihad Stadium last month.
In a farewell post on social media, Gundogan claimed Barca's financial concerns were at least partly responsible for his return to England.
Barca have struggled to meet LaLiga's strict salary cap rules in recent seasons and would reportedly have failed to register new signing Dani Olmo if not for Gundogan's exit.
Laporta, however, has refuted those claims, instead suggesting Olmo's move from RB Leipzig made Gundogan's place in Hansi Flick's tactical plans unclear.
"The decision on Gundogan's departure was not made because of economic factors," Laporta told reporters.
"He was an excellent player and person in the year he had here with us. With all due respect, we decided on a sporting level.
"Following the signing of Dani Olmo, the role of Gundogan was not clear, because they shared a very similar position."
Barcelona have made a flying start to their first campaign under Flick, winning all four of their matches to sit top of LaLiga, boasting a four-point lead over Real Madrid.
The Blaugrana have previously started 10 seasons in LaLiga with four straight victories, going on to capture the title in nine of those instances and only failing in 2013-14, when Atletico Madrid were champions.
Robert Lewandowski leads the goalscoring charts with four strikes in as many games, sitting one clear of team-mate Raphinha – who netted a hat-trick in Saturday's 7-0 rout of Real Valladolid.
Laporta has revealed Lewandowski offered to take a wage cut in order to help Barca meet LaLiga's rules and has backed his third season in Spain to be his best yet.
"I see Robert as more motivated than ever. Robert needed this new boost, he is in very good physical shape and he looks very excited," he said.
"He is a player committed to the club, I can assure you of that. When he heard that to reach 'fair play' we might need some effort, he offered his contract. I appreciated it very much, but I told him that it was not necessary.
"He is very demanding with the team, with himself and with his team-mates’ performance. I am sure that this will be Lewandowski's best year."
Belgium focused on future after disappointing Euro 2024
Belgium are aiming to put a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign behind them, with success in the Nations League now their priority.
Domenico Tedesco's side reached the last 16 in Germany, being knocked out after a 1-0 defeat to France thanks to Jan Vertonghen's own goal.
Belgium won just one of their four games at the tournament, finishing second behind Romania in the exceptionally tight Group E.
They had 20 shots on target throughout the tournament, but only scored two goals, with both of them coming in their victory over Romania in the second group game.
Forward Charles De Ketelaere, who played just six minutes in the tournament, says they are not focusing on the past.
"We talked about it yesterday so we can leave it behind," De Ketelaere said.
"We should have done better in the group stage so that we got an easier opponent in the last-16 than a top side like France.
"It's not just the coach's fault, because it's the players on the field who carry out the instructions. The only way to move forward is with the games ahead of us."
Belgium are turning their attention to the Nations League, where they will face Israel and France in League A Group 2 this international break.
With a potential title on the line if they can put on a strong show in the competition, De Ketelaere is confident Belgium can get back to their best.
"I just see it as two matches we want to win," De Ketelaere added. "The group is also still a [good chance to advance], even though the European Championship was not what we expected.
"I'm ready to show myself and do my best. I hope I get my chance. There will be more room to play, and I hope I can do my part."
Veteran Woodley gets another call-up as Derek King guides Soca Warriors into Nations League action
Veteran Kevon Woodley is poised to make his much-anticipated debut in the Concacaf Nations League for Trinidad and Tobago, as he was named to Derek King’s 23-man squad to tackle League A opponents Honduras and French Guiana.
King, who was appointed on an interim basis after Angus Eve’s dismissal, is now charged with moving the senior Soca Warriors program forward and his selections for the September 6 and 10 contests signals a commitment of continuity and team chemistry.
Having served as an assistant to Eve, King’s squad features a core of players who were part of the former tactician’s squad that drew with Grenada and defeated Bahamas in their World Cup qualifying fixtures in June.
King’s side, which is without Greece-based forward Levi Garcia and Ajani Fortune, who are both unavailable, will travel to Honduras for Friday’s engagement before returning home to host French Guiana at the Dwight Yorke Stadium four days later.
Despite the absence of Garcia and Fortune, King remains confident in the strength and depth of the squad, which, along with Woodley, includes the likes of forward Reon Moore, defender Andre Raymond, box-to-box midfielder Andre Rampersad and goalie Denzil Smith.
“The team we’ve selected is one that has shown great potential and cohesion over the past few months. As we begin our group-stage campaign, the selected players are fit, focused and ready to perform at their best and I have been in discussion with each player about their expectations and responsibilities,” King said in a TTFA media release.
Woodley, 38, earned his Nations League call-up three months after earning his first senior Soca Warriors cap, as he has enjoyed good form for local club Police FC, including scoring a delightful header in a 1-4 Concacaf Caribbean Cup loss to Jamaica's Cavalier FC on August 29.
King pointed out that professionalism and hard work were key components in his selections.
“While it is never easy to narrow down the squad, I believe the players chosen are the ones who will help us navigate these two important fixtures successfully,” King declared.
“We need to be professional and disciplined in our approach and recognise the challenge of playing away from home in our opening match. It will be important that we maintain a high level of professionalism and remain focused throughout,” he added.
The Soca Warriors will depart for Honduras on Tuesday with last year’s campaign, which ended at the quarterfinal, at the top of their minds as they seek to replicate or even better that feat.
Trinidad and Tobago Squad -Christopher Biggette (Defence Force); Aubrey David (Deportivo Municipal); Triston Hodge (Hartford Athletic); Isaiah Lee (La Horquetta Rangers); Leland Archer (Charleston Battery); Andre Raymond (St Johnstone FC); Ryan Telfer (Halifax Wanderers); Duane Muckette (AC Port of Spain); Nathaniel James (Mount Pleasant FA); Real Gill (Northern Colorado Hailstorm); Daniel Phillips (Stevenage); Steffen Yeates (Pacific FC), Reon Moore (Pacific FC); Shannon Gomez (San Antonio FC); Dantaye Gilbert (Jong PSV); Alvin Jones (Police FC); Justin Garcia (Defence Force); Andre Rampersad (Halifax Wanderers); Noah Powder (Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC);
Kaile Auvray (Cavalier FC), Aaron Enill (Montego Bay United); Denzil Smith (AC Port of Spain); Kevon Woodley (Police FC)
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