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• Ten Hag drops hint over Casemiro's Man Utd future

  Erik ten Hag hinted that Casemiro could stay at Manchester United this season if he is prepared to be a team player.

  There was speculation at the start of the transfer window that the Brazilian could be on his way out of Old Trafford, with some Saudi Pro League clubs interested in his signature.

  However, those offers look to have dried up after he struggled in his second Premier League campaign, at times having to be deployed as an emergency centre-back due to injuries.

  He was also dropped for the FA Cup final win; he was initially named on the bench but was later taken off the team sheet with United saying he was injured.

  Though Ten Hag seems to have contradicted that notion of the club, he praised Casemiro's leadership qualities, hinting that he could be set for a third year in Manchester.

  "You have to make choices – what was needed for that particular game [the FA Cup final]," he said in an interview with The Guardian.  "But he is a very important player.

  "He is a leader, and he can make a difference for our team. No one can play every game. It's impossible.

  "All the players who are here, if they want to play for us, want to play for the bench, and they have the quality, then I hope they keep contributing to our team. We have seen that Casemiro in his career is so successful."

  Casemiro has played in all of United's pre-season friendlies so far, managing 61 minutes against Real Betis in San Diego on Wednesday.

  He scored the Red Devils' third goal in that game, but also had the most touches (67) and completed the most accurate passes (48/78) of anyone on the team.

• Postecoglou: Tottenham targeting striker in transfer window

  Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Tottenham are targeting a striker in the transfer window, as long as they fit his style of play.

  Harry Kane left Spurs last August, and the club have failed to sign a senior striker to replace him since his departure.

  Their main attacking options in his absence were Richarlison and Son Heung-min, who finished the campaign as their highest scorer with 17 goals.

  Overall, Spurs managed 74 goals in the Premier League last season, with Richarlison the only other player to reach double figures after netting 11 times.

  In the January transfer window, Spurs signed Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig, though he only found the back of the net twice, playing the majority of his minutes on the left wing.

  With those struggles in mind, Postecoglou says he is hopeful they can bring in someone to give him a different option up front.

  "Last year, we had to be a bit creative, it's fair to say. If Harry would have stayed, I definitely would have used him!

  "I think for us what's more important is the type of striker we get. You know we play a certain way. We demand certain things from a physical perspective, from the technical aspects of it that it's going be a striker that fits that mould.

  "It's still the area of the park we're really probably the thinnest when I talk about squad-wise at the moment, so obviously, that's a focus for us."

  Spurs have already made two signings so far, bringing in 18-year-old midfielders Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall from Leeds United and Djurgarden respectively, while Werner's loan deal has also been extended for the coming season.

  They have also agreed a deal to sign South Korean winger Yan Min-Hyuk, who will join the squad in January.

  "It's a difficult time," Postecoglou said on the transfer window. "This is the part of the season where I've probably got the least control over decisions, and I've learned to stay disciplined and make sure that we do what we set out to do.

  "We've added the two young guys [Gray and Bergvall], but I also think there's been growth from other guys from last year, which naturally makes us stronger this year.

  "We obviously still have a hand in this window, but I think we'll go beyond this one. This wasn't just tinkering around the edges when I took over, it needed a big shift from where it was.

  "We've already done a hell of a lot, and we don't need to do as much, but I still think it's not just about having success one year. What you're trying to build is another, hopefully, another cycle of success, and I think that'll take a bit longer."

• Ten Hag ready to prove Man Utd's strength

  Erik ten Hag is hopeful that the Manchester United board will continue to stick with him if the club goes through difficult moments next season.

  The Red Devils boss signed a contract extension last month, shortly after rife speculation that he was set to be fired after the FA Cup final, no matter the result.

  United beat Manchester City to win the trophy on the back of their worst-ever finish of eighth in the Premier League.

  With a new leadership group in charge, Ten Hag is confident that the team can prove they are competitors when the new season gets underway.

  "I feel that we built something and that the people who are around me are in the same boat," Ten Hag said in an extended interview in their pre-season tour in Los Angeles.

  "But of course, it's always a proven point when the case is there – but what I hope is that we avoid this [a dip]."

  "I feel positive, and I feel very aligned. They [the new owners] are here, we are building those relationships and, as I said, we have to prove this point during the season and the next coming years: how strong we are."

  United have already made two signings this transfer window, bringing in Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and Leny Yoro from Lille, though the defender is set to be out for three minutes after suffering a foot injury against Arsenal in a pre-season friendly.

  Rasmus Hojlund is also set to be out for six weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in the same game, while Marcus Rashford and Antony were forced off against Real Betis on Thursday.

  While Ten Hag did not say the extent of the two injuries suffered, he admitted he was cautious about rushing the players back into action.

  "We have to wait," Ten Hag said in a news conference. "Of course, we don't take risks in the last game of the tour going into the season next week already.

  "We go into an important game, and we are still 24 hours after a game. The final assessment we have to make, and we will see if they are ready for the game against Liverpool on Saturday."

  After a prolific first season under Ten Hag that saw Rashford score 30 goals for the Red Devils in all competitions, he netted just eight last campaign.

  Despite the dip in form, the Dutchman has backed Rashford to regain his spark.

  "He has to prove his point," the 54-year-old said. "We will set the conditions [give him all the support] and [then] he is very capable of doing this.

  "The season before he scored 30 goals, so when he is in the right vibe, then he has such a high potential. And when he is really in that mood, he [can] again score 30 or even more goals."