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• 'Exceptional' Fernandes can thrive under Amorim, says former Man Utd coach Meulensteen

  Ruben Amorim's impending appointment as Manchester United boss will benefit skipper Bruno Fernandes, former Red Devils coach Rene Meulensteen believes.

  United confirmed on Friday, four days after they sacked Ten Hag, that Amorim would be coming in as their new head coach.

  The 39-year-old, who has won the Portuguese title twice in the space of three years, will join the Red Devils officially from November 11, after serving a notice period with Sporting CP.

  United have agreed to pay Sporting around £9.2million (€11m) in compensation, with Amorim signing a contract that will keep him at Old Trafford until June 2027.

  He will link up with compatriot Fernandes, who also swapped the Portuguese capital for Manchester back in January 2020.

  The skipper has been directly involved in 151 goals since his debut, the most of any midfielder across Europe's top five leagues during that time.

  And Meulensteen, who spent 12 years on the coaching staff at Old Trafford, thinks Fernandes will thrive under Amorim, and hopefully cut out some bad habits.

  "It's always important, but all managers expect certain things, have certain expectations from Bruno," he told Stats Perform. 

  "I do think Bruno is an exceptional player. He's been so important in so many goals, in terms of his assists and contributing goals himself. 

  "Although, there's also another side that we've seen in Bruno - which you don't like to see as a club captain - a little bit of petulant behaviour, like throwing the toys out of the pram if things are not going well. 

  "Obviously, they're both Portuguese, so that helps them in terms of speaking in their native language. 

  "It's going to be interesting. The way that he sets up his teams, he doesn't play with out-and-out wingers. He plays far more with people in between the pockets, which [the likes of Bruno] are suited to. 

  "As soon as he steps over that line and steps through the door, we will see very, very quickly how he's going to shape up the team."

• Mutual respect deceives Frank and Silva's desire to deliver 'special' London derby win

  The mutual respect shared between the dugouts in west London belies the desire both managers feel to deliver a “special” derby win in west London as Brentford visit Fulham on Monday night.

  It is a derby unlikely to disappoint with Brentford’s affinity for goals setting up a potential thriller. There have been a league-high 36 goals scored in Brentford’s nine league matches, while three of the last five league meetings between these two sides have finished 3-2.

  Both clubs have established themselves in the English top flight over the past few seasons, with their managers also securing stable tenures, leading to a shared admiration in west London.

  Though, with just one point separating the sides in ninth and tenth, both Thomas Frank and Marco Silva will be just as intent on delivering a memorable result for their fans under the lights on Monday.

  “A London derby, local derby, is always more special, probably more intense, and it’s always a tough game. Away or at home against them, it’s always a tough game, like it’s always the same for them to play against us,” said Fulham’s Silva.

  “We want to give a great feeling to our fans, that is to win a local derby. We know what we are going to face, we know that it’s a little bit more special to the fans, and what we want to give what they deserve from the Monday Night Football.”

  Silva can see parallels between his own journey in west London and that of Brentford, who have fared well despite facing their first season without former talisman Ivan Toney.

  “You can compare the same story to us as well, losing important players, selling important players, [but] being able to rebuild again,” he explained.

  “There are similar things between both sides in that aspect, to sometimes sell their best players and to go again, to try to rebuild, to try to put some young players and fresh players inside. [Frank] is a top person, his job speaks for itself.”

  While their similarity in mindset might lead to a shared story, it also means both are just as determined to deliver the three points to their borough of west London.

  “In recent years, it has been very tight between the two teams - we have had some fantastic games against each other,” added Frank.

  “Now, we're going to play Monday night, under the floodlights, Craven Cottage - a historic stadium - we're bringing 3,000 fans, and we'll do everything we can for them to get the win. I'm really looking forward to it."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Fulham – Andreas Pereira

  Only Bukayo Saka (27) has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Fulham’s Andreas Pereira (26), although none of those chances have been converted by his teammates yet.

  He’s set up 11 different players, with only Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski creating a chance for more different team-mates (12).

  Brentford – Bryan Mbeumo

  Mbeumo has netted eight goals in the Premier League this season, with only Erling Haaland scoring more (11). He has scored 11 goals in his last 13 London derbies, including two goals at Craven Cottage in a 3-0 win last campaign.

  He has been integral to Brentford’s attacking efforts, having taken the most shots (16) and provided the joint-most key passes (17) in the squad.

  MATCH PREDICTION: FULHAM WIN

  Fulham are unbeaten in their last five Premier League London derbies (W2 D3), last having a longer unbeaten run against fellow sides from the capital during the 2006-07 season (seven in a row).

  They will also be looking to punish the Bees' leaky defence. Brentford have conceded 18 goals in their opening nine Premier League games this season, their most after nine league matches since 1961-62 (19). It’s the first time they haven’t kept a clean sheet at this stage since 2015-16.

  Only West Ham (275) have seen more shots in the league than Brentford’s nine games this term (268). The Bees have faced 56 more shots than they’ve had themselves (106 for, 162 against), the third-worst differential behind only Leicester City (-81) and Southampton (-67).

  That being said, Brentford have still managed to secure wins despite such a worrying defensive record. While they have shipped eight goals in their last three Premier League games, they have won both of the matches in which they’ve conceded three goals in that time.

  Brentford have only lost one of their last 11 away league games against Fulham (W5 D5), failing to score just once at Craven Cottage in that run.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Fulham – 46%

  Draw – 24.3%

  Brentford – 29.7%

• Vinicius suffered 'injustice' after missing out on Ballon d'or, says Brazil coach Dorival

  Dorival Junior feels Vinicius Junior suffered an "injustice" by not winning the Ballon d'Or, as the Brazil head coach slammed the "unfair situation".

  The Real Madrid winger failed to scoop the accolade despite scoring 24 goals and providing 11 assists last season, as Los Blancos won a LaLiga and Champions League double.

  The club opted to skip the ceremony after hearing Vinicius Junior would miss out on the top award, which was won by Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.

  Madrid's decision not to attend generated mixed reviews. City head coach Pep Guardiola empathised with Carlo Ancelotti's side, but LaLiga president Javier Tebas accused them of "exaggerated victimhood".

  Dorival acknowledges Rodri was deserving of the award, having helped City to an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title before starring Spain's victorious Euro 2024 squad.

  However, the Selecao boss believes Vinicius has every right to feel aggrieved at missing out.

  "In my opinion, [it's] an unfair situation, especially because it is an individual award," Dorival told reporters during a press conference.

  "Nothing against whoever won the award, quite the opposite. It is the recognition of one of the great players of Spanish football, but Vinicius - for the work he did - should have received different attention.

  "But the greatest prize that Vinícius won was the recognition and respect of his people. The vast majority of the Brazilian people realised the injustice that was done to the player who could have deservedly received the award."