Willian visited the Nottingham Forest training ground ahead of a possible transfer this summer.

The Brazilian is out of contract at Fulham and has been in talks with Forest about a switch to the City Ground.

He visited the club’s facility on Thursday but has not yet agreed a deal, the PA news agency understands.

The Cottagers have also offered the 34-year-old a new contract after an impressive 2022/23 campaign.

The former Chelsea and Arsenal winger scored five times in 25 appearances as Marco Silva’s side enjoyed a top-half finish.

Forest made 30 signings last year in their first season back in the top tier but they are not expected to be as active this year.

They are targeting up to eight new arrivals as they aim to build on last year’s 16th-placed finish.

Neeskens Kebano has left Fulham following the expiry of his contract last month, the club have announced.

The Congo winger, who made 17 appearances in the Premier League last season, ends a seven-year stay at Craven Cottage where he was involved in three promotions from the Sky Bet Championship to the top flight.

Kebano told FFCtv: “For the fans, honestly, thank you for the love that you showed me during my time here. I’ll never forget you. Fulham forever.”

Fulham are serious contenders in the race for Southampton skipper James Ward-Prowse.

The Cottagers are targeting the midfielder, who is interested in a move to Craven Cottage, the PA news agency understands.

Southampton are likely to ask for close to £30million for their captain – who has three years left on his contract – after relegation from the Premier League last season.

West Ham want Fulham’s Joao Palhinha to replace Declan Rice, which would then see the Cottagers line up Ward-Prowse.

Arsenal have had two bids rejected for Hammers skipper Rice this week, although champions Manchester City are reportedly preparing their own offer.

The Hammers are also interested in England international Ward-Prowse but he would prefer a switch to west London.

The 28-year-old sees Marco Silva’s style as the best fit for him as he looks for a route back to the top flight.

A move to Fulham would also see him link up with former Saints team-mate Harrison Reed, with the pair having come through the academy at St Mary’s.

Brentford, given their threat from set pieces, also held an interest in Ward-Prowse but they were quickly rebuffed by the Saints star.

He will leave the club this summer having been unable to keep Southampton in the Premier League after they finished bottom.

They had three managers as Nathan Jones replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl in November – but lasted just 14 games before being sacked – and Ruben Selles was unable to save the Saints.

Southampton appointed Russell Martin on a three-year deal from Swansea on Wednesday, with the Swans looking to bring Michael Duff in from Barnsley.

Martin will have to mount a promotion charge in the Championship without Ward-Prowse, who has made 409 appearances and scored 55 goals for the Saints and is one goal short of David Beckham’s Premier League free-kick record of 18.

Saints could also lose Romeo Lavia, with the midfielder wanted by Liverpool and Arsenal.

Fulham defender Joe Bryan is one of 10 out-of-contract players set to leave the Premier League club at the end of the month after they announced their retained list on Thursday.

The west-London club published their released and retained list ahead of the 2023/24 season which will see Bryan, Shane Duffy, Paulo Gazzaniga, Steven Sessegnon, Thorsteinn Antonsson, Sonny Hilton, Ziyad Larkeche, Jonathon Page, Murphy Parker and Jean-Pierre Tiehi leave Craven Cottage.

Bryan – who spent the last campaign on loan at Ligue 1 Nice – will leave the club after making 117 appearances which included two promotion campaigns.

Meanwhile, Gazzaniga, who began 2021/22 as Marco Silva’s first-choice goalkeeper, has since impressed following a loan spell at Girona and made the move to Spain permanent last week.

Fulham added that Neeskens Kebano, Willian, Luciano D’Auria-Henry, Stefan Parkes, Devan Tanton had all been offered new deals, while Ibane Bowat, Martial Godo and Jay Williams have had their one-year extension options triggered.

A statement on the club website read: “We would like to thank all of these players and the Academy boys, for their efforts during their time at the club and wish them the very best of luck during their respective next chapters.”

Wales manager Rob Page has told top-flight clubs to make a move for “Premier League player” Daniel James.

The Wales winger’s club career remains uncertain following Leeds’ relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

James spent last season on loan with Fulham but has now returned to managerless Leeds and the second tier, where he shone at Swansea to earn a 2019 move to Manchester United.

Page said: “I do think DJ is a Premier League player and he could easily play there again.

“If I’m a Premier League manager and I find out he’s available, personally I’d take him.

“I’m bound to say that because I’m his Welsh manager, but for me he always poses a threat.

“He still has things to work on but with the pace he’s got it is a brave team that plays a high line against him.”

James cost Leeds £25million in joining from Manchester United in August 2021.

The 25-year-old struggled for game-time at Fulham, making only five Premier League starts among 23 appearances in all competitions and scoring three goals.

James has often reserved his best performances for a Wales shirt and started 34 consecutive competitive games before being benched for the World Cup defeat to Iran in November.

“He has taken one for the team in recent months because I’ve asked him to play a different role,” Page said ahead of forthcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.

“He likes playing wide left and the way we play now suits us because he gives us the width on the left.

“He’s that option in behind and when you’ve got a tool like that in your armoury it really is effective.

“In the Premier League, and at international level, he poses a threat. It was a frustrating few months for him when I played him at centre-forward with Gareth (Bale).

“Now we’ve changed and he is back out in his natural position.”

Wales return to action at home to Armenia on Friday and against Turkey in Samsun three days later having taken four points from their opening two games in March.

Page, who has taken his squad to Portugal to prepare for the Euro 2024 double-header, says he has felt the benefits of speaking to Warren Gatland, head coach of the Wales rugby team and former British and Irish Lions boss.

“I had a great chat with him over dinner and wanted to pick his brains,” Page said of his meeting with Gatland at the Football Association of Wales’ National Coaches Conference in Newport.

“It’s not every day you get the chance to share dinner with a man of his stature.

“We talked about how we deal with players, groups of men, and it was really interesting.

“He spoke about how he deals with individuals. It was refreshing to learn it’s how I’ve dealt with individuals in the past.

“We are from a similar era and share similar culture and values. When you are dealing with a player, you do it to their face.”

Norwich have signed Republic of Ireland defender Shane Duffy from Fulham on a three-year contract.

The 31-year-old, capped 55 times by his country, made five Premier League appearances for Fulham during the 2022-23 season.

Norwich boss David Wagner told the club’s official website: “We’re delighted to welcome Shane to the club. He’s a player with a vast amount of experience, both domestically and on the international stage.

“I’m confident that he’ll be a great fit for our squad and brings not only the on-field qualities that we have been looking for, but leadership and desire to help drive our club forward.

“From my conversations with Shane, his vision was clear. You can feel that determination and hunger to play and win football games.”

Duffy began his career in England at Everton and had spells at Blackburn and Brighton before a loan move to Fulham last summer was made permanent in the January transfer window.

Ange Postecoglou will be the first Australian to manage in the Premier League after taking up the reins at Tottenham.

Australia will be the 25th nation to provide a permanent Premier League boss and one of eight to be represented by just a single manager.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at the one-offs.

Australia – Ange Postecoglou

Tottenham – 2023 –

The Premier League’s last recruit, Postecoglou arrives at Tottenham having significantly enhanced his curriculum vitae with what he achieved at Celtic. The former Melbourne Victory and Yokohama F Marinos boss was recruited after completing a domestic treble in Scotland to take his tally to five major trophies in just two seasons.

Brazil – Luiz Felipe Scolari

Chelsea, 2008-09

‘Big Phil’ arrived in London having won a World Cup with his native country and having taken Portugal to the Euro 2004 final. He was in charge for only 25 league games, though, and 36 in all competitions, before being sacked after defeat to Liverpool and a goalless draw with Hull left the Blues fourth in the table, 10 points off the top.

Chile – Manuel Pellegrini

Manchester City 2013-16, West Ham 2018-2019

Comfortably the most successful manager on this list, Pellegrini translated his success at Spanish sides Villarreal and Malaga into a league and League Cup double in his first season at City and added another League Cup before giving way to Pep Guardiola’s hugely successful reign. He returned with West Ham for the 2018-19 season, overcoming an opening run of four defeats to secure a top-10 finish.

Israel – Avram Grant

Chelsea 2007-08, Portsmouth 2009-10, West Ham 2010-11

Grant overcame scepticism at his Chelsea appointment – and a lack of the requisite coaching qualifications – to lead them to runners-up finishes in the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup, but it was not enough to earn him a second season in charge. He later suffered back-to-back relegations with Portsmouth and West Ham, but took Pompey to the FA Cup final and the Hammers to a League Cup semi-final.

Serbia – Slavisa Jokanovic

Fulham, 2018

Jokanovic never got the chance to manage Watford in the top flight after securing promotion in 2015, leaving the club over the summer after failing to agree a new contract. His opportunity finally came after the Cottagers’ play-off success in 2018, but he managed only one win in 12 games, with 31 goals conceded, before being sacked.

Sweden – Sven-Goran Eriksson

Manchester City, 2007-08

A year after leaving his role with England, Eriksson signed a three-year contract with City. He lasted only one, producing what the club’s then owner Thaksin Shinawatra termed “an avalanche of very poor results which is unacceptable at this level” culminating in a staggering 8-1 loss to Middlesbrough.

Switzerland – Christian Gross

Tottenham, 1997-98

A shock successor to Gerry Francis, despite two league titles and a Swiss Cup with Grasshopper and two promotions before that with FC Wil, Gross lifted a struggling side clear of relegation trouble but lasted only until the early days of the following season before being sacked.

Uruguay – Gus Poyet

Sunderland, 2013-15

The former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder replaced Paolo Di Canio at the Stadium of Light in October 2013 and his first season brought an unlikely late run to survival, a League Cup final, derby victory over Newcastle and a win at Chelsea which was Jose Mourinho’s first-ever home defeat as a Premier League manager. The next campaign brought another relegation battle, though, and Poyet was sacked in August after a heavy defeat to West Ham.

Football's governing bodies must do more to protect referees amid a "considerable rise" in abuse that has often been met with a "silent" response.

That was the message from Ref Support chief executive Martin Cassidy, who referenced issues with Bruno Fernandes, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Andrew Robertson in the Premier League this season.

Fernandes appeared to make contact with an assistant referee in Liverpool's 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United, while Mitrovic was banned for eight games after pushing Chris Kavanagh.

Robertson was another involved in an altercation with an official, when assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis seemingly made contact with the Liverpool left-back with his elbow, though the official faced no further punishment after an investigation.

A couple of seasons earlier, former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero came under scrutiny for placing his hand on the shoulder of assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis during a home victory over Arsenal. 

Cassidy believes the response to the rise in these issues has been inadequate, calling on the likes of the League Managers Association (LMA) and Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) to do more.

He told Stats Perform: "From a domestic point of view, what's been going on over here with the situations that [there has been] a considerable rise in contact with match officials from what's happened with Sian Massey-Ellis, Bruno Fernandes, Mitrovic, Robertson – it’s on the rise.

"When's it going to stop? And there are people who are silent on this who shouldn't be silent on this – the LMA, the PFA and even the Football Supporters' Association, they're all quiet on this, they comment on everything else.

"They will talk all these white papers and governments, and they tweet about enough is enough about things [that are important] to them, but they never come out and publicly condemn their behaviour by their members.

"The LMA never do it. We wrote to them, and we got a very benign, weak response. [The] PFA never say anything about the behaviour of their players – their members.

"Certainly, there never seems to be any stance from supporters associations who really want to stand up and say: 'Look, we are going to do something here, what's the protocols, what's the code of conduct for managers in the LMA, what is the code of conduct for a professional footballer with regard to how they behave with these post-match comments here?'

"So, there are a lot of silent people here who need to step up like the FA have in this country. When these people criticise the FA, the LMA and the PFA need to look at themselves and say what they are doing to address the situation that's caused directly by their members."

Cassidy acknowledged the problems span wider than English football, with the ill-tempered Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla marred by abuse of referee Anthony Taylor after the game.

Aside from refereeing issues, the ongoing racially motivated problems with Vinicius Junior and Spanish football continue – and Cassidy believes UEFA must improve.

"UEFA hasn't really got a good track record on what they've done with racism," he added. "So, they have been quite weak on that really and very erratic.

"Look at what has happened in Spain, they haven't really taken control of that. So, I'm not very hopeful that they'll respond to this in a manner that football wants it to respond to, but hopefully they prove us wrong.

"UEFA does, in particular with the UEFA foundation, some wonderful stuff. But when it comes to stuff like this, they don't seem to – look at what happened in the Champions League final last year, Liverpool-Real Madrid – they never really covered themselves in glory there.

"Let's take this opportunity, UEFA, let's make the game better. Let's come out hard and tough and let's send a message that this behaviour is totally unacceptable in our game."

Willian understands the frustration Arsenal will have after their failure to push on for the Premier League title, but believes the Gunners can challenge again next season.

Arsenal came close to ending a 19-year wait for a top-flight title before a late-season collapse saw incumbent holders Manchester City seize another crown.

The manner of Arsenal's faltering finale represented a dramatic downturn after they had led the Premier League table for 248 days of the season.

Willian, who spent a single campaign at Emirates Stadium during the 2020-21 season, has backed his former club to be challengers again soon enough.

"When I was there, I could see that Arsenal had a bright future ahead of them very close because of the way [Mikel] Arteta was working," the Fulham attacker told Stats Perform.

"The way I saw him working the team, I had no doubt that Arsenal would be back fighting for the top in the next few years.

"Unfortunately, they were fighting with a team that [is on] another level. It's an outstanding team. It's not easy to fight for the title with Manchester City.

"They must have a sense of frustration. They were fighting for the title the whole [season], and they let the title slip away practically.

"But they are back in the Champions League. Of course, there must be a bit of frustration, but they have to be happy with what they did. 

"Without a doubt, Arsenal [had] an excellent year, and they have everything to fight for the title again next season."

City's latest title is their fifth Premier League crown in six seasons under Guardiola and looks poised to form part of a generation-defining treble with the FA Cup and Champions League finals to come.

The latter in particular remains the chief honour left for the club to win, and Willian believes that it is Guardiola's intelligent grasp of his squad that makes them such a threat.

"I think Guardiola, with his ideas, [is key]," he added. "He converges that with the execution of the players, which are, as they say here, "top class" players.

"I heard Guardiola once say that he gives the ideas, he tells them what to do, but they also have to have quality on the pitch. Otherwise, it's no use.

"He is a great manager, I think the best in the world in years, and together with the quality of the players on the field, City is very strong and hard to be beat."

Jose Mourinho ranks as the best manager Willian has worked with and the former Brazil attacker hopes more European honours will be heading the Roma coach's way.

Willian was part of Mourinho's Chelsea squad as the Blues secured a Premier League and EFL Cup double in 2015.

The Fulham winger and Italian coach have since gone their separate ways but Willian still holds Mourinho in the highest of regards, hoping his former boss can lift yet another trophy this season.

Mourinho has guided Roma to the Europa League final, in which they face Sevilla, and Willian made it clear where his allegiances lie for that showpiece on Wednesday.

"For me, Mourinho is the best manager I've had, I always say that," he told Stats Perform. "In the way he works every day, in the way he talks, in the way he motivates.

"He is a different manager and, for me, the best I've had. As he says: 'The special one'. 

"I hope that he wins this trophy because he is a manager that sometimes gives a lot of people the impression that he is arrogant or something like that.

"But on a daily basis, we see that he is a great manager. He jokes when he has to, and he hits hard when he has to.

"He's real. When you don't play well, he says it in front of you, but when you play, he says it too. He's a great manager, an amazing manager.

"He is a winning manager, and he has a chance to win another title in his career."

Victory over Sevilla would secure Mourinho's sixth European title of his managerial career, having lifted various UEFA trophies with Porto (two), Roma, Inter and Manchester United.

The most recent of those successes came last season as Roma triumphed in the inaugural Europa Conference League with a final victory over Feyenoord.

Manchester United have fought for success all year and David De Gea says they are ready for one more “special” battle against Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

Erik ten Hag’s first season in charge has been one of progress and, for the most part, positivity, with the side finishing third in the Premier League and sealing a Champions League return.

The Dutchman is only the second manager in United’s history to win a major trophy in his first season and has the chance to add to February’s Carabao Cup triumph this weekend.

Ten Hag’s Red Devils head to Wembley for the first all-Manchester FA Cup final, when they will attempt to add to their cabinet and stop rivals City’s attempts to win the treble.

 

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“We have to recover well and start to prepare for the game,” De Gea said. “Of course, we know it’s a big final, a special game.

 

“We’ve been the whole year fighting to be in that position to win titles and we will try absolutely everything to try to win.”

De Gea and his team-mates were all in at Carrington on Monday morning, with Sunday’s starters focused on recovery from the 2-1 comeback win against Fulham at a bouncing Old Trafford.

Kenny Tete had put the visitors ahead in the Premier League season finale and Marco Silva’s men would have extended their lead had Golden Glove winner De Gea not stopped Aleksandar Mitrovic’s spot-kick.

United kicked on after that, with Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes completing a victory that saw them beat Newcastle to third spot.

“We concede the first goal from a corner and then I think five minutes after we concede a penalty,” De Gea, whose contract has yet to be extended beyond the summer, said.

“I was very positive. I was feeling like ‘come on, you have to save this penalty, we have to finish properly the season at home, we have to win’.

“Then I make the save, everyone was happy, enjoying and I helped the team to win the three points today.

 

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“The manager wants us to be focused every game, winning every game. Before the game he was shouting before ‘come on guys, we have to finish properly, winning mentality’.

 

“So, yeah, we showed it again. 1-0 down, suffering a bit, but then we create chances and could have scored even more than two.

“But, like I say, a big way to finish the season with a victory and (it) gives a bit of enjoyment to the fans.”

The result saw United equal the club’s record of 27 home wins in all competitions in a single campaign, while also meaning they finished 17 points better off than last season.

“100 per cent, for sure, the improvement is there,” De Gea told MUTV. “Of course we still have a gap to improve but, yeah, a massive improvement from last season.

“Winning a cup, finish third – it’s never easy to finish in the Champions League places in England.

“And then we have another final, a big final, so I think at the moment it is a great year.”

As for Fulham, the defeat at Old Trafford was frustrating but this was a season to cherish having finished 10th on their return to the top-flight.

 

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Goalscoring right-back Tete said: “Unbelievable season, every single player.

“If you saw how we fought all season for every single point. Not even one game was easy for us.

“I am just proud of the boys. We said it as well to each other and this is something we have to build on.

“We know now what our standard is, we know now what we can bring. I can’t wait for next season.”

Willian wants to stay put at Fulham, though a decision has yet to be made on the Brazilian's future at Craven Cottage.

The 34-year-old former Chelsea and Arsenal playmaker joined Fulham in September last year and has been a key player for Marco Silva's men this season.

Fulham signed off on an impressive first campaign back in the Premier League with a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday, with Willian setting up Kenny Tete's opening goal.

That represented Willian's fifth league assist of the season, and his 10th direct goal contribution in the competition for Fulham.

Willian – who is soon to be out of contract – is unsure if he will be staying in west London, but he would be happy to do so.

"I don't know yet," he told Stats Perform. "Honestly, I have no idea what is going to happen. The future belongs to God.

"If I stay at Fulham, for sure I'll be fine, I'll be happy. I feel very good there, it's a club that welcomed me very well. But if it's somewhere else, I'll try to do my best in the same way.

"I haven't decided yet. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks, what I'll decide. But if I could stay in the Premier League and at Fulham, it would be a good thing for me."

Explaining why he elected to return to England with Fulham, who had been tipped to struggle yet managed to remain well clear of danger, Willian said: "I've always loved the Premier League. That's not news to anyone, everyone knows how much I'm a fan of the league here. 

"The Premier League, for me, is the best league in the world.

"Deciding to go to Fulham was a matter of a week or so. I was already in London. I came here to be closer to here and to have some conversations with my manager. It was a matter of a week or so before I decided to go to Fulham.

"I had some talks with Marco Silva as well and I really liked what I talked to him about and what he told me."

Another new signing that has starred for the Cottagers this season is Joao Palhinha, who has impressed as a holding midfielder.

"He's our watchdog," Willian said of the in-demand Portugal international. "He's the watchdog of our team. Without a doubt, he's an important player.

"He's a player who does a fundamental job. As they say in football, he does the dirty work, which is the player who steals a lot of the balls and makes it possible for us to attack the opposition."

Erik ten Hag told the raucous Old Trafford faithful that Manchester United have a “really good chance” of winning the FA Cup and ending Manchester City’s treble charge.

Having wrapped up Champions League qualification by beating Chelsea on Thursday, the Red Devils sealed third spot in the Premier League on the final day of the campaign.

United bounced back from Kenny Tete’s early header as David De Gea saved Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty before Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes sealed a 2-1 comeback win against Fulham.

The players were given a fantastic reception at full-time and, after presenting De Gea with the Golden Glove trophy, boss Ten Hag made an impassioned speech to fans.

“First of all, I want to say thank you to our players,” he told the stadium. “I think they played a brilliant season.

“They are also supported by the staff. I want to say thank you to the staff.

“Secondly, I want to thank you (the fans) all. We fought really strong during the season at Old Trafford and away.

“I want to thank you for the season and your contribution backing us, for the support – it was great, so thank you.

“But there is still one game to go and I am sure that these players will give everything to beat Manchester City next week.

“If you have our back, I’m sure we have a really good chance to take the cup back to Old Trafford.”

Those comments were met by a huge roar that will increase further still if Ten Hag’s men can beat City at Wembley next Saturday and add the FA Cup to February’s Carabao Cup success.

“You have always a chance in football,” Ten Hag said in the post-match press conference.

“The history shows we beat them in January but I think Man United in the last couple of years beat City many times.

“So, these players know when they play at their levels that they can compete.

“It’s obvious we play against probably – at this moment – the best team, but still there is a chance and we have to go for the chance and we have to give everything.

“We can’t be after the game finding excuses for ourselves. I’m sure we will play a good game on Saturday.”

Ten Hag knows United have to step up after making a sloppy start against Fulham, saying De Gea’s penalty save woke them up.

The United boss again reiterated that he expected the long-serving Spain goalkeeper to extend his contract beyond the end of the season, before seemingly taking a dig at the owners’ backing.

Fans called for the Glazers to leave throughout – as they always do – and Ten Hag said he did not get investment like their top-four rivals in January.

The United boss, who was only able to make loan moves for Jack Butland, Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer, said: “The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league, then you have to invest.

“Otherwise you don’t have a chance because other clubs will do.

“We have seen it in the winter that all the clubs around us made huge investments. We didn’t and still we made it, so I’m really happy and proud of my team.”

As for Fulham, they displayed heart at Old Trafford at the end of an impressive season that saw them finish 10th after promotion from the Championship.

Head coach Marco Silva said: “We had very good moments during the game.

“Unfortunately for us, not really consistent during all the match but the way we started we were beginning to control the game.

“We were leading the score and I think it was well deserved because we showed the composure and quality to play, to control most of the moments.

“Of course we had the chance to make it 2-0 and give us even more confidence and create a much-more difficult score for them.

“De Gea saved and of course it was a moment that boosted them. You could feel is straight away in the stadium.

“These are the moments we have to show our maturity, to show more consistency.”

Manchester United sealed third spot as Bruno Fernandes’ smart finish completed a 2-1 comeback win against Fulham on the final day of the Premier League season.

Having sealed Champions League qualification with Thursday’s 4-1 victory against Chelsea, Erik ten Hag’s men overcame west London opposition once again on Sunday.

Kenny Tete opened the scoring and Fulham had the chance to extend their lead, only for long-serving United goalkeeper David De Gea – whose contract has yet to be extended beyond the summer – to stop Aleksandar Mitrovic’s spot-kick.

That save inspired an impressive United turnaround, with Jadon Sancho putting the hosts level before Fred slipped Fernandes through to coolly complete a 2-1 triumph.

The three points saw United beat Newcastle to third place, while Marco Silva’s Fulham headed to the northwest already guaranteed to finish 10th thanks to a brilliant season following promotion.

United’s win was a club record-equalling 27th at Old Trafford in all competitions and maintains the Red Devils’ momentum heading into next weekend’s FA Cup final against treble-chasing rivals Manchester City.

A second trophy of Ten Hag’s first season would be huge, but there remains underlying issues at the club and the United faithful made it clear throughout Sunday’s match – as they always do – that the Glazer family must sell.

Their team began on the front foot and Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno stopped a fizzing early Diogo Dalot cross potentially being directed home by Fred.

The Fulham shot-stopper pawed away a well-struck Marcus Rashford free-kick from distance as United started brightly, only to then be caught cold from a 19th-minute set-piece.

Willian swung over a corner from the left and Tete got ahead of Rashford to all too easily head home at the near post in front of the stunned Stretford End.

Things looked set to unravel further for United in the 24th minute.

Harry Maguire’s poor pass out from the back led to a move that ended with Casemiro catching Tom Cairney’s leg in the box as the Fulham captain cut inside.

Referee Robert Jones pointed to the spot and Mitrovic stepped at Old Trafford, where his meltdown in Fulham’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat brought him an eight-match ban.

The Fulham frontman will also want to forget this latest trip to United as his firm strike was saved by De Gea, meaning he failed to score his fourth penalty of the Premier League campaign.

Old Trafford erupted at that save, enlivening United’s play in the process.

Rashford whistled a long-ranger narrowly wide and quick build-up play after winning the ball ended with Alejandro Garnacho curling just wide.

The 18-year-old went closer still in the 29th minute. Tyrell Malacia shifted the ball onto Garnacho in the box, with the winger opening his body up and curling a right-footed shot off the crossbar.

Leno denied Casemiro from an acute angle as Fulham appeared to see off United’s onslaught, only to be pegged back in the 39th minute.

Fernandes sent Fred darting into the box and Tete’s challenge on the midfielder inadvertently sent the ball onto Sancho to prod home an equaliser.

United returned from the break on top and took a 55th-minute lead through ever-reliable Fernandes.

Fred showed great skill and awareness to slip a pass through to the Portuguese, who had ran behind the Fulham backline and smartly clipped the ball over Leno after taking a touch.

Fernandes was denied a second from distance by Leno, with Rashford also seeing an attempt saved as United looked to put the result to bed.

Cairney had Fulham’s best chances, holding his head in his hands after one miss and seeing another tipped over by De Gea.

The United goalkeeper stopped substitute Carlos Vinicius’ strike unaware he had strayed offside, with the Spaniard again alert when fellow introduction Manor Solomon took aim.

Wout Weghorst, on for his final home appearance before his loan expires, turned a fine late chance wide.

Willian believes success in football does not necessarily equate to a cabinet full of silverware, highlighting Harry Kane as an example.

The Fulham attacker was a two-time Premier League winner during his time with Chelsea, and collected medals in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.

In addition, the 34-year-old won the 2019 Copa America with Brazil and was a member of his nation's squad when they came fourth at home in the 2014 World Cup.

But when asked what defines success in football, he suggested that trophies do not solely define the legacy of a player's career.

"I think it's a mix of several factors," he told Stats Perform. "It is to win titles, [it] is to be playing at a high level.

"Sometimes there are players who don't win titles, but play at a high level and are always playing well, always scoring goals. Harry Kane, for example, for me, is a great player

"[He] is always at a high level at Tottenham, playing very well and scoring goals, but I don't think he has any career titles as a professional. Can you say that he was not successful in football?

"It depends. It is a mixture of things. It depends a lot on what it means to be successful in football. For me, the most important thing is for the player to be playing well, and the title becomes a consequence of the work."

Despite his success, Willian acknowledged there are two major honours that have eluded him, at club and international level, but he adds their absence from his collection does not detract from his other successes.

"One is the Champions League and the other is the World Cup," he noted. "Every player has that dream.

"Those are the two titles I'd really like to win, but if I don't win them, I'm satisfied with my career and the titles I've already won."

Willian has spent nine seasons in the Premier League, more than he has in any domestic top-flight competition, and he maintains it remains the strongest he has played in.

"The Premier League is the best league in the world," he added. "You'll never have an easy match.

"It might get easier during the game, and you might beat the other team, but you're never going to go into the match thinking it's going to be easy, thinking you're going to win 4-0.

"It is a very difficult league. The last one can take points from the first one, and it is very competitive and that is why it becomes the best in the world."

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