Newcastle United are reportedly engaged in discussions with Chelsea about a quartet of players, with the club said to be interested in Conor Gallagher, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Armando Broja.

Pulisic is the oldest of the four players at 23, and while that could mean Newcastle are looking for long-term building blocks, they are said to be interested in securing one on a loan deal, with a report from The Evening Standard indicating that would be Hudson-Odoi.

The St James' Park club have been relatively unsuccessful this transfer window, with goalkeeper Nick Pope and centre-back Sven Botman highlighting their business thus far, but they could change that quickly if Chelsea are willing to play ball.

TOP STORY – THE MAGPIES TURN TO STAMFORD BRIDGE FOR REINFORCEMENTS

According to The Telegraph, there is "widespread belief that several players at Stamford Bridge will be offloaded in the last few days of the window", and Newcastle are making sure they are in prime position to take advantage.

The report also mentions that the club are hampered by financial fair play rules, and despite their wealth, they will likely only be able to sign one player on a permanent basis, adding importance to the potential loan of Hudson-Odoi.

In another recent report from The Sun, it claims Newcastle view Conor Gallagher as their top overall target, although he would likely be the most expensive of the quartet at more than £40million.

ROUND-UP

– Atletico Madrid would be willing to swap one of Antoine Griezmann or Alvaro Morata to Manchester United in exchange for Cristiano Ronaldo, according to The Times.

– Marca is reporting United are also interested in Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro, although SB Nation's Lucas Navarrete claims it would take an "impossible to reject" offer to make Madrid budge.

– According to Foot Mercato, Nice are in talks with Arsenal about a loan move for Nicolas Pepe.

– Mundo Deportivo claims 21-year-old American right-back Sergino Dest "is feeling pressured" to leave Barcelona as they search for another full-back, and United are said to be a potential landing spot.

– Sky Sports are reporting West Ham are hoping to complete a £10.1m move for Paris Saint-Germain defender Thilo Kehrer in time for Thursday's Europa Conference League tie against Viborg FF.

Former Manchester United director Michael Knighton says he is in talks with several billionaires ahead of launching a potential takeover bid at Old Trafford.

The 70-year-old revealed he has put together a consortium interested in buying the club, although he would operate in a consultancy role should a successful deal by struck.

The club's current owners – the Glazer family – have come under increased scrutiny following the Red Devils' poor start to the Premier League season.

Supporters have staged several protests against the Americans, who Knighton believes have turned Old Trafford from a "theatre of a dreams to a theatre of nightmares"

And the former director, who had a bid to buy the club accepted in 1989 – although it never came to fruition – explained that he has had conversation with three potential partners to put forward a deal.

"They are small-time billionaires that I have been speaking to for three to four months now," Knighton told ITV News.

"When I was approached by some fan groups, oddly enough, saying 'look, our club is dying on its feet, would you please do something?'

"I made a few phone calls, and I've been pulling this consortium together ever since.

"The point is: someone had to make a stand."

Knighton also revealed he has approached British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who recently tried to purchase fellow Premier League side Chelsea, to buy the club.

He said: "If we can smoke the great Sir Jim out to buy Manchester United, my consortium will be punching the air because we've achieved what we want to do.

"We will make the bid with our own consortium but, I'll tell you this, we do not have the resources available to do everything that is needed."

Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to indicate he has a revealing interview planned in the coming weeks that will confirm the "truth" about speculation around his future.

Ronaldo, 37, for the first time in his career has seemingly found a lack of interest for his services as he reportedly tries to push his way out of Old Trafford.

Some of the biggest clubs in the world – including Juventus, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid – have all supposedly turned down the opportunity to sign one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, but the Portuguese star believes most media reports focused on his future have been inaccurate.

In response to a post by a Ronaldo fan page on Instagram, which was criticising the aforementioned speculation, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner added fuel to the fire as he teased a tell-all interview.

His comment read: "They know the truth when [sic] interview in a few weeks. Media only speaks lies. I have a notebook and in the last few months of the 100 news that made only five [accurate] hits, imagine how things are."

Ronaldo made his first start of the season in United's embarrassing 4-0 loss to Brentford.

David de Gea is not a new problem for Manchester United. Of course, his backers – and that appears to include many people at the club – will always point to his shot-stopping ability, which has clearly been a strength over the course of his career in England.

We can't forget that legendary performance against Arsenal in a 3-1 away win for United in the 2017-18 season, when De Gea equalled a Premier League record by making 14 saves.

But if that kind of goalkeeper becomes less reliable at arguably the one thing they're good at, questions have to be asked. De Gea was, of course, culpable in United's 4-0 humiliation by Brentford on Saturday.

He let Josh Dasilva's tame long-range effort sneak into the bottom-right corner, and that opened the floodgates on what was one of United's worst days in Premier League history.

But that wasn't all. His needless pass to Christian Eriksen when the Dane was under pressure brought the second goal and further highlighted something De Gea's detractors have started to mention frequently in the past few years: he's not good enough with the ball to be relied upon in a team that wants to build from the back.

That's the style of play Erik ten Hag wants to impose, yet De Gea appears to be far from the ideal candidate. Granted, the need to make saves will always be important for a goalkeeper, and the Spaniard's record of 2.8 goals prevented last season was second only to Jose Sa (8.5) in the Premier League.

But goalkeepers have become more and more important in the implementation of possession-based football over the past decade, and the longer you have the ball, the fewer opportunities the opponent has to score – for example, the three teams with the greatest shares of possession last term also faced the fewest shots.

So, if De Gea – who last season only completed 69 per cent of his passes – is not suitable, which goalkeepers are? Stats Perform takes a look at the Opta data of the more realistic potential targets...

KEYLOR NAVAS

If United were able to sign Navas, there's lots to suggest it would be a very shrewd acquisition.

Although the Costa Rican is 35, stylistically the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper does appear to be a good fit for a team that wants to build from the back.

Over the past three seasons, Navas' 89.9 per cent pass completion rate last term is the highest by any goalkeeper (minimum 1,000 minutes played) in a single campaign across the top five leagues. He posted that figure as he and Gianluigi Donnarumma tussled for the starting role.

The season before he found a team-mate with 85.7 per cent of his passes, while in both campaigns he showed he was dependable when facing shots, recording 80.4 and 76.9 save percentages respectively – the former was the best such record of any keeper (min. 1,000 minutes played) over the past three campaigns.

When you consider PSG are seemingly willing to sell, with a move to Napoli apparently in the works, this could be a wonderful opportunity for United.

MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN

This might seem a slightly unrealistic option initially, but Ter Stegen certainly shouldn't be seen as unattainable.

While Ter Stegen has rarely been suggested as a likely option for Barcelona to raise funds, he does still retain reasonable value and his sale would ease salary limit concerns – let's not forget, the Frenkie de Jong saga may be murky, but the Blaugrana need money.

As for his suitability to Ten Hag's brand of football, Ter Stegen's essentially been playing that way throughout his time at Barcelona. In each of the past three seasons, he has recorded a pass completion percentage of over 85 per cent – no other goalkeeper across the big five leagues can match that.

The concern, however, is his shot-stopping capabilities. In the three seasons mentioned he has, Opta data says, conceded more goals than the average goalkeeper would have expected to based on the quality of chances faced, and his save percentage figures for the three campaigns (68.8, 69 and 70.4) aren't much better than the average for the keepers in question (67.4 per cent).

WOJCIECH SZCZESNY

Poland international Szczesny may not be remembered especially fondly in the Premier League as he failed to live up to early promise at Arsenal.

But in Serie A he's carved out a fine career for himself. First, he kept Alisson out of the Roma team, and then he went on to become Juventus' chosen one to replace Gianluigi Buffon.

He isn't perfect, but again he is a goalkeeper with decent passing stats. His accuracy (79.4 per cent) last season was, admittedly, his worst record out of the past three campaigns, but in 2020-21 he was at 89.1.

Szczesny's save percentages over the period in question range from 68 to 74.4, which are reasonable without being spectacular, though he prevented 5.1 goals in 2019-20 and 2.3 last term. Both are fine records.

ILLAN MESLIER

Obviously, a goalkeeper's statistics are very often a reflection of the team they play in and the players around them. Just because a keeper has an excellent passing accuracy in one side doesn't mean they will in another, or vice versa.

Meslier is a keeper United are said to have been long-term admirers of, and in the data search that identified Navas, Szczesny and Ter Stegen as suitable, the Frenchman is one of precious few under the age of 23 who could fit the bill long term.

The 22-year-old hasn't played behind an especially effective defence since coming into the Premier League with Leeds United, but in the 2020-21 season he recorded a 72.6 save percentage and a reasonable passing accuracy of 77.1 per cent.

Granted, both were significantly poorer in 2021-22 and he endured a disappointing season individually – letting in 15.8 goals more than expected, the fifth-worst in Europe's top league – that will have raised some doubts, but he has shown potential in a Leeds team that is known for being chaotic.

He'd be a gamble, but at this point it could be argued United need as much change as possible.

Jorge Jesus says Fenerbahce have no chance of signing Cristiano Ronaldo as the Manchester United forward wants to play in one of the 'big five' leagues.

The Red Devils are reportedly open to offers for the Portugal captain, who only returned to Old Trafford from Juventus last September.

Ronaldo was on the bench for United's 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion in their opening game of the Premier League season, before starting in the chastening 4-0 thrashing at Brentford last Saturday.

The prolific forward's future has long since been the subject of speculation and Fenerbahce are among a host of clubs said to be keen to sign him before the transfer window closes on September 1.

Fenerbahce head coach Jesus has ruled out any possibility that the prolific 37-year-old could be on his way to Turkey.

He said: "Yes, I'm a friend of Ronaldo, But he doesn't want to come, he has other ideas.

"I think he doesn't want to play in any league other than one of the big five."

Asked if he thinks Ronaldo will stay at United, the Portuguese replied: "I know that he will not play for Fenerbahce."

Gary Neville has warned Manchester United over the ramifications of an exit for Cristiano Ronaldo, expressing his fears the club could finish in the bottom half of the table.

United's start to life under Erik ten Hag has been woeful, losing back-to-back matches against Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford to sit at the foot of the Premier League.

Pressure is already mounting on Ten Hag, who faces a stern test on Monday against Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, and the final weeks of the transfer window could be decisive.

United have been linked with a host of players, but the biggest story continues to be the future of Ronaldo, who is widely reported to be pushing for an exit due to his desire to play Champions League football.

Reports on Tuesday suggest United's stance has changed, with the club now said to be willing to listen to offers for the 37-year-old, but Neville is fearful of the impact his departure could have.

"I think there's a massive decision they have to make on Cristiano Ronaldo and they're damned if they do, damned if they don't," he said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football.

"A few weeks ago before the season started, these two results, [the] best thing to do was facilitate a move out the club for Cristiano because he's obviously not happy and the club aren't happy with him.

"The problem they have now is if they lose him, there's nothing left in terms of the goalscoring part of the pitch and I genuinely think if they don't bring players in or if they bring in poor players in and he leaves, I genuinely think they can finish in the bottom half of the table.

"That's a bottom half of the table team, that's a massive statement."

Suitors for Ronaldo appear to be few and far between, with Italian giants Inter and Milan said to have rebuffed a potential move, while fans of Atletico Madrid have made their feelings against a transfer clear.

Alvaro Morata's agent has not ruled out a move for the in-form Atletico Madrid star but declared "at the moment I say that he stays".

The Spain international scored twice as Atleti started the LaLiga season with a 3-0 win at Getafe on the back of a hat-trick in a 4-0 friendly rout of his former club Juventus.

Morata has been linked with Manchester United and a return to Juve, where he was on loan for the past two campaigns.

The 29-year-old's representative, Juanma Lopez, says the ex-Real Madrid forward will remain with Diego Simeone's side as it stands, but suggested he could depart before the transfer window closes on September 1. 

He told Chiringuito: "At the moment I say that he stays at Atletico Madrid, we are in August. Will he stay? Yes, he has a contract with Atletico."

Simeone was unable to give any assurances over Morata's future following the victory over Getafe.

"I am not the owner of the club, I am the coach," the Atleti boss said. "He is doing very well, working in an extraordinary way, and we hope that Morata will continue with us.

"I think that all footballers have to have confidence to do important things. He came with humility, desire to work, without demanding anything, striving to get to this shape and that is what we want to see."

Manchester United have come in for huge criticism following their poor start to the season.

United have failed to land major off-season transfer targets and are eager to add reinforcements.

The start of Erik ten Hag's tenure as manager has been hugely disappointing, with back-to-back Premier League defeats.

TOP STORY – MAN UTD TURN TO VARDY TO SOLVE STRIKER ISSUES

Manchester United are considering a bid for Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy to solve their striker conundrum, claims The Athletic.

The Red Devils have endured a frustrating transfer window and have only netted once in their opening two league games.

Vardy is among a number of targets United are keen on, having also been linked with Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to The Sun.

ROUND-UP

– TalkSPORT claims Manchester United are getting close to a €50million (£42m) deal for Atletico Madrid's Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha. The 23-year-old joined Atletico from Hertha Berlin last year on a five-year deal.

– Chelsea are closing in on a deal for Inter's Cesare Casadei, according to Calciomercato. Inter have set their asking price at €15m (£12.5m) plus €5m in bonuses, which the Blues are edging closer to meet. The deal may aid Romelu Lukaku sealing a permanent switch to the Nerazzurri.

– Talks are ongoing between Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus on agreeing a move for Leandro Paredes, reports Fabrizio Romano. Personal terms have been agreed between the Argentinian and the Bianconeri on a long-term deal.

– Wolves will sign Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes for a club-record fee of €45m (£38m) plus €5m in add-ons from Sporting CP, according to Record. Liverpool, West Ham and Manchester City had been tracking Nunes.

– Diario Sport claims Barcelona may be willing to let Samuel Umtiti exit as a free agent amid interest from various unnamed clubs. Umtiti, who is contracted at Camp Nou until 2026, has struggled with injuries during his time at the Blaugrana.

The Premier League is officially 30 years old.

On Saturday, August 15, 1992, the Premier League's inaugural season began with a packed schedule of 15:00 kick-offs.

Its foundation came as a result of clubs in the old First Division breaking away from the Football League in order to maximise their earning potential, with much of that initially focused around the possibility of lucrative TV rights deals.

As the Football Association (FA) had a strained relationship with the Football League at the time, the FA backed plans for the formation of the breakaway league, and in July 1991 the Founder Members Agreement was signed by the top-flight clubs.

While the Premier League fell under the auspices of the FA, the league was given economic independence from the governing body and the Football League, and that has been a major contributing factor in it becoming the behemoth we know in 2022.

Thirty years on, many believe it to be the best league in world football, and on this day it only seems right to take a trip down memory lane with a look at key records, stats and figures from the competition's three decades...

Managing expectations

This is classic 'pub quiz' territory: which manager has presided over the most Premier League games?

You know it's either Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger, don't you? You probably end up going for the Manchester United icon because of his sheer longevity.

Alas, you'd be wrong.

Wenger took charge of 18 more Premier League games (828) than 'Fergie' before he brought his long Arsenal career to a close.

Nevertheless, Ferguson's 13 titles look unlikely to ever be matched. His closest rival in that respect is Pep Guardiola (four), with Wenger joined on three by Jose Mourinho.

Play on, player

Over the first 30 seasons of the Premier League, 4,488 players appeared in the competition at an average of 149.6 debutants per campaign.

If we ignore the inaugural and ongoing seasons for obvious reasons, the campaign with the most debutants was 2015-16 when 162 players made their Premier League bows.

Of the nearly 4,500 individuals to feature in the competition up to the start of the 2022-23 season, Gareth Barry sits clear with the most appearances (653), the last of which came during the 2017-18 season with West Brom.

It's a record that will take some beating, but if anyone's got a chance of toppling him, it's his former Manchester City team-mate James Milner.

The 36-year-old, now of Liverpool, is fourth on the all-time list with 589 outings.

Forever young

Everyone loves a 'wonderkid'. The Premier League has seen more than its fair share over the years, and some got started very, very young.

Mark Platts was the first 16-year-old to ever play in the Premier League when he made his Sheffield Wednesday debut in February 1996.

When Matthew Briggs came along 11 years later and featured for Fulham at 16 years and 68 days old, you'd have been forgiven for thinking his record would stand the test of time.

It lasted 12 years until another Fulham player shaved 38 days off Briggs' record – that player was Harvey Elliott. Now at Liverpool, the young midfielder looks set for a glittering career.

The name of the game

Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah, Wayne Rooney – when you think of Premier League goalscorers, these are probably the names that immediately spring to mind.

Well, you're wrong. You should be thinking about Andrew Johnson, Glen Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Bradley Johnson, Roger Johnson et al.

Why? Because there are more players with the surname Johnson to have scored in the Premier League than any other surname.

There have been 21 of them to be exact, two more than the Williams clan.

Synonymous.

Get to the points

It's been a frustrating few (nine?) years for Man United fans, and this season has started in horrific fashion. But don't worry, folks, if you just look at the big (massive) picture, it'll definitely all feel much better.

United still sit top of the overall Premier League table with 2,366 points, giving them a healthy 219-point cushion over second-placed Arsenal.

Manchester City may have won four of the past five league titles, a feat only United had achieved before them in the Premier League, but the real story is that they're way back on 1,635 Premier League points.

Yo-yo with the flow

To be fair, almost every single one of you knows what's coming here.

You guessed it, Norwich City's relegation from the last season makes them the yo-yoingest (yes, we've just made that up) club in Premier League history.

That was their sixth relegation to go with their five promotions to the top flight since 1992, taking them one clear of West Brom, who have the same number of ascensions but only five demotions to their name.

I love goals, goals, goals, goals

Of course, Shearer remains the Premier's League all-time leading scorer with 260, 52 more than Wayne Rooney in second.

But Harry Kane looks to be in with a chance of usurping both England greats – in fact, another solid season could take him beyond 200 as his header against Chelsea on Sunday took him to 184.

Kane also appears among the very best goalscoring combinations in the competition's history as he and Son Heung-min have linked up for 41 goals – that's five more than Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard as the next-best.

As for high-scoring matches, there have been three Premier League games that have finished with a nine-goal margin – two were achieved by Man Utd (9-0 v Southampton in February 2021, and v Ipswich Town in March 1995) and Leicester City managed it in October 2019, also crushing Saints 9-0.

Do call it a comeback

Your team's trailing 2-0, you're despondent and bereft of hope. But then, out of nowhere, you've got a goal back. Then the equaliser. And then, just when you'd convinced yourself "this draw feels like a win", a third goes in, and it's pandemonium.

There are few more satisfying situations in football than when you team produces such a turnaround – the despair you were feeling earlier only makes your full-time jubilation that bit more intense.

The biggest such turnarounds that led to wins all involved teams coming back from three goals down. Leeds United, Wimbledon and Wolves have all managed it in 4-3 victories, while Man United beat Spurs 5-3 from 3-0 down.

No team have done so since Wolves in October 2003, although Newcastle United certainly deserve a special mention – they are the only team to find themselves 4-0 down and avoid defeat. Their 4-4 draw with Arsenal in February 2011 remains a Premier League classic.

Stop the clock!

Here's another for the pub quiz enthusiasts: who scored the quickest goal in Premier League history?

Netting just 7.69 seconds into an April 2019 game between Southampton and Watford, Shane Long opened the scoring to break a 19-year record that had been set by Spurs defender Ledley King.

To put that into context, it'd take you longer to read that sentence. It was also quicker than Usain Bolt's world-record time in the 100 metres (9.58 seconds).

The latest goal ever is maybe a less notable record, but it nonetheless belongs to Bruno Fernandes, who in September 2020 scored a penalty after 99 minutes and 45 seconds to seal United a dramatic 3-2 win over Brighton and Hove Albion – yes, that's the game when the Seagulls hit the woodwork a record five times.

As for the quickest hat-trick, that was scored by Sadio Mane for Southampton against Aston Villa in May 2015, with his first and third goals separated by just two minutes and 56 seconds.

Chelsea are reportedly weighing up a second bid for 21-year-old Everton winger Anthony Gordon after their initial £40million offer was turned down.

Gordon, a product of Everton's youth academy, broke into the first team this past season, tallying four goals and two assists in 35 Premier League appearances.

Manager Frank Lampard has publicly said the club values him highly and that he is not for sale, but with a bidding war beginning to emerge, it remains to be seen if there is a price that could change that mindset.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA CHASE ENGLAND UNDER-21 WINGER

According to ChronicleLive, it was Newcastle United who first approached Everton with a £35m offer, which Chelsea caught wind of and immediately began the process of coming in over the top with a larger bid.

Gordon is only a couple of seasons into a five-year extension that ties him to the club until 2025, although further reporting from CBS claims Everton have told interested parties that a figure of £50m would trigger a serious conversation.

CBS's Ben Jacobs adds that Chelsea are very interested in including players in their offer, although Everton have no desire to bring back Ross Barkley, and the Stamford Bridge club do not want to include Armando Broja, although Michy Batshuayi was mentioned as a possibility.

Newcastle are expected to re-enter the chase for Gordon if Chelsea can agree on a fee.

ROUND-UP

– Deportivo Mundo are reporting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wants to stay at Barcelona and fight for a starting spot after a £12m bid from Chelsea was turned down, although Metro claims the Spanish giants would accept a bid in the range of £23m.

– According to the Mirror, Manchester United, Arsenal and West Ham are all interested in 20-year-old Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo.

– Sky Sports Italy reports Nottingham Forest are close to landing Arsenal target Houssem Aouar from Lyon, and talkSPORT add the newly promoted Premier League side have also bid £17m for Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Djibril Sow.

– Leicester City are prepared to let Youri Tielemans leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, according to the Times.

– West Ham have made a €10m offer for 22-year-old Spezia centre-back and Polish international Jakub Kiwior, per Calciomercato, with Milan also said to have interest.

Erik ten Hag is not to blame for Manchester United's woeful start to the Premier League season and the Red Devils' squad is simply "not at the standard required," according to former defender Rio Ferdinand,

United's start to their first campaign under Ten Hag went from bad to worse on Saturday as they capitulated to a 4-0 defeat at Brentford, leaving them bottom of the Premier League table.

The result saw the Dutchman become the first United manager to lose his first two games in the job for over a century – since John Chapman did so in November 1921.

But when speaking on his FIVE podcast, Ferdinand defended the former Ajax head coach, instead taking aim at the club's players and owners, the Glazer family. 

"I wouldn't blame Ten Hag right now. You can pick at his team selection or whatever, but this is a bigger problem; a wider problem than that," the six-time Premier League winner said.

"I don't feel sorry for the players, I feel sorry for Ten Hag. He's come in under false pretences. He's come in expecting new signings.

"He's probably sitting there thinking: 'I've been sold a dummy here. I didn't know I was coming into this.'

"Confidence was going to be low. He knew that, but he thought 'I'll be able to rebuild that.' But obviously, the players are not at the standard required; simple as that.

"The results tell you that. This isn't a result over a month or two, this is a result over a long, sustained amount of time. You've had ample time to come back and show us your true selves. It's not happening."

Turning his attention to the Glazers, Ferdinand asked: "Where the hell are they? Get here! Get over here.

"This isn't like a normal business; this is a football club with heritage, with history, with character, with personality, real people involved. So, treat it like that.

"They need to come here and communicate. Communication is one of the key components to being successful, from the top down.

"They're not communicating with the fans, they're not communicating with the people, no one knows where they are, they can't put a face to it. I think that's disrespectful, and I think it's out of order.

"They need to come here and put themselves right at the front and start shouldering some of this blame."

Aside from their poor results, United have also come under fire for their approach to recruitment recently, with Gary Neville labelling the club "desperate" amid links to Marko Arnautovic last week.

United's attempts to attract Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to Old Trafford have evolved into one of the longest-running sagas of the transfer window, and Ferdinand called on the Red Devils to end their pursuit, accusing them of "begging" the Netherlands international to join.

The former centre-half added: "They've walked around behind him, begging him, 'please turn round and notice us.'

"He's looking around and saying 'not for me', and we're still there, 'please give us one chance.' How are we allowing ourselves to be put in a position like that?

"Do you think Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Sir Alex [Ferguson] or Jose Mourinho would be following around a player like this? They wouldn't be doing that!"

United's third Premier League outing of the campaign sees them take on Liverpool at Old Trafford on August 22, having shipped nine goals without reply against Klopp's men in two fixtures last term.

Manchester United are reportedly engaged in discussions with Atletico Madrid about a potential move for striker Alvaro Morata in an effort to add some much-needed firepower up front.

Morata, 29, spent the past two seasons on loan at Juventus, where he racked up 32 goals and 21 assists in 92 club appearances, but with the Italian giants opting not to make it a permanent move, the Spaniard's future is unclear.

He has been starting for Madrid in pre-season games – including netting a hat-trick against Juve earlier this month – but with Antoine Griezmann, Joao Felix and the club's top-scorer from last season Angel Correa all available, it appears Diego Simeone may prefer to cash in.

TOP STORY – RED DEVILS LOOK TO FORMER CHELSEA STRIKER FOR ANSWERS

The report from The Athletic claims the Old Trafford side view a move for Morata as "a genuine possibility", with the price tag said to be in the neighbourhood of £30million.

It highlights the state of United's current forward stocks, with Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard departing, while Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly requested a transfer, and the futures of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are considered up in the air.

After a horrible beginning to their Premier League campaign, United are expected to be active for the remainder of the transfer period – with Metro also reporting Frenkie de Jong has told team-mates he will likely be headed to Manchester.

ROUND-UP

– The Daily Mail are reporting Chelsea have agreed to personal terms with 21-year-old Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana, although they have had two bids rejected as the asking price remains above £80m.

– The Daily Mail also claims United have told Paris Saint-Germain that Rashford is not for sale, with the Times adding that the French giants view him as a long-term partner to Kylian Mbappe.

– According to Sunday Express, Newcastle United have engaged Benfica in discussions about 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder Goncalo Ramos, who is said to be valued at £35m.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting 19-year-old Udinese full-back Destiny Udogie is in England for a medical to confirm his £15m move to Tottenham, although he will be loaned back to Udinese for the remainder of the season.

– Nottingham Forest have agreed to a £15m move for Brighton striker Neal Maupay, per The Athletic.

The second Saturday of the new Premier League campaign did not disappoint, serving up a thrilling comeback, a spectacular home debut and a familiar sinking feeling for Manchester United supporters.

If last week's 2-1 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion represented a baptism of fire for Erik ten Hag, United's trip to Brentford provided further despair as the dismal Red Devils hit a 30-year low.

There was more joy for rivals Manchester City as they cruised to a 4-0 win over Bournemouth, while Gabriel Jesus made good on his pre-season promise with a dominant performance against Leicester City.

Here, Stats Perform trawls through Opta's data to bring you some of the best numbers from the day's Premier League action.

Brentford 4-0 Manchester United: Ten Hag matches unwanted Chapman record against brilliant Bees

Where do you start with this one? New United boss Ten Hag was left in no doubt regarding the side's problems when a Pascal Gross double sent them crashing to an opening-day defeat last week.

But not even the most pessimistic United follower could have predicted their collapse in west London, as Ten Hag became the first Red Devils manager to lose his first two games at the helm since John Chapman in November 1921.

Things got off to a dreadful start when David de Gea let Josh Dasilva's shot squirm into the net after 10 minutes; since the start of the 2018-19 season, only Jordan Pickford (11) has made more errors leading to Premier League goals than the Spaniard.

Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo joined Dasilva on the scoresheet by the 35th minute as Brentford scored with their first four shots on target, while Cristiano Ronaldo cut a dejected figure on his return to the United team.

Only two teams had previously scored four first-half goals against United in a Premier League game; Tottenham in October 2020 and Liverpool in October 2021.

The result is that United have begun a top-flight campaign with back-to-back defeats for the first time since 1992-93, the Premier League's inaugural season.

And while the table has not quite taken shape two games in, United ended the day bottom of the Premier League for the first time since August 21, 1992.

Arsenal 4-2 Leicester City: Miraculous home debut for Jesus

Another side with Champions League ambitions has made a far brighter start to the Premier League season, as Mikel Arteta's Arsenal made it two consecutive wins with an entertaining victory over Leicester.

Former Manchester City forward Jesus was hailed as a coup for the Gunners when he arrived in the off-season, and he enjoyed a home debut to remember by scoring two goals and adding two assists.

In doing so, the Brazilian became the first player to score multiple goals on his home Premier League bow for Arsenal, as well as the first Gunners player to double up for goals and assists in a single league game since Theo Walcott against Newcastle in December 2012 (three goals, two assists).

Before Jesus assisted compatriot Gabriel Martinelli for Arsenal's fourth goal, he became the 12th different Brazilian to score in the Premier League for Arsenal – the most of any side in the competition's history.

Jesus was not the only player to impress, however, with Granit Xhaka both scoring and assisting in the same match for the first time in an Arsenal shirt, 252 games into his Gunners career.

Leicester, meanwhile, were subjected to a familiar feeling of frustration in north London – this was the sixth time they have conceded at least four goals in a Premier League game against Arsenal.

Manchester City 4-0 Bournemouth: Champions cruise despite quiet day for Haaland

Home teams hitting four goals seemed to be a theme of the day, as Pep Guardiola's Premier League champions followed up a win at West Ham by cruising past Bournemouth.

Scott Parker's team were likely not expecting a result at the Etihad Stadium; City have now won all 11 of their Premier League matches against Bournemouth, the best 100 per cent winning record against a particular team in the competition's history.

A Jefferson Lerma own goal came after strikes from Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, as the Cherries made it 17 league matches without a win against City in their history – the most one side has faced another without a victory in English league history.

Kevin De Bruyne was at his creative best for City, scoring his 16th league goal since the start of last season before teeing up Foden's strike.

The Belgian has both scored and assisted in 20 separate Premier League matches since his September 2015 debut. Only Mohamed Salah (24) and Son Heung-min (21) have done so on more occasions in that time.

But while City were rampant, new talisman Haaland was quiet. The Norwegian only managed eight touches and two successful passes, but still managed to make an impact.

One of Haaland's passes was from kick-off, the other teed up Gundogan to score the first goal.

Southampton 2-2 Leeds United: Saints manage rare comeback as Aribo opens account

Elsewhere, Jesse Marsch's Leeds failed to make it two wins from two as Southampton launched a stirring comeback on the south coast.

Rodrigo was on the scoresheet in a win over Wolves last week before hitting a brace at St Marys, making him the first player to score three goals in Leeds' first two games of a Premier League season since Alan Smith in 2000-01.

But Leeds could not hold on, failing to win after going two goals ahead for only the second time in their last 36 Premier League games, and for the first time in 14 such contests (since a 3-3 draw with Charlton Athletic in May 2004).

Southampton have now avoided defeat in two of the last five Premier League games where they have gone two goals down (also a 2-2 draw against Brighton in April), but their love of a comeback is a new characteristic.

Before April, the Saints had only managed one win and one draw from the last 58 Premier League games in which they went two goals behind.

Joe Aribo represents one of their most impressive additions following his arrival from Rangers, and his goal made him the first Nigerian to score in the Premier League for Southampton, as well as the 38th in the competition's history overall.

Gary Neville was left furious by Manchester United's dismal display in the 4-0 drubbing by Brentford on Saturday, suggesting it is a "real achievement" to be as bad as they are with the money they have spent.

Erik ten Hag's start to life in the Premier League has been abysmal, with a 4-0 loss in the capital leaving United rock-bottom of the Premier League.

United crumbled in a woeful 35-minute spell, as Brentford took United apart and left the vultures circling following on from a defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford last weekend.

With Liverpool next up in the Premier League, the situation looks bleak for United and, amid a struggle to land targets like Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, Neville took aim at those in charge in a fiery tirade after the match.

"Manchester United have known for eight to 10 months they've needed to rebuild the squad for the summer. Ralf Rangnick [last season's interim manager] described it as open-heart surgery," he told Sky Sports.

"To not get the players in early – the quality of players, the number of players – that Ten Hag needed is baffling and difficult to forgive.

"It's not a stalled market – teams have got their business done. Every club seems to have a plan and Manchester United's seems to be, 'Let's just look at the Dutch league or players that have worked under Ten Hag'.

"That is not a strategy, you can't do that. That was 15 years ago. You've got to have players identified and the work's been done with the agents.

"Yes, of course, you always try to please the manager if he has got a player he's got really good contacts with. But the one he has got good contacts with, they can't get in: Frenkie de Jong.

"It's a real achievement to spend a billion pounds and be this bad. It doesn't take much to dismantle this Manchester United team. It just takes a bit of organisation, a bit of fight, and you're there. If you just rough them up a little bit and get a goal, they're flaky like you wouldn't believe."

Back-to-back defeats to start the season has increased the pressure for United to land additional recruits before the close of the transfer window on September 1, but Neville fears it will be difficult to attract players.

"United in the past have always answered the fans' anger through money and spending in the transfer market. The problem is that now, no one wants to take their money. That's a massive issue. They can't spend the money.

"If you're a player watching that performance in the first half, what are you thinking about coming to this club?"

Erik ten Hag is adamant Manchester United's humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford on Saturday was caused by individual mistakes rather than it being a consequence of flawed tactical decisions.

United were hoping to bounce back from last weekend's 2-1 home loss to Brighton and Hove Albion when they travelled to London, but they left with one of their worst defeats in Premier League history.

Brentford were 4-0 up at half-time, becoming only the third team to reach such a scoreline against United in the Premier League by the interval, while the Red Devils succumbed to a fourth successive league loss for the first time in 43 years.

As such, United finished the day bottom of the Premier League, something that has not occurred since the competition's second matchday ever in August 1992.

Part of United's problem seemed to be their persistence at trying to play out from the back, with Christian Eriksen twice robbed in compromising positions, the second such instance leading to Mathias Jensen making it 2-0 as the United player received a needlessly risky pass from David de Gea.

It was put to Ten Hag in his post-match news conference that United got their tactics wrong against a Brentford side that pressed high with impressive intensity, but the Dutchman refused to accept such an assessment.

"This is a conclusion, I will not admit that," he said. "They can and show already in pre-season this has nothing to do with that and it's about when you make the mistakes you make, every plan and strategy you can put in the bin.

"I think we all have seen the game and I think Brentford was more hungry, and we concede goals in individual mistakes.

"You can have a good plan but we had to put the plan into the bin. I think it had nothing to do with tactical and that the first two goals, it's about dealing with the ball, that's one, and decisions.

"I think they follow my instructions, but they make bad decisions and that's football, it's a game of mistakes and you get punished."

But while Ten Hag is keen for United to try and play out from the back, he was frustrated by the players' inability to adapt to a slightly different approach when aggressive nature of Brentford's pressing became apparent.

Quizzed on Eriksen twice being caught on the ball in deep positions, Ten Hag said: "Yes, but he didn't have to receive the ball there, because we give options and the players have to choose but we said play long, invite them and play long.

"I don't want to play from the back when it's not possible. It was naive how we played today; you have to play more direct. We attracted them, the space was high up the pitch, you have to do that option but that is what we didn't do.

"We will learn, we will have to learn, it's not good enough, clear, it's not the level and the standard how we want to act.

"It's not possible the opponent is more hungry than you are. I saw in the second-half a comeback but you have to start well and it's not good.

"When the results are like this, I can imagine that feeling, it's also no good. That we show that, clear, so we have to change that. We need more hunger on the pitch and show that as an individual and as a team."

Up next for Ten Hag and United is the visit of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool to Old Trafford a week on Monday.