Harry Kane broke the Premier League's goalscoring record on Boxing Day with his strike during Tottenham's clash with Brentford.

The England captain netted his 10th goal on the day when he headed home Ivan Perisic's 65th-minute cross at Gtech Community Stadium.

Kane, who surpassed the previous record set by Robbie Fowler (nine), also maintained his record of scoring in all seven of his Premier League appearances on Boxing Day.

Antonio Conte's side fell 2-0 behind as Brentford took control with goals from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney, but goals from Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg dragged the visitors level.

Kane's appearance for Spurs came 16 days after a crushing defeat in the World Cup in Qatar, where England lost to France in the quarter-finals and Kane missed a late penalty.

He showed no signs of that hindering his performances back at club level, however, with the strike against Brentford being his 12th in the Premier League this season.

Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored in the space of six second-half minutes as Tottenham fought back from 2-0 down to claim a draw against Brentford in the first Premier League game following the World Cup on Monday.

Spurs, boasting a line-up including a host of players who featured at Qatar 2022, were dismal in the opening hour in west London and deservedly found themselves two goals behind courtesy of efforts from Vitaly Janelt and Ivan Toney.

Kane, playing for the first time since his vital penalty miss in England's quarter-final defeat to France, pulled one back for Antonio Conte's side with 25 minutes remaining.

And the visitors claimed a share of the spoils soon after when Hojbjerg coolly slotted home his fourth league goal of the season.

Brentford were rewarded for a bright start in the 15th minute when Janelt prodded in his second goal of the season from close range after Fraser Forster had kept out Mathias Jensen's deflected strike.

Spurs scarcely improved after that, with only the outstretched leg of Forster preventing Mathias Jorgensen putting the hosts 2-0 up 10 minutes before the interval, while Toney saw an effort ruled out for offside on the stroke of half-time. 

A Spurs improvement failed to materialise after the break, with Brentford doubling their advantage in the 54th minute when Toney poked home Christian Norgaard's knockdown from a corner.

Conte's men halved the deficit against the run of play after 65 minutes when Kane superbly headed home Clement Lenglet's cross from eight yards.

The away side sealed a point soon after when Hojbjerg sent a composed finish past David Raya from the middle of the penalty area following good work from Dejan Kulusevski.

Late Spurs pressure failed to yield a winner, although Kane came close when his header hit the crossbar. 

Anthony Martial thinks Manchester United have plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the second half of the season, praising the "great dynamic" instilled by Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils have enjoyed something of a resurgence under the Dutchman following a dismal 2021-22 campaign, mounting a charge for the top four once again.

With a quarter-final berth in the EFL Cup secured, United next face Nottingham Forest on Tuesday as they resume their Premier League season following the break for the World Cup in Qatar.

Martial, who has been limited by injury so far but nevertheless has picked up four goals in eight games, certainly believes there is cause to believe the club can succeed this term under Ten Hag.

"Why not?" he told MUTV. "We've [got] a very good team of players, with a great dynamic about us and lots of victories under our belt.

"We now just to have keep on [with] those winning ways we have shown in these recent matches.

"There has been some time for rest, so we hope we will return in good shape for the challenges ahead, and to win all the matches we can."

While several members of United's squad - including the central defensive trio of Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire - enjoyed deep World Cup runs, Martial was absent after France passed him over.

But the forward feels those left behind have used their time wisely to ensure they can hit the ground running as 2023 comes around the corner.

"We've put in a lot of good work, and it has been a bit like a pre-season for us," he added. "We've worked on fitness training and getting into top shape physically, and I've benefited a lot from that personally."

Harry Kane hoped to put his World Cup heartbreak behind him as he was named in Tottenham's starting line-up for Monday's trip to Brentford.

Kane missed a late penalty for England in their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France in Qatar earlier this month.

With Tottenham and Brentford set to play the first Premier League game since the World Cup ended with Lionel Messi and Argentina beating Les Bleus in last week's final, it had been speculated that Spurs boss Antonio Conte would rest players who had featured in the latter stages of the tournament.

However, Kane was included in the team to face the Bees, along with other World Cup participants Son Heung-min, Ivan Perisic, Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Captain Hugo Lloris was named on the bench, with Fraser Forster getting the nod in goal, and World Cup winner Cristian Romero was left out altogether.

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank – fresh from signing a new deal until 2027 – named Ivan Toney in his starting line-up, despite the striker recently being charged with 262 alleged misconduct offences related to betting rules that took place over a four-year period.

The 26-year-old has until January 4 to respond.

Chelsea have reportedly made Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile their top defensive target in the January transfer window.

They have been strongly linked with RB Leipzig and Croatia standout Josko Gvardiol, but Fabrizio Romano believes Chelsea will have to break the record for the most expensive transfer fee paid for a defender to get a deal done.

Instead, the Stamford Bridge club are said to have pivoted to 21-year-old Monaco powerhouse Badiashile, who stands at six-foot-four and has racked up 106 club appearances since debuting at the age of 17.

Badiashile also earned his first senior caps for France this year, playing a full 90 minutes in UEFA Nations League fixtures in September against Austria and Denmark before ultimately missing out on the World Cup squad.

With just over 18 months remaining on his contract, Monaco will need to decide if they can tie him down up long term, otherwise it may be time to cash-in.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA TARGET YOUNG MONACO TALENT

According to The Athletic, Badiashile is a player who has been on the Premier League radar for some time, noting a £22million bid from Manchester United back in 2020.

The report claims Badiashile was in no rush to leave back then as he was already a first-team regular, but he has since opened up to the idea of moving on to take the next step of his career.

Chelsea are said to be preparing a £35m offer for the man who has experience playing in a back-three, which would be less than half of the potential asking price for Gvardiol.

ROUND-UP

– Fichajes is reporting Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has no interest in retaining Argentinian World Cup hero Emiliano Martinez, and would prefer to replace him with Sevilla and Morocco star Yassine Bounou for a fee in the range of £40m.

– Chelsea are in the best position to land 23-year-old West Ham midfielder Declan Rice as he enters the final 18 months of his contract, per The Athletic.

– Journalist Nicolo Schira is reporting Atletico Madrid have agreed to personal terms with 26-year-old Leicester City centre-back Caglar Soyuncu, and he could be allowed to join the club in January despite his contract not expiring until the end of the season.

– Atletico will allow Joao Felix to join a Premier League club on loan in January if their financial demands are met, per the Mirror.

– According to Teamtalk, Liverpool and Tottenham are included in the Premier League sides prepared to offer a contract to 27-year-old Inter centre-back Milan Skriniar for when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's faith in Eddie Nketiah is growing "every single day" as the striker prepares for what could be a lengthy spell leading the line.

The Premier League leaders return to action against West Ham on Boxing Day without Gabriel Jesus, who suffered a knee injury during Brazil's World Cup campaign and has undergone surgery – with reports he could face three months out.

Nketiah now stands as the only senior recognised striker within Arteta's ranks, with speculation that the Gunners could look to add recruits in the January window to increase their depth in this area.

A strong finish to last season saw Nketiah score five goals in seven Premier League matches, earning himself a new contract in the process, but he is yet to score in the league this season – though his 12 appearances have all been as a substitute.

A record of three goals in 19 appearances in all competitions leaves plenty of room for improvement, but Arteta is confident he can fill the void left by Jesus' injury.

"I have more faith in him every single day, because we see every day what he brings to the team, how he is as a human, how he's developing as a player," Arteta said in the pre-match press conference.

"We already got some great response last year when we needed him. He plays really well with the team. He's ready – that's why he signed that contract.

"He's a key player in our squad and he's going to have chances to play."

Having fallen shy of a return to Champions League football last term, Arsenal have come out of the blocks flying this season to lead the Premier League and have lost just one of 14 matches to hold a five-point lead ahead of the restart.

Arteta has made it clear there is still work to do, though, adding: "The hardest thing to do is to win, and then to win again, and then to win again. There's a lot still to do there, for sure."

Arsenal travel to Brighton and Hove Albion after the London derby against West Ham to finish 2022, then begin the new year at home to Newcastle United.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is hopeful Jude Bellingham will not come under too much pressure following his "absolutely exceptional" showing for England at the World Cup.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to a number of Europe's elite clubs – Liverpool among them – on the back of another impressive year.

Bellingham started all five of England's matches at Qatar 2022, which ended in quarter-final defeat to France, scoring and assisting one goal from central midfield.

He was reportedly valued in excess of €100million (£88.5m) by Dortmund prior to the World Cup, a valuation that is likely to have only risen since.

However, Klopp says that no matter how expensive the 19-year-old is, he should not be weighed down by growing expectations in his home country.

"I don't like to talk always about money," Klopp told reporters. "When you talk about a player like Jude, I think everybody agrees he's just exceptional for the age group. 

"Imagine somebody has no clue about football or whatever or knows about football but didn't watch it for a while and has no clue on Jude Bellingham...  

"'How old do you think he is?' I think nobody would get it. Or even get close to his age. It's like 28, 29, whatever, these kind of things, because he plays that maturely. 

"He played an exceptional World Cup, absolutely exceptional. And he's so good in so many things and has to improve and other things.

"But to describe him I'd say the things he can do already are difficult to learn. The things he has to improve are easy to learn and to improve so that makes a really good player. 

"What can I say? I don’t say anything new. I thought that already, since two or three years ago, since he had his breakthrough at Dortmund, everybody knows that already.

"But I have no idea what that means for the money side of it. I really think if we all if want to do him a favour, then we just don't talk too much about money. 

"And I mean, from an English point of view, don't throw any hurdles in his development. That would be really cool, wherever he will end up."

Bellingham (19 years, 145 days) is the third-youngest player to start for England at a World Cup after Michael Owen in 1998 (18y, 198d) and Luke Shaw in 2014 (18y, 347d).

The Birmingham City academy product became the second-youngest player to score for England in the competition behind only Owen with his goal against Iran.

The teenage midfielder will remain in high demand ahead of the January transfer window, which Liverpool will target as a chance to strengthen their squad.

Liverpool are sixth in the Premier League and face a challenge to qualify for the Champions League, which Klopp accepts that could impact what players his side try to sign.

"It's very important, very important," he said of finishing in the top four. "That's obviously our main target. I'm surprised that you don't ask me today 'can you be champions?' 

"I think we have a good chance to qualify for the Champions League. If it will happen this year, I don't know. But we're 100 per cent one of the contenders for the next few years. 

"If you ask a player and he's like, 'yeah, but next year you're not sure if you're in the Champions League; I'd prefer to go to a club who play in it now, but maybe not next year'. 

"I'm not sure I would want this player still to be honest. So it's like I understand it 100 per cent. I want to be part of the Champions League, to be honest, all the time.

"For now, we have pathways still to qualify for the Champions League next year. As long as that's the case, I see ourselves as a proper contender for qualification."

Matheus Cunha has completed his move from Atletico Madrid to Wolves.

Cunha, a Brazil international who joined Atleti from Hertha Berlin in 2021, is the first signing of the Julen Lopetegui era at Molineux. 

The 23-year-old has joined on loan, though the transfer will automatically become permanent should certain clauses be triggered.

Lopetegui had already confirmed the transfer on Friday, though the club made the official announcement on Sunday.

Cunha will officially join on January 1, subject to a work permit.

A member of Brazil's gold medal-winning side at the Tokyo Olympics last year, Cunha scored six goals in 29 LaLiga appearances for Atleti in the 2021-22 campaign, but has failed to find the net this season.

"He's a good player. I know him, and I think he's a good signing for us for the present and also for the future," Lopetegui said of Cunha at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wolves' trip to Everton.

"He is a very complete forward. He has a good condition, good skills, not only technically but physically. This is England, and in the Premier League you have to be a very complete forward if you want to survive.

"I think he has this profile to play here for a lot of years. Of course, we are going to help him to develop his strengths in the future."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is proud of his team's achievements in 2022, including reaching a Champions League final he acknowledged was not one to remember.

The Reds finished second behind Manchester City in the Premier League last season, with the title race coming down to the final day.

Liverpool also won both domestic cup competitions, beating Chelsea on penalties on each occasion at Wembley Stadium.

However, their season ended in disappointment when their league heartbreak was followed by a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in Paris.

That match was marred by an incident outside the Stade de France, where Liverpool fans were accused of using fake tickets to access the ground and subsequently caused a bottleneck that resulted in riot police firing tear gas at spectators attempting to gain entry.

Liverpool's fans have since been cleared of any wrongdoing, and Klopp wanted to signal out the day after the Champions League final, when the Reds paraded the FA Cup and EFL Cup through the city, as the highlight of the year.

"From a sports point of view, 2022 was a pretty successful year I would say. It started with the EFL Cup final. The FA Cup final was special, I enjoyed it so much," he said in a video posted to Liverpool's website.

"Then the league was pretty spectacular. We were close again, I know that's not that much appreciated, I get that, when you come close.

"But from a coach's point of view I am pretty proud of that.

"The Champions League final, [Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut] Courtois had a pretty good day. We did quite well but it didn't feel [right] that night, it didn't feel for different reasons which we didn't know exactly directly after the game when we were already down.

"But when we heard the stories from our families what happened around the stadium, it was a clear it was a special night for the wrong reasons. So it will not be a Champions League final we will remember for the rest of our lives.

"What we will remember for the rest of our lives was the day after the Champions League final. You give your absolutely everything and you get a lot but not everything.

"If that's not worth a celebration, it would be the worst sign you can give to the outside world.

"That's why we celebrated two cup competitions, two cup wins, two big, big campaigns and that we are together and we are alive and we love each other. 

“This club is so special and if anybody didn't know it before, this day was proof of that. It was outstanding, I have no words for it. Now when I am speaking about it I get goosebumps."

Liverpool restart their season with a trip to Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

There have been only 15 Premier League matchweeks since the start of the season, but plenty has changed.

Arsenal, rather than Liverpool, look the biggest threat to Manchester City's title defence, while Newcastle United are third ahead of the campaign resuming on Monday.

With the January transfer window also just around the corner, it is time to revisit Stats Perform's ranking of the top 20 most valuable Premier League players, first published back in July.

Inspired by Bill Simmons' NBA trade value list for The Ringer, this is not a ranking of the 20 best Premier League players but perhaps the 20 most difficult to sign.

The following factors have all been considered: how important these players are to their clubs, how replaceable they are, how proven they are, how likely they are to be sold now or in the near future, and how much they would cost if they were to move, influenced by ages and contract situations.

There have been some significant moves since the previous edition...

1. Phil Foden – Manchester City (July rank: 2)

Foden has gone from strength to strength at City this season, excelled for England at the World Cup and, in October, signed a new contract. There is no amount of money in the world that could convince City to sell the 22-year-old.

2. Reece James – Chelsea (12)

James is perhaps Chelsea's equivalent of Foden, their most talented academy graduate and still only 23. He was in excellent form to start the season before sustaining an injury that ruled him out of the World Cup. His big leap is more due to Chelsea's continued commitment to success under new owner Todd Boehly.

3. Erling Haaland – Manchester City (3)

There will always be speculation around Haaland's future, the existence or otherwise of any clauses in his contract and the suggestion he might hope to play for a Real Madrid. But he is not going anywhere just yet and is surely the form player in European football this season.

4. Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City (4)

De Bruyne is now 31, making him by some distance the oldest player in the top five, and endured a miserable World Cup. However, the signing of Haaland has allowed De Bruyne to again showcase just how good he can be, thriving playing alongside a dead-eyed finisher.

5. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal (14)

The biggest star of Arsenal's resurgence has been Saka, who then also starred at the World Cup and was highly unfortunate to exit the tournament alongside his England team-mates. There will always be suspicions Arsenal will move on their best players eventually, but they are proving right now he does not need to leave to succeed.

6. Bruno Guimaraes – Newcastle United (15)

Another big jump takes Guimaraes up the rankings, having impressively built on his superb start to his Premier League career. Now an all-action number six, rather than a goal-getting box-to-box star, he has been linked to Real Madrid but appears committed to Newcastle, whose rapid progress should keep him happy.

7. Bruno Fernandes – Manchester United (7)

The Premier League's other big-name Bruno only narrowly trails Guimaraes, with Fernandes set to be United's undisputed main man following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure. It would likely only be United's failure to secure Champions League football that would see Fernandes consider his future.

8. Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool (5)

Four of the five Liverpool players on this list have fallen, although Van Dijk remains the Premier League's most valuable centre-back. Whether he is still the division's best at his position could be up for debate, however, with the Reds far less steady in defence this season.

9. Mohamed Salah – Liverpool (6)

Van Dijk's Liverpool team-mate Salah is 30 now and has slipped below his lofty standards at least in league play, scoring only six times so far this season. Liverpool will not rush to move on the winger, but they will be in trouble if this proves to be a sustained decline.

10. Harry Kane – Tottenham (10)

Spurs have seemingly guarded off interest in Kane from elsewhere, with potential suitors City happy with Haaland, but the arrival of Richarlison might also make them less reliant on the England captain than in previous years. He has still scored 12 league goals this season.

11. Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool (1)

Alexander-Arnold has long had detractors outside of Anfield – including Gareth Southgate, who seemingly considers him England's fourth-best right-back. But this is the first time the 24-year-old's Liverpool performances have really been scrutinised. Regardless of Liverpool's stance, rival clubs would likely look elsewhere for a more complete full-back option.

12. Ederson – Manchester City (10)

Ederson slips only due to the number of top players on the rise. He is the most valuable goalkeeper in the Premier League, and City's playing style would have to alter considerably if the Brazil man was ever to depart.

13. Alisson – Liverpool (11)

Alisson is perhaps a better all-round goalkeeper than his Brazil team-mate, but he does not have the City star's same passing range, making him ever so slightly less valuable. In his 2022-23 form, Liverpool will not be looking for a change.

14. Darwin Nunez – Liverpool (17)

Nunez is one of the more difficult Premier League stars to gauge, missing some huge chances and sitting out matches through suspension but still netting at an impressive rate and showing signs of his enormous potential. He looks likely to be Liverpool's main man in years to come.

15. Son Heung-min – Tottenham (8)

Son has scored in only a single Premier League match this season, albeit he netted a hat-trick against Leicester City, and this first real dip in form could eventually see the forward lose his place at Tottenham given the competition for places.

16. William Saliba – Arsenal (new entry)

The first new entry is perhaps the Premier League's outstanding defender this season. Saliba has clearly benefited from three years away from Arsenal on loan, returning as a commanding centre-back, brilliant both on the ball and off it. His limited role for France at Qatar 2022 will take some explaining.

17. Martin Odegaard – Arsenal (new entry)

Another new entry and another key Arsenal man, Odegaard is Mikel Arteta's captain at Emirates Stadium and has started to show he might just fulfil the huge potential that was evident in his play as a teenager. Legendary status would be secured if he led the Gunners to the title.

18. Declan Rice – West Ham (16)

Rice has not quite been at his best for West Ham this season, but more importantly, his contract is winding down. It has been reported the Hammers have accepted their most prized asset will likely leave at the end of the season. Still, the fee should be huge.

19. Sven Botman – Newcastle United (new entry)

Botman, signed from Lille at the start of July, was not even in the Newcastle team when the season began. He is now a guaranteed starter in a side chasing Champions League football and perhaps more. Newcastle have no need to sell a centre-back who is yet to lose a match in black and white.

20. Mason Mount – Chelsea (13)

Committed to repeating the success of the Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea have no need to sell academy product Mount. But he still has not quite yet shown himself to be one of the Premier League's elite talents, netting only twice for a team down in eighth.

The twelve Tottenham players who featured at the World Cup will not find rest easy to come by, to Antonio Conte's frustration.

Spurs return to action on Boxing Day against Brentford, just eight days after two of their players – France captain Hugo Lloris and Argentina defender Cristian Romero – played in the World Cup final.

Lloris will be on the bench against the Bees but Romero is unlikely to be in the squad. 

Spurs also have to contend with Richarlison's absence, with the Brazil forward having sustained a serious hamstring injury while playing in Qatar. Son Heung-min, Eric Dier and Harry Kane made it to the last 16 and quarter-finals of the competition with South Korea and England respectively, while Ivan Perisic went deep into the competition with Croatia.

"I am not really happy," Conte said. "On one hand, you are happy because for my club, Tottenham, to have 12 players at the World Cup it means that we are in the right way to try to be competitive and to try to win something.

"But it is normal that when you have so many players play a tournament like this, especially during the season, that now it is not easy because the physical condition is not at the top.

"It is impossible to give them a lot of rest and for sure with the players that didn't play the World Cup and we work for four weeks, now they are in a great physical condition.

"We worked a lot on the tactical aspect and physical aspect. Now they are at a level that is better than the players who finished the World Cup.

"For this reason I think I have to make the best decision for the game against Brentford.

"On one side I have players who I worked with for four weeks really well and on the other side, I have players who worked at the World Cup and are not at the top at the moment."

After taking on Brentford, Spurs host Aston Villa on New Year's Day before facing Crystal Palace on January 4.

It may sound bizarre in practically every way, but the Premier League resumes on Boxing Day following its mid-season World Cup break.

Barely eight days on from the World Cup final in Qatar, England's top flight returns with no one able to afford a sluggish resumption.

Of course, much has changed since Premier League teams were last in action in early November, and in one respect nowhere is that truer than at Arsenal.

Although top of the table, the Gunners are now without the man that many felt was key in transforming their fortunes this season, with Gabriel Jesus facing a significant spell on the sidelines due to injury.

Their season resumes at home to West Ham on Monday, with all eyes on how well they adapt without the Brazilian.

Boxing Day omens

The festive period is usually fairly unpredictable due to the sheer number of games teams have to play in December. The circumstances are obviously a little different this year.

With that in mind, most players should be fairly fresh, even considering those midweek EFL Cup exploits.

Perhaps then Arsenal will be even more confident of continuing their excellent record on Boxing Day, having last lost at home on December 26 in 1987. That is a run of 13 games without defeat – the last 10 of those were victories.

West Ham's recent record couldn't be much more different, having won just one of their past eight Boxing Day games – home or away – with a defeat of Swansea City in Wales six years ago the exception.

Does form matter?

If we rewind to early November, Arsenal were flying.

They won each of their previous nine Premier League home games before the season's break, with six of those wins coming this season.

Victory on Monday would equal their longest winning home run from the start of a top-flight campaign after also winning their first seven in 1934-35, 2005-06 and 2017-18.

Arsenal won their last three league matches, including at Chelsea and at Wolves, by an aggregate score of 8-0; they have not won four in a row without conceding since May 2014.

And to top it all off, West Ham lost each of their three most recent games to leave them with 11 away losses for the calendar year, last losing as many as 12 back in 2013.

But those respective runs and streaks were last added to roughly six weeks ago, so how much will they really count for? Certainly, for West Ham, the only way is up.

Gunned down

Hammers boss David Moyes has a generally dreadful record against the so-called top six.

It's become a bit of a feature in the Premier League, and Monday's trip to Arsenal puts his record back in the spotlight.

He has lost more away games against Arsenal in all competitions than he has any other opponent (17).

Further to that, he has only faced Chelsea (23 matches) on the road more often without ever winning than he has the Gunners (21).

Can Moyes finally end his Arsenal hoodoo?

Nketiah looks to answer the call

Jesus' absence for Arsenal is more than just about a goals output.

The Brazilian's haul of five in 14 Premier League games this term is hardly the stuff of legend, but he has offered so much to Arsenal's general play, bringing an ability to conjure something out of nothing and giving them a feisty edge in attack.

Eddie Nketiah will likely be the one to profit from Jesus' absence in terms of first-team minutes. The two players are significantly different, but the young Englishman might argue he will bring more of a goal threat.

In his previous 10 starts across all competitions at Emirates Stadium, Nketiah has scored 10 goals from just 15 shots on target.

Before this run, Nketiah netted only three goals in his first 10 home starts for Arsenal.

No one expects him to fully replace Jesus' influence, but helping the Gunners kick-start the season again with a positive impact against West Ham could be the reassurance some Arsenal fans need while awaiting the Brazil forward's return.

Manchester United's players must prove they deserve silverware as they continue to battle on multiple fronts under Erik ten Hag, according to midfielder Christian Eriksen.

The Red Devils defeated Burnley 2-0 on their return to action on Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, where third-tier Charlton Athletic await.

Ten Hag's side are also still in the Europa League, albeit with Barcelona up next in the knockout round play-offs, while their FA Cup campaign begins against Everton next month.

Having not won a trophy since their Europa League success in the 2016-17 campaign, Eriksen accepts United are not in a position to prioritise certain competitions.

"It's been a few years since winning a trophy the last time," Eriksen, who arrived at United as a free agent in July, told talkSPORT. 

"From where the club were to where we are now, the aim is to focus on every competition and see where we are in the end.

"It hasn't specifically been said that we have to win this or win that – all of the players just want to win as much as possible.

"But to get there we first need to prove that we deserve to be there. It's about every tournament. Like you saw against Burnley, even the [EFL Cup] is important for us."

Eriksen played the full 90 minutes against Burnley and opened the scoring at Old Trafford, before Marcus Rashford doubled United's lead in the second period.

That was United's first match in six weeks due to the World Cup break, which saw an early exit for Eriksen and his below-par Denmark side at Qatar 2022.

Fifth-placed United now face Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Bournemouth in the space of a week as the Premier League resumes, and Eriksen is glad to be back playing.

"I think it's nice to be back," he said. "It was important to get through to the next round in the cup and get the feeling of everyone being back and getting the win."

Fabinho believes Liverpool are well-placed to benefit from the World Cup break as Jurgen Klopp's team look to chase down their Premier League rivals.

Having fallen narrowly short of winning a second title of the Premier League era when amassing 92 points last season, Liverpool now sit sixth in the top flight, seven points adrift of a top-four place.

Jurgen Klopp's side did improve before the Premier League paused in November, and they could win three consecutive games for the first time this season when they visit Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

With France's Ibrahima Konate the only Liverpool player to remain involved beyond the quarter-finals at the World Cup, Fabinho believes the break has benefited the Reds.

"It can be good," he told the club's website. "I hope this will be good for the team because, as I said before, our position in the Premier League is not the position that we wanted it to be. 

"But this is the reality. We have to face it, we have to try to close the gap to the other teams and yes, game by game, try to play better and win."

Fabinho played 45 minutes as the Reds returned to competitive action with a 3-2 EFL Cup defeat to Manchester City on Thursday, and he was pleased to resume with a game of that magnitude. 

"In the game against City it was [important] to show that we are there, that we will fight with the best teams because we are one of the best teams as well," Fabinho said.

"I hope that we will keep this level because we will need it. To have this as the first game back from the World Cup, I think, was good for us. The intensity of the game was really good."

Manchester United have triggered one-year extension clauses in the contracts of Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Diogo Dalot and Fred, Erik ten Hag has confirmed.

With United three points adrift of the Premier League's top four with a game in hand ahead of the competition's resumption, each of the quartet has played a key role for Ten Hag's side.

In particular, Rashford has looked rejuvenated since the Dutchman took charge, leading the Red Devils' scoring charts with four Premier League goals this term and netting three times for England at the World Cup.

Rashford's deal had been due to expire at the end of the season, leading the forward to be linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, but Ten Hag has confirmed the 25-year-old is set to stay.

Asked about widespread reports claiming United had extended the players' contracts, the United boss told MUTV: "Yes, I can confirm it.

"We are happy because the squad is going in the right direction and those players [have made] a massive contribution in that direction.

"We want to develop, we want to support those players and we want them to keep in our process, so that's why we came to those decisions, I'm sure they are the right decisions. 

"We want to construct a team for the future, for longer years, and those players have to be part of it."

United will resume their Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Tuesday, having won four of their last five home games in the competition (D1).

The Red Devils have won each of their last six games against Forest in all competitions, recording an 8-1 victory in the teams' most recent meeting in February 1999.