Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir to raise his standards if he is to establish himself at Old Trafford. Speaking after United’s 1-1 draw with Fulham, the former defender admitted the Turkish international has shown glimpses of quality but still looks uncertain in key moments. “We look shaky. The goalkeeper doesn’t fill me with massive confidence. I’ve got to be honest with you, he made a great save in the game from Joshua King, when he came out with his feet, he did really well there.“But from set pieces, even outside of the goal, he’s coming for things that are 50-50 and he’s not sure. The whole backline doesn’t look good in that area, not just the goalkeeper to be honest with you.” Bayindir shaky displays have already drawn criticism, with his misjudged intervention leading to Riccardo Calafiori’s winner for Arsenal in last week’s 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford. United, currently 16th in the Premier League with one point from three matches, face growing scrutiny over their defensive frailties.

Chelsea will assess the fitness of Cole Palmer after the midfielder withdrew from Friday’s 5-1 win at West Ham with a groin problem. The England international, who has been central to Enzo Maresca’s plans, pulled up during the warm-up at the London Stadium and was escorted back to the dressing room by a member of the club’s medical staff. He is due to undergo a scan on Tuesday to determine the severity of the issue. Maresca admitted after the match that Palmer had been managing discomfort in the days leading up to the fixture.“Cole, in the last four or five days, was not 100%. Today, he tried to warm up, but he felt something,” the Italian explained. “So, we prefer not to take any risk to get worse. We’ll see now in the next hours if it’s something important or not.” The Chelsea boss added that the 23-year-old had been pushing to feature despite the setback:“He is trying to make a big effort for the club, for the team, for the fans. Because he is really keen about the team. Tonight, again, he tried. But it was not very good.” According to Standard Sport, Palmer did not train with the squad on Tuesday, leaving his availability for Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Fulham in doubt. With Maresca’s side looking to build on back-to-back league wins, his absence would be a significant blow.

Roma have submitted a formal offer for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, who remains on the club’s list of unwanted players this summer. Sancho, 25, is part of United’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ as the Premier League side continues to push him towards an exit. According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, Roma have emerged as the leading contenders for his signature. The Serie A side’s proposal is described as an ‘official’ bid, structured as a loan with an obligation to buy for £20 million next summer. Sancho’s current United deal runs until the end of the season, though the club hold an option to extend it by a further year.

Tijjani Reijnders made a dream start to life at Manchester City with a goal and an assist in a 4-0 win over Wolves, though the Dutch midfielder said he can “be better”. The 27-year-old, signed from AC Milan for €55m (£47.5m), was handed a starting place by Pep Guardiola and quickly impressed. He set up Erling Haaland for the opener before finishing off a counter-attack to double City’s lead, earning the Player of the Match award. “Yeah, it’s a really nice start, of course, to start with a goal and assist, especially in the Premier League,” Reijnders said. “It’s something you always dream about. It can be better. I’m always going on the pitch with a smile, I love playing football and enjoy every minute on the pitch. This is what I want to show the fans. Starting like this is unbelievable.” Reflecting on the win, he added: “The first game of the season, you don’t know what will happen or how the opponent will play. We did quite well, they put a bit of pressure on us, but we stayed calm and it’s a good 4-0 win.”

Nottingham Forest have secured the signing of forward Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich Town in a deal worth a reported £37.5 million.  The 21-year-old has signed a five-year contract ahead of Forest’s Premier League opener against Brentford on Sunday. Hutchinson scored three goals and added two assists in 32 appearances for Ipswich last season. “I’m really excited to be here and can’t wait to get started,” he said. “I’m going to give it my all, and I’m looking forward to the challenge as it’s a new chapter for me, but I feel ready.” Forest have already added Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye and Brazilian duo Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha to their squad, while captain Morgan Gibbs-White committed to his long-term future.  The club are also close to a £30m deal for Manchester City midfielder James McAtee as they prepare for a season that includes Europa League football.

Liverpool began the defence of their Premier League crown with a 4-2 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday. The match  which combined emotion, and  drama, roused a late surge from the champions. The evening opened with a tribute to the late forward Diogo Jota, before Arne Slot’s side produced a thrilling contest in his memory. Mohamed Salah and substitute Federico Chiesa struck late on to secure the match after Antoine Semenyo’s brace had pulled Bournemouth level. “Do you have half an hour?” Slot joked when asked to sum up the occasion. “Unbelievable atmosphere in the final minutes,” he said. “I thought that winning the league here (last season) will always be more special than winning a home game against Bournemouth, but the last six or seven minutes – wow, wow, wow, wow. How impressive that was. “Three teams involved in a great game. Why three teams? Bournemouth and us playing full gas for 96 minutes, or even longer, 99 I think, and the referee (Anthony Taylor) who just kept the game going, didn’t blow his whistle every single time for every small thing. It was a great game to watch. In the end, we won it. So that helps my emotions.” The Dutch coach added that the most poignant moment of the night came before kick-off. His “overriding emotion,” he said, was how “impressive and powerful the tribute for Jota was.”

Marcus Rashford has been registered in time to feature for Barça when the Spanish champions kick off their league campaign against Mallorca on Saturday. The England forward, who arrived last month on loan from Manchester United with an option to buy, is joined by goalkeeper Joan Garcia in Hansi Flick’s matchday squad. Garcia completed his move from Espanyol in June. Barcelona had been racing against time to secure registrations amid ongoing financial fair play restrictions. The club has struggled for several seasons to balance transfer spending and wage commitments with revenue, forcing them to prioritize which signings to register first. Both Rashford and Garcia now appear on La Liga’s official website, while the profiles of Gerard Martin  and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny  remain missing. This could indicate the Catalan side may be staggering their player registrations. The club’s difficulties were partly eased through negotiations with Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The German goalkeeper initially refused to sign a medical leave agreement that would allow Barcelona to free up 80% of his salary.  After losing the captaincy in the standoff, he eventually agreed to the deal and regained the armband.