• Updates from a finely-poised last-16 tie (agg 1-1, 8pm KO)
• Get in touch! Email Daniel | Live scores

It’s big night tonight for Højlund. He’s improved a bit in the last couple of games – he’s getting chances and missing them, rather than disappearing – and has done well in Europe since joining United. I think Amorim has him pegged, as it goes:

“We have to look at Rasmus as a player – he has the pace, he has the technique, he’s scored some goals that are really hard to score. Sometimes he doesn’t choose the better run, sometimes he’s so anxious to touch the ball and he moves away from the goal. We address that in training but sometimes it is the confidence of the player.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s company Compass is sadly symptomatic of what football has become

What’s this? A second article about the Ineos Compass in a week – it’s this kind of inefficiency that would never happen at Manchester United. But I have been staring at the Ineos Compass for the past 48 hours. For those of you fortunate enough not to have encountered it, according to Ineos’s website “the Ineos Compass was devised by chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a fun way of attempting to capture how Ineos works, and why”.

To the untrained (and perhaps also to the trained) eye, it is just a circle with words in it. “Words we like” are in the top portion and “words we don’t like” in the bottom. We like “no human is limited” – despite Sir Jim highlighting the limitations of a number of first-team players on Monday.

Local people are enthusiastic about regeneration, though some fans share Andy Burnham’s worries over where the money will come from

Even on a freezing, rainy day with no match scheduled, the area surrounding Old Trafford in Manchester is abuzz with football fans from far and wide.

Just a day since Manchester United revealed their plans for the new 100,000-capacity stadium in Old Trafford, there is a sense of excitement at the new proposals: the plans promise 92,000 jobs and a large-scale “regeneration” of the area, including 17,000 new homes.

• United manager says criticism of his players is fair
• Yoro and Maguire ruled out of Real Sociedad second leg

Ruben Amorim has said that Sir Jim Ratcliffe was correct to criticise Manchester United players, saying he and they are “underperforming”.

Ratcliffe claimed on Monday that the squad was overpaid and not good enough, referencing Casemiro, Rasmus Højlund, André Onana, Antony and Jadon Sancho when doing so. Amorim was asked about the comments from the club’s co-owner.

• Berrada hopes investment in team will not be affected
• Plan to build £2bn stadium in five years has this in mind

Omar Berrada has admitted it is a “risk” for Manchester United to try to build a world-class team and venue at the same time. The club announced on Tuesday they planned to construct a 100,000-seat ground on land adjacent to Old Trafford.

Berrada hopes United can move into the £2bn stadium by the start of the 2030-31 season but said the cost of building it could have an impact, acknowledging that Arsenal and Tottenham struggled to juggle building a ground and fighting at the top.

On Manchester United’s job losses, finances and new stadium, it takes hawk-like focus to work out what the co-owner is actually saying

A core strength of Ineos is direct accountability. Matrix structures are by definition amorphous, confusing, and create places for people to hide.

Hmm. That does sound bad, Sir Jim. Talk me through it one more time, these frustrating corporate shields, these blame-avoidance tactics you’re so worried about. But first could you please just come out from behind the table. And stop doing that admittedly very good Donald Duck voice.

Local lad Norman Foster’s plan envisions an enormous canopy over a new stadium and a ‘mixed-use mini-city’. But, given the club’s £1bn debts, the idea seems as flimsy as its own tensile membrane

‘What Manchester does today,” Benjamin Disraeli once proclaimed, “the world does tomorrow.” So begins the breathless promotional video for Manchester United’s proposed £2bn football stadium, summoning the words of the Victorian prime minister to launch Norman Foster’s vision for a “mixed-use mini city” beneath a gigantic, three-spired tent.

The only thing is, the world has seen quite a lot of big tops before. There is something decidedly retro about the plans, which depict a vast tensile canopy stretched over the 100,000-capacity stadium and its surrounds, covering what Lord Foster says will be “arguably the largest public space in the world”. Putting something bigger than Tiananmen Square under a tent doesn’t sound like a particularly appealing prospect, but then the Man Utd mantra appears to be bigger is better.

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Iconic. Ambitious. Exciting. Spine-tingling. All these adjectives and more greeted Tuesday morning’s announcement that Manchester United will build a 100,000-seater stadium to replace Old Trafford, and construct it within a five-year period. Add some context and one has to admire, above all, Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s chutzpah. Debts for his petrochemicals empire are forecast to reach almost £10bn this year. The All Blacks are taking legal action against Ineos for exiting a sponsorship deal early. Big Sir Jim has introduced a raft of cost-cutting measures at United, including more than 400 job losses and closure of the staff canteen.

I’m in good form, absolutely brilliant. On the flight I had chest pains and the crew on Virgin were brilliant … my heart rate was racing. From the time I was monitored on the aeroplane and for the few days in hospital, my resting heart rate was anything above 155 beats per minute. I had a virus that attached itself to my heart that just needed clearing, rebooting and going through the process. When I get home I will have some medical checks and go and see my GP, but I feel terrific now” – Stuart Pearce delivers some good news after his medical scare on a flight back from Las Vegas last week.

To be fair, Norman Foster has done a great job for Manchester United with his rendering of a new Old Trafford. Any chance he could also conjure up a couple of strikers who can score goals, a central midfield with some pace and a defence without Victor Lindelöf too while he’s at it?” – Noble Francis.

‘Not good enough and overpaid’: a moment of clarity from Big Sir Jim? Oh, he was talking about the players” – Adrian Riley.

Can I be the first of 1,057 readers to suggest that if Mikel Arteta’s side are serious about progressing beyond the Round of Arsenal, then they could really use an early goal in the second leg to settle the nerves?” – Ed Taylor (and no others).

I believe R Reisman (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) is on to something. I have filled out his feedback form and have successfully passed all conditions: a) this is funny; b) not too long; c) not offensive; d) I’m not Noble Francis; e) there are no links; f) hopefully no one else thought of this” – Mike Glogower (and no others).

• Officials say plan will create 92,000 jobs and 17,000 homes
• Architect Norman Foster puts ‘vast umbrella’ over ground

Manchester United have confirmed their intention to build a new 100,000-capacity stadium in the Old Trafford area, leaving their home of 115 years.

The news was celebrated by United as a potential driving force for renewal in the area as they revealed plans which, officials claim, will create as many as 92,000 jobs and 17,000 new homes in Greater Manchester.

• Co-owner backs Ruben Amorim to stay for ‘long time’
• He admits not sacking Erik ten Hag in summer was error

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has launched a blistering attack on Manchester United players, stating some are “not good enough” and “overpaid”, referencing Casemiro, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Rasmus Højlund and André Onana when doing so.

In a series of interviews, Ratcliffe, the club’s co-owner, also said that Ruben Amorim would be the head coach for a “long time”, and admitted that not sacking Erik ten Hag last summer was an error.

The head coach does not want his players to be so passive yet there were glimmers against Arsenal of how this team can play

Something extraordinary happened at Old Trafford on Sunday, almost without precedent during Ruben Amorim’s four months as the Manchester United manager. His team enjoyed a half-time lead. The only time they had done so previously was in his third game in early December at home against Everton. Back then, they went in 2-0 up en route to a 4-0 win. Now, in match No 26, they were 1-0 ahead against Arsenal.

Drill a little deeper and there is more remarkable detail. United have scored before the interval in only seven of Amorim’s games – a total of 10 goals. They have held the lead on five occasions in first halves, squandering three of them.

Supporters have marched in protest at a number of Premier League grounds. It’s not hard to see why they believe their game is being taken away

On Sunday, thousands of Manchester United fans marched in protest at the club’s ownership. The week before last, there was a (much smaller) march against their club’s owners by fans at Chelsea. A couple of weeks earlier there were protests at Tottenham. Fulham fans are deeply unhappy. There have been grumblings at Manchester City. In total, at roughly three-quarters of the Premier League clubs, there is significant supporter discontent.

In some ways, the protests are distant background noise. Television viewers could quite easily have watched United’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday and not known about the march. How big a deal is it, anyway, that around 5,000 people walked about a mile from a pub to a stadium, with most wearing black and chanting? The demonstrations are often incoherent. The one at Chelsea featured chants for Roman Abramovich, which suggested what they were really angry about is the club’s lack of success since the oligarch was sanctioned. It’s true that dissent would be rapidly quelled by a proper title challenge; nobody wants to disrupt that.

• Europa League last-16 return with Sociedad is ‘massive’
• Backs compatriot Rasmus Højlund to end goal drought

Christian Eriksen has admitted that there is “massive pressure” on Manchester United to beat Real Sociedad on Thursday in order to keep alive their hopes of playing European football next season.

United enter the Europa League last-16 second leg at Old Trafford with the tie poised at 1-1 after last week’s game at the Anoeta Stadium. After Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League United are 14th on 34 points, 11 behind Aston Villa in seventh – the last place that may earn a Europa Conference place, depending on who wins the domestic cups. United are out of both.

Stockport-born midfielder looks back on his goalscoring debut for Manchester United and why the champagne remains on ice

For almost eight years a bottle of champagne has sat with pride of place in Josh Harrop’s house. The cork will, according to the midfielder, never be popped. Instead it will serve as a reminder of how he lived out his dream of making his Manchester United debut at Old Trafford.

Stockport-born Harrop rose through United’s academy before being given his debut aged 21 by José Mourinho. Playing alongside Wayne Rooney and Paul Pogba, Harrop scored the first in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace to earn the man-of-the-match award. A new three-year deal was on the table but a desire to play regularly prompted him to move to Preston, leaving that 90 minutes in 2017 as his imprint on United history.

Ruben Amorim parks the bus, Son Heung-min shows he still has some spark and Marc Cucurella fires up Chelsea

• Premier League top scorers: the latest standings

Some observers look at Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou and see the same thing: stubbornness. But there is a big difference between them. With Tottenham, you have no idea what to expect. With Manchester United, you know exactly what to expect. A whole lot of nothing in the first half. Some flickers of fight in the second. Dismal results against middling Premier League teams. Decent ones against teams at the top and the bottom. This was Amorim’s first home game against a “big six” club, but it might as well have been away. He parked the bus. His nominal 3-4-2-1 was actually a 5-4-1. United started with no No 9 and just one real forward, Alejandro Garnacho. It’s three months since any of their strikers scored in the league. Their only goal threat, Bruno Fernandes, has been shunted back to central midfield. Where once they had wingers, now they have full-backs. Even when the bus moves, the handbrake stays on. Tim de Lisle

Match report: Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal

Match report: Tottenham 2-2 Bournemouth

Match report: Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

Match report: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester City

Match report: Chelsea 1-0 Leicester

Match report: Brentford 0-1 Aston Villa

• Arsenal 15 points behind Liverpool with game in hand
• ‘Today the frustration is that we haven’t won’

Mikel Arteta has refused to concede the title race is over, despite Arsenal languishing 15 points behind Liver­pool after a 1-1 draw at ­Manchester United on Sunday.

Arteta’s side have played 28 games, one fewer than Liverpool, but Arne Slot’s team need a maximum of only 16 points from their final nine matches to become champions. Arteta was asked if deep down he believes the Premier League title will again elude Arsenal.

After the pre-match protests about the owners, Amorim saw his wing-backs combine in what could be a taste of things to come

With 53 minutes gone at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s home support was treated for one brief, flickering moment to a glimpse of the Amorim-shaped universe, a vision of what might yet come to pass.

Out of nowhere, on an afternoon that had felt to that point like a competently staged practice event, United’s wing‑backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui appeared in a wide pincer, surging towards the Arsenal goal, a living breathing incarnation of the Amorim blueprint. Left wing-back Dalot dug out a cross. Right wing-back Mazraoui counted his strides and placed a measured volley just too close to David Raya.

Ruben Amorim had set the bar low, as he so often has sought to do during his tumultuous four months in charge at Manchester United. “We just need to survive,” the manager said as he assessed what used to be the must-see fixture of the English calendar, wary of a selection crisis that would deprive him of 11 players.

United did more than that and they were so close to cutting through the gloom at Old Trafford, all of the multi-layered problems, with an overdue victory. “Well, at least we’ve got Bruno,” read the cover of the United We Stand fanzine which was on sale outside the stadium. Never a truer sentence.

• March organised before home game against Arsenal
• Ratcliffe and Edward Glazer in attendance at Old Trafford

Several thousand Manchester United fans staged a protest against the Glazers’ and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership of the club before the 1-1 Premier League draw at home to Arsenal on Sunday.

Those who took part are unhappy at the direction in which the American family and the billionaire Ineos co-owner are taking the club. United have lost £300m in the past three years, will operate with a severely constricted budget in the summer transfer market and the fans are watching a poor side under the management of Ruben Amorim. With a point United climbed one place to 14th, 21 points behind opponents who not so long ago were close rivals.

• Updates from the 4.30pm GMT kick-off at Old Trafford
• Get in touch: email John | Premier League top scorers

This story reflects the general state of Manchester United.

“I will not have the time Arteta had – I feel that. It’s a different club. So we just need to survive with the players [available] on Sunday. I think it’s a different club – in that aspect, the way Arteta dealt with that is an inspiration for everybody but I will not have the time like Arteta had.”