A (partial) new owner, new signings, a new mood, but for Manchester United it was a very familiar story. João Pedro got the winner in the fifth minute of injury time and, while United will lament a farcical second-half offside that denied them the lead, Brighton had looked the likelier to score for all but about 10 minutes of the second half.

For United this was another performance that was probably better than equivalent games last season, but still far from good enough. The gains of the Dave Brailsford era have, so far, been a little too marginal.

• Forward ‘has to go a long way but has high potential’
• Manager also praises development of Kobbie Mainoo

Erik ten Hag believes Alejandro Garnacho has a “long way” to go to become world class but is adamant the Manchester United forward has the “X-factor” to achieve this status.

Garnacho is one of three United players, alongside Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Højlund, ringfenced this summer by Ten Hag as not being up for sale given their importance to the club’s future. The 20-year-old scored 10 times last season in all competitions as he established himself in the first team but, according to his manager, still has work to do in order to achieve greatness in the game.

Ilkay Gündogan is not the first to go back somewhere they were a great success and enjoyed great acclaim

Ilkay Gündogan is back at Manchester City and could make his ‘second debut’ for the club against Ipswich on Saturday. Prior to the 33-year-old doing so, we revisit five other Premier League players who returned to clubs where they were stars and reflect on what happened the first time they played for them again.

Trip to Brighton presents a dangerous obstacle for manager trying to mould team together after an influx of players

Manchester United’s late 1-0 victory over Fulham in last Friday’s season opener showed concerning similarities with last year’s travails. Better were the crisp phases of passing and intelligent movement during the first half, but then came a falling away of shape, of dismal finishing – Bruno Fernandes being a chief culprit – and the reliance, again, on a moment rather than in-game domination to claim victory: the substitute Joshua Zirkzee’s deft 87th-minute finish finally beating Bernd Leno.

For the young Dutchman a dream start after his £34m transfer from Bologna. For his compatriot Erik ten Hag, the contemplation of more unwanted forward line profligacy, summed up by a pithy post-match demand that his charges “kill in the box”, and the hope that at Brighton in Saturday’s 12.30pm kick-off the team will finally click and show they can be a formidable unit this campaign. The trip to the south coast is a test. Fabian Hürzeler’s men are coming off the 3-0 hammering of Everton at Goodison Park – the very best of beginnings for the Seagulls under a new manager who does not turn 32 until February.

This fluff comes out only after dark

The path from Everton to Liverpool is not one well travelled. Nick Barmby was the last. Or was it Abel Xavier? If the other route is more travelled – think Kevin Sheedy, Peter Beardsley, Gary Ablett – it’s still not the done thing. So, Jarrad Branthwaite to Anfield, a deal that’s been bubbling under. Will it happen? The offer is £63m plus £7m in add-ons to prise the centre-back across Stanley Park. If Everton fans are used to seeing their stars sold too early – Wayne Rooney, Franny Jeffers, John Stones spring easily to mind – then perhaps a new ownership under John Textor may prevent a deal.

Branthwaite’s links with Manchester United were closed out by their purchase of Matthijs de Ligt. United are closing in on a deal to sign Manuel Ugarte on a season-long loan deal from PSG, with obligation to buy. Jadon Sancho? Loaned to Barcelona.

• Manager: ‘This season will be survival of the fittest’
• Unclear if Jadon Sancho available after ear infection

Erik ten Hag has warned his Manchester United players to accept being dropped from the matchday squad and that they must remain motivated to contribute when required.

The manager left Jadon Sancho out of last September’s trip to Arsenal, causing the player to challenge the decision publicly. The situation led to Sancho’s departure to Borussia Dortmund on loan, although he is now back in Ten Hag’s plans. The 24-year-old was left out of the 1-0 opening day win over Fulham because of an ear infection, Ten Hag explained after the game.

Today’s fluff awaits the rain

West Ham are still in the market for a centre-back, with Victor Nelsson a potential target. The Denmark international, who plays his club football for Galatasaray, is also wanted by Sevilla, Lille and Bologna. It is thought a deal could be done for a fee in the region of £12m but the Hammers are currently reliant on sales to generate income.

Chelsea are desperate to clear the decks because they have created some of the most bizarre business in Premier League history, leaving them with a bloated and confused squad, not to mention a cripplingly expensive one. One unwanted player is Ben Chilwell, who is training away from the first team. The Blues have, supposedly, offered him up to Manchester United because they need a left-back in the absence of a Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

An electrifying retelling of how the Munich air disaster changed football and Britain for ever

Why the plural? There’s only one Munich in David Peace’s new novel, and we see very little of it: the slushy runway where British European Airways flight 609 crashes on February 6, 1958; the hotel room where two survivors spend their first bewildered night; the hospital where their fellow passengers recover – or don’t. This is surely the story of one accident, one time, one team: the air crash that killed 23 out of 44 passengers, including eight of Manchester United’s players, three of its staff, and eight journalists.

But Peace’s reasoning becomes clear over the several hundred pages of this relentless, electrifying, harrowing novel. The Munich Air Disaster, so integral a part of how the football club developed, and which had such a profound impact on the city, the north of England, the sporting community and the country as a whole, might easily not have happened had takeoff been aborted. And what would the world look like then?

• Investigation dropped ‘without indictment’, say lawyers
• Manchester United player denied allegations of violence

The Brazilian police investigation into allegations of violence against the Manchester United winger Antony has been dropped by the Sao Paulo civil police “without indictment”, his legal representative has stated.

Antony, who denied the allegations, is understood to have voluntarily been interviewed by Brazilian police last June. The winger, who was not arrested or charged, was also the subject of a Greater Manchester police investigation.

Today’s tittle-tattle tells us desperate times call for desperate measures

It has been at least 15 minutes since Chelsea handed a massive contract to a player they did not need, so it is no great surprise that they are considering a late move for Ivan Toney. Brentford, though, expect the player to join Al-Ahli as per his childhood dream of one day running out for The Classy Ones; the Mill is choking up.

Meantime their traditional rivals, Al-Hilal, are also hoping to be busy. They fancy a full-back so are looking at Kyle Walker and João Cancelo, in case either prefers swapping quality football, packed stadiums and the Champions League for the chance to crown their career at football’s Fyre festival.

• United happy to wait until deadline day to make move
• PSG currently value the Uruguay midfielder at £51m

Manchester United are willing to wait until transfer deadline day to try to sign Manuel Ugarte. There does not have to be any outgoings to finance the deal although Paris Saint-Germain’s £51m valuation of the Uruguay midfielder is deemed too high by United and there is belief that the French champions may reduce it as the deadline nears.

Ugarte could be purchased now by United should PSG lower their asking price but the manager, Erik ten Hag, and the sporting director, Dan Ashworth, are prepared to bide their time to force a reduction. The window closes at 11pm on 30 August and United are intent on making more sales before then. The players the club would listen to offers for include Victor Lindelöf, Casemiro, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Scott McTominay.

Good first impressions at Manchester United, David Raya’s magic moment and more utter chaos at Chelsea

It was very much a case of job done for Manchester United on Friday night as they edged past Fulham. United did not secure the convincing win that many desired but three points is a good base from which to start the campaign. Erik ten Hag will be further boosted by the performances of his three debutants. Noussair Mazraoui was the only one to start, playing at right-back where he provided energy and looked composed on the ball. Matthijs de Ligt came on with Jonny Evans as the defence was reshuffled late on to help preserve United’s clean sheet, with Fulham stretching their tired hosts. De Ligt worked diligently but was upstaged by his compatriot, Joshua Zirkzee, who provided the 87th-minute winner with a cunning finish as United finally got the better of Bernd Leno. Each recruit offered an indication of what they will bring to United and, like the team, the new arrivals have something to build on. Will Unwin

Match report: Manchester United 1-0 Fulham

Match report: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

Match report: Chelsea 0-2 Man City

Match report: West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa

Match report: Ipswich 0-2 Liverpool

Match report: Everton 0-3 Brighton

• Greenwood scored twice in Marseille’s 5-1 win over Brest
• Forward’s arrival in summer drew backlash from fans

The Marseille head coach, Roberto De Zerbi, has said he hopes Mason Greenwood’s debut goals on Saturday will “calm the controversies” around the striker.

Greenwood left Manchester United this summer, signing a five-year contract with the Ligue 1 side after the clubs agreed a £26.6m fee. The forward had not played for United since being suspended in January 2022 and spent 2023-24 on loan at the Spanish side Getafe.

• Bruno Fernandes twice denied in one on ones
• United had to rely on 87th-minute Zirkzee goal

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United cannot continue to waste chances, having missed a number of good opportunities before Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench to score the winner against Fulham with three minutes to go.

Bruno Fernandes was repelled twice by Bernd Leno in one-on-one situations before the break and Mason Mount suffered a similar fate in the second half.

New signing made an instant impact to rescue what threatened to be another false start for Erik ten Hag’s side

It wasn’t brilliant from Manchester United, but it was a win, it was better than the 1-0 win over Wolves with which they started last season and, perhaps most significantly, it was a victory achieved with a late goal from one of their new signings. And those are the ingredients for optimism.

It’s true that if Joshua Zirkzee had not steered in an Alejandro Garnacho cross with three minutes remaining, the mood would have been very different. But then the whole tenor of the game would have been very different had Bruno Fernandes converted either of his one-on-one opportunities against Bernd Leno before half-time. Games, seasons and careers are decided by fine margins and, on this occasion, they went for United.

It was certainly not the convincing and commanding display Erik ten Hag might have desired to kickstart what is hoped will be a new Manchester United era, but a winning goal from the debutant striker Joshua Zirkzee and a clean sheet against Fulham brought the platform he craves.

Ten Hag knows it was a similar story last season when they bungled their way past Wolves to start a campaign that ended with an eighth-placed finish. Results are what matter but performances will need to improve once the team settles. Zirkzee arrived from Bologna in the summer and he has built expectations early and showed a clinical nature that has been lacking at Old Trafford for a number of years. His jabbed effort might have looked like a stroke of luck but it was precision finishing from the Dutch international who wears the No 11 shirt, a garment somewhat tainted since the retirement of Ryan Giggs a decade ago.

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Here we go, then, as Fulham get the first match of the new Premier League season underway. But not before the knee of justice is taken. Andreas Pereira with 2024-25’s first kick of the ball. “I don’t have any Man U or Fulham defenders in my FPL team, so I’m confident of a 6-6 draw,” predicts Chloë Vaughan.

The teams are out! Expectation crackles around a packed Old Trafford as United and Fulham take to the field in their fetching new Adidas strips. Three bars ahoy! Trefoils to come. The hosts in red, the visitors in white, a classic look that acts as balm for tired eyes. There’s been plenty of noise ever since United’s quartet of new signings – the aforementioned Mazraoui, De Ligt and Zirkzee, plus the crocked Leny Yoro – were announced to the crowd a few minutes ago. The 2024-25 Premier League season kicks off in two or three of your Lancastrian minutes!

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Are you ready for the new Premier League season? Because Manchester United aren’t! In a mature, realistic observation that has already been disingenuously twisted by shameless emoji-wielding wrong’uns, Erik ten Hag said his team may not come roaring out of the blocks when they play Fulham tonight. “We had the USA tour squad, then we added the players who did the Euros and Copa América, and now new signings,” he said. “Now we have to make a team from it. That team is not ready, but the league starts – and there are more managers to deal with this problem. We can’t run away from it, so we have to deal with it.”

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New managers, new players, new hopes and new dreams as clubs ready themselves for another marathon season

Erik ten Hag is one step closer to playing an all-former-Ajax back five after the arrivals of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. With André Onana and Lisandro Martínez already in position, the head coach’s influence in transfer activity is clear. What this means, however, is that Ten Hag will not be left with many excuses if the defence is not up to scratch. The vast majority of new players arriving in the Premier League need time to settle, but how much can they be afforded given the need to get off to a good start? They should all know how the manager wants them to operate, having worked with him before, but whether they can function as a unit remains to be seen. Fulham won at Old Trafford last season and are capable of doing it again, which would put United on the back foot from the start. With a difficult trip to Brighton followed by Liverpool at home, United’s new defence must harmonise quickly, otherwise the pressure will be on. Will Unwin

Manchester United v Fulham, Friday 8pm (all times BST)

Ipswich Town v Liverpool, Saturday 12.30pm

Arsenal v Wolves, Saturday 3pm

Everton v Brighton, Saturday 3pm

• Manager says his trophy haul second only to City
• ‘We want to win every competition,’ Dutchman adds

Erik ten Hag says Manchester United’s ambition is to win the Premier League, claiming they have only been second best to rivals Manchester City since his arrival in 2022.

The Dutchman has led the club to Carabao Cup and FA Cup triumphs in his first two seasons but they finished a disappointing eighth in May.