• United could be tempted to sell captain to fund new signings
• ‘I just want my expectations to fit the expectations of the club’

Bruno Fernandes is pushing for a new contract from Manchester United that would take him into the top pay bracket with Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Jadon Sancho, as the captain waits for clarity regarding the manager and the club’s long-term vision before deciding whether to seek a transfer.

Although the United hierarchy, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, view Fernandes as the team’s best player and are not actively looking to sell him, the need to bring in funds and reduce the wage bill in order to invest significantly in the squad may mean any realistic offer will be countenanced.

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer had a couple of tough questions for the United manager after the Cup final – and they did it well

When is the right time to ask a manager if they’re going to be fired? Is there ever a right time? If you’ve just masterminded an FA Cup win over arguably the best team in world football, should you just be able to enjoy your afternoon?

It’s been interesting to watch the fallout – if that’s not too strong a word – from Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer asking Erik ten Hag a couple of pretty direct questions about his future in the Wembley sun last Saturday.

• United’s season was disrupted by more than 60 injuries
• Brailsford and head of sports medicine leading push for fix

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has identified Manchester United’s dire injury record as a critical area to address, believing this will hugely improve performance after a season in which Erik ten Hag’s players sustained more than 60 injuries.

Ratcliffe and his key lieutenant, Sir Dave Brailsford, are intent on strengthening United in the transfer window but are conscious that a squad of quality players is of no use if many are serially available. Ten Hag’s selection and ability to have a consistent way of playing were constantly disrupted, with the defence particularly affected.

• Owners are not allowed ‘decisive influence’ at multiple clubs
• Ratcliffe’s Ineos company also own Ligue 1 club Nice

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is confident Manchester United will not be demoted from the Europa League and will be allowed to compete next season alongside Nice, the French club he also owns via his company Ineos.

Uefa regulations prevent an organisation or person from wielding “decisive influence” over more than one club in the same competition. Ratcliffe has a 27.7% stake in United and controls the club’s football policy, and Ineos has owned Nice since 2019.

• Ratcliffe wants everyone in club offices and happy to trim staff
• Scheme set out in email and is open until next Wednesday

Manchester United staff have been offered early payment of an annual bonus if they resign by next Wednesday, as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s edict to get all employees into the club’s offices and his push to trim the workforce.

United have made it compulsory to work from their offices in Manchester or London from 1 June. Staff were informed in an email on Tuesday that anyone who does not wish to conform can quit and claim their bonus early for this season. It is understood the terms are also on offer to those who work exclusively from the offices but want to take the opportunity to leave with a payoff.

Our cartoonist on Erik ten Hag’s Wembley redemption and a summer of leadership symposiums at Old Trafford

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• Manchester United forward to take time away from social media
• Thanks the fans ‘that stood by me through a difficult period’

Marcus Rashford is planning to take some time to reset mentally after acknowledging he has endured a “challenging season”. The England forward was left out of Gareth Southgate’s training squad for Euro 2024 after scoring just eight goals in all competitions for a struggling Manchester United side who finished eighth in the Premier League.

But after helping his club end the season on a high by beating Manchester City in Saturday’s FA Cup final, the 26-year-old will now look to make the most of his summer of rest.

A derby victory over Manchester City at Wembley helped Erik ten Hag’s team gain some self-respect after recent domination by their closest rivals

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Some days, you wonder just why the FA Cup seems so embattled. Saturday’s final felt like a throwback: a sunny spring day, a sense of subplots coming together in an occasion that genuinely mattered, drama on the pitch and ultimately a shock. Perhaps it wasn’t quite Sunderland beating Leeds in 1973 or Southampton beating Manchester United in 1976 (or even Wigan beating Manchester City in 2013). But United finished lower in the league this season (eighth) than Wimbledon (seventh) did when they beat champions Liverpool in 1988. The status and histories of the clubs shouldn’t disguise what a shock United’s victory over City was.

For United, it was a great occasion. For them a first FA Cup in eight years and just their second trophy in seven, a step-up on the League Cup they won under Erik ten Hag last season. But more than that, they stopped City becoming the first club to win the Double in successive seasons. It’s not just about succeeding; it’s about the failure of others, especially your closest rivals.

This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nooruddean Choudry, John Brewin and Ben Fisher for a Wembley special

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On the podcast today; the underdogs did it - Manchester United won the FA Cup after beating rivals Manchester City. It was an excellent performance but what does it mean for Erik ten Hag?

• Italian’s success at Brighton has impressed Sir Jim Ratcliffe
• Erik ten Hag likely to be sacked despite FA Cup success

Roberto De Zerbi has been sounded out as a potential replacement for Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager.

De Zerbi’s attractive possession-based style of play and the 44-year-old’s feat of qualifying Brighton for European football last year for the first time in the club’s history have impressed Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who controls football operations at United having purchased a 27.7% stake in the club last year.

Players recall emotions and excitement of three defining matches for club’s historic achievement across 10 glorious days

Tottenham’s Les Ferdinand worried his goal would hand Arsenal the title. Rob Lee recalls Newcastle “squabbles” going into the FA Cup final. Raimond van der Gouw predicted 2-1 but trailing 1-0 with a few minutes left told Phil Neville that Champions League glory against Bayern Munich in Barcelona would be “difficult now”. Recollections from players involved in the three defining games of Manchester United’s treble, the first in English football history, entering Sir Alex Ferguson’s team into immortality across 10 glorious days a quarter of a century ago on Sunday.

As Tottenham arrived at a sun-dappled Old Trafford on 16 May 1999 for the final match of the Premier League campaign, Ferguson’s team had 76 points, one more than Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal. Yet, after 24 minutes, disaster struck as Ferdinand scored in a moment of difficult emotion for the childhood Spurs fan.

Manchester United have endured crisis after crisis this season but their head coach will always have Wembley glory

It was one of the great shows of ego and defiance, pure theatre, pure Louis van Gaal. As another embattled Manchester United manager from the Netherlands found himself in the same position, it was impossible to ignore the echoes. Erik ten Hag’s delivery was different, more measured and understated. But, like Van Gaal before him, he had entered the arena for a fight. He made his punches count.

“I show you the Cup,” Van Gaal said in 2016 after leading United to victory against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final as he headed for the sack; he was informed of the decision 24 hours later. Van Gaal strode into the Wembley press conference room with the trophy, which he set down on the end of the desk before repositioning it bang in front of him after he took his seat.