Man United v Fulham LIVE – Latest transfers as Spurs sign Wilson Odobert and team news ahead of 2024/25 Premier League season opener

Manchester City midfielder Rodri has been ruled out of his side’s Premier League opener at Chelsea on Sunday.

City are bidding to make it five straight top-flight titles and while England trio Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker could feature, City boss Pep Guardiola confirmed Rodri will not be ready.

The 28-year-old Spaniard has only just returned to training after being forced off at half-time during his country’s win against England in last month’s Euro 2024 final.

Guardiola said: “He is in training. I don’t know, I haven’t seen him yet. He feels good. We’ll have to see how he feels after training.”

When asked if he could be involved at Stamford Bridge, Guardiola replied: “No chance.”

Foden, Stones and Walker could be included in the squad despite only returning to training in midweek after an extended break.

“I’m pretty sure they won’t be ready for 90 minutes, maybe yes, maybe 15 minutes,” Guardiola said.

“The important thing is everybody is back and except for Oscar (Bobb) the rest are OK.”

Bobb will have surgery on Friday to repair a fractured bone in his leg following a non-contact training ground incident on Wednesday and Guardiola expects the Norway winger to be sidelined for up to four months.

Newcastle will be without striker Callum Wilson for tomorrow afternoon’s encounter with Southampton, but there was encouraging news from Eddie Howe today as the manager revealed that the striker is not far away from a return.

“Callum will be back in the early part of the season,” Howe said. “He’s probably a couple of weeks away. He’s making really good progress. To be honest, he wants to push a bit faster, but we’re just trying to manage the situation.”

The long-term absences of Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles reduce Newcastle’s options at the back, and Joe Willock is also not yet fully match fit. Sandro Tonali, meanwhile, will be available from August 28 after serving his betting suspension.

England international Kalvin Phillips has joined newly-promoted Ipswich on a season-long loan from Premier League rivals Manchester City.

The 28-year-old midfielder, who spent the second half of last season with West Ham, could make his debut in Saturday’s clash with Liverpool at Portman Road.

“This is a day I’ve been waiting a number of weeks for now and I’m very happy to be here,” Phillips told the Tractor Boys’ website.

“I want to play as many games as possible, enjoy playing football again and help the team win as many games as possible in the Premier League.”

Phillips, who has 31 international caps and represented his country at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, has made only five top-flight starts since leaving boyhood club Leeds to join City for a reported £45million in 2022.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, who guided the club to promotion last term, said: “Kalvin has much to offer us in terms of his qualities both on and off the ball, and he is a really humble and likeable character.

“He has been a key member of a newly-promoted team in the Premier League before and of course made a big impression for Leeds United during that period.”

Tariq Lamptey, Pervis Estupinan and Evan Ferguson are all back in training for Brighton but are unlikely to be involved at Goodison Park at the weekend.

Hurzeler said: “There are quite a few players who came back this week. I can’t say if they’re already ready for the first game at Everton.

“Pervis is back on the pitch, Tariq is back on the pitch, Ferguson will be too. So it’s great news, but I’m not sure if they’re ready for the first match.

“I think that the squad who played against Villarreal, all of them should be ready.

“We are trying to push our limits, we try to build on the foundations of the last years.

“The Premier League is very competitive but when I look at our squad, the potential is there. The belief is that we can achieve something and make it a season to remember.”

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo hopes he will not be criticising referees this season.

Nuno was regularly questioning decisions which went against his side last term and on Thursday was handed a £40,000 fine and a suspended touchline ban for comments he made after his side were controversially denied three penalties at Everton last season.

But after Premier League managers met with Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) boss Howard Webb this summer, Nuno is confident better decisions are on the way.

Asked whether he will be moaning about referees as much this season, which kicks off at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, he said: “I hope not, honestly.

“We had a nice meeting, the managers, and he [Webb] explained in detail the changes that they want to implement. Decisions to take less time, better decisions, I’m confident.

“I’m really confident after the meetings we’ve had things will improve, not only for Forest but for all the Premier League. They are trying very hard to improve. We have to trust the referees.

“When people tell you and speak to you and you see their desire to improve, we have to trust them and we as a club have to trust them.

“They are trying very hard to make improvements. I always said – and I said this at the meetings – that it’s the referees who should be the ones to make the decisions, not those who are so far away. That was my main message.”

The full-back has not played for City since January 2023 after falling out with Guardiola and has since spent loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

But the Portugal international is training with City’s first team now and may stay, with Guardiola revealing that so far in the transfer window, there has been no interest in signing the 30-year-old.

“Maybe [he will] stay, maybe go on loan, I don’t know yet,” said Guardiola. “He’s training with us, behaving really well in the training sessions. He loves to play football. We will see.”

Asked directly if Cancelo could be back in his team, he replied: “It can happen.”

The former Juventus defender was a key player for Guardiola in the two-and-a-half years before losing his place in the side as he was twice voted a member of the PFA Team of the Year.

But while Cancelo struggled to adapt to a situation when he wasn’t in the team, the City manager said he never doubted his talent.

“In training we say ‘hi’ and talk,” Guardiola said. “About what’s going to happen, it depends on his agents and the club. In the end, if he has to stay we will treat him like all the other players like we have done since I have been here. With respect, and try to take the best for his huge qualities that he has. I never doubt about his qualities one second. But I don’t know what is going to happen.”

The new season in England’s top flight starts tonight and that means the long-awaited return of Fantasy Premier League.

Many players will have already picked their squads for the opening gameweek of the 2024-25 campaign, though even at this stage, new signings and potential injuries might change things – or just a sudden hit of inspiration after reading a list of the best signings, perhaps.

The usual suspects — the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah — will be among the most popular picks. But there are plenty of other players across the Premier League who might offer genuine value this season.

And most importantly, with a Friday night kick-off, the deadline for gameweek 1 is fast approaching – so remember to join your mini-leagues beforehand!

Here is everything you need to know on the deadline plus 30 players we think might solid additions to any FPL side.

One more to add to that Fulham exit list!

Brazil international Willian is leaving Fulham after two years at the Premier League club, the 36-year-old said on Friday.

The former Arsenal and Chelsea player signed a one-year contract extension at Fulham last year, which has now expired. Reports in the British media have linked him with a move to Saudi Arabia.

“I would like to thank Fulham for a wonderful two years. It was special to return to the Premier League and be part of this historic club and the amazing fans,” Willian wrote on Instagram.

“I have had incredible moments and this club will always be in my heart.”

Willian, who plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder, made 58 Premier League appearances during his Fulham stay, scoring nine goals.

He scored in a 2-1 win against his former club Chelsea in January 2023, helping Fulham to get their first league victory over their West London rivals in 17 years.

Fulham begin their Premier League campaign at Manchester United later on Friday.

Tonight’s focus has been somewhat on Man United…but have opponents Fulham done enough this summer? Joao Palhinha is a huge loss…and we don’t yet know how well Emile Smith Rowe will bounce back from two years of barely any football, either.

• Ryan Sessegnon – Tottenham, free
• Emile Smith Rowe – Arsenal, £34m
• Jorge Cuenca – Villarreal, undisclosed

• Tim Ream – Charlotte FC, undisclosed
• Joao Palhinha – Bayern Munich, £47.4m
• Bobby Decordova-Reid – Leicester, free
• Tyrese Francois – Wigan, free
• George Okkas – Rio Ave, free
• Tosin – Chelsea, free
• George Wickens – Lincoln, undisclosed
• Marek Rodak – Released
• Terence Kongolo – Released
• Luciano D’Auria-Henry – Released
• Caelan Avenell – Released
• Ma’Kel Bogle-Campbell – Released
• Montague Conway – Released
• Matt Dibley-Dias – Northampton, loan
• Devan Tanton – Chesterfield, loan
• Luke Harris – Birmingham, loan
• Olly Sanderson – Bradford, loan
• Kieron Bowie – Hibernian, undisclosed
• Harvey Araujo – Chesterfield, loan

A quick break from the Premier League and a word from the new interim England boss, Lee Carsley – who has said that he wants to put his “own stamp” on the team as he prepares to take charge of the senior squad for the first time.

And speaking to the FA’s in-house media channel, Carsley said that this role is “a very prestigious job following Gareth and Steve [Holland] and the great job that they have done”.

“First and foremost, it’s getting the squad together and picking the right players while trying to get a balance between making sure it’s fresh and competitive but understanding that there are games that we need to do well in and win.

“It’s important that we put our own stamp on the squad and make some adjustments, but also to realise that a lot of the players have done really well in the past and we have to acknowledge that.”

Carsley will be looking to emulate the success of his predecessor, and potentially go one step further if he ends up staying in the job.

“I’ve got a relationship with those players and have known them quite a few years,” Carsley said.

“There’s players that I don’t know as well, but I’m very much aware of them and I think we’ve got some outstanding players in the senior team.

“In the pathway, the level of players over the years has really improved and you can see that by the way we’ve done in major tournaments. The next step is winning, and that’s got to be the objective.”