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By CHRIS WHEELER, NORTHERN SPORTS WRITER and NATHAN SALT - FOOTBALL REPORTER Published: 04: 00 AEDT, 25 February 2026 | Updated: 05: 52 AEDT, 25 February 2026 7 View comments Manchester United have joined the Premier League clubs monitoring Morgan Gibbs-White’s situation at Nottingham Forest. United, who also have a strong interest in Gibbs-White’s team-mate Elliot Anderson, are among a number of rivals looking to benefit if Forest are relegated this season. However, Confidential understands United’s new pay scale may hinder their efforts to persuade either player to turn down bigger offers from other clubs and move to Old Trafford in the summer. Gibbs-White, who can play at No 10 or wide on both flanks, has a release clause in the new contract he signed after Tottenham failed with a £60million bid last year. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis persuaded the 26-year-old England international to agree a new deal at the City Ground, putting him on a similar salary to United’s most recent signings, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, at around £150, 000-a-week. United have been trying to drive down their wage bill, but it could leave them at a severe disadvantage in the chase for Gibbs-White and Anderson – even more so with Manchester City and Chelsea understood to be tracking Anderson in particular. Manchester United are interested in Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White who has a release clause in the new contract he signed after Spurs failed with a £60m bid last summer City beat United to the £64m signing of Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo in January, and would be among the favourites again as players and agents adapt to the new financial norm at Old Trafford. Earning in excess of £100m by qualifying for the Champions League would have a huge impact on United’s ability to offer big money for transfer targets in the summer, but the club are still committed to moving high earners off the books. Casemiro will leave at the end of his £375, 000-a-week contract in June amid interest from LA Galaxy, and £250, 000 high earner Jadon Sancho will also become a free agent. United hope to offload Marcus Rashford’s £315, 000 wages by selling him to Barcelona in a permanent £26m deal, and have asked Harry Maguire to lower his current wage of £180, 000 in discussions over a new contract. That would leave Bruno Fernandes as United’s highest-paid player, and there is uncertainty over the captain’s future as well. Gibbs-White would be an ideal replacement for Fernandes if he leaves United after the World Cup. United hope to offload Marcus Rashford’s eye-watering £315, 000-a-week wages by selling him to Barcelona in a permanent £26m deal in the summer Another courtroom twist for Harry? Another court date looms in Maguire’s long-running Greek saga and, once again, don’t hold your breath that it will finally go ahead in Syros next Wednesday. March 4 has been slated and, once again, Maguire’s defence team will be ready to go to court to clear his name as we approach the sixth anniversary of his arrest on a family holiday to Mykonos. But the retrial has been postponed four times so far – most recently in October – and there is every chance it will be again, according to sources. Maguire, who would not have to attend the hearing in person, was arrested in the summer of 2020 following a brawl, and convicted of assaulting a police officer and attempted bribery. The United star was handed a 21-month suspended sentence, but the conviction was automatically quashed on appeal under Greek law. There is even a possibility that it will never come to trial at all because the statute of limitations in Greece takes effect after eight years, in August 2028. The issue doesn’t seem to be weighing on Maguire’s mind, judging by another fine performance at Everton on Monday when he demonstrated yet again why United would be wise to offer him a new contract. Maguire played in central defence alongside Leny Yoro who found out earlier in the day that he has been banned from driving for six months after being clocked doing more than 70mph in a residential zone last August. Another court date looms in Harry Maguire’s long-running Greek saga following his arrest on a family holiday to Mykonos six years ago Martinez on the mend Lisandro Martinez had started all of Michael Carrick’s first five games in charge alongside Maguire, but the Argentine was forced to miss the win at Everton with a calf injury sustained in training. However, Confidential understands that it is a minor problem and Martinez may even be back in contention for Sunday’s clash with Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. Ironically, it was Maguire who went into the Everton game with a question mark over his fitness after he limped out of the 1-1 draw at West Ham two weeks ago with what looked to be a hamstring problem. Money talks for Reds All eyes will be on United’s latest financial results when they are released on Wednesday after the first-quarter figures in December made for grim reading. Although the club reported an operating profit of £13m and said it was on course for full-year revenues of £640m-£660m, it also emerged that overall debt had reached a record £1. 29billion. The financial debt rose to an all-time high of £749. 2m after United drew an additional £105m from a revolving credit facility to help cover the cost of signing Sesko, Mbeumo, Cunha and Senne Lammens last summer. In the three months since then, United have lost valuable matchday income due to not playing in Europe for only the second time in 35 years, and falling at the first hurdle of both cup competitions. They have also had to pay Ruben Amorim £10m in compensation after he was sacked in January, while the search for a new training kit sponsor has been ongoing since the deal with Tezos lapsed last summer. The financial results underline the importance of United qualifying for the Champions League this season, and victory over Everton lifted Carrick’s side back into fourth. But with the second-quarter results due out at around noon on Wednesday, it might get worse before it gets better. Cunha leaves in style Monday was United’s first visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and Everton’s new 52, 000-capacity home really is a magnificent arena. However, clubs who trade up sometimes find that they lose some of the rawness of their old grounds – as many West Ham fans would no doubt agree. As impressive as Everton’s stadium is, it’s hard to imagine Matheus Cunha emerging from Goodison Park to quite the same reception as he did on Monday, as the United star acknowledged the cheers from supporters and then posed for pictures before boarding the team bus back to Manchester. Cunha has been talking to Brazilian outlet ge about the effect Carrick has had on the United squad. ‘He was a multi-champion for Manchester United in his playing days, ’ said Cunha, who helped set up Sesko’s decisive goal against Everton. ‘He won the league several times. He knows what it's like to win here. I believe that, more than tactical issues, Carrick adds a lot to this side because he knows the path of representing this club. ’ Reflecting on his favourite moment in a United shirt, Cunha chose his late winner at Arsenal. ‘It was one of those games that mark a career. I will never forget it, ’ he added. Matheus Cunha's late winner at Arsenal is his favourite moment so far in a United shirt. ‘It was one of those games that mark a career, ' he said. 'I will never forget it' It’s a date for Mazraoui A lovely moment in the aftermath of the win over Everton was Noussair Mazraoui being handed a box of dates from a journalist before he boarded the team coach. Dates are popular for players observing Ramadan because they are a traditional, healthy way to quickly replenish energy and nutrients after fasting. Mazraoui was touched by the gesture and gave his match-worn shirt to the reporter as a thank you for the gift. Everton’s Idrissa Gueye also received a box of dates. It comes before United put on one of their biggest Iftar events ever on Tuesday at Old Trafford, with around 200 people expected to attend. Last year, led by their Muslim Supporters’ Club, Old Trafford hosted its first fan-led Iftar meal and it has been expanded for 2026, once again highlighting the importance of culture and diversity at the club in the wake of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent remarks, which the club distanced themselves from in a statement. Cops put fans in the picture Fans approaching Hill Dickinson Stadium may have noticed a change in police tactics, with live facial recognition (LFR) in use. Despite backlash from campaign groups, the technology is becoming more prevalent at crowded events, and Merseyside Police chose Monday’s match as a good opportunity to scan supporters in order to help identify people wanted for serious offences. The data gathered is not stored by the force, but campaign groups such as Big Brother Watch are vocal in calling for stricter controls on when LFR can and should be used. No arrests were made on the night, but it will be interesting to see how many upcoming Premier League fixtures also make use of the technology. Carrick passes screen test Full marks to Carrick for how he fielded some awkward questions when he appeared in front of the media at Carrington on Friday for the first time since Ratcliffe’s controversial comments about immigration. United’s head coach had to tread a fine line between emphasising United’s commitment to diversity and equality, while not hanging his boss out to dry – and managed it admirably. 'I have been around this club for many years, ' Carrick said. 'Equality and diversity and respect for each other is something we look to carry through every day. I have travelled the world and know what this club means to an awful lot of people. ' If Carrick’s words on inclusion weren’t enough, more observant viewers would have spotted that he was wearing a green ‘Unite for Access’ badge. United take part in the annual campaign, which promotes accessibility and inclusion for disabled sports fans, in conjunction with their work with the Manchester United Disabled Supporters’ Club. Carrick fielded some awkward questions from the media admirably last Friday following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s comments about immigration Computer says … Reds finish fifth With 11 games to go, the reality has set in that one of Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool are not going to be playing Champions League football next season – at least not through a top-five finish in the Premier League. Despite United closing the gap on third-placed Villa to three points on the back of the 1-0 win at Everton, Opta’s supercomputer has crunched the numbers and believes United will finish FIFTH, finding themselves leapfrogged by Arne Slot’s Liverpool, who they still have to host at Old Trafford in early May. Opta also believe Chelsea will finish sixth. Gary Neville, meanwhile, thinks United are primed for a third-placed finish. We’ve got 11 games left to find out whether Neville or a supercomputer are more trustworthy! Travis a hit with first-team stars One of the big talking points behind the scenes at Carrington right now is how popular Travis Binnion has become with first-team players, not least the attackers. Binnion swapped his role as lead coach of the Under 21s to form part of Carrick’s backroom staff and his work behind the scenes has been heralded as a huge success. He is a prominent presence in the warm-ups, just as he was when leading the Under 21s, and his man-management of the forwards has been noted. At West Ham, it was Binnion who was last in from the warm-ups with his arm around Joshua Zirkzee, a player struggling for game-time, while he has put a lot of work into doing extra drills with Sesko. ‘After the trainings it’s work in the box, on the edge of the box, short contacts because in the Premier League you don’t have time, ’ Sesko said. ‘This is where it’s really helping me and not just me but also the other players. I’m really happy that I can work with (Travis) because he’s helped me a lot. ’ Academy sources have long stressed Binnion’s quality as a coach and it hasn’t taken first-team players long to experience it for themselves. United coach Travis Binnion has become incredibly popular with the first-team players, not least the attackers Chido eyeing a Quadruple United made a conscious decision in January that they would not entertain loan offers for Chido Obi. The 18-year-old would instead be the focal point for both the Under 18s and the Under 21s, and be put in a position to fire United to four trophies. That extra responsibility, as well as forcing Obi to develop his game to go beyond physically bullying opponents, as he has at younger age groups, came together perfectly on Monday when he scored four goals against Leicester City. He is benefitting immensely from switching between the age-groups, and while a year ago he was mixing with the first-team, the feeling is that taking a step back will help him in the long run. Obi is Darren Fletcher’s starting striker for this FA Youth Cup run, where United are into the quarter-finals, and he could also feature in the semi-finals of the Under-18 Premier League Cup against West Ham, whom his brother plays for. At Under-21s level, Obi will lead the line against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Premier League International Cup, while also hoping to deliver Premier League 2 glory via the end of season play-offs. A loan move is viewed as much more likely going in to next season, but many at United feel vindicated to have made Obi a priority across two age-groups this season. United's Chido Obi celebrates with team-mates after scoring during the FA Youth Cup fourth round match against Derby in January. He is benefitting from playing across two youth teams Bruno’s free-kick secrets Confidential has written plenty in recent months about the importance of Bruno Fernandes as a mentor, and that has been underlined by one of the rising stars in the academy. Aussie teen James Overy gave his first sit-down interview to Australian outlet Football360 at Carrington, where he revealed a previously untold story of how Fernandes spared an hour of his time to help Overy improve his free-kicks. ‘Last time I was with him, I was just taking free-kicks because one of our free-kick takers was injured, ’ Overy explained. ‘I was thinking, if we get a free-kick, I’m gonna take this. So he comes over and for an hour, he’s teaching me techniques. He’s like, “I do this, I aim for this, like dip it or hit it there”. I just look up to him so much. ’ Another pertinent reminder that entertaining offers for Fernandes this summer would strip so much away from both the first-team and the academy.
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