The week ahead for Manchester United
Manchester United’s various teams are clocking up the miles this week, with away trips for the first team, the Women and the Under-21s (in the Leasing.com Trophy) on the agenda.
Here’s what else is on the calendar as we make the transition from October to November...
MONDAY
We’ll continue to provide you with all the analysis and reaction to Sunday’s Premier League win against Norwich City at Carrow Road, and we'll also be looking ahead to our next test, against Chelsea on Wednesday. Funnily enough, Monday marks seven years to the day since a particularly memorable trip to Stamford Bridge - a Javier Hernandez goal gave us a 3-2 win over the Blues in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season as manager.
TUESDAY
Our Under-21s are in action at Doncaster Rovers in what is our final Leasing.com trophy Group H match. The Reds have won each of our matches in the competition so far without conceding, and Neil Wood’s side will secure progress to the knockout rounds with a point at the Keepmoat Stadium. Watch the match live on MUTV; coverage starts at 19:15 GMT, with kick-off half an hour later. Elsewhere, we’re wishing our legendary former goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, a happy 49th birthday. The ex-Netherlands international joined the Reds in 2005 and went on to play 266 games for the club, winning four Premier League titles and, most memorably, the Champions League in 2008, when he saved Nicolas Anelka’s penalty to win the shootout in Moscow.
WEDNESDAY
We renew our rivalry with Chelsea as we head to Stamford Bridge in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. Frank Lampard’s side are in good form and will be out for revenge after their 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford in August, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking for a repeat of the match between the sides in February in the Emirates FA Cup, when goals from Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba saw us into the quarter-finals in west London. Kick-off is at 20:05 GMT and, as usual, we’ll keep you bang up to date with everything that goes on via MUTV, ManUtd.com and the Official App.
THURSDAY
Halloween marks the birthday of our current no. 10 Marcus Rashford, who turns 22. The England international has already racked up 183 appearances for the Reds since making his debut in February 2016, and scored his 50th goal in all competitions at the weekend. Hope you have a good one, Rashy! Many happy returns also go to our former left-back Denis Irwin. The Irishman, who was born on this day in 1965, is still among the Reds’ top 10 appearance-makers and continues to work for the club in an ambassadorial capacity.
FRIDAY
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be speaking in front of the press ahead of United’s trip to Bournemouth on Saturday. We’ll be showing a live stream of the press conference in the Official App from 10am, accompanied by text updates of all the boss’s quotes. We have another birthday to celebrate, too, as Mark Hughes turns 56. The former Old Trafford favourite is one of only 11 men to have scored over 150 goals for United, and he claimed eight major trophies during his two spells in a red shirt.
SATURDAY
It’s back to business for the first team, as we take on Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League’s early game (kick-off 12:30 GMT). We’ve won on the south coast in each of the previous three seasons, and you can find out if we can make it four by following the match on our Official App – that's after taking in all the build-up on MUTV, of course!
Before that, the Under-18s host Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Aon Training Complex at 11:30 GMT. Neil Ryan’s side will be looking to get back to winning ways at home, after consecutive draws against Middlesbrough and Leicester City and you can see how they get on live on MUTV.
Highlights: Bournemouth 1 United 2
Watch all three goals - and the near misses - from United's thrilling 2-1 win at Bournemouth last month...
SUNDAY
While we look back on Saturday’s result, the Women are in action in the WSL, with an away trip to Everton in the diary for Casey Stoney’s side. Kick-off at the Pure Stadium in Southport, where United emerged 3-0 winners in last season’s Continental Tyres Cup, takes place at 12:30 GMT.
Finally for this week, Dwight Yorke celebrates his 48th birthday. The Treble-winning striker hit 66 goals in 147 games for the Reds between 1998 and 2002.
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