Gary Neville makes controversial Cristiano Ronaldo claim amid Man United vs Man City team news

Antonio Conte insists he was never in contention to manage Manchester United this season and has played down claims he did not fit the profile of candidate they were looking to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu will maintain the number one shirt for the Republic of Ireland this month, despite the Carabao Cup heroics of Liverpool back-up stopper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Manchester United have made initial enquiries about signing Lyon forward Moussa Dembele in the summer transfer window. It comes after Ralf Rangnick advised United to look at signing a younger striker at the end of the season.

Aston Villa shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez has revealed growing up he only knew of Arsenal and Manchester United.

Rio Ferdinand has discussed the possibility of Bayern Munich marksman Robert Lewandowski in the Premier League, lauding his achievement of over 40 goals in the last seven seasons.

Manchester United fans are confident that the chaos surrounding Chelsea at the moment means they'll have an easier chance of landing Declan Rice in the summer.The West Ham star has blossomed into one of Europe's finest midfielders and his future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months.Both United and Chelsea are expected to make mega-money moves for the 23-year-old this summer, and the Blues were initially thought to have had the edge given Rice's history with the club - as well as his bromance with Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.But in light of the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich, and the financial uncertainty the situation has caused for the west London club, United fans now think they can win the race for Rice's signature."Looks like Declan Rice will be joining Man United in the summer over Chelsea now there [sic] in turmoil," one United tweeted."Thanks to Chelsea there's a clear run for Declan Rice," another said."Declan Rice to #ManUnited back on I see," a third wrote.Chelsea have been issued with a temporary transfer ban, though it isn't clear whether it will be lifted before the transfer window opens in June.Where will Declan Rice be playing football next season? Let us know in the comments section below...A lot will depend on whether the sale of the club can be pushed through in the coming days, even though Abramovich has been banned from doing any business in the UK after his assets were frozen.A number of prospective owners were preparing to lodge bids for the clubs but will now have to deal with the British government directly, rather than Abramovich.United meanwhile will be desperate to add some much needed steel, and star-power, to their midfield, especially with Paul Pogba's

Your Manchester United evening headlines for Thursday, March 10:

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Paris Saint-Germain should follow Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid blueprint to end their Champions League struggles.

Former Arsenal and England midfielder Paul Merson insists it will be "absolutely impossible" for Manchester United to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City next season, even with a new manager in place.

News broke this week that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had been sanctioned by the UK government as part of their attempts to crack down on wealthy Russians with assets within the country.

The dust appears to be settling on last weekend's Manchester derby, as Manchester United prepare for their next Premier League fixture against Spurs on Saturday.

Dimitar Berbatov believes Marcus Rashford should wait and see who will become Manchester United's next manager before making a decision on his future.

Manchester United U18s booked their place in their first FA Youth Cup final in over a decade on Wednesday with an emphatic win over Wolves.

Cristiano Ronaldo was a notable absentee for Manchester United's derby day drubbing at the hands of Manchester City after he jetted off to Portugal.Ronaldo flew to his homeland to rehab an injury - but that trip was unsanctioned by United. According to The Telegraph, Ralf Rangnick was unaware of Ronaldo's decision to fly to Portugal over the weekend of the derby.

Your Manchester United evening headlines for Wednesday, March 9.

The preparations for Manchester United’s crucial game against Tottenham are well and truly underway.

Manchester United face a huge test of their top four credentials this weekend as they look to bounce back from their embarrassing derby day defeat.

Sevilla were on Wednesday handed a boost over Anthony Martial's fitness ahead of hosting West Ham in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie.

Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes reportedly had to calm the Portuguese veteran down amid crunch talks over his Manchester United future.Mendes, widely regarded as one of the game's super agents, tried to placate the former Real Madrid and Juventus star after he was axed from United's team to face Manchester City at the weekend.But according to the Sun, Mendes is fighting a losing battle with Ronaldo edging towards an exit from Old Trafford less than a year since his emotional return to the club. The report says the 37-year-old is still angry after being informed by Ralf Rangnick that he would be used as a substitute against City.Rangnick apparently wanted to begin without a recognise no.9 and wanted Ronaldo to make an impact off the bench - an approach that did not go down particularly well with the star.

Manchester City are so unlikely not to progress through to the next round of the Champions League that bookmakers Coral have claimed that Piers Morgan becoming Prime Minister is more likely. City thrashed Sporting Lisbon 5-0 in the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie, and the Portuguese side travel to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday with the intent of restoring some pride.

Marcus Rashford not to quit Manchester United.Rashford is said to be considering his future following a miserable season that has seen him struggle to hold down a place in the United side.The England striker has scored just five goals and started two of the last 11 games in all competitions.Rashford is worried his lack of game time will cost him a place in England's World Cup squad - and is looking at his possible options this summer as he gets set to enter the final 12 months of his current deal at Old Trafford.Former United star Berbatov admits the 24-year-old is right to be considering a change, but believes he needs to think long and hard about turning his back on a club like United."It's understandable that Rashford wants to start games and, if he's still not being picked by the end of the season, I'd expect him to be considering his future at the club," Berbatov told Betfair."But he needs to remember that there will be another manager in charge next season and players who haven't had a look -in under (Ralf) Rangnick will get another chance."So it's a bit too soon for Rashford to be thinking about leaving for another club."Berbatov recalls the time he decided he wanted out of United back in 2012 and made his feelings clear to then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson, which left the Scot less than impressed.He added: "It's disappointing when you are left out. I experienced it and it wasn't pleasant.