Manchester United's faltering away form continued to blight their title challenge when they were held to a 0-0 draw at Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday.
It is not so much a fear of failure for a man who in more than a decade at Everton did not win a trophy, rather the stature of the 20-times English champions and the huge success of his long-serving predecessor Alex Ferguson.
Manchester United suffered their third defeat in eight days as Watford handed Jose Mourinho his worst run as a manager in a decade. Goals from Etienne Capoue, Juan Zuniga and a late penalty from Troy Deeney overwhelmed the visitors, who had levelled with a solitary strike from Marcus Rashford.
The stadium will be part of a wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area, with British finance minister Rachel Reeves recently giving government backing for the plans.
It is hardly the triumphant gallop to an 18th league title Manchester United were expecting a few weeks ago, rather they are grinding their way towards the finishing tape like a racehorse in heavy going. United must negotiate the next six EPL games without any hiccups, starting at home to a buoyant Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen scored his first goal for the club since last month's move from Tottenham Hotspur to set up a 2-0 win at Ludogorets Razgrad in their Europa League last 32, first leg on Thursday. Getafe pulled off a surprise 2-0 home win over last year's Champions League semi-finalists Ajax Amsterdam, while Manchester United were held 1-1 at Club Brugge in wet and windy conditions. Wolverhampton Wanderers' Diogo Jota scored a second successive hat-trick in the competition to lead his side to a 4-0 victory over Espanyol and Arsenal won 1-0 at Olympiakos Piraeus with a late Alexandre Lacazette goal.
Manchester United can win the EPL if they beat Manchester City on Saturday and second-placed Chelsea fail to beat Arsenal on Sunday.
Chelsea narrowed Manchester United's lead in the Premier League to four points on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth while Liverpool also kept their slender title hopes alive with a 2-0 defeat of Sunderland. United have two games in hand on both, starting with their trip to struggling Newcastle United on Wednesday.
Manchester United won the League Cup on penalties against Tottenham Hotspur after the Wembley showpiece ended 0-0 after extra time on Sunday.
Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani scored twice each as Manchester United took a giant step towards the Europa League final with a 6-2 drubbing of AS Roma in their semi-final first leg at Old Trafford on Thursday.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will prove his worth at Manchester United once he adapts to the rigours of English football, according to his manager Jose Mourinho.
Manchester United teenage striker Marcus Rashford is all set to sign a new lucrative long-term deal with the club.
Salomon Rondon dented 10-man Manchester United's top-four challenge with a sharp second-half strike to maintain West Bromwich Albion's Premier League revival on Sunday. The 26-year-old Venezuela striker controlled Sebastien Pocognoli's cross from the left before burying the ball into the left corner on 67 minutes against an increasingly toothless United, who had lost Juan Mata to a second yellow card on 26 minutes. The Spain international was booked for not retreating and blocking a quickly-taken free kick before receiving his marching orders two minutes later for kicking Darren Fletcher's shin in a clumsy tackle. United's first league defeat at The Hawthorns since 1984 kept them sixth in the table, three points behind Manchester City in fourth, while West Brom climbed to 11th with a third win in four league games.
Armenia midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has joined Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund, the German club said on Saturday. The 27-year-old became the Premier League team's third high-profile signing since the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager in May, following defender Eric Bailly and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford.
Alex Ferguson remained defiantly upbeat after a 20th English title was snatched from Manchester United's clutches on Sunday but when the dust settles on a dramatic season the wily Scot will ponder long on where it went wrong.
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has thanked Jose Mourinho for helping him 'improve as a person' despite the breakdown of their relationship in the last few months leading up to the former manager's sacking on Tuesday.
Ibrahimovic has not played since suffering a career-threatening knee ligament injury in United's Europa League quarter-final second leg match against Anderlecht at Old Trafford in April.
Manchester United's 3-2 Champions League defeat at VfL Wolfsburg on Tuesday was difficult to understand, said manager Louis van Gaal after they crashed out in the group stage for the first time since 2011.
Manchester United's England defender Chris Smalling could be sidelined for up to 10 weeks after foot surgery, manager Alex Ferguson said on Saturday.
Charismatic, assured and meticulous, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has quickly stamped his authority on a club desperate to return to the summit of English football.
Manchester United must beat Middlesbrough today to re-open a six points lead over Chelsea in the English Premier League.
Central defender Eric Bailly joined Manchester United from Spanish side Villarreal on a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further two years, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
A factbox on new Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.
Manchester United enjoyed a hugely satisfying Saturday, beating Everton 1-0 to go five points clear in the Premier League after challengers Arsenal and Aston Villa were held to home draws. Cristiano Ronaldo's 44th-minute penalty at Old Trafford was enough to give the champions 53 points from 23 matches.
Three goals in seven minutes gave Chelsea a 3-0 Premier League home win over Burnley on Saturday while champions Manchester United were thankful for an Abou Diaby own goal as they came from 1-0 down to beat Arsenal 2-1 at Old Trafford.
Jose Mourinho will forget what has gone on for the last three disappointing seasons at Manchester United, he said in his first interview after being installed as manager on Friday.
Jose Mourinho's side have been the most impressive of any of the title contenders.
The Spaniard has made a number of uncharacteristic mistakes in recent games, including one that allowed Chelsea to equalise in Sunday's 1-1 draw.
'The Europa League is a massive thing for us now -- it's a trophy and it gives us qualification for the Champions League. With the players we have got, we can be unstoppable'
A draw for Jose Mourinho's side will finally extinguish Manchester United's hopes of a first championship since 2003
Manchester United lead the EPL on 25 points, ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.
Manchester United should be "embarrassed" at trailing Premier League leaders Chelsea by 19 points and Jose Mourinho's first year in charge will not be considered a success even if they win the Europa League, former skipper Roy Keane said.
Wayne Rooney made history by equalling Bobby Charlton's Manchester United record and becoming the club's leading all-time goalscorer after netting his 249th goal (543 matches) during an FA Cup match against Reading on Saturday.
Poignant ceremonies mark 60th anniversary of Munich air crash
David Beckham wishes he had stayed with Manchester United for his entire career and not left in 2003 for Real Madrid, the former England captain said on Sunday.
Manchester United will not be signing Colombia forward Radamel Falcao on a permanent basis, the Premier League club said on Sunday after the final game of the season.
Although United made a bright start to their quarter-final second leg at the Nou Camp with Marcus Rashford hitting the crossbar early on, they were soon outclassed by Barca, who eased to a 3-0 win on Tuesday for a dominant 4-0 aggregate victory.
Reports that the England striker Wayne Rooney has signed a record-breaking new contract with Manchester United are premature, club sources said on Sunday.
English Premier League football club Manchester United showed its commercial strength when it raised its core earnings expectations for the year as it posted a 26.6 percent rise in quarterly revenue.
Wayne Rooney turned the spotlight firmly on Manchester United's American owners on Wednesday when the striker blamed the club's lack of clout in the transfer market for his desire to quit Old Trafford.
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