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.
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.
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 draw for Jose Mourinho's side will finally extinguish Manchester United's hopes of a first championship since 2003
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 lead the EPL on 25 points, ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.
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.
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.
'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'
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck in injury time to earn Manchester United a 2-1 home win over Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
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.
Jose Mourinho's side have been the most impressive of any of the title contenders.
The 35-year-old Swedish striker will play for the English Premier League leaders from January 1 to March 12.
Eriksen seeks return to 'normal life' with Brentford
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.
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.
Reports that the England striker Wayne Rooney has signed a record-breaking new contract with Manchester United are premature, club sources 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.
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.
Louis van Gaal praised his side's attacking display against West Ham United but said they 'forgot to score goals' after a fourth 0-0 draw in their last six home matches on Saturday.
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.
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.
Manchester United have completed the signing of PSV Eindhoven forward Memphis Depay on a four-year contract, the Premier League club said on Friday.
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.
Chelsea defeated Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley to secure a place in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the decisive goal.
Poignant ceremonies mark 60th anniversary of Munich air crash
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has no agreement in place to take over at Manchester United, Sky Sports television said on Friday quoting unnamed sources.
Ryan Giggs will leave Manchester United in the close season to explore opportunities in management away from the club, Sky Sports reported on Friday, citing sources.
'Everton can confirm that Wayne Rooney has rejoined the club from Manchester United on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee'
Ryan Giggs announced that he will leave Manchester United to pursue his desire to be a manager.
Premier League champions Manchester United may be also in the race with Real Madrid to acquire Spurs striker Gareth Bale, as Tottenham is seemingly more receptive to the English champions after being frustrated by negotiations with the Spanish side.
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.
Second-half goals from Wayne Rooney and John O'Shea gave them a 2-1 victory and second place in the EPL table.
Shillong Lajong beat JCT 3-2 via the sudden death to win the Nike-Manchester United Premier Cup (under-15) India-leg football final at the Duler ground, Mapuca, in Panaji on Wednesday.
Manchester United goalkeeper Victor Valdes's unhappy stay at Old Trafford looks to be drawing to a close with the Spaniard on the verge of a loan move to Belgium club Standard Liege, according to media reports on Thursday. The 33-year-old former Barcelona keeper, who joined United last season when he was out of contract as possible cover for compatriot David De Gea, has made only two appearances.
Manchester United suffered a stinging 2-1 home defeat by Swansea City in the FA Cup third round on Sunday as their former fortress of Old Trafford was ransacked for the fifth time this season.
One consortium is led by Manipal Hospitals' Dr Ranjan Pai along with US private equity firm KKR and Singapore investment major Temasek. The other is a combine of Swedish private equity firm EQT and Premji Invest, the investment office backed by Wipro founder Azim Premji.
Manchester United may still be some way from the team that won 13 league titles under Alex Ferguson, but a combination of exciting attacking players and suspect defense means they are regaining the club's reputation for great entertainment.
