Nottinghamshire

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Elliot Anderson is Manchester United's number one midfield target to replace Casemiro this summer.

United know that Manchester City, among plenty of others, are also keen - and they are also unwilling to pay £120m for the England international.

However, as auditions go, this was a pretty good one.

Unlike another midfield option Carlos Baleba, who failed to make any impression when he played at Old Trafford for Brighton earlier this season, Anderson shone.

His covering play was efficient, but he also excelled in making the kind of driving runs out of midfield that Casemiro, for all his attributes, can no longer do. Plus his cross for Morato's equaliser was perfect.

Clearly, Nottingham Forest have a desire to drive the price up as high as possible, as they look at a rebuild after dicing too close to relegation for owner Evangelos Marinakis' liking.

While Anderson's exit appears certain, the future of Morgan Gibbs-White is also the subject of intense debate.

Gibbs-White seemed certain to join Tottenham last summer, but instead signed a new long-term deal to remain at the City Ground.

His importance to the side cannot be understated, and his absence from the second leg of the Europa League semi-final with Aston Villa was a significant factor in Forest's eventual defeat.

Wearing a face mask to protect the massive scarring on his face, Gibbs-White ghosted into space inside the penalty area midway through the first half and was only denied by Senne Lammens' feet.

When he did something similar in the second half, his first-time finish found the bottom corner.

So Forest will be reluctant to lose that game intelligence in the same summer as Anderson's industry.

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day following the defeat at Old Trafford: "A crazy game, with transitions and counter-attacks. We played the last few minutes with heart and ambition but we lost our balance and organisation, and in the end this is a dangerous team on the counter-attack. They break intentionally and stay with three or four players for counter-attack, and this is a moment we need to control but we didn't and we tried to score.

"The only thing that was a pity, in my opinion, is that the game was decided by a decision. I don't agree with it. I looked at the image and I stayed very calm, but in the end I think we need to have a meeting together to understand when it is a handball, when it is a block and when it is a block in the box.

"At the moment, we don't know what is possible or not - and a lot of the time we don't understand the decisions, but I must accept it."

On character of his players: "Even if I want to keep them organised, they want to score and they will try everything not in an organised way. But I'm proud of my players and the supporters. We keep going with our work to try to win the next game. This is a special group.

"They have character and quality. When they try everything to get points from each game, we are in a position that we can do this because we are not in relegation battle. We wanted to win the game, but in the end this result wasn't possible."

Morgan Gibbs-White has also been talking to Sky Sports: "It was promising. The first half wasn't good enough, we were too slow, but second half we came out fighting, we showed character and desire. We kept fighting and we didn't give up."

On the handball decision: "No matter what I say, it's not going to change the outcome. From the angle I was standing at, it looked like he caught the ball. Whether he scores or not, for me it was still a handball.

"I asked him [the referee] after and he said if [Bryan] Mbeumo scores, it is not a goal. But because [Matheus] Cunha scored, it is a goal - that didn't make sense to me. He allowed the action to carry on when it should have got blown. I'm proud of the boys for the second half, we need to keep building and carrying on."

On whether the handball rules should be looked at: "We need to have clear rules. There is a lot of controversy around it this season. It is not clear to anyone. I don't think anyone understands the rulings on it."

Did you know?

• Nottingham Forest have lost nine of their past 11 Premier League away games against Manchester City and Manchester United, conceding two or more goals in each of those matches.

• Morgan Gibbs-White's goal was the 1000th goal scored in the Premier League this season. Since the start of March, no player has more goal involvements in the competition than the 26-year-old (10).

Various pundits have been discussing on-field referee Michael Salisbury's decision to award Manchester United's second goal against Nottingham Forest, despite an apparent handball by the Red Devils' Bryan Mbeumo in the build-up.

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann told Final Score: "You can clearly see the ball comes off Mbeumo's arm prior to going to [Matheus] Cunha. For me, it is a penalisable handball.

"Mbeumo does control the ball and, while he is not the scorer himself, football's expectation is for a goal like that to be disallowed as opposed to being given.

"The law states that usually if it is the scorer who has accidentally or deliberately handled the ball before putting the ball in the back of the net, it will be disallowed.

"Football's expectation is that the handball outweighs any possible deflection off Mbeumo's hip.

"It is a good intervention from the VAR. I would've recommended a review myself, had I been the VAR. I do think that while it is commendable the referee sticks with their decision, which we don't see very often, this is only the fourth time it has happened. But I feel the correct decision is to disallow the goal for a handball.

"It is a decision that will split people. I can see both sides of the argument but we've had so many talks recently about needing to go back to deliberate handball. If it's unequivocally a handball, then we disallow. If the handball is accidental or if the arm is in an unnatural position, and we have all these clauses in the law, then it gets a bit complicated - so I would advocate for a return to just deliberate handball."

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards said on Sky Sports: "It is a handball. It is as simple as that. The referee has gone to the screen and made a decision but, if you look at it, it is clear as day."

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane added: "We are confused here, especially because the referee was asked to go to the screen and then still gave it.

"All of us ex-footballers will all be saying the same thing - handball. I don't think anyone would've complained about it. We were all scratching our heads when it was allowed."

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Man Utd's performance

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Casemiro returns for his farewell appearance at Old Trafford.

The veteran Brazilian midfielder is one of three changes to the Manchester United starting line-up from the team that drew at Sunderland last week.

Diogo Dalot returns at right-back and Bryan Mbeumo is recalled. Mason Mount, Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee drop to the bench.

Manchester United XI: Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Amad, Bruno Fernandes, Cunha, Mbeumo

Substitutes: Bayindir, Mazraoui, Mount, Zirkzee, Malacia, Dorgu, Yoro, Ugarte, Heaven

Morgan Gibbs-White returns for the visitors after his nasty facial injury. Chris Wood is back at centre-forward for the visitors, who also recall Omari Hutchinson to the starting line-up.

Ibrahim Sangare is named on the bench for Nottingham Forest, who have eased clear of relegation trouble.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams, Dominguez, Anderson, Netz, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus, Wood

Substitutes: Victor, Ortega, Sangare, Awoniyi, Yates, Cunha, McAtee, Bakwa, Abbott

There are six games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Manchester United v Nottingham Forest (12:30)

• Brentford v Crystal Palace - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Everton v Sunderland

• Leeds v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Fulham

• Newcastle v West Ham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-offs 15:00 unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Leeds v Brighton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v West Ham", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Sunday's match (12:30 GMT) between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, which is set to be Casemiro's final home appearance for the Red Devils.

Manchester United sealed Champions League qualification with victory over Liverpool in their previous home match – and securing a return to Europe's top competition appears increasingly likely to earn head coach Michael Carrick the job on a permanent basis.

He was this week named on a six-man shortlist for the Premier League's Manager of the Season award. He has reportedly now also been endorsed by senior figures within the Old Trafford hierarchy.

Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are expected to recommend to co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that the former Middlesbrough boss is offered a new contract.

Casemiro's Old Trafford farewell

United have lost their final home league game just once in the past 18 seasons and will be keen to ensure veteran midfielder Casemiro bows out on a high in his final home appearance.

The Brazilian, 34, has played a pivotal role for United this season, starting 32 of 36 top-flight fixtures and scoring a career-best nine league goals.

While his departure will free up a sizeable chunk of the club's wage budget to invest in more long-term options, replacing the former Real Madrid star won't be easy.

United have won 54.7% of the matches he has featured in since arriving in 2022, compared to just 38% when he has been absent. They have also scored more goals per game, and conceded fewer, when he has been involved.

In-form Forest savour safety

Elliot Anderson's late goal against his former club Newcastle last weekend earned Nottingham Forest a draw which ultimately proved enough to guarantee survival.

West Ham's defeat by Arsenal a few hours later confirmed they were mathematically assured of their top-flight status with two games remaining.

Vitor Pereira, Forest's fourth head coach of the season, joked on Thursday that he is now able to "sleep properly" but also said the club needs to understand "the things we cannot do again" to reach "the next level".

Pereira has effectively rallied his side during the final two months of the season, with Forest finding consistency when they needed it most to pull clear of the relegation battle.

They are unbeaten in eight league games, the third longest current undefeated run in the top flight – form bettered by only Bournemouth and Manchester City.

The last time Forest enjoyed a longer undefeated streak in a single Premier League campaign was 31 years ago.

This is a proper dead rubber, with Nottingham Forest safe now, and Manchester United guaranteed a Champions League spot.

That makes it harder to call but United boss Michael Carrick will still be desperate for a strong end of the season and retain the feel-good factor at Old Trafford.

Nottingham Forest won't want to let their season just peter out, either, but the pressure is off them now and, because of that, I am backing United here - this game is more important to them than it is to Forest.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

A new episode of the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast with BBC Radio Nottingham's David Jackson and Colin Fray is now available to listen to and download on BBC Sounds.

The panel chat in-depth after Forest's Premier League survival was confirmed with two games yet to play.

"Two games now for Forest fans to actually enjoy," said Fray.

"We make it probably only the second and third games since Forest got back into the Premier League with absolutely nothing riding on it.

"It's come after a remarkable turnaround. Not immediate under Vitor Pereira - he lost a couple of early games - but 16 points from the last eight in the Premier League is an extraordinary record.

"Two points across that many games in the Premier League for a side that was really struggling, and heading down rather than up, is an incredible turnaround."

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

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