United spending spree ends

GM football fans. It’s Tuesday, Nov. 19, and we’re covering Amorim’s ‘modest’ United budget, Bentancur’s lengthy ban and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.

TONIGHT’S NATIONS LEAGUE STATS

Hungary vs Germany (19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET). Germany set the record for the biggest-ever victory in the Nations League with their 7-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. Wales vs Iceland (19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET). Wales sit second in their group but have failed to score a goal in five of their last eight matches, averaging a goal rate of one every two matches. Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Netherlands (19:45 GMT / 14:45 ET). Saturday’s win over Hungary ended the Netherlands’ three-game winless streak in the Nations League. Meanwhile, Bosnia-Herzegovina have lost 10 of their last 11 games.

Plus…

• Nations League results: Croatia 1 - 1 Portugal | Spain 3 - 2 Switzerland | Poland 1 - 2 Scotland (Full results here)

• Nations League group standings (More)

• Ninety Premier League matches in 45 days (Fixture breakdown)

• Ian Holloway claims Swindon’s bad form is down to a haunted training ground (More)

• Man Utd’s ‘Sir Alex Ferguson’ VIP box is available for £136,000 per season (More)

MAN UTD’S BUDGET

Amorim to work with ‘modest’ budget as new Man Utd head coach

Ruben Amorim took his first training session as Manchester United's head coach yesterday. But reports (paywall) suggest that the club has warned the Portuguese coach that he will operate on a more “modest budget” than his predecessor. Erik ten Hag spent more than £600mn in just over two years at the club.

The new United hierarchy have no plans to rip up the squad. They feel there is enough untapped potential for Amorim to unlock – they cited Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount as examples. Ralf Rangnick, former interim United manager, said the club needed “open-heart” surgery to recover. Ten Hag agreed with Rangnick’s statement when he was at the club.

In general, United are trying to cut costs. The club's pre-tax losses totalled £312.9mn over the past three seasons. It has resulted in around 250 job cuts and the cancelling of corporate benefits.

Amorim will lead United into his first Premier League game away at Ipswich Town this Sunday, November 24.

POLL

HEAD START

🗿 Kane statue finally unveiled after five years. A statue of England captain Harry Kane was unveiled (via X) in London. Waltham Forest, a council in North London, commissioned the statue for £7,200 ($9,000) between 2019 and 2020. The 31-year-old’s statue has found its home outside the Peter May Centre in Walthamstow. This is where Kane played football as a child with his boyhood club, Ridgeway Rovers.

🚫 Russia’s football ban continues. Russian teams faced bans in February 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine. Last year, Uefa and Fifa ended their blanket ban on Russian teams by allowing the country’s under-17 sides into its competitions from this season. But the governing bodies have kept their ban on the men's team from all international football. This includes the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

🇸🇦 Several clubs in Saudi refuse to pay foreign players. Reports, yet to be verified, suggest that (via X) some Saudi Arabian clubs – Al-Oruba, Al-Kholood and Al-Safa – are not paying foreign players’ wages. FIFPro, the players’ union, advised players against moving to Saudi Arabia due to the non-payment of salaries, which became “a recurring problem” last year. It’s thought that many of the players are considering going on strike or reporting the incident to Fifa. In 2020, Fifa and FIFPro set up a global fund for players whose clubs have not honoured their contracts.

BENTANCUR LENGTHY BAN

Bentancur handed seven-game ban for Son racial slur, still available for Europa League

The FA has confirmed a seven-game ban for Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur. He has also been fined £100,000. The ban only applies to domestic club football, not Europe. So, Bentancur can still play against Roma and Rangers in the Europa League.

The decision follows his comments on Uruguayan TV in June. Bentancur said that Heung-Min Son and his cousins “all look the same” in an interview. Son said they remained "brothers" and "nothing had changed" after Bentancur immediately apologised to him.

Bentancur will miss Spurs’ upcoming Premier League games against Manchester City (a), Fulham (h), Bournemouth (a), Chelsea (h), Southampton (a) and Liverpool (h). He’ll also miss their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie with Manchester United (h). The Uruguayan international has featured in 10 of 11 Premier League games for Spurs this season.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

Top Five European Leagues

> Sergio Ramos has called Real Madrid multiple times to offer his services to the club, but Los Blancos aren’t interested (More)

> Antoine Griezmann, 33, could leave Atletico Madrid and is reportedly most interested in joining MLS side Los Angeles FC (More)

Rest of the World

> Ronaldo Nazario wants to become president of the Brazilian Football Confederation and hire Pep Guardiola for the National Team (More)

> Ghana fail to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, failing to do so for the first time since 2004. 19 teams have already qualified and there are just five spaces left (More)

Women’s Football

> Arsenal Women have been forced to move their group stage match against Bayern Munich in the Women’s Champions League after a clash with their men’s team’s League Cup fixtures on December 18 (More)

> Liverpool manager Matt Beard suggests that the Women’s Super League referees have a personal agenda against him after awarding a penalty that cost his side the game (More)

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Does Mohamed Salah get into your Premier League all-time XI? 

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 👑 Absolutely...  (58%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ 🙅 Nope... (42%)

Your punditry takes:

• 👑 W.T: “There have been some absolutely electric wingers in the Prem over the years (Hazard, Ginola, Bale), but in terms of longevity and consistency, Mo delivers the goods. The man's stats are insane.”

• 👑 B: “Great goal scorer and creator, a pleasure to watch.”

• 🙅 V.T: “I don’t see how he gets in an all-time XI with the likes of Rooney, Suarez, Ronaldo, Bale, Hazard, Shearer (and the rest) above him.”

EXTRA TIME

The Bundesliga’s answer to Mohamed Salah.

Spurs unveil new logo and branding.

The best Premier League goals of the season so far.

Serie A’s best players of this century, ranked.

50 unforgettable haircuts in football history.

Did you know players play ‘Pass the Penny’ during a game? / via X

The story of football’s first fitness guru.

England’s winners and losers under Lee Carsley. / analysis

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who Am I…

• I have played with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

• I have scored in a World Cup final.

• I have played in the Liga Primeira, La Liga, Premier League, Ligue 1 and Serie A.

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

UEFA Nations League

Group 1

• Albania vs Ukraine (19:45)

• Czech Republic vs Georgia (19:45)

• Slovakia vs Estonia (19:45)

• Sweden vs Azerbaijan (19:45)

Group 2

• Malta vs Andorra (19:45)

Group 3

• Bosnia vs Netherlands (19:45)

• Hungary vs Germany (19:45)

Group 4

• Montenegro vs Turkey (19:45)

• Wales vs Iceland (19:45)

League Two

• Wimbledon vs Accrington (19:45)

*All time in UK. ET -5. CST -6. PST -8. MST -7. CET +1.

Answer

Angel Di Maria.