North London derby buildup, Europa League reaction and team news

Good morning, football. Welcome to a rolling preview of the weekend’s action, with manager press conferences to come and buildup to Sunday’s North London derby; the word is out: we have a title race on our hands. Michael Carrick has explained how he is managing Kobbie Mainoo, who was not started in Manchester United’s first 20 Premier League games under Ruben Amorim.

Carrick, who has replaced the sacked Portuguese as interim head coach, has selected the midfielder in his first five games in charge and kept instructions light. "We haven’t really got started in any of that because we’re just letting him go and find his flow and find his rhythm of playing football again," he said.

"Trust in what he is – he’s a fantastic footballer and he’s got a huge talent." Carrick reflected on his appointment: "Yeah it was a nice thing to hear. I was quite calm about it actually. I don’t know why. It just felt right.

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