Boris Johnson confirms return of football fans but Manchester United and Man City face delay

direct to your inboxOle Gunnar Solskjaer and Pep Guardiola were united in their dismissal of the idea that the 183rd Manchester derby lacked intensity. The setting could not have been more different from the last meeting back in March despite taking place at the same venue; Old Trafford was close to silent on Saturday as neither team pushed too hard for a victory behind closed doors.

direct to your inboxRoy Keane and Gary Neville have both criticised Manchester City and Manchester United for not chasing a victory during their dull 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. In a lifeless Manchester derby, both teams settled for a point with neither Ole Gunnar Solskjaer nor Pep Guardiola prepared to take any risks in pursuit of three points.

straight to your inbox every day for freeOle Gunnar Solskjaer says Paul Pogba has earned his Manchester United start against City after reaching optimum fitness levels. Pogba makes his second successive Premier League start for United in the Manchester derby after netting in the 3-1 victory at West Ham last week.

direct to your inboxManchester United and Man City play each other on Saturday in the first Manchester derby of the season. With sixth-placed United sat one place and one point above City, both sides have had similar starts to the Premier League season, although the Reds suffered a blow in midweek as they were knocked out of the Champions League.

United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping they can bounce back with a victory against their local rivals this weekend, having kept a clean sheet in each of their last three matches against City in all competitions.A win for City would see Pep Guardiola's side go within three points of Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, although both of these sides play again on Sunday, after which City will have played a game less once again.So, what lineups will Ole

direct to your inboxFour years after the Brexit referendum took place, it might be easy to have forgotten that the most significant consequence of the vote Leave victory is yet to come.In less than three weeks, Britain will leave the EU single market and customs union, and at the time of writing, no future trade deal has been agreed.The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly set a new deadline of Sunday, 13 December, to reach an agreement.If that doesn't happen, it means that, come 1

direct to your inbox The Manchester derby takes place this Saturday at 17:30 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Sadiq Khan and Manchester leader Andy Burnham - have written to Boris Johnson to demand he looks again the constitutional status quo. The letter warns there is worrying evidence that a growing number of Scots are "losing faith" in the union.

direct to your inboxThe first British patients will receive coronavirus vaccinations today - dubbed V-Day by health secretary Matt Hancock.The inoculations will be administered at dozens of hospital hubs throughout the country, including in Greater Manchester.The UK is to become the first country in the world to start vaccinating people with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab.Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was 'immensely proud' of the scientists who have developed the vaccine.He praised NHS staff for

direct to your inboxManchester United and Manchester City are among several Premier League clubs to be offered the chance to sign Paulo Dybala, according to reports. Both Manchester sides could be on the look out to reinforce their attacking options in 2021 as City look for a successor to legend Sergio Aguero and United hope to find a more long-term solution than Edinson Cavani.

forced a policy U-turn from Boris Johnson.

direct to your inboxNew post-Brexit transfer rules affecting Manchester United and Manchester City have been confirmed.One of the major changes will mean they cannot sign overseas players under the age of 18 once the United Kingdom officially leaves the European Union at the end of this year.And clubs will also be restricted to three overseas signings under the age of 21 from January, and only six foreign players per season.The Football Association, Premier League, EFL have agreed a framework

direct to your inboxUefa is reportedly set to propose a major shake-up to the current Champions League format.European football's governing body is considering making changes to its flagship competition in response to the threat of a breakaway super league, according to The Times.

United attempted to sign Haaland in the January transfer window but the 20-year-old snubbed a move over concerns about his own long-term success at the club. Haaland has also been linked with a move to Manchester City with many supporters viewing him as the ideal successor to Sergio Aguero at the Etihad.

forced to U-turn on plans to close early for the Christmas holidays this week. The M.E.N revealed that leaders of Focus Trust were under pressure from the government to reverse their plan to shut a week earlier than planned.

From December 2 more than 20 million people face tougher tiered restrictions.When the national lockdown ends next Wednesday, England will revert back to the tiered system first introduced in October.However, it has been "strengthened" and Boris Johnson described it as "tougher" as the UK still battles the coronavirus pandemic.Health secretary Matt Hancock announced on Thursday (November 26) which areas would be placed in which tier.Greater Manchester will be placed in Tier 3, the 'Very High

With Manchester being placed in tier three, it rules out the short-term possibility of fans returning to Old Trafford and the Etihad. Tiers are reviewed every 14 days and based on five criteria, which include case numbers across all age groups, cases among over 60s, the rate of rise or fall of infections and the percentage of those tested who have the virus.

Bolton Wanderers, Salford City and Wigan Athletic matches will continue to take place without fans in stadia. Johnson warned that some areas will face harsher restrictions that the previous three-tiered system before the second lockdown and each area will learn their fate on Thursday."That will be announced on Thursday.

United and City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich have all been reported to have held an interest in the 22-year-old and they may now get their chance to complete a move. Former Premier League footballer Jan Aage Fjortoft, who has since turned to a career in the media covering European football for Bild in Germany, has stated that Upamecano will leave at the end of the season.