THE Man Utd Files are back – bigger and better than ever! SunSport’s United reporters Samuel Luckhurst and Katherine Walsh lift the lid on all the gossip inside Old Trafford.
This week we reveal in the Fact Files how CEO Omar Berrarda was denied the chance to meet Julia Roberts and Senne Lammens’ school trip; we have the weird and wonderful in our X-Files as well as the latest from the Academy in the Youth Files. PLUS we have a new weekly quiz, a tactical breakdown and a full stat attack for the Crystal Palace game.
Julia Roberts visited Old Trafford for the second time at last year’s Soccer Aid
The Pretty Woman star returned to the famous stadium after first arriving in 2016Credit: Getty
CEO Omar Berrada was denied access to Roberts at the 2025 Soccer Aid eventCredit: Getty
FACT FILES
Julia’s Snub
Pretty woman, the kind I’d like to meet, so the song goes.
But United chief executive Omar Berrada was denied the chance to meet at last year.
Roberts was a special guest at United’s stadium for the annual charity match in June and Berrada was also in attendance.
Berrada, like many 40-somethings, is a fan of the Oscar-winning actress and brought his family in the hope of meeting Roberts.
Roberts, 58, had previously visited for United’s 1-1 draw with in November 2016 and met the players and their families after the game.
Berrada was not as lucky, though.
As the Soccer Aid event was not run by United and Berrada was only present in a personal capacity, he was denied entry to the hospitality suite that housed Roberts for the match between and the Rest of the World.
So the man who is effectively front-of-house at was turned away from one of his own doors.
Berrada not the only football man to have been left broken-hearted by the A-List actress. years ago.
Guardiola said in a 2016 press conference: “And she went to visit Man United. She didn’t come to see us.
“That’s why even if I win the Champions League it will not compare for the fact that Julia came to Manchester and didn’t come to see us. Even if I win the Champions League it will not compare to this disappointment I had.”
Heaven Senne
conducted himself as impressively at Partington Central Academy on Wednesday as he did at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
There were screams of delight from pupils when Lammens entered the classroom and he spent time doing activities with the children ahead of next week.
The goalkeeper then sat down for his first interview with the Manchester pack and his maturity, for a 23-year-old playing in one of the most pressurised positions in football, is remarkable.
Lammens said how much has helped him and United sources say the two goalies have “hit it off”.
The goalkeeping contingent at the club believe Lammens can be a top-level goalkeeper for a long time.
They are particularly impressed by his handling of the ball and believe the next area for him to improve on is pulling off ‘unsaveable’ stops.
Good as Nou
sat down with fans for a Q&A at this week during United’s biggest Ramadan Iftar event.
Around 200 people gathered for United’s second fan Iftar meal, in collaboration with its Muslim Supporters’ Club.
full back Mazraoui mingled with guests and helped guide several academy players through the event, before breaking fast with dates, sweet cones and a Halal buffet.
Carrick said he was “proud” of the culture and diversity at United in the wake of , which the club distanced themselves from in a statement.
United’s stadium CEO Colette Roche attended on behalf of the club.
Noussair Mazraoui represented United’s Muslim players at an Iftar meal this weekCredit: Getty
X-FILES
Know Way
Amid the plethora of supposed ‘in-the-know’ United accounts on X, one has the same name as the nickname of a freelancer at the club.
The well-known Carrington attendant seriously approached someone at the club off his own back to assure them that the account does not belong to him.
Sesko Help
Benjamin Sesko has invited people from Slovenia and other territories to become bone marrow donors.
Sesko is not an ambassador of the organisation but a family member of his was diagnosed with leukaemia, which prompted this message.
Ruff Break
Work followed one of SunSport’s United correspondents during their week off as they came across in London.
Tuchel had only a week earlier to rule him out of the running to potentially take charge of United after the World Cup finals.
The German was walking his dog on a stroll down Portobello Road, where he was admiring a stall near the shopfront that appeared in the and (her again) film Notting Hill.
With its soft-pastel coloured houses, a George Orwell plaque and the delightful Electric Cinema, it is difficult to think of a similar street in Manchester that Tuchel could leisurely wander down.
Thomas Tuchel was spotted enjoying a stroll through Notting Hill after agreeing fresh terms with EnglandCredit: Getty
YOUTH FILES
Come and Fletch Me
is one of the most outgoing staff members at United but he remains off-limits amid the club’s Youth Cup progression.
Like Travis Binnion earlier in the season, Fletcher has been asked not to do any press after United’s Youth Cup ties.
The United U18s beat Oxford United to qualify for the quarter-finals last week and they will take on Sunderland next month.
Should they advance to the final, the chances are Fletcher will be ‘ungagged’. United did a media day when they reached the 2022 final and eight players spoke.
, who had just turned 17 at the time, was off-limits as he was too young. United usually wait until an academy talent has turned 18 before they do any external media duties.
Darren Fletcher is one of the most outgoing staff members at UnitedCredit: Getty
Noah’s Arc
It’s time for another academy prospect to get some well-deserved praise alongside .
Left winger Noah Ajayi is climbing out of Gabriel’s shadow after a brilliant month for the Under 18s.
The German teenager’s skilful solo run was the standout goal of the 6-1 victory over Derby on Wednesday.
It capped off a stunning display after he scored in the first-half, won the penalty dispatched by Gabriel and created the most chances in the match where striker Louie Bradbury also scored two.
Noah Ajayi is enjoyed a brilliant 2026 with the Under-18sCredit: Getty
Ajayi’s lethal partnership with Gabriel showed he was knocking on the door, but his performances in early 2026 have kicked it wide open.
United feel Ajayi, who stands at 6 ‘2’’ and is among the best dribblers in the youth set up, has taken massive strides since ‘s arrival last summer.
Ajayi is a strong ball carrier with a larger physical frame than most wingers, also having the end product to score or assist.
Meanwhile, the player of the match award could have gone to either Ajayi, Gabriel or in the 3-1 win over City on Valentine’s Day.
Ajayi was the only one of the trio not to get on the scoresheet in the derby, but his ball carrying runs and link-up play with left back Godwill Kukonki caused chaos at the City Football Academy.
A City supporter sitting in front of a few reporters could be heard praising Ajayi at half-time.
Fletcher initially rested him for the Youth Cup trip to Oxford, but he came off the bench to score a slick fourth goal in a 4-1 victory.
Ajayi is just as important to the U18s quest for the treble this season – in the league, Youth Cup and Premier .
TEAM FILES
Predicted XI
The question on everybody’s lips is whether will start his first game under Carrick scoring four goals in six games from the bench in 2026.
The £74m striker has earned a start against Palace this Sunday and it coincides with a severe drop off in form from in a false No9 system fronted by .
Carrick has played down the severity of Lisandro Martinez’s injury which caused him to miss the win over Everton, but will be without the centre-back against Palace.
That means will start again as a right-sided centre-back. Carrick has only made changes to his best XI in the wake of injuries, the first being when was ruled out for 10 weeks.
DEANO’S TACTICS – MAN UTD EXPOSED
SunSport’s tactics guru Dean Scoggins has broken out the Tic Tacs to run through Man Utd’s big clash against Crystal Palace.
Watch the video breakdown above.
QUIZ TIME!
Test your Man Utd knowledge with our new weekly club quiz below:
STAT ATTACK
- Benjamin Sesko has netted a goal every 37 minutes in the Premier League under Michael Carrick. He has scored five goals in 2026 – no player in the division has more non-penalty goals than the Slovenian.
- Ahead of Sunday’s game, Crystal Palace have won four of their last six league games at Old Trafford – including each of the last two. They could become only the second London side to win three in a row at United, after Chelsea between 1967-68 and 1969-70.
- Michael Carrick could become just the second Manchester United manager to win his first five home games in charge, after Frank O’Farrell, who won his first six in 1971. He won one in his first spell in 2021 and all three so far this year.
- Carrick is unbeaten in nine games as United boss – only Solskjaer (11) and Herbert Bamlett (10 in 1927) have gone more games without suffering a defeat in charge of the club.
- United are unbeaten in the league since before Christmas, earning 22 points since Boxing Day – more than any other side. Their 10-game unbeaten run is their best since a 14-game streak under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Of all sides in the big five European leagues, only Inter Milan (11 games) and Borussia Dortmund (eight) are also unbeaten in this period.
- Having won 2-1 at Selhurst Park in November, the Red Devils could do a first league double over Palace since 2017-18.
- Bruno Fernandes made his 300th start for the club in Monday night’s win at Everton. He’s the fifth man not from the British Isles to reach 300 starts in the Prem era, and since his debut in February 2020, he has started at least 29 more games than any other Prem player (Declan Rice is second with 271).
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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