Dear readers,

The Premier League and Champions League are over for another season but the summer of 2024 is packed full of live action and transfer fun and games — and we’ll cover it all in detail on The Athletic.

From Europe’s major clubs travelling across the world (and to the United States in particular) to all the moves (and nearly moves) of the summer transfer window, plus two major international tournaments, Emma Hayes starting her reign as USWNT head coach and the Olympics, our team of reporters will bring you in-depth coverage of the things you care about.

We’ll be on the ground in Germany for Euro 2024; across the U.S. for Copa America, MLS, NWSL and Premier League pre-season; in Paris, France for the summer Olympic Games’ football action, and everywhere in between — ensuring you don’t miss a thing when it comes to the beautiful game.

The club content you know and love won’t stop either. Our trusted team of reporters will hit the phones to bring you the latest moves in the transfer window as we embark on an ambitious project to cover the summer ins and outs like never before.

And it doesn’t stop there.

You might already follow our NFL, NBA or NHL coverage, but did you know we also cover a range of other sports, including golf, Formula 1 and tennis? Mark out…

Erik ten Hag was in his own personal version of the trenches, figuring out how to battle back against bad results, when he walked Carrington with a female member of Manchester United’s security personnel. He asked his colleague about her own experiences, and she explained her background in the British military, including an assignment in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

In the week leading up to the FA Cup final against Manchester City, Ten Hag found himself recalling this conversation as he searched for novel ways to inspire a performance from his team. The backdrop was a difficult season in which United finished the Premier League campaign in eighth position and were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage. The FA Cup final against Pep Guardiola’s imperious City represented an opportunity for redemption for his beleaguered side, and Ten Hag may have been hoping for a dose of salvation when it came to his position as manager of United.

And so Ten Hag became inventive. He asked United’s security staffer to record a video for his team, which was shown to the players at the Marriott Hotel in London in the lead-up to the final. The Dutchman was so moved by his colleague’s story that he reserved the video for his final team meeting with the squad before they…

Jonny Evans was unemployed last July when he decided to call his old team-mate Darren Fletcher.

“I was sat in my house with my wife Helen and thinking, ‘I’m not a good trainer on my own in terms of going out on the roads running’,” the Manchester United defender tells The Athletic. “Maybe the odd run or two over the years when I’ve needed to but without thinking about it, I just thought, ‘I’ll ring Fletch’.

“He answered and said, ‘Let me get back to you’. When I put the phone down, I thought, ‘There might be issues with insurance, for example’, but I just wanted to train and get my fitness.

“Fletch (United’s technical director) called back a few days later and said, ‘The manager has heard that you want to come in. You may as well train with the first team’, so I did. When I went back, seeing all the staff after being away for eight years was the best part of it all.

“From there, the situation progressed daily. There was no intimation to me that the manager wanted to sign me with a contract but the injury situation prevailed right from the start of the season. There’s never been a stage this season where it wasn’t an issue.

“But I’m an experienced Premier League player and I’ve been in many a training session over the years,…

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to attend Manchester United’s men’s FA Cup final against rivals Manchester City this weekend.

United will face City at Wembley Stadium this Saturday in what will be a repeat of last season’s final, where Pep Guardiola’s side emerged as 2-1 winners.

Ratcliffe attended United’s men’s FA Cup semi-final against Coventry City in April after completing the London Marathon, but was criticised for not appearing at the Women’s FA Cup final, where United beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0.

The 71-year-old was instead in attendance for United’s 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League, alongside Sir Dave Brailsford, while co-owner Avram Glazer was in London to see the women lift the FA Cup for the first time in their history.

The club said that several senior representatives from INEOS, the petrochemicals company which Ratcliffe owns, were at Wembley including chief financial officer (CFO) Roger Bell — who took up the same role at United earlier this month — and directors Tom Crotty, Jill Dolan, Debra Smeeton and Pete Williams. Ratcliffe also sent a message of good luck to the women’s team and manager Marc Skinner ahead of that match.

It is unclear whether any other board members will attend the final on May 25.

United reached the FA Cup…

Erik ten Hag has compared managing Manchester United this season to “swimming with your hands tied behind your back”.

The United manager was referring to the number of injuries players in his squad have had, highlighting how difficult it has been to progress the squad after they finished fourth last year and are now on course to end the 2023-24 campaign in either seventh or eighth.

In total, Ten Hag has had to contend with more than 60 individual cases of injury or illness.

United’s absences have been a talking point throughout the season, and Ten Hag has made it crystal clear on multiple occasions that he has never experienced such setbacks before, while also noting he has seldom been able to pick his best starting XI.

Gary O’Driscoll joined United from Arsenal last summer to head up the club’s medical department as their head of sports medicine, responsible for overseeing all medical activity across the men’s, women’s and academy teams.

Ben Dinnery of Premier Injuries has compiled the data on Manchester United’s injury-plagued season and, up to and including May 13, it reveals that the Old Trafford side have had more time-loss due to injuries than any other top-flight side.

Dinnery defines a time-loss injury as one that results in a player missing at least one…

Manchester United’s women’s team were not told about the club’s decision to cancel the traditional end of season awards dinner until after it became public.

The Athletic reported on Sunday that United cancelled the event, scheduled for May 20, as they do not want to provide any distractions ahead of the upcoming men’s FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 25.

The club typically holds an end of season dinner at Old Trafford, where they present accolades such as the Sir Matt Busby player of the year award and recognise breakthrough young talent.

The event is attended by players from both the men’s and women’s teams, academy players, coaching staff, club staff, supporters, and sponsors.

However, United’s women’s players only found out about the decision via The Athletic’s report.

A number of individuals in the women’s squad were left frustrated because they were informed of the event at late notice and had therefore changed their pre-arranged holiday flights and bookings, given their season ends this Saturday, to make the dinner only for it to be cancelled.

Manchester United say they regret the manner in which the club’s women’s players first discovered the event had been cancelled.

They maintain the decision was communicated to players on the men’s…

Manchester United have cancelled the club’s traditional end of season awards dinner as the club’s on-field form nosedived towards the end of the campaign, with the club saying they do not want to provide any distractions ahead of the upcoming FA Cup final against Manchester City.

The club ordinarily host a dinner at their Old Trafford stadium at the end of the season in order to present awards including the Sir Matt Busby player of the year award, as well as recognition for breakthrough young talent. It is attended by the first team for the men’s and women’s teams, as well as academy players, coaching staff, club staff, supporters and sponsors.

However, United have endured a hugely disappointing season, leaving manager Erik Ten Hag battling for his future. They crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage before Christmas. They are eighth in the Premier League table, having lost fourteen matches and are scrambling to qualify for a place in the Europa League or Europa Conference League. There is hope of some success as United are still to face neighbors Manchester City in the FA Cup final at the end of the month.

The club say that United’s dinner for this year had originally been scheduled for May 20, in the week leading up to the final against City on May 25,…

Manchester United are splitting their hierarchy today as the men’s team hosts Arsenal in a crucial Premier League match while the women’s side contests the FA Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.

Minority investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be in attendance at Old Trafford as the men look to keep pace with Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in the race for continental qualification.

Co-owner Avram Glazer, meanwhile, will be in London as the women seek to lift the FA Cup for the first time in their history. Glazer and Ratcliffe attended the men’s FA Cup semi-final together last month, which United won on penalties against Championship side Coventry City.

United say there will also be several senior representatives from INEOS, the petrochemicals company which Ratcliffe owns, at Wembley including CFO Roger Bell — who took up the same role at United earlier this month — and directors Tom Crotty, Jill Dolan, Debra Smeeton and Pete Williams. Ratcliffe also sent a message of good luck to the women’s team and manager Marc Skinner ahead of the match, which kicks off two hours before the men play Arsenal.

Skinner’s side reached the final after beating Chelsea 2-1 in their semi-final last month. They also played in last year’s final but suffered a…

Manchester United striker Nikita Parris turned down a lucrative move to the United States last month, prioritising her team’s bid to win the FA Cup final against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Despite her contract expiring this summer, Parris was subject to a previously unreported pursuit by National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side North Carolina Courage.

An agreement had been reached between the clubs before the April 19 transfer deadline in what would have marked a record women’s sale for United, while the 30-year-old forward stood to earn £1million over a three-year deal.

All that remained was for the paperwork to be signed — but with their season underway, the Courage wanted Parris to join immediately.

United beat Chelsea in the semi-finals on April 15 and Parris made clear she did not wish to depart until after the Wembley showpiece.

The Courage could not guarantee they would wait that long and — given Parris refused to miss the game — the switch collapsed.

They have lost three of four fixtures since then, having won three of four prior. It is unclear at present if the situation will be revisited when the NWSL market reopens on August 1.

United must now make a decision on the England international‘s future, as her terms include an option to extend by 12…

It is that time of year again. Lighter nights, daffodils and the sobering discovery of just how much your football team has handed over to agents.

The Football Association (FA) published its annual figures yesterday and, as is the norm, they were bigger, more gasp-inducing than ever before.

The Premier League’s 20 clubs combined to pay £409million ($509m) in agents’ fees in a 12-month monitoring period that began on February 1, 2023. Include the EFL’s outlays and English clubs handed over close to half a billion to that select group of men and women representing a footballer’s interests.

It was the usual suspects leading the way but the Premier League’s spend continues to rise. This year’s total is markedly up on the £318million of last season and almost twice the amount paid in 2017-18.

The Athletic picks out the key points from the FA’s latest report.

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Chelsea drive spending records… again

An age of excess at Stamford Bridge has seen Chelsea spend like no club has ever spent before. Close to £1billion has funded a lavish overall that is yet to deliver discernible progress under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake-led ownership group and the fees paid out to agents are another marker of their intemperance.

Brace yourself for Chelsea’s full outlay over 12 months:…