Ola Aina has returned to Premier League club Nottingham Forest after they sent a private jet to fly him out from Abidjan after a 2025 AFCON qualifier against Benin.

Super Eagles caretaker coach Augustine Eguavoen said Forest asked for the player to return for them to prepare for an important Premier League game away to closest rivals Arsenal after the international break.

“Forest sent a private jet to get him back to England for their game against Arsenal,” Eguavoen told Eagle7fm sports radio station

Both Arsenal and Forest have 19 points after 11 matches with the London Gunners ahead on the table by virtue of having a better goals difference.

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Ruben Amorim has laid down his first rule at Manchester United after taking over from Erik ten Hag.

The Portuguese coach gathered together members of the Red Devils squad who are training at Carrington during the international break, having not been called up for their countries. The 39-year-old former midfielder touched down in Manchester with his coaching crew on Monday and began working to address matters at Old Trafford.

Having succeeded Dutch boss Ten Hag on November 1, he spent a brief tenure finishing up commitments with Sporting Lisbon that included thrashing his new club’s rivals Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League, but takes over a side slumped 13th in the Premier League table. Tuesday was marked by first-time introductions as Amorim met with five players including Luke Shaw and Mason Mount, alongside Kobbie Mainoo, Lenny Yoro, and Toby Collyer.

Addressing a select few of United’s players, Amorim proclaimed: “We have to have fun.” Rising talents from the academy like Daniel Armer, Amir Ibragimov, and Ruben Curley, who’ve been training with the senior team, also got a nod.

While waiting for his work visa, Amorim hasn’t kicked off training sessions but has been busy with a series of crucial meetings instead. He’s greeted by Uniteds top brass, with Omar Berrada at the helm of welcoming committee alongside Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox, reports the Mirror.

Tuesday also saw him convening with coaching staff Andreas Georgson and Darren Fletcher, who stayed on post the departures of Ten Hag and Ruud van Nistelrooy while Rene Hake, Jelle ten Rouwelaar, and Pieter Morel are set to bid farewell to the club.

The incoming Red Devils manager has reportedly made swift assessments of his team. Mount, despite a challenging period marred by injuries post-Chelsea transfer, is tipped for a pivotal role in Amorim’s squad.

The new boss from Portugal holds Mount in high regard for his adaptability, which could be key as Amorim is anticipated to implement a 3-4-3 formation. However, not all players seem to have impressed equally.

Joshua Zirkzee, it seems, hasn’t met the mark and is considered ‘not adequate’, casting doubt on whether Amorim can turn around United’s goal-scoring woes. Speculation suggests that Amorim might look towards Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres as a potential recruit.

Amorim appears eager to embrace his new responsibilities after his last game at the helm of Sporting. He expressed his readiness for the challenge ahead, saying over the weekend: “I feel ready for the new challenge,” and acknowledging the difficulties he anticipates with, “I’m not naive, I know it’s going to be very different, very difficult. I’m at peace now. I can focus on my new job and I’m looking forward to starting tomorrow.”

He also reflected on the unique aspects of his new position, stating: “I know it will be difficult to reproduce what I have here anywhere else but there are other places with different exposure and pressure.”

Ruben Amorim is now Manchester United head coach having begun his reign on Monday.

The Reds boss has a near two week wait until his first match – at Ipswich Town on Sunday week – but there is plenty of work to do between now and then. His first few days will be spent familiarising himself with his new surroundings and staff before the players return from either international duty or a few days off.

United have markedly improved under the now departed Ruud van Nistelrooy but there is plenty of work to be done with the Reds still in the bottom half and with work to do in Europe. Amorim has three clear priorities.

Amorim will no doubt want to implement a style and put his own stamp on this misfiring United side but priority number one is results. The Reds are 14th in the Premier League following the weekend defeat to West Ham and are closer to the relegation zone than the top four.

The first task is to climb the table and maximise the potential of an immediate fixture list that includes several home matches and several fixtures against bottom half sides. United also need to find victories in the Europa League having managed just one in four outings. Going out at the first hurdle is unthinkable and Amorim must ensure United are at least involved in the play-offs come the new year.

Amorim’s Sporting hit seven in his first match in charge while he was able to lift the title within 18 months. He knows how to get results quickly.

United have struggled for goals this season and their two most recent striker acquisitions, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund, have yet to fully convince. The latter has the potential to become a focal point of the attack while Zirkzee’s role remains uncertain given his lack of goalscoring prowess.

Amorim could use both’s tune-up to ensure United can turn chances into goals. It wasn’t too long ago that Marcus Rashford was enjoying the season of his career, yet he regressed last term—though the early signs this season have been promising. Restoring confidence up top feels like a big priority.

And United can look at Viktor Gyokeres for inspiration. Not so long ago he was in the Championship with Coventry, he’s exploded onto the world stage at Sporting with almost a goal a game and Amorim has played a role in helping the frontman take his game to the next level.

Old Trafford used to be a place of intimidation, where teams were beaten in the tunnel. Now it’s nothing more than a welcome mat.

United have lost the fortress that served them so well and if they can find a tempo, style and intensity to worry teams and lift the fans, they can begin rebuilding that Old Trafford fear factor. United’s support, particularly away, is superb and if Amorim can hit the ground running with the basic template expected of United – front-foot football, attacking intent, effort and intensity – then players and supporters can start to create a club with a clear identity.

Sporting’s final home match under Amorim showed how united the club was, with a thumping 4-1 win over Manchester City, where players, managers, and fans were all together. Amorim fostered that, with results and success helping, but it was only a little over 12 months before his arrival that the unrest was so patent at the club that fans stormed the training ground in protest.

Manchester United Evening