Manchester United is currently under fire from its fan base after Luke Littler was seen in the away section during Monday’s game at Wolves. Although many supporters are indifferent to Littler attending the match, his appearance has sparked debate.

This incident coincides with United’s recent policy of banning season-ticket holders who transfer their tickets to eligible friends. Moreover, obtaining tickets for away matches has become increasingly challenging, with demand often quadrupling the number of available seats.

Fans hoping to attend away games must hold a season ticket for a minimum of four years and purchase all home cup match tickets for the 2024-25 season. Despite being a devoted fan, Littler does not fulfill these criteria.

The situation casts an unfavorable light on United, especially since they highlighted Littler’s attendance on their social media platforms. However, insiders claim that sponsors are allocated a very limited number of tickets from the away quota, ensuring that the majority go to eligible supporters.

For instance, adidas receives just four tickets per game under their extensive 10-year, £900 million sponsorship agreement.

Kobbie keen on Napoli 

It’s hard to think of a more poignant snapshot of Kobbie Mainoo’s decline at United than the 20-year-old coming on as a late substitute at Molineux – the ground where he scored his first Premier League goal in February last year, to clinch an incredible 4-3 win over Wolves.

The following month, Mainoo made his England debut against Brazil, and by July he was starting in the Euro 2024 final against Spain. Seventeen months on, Mainoo can’t get in the United line-up, and his appearance off the bench at Molineux with Amorim’s side already 3-1 up was his 10th as a substitute this season.

At least 12 clubs are ready to take Mainoo on loan in January if he is allowed to leave Old Trafford, but Confidential understands Napoli remain the player’s preference after United rejected his request to leave for the Italian club in the summer.

The framework for that deal is still in place if United give it the green light, but the club would want to sign a replacement and the final decision rests with chief executive Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox and head coach Ruben Amorim.

Red carpet for Ginge

United are ready to roll out the red carpet at an upcoming home game for the new King of the Jungle, AngryGinge.

The social media and streaming star, real name Morgan Burtwistle, was crowned the winner of reality show I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! on Sunday. He is a massive United fan and watched the 2-2 draw away to Tottenham alongside Spurs midfielder James Maddison before he jetted off to the Australian jungle.

Confidential understands United are eager to team up with the Salford streamer, who flew back to Manchester on Monday, and give him the chance to be celebrated for his reality show win at one of the upcoming games at Old Trafford.

Lando Norris, another big United fan, won his first Formula One championship in recent days and he too can expect a directors’ box invitation, although sources believe pinning down the McLaren driver in the next few weeks could prove tricky as he celebrates his new crown.

Mount-ain to climb

One of the questions put to Mason Mount in the immediate aftermath of his man-of-the-match display at Wolves was whether he can force his way into Thomas Tuchel’s England World Cup squad. Mount answered as you would expect, promising to keep working game by game and see what happens.

It should be pointed out that Tuchel was understood to have been very warm to both Mount and Luke Shaw during a long chat in the tunnel after the recent defeat by Everton, even if United’s media team didn’t make as much of a fuss of it as Everton did for James Garner and Jack Grealish.

Nonetheless, Confidential understands from conversations around the England camp and also at United that there is a feeling it is highly unlikely Tuchel will look in Mount’s direction between now and the tournament starting next summer, no matter how impressive his form.

Tuchel and Mount worked together at Chelsea and were successful in that partnership. But the German is said to have reservations about how much Mount could actually impact an England group that plays a totally different style to United’s under Amorim.

There’s always one or two who make a late burst to get a seat on the plane… but Mount has serious work to do to banish concerns.

Cunha feels the love

Confidential was in the mixed zone at Molineux just a step or two away from the door to the away dressing room, and there was plenty going on after United’s 4-1 win over Wolves.

Emmanuel Agbadou knocking on the door to request a shirt swap with Amad Diallo, former United keeper Sam Johnstone catching up with some old coaches, the salmon burgers that were all the rage for players on their way out, and Bruno Fernandes strolling around in nothing but a red United towel and a pair of sliders.

But what was most striking was the love Matheus Cunha was showing to former team-mates and staff on his first return to Molineux since his £62.5million move to United in the summer.

When Cunha arrived at the stadium, he wanted to personally greet as many staff members as he could before he sat in the home dugout to chat with former team-mates. He applauded the home fans at the final whistle, and afterwards spent a long time sat in the tunnel and the Wolves kit room.

Sesko on the mend

An injury update on Benjamin Sesko from the £74m United striker’s camp this week. Speaking to Slovenian TV, Sesko’s agent Elvis Basanovic gave a positive prognosis on the player who suffered a knee injury in the draw at Tottenham last month.

‘Benjamin is feeling very well. His rehabilitation is progressing according to plan,’ said Basanovic. ‘It’s hard to say precisely when he will return. That will be up to the medical staff and the manager, but I think we’ll see him back on the pitch very soon. Maybe even sooner than expected.’

There was some confusion recently when Amorim suggested Sesko had suffered a setback. That is not the case and was more of a language slip. Sesko is understood to be working on the grass with a fitness coach away from the main group as he steps up his return.

Reds go back to black

Football kits come in ever-changing colours these days, but it was still surprising to see the black shorts worn by both United and Wolves clashing in Monday’s match at Molineux.

Indeed, Law 4 of the game states that ‘the two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other and the match officials’.

Confidential understands United were given the all-clear to wear their all-black third kit, and although switching to yellow shorts was discussed – as Amorim’s team did at Brentford in September – the Premier League felt that would have led to an even greater clash with Wolves’ amber shirts.

Zirkzee’s Daft about new song

Joshua Zirkzee is a big fan of the new tribute song dedicated to him by United supporters, Confidential understands.

The fanbase have rallied around Zirkzee since a minority cheered when he was substituted after only 32 minutes in the Premier League defeat by Newcastle at Old Trafford last December.

It reached new heights when the Dutchman scored his first goal of this season at Crystal Palace two weeks ago, and United fans launched into the new song to the tune of Daft Punk’s One More Time at Selhurst Park.

Zirkzee is said to love the song and be deeply appreciative of the continued support despite his struggle for game time this season. The 24-year-old returned to the bench for the win at Wolves, coming on as an even later substitute than Mainoo, and has been linked with a loan move to Roma in January.

Casemiro’s cash bonus

With a weekly wage of £375,000, Casemiro is unlikely to go hungry this Christmas, but it hasn’t stopped the Brazil star from pursuing a £212,000 legal battle with his boyhood club Sao Paulo.

Casemiro’s claim, first lodged in 2014, relates to match earnings, bonuses and image rights payments dating back to his time at the club before joining Real Madrid in 2013.

The dispute has finally been settled in Brazil with Sao Paulo agreeing to pay the 33-year-old slightly less than the £250,000 he was originally claiming.

However, the club will incur a 50 per cent penalty if they default on the instalments, taking the figure close to £310,000 – still some way short of what Casemiro makes every week at United.

What’s in store for Amass?

This is a popular question of late given how impressive Harry Amass has been on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, winning the club’s player of the month for November.

He is said to be loving life in South Yorkshire and has struck up a particularly close relationship with club legend Barry Bannan. But with the phone ringing off the hook with loan interest from Premier League clubs and Championship rivals, United need to weigh up what their longer term plan is for the teenager – and how that impacts his contract. The key word from sources on this one is ‘patience’.

While there is optimism that Amass, 18, can remain at Hillsborough for the remainder of the season, and Wednesday’s head of recruitment Kevin Beadell is in talks with United, Confidential understands that nothing has been decided right now.

PSV Eindhoven made a permanent offer to United for Amass in the summer but that was rejected. Amass has two years remaining on his deal at United, and while talks are ongoing about what the second half of the season holds, part of the discussions has also centred around a potential new and improved contract.

New twist in loans saga

United have yet to line up a candidate to replace Jonny Evans as loans manager following the latest twist surrounding the job.

Evans left the demanding role this week to spend more time with his family, less than six months after the Northern Irishman, 37, was appointed when he hung up his boots last summer. Evans succeeded the highly rated Les Parry, who left United as loans manager last October after 12 years at the club, to join FC Neom in Saudi Arabia.

However, Confidential revealed that Michael Appleton had originally been lined up for the role by Dan Ashworth before United’s sporting director was sacked after just 159 days, a year ago this week.

Ashworth’s hasty exit scuppered Appleton’s hopes of returning to United, and with the 50-year-old now head coach of Shrewsbury Town, it will be interesting to see who the club pick as a replacement for Evans – who may now take on work with football agent Colin Murdock.

Youth Cup shot for Carrick

Opportunity knocks for United’s next generation at Old Trafford tonight with JJ Gabriel set for a starring role under the lights at the Theatre of Dreams in the Youth Cup against Peterborough United on Tuesday night.

But there is also real excitement in the air to see young midfielder Jacey Carrick, after the son of ex-United star Michael made his debut off the bench for the Under 18s at the weekend.

Carrick Jnr has largely been part of the Under 16s – who featured Kai Rooney on his return from injury at the weekend – but Darren Fletcher showed his confidence in the young midfielder by promoting him to the Under 18s.

Depending on Rooney’s late fitness test, he and Carrick could play at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. Even if that does not prove the case, should United progress they will again be at home against either Cambridge United or Derby County.

Predicted XI: Byrne-Hughes; Helafu, Mills, Armer, Kukonki; Thwaites, Ibragimov, McEvoy; Mantato, Bradbury, Gabriel.

New role for Scholes?

He may have recently quit his job as a TV pundit for family reasons, but could Paul Scholes find an unlikely new platform to express his opinions?

Confidential understands Scholes and his fellow Class of ’92 alumnus Nicky Butt are among the high-profile football figures being lined up by a company called Peak to tap into the global popularity of the Premier League by posting their opinions in return for a share of the profits.

Scholes, who hosts the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football with Butt and Paddy McGuinness, announced in October that he was stepping back from his role with TNT Sports to care for his autistic son Aiden.

The 51-year-old has built a reputation as an uncompromising – some would say grumpy – pundit with strong views on his old club. Only last week, Scholes caused quite a stir when he called out Amorim for claiming that he viewed Mainoo as a starter for United.

‘Bulls***,’ Scholes wrote in an Instagram post. ‘The kid is being ruined, not being played in a team that can’t control a game of football. Hate seeing homegrown players leave but it’s probably best for him now, enough is enough.’

With Peak potentially far more lucrative than Instagram, could we soon see Scholes taking aim at United more often on social media?

Farewell to stalwart Ward

Another departure from United’s communications department with highly respected director of media relations and public affairs Andrew Ward saying farewell to the club on Friday.

Ward, who has decided to return to the corporate sector, joined United in December 2019 and has been an invaluable member of United’s comms team through some of the trickiest issues in recent history including the strategic review, Cristiano Ronaldo’s bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, the European Super League fiasco and the Mason Greenwood affair. 

It’s understood that United will replace Ward as well as bringing in two more comms executives to beef up their media operation. Confidential wishes him well.