Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has reportedly rejected a second contract offer from the club.

The talks

According to reports on Friday, 13 November 2026, United first offered Fernandes a new deal in the summer, which he turned down, and talks between his representatives and the club have continued since then without agreement. His current contract expires at the end of the season.

His record

The Portugal international had an outstanding 2025/26 season, helping United finish third and return to the Champions League after two years away. He set a new Premier League record of 21 assists in a season, breaking the mark previously shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, and won both the FWA Footballer of the Year and PFA Player of the Year awards.

Background

The news adds to a difficult period at Old Trafford. The club sacked head coach Michael Carrick this week after one league win in 10 games left them in the relegation zone, and Mauricio Pochettino has reportedly agreed to take over.

Manchester United have sacked head coach Michael Carrick following a poor start to the Premier League season.

Why he was sacked

United have won only one of their first 10 league matches, against Ipswich Town in August, leaving them in the relegation zone. Their other wins this season came in the Champions League. According to reports on Thursday, 12 November 2026, club executives met co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco to finalise the decision. Carrick and his backroom staff are reportedly set to receive about £5 million in compensation.

Pochettino to take charge

Reports say the club lined up a replacement before ending Carrick's tenure, approaching US Soccer about releasing Mauricio Pochettino from his contract as head coach of the United States men's team. The former Tottenham and Chelsea manager is said to have agreed to take charge at Old Trafford. Releasing him from his US contract is reported to cost about £7 million.

Background

Carrick, a former United midfielder, first stepped in after the dismissal of Ruben Amorim last season and did well enough to earn a permanent two-year contract in May, having guided the club into the Champions League. His first full season in charge has fallen well short of that early promise.

Pochettino confirmed

On Friday, 13 November, United confirmed Pochettino as head coach on a deal until the summer of 2029. The club said he would start on 18 November after it reached an agreement with US Soccer to release him and his staff once their duties with the US national team are complete. His first match in charge will be against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, 22 November. Carrick has written an open letter thanking the club's fans.

Prominent political figures from Plateau State have endorsed President Bola Tinubu's re-election bid for 2027.

The meeting

The endorsement was made by voice vote at a meeting in Jos organised by Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A), a pro-Tinubu group, according to a statement released on Friday, 13 November 2026. Those present included former governors, ministers, senators, members of the House of Representatives, commissioners and council chairmen, who also adopted other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the state.

What the leaders said

Former governor Simon Lalong, who chaired the meeting as deputy chairman of A4A's board of trustees, said those present believed the President was committed to Nigeria's development and that keeping him in office would speed up economic growth. Former governor Joshua Dariye credited the Tinubu administration with meaningful contributions to Plateau and the country.

Background

Plateau is a key battleground in the North Central. Peter Obi won the state in the 2023 presidential election. A Middle Belt youth group that backed Obi in 2023 also recently switched its support to Tinubu. The presidential election is scheduled for 16 January 2027.

The United States has revoked more than 6,000 visas in a crackdown on so-called birth tourism.

What was announced

In a statement on X on Thursday, 12 November 2026, the State Department said its Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force had cancelled the visas of foreign nationals found to have taken part in or facilitated the practice. It said the crackdown targets not only people who travelled to give birth but also those who helped arrange such trips, and described the practice as illicit. The department did not release a breakdown of the nationalities affected.

What is birth tourism

Birth tourism refers to travelling to the United States specifically to give birth, so that the child acquires US citizenship under the birthright citizenship provision of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Why it matters to Nigerians

Giving birth in the US has been popular among some Nigerians who can afford it, and the US has previously warned that visitor visas may be refused to applicants suspected of travelling to give birth.