Manager apologises to Manchester United midfielder as Erik ten Hag sent 'stability' message

Manchester United have been spending the week preparing to face Aston Villa in the Premier League.

United claimed a 3-2 win on Boxing Day in the reverse fixture between the two clubs. Erik ten Hag's team go into the game on the back of back-to-back victories against Wolves and West Ham in their last two games.

That run of form has seen United climb up to sixth place in the Premier League table, eight points adrift of Villa who dropped down to fifth after Tottenham Hotspur's last-minute win over Brighton on Saturday. United could move five points clear of seventh-placed Newcastle United with a win over Villa, and close the gap on the Champions League spots in the process.

MEN Sport has taken a look at some of the latest United topics doing the rounds in recent days as the club prepares to face Villa in the Premier League.

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Eintracht Frankfurt manager Dino Toppmoller has apologised to Donny van de Beek for not selecting the United midfielder in the club's Europa Conference League squad.

Van de Beek is spending the second half of the season on loan at Frankfurt. The 26-year-old has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, and has gone to the Bundesliga club in search of regular first-team football.

Van de Beek was not included as part of Frankfurt's squad for the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League, which begins with the last-16 clash against Union Saint-Gilloise. Toppmoller has explained why the decision was made after revealing that he apologised to the on-loan United midfielder.

"He’s [Van de Beek] only played