Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford are quick off the starting blocks in FA Cup tie at Ewood ParkThe sight of Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford lining up surely thrilled the Manchester United purist. This fifth-round tie was the first time José Mourinho fielded a quartet that could claim to be English football’s fleetest. Factor in the rawness of Martial, Rashford and Lingard, plus Mkhitaryan’s street-wise football brain, and this was a cocktail to quicken pulses by offering a glimpse of United’s future.Lingard threw down a first marker by motoring along the right, leaving Craig Conway a spectator, and finding Mkhitarayan who in turn fed Rashford. He and Lingard were in the XI...
The struggles to replace Sir Alex Ferguson is a cautionary tale that ought to be heeded by those who want Arsène Wenger to leave ArsenalIt probably won’t surprise anybody who has followed the life and times of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to know that when he was rich enough to afford the house of his dreams in Malmo – a mansion, painted pink, “as big as a castle” – it didn’t particularly bother him that somebody was already living there. Ibrahimovic, as you may have gathered, is not short of self-confidence and turned up one day with his partner, Helena, to knock on the door and introduce himself. “We’re here because you’re living in our house,” was one way to break the...
There is little appetite for the FA Cup tie among fans of the Championship club, who are staring relegation in the face under seemingly indifferent ownership“We should be looking forward to an FA Cup tie at home against Manchester United, a dream tie for most clubs with the chance of an upset and reaching the quarter-finals. Yet we are indifferent about the whole thing. The game is meaningless and we’d trade it for three points any day of the week.” – Ian Battersby, a Blackburn Rovers fan for 50 yearsBattersby’s words may not suit BT Sport’s promotion of Sunday’s fifth-round tie at Ewood Park but they capture the depression, resignation and fear that have enveloped Blackburn. Year seven of Venky’s...
Manchester United’s attacking options were slightly limited and the Frenchman took the opportunity against St-Étienne to remind the manager of his valueThere may be trouble ahead, José Mourinho warned before this game, channelling Irving Berlin in an attempt to point out that Manchester United will inevitably face a fixture pile-up if they continue to fight on four fronts.There may be trouble if United fail to reach the Champions League next season, too; one season in four is not really good enough for a club of such stature and frequently exercised spending power, and Antoine Griezmann may not fancy joining a side with only Europa League football to offer. Related: Zlatan Ibrahimovic hat-trick drives Manchester United past St-Étienne Continue reading...
Manchester United’s options continue to evolve with their record £89m signing offering a less flamboyant, more responsible presence in the win over WatfordSometimes when José Mourinho crowbars a comment into an answer it is because he can seem an incorrigible mischief-maker, forever ready to take a sly dig at a rival. At others, he is less provocative, but more instructive. So it was when he was asked about Manchester United’s fourth consecutive clean sheet.After praising his defence, he took a detour to cite Paul Pogba’s influence. “He is playing with great balance in these last two games: he is playing with his brain, he is recovering a lot of balls, he is very good in his positional play,” Mourinho said....