Batter your way through every Woodward the club can hire and you still come up against disengaged vulture capitalistsIt’s the question on every Manchester United supporter’s mind right now. Is there any sales tactic, any favour to be called in that may persuade Internazionale to sign Ed Woodward?This is perhaps a bridge too far. But as the transfer window thrums into gear it’s hard to avoid the feeling January has become the most Manchester United time of the year. Not for the actual signings, because there haven’t been many of those beyond the odd goalkeeper and the one-man reactor core meltdown that is Alexis Sánchez. Related: Manchester United ‘warrior’ Harry Maguire may be fit for Saturday Getting rid of Woodward...
Odds are against depleted Spurs, Everton need to respond after their derby woe while Solskjær is feeling the heat againJosé Mourinho’s life in football can be measured out in vendettas. There are two clubs he reserves a special enmity for, and for much the same reason. Both Barcelona and Liverpool passed over his services, choosing instead to turn to Pep Guardiola and Rafa Benítez, by little consequence two managers he has most enjoyed getting the better of. Only recently arrived at Tottenham, his latest club are near powerless to stop Liverpool’s procession to the Premier League title, save for performing the unlikely act of ending the leaders’ unbeaten run. To do so would be one of the shocks of the...
An early onslaught from Pep Guardiola’s side gave the watching Sir Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs nothing to smile aboutYou can’t hit what you can’t see. On a mild but riotous night at Old Trafford, Manchester City served up a beating as swaggering and dominant as any they have managed at this ground. In front of the grandees of Red Manchester – Wayne Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson, Ryan Giggs – City executed a coup de grace borne of pure disrespect, United taking the best part of an hour to work out just what, exactly, was going on out there.What had happened was that City had simply disappeared from view, slipped into the cracks, eluded detection. Had Raheem Sterling been a...
Wolves supporters taunted the away end during their FA Cup draw with United no longer deemed a major threat on the pitch“You’re not famous any more,” sang the home fans in the Jack Hayward Stand, but that isn’t really true. Manchester United are still famous, it’s just not for the same thing anymore. Once, as Steve Bull observed at half-time, Wolves would have feared United, but no longer. There was at least a semblance of pattern here, at least until they got into the final third, but unless they get an early goal and can counter, United rarely look like blowing opponents away. Related: Wolves force FA Cup replay against flat Manchester United after goalless draw Related: Harry Arter’s long-range...
Planning for the future is laudable, but at some point there must be evidence of a plan being enacted in the here and nowFor eight minutes at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, everything looked to be going well for Manchester United. And then suddenly it wasn’t. As it was in the game, so it has been for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s career at Old Trafford. Have patience, the message comes again and again from the United board. Look at the youth in the squad. Wait for it to flower. But for how long, and at what cost? Related: Paul Pogba’s foot surgery could force Manchester United to recruit in January Related: Possessed Arteta coaxes Nicolas Pépé back from the living dead...