Manchester United last played their last league fixture was Sept. 4. Which means by the time they play next, Oct 2 for the Manchester Derby, it will be almost a month (29 days) between domestic fixtures. That’s what happens when the longest reigning monarch in the history of England passes away right before international break.
So while the team itself is off right now, the news never takes a break. Let’s do another edition of internationals Man United News and Notes, covering a Scotsman, a Dutchman and a Portugese international.
Midfielder Scott McTominay, who seems to have found another level under new manager Erik ten Hag, will miss out on Scotland’s match against Ukraine on Tuesday, due to his having picked up a second yellow card. That means he’ll get extra rest ahead of the derby next Sunday. Here’s more on this development, via The Independent.
Elsewhere, one player who is a doubt for the derby is Donny van de Beek, due to a knock. Even if he were fully match fit to go 90 minutes, he would be a doubt to make the squad anyway, given how far down the selection pecking order he is.
Speaking with United’s in-house media, DVDB spoke about the inside of the club’s dressing room.
He mentioned who runs the music, and also, who he’s closest to on the squad.
“My best friend at United? That’s a good question,” Van de Beek said. “I have a few guys who I’m good with, I’m good with Luke [Shaw], for example, but a few other guys as well who I do some stuff outside of football with.
“Luke is one of the guys I have a good connection with. A few other guys as well: in the past we had Nemanja Matic or Juan Mata, we go out for dinner sometimes or for lunch after training. I think it’s good to do that to relax sometimes.
“Yeah, this is the kind of stuff we do. I think Bruno [Fernandes] does a lot of music songs in the dressing room. But before, I don’t know who did this. Now, I see Bruno with the box, so he does all the music. I like a few of his songs but not everything.
“I think he’s good. Different, all the things, even one time he put some Dutch music into the dressing room. Different kind of stuff. Last season, everyone had to put a song [in] and we mixed that.”
Well, being a DJ can be difficult, because you just can’t please everybody.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.