Global football is currently on pause for the most part, but the Premier League is moving towards a restart June 17, with matches to be played behind closed doors. There are still some questions regarding Project Restart, but contact training is back, and there is high confidence that the PL will return soon and complete the season.
Until football does restart, we still have plenty of news items to cover and analyze. So let’s take a spin through the Manchester United newsphere in cyberspace.
We begin with news that winger Dan James, acquired last summer from Swansea City, actually had a transfer lined up with Leeds United in 2019. It even went so far that James was photographed wearing a Leeds shirt. So why didn’t he take it?
The “bigger fee and a better move” to United came along. More on this from Wales Online. and Goal.
With the Premier League coming back, the FA Cup will also aim to complete its competition over the same span of time.
Here’s the full FA Cup schedule:
Quarterfinals – June 27-28
Leicester City v Chelsea
Newcastle United v Manchester City
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Norwich City v Manchester United
Semifinals – July 18-19
Final – August 1
Finally, Jesse Lingard has really been unproductive and inefficient for the past season or so, and he’s offered an explanation for that, saying that his head has just not been in it. The English international hopes that Project Restart gives him a new beginning, and a fresh chance at once again being the player that he used to be.
“My mind wasn’t there, I wasn’t really pushing myself,” Lingard said on his official Instagram account. “It felt like it wasn’t me. You feel like when you watch yourself you’re like ‘that’s not Jesse.’
“I know who I am and my family know who I am, I know how I play and, like I say, I didn’t really push myself last season.
“For me it’s like a fresh start when we restart the season and I wanted to start off flying. I feel good with my fitness and feel good mentally, which is really important.”
“Last year, I wasn’t really with it. I wasn’t really at it last year. A lot of things played a part but now everything is sorted off the pitch. Now I can enjoy football and I can’t wait to get back.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for Chicago Tribune.com, on Twitter and his cat on Instagram.