As it’s the last international break of the season, United are currently off until March 30. We don’t have a game to talk about for awhile, but there is still plenty of news as many key club figures, past and present, are colorfully opining on all sorts of topics right now.
Let’s take a spin through the inter webs and see what’s buzzing in Manchester United cyberspace right now.
Ryan Giggs, current Wales National Team manager and a man who was with United in some capacity for nearly three decades has voiced his concern about Manchester City eclipsing United’s historic 1999 Treble accomplishment by achieving the Quadruple this season.
“I’ve got enough to worry about, please don’t bring that up!” said the former United winger (and caretaker manager for a short stint). “They’re a fantastic team, aren’t they?
“They’ve already got one and United going out of the FA Cup makes that a little bit easier for them.
“They’ve got a long way to go, but just like us in the Treble, you need a lot of things to go for you, that bit of luck, which they had at the weekend, but they are a brilliant team. It will be interesting to see what they can achieve.”
City have secured the first piece already, winning the League Cup over Chelsea on February 26. City are not just still alive, but also in good standing in the other three competitions: Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League.
Giggs also fired back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic, over his digs at the Class of ’92. Go here for more on that.
Elsewhere, we need more Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi debate just as much we need more Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James debate. And we can live without any more of either. However, former United manager Jose Mourinho has weighed in on this topic, and here’s what he had to say.
“I think they are lucky and unlucky to be in the same generation,” Mourinho said on his Russia Today talk show On the Touchline (transcript Sport Bible)
“They are lucky because they can compete against each other. They look to each other in a positive way and get extra motivation. If there was only one of them, they would have ten Golden Boots.”
He then looked to the future, articulating who he thinks the next duo to inspire greatest player in the world debate.
“Now, I think they have put the bar really high,” Mourinho added.
“And you have the players coming behind, who I like to call the ‘little monsters.’
“The bar has to be high, so it has to be incredible motivation for Neymar, [Kylian] Mbappé and [Antoine] Griezmann. Unfortunately, Cristiano and Messi will not last forever.”
Finally, we close with some transfer talk…sort of. Gareth Bale is linked with a move to United every summer transfer window, and every summer it doesn’t happen. Now with Zinedine Zidane back in charge at Real Madrid, his future is once again deemed uncertain, and the rumor mill is churning once again, after Bale walked into the Carrington Training Ground with this look on his face.
Bale was there (along with Giggs of course) to train for Wales’ international friendly with Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow night. The Daily Express has more.
Man Utd fans will love the look on Gareth Bale’s face as star walked into Carrington https://t.co/ZQJ409jcch pic.twitter.com/64ETApjzHA
— MANCHESTER UNITED NEWS ?? (@SirAlexStand) March 19, 2019
According to ESPN, United have no interest in trying to acquire him this summer.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.