Currently leading 1-0 at half-time, at Fulham for the final Premier League fixture before the World Cup, Manchester United have had a very newsworthy weekend.
All the official World Cup squads were announced in the past few days, so it was a news-worthy week/weekend for all the top clubs, let’s run it down.
Christian Eriksen gives Man United the lead at Craven Cottage.#FULMUNpic.twitter.com/ac1WxC0kjE
— H/F (@hfworld_) November 13, 2022
Regarding the lone score so far in this match, you can see the video footage in the Tweet above. In case you missed it, Christian Eriksen scored his first ever goal in a United shirt, and it was a beautiful sight to see.
Eriksen, and his comeback story makes Denmark, arguably, the second favorite team for most football fans at this World Cup.
He’s the living embodiment of an inspiring tale, and he’s also probably United’s best ever free transfer.
Moving from who will be at the World Cup to who will not be. David de Gea will not even be in the squad for Spain this time around. He literally started every single game at the last World Cup in 2018. Quite a surprise, as #DaveSaves still has got it.
You saw that tonight against Fulham, where he made a phenomenal save. Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Sanchez (Brighton) and David Raya (Brentford) must be really good.
Another player who won’t be representing his country is Jadon Sancho, and this is less a snub, and more a disappointment. He was left out of the squad entirely tonight due to his still not being match fit, but even if he was 100% healthy right now, he still wouldn’t have made the England squad.
That’s very disappointing, considering how he was a part of the Three Lions side that took Italy to penalties in the Euro 2020 final, staged in 2021.
His career is clearly on a downward trajectory since then. Surprisingly, his club teammate Harry Maguire was selected by Gareth Southgate, despite plenty of reasons to leave the center back behind.
Fellow United players Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford made the England side as well.
Paul M. Banks is the Owner/Manager of The Sports Bank 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 contributed to WGN News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow the website on Instagram.