With the exception of Belarus, South Korea and now, Germany, global football is currently suspended. The Premier League has been given the all clear by the government to restart in June, behind closed doors. United resumed training this week, albeit in small groups only.
However, there are still plenty of question marks when it comes to Project Restart, and we’ll learn more as the days go by. Until football actually returns, we still have plenty of Old Trafford related news items to cover. So let’s take a spin through the hot topics in United’s cyberspace community right now.
ICYMI: Join us in welcoming our ?????? new head coach, Jaap Stam. #FCCincy
?: https://t.co/DP0FEepraD pic.twitter.com/dvLbByeHoC
— FC Cincinnati (@fccincinnati) May 21, 2020
For today’s MUFC transfer rumors go here.
Jaap Stam was named the new manager of FC Cincinnati in Major League Soccer. Stam, who won the treble with United in 1999, saw his announcement go…not so smoothly.
The club, in their announcement tweet, used a photo of Ajax Youth Coach Tinus van Teunerbroek instead. Hey, at least they got the Dutch and bald part right! MLS rival clubs had some fun at their expense, with ESPN FC capturing some of the funnier responses.
Turning to another club legend, Ryan Giggs has explained why manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s recruiting has completely overhauled Manchester United’s transfer strategy.
He also had high praise for the impact of Bruno Fernandes, likening his arrival to that of Eric Cantona and Robin van Persie.
“The players [Solskjaer’s] got in have been really impressive, Giggs said to MUTV Group Chat. (transcript Sports Illustrated)
“They’ve improved the team and the dressing room and obviously, in Fernandes, we’ve seen over the years the effect one player can sometimes have. You talk about the Cantonas, the Van Persies… and I’m not comparing him yet to them but he’s made other players play better and he’s given everyone a lift.
“I still think we need four or five players but we’re definitely going in the right direction.”
Giggs also singled out James for strong complimentary rhetoric.
“Dan’s not only a talented player,” Giggs said on the same chat session (transcript Goal).
“He’s a really good character and a solid lad. He wants to improve and that’s what I’ve seen over the last 18 months.
“Every time I went to watch him at Swansea, he was getting better and better and he’s had a great start to his United career.”
“He’s a United player as well and someone who United fans will enjoy watching. He’ll beat men, he’ll make things happen and, of course, he has that devastating speed, but as I said, more than that for me, is he’s a really good character.”
“I think that’s what Ole has tried to do over the last months, have some really good characters in the dressing room.”
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.