What’s the latest news surrounding the world’s biggest club? Here’s what the internet has been talking about today pertaining to Manchester United.
It’s time for the second of today’s two editions of Man United News and Notes. Here’s the link to the first.
-England, without Wayne Rooney, still were not good. Just like they have been since the Iceland upset with Wayne Rooney. Not good. Three Lions drew 0-0 with Slovenia today moving further towards left without Rooney.
Via FOX Sports, Aaron West of FOX Soccer writes:
In Rooney’s absence, Southgate went with a three-man midfield of new captain Jordan Henderson alongside Eric Dier, in support of Dele Alli. By no means was it a resounding success, but it was a promising experiment, and one that shouldn’t be abandoned just because of England’s struggles on the day.
Rooney used to be a phenomenal player. There’s no doubt about it. His record at the club level and with England is indisputable over his near-decade-and-a-half as a professional and international. But now, his legs have gone, and he’s just not the world-beater he legitimately used to be.
Rooney is taking so much heat these days that his closest allies are defending him on social media. Rooney’s wife Coleen posted on Twitter that people need to lighten up and remember that human beings have feelings.
Chelsea icon John Terry stuck up for Wayne Rooney on Instagram.
-Nobody could have predicted both the stellar play and the important role of Juan Mata this year. We all thought that he was out the door when it became official that Jose Mourinho was taking over. Mourinho has a very different team than the one he had at Chelsea; with Mata on it.
The Mata-Mourinho relationship has changed too.
(ESPN FC) If Jose Mourinho has changed tact, then this is nowhere more apparent than in his handling of Juan Mata…Yet with the emergence of Marcus Rashford and accompanied by Anthony Martial, Mata has an excellent outlet for many of his more ambitious passes. He is now also much more robust in the challenge than he was when first joined the club.
-More Rooney related drama continuing to dominate the news cycle.
(Manchester Evening News) Ryan Giggs believes Wayne Rooney has been left ‘confused’ by Jose Mourinho’s decision not to play him in midfield for Manchester United.
Rooney suffered his second demotion in a month when England manager Gareth Southgate excluded him from the side for the World Cup qualifier against Slovenia, and Rooney is set to be a substitute for the fourth successive United game at Liverpool on Monday.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.