For part one of today’s Man United news and notes go to this link.
With the FA Cup complete, the offseason is now here for Manchester United. The Red Devils won’t be reunited again until training camp in July. However, it’s going to be a very busy summer, and exciting transfer window at Old Trafford, with a whole lot of topics to discuss. Today is a busy news day, so let’s take a spin through the headlines.
United manager Jose Mourinho no longer has an Instagram account, which he had started in 2016, and since picked up approximately 2.8 million followers.
It was thought that Mourinho shuttered it over the weekend, due to online abuse received in the wake of his side’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup Final on Saturday, for which he received much of the blame for tactics that were deemed to be too conservative by many.
However, ESPN FC claims that Mourinho closed it on Thursday, two days before the Cup match.
-It’s been previously reported that defender Daley Blind is on his way out. In speaking with a Dutch media outlet, Blind says he’ll now go on a post season vacation, and then, once his holiday is over, think about his options for next season. It’s clear, right now, there is no current place for him in the squad.
He’s only featured twice since January for United, and his appearances this season, in total, only amounted to 361 minutes.
De Telegraaf quoted the Dutchman as saying: “We’re going to think about it in the holidays… United is also a nice big club. Of course there is a lot of competition there. I am still under contract for another year.”
“I certainly will not make a panic transfer, because it is not guaranteed that I will play at a new club. We have to wait, but it seems logical that I wasn’t satisfied with the second half of the season. So first I’ll go on vacation and then put all the possibilities next to each other.”
Finally, Paul Pogba has inspired new speculation about his future at the club, and opened up about his much publicized and scrutinized relationship with Mourinho. The Frenchman acknowledges the tension that exists between player and manager.
Asked if he will remain at United, Pogba said: “We are never sure of anything but contractually it’s sure, yes. I can never look far into the future. It also depends how it goes with the club, how things work out.”
He then discussed his relationship with Mourinho.
“There were times where I wasn’t playing, I was on the bench,” said Pogba. “There was a lot of talk, people thought it wasn’t working out. But a coach and a player don’t have to be best friends, we don’t have to go to restaurants together.
“I had a few little problems too. Football is sometimes all about the mental side. He put me on the bench and I gave my response on the pitch. I always give everything I’ve got.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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