It continues to be a very exciting summer at Manchester United, with plenty of topics to discuss. What offseason, right?
So let’s take a spin through the latest news and notes items making the rounds on the internet today.
-Naturally, we start with the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer narrative, one of the biggest headlines in all of sports right now. United are set to receive £2.2 million if his sale from Real Madrid to Juventus goes through via the Solidarity Mechanism. All signs seem to point towards this deal coming to fruition, but it hasn’t been made official as of yet.
Despite no announcement of Ronaldo to Juve, some ripple effects of this transfer are already being felt. Workers for automobile maker Fiat (who own shares of Juventus) are fuming. They’re angry that the company has money to sign CR7, but not to increase worker wages.
Also, shares of Juventus are currently soaring on the news of Ronaldo’s likely arrival.
However, many may wonder why Ronaldo is likely heading to Juve instead of back to Man United? That’s because Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho had no real interest in bringing the superstar back, Guillem Balague claims.
The gold standard of Spanish football experts expounds on the current Ronaldo situation in the Daily Express.
-Luke Shaw has been working hard on increasing his fitness in Dubai ahead of the opening of Manchester United training camp. Shaw has shown up to camp early, eager to get his preseason training going as he fights to save his career at Old Trafford.
Earlier this offseason, the 22-year-old was slammed as being way out of shape when shirtless photos of him on holiday emerged online (see below, left). Over the course of his Red Devils career, Shaw has come under fire for concerns relating to fitness levels, work ethic and dedication.
All those questions were answered, with authority, as Shaw posted a new shirtless of himself online (see below, right). Check out the side-by-side, and the response that Shaw himself tweeted!
By the way, almost all of us men could only be so lucky as to be as “fat” as Luke Shaw looks in his “before” photo.
Hard work & dedication pays off ????? looking forward to the new season ???? pic.twitter.com/YmWAC1HOD7
— Kell-MUFC ?? (@KellyFosters) July 6, 2018
Am not finished yet ?
— Luke Shaw (@LukeShaw23) July 6, 2018
Shaw, entering the final year of his deal, will now try to unseat Ashley Young, first team left back for both United and England.
-Finally, congratulations to Belgium! Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku and company are now through to the World Cup semifinals. With their 2-1 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals, we’re now guaranteed a fourth straight champion from Europe.
This was the second straight game that Lukaku didn’t score, but he changed the game, for the better, in numerous other ways. Lukaku was a top trending topic on Twitter during the first half of the game due to his impressive display.
Lukaku again fantastic center forward holding up play. De Bruyne doing what De Bruyne does! Way too much space given, great goal #BRA #BEL
— Eniola Aluko MBE (@EniAlu) July 6, 2018
If Belgium win this World Cup, there’s a very real chance of Lukaku winning the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball. He’s been immense this tournament, scored the goals and crucial in every build up.
— Hesham Bilal-Hafiz (@hesham786) July 6, 2018
Lukaku again fantastic center forward holding up play. De Bruyne doing what De Bruyne does! Way too much space given, great goal #BRA #BEL
— Eniola Aluko MBE (@EniAlu) July 6, 2018
The United striker helped set up Kevin De Bruyne’s game winning goal.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud and YouTube. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to any and all of his.