Here are some of the more interesting and informative Manchester United news stories circulating in the media world right now. Wayne Rooney is probably topic 1A, right now, but we begin with an item on Daley Blind. The very versatile Dutch defender may have earned himself a permanent place in the United first team; capitalizing on the opportunity that opened up with the injury to left back Luke Shaw.
Via the Manchester Evening News:
Daley Blind responded superbly to his demotion vs Leicester and the Manchester United defender has given Jose Mourinho a selection dilemma.
“Give us this day, our Daley Blind,” was just one tribute to Manchester United’s defender after the Leicester win. United supporters have a love affair with Dutchmen dating back to Arnold Muhren and Blind might attain the cult reverence enjoyed by the ’83 Cup final goalscorer, Jaap Stam or Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Wayne Rooney, yes, what should be done about the United and England team captain? You saw that once he was dropped, United actually had their players in well defined roles. You saw a Red Devils team with more guys playing their natural positions; instead of just a roster of big names like a fantasy football team.
It made all the difference.
Via FanSided, on the blog “We are Hooligans.”
Manchester United has clearly moved on from Wayne Rooney, but many are claiming he’s still the ‘main man’. He’s become like the Queen of England.
Manchester United has become synonymous with Wayne Rooney. The quintessential Englishman has been the heartbeat of the club since he arrived from Everton back in 2004. He became Sir Alex Ferguson’s golden boy and he was the glue that held the team together throughout the reigns of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
Mainly because he was one of the few consistent faces on the team.
Now, despite Jose Mourinho’s best efforts, Wayne Rooney has been dropped and the effect has been magnificent. Immediately upon being dropped, United snapped out of their funk and dominated the defending champions to the tune of 4-1. You could say that the Rooney droppage made all the difference.
ESPN FC opines that Paul Pogba finally showed his value once Wayne Rooney was dropped. With the world’s most expensive player now coming closer to justifying his price tag, it’s hard to see how Wayne Rooney could find his way back into the first team now.
It’s understandable why Mourinho waited to drop Rooney (after all, he’s like United’s Queen of England) since he’s such a club icon and Mourinho hasn’t been at Old Trafford very long. Now, it seems like Rooney’s seat on the bench will be occupied for awhile.
With all the attention on Wayne Rooney this weekend, it was almost forgotten that the most expensive player in the world had been back in England for a couple of months and was yet to turn in a really convincing performance…Most seemed to agree that we might see more from Pogba in Rooney’s absence, freeing him to break forward and perhaps excel in his favoured No.10 role. But while the first part of that was true, it wasn’t because of the second.
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.