Manchester United have yet to sign a single player this transfer window, and we’re still a few weeks away from the Red Devils playing a competitive match again, but we still have plenty of news items to cover on this Thursday, so let’s dive right in.
Midfield maestro Paul Pogba, whose camp is actively working on a new deal that will keep him at Old Trafford for the long term, has tested positive for COVID-19. France national team manager Didier Deschamps revealed the news today, indicating that Pogba had to be dropped due to public health and safety concerns.
“I had to make a last-minute change to this list because Paul Pogba was planned to be in this list,” Deschamps told reporters on Thursday.
“But unfortunately for him, he took a test [for COVID-19] yesterday which turned out to be positive today, so at the last minute he was replaced by Eduardo Camavinga.”
Pogba will now miss the beginning of MUFC training camp, which starts on Wednesday. Aaron Wan-Bissaka will as well, as he must now undergo a 14-day quarantine, following his return from going on holiday in Dubai.
Elsewhere, Pogba’s partner in the advancing midfield, Bruno Fernandes, with whom he’s made sweet music together on the football pitch after the restart, looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary former United player is a hero of his, and it’s well documented.
Fernandes has previously said that Ronaldo was a major reason why he joined United, and he hopes to win trophies at the club like CR7 did.
The Portugese galactico keeps in regular contact with the Portugese magnifico, and Fernandes told ManUtd.com that Ronaldo often keeps tab on his former club, a place where he achieved so much of his initial glory.
“I have the choice to come to Manchester United and it was two dreams in one,” Fernandes said to the club’s official website. “It was perfect.”
“Of course, I spoke with Cristiano after and he spoke very well about the club. I spoke with him some days ago, again.
“Every time I speak with him, he asks me how Manchester is and if everything is okay. Everyone knows he spent a lot of time in Manchester and he has consideration for the club.”
“He likes the club, I think he won his first Ballon d’Or here, so it’s a club who’ve marked him, for sure.”
Maybe one last go around for Ronaldo at United? The last stop before he calls time on his playing career? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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.
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