It’s all happening at Manchester United – depending on which source you are reading of course.
Let’s deal with the facts first. Sky Sports presenter, Chloe Everton, yesterday tweeted that
‘Manchester United are going to buy Gareth Bale’
The following morning, after receiving hundreds of retweets, she expanded on her ‘inside knowledge’.
‘Mr G (Giggs) is moving into a coaching role. Fergie’s right hand man.’
It’s the tweets that are fact, not necessarily the content of course. Still very interesting for Manchester United fans who are praying that the Welshman will fill the boots of his sporting hero next season. Manchester United could probably afford him – just. And he would of course be worth every penny.
Meanwhile, former Newcastle striker Tino Asprilla has re-stoked the all but extinguished fires that had linked Manchester United with a megabucks move for Atletico Madrid hotshot Radamel Falcao:
‘We were talking and he asked me my opinion on who he should join. He knows that every big club in the world wants him. He is not a player motivated by money – what he wants is somewhere that his family will be happy and where he will have success.
‘With teams like Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City they have good times then they have bad times – that is why I told him he must choose Manchester United. Every season they are challenging – and if he wants success that is where I have told him to go.
‘Also they don’t have all the behaviour away from the field – with changing coaches every season. They are steady in all that they do – and a well run club at every level. He is a real family guy – and Radamel will appreciate that and the way that Sir Alex Ferguson protects his players like family.’
‘It is difficult for me to explain how good he is – he is the best finisher in the world. The only striker who has played in the Premier League who is on his finishing level is Alan Shearer.
‘If he signs for Manchester United – he would be their missing piece in the Champions League. Robin van Persie and Radamel would be unstoppable.’
…and other sources are somehow packaging a story linking Cristiano with a return to Manchester United, even though he doesn’t mention them at all in the interview he gives. Still, it didn’t stop the hacks using headlines such as ‘Ronaldo quiet on United’. They might as well have said ‘Ronaldo quiet on Gherkins’ because he didn’t mention them either. This is what he did say post defeat in The Champions League.
“I have two more years on my contract, I am not concerned about that.
“I want to win wherever I am. That is what I want most, I am not concerned about renewing.”
Manchester United obviously can’t get all these stars in. So it seems that they have a big decision to make this summer. Manchester United fans will simply hope that Fergie is gearing up for at least one genuine marquee signing this summer, rather than just buying a £2m 18 year old from Barnet or a 35 year old ex-genius from the MLS.
In terms of current personnel, Sir Alex Ferguson has made some positive noises about crowd favourite Wayne Rooney. The striker has been linked with a painful move away from the club but the Manchester United boss has given his most reassuring interview yet about the player:
‘He’s approaching his peak and has a long-term future at the club’
That’s the United news. If you want more detail, check out yesterday’s soccersweep podcast here – socersweep 1st podcast
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David
May 2, 2013 at 8:35 am
Presently, i think Wayne Rooney is a distraction to Manchester United, and therefore should be sold abroad. 30 million pounds and above will be a good biz.