The clear-out still hasn’t begun at Manchester United and the priorities, as far as the fans are concerned, seem to be a little confused.
Yes, Romelu Lukaku should be sold as he doesn’t fit the philosophy at the new United. Yes, Paul Pogba should be sold because he doesn’t wan to be there and yes, Alexis Sánchez should be sold because he is costing a fortune while sitting on the bench but, far more pressing for the supporters, is the fact that Chris Smalling, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard and Phil Jones are all still there and, worse still, no noises are forthcoming about any of them being shifted in the near future.
These are average players in a team/squad which should have NO average players. Manchester United should have players who rate between very good and excellent to the downright brilliant. But not average!
Whilst we accept that a complete overhaul may take a couple of years we would like to think things could be dramatically improved sooner. A director of football still hasn’t been appointed and this alone would add some much needed impetus to transfer dealings.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær still isn’t proven at this level and there are still a couple of lingering doubts. His results in the immediate aftermath of José Mourinho were quite spectacular but was that because he was so good or simply because he wasn’t José Mourinho? It is nice to look back on that short period of success but it must be tempered with what came afterwards which was nothing short of diabolical.
His track record as manager of Cardiff wasn’t too impressive either resulting in their relegation and his sacking.
So, although he will always be popular with the Old Trafford faithful, the jury is well and truly out on whether or not he is the right fit for Manchester United. Like all supporters we hope he is and we wish him well.
Meanwhile, on the international stage…..
Phil demonstrates what the French barber did with the razor while cutting his hair
Success starved English football fans, fed up with expecting their men’s team to win the World Cup every four years only to be let down by average players playing averagely, have turned their attention to the women’s team and are now awaiting the formality of the trophy arriving in England following the team’s inevitable triumph in France.
Phil Neville is managing to keep calm whilst simultaneously getting completely carried away with the drama of it all. In one press conference he explained that he would never compare any of his team to male footballers and then did exactly that! He followed this up by having a very strange haircut for which he blamed his inability to speak French rather than the barber’s inability to cut hair. Very magnanimous, Phil.
With his waistcoat “a-la-Gareth” and his obvious joy when a plan comes together on the pitch, he is certainly a breath of fresh air and an all round nice guy. From having a decent career as an average footballer who was far better known at club and international level for conceding important penalties rather than bringing anything particularly positive to the teams for which he played, he has gone on to, hopefully, bring success to an international team for which he appears to be very well suited.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 