WHY SAY ANYTHING?

We’re at the end of another boring international break and the English are, once again, being somewhat rapturous because their side managed to score four goals at Wembley against Bulgaria, then five goals against Kosovo at St. Marys, (who managed to get three themselves).

Mind you, it was always going to be a stroll when you consider that, again according to FIFA, England are miles better than Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Holland. Reasons to be cheerful indeed! The next Euro Championship is already in the bag and the World Cup will surely follow two years later!

Gawpy Gareth has decided that he knows Marcus Rashford’s best position. You see that’s why he is the England manager, for those of you who were unsure. Ole Gunnar Solskjær doesn’t know his best position and, judging by the last few games, neither does Rashford, but Gareth does. How reassuring.

Raheem Sterling doesn’t fall over and give the ball away quite as much as he used to and has added a prolific goalscoring touch to his game. Who should we be grateful to for this? Pep Guardiola, Michel Arteta or the City coaches in general? Not a word of it, it’s all down to Gareth.

He has turned a couple of once average players into world beaters. It’s only a pity he can’t do it with the rest of this team because, if he could, then England would have a chance at being quite good.

We may have the best league in the world but, unfortunately, the English do not produce very many of the best players in the world and, until we do, then the goodies cabinet at Wembley will remain inhabited by just a dusty old replica of the Jules Rimet trophy.

Laporte actually managed to injure himself when making this tackle!

In other news, Aymeric Laporte will be out for a while having injured himself when mis-timing a tackle in the recent game against Brighton. Will this mean a panic purchase in January? It would be most unlike Guardiola if that was the result and, the fact that January is still four months away, takes the word “panic” out of the equation.

No, Pep will do what Pep usually does. He will take another player, play him yards out of his favourite position, and the player will excel. That is just how it works at The Etihad.

Manchester United also have an injury concern. In their case it isn’t quite as serious as Laporte because the injured party is Eric Bailly, again. By now the player should be an automatic first choice for the team but, after a very promising start to his United career, his form tailed off and he then became injury prone. With Maguire and Lindelof the two first picks, probably followed by Tuanzebe and Jones, then Bailly has some improving and catching up to do.

He will probably leave in either the January or next summer transfer window.

So United now just need to bring in that midfielder they have been chasing for months and that left back and striker they haven’t been chasing for very long.

At least some of the deadwood has gone, temporarily at least. With Chris Smalling’s move to Roma capping off a half decent transfer window for players leaving. Now just Ashley Young and Jesse Lingard remain of the pathetically average players who should not be pulling on a United shirt at any level.

Maybe another club will be daft enough….tempted to buy them in January!

Never mind, real football is now back!