Manchester United double ‘risk’ emerges: Sancho sale could ‘upset’ teammate and Ronaldo furious

Manchester United are playing with fire this week, with one player potentially ‘upset’ by the sale of Jadon Sancho and another teasing Cristiano Ronaldo.

What’s the biggest story in all of football right now?
A simple question, answered succinctly by this headline to the story top of The Sun website, as of Friday lunchtime:

Laura Woods and Adam Collard look more loved up than ever as Love Island star kisses presenter on romantic walk

More as we get it.

Don’t call my name, Alejandro
One of the precious few undeniable positives at Manchester United right now is the ongoing development of Alejandro Garnacho. He is really very good and the club itself presumably realises this, what with it being just six months since he signed a new five-year contract.

But an international break demands that at least one elite Premier League club holds the crisis baton – honestly, curse Scott McTominay – and when in doubt, Manchester United tend to be the back-up plan.

So fresh off pretending there is a ‘new Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes pairing’ ready to spare Erik ten Hag the Old Trafford sack, the Daily Express website is back to throw a pickaxe in the general direction of the click goldmine.

‘Man Utd risk upsetting Alejandro Garnacho if Jadon Sancho seals January transfer’ is a seemingly straightforward headline. Garnacho will not be happy if Manchester United let Jadon Sancho go when the transfer window reopens. No idea why. Perhaps they get on well. Maybe Garnacho is the squad member who anonymously criticised Ten Hag recently. That is pure conjecture on the part of Mediawatch because honestly, nothing immediately springs to mind as to why Sancho leaving would ‘upset’ Garnacho specifically.

Which is obviously the point. They want a confused click. That’s the game. So in we go.

And instantly the pretence behind the entire story starts to collapse in on itself as in the first paragraph it is said that Ten Hag ‘risks upsetting’ Garnacho ‘if he starts an unfavourable chain of events’ by selling Sancho. The sale itself, therefore, is not the problem, just what might happen after. Already the headline is rendered moot.

But we’re here now so what might Ten Hag do after selling Sancho that would ‘risk upsetting’ Garnacho?

Sancho’s exit wouldn’t change much to United’s current wing pecking order. Garnacho is behind Marcus Rashford on the left, and Facundo Pellistri and Amad Diallo cover Antony on the right.

But Ten Hag reportedly wants to replace Sancho in his attacking department, which could prove problematic.

Those ‘reports’ that Ten Hag wants to replace a forward who has played 76 minutes this season and last scored in May – does such a player really need replacing? – come from a week-old Calciomercato story linking Manchester United with Juventus winger Federico Chiesa.

And that story contains a single reference to Manchester United, who are named as ‘admirers’ of the Italian winger alongside Aston Villa and Newcastle, without any indication they will actually try to sign him.

But ignore that because ‘Chiesa would offer competition for both Rashford and Antony in the wide positions, which may spell bad news for Garnacho’s hopes of regular minutes’.

It may if Manchester United actually wanted or could afford to sign him, and then subsequently forgot Garnacho existed. But they don’t and can’t and, in any case, clearly rate Garnacho very highly indeed. Even if they would ‘risk upsetting’ him by doing this thing they obviously aren’t going to.

MANCHESTER UNITED SQUAD RANKING: How Ten Hag views his squad, as Casemiro somehow climbs

Hell wrath no fury
The bad news only continues for Manchester United because…

Diogo Dalot risks Cristiano Ronaldo’s wrath as he trolls ex-Man Utd star over Piers Morgan interview

How did Dalot ‘risk’ the ‘wrath’ of Ronaldo, The Sun website? Did he say he prefers Lionel Messi? Did he tell him Jordan Henderson was the most important Saudi Pro League signing so far?

Nope. He posted a picture on social media of Ronaldo on his phone, with a caption of ‘This new generation always on the phone’, complete with laughing emoji. And wraths have been risked there because Ronaldo once said something about “the new generation” and “the new technologies that distract them”. So obviously he will be absolutely furious with his friend making a light-hearted comment.

This is England
Mediawatch agrees wholeheartedly with this sentiment expressed by Mark Irwin in The Sun:

The inconvenient truth is international football is a pain in the backside until it gets to the knockout rounds of tournaments.

But you do sort of have to get to the knockout round of tournaments first and as funny as it would be, international football might not work so well if you just skipped straight to the round of 16 at the Euros and World Cup every couple of years.

Southgate obviously won’t agree with that because he needs every opportunity he can get to work with his players.

But England have won their last ten friendlies and not lost a World Cup or Euro qualifier since 2009.

a) That is a very convenient way of skipping around the Nations League, in which England have lost five of their last 12 games, and b) Czechia 2-1 England, Euro 2020 qualifying, October 11, 2019.

Koeman, feel the noise
With the most sincere of apologies, it is time to briefly circle back to the Daily Express website. For it is there this headline can be found:

Ex-Everton manager is helping Jurgen Klopp ahead of Liverpool derby at Anfield

And that is how you neatly and enticingly package the fact that Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman didn’t select Ryan Gravenberch for international duty this week. What a shame it wasn’t Frank Lampard taking over a few training drills.

It’s like Wayne on your wedding day
‘WAYNE ROONEY may be in for an awkward meeting the next time he sees Birmingham co-owner Tom Brady’ – The Sun website.

Only if Tom Brady is an absolute child who takes offence to Rooney tweeting back in 2012 that the NFL was ‘like watching paint dry’.

Taking the Myk
‘Mykhaylo Mudryk confronts Arsenal fan after “London is red” jibe on international duty’ – Daily Mirror website.

Does replying with “Why are you asking for a photo then?” to someone saying “London is red” really qualify as ‘confronting’ someone?