Even though it’s the close season for all the major European leagues, that does not mean the past few weeks have been devoid of action. Quite the contrary, actually!
First things first, congratulations to the U-21 England men’s team for winning the U-21 European Championships! A great tournament by those lads. They didn’t concede a single goal in six tournament matches and beat Spain in 1-0 in the final earlier today. The hero of the final was Burnley’s 19 year-old goalkeeper James Trafford (what a name!) who pulled off a miraculous double save in the 98th minute. He saved the initial penalty, and then the follow up as well! Super proud of these lads, and it will be big going forward. England needs players who know how to win, and it won’t be long before several of these players earn a call-up to the senior team. This experience is invaluable for them and I’m always happy to see England winning trophies.
The senior team also had a successful June, albeit on a much smaller scale. They won their two Euro 2024 qualifiers, beating minnows Malta 4-0 on June 16. They then had a more impressive 7-0 victory over North Macedonia at Old Trafford on June 19th. England are currently top of their qualifying group with a 100% win record, and look to be firmly in the driver’s seat to qualify for next summer’s tournament in Germany. Of course, qualification has historically not been England’s problem. The Three Lions are expected to qualify for these tournaments. The real test will be at the tournament when the pressure is highest and the opposition is of higher quality!
Last bit on England – the women’s senior side is about to start play at Women’s World Cup 2023 starting July 22nd. The tournament for the ladies is in Australia and New Zealand this year, which means their matches are on at ungodly hours in the USA. UK-based fans will have an easier time watching, though. I do plan on covering this tournament as these ladies deserve it, but the summaries will come well after each match has ended. They are without superstar Beth Mead due to injury unfortunately, but as reigning European Champions they are without doubt one of the favorites to lift the trophy at the end of the tournament. I may also cover the US Women’s team, as a majority of my readers are Americans. Good luck to the Lionesses though!
Right, on to Manchester United. The players reported for pre-season training earlier this week. Some new faces were present, and some old faces were not. Manager Erik ten Hag is actively working to shape the squad according to his vision, and that means a lot of personnel changes. Midfielder Mason Mount was signed from Chelsea about two weeks ago for £50 million plus another £5m in performance-based add-ons. Midfield reinforcements were needed, and Mount is a player who will fit ETH’s overall philosophy given how well he presses and creates chances. There were a few eyebrows raised when he was given the iconic no. 7 shirt, however. Not sure I agree with that. Supposedly it was part of the reason why he signed, but that number comes with a lot of pressure as some of United’s best players have worn it. It’s also been traditionally reserved for wingers and forwards, of which Mount is neither. He’s also never even so much as kicked a ball in a United shirt, which is odd given that no. 7 is usually a reward for a player who’s done well for us previously. This is still a good signing to be sure, but I do hope he lives up to the pressure of the shirt.
In bittersweet news, goalkeeper David De Gea announced his departure from the club earlier today. His contract was set to expire and it seemed like ETH and the football directors were willing to move on from him. There’s a good amount of sense to this, despite how it may look. Why would United allow a keeper who just won the Golden Gloves last season to leave? For one, his wages were far too high. He would have had to agree to a wage reduction to stay on, which is something most players would not do at age 32. Further, despite his stellar shot-stopping abilities, his style of play does not fit with ETH’s system. He routinely makes the wrong decision when distributing the ball out from the back. He also does not command his penalty area well. The modern keeper has to be comfortable coming out of the box to clear long balls, as well as collecting crosses. Too often De Gea allowed a dangerous cross in to the box and has had to be bailed out by the defense or his own shot-stopping ability. In previous seasons he was also mostly free from mistakes, but he had several poor errors last season that could signify that he is on the downward slope of his career.
But let’s not end this on a negative. De Gea doesn’t deserve that. He’s been at this club since 2011 and was the last player still on the team from the Sir Alex Ferguson era. He’s been our undisputed number one keeper virtually that entire team. He’s won the Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League, two League Cups, and was our Player of the Season four times. He’s an absolute legend and deserves all the respect of every United supporter. It’s time for him to go now, but I will extend a hearty “gracias por todo” to our Big Brave Spanish Dave! I wish him nothing but success wherever he goes.
A new goalkeeper was needed in the summer no matter what De Gea ended up doing, and in that vein United appear to be very close to signing keeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan. It’s not an official signing yet, but Inter need the money and we need a new number one keeper. Onana appears to be the perfect choice for an ETH-coached team. The 27 year-old Cameroonian is exceptional with his feet, he helped Inter reach the Champions League final last season, and he kept his side in that match for quite a lot longer than they realistically should have been. The Italian league is generally not as fast as the Prem so there may be some time needed for adjustments, but Onana is likely the best option realistically available. Here’s to hoping he signs soon so he can join the club for the preseason tour!
Lastly, the sale of Manchester United by the Glazer family is still dragging on and generating headlines. The Glazers seem to have finally realized how unpopular they are (maybe?), and have allegedly been trying to sell the team for a few months now. The problem with figuring out what’s happening with this sale is that everything is speculation and conjecture. A British billionaire named Sir Jim Ratcliffe has supposedly made a bid, but so has Sheikh Jassim, the former Prime Minister of Qatar. It’s been back and forth for at least two months now, and sometimes it’s even unclear if the Glazers are actually selling or not. I personally think all football clubs should be owned collectively by the fans, but that scenario is not realistic in this situation. There will likely be a new billionaire in charge of United soon, and whoever it is I am hoping the situation resolves itself quickly. We need consistency from ownership and investment in the club’s infrastructure, and right now neither of those things are happening. The Glazers need to get their act together and actually do something that benefits this club for once! Sell the team! If they eventually do, I’ll do a separate post with a bit of background on the new ownership.
The 2023/2024 preseason begins in just four days’ time at Old Trafford against the newly-relegated Leeds. Glory Glory Man United! Glazers Out!
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