Red light, red light?
For much of Sir Alex Ferguson’s time in charge of Manchester United, a nugget of wisdom was repeated over and over again across the footballing world. No, not “you’re all bloody idiots”, but “when you leave Old Trafford the only way out is failure”. Gerard Pique was the first to unintentionally challenge this, taking the unlikely shortcut from Manchester United’s reserves to perhaps the greatest club side of all time. However, when Ferguson retired in 2013, this cliché was turned on its head. When you enter Old Trafford in 2024, the only way out is down – into the Bermuda Triangle, where careers are lost forever. From Morgan Schneiderlin to Mason Mount to Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho, potentially world-class footballers have fallen victim to football’s version of the squid game. Then again, given United’s transfer policy and wage structure, it probably – yes, we’re really going there – should be called the “Quid Game”.
Well, the analogy doesn’t quite hold up since most players eventually escape. In fact, the last confirmed sighting of Donny Van Der Beek was him running past Lou Macari’s fish and chip shop belting out “Yazz & The Plastic Population.” But in most cases, only corpses emerge from this leaky hell formerly known as the “Theater of Dreams.” The soul and footballing ability of Old Trafford is still there. [Isn’t that more Twin Peaks than Squid Game? – Football Daily Ed.]
Of all the players missing from Old Trafford, Sancho is one of the saddest and most frustrating. At Borussia Dortmund, he was both a fantasy footballer and a fantasy footballer, churning out an industrial amount of goals and assists with languid elegance. He has shown some undeniable quality at Manchester United, most notably by sending half a Liverpool team into the wrong hot dog fire in this win to start Eric ten Hag A once promising reign. Sancho and Hag have not spoken since speaking publicly after the game against Arsenal in August, and it now appears he will return to Dortmund on loan. In days gone by, Sancho would have offended the football gods by going against two pieces of received wisdom – never look back, the only way out is to leave Old Trafford. It feels like the safer option now.
Whether Sancho returns to Old Trafford is likely to depend on whether Ten Hague gets a whiff of the newly printed P45s in the coming months. Whoever takes over as Manchester United manager in the summer may not have much say in deciding the new entrants in the 2024-25 series. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s project manager team are hoping to make Crystal Palace’s Michael Ollis one of their first signings this summer, according to reports today. Olise certainly fits the mold of a modern United signing: he cost half the price last August. He’s also a good-looking football player who also meets F/Fantasy requirements. He is exactly what United need to replace Anthony, Sancho and Mason Greenwood on the right wing. In fact, they needed him more than he needed them. The lure of Old Trafford is always there – no matter how many have their careers in trouble, any target knows that the next batch of players to win the league will become United legends. Furthermore, United are serious this time because Sir Jim and Sir Dave are in charge and they know what they are doing. It’s going to be different this time, right? correct?
Quote of the day
“I spoke to him and apologized on behalf of the club. Understandably, he remains angry and upset. No player deserves this kind of abuse and we are very sorry that he has been subjected to this kind of abuse. We will do everything we can to find the culprits.” This is extremely disappointing. We ask fans to stop and behave. This situation cannot continue” – Carlisle CEO Nigel Clabbons Nigel Clibbens condemned the fan who told Port Vale goalkeeper Conor Ripley to “go hang himself” during a First Division match at Brunton Park on New Year’s Day.
Reply: Yesterday’s Football Daily. I’m a simple man with simple wants and that’s all Villa fans want in 2024: Frank Lampard’s Birmingham City” – Anthony Train.
Re: Yesterday’s daily quote. In one respect (and maybe only one), I am ahead of Jurgen Klopp in his sideline business. Like him, I lost a kilo or two after getting married, which meant my wedding ring was also at risk of being lost in competition. However, unlike him, I saw this was a risk ahead of time, so I was careful to leave the ring at home whenever I coached. That said, if we could have professional TV camera crews on call to recover the lost ring, I would be happy to start wearing it on matchdays in the Nottinghamshire U-18 Saturday League (Level 4)” – David Ed.
Why is Klopp’s photographer carrying a donkey’s head under his right arm, as pictured in the quote of the day? ” – Mick Beebe.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our no-prize letter is…David Ede.
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