Jose Mourinho awaiting fate following sending off
As Jose Mourinho’s sending-offs go, it was a pretty tame one. Manchester United were in the closing stages of their game against Southampton, which they won 1-0, and, before a corner could be taken the referee jogged over to the dugouts. There had been no verbal exchange and no physical confrontation between players or staff, but a red card was shown to Mourinho anyway. The reason? The manager had stepped out of his technical area. Now, the Portuguese is awaiting news of a possible charge following the incident.
Franck Ribery not good enough for United
The Sunday Times have reported that Manchester United rejected the chance to sign Franck Ribery back in 2006 after Sir Alex Ferguson watched him for just 45 minutes before deciding not to pursue the Frenchman. The Bayern Munich winger, who has since enjoyed success with the German side was apparently seen as not good enough for the English team, as claimed by Alastair Campbell in his published diaries.
United looking to identify fans who have defied their plea
The chant about Romelu Lukaku that Manchester United had asked fans to stop singing reared it’s head in the club’s 1-0 win over Southampton on the weekend. With the chant condemned by many, both United and Lukaku had asked for the fans to stop signing it, but some fans have defied this plea. According to ESPN, the club are now looking to identify those that defied the call.
Paul Pogba decision this week
According to ESPN’s sources, a decision will be made on the surgery for Paul Pogba this week. Manchester United’s most expensive player has been sidelined since the 3-0 Champions League win over Basel on September 12th with a hamstring injury and it has been reported that surgery is an option for the Frenchman. Mourinho has maintained his stance of not knowing how many games the star will miss, but United will be desperate to have him back soon as his absence has been keenly felt in recent games.
Defensive positives for United
Jose Mourinho has hailed his centre-half pairing following their 1-0 win over Southampton. Mourinho told ESPN: “Very good, and also [substitute Chris] Smalling. We did for 20 minutes what the majority of the Premier League teams are doing, which is to play defensively with five at the back”. Eric Bailly and Phil Jones marshalled the defence superbly and, solely on their defensive effort, they deserved to win after Southampton applied spells of elongated pressure. Goalkeeper David de Gea may also be extending his stay with United, as ESPN reported that the club are looking to extend his deal further. The man that many regard as the world’s best goalkeeper has been attracting the continued interest of double-Champions League winners Real Madrid, but United have been standing firm on the Spaniard.