Manchester United are off until Oct 21, when they’ll visit Sheffield United for a Premier League fixture. Still lots of news to discuss though, particularly when it comes to David de Gea, Wayne Rooney and Andre Onana.
We have United transfer talk to discuss too, as we covered that over at this link. But for now, let’s begin with Wayne Rooney.
The United and England all-time leading scorer parted ways with DC United, where he was head coach. DC United are an absolute dumpster fire right now, just as they were when Rooney first took over the side.
In Major League Soccer, it is very easy to make the playoffs, but they can’t even manage to do that.
It’s a club that is going through a lot of transition right now, and things might even get worse before they get better.
Perhaps it really was a mutual parting of ways for Rooney and DC, and if so, it’s best for him.
He has already found his next gig, as he’ll soon be appointed manager of Championship side Birmingham City. They just sacked their manager, John Eustace.
Moving on to De Gea, he was at Leigh Sports Village tonight, to help support the United women, in their UEFA Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
? | David De Gea is present to show his support for the #mufc Women’s team against PSG ? ?? pic.twitter.com/u1KFopT8ho
— The Transfer Insider (@Transferintel) October 10, 2023
According to reports, he is completely fine with the fact that he hasn’t found a new team yet for this season. He’s enjoying the time off, and not sweating over his uncertain future.
Shifting from De Gea to the man who replaced him, Andre Onana is off to an AWFUL start at United. He’s been terrible so far, but United club legend Rio Ferdinand actually made a comparison between his start and the manner in which De Gea began his United career.
??| David De Gea is at Leigh Sports Village, supporting #mufc women’s. ?? pic.twitter.com/n3i6xRbZsJ
— centredevils. (@centredevils) October 10, 2023
Rio makes some good points, and of course, Onana can still fix his problems this year. The season is still young, but what about his leaving for international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations?
What’s very unique about AFCON is that it is staged mid-season, and that means the shot stopper could miss out on about a month of the Premier League season.
That is the last thing you need when
a.) you’re sputtering through terrible form during your debut season at your new club and
b.) your manager, with whom you’ve worked with for a long time, is under heavy fire, and could face the prospect of the sack soon.
Onana, reportedly, is much more concerned with showing his commitment to achieving quality at Man United. He wants to stay put for a whole season straight through and work on his game.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.