It continues to be a very exciting summer at Manchester United, with a whole lot going on. The “biggest” of their preseason exhibition games (if you can call a friendly “big”) commences tomorrow, and with the International Champions Cup clash against Liverpool coming up there is certainly no shortage of topics to discuss today.
So let’s take a spin through the latest news and notes items making the rounds on the internet this Friday.
-Apparently, tickets for Saturday’s rivalry clash with United in Ann Arbor, Michigan aren’t selling as well as the previous two International Champions Cup clashes at Michigan Stadium. According to an email obtained by The Sports Bank the game’s hosts, the University of Michigan, are offering extremely cheap tickets to U of M students at the last minute.
Perhaps the novelty of staging international friendlies in “The Big House” is wearing off, as this is the third event the Univ. of Michigan has hosted in six years.
Additionally, any fan with basic acumen knows these ICC games will feature a lot of third and fourth-teamers; especially so in a World Cup year.
Also, it doesn’t help that United manager Jose Mourinho keeps complaining publicly about the current state of the roster that he has along with him on tour.
Saturday could being the very first time that we see Fred in a Red Devils shirt. The first and most noteworthy acquisition of the summer transfer window joined up with the team yesterday after taking a holiday on the heels of his international tour of duty with Brazil in the World Cup. Nemanja Matic also joined up with the team this week, as he played for Serbia in the tournament.
However, he won’t likely feature tomorrow as he picked up a knock in training.
-Comedic actor Neil Patrick Harris, known best for his roles as womanizer/playboy supreme Barney Stinson on “How I Met Your Mother” and boy super-genius “Doogie Howser M.D.” made as big a fan gaffe as one could imagine.
While attending his first football match with his son, Wednesday night’s Manchester City-Liverpool friendly in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Harris proudly shouts “GO MANCHESTER UNITED!”….
https://twitter.com/utdxtra/status/1022395789069479937
…while both he and his son are wearing Manchester City shirts.
Harris posted an Instagram story of this and it’s been going viral ever since.
-And finally, embattled left back Luke Shaw gave a very revealing, heart felt and wide-ranging interview to ESPN. In it, he opens us about having fit weight, conditioning and fitness questioned in public and discussed by social media and reporters all across the world.
An excerpt:
Q: Have you been affected by criticism of your weight?
A: Yeah, I guess you’ve just got to take it because there is always going to be negative criticism and positive but I think both of them can make you stronger. And I think I’ve been unlucky because I’ve had a few ups and downs with different managers, but I would say I’ve never been out of shape. I’ve just, I don’t know, sometimes people don’t think I’m fitter than I am but that’s all in the past. And, honestly, I feel really good and I’m raring to go. The minutes are only going to help me become fitter. That’s what I need: minutes and hard work in training.
The interview makes for a good read. Happy ICC match eve everybody.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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