It was just one of those days for Manchester United; one of those days were crosstown rivals Manchester City absolutely decimated an opponent to climb to the top of the table while United reverted to the slapstick pantomime version of the world’s biggest club.
A late Paul Pogba penalty made the scoreline much more respectable, but Brighton fully deserved its 3-2 win over Jose Mourinho’s men at the Amex Stadium.
Between the closing of the Premier League transfer window and last Friday's match between Manchester United and Leicester City, we learned that the Red Devils intend to keep Paul Pogba. We also realized that Jose Mourinho is finally doing something right — Pogba captained the team. What we have yet to learn is this: Is Pogba set on staying with United?
Manchester United face Leicester City Friday, Aug. 10, at Old Trafford as the English Premier League commences with a Red Devils-Foxes showdown. The matchup will mark the 89th EPL meeting between the two and the 45th contest in United’s territory.
Manchester United finished second in the EPL table with 81 points last season. Leicester, on the other hand, finished ninth with 47. With the table flushed clean, both the Red Devils and Foxes have a shot at vengeance — their last EPL match in Dec. 2017 ended in a 2-2 draw.
Manchester United will not win the Premier League title this season. The Red Devils have grown to be the antithesis of their former "Pride of England" moniker under Jose Mourinho. Not only has the Portuguese "Chosen One" flooded Old Trafford with boredom, the 2017-18 season was also an indicator of false glory despite a second place finish behind Manchester City.
Managers are being scrutinised more than ever, and with good reason. The fans and owners expect results from their teams, no matter who their players are. Whether it’s Huddersfield Town or Manchester City, every manager knows that their owners can pull the plug at any time.
Perhaps one of the most notable and compelling storylines of the summer in the football world has been the troubles bubbling on the red side of Manchester. The vibes in the Manchester United camp seem to be getting gloomier by the day thanks much in part to some particularly negative and nasty comments by manager Jose Mourinho.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho took a jab at Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp’s summer transfer window spending. Mourinho joked Klopp would need to win the EPL now given all the money spent on Fabinho, Naby Keita and the record deal with Alisson.
Klopp has yet to win any silverware with Liverpool despite taking the Reds to a Champions League final against Real Madrid. The 51-year-old German did shoot back at Mourinho though.
England’s World Cup star defender Harry Maguire is rumored to be lining up a transfer to Manchester United from Leicester City. The summer transfer window closes on Aug. 9 and the transfer deadlock between the two English clubs isn’t helping either. Still, the possibility remains.