Surprise surprise by Daniel Cuschieri
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ho would have thought at the end of last season that we would have Mr Cristiano Ronaldo back on our books. This has been, in my opinion, a very good transfer window where the manager has strengthened a number of positions in which we were light in previous seasons and has strived to beef up the squad. There are still two positions in which I think we are light, which are the defensive midfielder role which is occupied by Fred right now and also the position that Fernandes has made his own. The signing of Sancho has strengthened the forward line, where finally the manager has two players for each position which can make a difference when needed. The manager has gone for youth and has been chasing the signature of this player for a number of years and for us fans, this signing got us all excited for the new season. Sancho has come after having a strong season with Borussia Dortmund but having a quiet European Championship with England, which could have been a blessing in disguise so that he isn’t burnt out and ready to play with United. Raphael Varane has joined from Real Madrid whereby this is a European and World Champion. He will provide experience and calmness at the back where during the past season, some erratic play has caused the team a large number of points. We also welcome back Dalot, who had a fairly good season on loan with AC Milan, whose game is different to that of Wan Bissaka and can provide good competition for the right back position. Varane was on United’s radar for a number of years,
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and it appears we’ve got one off Real Madrid, whereby during the past years it seemed that we groomed players for them, players such as Beckham, van Nistelrooy, Heinze and Ronaldo. Still there is a part of me that fears that when Real Madrid come knocking, all players listen, and they still find a way to enjoy playing in the Mickey Mouse La Liga. David De Gea appears to have got back to his best. He had an outstanding game against Wolves which showed that David is still there and that David is still one of the best around. Due to the constant playing without any real competition last season or even in prior seasons, he may have suffered a dip in form due to exhaustion and also the birth of his first born, which tends to get everybody off guard.
During the summer there were major rumours that Ronaldo would be leaving Juventus. The name of Manchester United was frequently thrown around ever since he left the club. I thought this was the same thing all over again but when the rumours intensified and leaks were spreading around the Internet like wildfire that Ronaldo was signing for Manchester United again, I didn’t really know what to say, especially when my sister texted me ‘Ronaldo to United’. My favourite player ever since I started to support Manchester United was Eric Cantona, growing up and seeing him carry the club towards major titles. He was in my eyes a god on the field, not because he had a superior talent to other players, but due to the knock on affect that he had around the team, as he made other players superior to what they thought they were. When David Beckham left, and Cristiano Ronaldo was
