The Coronavirus pandemic has taken the world by storm and wreaked havoc for many sports events all around the world. The Olympics and Grand National have officially been cancelled this year much to the people’s dismay.
Football has also not been spared and many Leagues such as the Euro 2020 and Copa America have been delayed until next year. Fortunately, for Liverpool, the Premier League has been delayed until 30th April and not cancelled.
The Reds have only just found their EPL footing and were on track to win their first title after 30 long years. No one could have anticipated the impact Coronavirus has had on the world, but things seem optimistic for the Premier League, at least.
Plans have been drawn up to resume top-flight matches from June 1 and complete all fixtures in a six-week period, ahead of the August 8 start of the new Premier League season. It is also possible that all matches will be played behind closed stadium doors.
Although football matches have ceased entirely, transfer rumours and news haven’t. Manchester United is set to make huge transfer moves this summer. Plenty of players are always linked with a move to Manchester United when the build-up to the summer transfer window begins.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, manager of Manchester United, managed to fix the chink in the armour that was the defence department. Now it is time to “bring attacking football to entertain the crowds and the club”, as stated by Lee Sharpe, ex England midfielder.
The likes of Jadon Sancho are topping the list this summer, but any incoming deals are likely to mean exits elsewhere in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side. The manager has been at United for less than 18 months but has already proved he can be ruthless in where the team needs to be cut, with Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez both agreeing on moves to Inter in the summer.
Angel Gomes is one player whose time seems to be up at Old Trafford with his contract ending and could be making a move to Chelsea. Barcelona are also, reportedly, interested in the 5ft5 attacker but no such solid transfer talks are taking place.
Marcos Rojo, the Argentine defender left United on loan in January, joining Estudiantes on a short-term deal. Arsenal have been interested in the centre-back in the past but once again, Mikel Arteta hasn’t mentioned whether he could see Rojo as a valuable asset as of yet.
Alexis Sanchez, in truth, never really delivered during his time at Manchester United. He did seem to be finding his feet at Inter before an injury and the postponement of Serie A put a stop to that. Perhaps, he could be a good fit at Chelsea as Frank Lampard is said to be eyeing an experienced attacker.
Juan Mata is also rumoured to be leaving the Manchester United barracks. The former Chelsea star signed a new two-year deal in the summer, and while he may still see out the next year of that deal, he will be 33 by then.
If more attacking reinforcements arrive in the summer, he will likely be pushed further down the pecking order and could seek some more first-team opportunities elsewhere. He will certainly be valued for the amount of depth and experience he possesses.
In regards to which players at Old Trafford are staying, Paul Pogba might be one of them, despite many talks of transfers throughout the season. Manchester United believe that Pogba will remain at Old Trafford beyond the summer because no club will be willing to match their asking price for the midfielder.
The World Cup-winning midfielder has been out of action since the win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day, but it set to be ready to return to the pitch after the ongoing break. He was heavily linked to both Real Madrid and Juventus last summer but United’s asking price wasn’t met, which is believed to be more than the £89m they paid for his services back in 2016.
It seems only the Red Devils are capable of spending such extravagant money on transfers. Eyebrows were raised when Manchester United paid a world-record fee to make Harry Maguire the most expensive defender in football history.
The centre-back cost the Red Devils an eye-watering £80million fee – but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was always convinced it was a price worth paying. Solskjaer smartly highlighted five qualities he saw in the England international to tempt him to splash the cash.
“Harry is one of the best centre-backs in the game today and I am delighted we have secured his signature,” Solskjaer told United’s website. He is a great reader of the game and has a strong presence on the pitch, with the ability to remain calm under pressure – coupled with his composure on the ball and a huge presence in both boxes – I can see he will fit well into this group both on and off the pitch.”