Cristiano Ronaldo’s reintegration into the Manchester United first team is set to be decided once talks have taken place with Erik ten Hag, but training with the squad will have to wait as they have been given Monday off following the draw at Chelsea, write Laurie Whitwell and Pol Ballus.
United played four games in 10 days and Ten Hag confirmed an extra 24-hour break was required after his team secured a dramatic draw at Stamford Bridge. Ronaldo, absent from the ground while serving punishment for leaving the Tottenham Hotspur game early on Wednesday, has been on a personal fitness programme during his period training away from the main group.
Ten Hag is adamant he wants Ronaldo as an option for the rest of the season, but first wants to hear what the Portuguese thinks about the situation and whether he can countenance not being a starter every week.
Should Ronaldo accept flexibility over his selection and express contrition, it is expected he will re-join first-team training. If he rejects a reduced role and presses to leave again then Ten Hag would allow him to once more explore finding a new club.
Finding a suitor in the summer proved difficult, however, with the only concrete offer coming from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal. European clubs were informed Ronaldo was willing to take a pay cut to leave United last summer but no Champions League sides made a proposal to buy him.Aside from tactical considerations, the major stumbling block cited by Sporting Lisbon, Napoli, and Borussia Dortmund — clubs contacted by agent Jorge Mendes — was the cost of recruiting Ronaldo. Further internal discussions will determine whether that changes.
In the summer, United wanted a fee (although talks never got that far) but now it is thought the club would allow a free transfer subject to Ronaldo’s contract being mutually terminated. That would remove the club’s highest earner from the wage bill and Ronaldo would have the licence to sort his next move, albeit inevitably on vastly reduced terms.
Whether the 37-year-old would sacrifice the remaining six months of his United salary is a significant question, however.
An alternative could be that United come to an agreement with him over his owed wage, negotiating a one-off sum worth less than the overall contracted commitment but in reality, this is a remote possibility. After spending over budget in the summer, United have scant room for manoeuvre financially and would not pay up Ronaldo so he can sign somewhere else.
Even as it is, January is shaping up to be a quiet month for United, and signing a replacement is not on the agenda unless a low-cost emergency solution can be found. Paying first to let Ronaldo go does not stack up from United’s perspective.
Joel Glazer grilled over Manchester United payouts
Manchester United owner Joel Glazer has remained publicly silent amid renewed focus on the family’s ownership of the club but the fan advisory board (FAB) directly pressed him on a variety of issues earlier this month, writes Laurie Whitwell.
The justification for dividends was a prime topic, with Glazer grilled on why money was paid to shareholders from club funds even when the team had its worst season since the Premier League was formed and United as a company made a £115.5million ($130m) loss.
Dividends worth £33.6m were spread among those carrying stock, with the Glazers taking the lion’s share. At the same time, the club drew down a further £40m on available overdrafts, increasing the debt burden on United.
Glazer was said to have listened at length to the criticism, as supporters pointed out the disconnect between stated aims of sporting success and shareholders getting money whatever the results on the pitch. It remains to be seen if he will act to change the practice.
The meeting, held over Zoom, was the third Glazer has attended since the collapse of the Super League forced United to implement a regular mechanism for dialogue with fans. The two other group calls lasted four hours each and it is thought this was similarly long. The intention is that fan sentiment will be considered when Glazer makes decisions.
Stadium redevelopment, the Glazers’ long-term intentions amid public interest from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and recruitment strategy were also discussed.
Chief executive Richard Arnold, football director John Murtough, and chief operating officer Collette Roche also dialled in.
The minutes of the meetings, held twice a year, are not published. The club argues that this confidentiality allows for more candid discussion.
Phelan still being paid by United as new role yet to be agreed
Any attempts by Middlesbrough to appoint Mike Phelan as part of Michael Carrick’s backroom team will not be blocked by Manchester United despite the 60-year-old still being employed at Old Trafford, writes Laurie Whitwell.
There has been a period of restrictive covenant on Phelan taking a new job in football but he has not performed work for United since the end of last season when he supported interim manager Ralf Rangnick. However, Phelan has still been paid his wage on a contract signed in October 2021 because a final severance or a new role have yet to be agreed.
Talks were held over an ambassadorial position for Phelan, who won 15 major trophies across 21 years as player and coach at the club, given his long association with United and that option is still there. But he is keeping busy with punditry work, speaking engagements and coaching via his Sensible Soccer company.
Phelan, then United’s assistant manager, with Paul Pogba (Photo: Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)
Phelan is contracted to United until June 2024, so an agreement on that remaining period of salary is required. Typically, as with players, a club would transfer a lump sum immediately in exchange for a lower overall financial contribution, but sometimes coaches and managers keep being paid on a monthly basis until they find new employment. Gardening leave is also used. Solskjaer received a £7.5million payout upon being sacked last November.
Carrick has held productive talks about taking over at the Riverside and Phelan would be an option as assistant. Phelan coached Carrick for seven seasons at United and the pair worked together under Solskjaer for another three years.
Phelan worked as a pundit for Astro, the Malaysian television station that shows Premier League games, for United’s matches against Tottenham and Chelsea.
Rene Meulensteen has also been linked with a coaching job at Boro and is admired by Carrick. But Meulensteen is fully focused on helping Australia at the forthcoming World Cup as assistant manager to head coach Graham Arnold.
New CEO but not new life for the Super League
A22 Sports Management, a company formed to assist the creation of the European Super League, announced last week it has appointed Bernd Reichart as its new chief executive, reports Dan Sheldon.
A22 focuses on the structure, operational and financial aspects of the potential competition.
Six Premier League clubs — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham — signed up to the controversial breakaway plan in April 2021, only for it to collapse 48 hours later but they remain legally tied into a contract with the Super League.
Spanish clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Serie A’s Juventus, are digging in their heels and remain intent on forming the ESL.
Although Reichart proclaimed the vision is “very much alive”, his appointment is not a sign that Premier League clubs are working behind the scenes to bring the project back to life.
Legal departments across football — particularly those involved in the ESL proposals — will be paying close attention to the European Court of Justice’s forthcoming ruling, in which Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus have alleged UEFA is monopolising international competitions.
If the ruling goes in the clubs’ favour, then it could prove to be a seismic moment in Reichart’s plans to breathe new life into the breakaway league.
It is unlikely to have any immediate significance for the Premier League clubs, however, as they have made firm commitments — which they are bound by — to England’s top flight and UEFA.
The Premier League’s owners’ charter asks clubs “not to engage in the creation of new competition formats outside of the Premier League’s rules”.
James already has post-playing career plans
Chelsea defender Reece James has appointed a specialist marketing agency to help build a platform for his future after football, writes David Ornstein.
James, 22, already has one eye on his post-playing career with the right-back determined to grow his profile and do more for his community.
London-based agency B-Engaged will educate and guide James on how he can use his platform and voice to make positive change, with a focus on influencing younger generations.
James is working with a firm to use his social media platforms (Photo: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
B-Engaged has already worked with players such as Kai Havertz, Hector Bellerin and Ella Toone. It signed Arsenal’s William Saliba last week and is set to announce more additions.
James, who has a combined five million followers across social media platforms Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, faces a race against time to be fit for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar having been ruled out for two months with a knee injury.
He announced on Friday that he will vlog his recovery from injury on his YouTube channel.
Liebherr’s Southampton shareholding diluted
Katharina Liebherr no longer owns a 20 per cent shareholding in Southampton, reports Dan Sheldon.
She inherited the club from her father, Markus, after he died of a heart attack in August 2010 and maintained full ownership until selling an 80 per cent stake to Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng in 2017.
And when Sport Republic bought the club at the beginning of the year, it did not include Liebherr’s 20 per cent.
However, following the group’s investment over the summer, when it injected millions of pounds into the club, her shares have been diluted.
Though the exact stake has not been disclosed, it means Liebherr no longer owns 20 per cent of Southampton and her shareholding has decreased.
Due to the increased capital put into Southampton by Sport Republic, her shares — even though they no longer total 20 per cent — remain at the same value.
On the pitch, Nathan Tella continued his excellent form for Burnley in their comeback against Sunderland after joining on loan from Southampton in the summer.
Southampton have an option to recall Tella from Burnley (Photo: Alex Dodd – CameraSport via Getty Images)
The 23-year-old has scored six goals in the Championship for Vincent Kompany’s side and his form has not gone unnoticed on the south coast.
The Premier League club inserted an option to recall Tella into the deal when they sent him on a season-long loan but are unlikely to exercise it as he is settled and flourishing at Burnley.
Tella recently moved into a new apartment in Manchester and is enjoying working under Kompany’s management.
Little clarity over why United’s allocation was reduced at Chelsea
Manchester United’s away section erupted with wild celebrations at Casemiro’s 94th-minute equaliser on Saturday but there was no sign of trouble at Chelsea, raising further questions about why United’s allocation was cut by 624 for the 5.30pm kick-off.
The Metropolitan Police insisted the only way United could get a full section of 2,994 people was if the match kicked off at 4.45pm because it was ruled a “high-risk” fixture. That timing falls into the UK blackout for televising live football on a Saturday, however, so the compromise was a reduced travelling crowd and a start 45 minutes later.
A Met spokesperson subsequently said: “There is no rule in place but a kick-off time of later than 4.45pm is considered as part of the overall risk assessment of the match and is likely to increase the risk, particularly when at weekends or bank holidays.”
The Met declined to provide any evidence for the decision when asked what made Chelsea vs United “high risk” when previous fixtures of full away ends passed without issue.
“Many considerations go into why a game is classed as ‘high-risk’ such as the day, time, and other events taking place in London,” a spokesperson said. “Our first priority in policing football is the safety of fans and those who live and work in the local community. This can require significant resources and we have to balance this commitment against our many other policing responsibilities across London.”
A final question: why does an away allocation of 2,370 change the risk rating for the game? Why is the home crowd unchanged? Answer: “Ticket allocation is not a decision taken directly by the police.”
Timings of Premier League Christmas fixtures not yet finalised
The Premier League has been criticised by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) for failing to announce the timings of its December and January fixtures, reports Dan Sheldon.
October 11 was a provisional date for confirmation but the broadcast schedule over Christmas and the New Year is still unknown. Boxing Day is nine weeks away but the Premier League will pause for six weeks next month for the World Cup.
Steve Moulds, who sits on the FSA’s Broadcast Working Group, told The Athletic: “We asked the Premier League to stick to the six-week deadline, and at the start of the season they did, but now they haven’t.
“We understand there are mitigating factors and multiple stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. But the Premier League made a commitment to communicate reasons they couldn’t make a six-week commitment if it occurred, which they haven’t followed up with.
“Given it is Christmas, why can’t they just announce the Boxing Day fixtures as they are all on Amazon (in the UK)? We haven’t had a response yet.
“There is scant regard to how this affects fans and what it means to people in terms of making plans and arranging transport.”
The Premier League has an ongoing dialogue with the FSA and cited several factors that need to be taken into consideration when scheduling fixtures, including other competitions, policing, broadcasters and travel.
This is why, it is noted, the provisional dates are targets as opposed to being set in stone.