The lineup for the Manchester United vs Celtic Legends game has just seen another big name roped in, as none other than Wayne Rooney has now been confirmed as the latest player taking part.
A raft of familiar faces from teams gone by will be once again pulling on the iconic red shirt for a special one-off in aid of the Man United Foundation, which helps support communities all across the 10 boroughs, raising vital funds all year round through events like these.
With the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick and more already confirmed for the charitable exhibition match against a team of former Celtic pros, supporters were hardly turning their nose up at the lineup to begin with.
But now, with Wayne Rooney – not only the club’s all-time leading top scorer but an England legend too – added to the lineup, even more fans are bound to pile into Old Trafford for the game next month. They first teased the announcement on Tuesday night and immediately set fans heads on a swivel.
— Manchester United Foundation (@MU_Foundation) August 20, 2024
Confirming the news the following morning, the 38-year-old was unveiled as the latest United player set to be pulling on his boots and rolling back the years in front of thousands this September.
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Taking time out of his busy new role as manager of Championship side Plymouth Argyle, the now-retired goalscoring machine – who only called a day on his playing career back in 2021 after a short 30-game stint at Derby County – is sure to still prove more than handy on the pitch.
Sharing the news on social media, the club posted: “One of the greatest players in Manchester United history is joining the Legends squad. And he goes by the name of: Wayne Rooney.”
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That chant will no doubt be ringing around the grounds non-stop when he walks back out under the lights at the Theatre of Dreams.
Other names now confirmed for Celtic’s team include Georgios Samaras, Emilio Izaguirre, Darren O’Dea and Simon Donnelly.
Set to take place on Saturday, 7 September, with a 2pm kick-off for families to make the most of a fun-filled day out, this will be the first Legends game since the Northern reunion against Liverpool back in 2022.
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Tickets are on sale now, with general admission for adults starting from £21 and under 16s prices set at just £11, and proceeds going towards the United Foundation’s crucial efforts across the Greater Manchester region.
You can see the full lineup for the Man United vs Celtic Legends game down below and secure your seat for the highly anticipated match HERE.
Featured Images — Zfscgx (via GoodFon)/United Foundation (supplied)/All-Pro Reels (via Flickr)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
21st August 2024 
