Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek looks set to be out for a year following a serious injury sustained on Tuesday, December 3.
The 25-year-old has remained on the fringes of the side since he joined back in 2020, both due to prior albeit much less severe injuries and by being overlooked by his previous two managers, but looked to be gradually getting minutes again under new United boss and his former Ajax coach, Erik ten Hag.
That was until a mistimed and rather hefty challenge from Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi saw his leg hyperextend in an extremely uncomfortable fashion, leaving the Dutchman writhing around in pain for some time.
It soon became clear to fans inside the ground that it was a pretty serious one. Visibly emotional following yet another setback, van de Beek struggled to make it off the pitch as he was replaced by Alejandro Garnacho just before the half-time whistle sounded. So unfortunate.
Addressing media after the 3-0 victory, ten Hag himself confessed that it “does not look good” judging by the initial scans and that they should get a clearer picture in the coming days.
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While the exact nature of the injury is yet to be confirmed by the club, it is suspected that he suffered a ruptured ACL following the impact — an absolute worse nightmare for any player — and could be out for a whole year.
That’s the opinion of medical expert Ben Dinnery, anyway, who described the moment to Football Insider in detail: “The knee hyperextended and then you also see the knee bend inwards. When you add the external force and the power from the challenge – it didn’t look great.”
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He went on to add that the United medical team will now be checking the “integrity of the ligaments”, assess whether it is indeed an ACL injury and also look for “a fracture of the bone”. I mean, he’d be lucky to escape without hurting something after this:
"He’s going to be sick. He’s in serious pain."
Manchester United's Donny van de Beek can't catch a break as midfielder suffers gruesome injury #MUFC
Dinnery went on to say that “given the force of the challenge and the mechanism of the injury, [these kinds of damage] doesn’t usually happen in isolation”, adding that there’s also “potential involvement with the MCL (Medial Collateral ligament) and even some meniscus damage as well.”
He concluded by saying that the hyperextension reminded him of “Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Kurt Zouma’s injuries a few years ago”, both of whom were out for the season and much longer.
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The horror tackle genuinely could have been a leg-breaker and no one wants to see a player’s season derailed and future career jeopardised like that. Here’s hoping it’s not as serious as suspected.
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
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)
Danny Jones -
5th January 2023 
