Sport

Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui undergoes procedure following cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis

Early reports of its severity are said to have been 'blown of out proportion'.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 10th October 2024

Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui has undergone an operation following a recent cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis.

The Morrocan-born full-back who arrived at Old Trafford this summer was officially withdrawn from international duty on Monday and is now confirmed to be sidelined following surgery.

Despite early overblown and unverified reports claiming that Mazraoui would be out for several months, it is now believed that the procedure was ‘minor’ and will only be out for a few weeks.

It’s said the 26-year-old had been experiencing heart palpitations and that corrective steps were taken to prevent similar problems in the future.

Fans were understandably concerned following the early rumblings, especially given his recent issues with fitness before arriving at the club and his teammate Christian Eriksen‘s own history of cardiac problems, though it is thought Mazraoui’s procedure was merely precautionary.

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Back in January 2023, Mazraoui was unable to play competitively for some time after developing inflammation of heart tissue after suffering from a bout of Covid-19.

He was unable to begin light training a month later and return to the pitch properly in March. Cut to now and he’s started every game so far in the Premier League, making 10 appearances all told.

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With the Man United still depleted in defence – and without fellow fullbacks Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, in particular – while they’ll be glad to hear Mazraoui is ok, his impending absence following the operation isn’t exactly ideal timing.

The Red Devils struggled with injury and fitness problems for much of the previous campaign and look to be following a similar pattern this season. Players are also being recalled to Carrington during the international break as they often did when pressure was building under Sir Alex Ferguson.

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On the upside for United fans, centre-back Leny Yoro, who was ruled out for three months following surgery of his own following a footy injury picked up during a pre-season game, looks to be on course regarding his recovery.

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The 19-year-old Frenchman shared a video of his rehabilitation on social media and though there is still no clear indication of when exactly he will be able to play his first real minutes of the club, manager Erik ten Hag recently said: “He is in the right spot, and he will return as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, with no wins in the last five games across all competitions, the Dutchman is still very much under the cosh and could do without any more players missing from his squad.

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Featured Images — Nawfel Ajari (Wikimedia Commons)/TNT Sports (screenshot via YouTube)

Sport

Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Andy Burnham outside Number 10 Downing Street

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’.

Man City release statement after being found guilty of all charges related to Premier League’s financial rules

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.

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“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 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.

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“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.

Featured Image – Rawpixel

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