Another Man United Legends game at Old Trafford is fast approaching and the ex-pros named in the lineup are slowly being drip-fed through to the fans, but who exactly has been confirmed to be playing so far?
The exhibition match is on behalf of the Manchester United Foundation and is the first charity game at the Theatre of Dreams since the Legends of the North fixture back in September 2022.
Scheduled to take on Scottish giants Celtic next month, the squad is now pretty much complete and there are some serious names set for the teamsheet.
It’s going to be a real throwback for any lifelong Red and tickets are already on sale.
So who is in the Man United vs Celtic legend lineup?
To kick things off, club legends Bryan Robson and Andy Cole will once again be returning as manager and assistant coach on the touchline, though we certainly do hope at least one of them might pull on a pair of boots for old time’s sake. We can only hope.
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Working our way through the United Legends squad, supporters will be buzzing to see prolific striker Dimitar Berbatov leading the line, with the likes of ex-wingers Jesper Blomqvist and Karel Poborsky set to provide him service in the box.
In the midfield, two Class of ’92 legends in Nicky Butt, Michael Carrick and the one and only Paul Scholes will be helping run the show in the middle of the park, and in defence, the likes of Denis Irwin, Wes Brown, Ronny Johnsen; Mikaël Silvestre and Antonio Valencia have been confirmed thus far.
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But things the nostalgia doesn’t stop there as making their Legends game debuts will be former goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard and a firm favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson and the fan base, Darren Fletcher – both of whom will be pulling on a United shirt for the first time in over a decade.
Better still, former academy graduates Phil Bardsley, Danny Webber and recently retired Premier League winner Danny Simpson will also be available as part of Robson’s squad, and there’s always time for a few last-minute surprises, so watch this space.
Speaking on the upcoming charity fixture, Robbo said: “You can’t beat being in a competitive game again. Whether you’re standing behind the white line, like me, or out on the pitch, it’s always special to be back.
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“It’s really important for us as ex-players to help promote and support the work the Foundation does. A lot of people benefit from it and we have to remember this, as it’s a really important part of this football club.
“It’ll be a really good event for youngsters, with plenty of activities taking place around the stadium on the day; it’s one for everybody to enjoy and I’m sure it’s going to be another special day.”
Tickets for the Man United v Celtic Legends game on Saturday, 7 September are on sale now, with general admission for adults starting from £21 and under 16s prices set at just £11.
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 -
8th August 2024 
