Ex-Manchester United man Louis Saha has claimed that he believes Cristiano Ronaldo “could have helped” his former side’s embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Liverpool this past weekend.
United had been on a good run of results, playing as one of the most in-form teams in Europe and even picking up their first piece of silverware in six years, Erik ten Hag‘s first for the club, with the EFL Cup.
That being said, with games coming thick and fast in the three remaining competitions, there was always going to be a blip. Still, nobody was expecting them to be on the end of a seven-goal thumping, especially given how inconsistent Jurgen Klopp’s side has been this season.
Nevertheless, their long-standing rivals went on to deliver a historic defeat — their worst result in 90 years — which ten Hag labelled as simply “unprofessional“. Now, though, with questions being asked as to how it happened and how it might have been avoided, former French striker Saha has had his say.
Speaking to Compare.bet, the 44-year-old conceded that “Ronaldo’s departure marked a fresh start for United, and it gave ten Hag a blank page to draw upon, which has allowed him to establish a winning mentality at the club”.
However, despite insisting that “the club’s mindset has improved”, he went on to add, “I think they’d be doing even better if they had Cristiano up top. Of course, it’s hard to know for sure but when I see United losing 7-0 to Liverpool, I can only think that Cristiano could have helped.”
Despite agreeing that United’s results since the Portuguese star left have obviously improved massively, Saha continued: “It was a very difficult situation for ten Hag to deal with upon arrival at United, and it just didn’t go well. But I don’t think this is because of Cristiano, but because of the other players’ mindsets.
“With the right communication, the right level of respect, maybe a compromise could have been found, but he’s still contributed to Man United’s resurrection by the effect he had on players around him. He boosted confidence, and gave players the freedom to express themselves, which has been a big factor in United’s improvement this season”.
On the other hand, the consensus seems to be that those in Red have directly improved as a result of the 38-year-old’s departure — hugely factoring into Marcus Rashford‘s incredible performances over the past few months, in particular.
Saha arrive just six months after Ronaldo and spent four years playing alongside him during a time in his career when he was on his way to becoming one of the best players in the world.
More of a winger than an out-and-out back then (with the likes of Saha himself fulfilling that role at Old Trafford), it admittedly didn’t take long for Ronaldo to become a match-winner whom other players looked towards to turn things around in games; perhaps not yet a leader but certainly a focal point.
While there were certainly plenty of points rescued by the football veteran during his second spell at the club, he was regularly criticised for his lack of pressing and not tracking back to the same extent as his teammates — i.e. two of the primary reasons United lost by such a large margin on Sunday.
Do you agree with Saha that having a figure like Ronaldo on the pitch and in the dressing room would have helped, or could it hypothetically have been worse? After all, he was on the pitch for the 4-0 loss to Brentford.
Southampton youngster bids goodbye to boyhood club ahead of Manchester United move
Danny Jones
Southampton FC youngster, Harley Emsden-James, has bid goodbye to his boyhood club ahead of an imminent move to Manchester United.
The promising 16-year-old defender, who has already impressed plenty of youth scouts in the under-18s Premier League, is set to become Man United’s latest summer signing, making that four so far.
Identified not just by the Red Devils recruitment team but tipped for big things by their new Director of Football, Jason Wilcox – who was with the Saints before arriving at Old Trafford – he’s clearly thought of very highly already.
Posting on Instagram over the weekend, the Southampton-born centre-back shared images of himself as an even younger boy (joining the academy at age 7) along with a heartfelt farewell message.
As you can see, the caption touches upon almost a decade with the club, writing, “I’m incredibly grateful for all the memories made and the amazing people I’ve met throughout the journey.”
He goes on to add: “A huge thank you to all the staff who have supported and guided me over the years, to my teammates who’ve become friends, and to everyone who’s been a part of this chapter with me.
“Southampton will always hold a special place in my heart. On to the next chapter!”
Currently signed to Puma, the England prospect’s move to Manchester was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano back in June, and there seems to be an understanding that Wilcox knows him well already.
United are reported to have paid around £1 million for the young Southampton defender’s signature, fighting off other suitors, including Man City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Spurs and more.
Having recently shifted appointments in the INEOS administration, initially being appointed as Technical Director back in April 2024, the previous Premier League winner and coach, now looks to be spearheading MUFC’s transfer business and a big chunk of the youth development.
Some clips of Harley Emsden-James (09) from 🏴U15 vs 🇺🇸 a few months back Righty CB made his U18 PL debut for Southampton yesterday Relatively physically advanced of which he imposes well in his age-group. Brilliant composure w ball-at-feet – prominent+strategic passing eye pic.twitter.com/ugE5fXBxBW
Although the belief is that Emsden-James will be dropped directly into Man United’s U18s PL squad, rather than be blooded into the first team, there is an expectation that he will feature as part of Ruben Amorim’s first pre-season tour, so he will benefit from training with more senior figures at the very least.
On the other hand, along with the likes of fellow new arrival and defensive partner, Diego León, we wouldn’t be too surprised if you see them given minutes amid issues with squad depth, injuries and not quite as much transfer activity as many may have hoped for.
Looks like United may once again be putting that old ‘you can’t win anything with kids’ adage to the test.
Gymshark is opening its first standalone northern store in Manchester this weekend
Emily Sergeant
A huge new Gymshark store is opening in Manchester tomorrow, and it’s the brand’s first standalone store in the North.
The global sportswear and fitness brand will be setting up shop at the Trafford Centre and taking over a large 7,500 ft space on Upper Peel Avenue with all of its iconic Gymshark ranges, including the massively ‘Vital’ and ‘Power’ collections, as well as some exciting new exclusives for Gymshark Trafford Centre.
The store itself is said to have Gymshark’s ‘increasingly trademark’ look and feel throughout it, including mannequins that are created from the image of real people in the community, different destinations for its hero products, and spacious changing rooms with bespoke lighting.
Unfamiliar with Gymshark? Since it was founded by Ben Francis from his garage in 2012, the brand has gone on to become one of the UK’s greatest business success stories of the 21st century – with more than 20 million people across 200 countries now counting themselves as members of the Gymshark community.
Gymshark is opening its first standalone northern store in Manchester this weekend / Credit: Supplied
The new Trafford Centre will be Gymshark’s first standalone store in the UK outside of London, and follows recent openings in Dubai and Amsterdam, as well as coming ahead of the opening of Gymshark’s first flagship store in the US later this year.
Most importantly, it builds on the brand’s long association with Manchester, as one of the first-ever Gymshark meet-ups was in the city, as well as its first ‘Lift’ event post-COVID.
Gymshark also credits the public’s reception to its space inside Selfridges at the Trafford Centre as one of the driving forces behind its choice to open a permanent store within the shopping centre, calling it ‘nothing short of spectacular’ and adding that the new opening genuinely solidifies Manchester’s role as a ‘big brother’ to a Brummie brand.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Gymshark’s first Northern store to Trafford Centre this weekend, joining our growing athleisure and sportswear offering at the centre,” commented Simon Layton, who is the Centre Director at Trafford Centre.
“We have no doubt that Gymshark will prove immensely popular and can’t wait to welcome them on opening day.”
Gymshark is opening at the Trafford Centre tomorrow (Saturday 12 July) with a grand ribbon cutting at 10am, followed by goody bags, refreshments, and merch being handed out for those waiting in line.
There’ll also be different fitness challenges to take part in too, in true Gymshark spirit.
Danny Jones -
8th March 2023 
