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
Two Manchester Basketball players have been named in the SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26
Danny Jones
A pair of Manchester Basketball players have been named in the latest SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26.
The most recent UK Super League Basketball (SLB) campaign is set to wrap up this month, with the playoffs taking place down in the capital, but there are other awards to be handed out before then.
It remains to be seen how ‘The Final Four’ phase will play out at The O2 in London on 17 May, but we can definitely take joy in moments like this.
Announced on Thursday, 7 May, Manchester Basketball confirmed that duo Max Jones and Jordan Johnson have joined the rest of the league’s roster of the best players this term.
As detailed on the club website, “Max has averaged 17.4 points in the SLB in 32 games – he’s been a starter for the franchise and was also named in the ENBL All-Star Five in Germany last month.
“Jordan averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 assists in 30 games in the SLB, had a stellar European campaign and hit 30 pts in just over 27 minutes in the SLB Cup Final.”
Commenting on social media, one fan wrote: “Both JJ and PJ have been so great at the PG spot all year. I feel this is a joint award for them both, but they can only fill one spot for the accolade. If we wanna be a serious club to build upon year on year, JJ also needs to be in an MCR jersey next year.
“We absolutely have the pieces to build around. JJ’s nerve is sooooo cool under pressure. You can just tell they wanna loft a meaningful trophy, and it’s gonna happen if we as a club plan and build the way we need to.”
Plenty of supporters have also stressed the importance of making sure that the board tie down the likes of Jones and other big talents this summer; the rest of the Molten All-League Team of the Season for 2025/26 can be found below.
It’s also worth noting that teammate Tim Adetukasi and women’s team star Irene Oboavwoduo have each been named in the SLB’s British Team of the Year in their respective divisions for 2026.
Writing in a club statement reflecting on a great week of recognition for the resurgent club, General Manager Dominique Allen said: “We are really proud to be a club flying the flag for British players.
Both Tim and Irene have made a real impact on and off the court. We’re really happy for both of them that they are getting some well-deserved recognition.”
Well done to all the MCR stars who are helping get the franchise back on its feet following such a major rebrand across the board.
Here’s looking forward to another promising and productive year for Manchester Basketball.
Manchester City win first Women’s Super League title in a decade
Danny Jones
After a decade of hope and hard work, Manchester City have finally won the Women’s Super League once again in a huge moment for the local club.
Lifting not just their first division title in 10 years, but only their second WSL trophy since the modern female football era began in 2010, it felt like only a matter of time to many supporters.
Ending a six-year Chelsea supremacy, this is also manager Andrée Jeglertz’s first at the helm of Man City’s women’s team, who arrived at the club with a strong silverware record at the start of this season.
These were the scenes at home base as one key result sealed their status as champions:
— Manchester City Women (@ManCityWomen) May 6, 2026
City Women secured the WSL title following third-placed Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brighton on Wednesday evening.
They even managed to do so with a game to spare and a six-point gap over the west London club, which has won so much over the past few years.
Speaking in an interview with club media after confirmation of the win, captain and Euro 2025-winning Lionesses defender, Alex Greenwood, said: “[It feels] absolutely incredible. “A moment – we as a team, me personally – us as a club has waited so long for”.
“An incredible moment, it’s an incredible feeling. I’m so glad we got to spend this moment together as a group. Just an absolutely incredible feeling.”
With fans watching both at home, along with the first team themselves, the celebrations have already begun as the team shared a look back at how they got here.
You can see the recap posted on social media in full below.
Commenting on his latest accolade, the Swedish head coach added in a full club statement: “There’s never been doubt about the talent in the group, but there is something else about talking about being winners and champions. We started that early, and we believed in that. That’s led us through this year.
“It hasn’t been easy; it’s been hard work every day, but we had a strong belief that we could be sitting here in May and be champions. That is the first thing, and we definitely deserve it.”
Congratulations to the Cityzens on a well-deserved and long-awaited WSL title; could this be the start of another sporting dynasty of dominance over in East Manchester? Only time will tell…
In other news around the Etihad Campus, the women’s, EDS and academy team stadium is also set to host the final of the FA Youth Cup later this month.
Danny Jones -
21st August 2024 
