At least three reports from Brazil claimed that Eddie Howe’s side have made contact for the signing, and could soon make a bid for the youngster.

Even though that story came out of nothing, it makes a lot of sense. And we’re here to explain why Marcos Leonardo is a reasonable target for Newcastle and any other Premier League clubs.

Just like most of Santos’ home-grown talents, the striker made his debut quite early, at the age of 17. That’s why now, despite being just 20, he already has some decent experience and that shows in his game.

Over the past couple of years, Marcos Leonardo has been showing how much of a goalscorer he is. First with 21 goals in 2022, now with another 21 in 2023 so far.

The reason why he isn’t in Europe yet is simply because of Santos’ strategy. He had been heavily linked to AS Roma and Lazio last summer, but since the club had already sold Deivid Washington and Angelo to Chelsea, they couldn’t lose another attacker, even though they had promised him he’d be sold in that window.

That was a tense situation because Marcos Leonardo could well have rebelled against the Brazilian side, but he didn’t. He not only stayed and committed himself, but is also saving them from relegation, because despite how bad the team is doing, currently standing 16th in a league of 20 clubs, he’s the league’s second top goalscorer.

The striker also impressed at the U-20 World Cup this year, with five goals in five appearances, and there he definitely drew interest from many European sides.

What impresses in Marcos Leonardo the most is that he isn’t just a goalscorer. His speed and strength make him a dangerous weapon in counter-attacks, even though his height and age may fool some who won’t think he’s that strong.

There’s obviously a lot to be polished, especially in terms of finishing. But if we’re talking about the big talents in Brazil, he’s definitely one of the most promising players coming through, and Newcastle investing in him could be wise, especially with Santos reportedly demanding less than €25m.

The Magpies seem fine with their attacking options for now, and it would be good for the Brazilian to arrive with time to adapt and develop before he’s urged to deliver.

The post From Brazil: Why Marcos Leonardo could be a good signing for Newcastle United appeared first on Sport Witness.

He and his representatives had reached a type of plea bargain with the Italian authorities after charges relating to gambling on illegal websites.

The ban was a total of 12 months, but with five passed over to alternative punishment.

Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali wasn’t thought to be set to get as harsh a punishment unless he bet on his own clubs, AC Milan or Newcastle United.

Wednesday’s edition of Gazzetta della Sport unfortunately brings bad news in that regard, saying the Newcastle player bet on Milan matches. However, it’s stated those bets didn’t have an influence on the outcome of matches so it’s unlikely a sporting fraud case will be brought.

The bets were for Milan to win or on matches in which Tonali didn’t play.

According to the Italian newspaper, Tonali has confessed everything, wanting to get it all out there, and it’s thought he’s facing a 12 month ban.

That’s only because he’s cooperating, otherwise it’s stated the Newcastle man could have received three to fours years.

To be clear, it’s thought Tonali’s ban could be longer than the seven months (12, of which 5 suspended/alternative) given to Fagioli, with Gazzetta stating: ‘The starting sanction will be higher than the three years (minimum sentence for those who bet on football) requested for Fagioli and therefore the 7 months of disqualification plus 5 of alternative punishment cannot be achieved.’

The post Sandro Tonali: Wednesday’s Italian media update is terrible news for Newcastle United appeared first on Sport Witness.

An own goal from Cristian Romero gave Mikel Arteta’s side the lead, before Son Heung-min equalised for the away side. Bukayo Saka then put Arsenal ahead again, thanks to a penalty conceded by Romero, before Spurs’ South Korean star again came to the rescue.

After the match, Pedro Porro spoke to the Spanish media and the first question was whether he was happy with the point against Arsenal.

Plaza Deportivo quote the defender as saying: “We came to play our game, to do what we had been doing since the season began. We wanted to win, we got a point which is also good and now it’s time to continue next week when we have another important game.”

Tottenham face Liverpool at the weekend in what will be another tough task for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Porro was asked about the manager’s impact, with it put to him that fans and players both seem especially happy this season.

To that, he responded: “It looks like we are happy. When you have happy players, it shows differently on the pitch. Ange is a great coach, in the time we have worked with him, he has that mentality that the players also have. Together we are on a good path.”

Postecoglou should therefore be able to help Porro prove his doubters wrong, something which seems important to the player.

Asked about his recent comments on criticism from pundits, Porro said: “You focus more on playing. Criticism bothers you, because for me it is the first time I play here, it is a very different league, the best league in the world. You try to accept the criticism and move on. Working in silence, showing that I am a player who can give a lot and being humble. Make those people who have criticised you wrong.”

The post “Criticism bothers you” – Tottenham defender aims to prove pundits wrong, Big Ange can help him appeared first on Sport Witness.

Sure, 0-0 isn’t so exciting on the face of it, but taking a point away from home in the first match, against such an illustrious club as AC Milan, is positive.

On top of that, it’s not unfair to say Newcastle were somewhat fortunate that Milan were so wasteful in front of goal, having dominated for nearly the entire match.

Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport are the two main sport newspapers in Italy, and both have rated the performances they saw.

For each team in each big match, Gazzetta pick out ‘Il migliore – The best’ and ‘Il peggiore – The worst’.

It’s no surprise that Nick Pope is Il migliore. Gazzetta and Corriere both give him 7/10, which is a good mark in Italy. The former say of his performance: ‘He saves everything he has to: on Pobega, Giroud, Theo. When he doesn’t get there, Murphy saves him on the line. Pope with a halo.’

Kieran Tripper got 6/10 from Corriere, and 7/10 from Gazzetta, who thought he could have done more: ‘He starts proactively, extending his attack in the first few minutes. Then he hides away, like everyone else, on the barricades.’

Fabian Schar got 6/10 from Corriere and 6.5/10 from Gazzetta: ‘Tough performance, like a fighter. He rejects Giroud and everything that happens. Among the first creators of the point that made the Magpies happy. The wall held up well.’

Sven Botman got 6.5/10 from both, with Gazzetta making sure to leave a little dig in after the Dutchman moved to Newcastle instead of Milan: ‘Another armoured door in front of Pope. Maldini had tried to bring him to Milan. He was needed, but yesterday Tomori swept their regrets into the stands. The Rossoneri is better.’

Those four were considered the best of the bunch for Newcastle, with Gazzetta rating the rest as follows.

Dan Burn 6/10

Sean Longstaff 6/10

Bruno Guimarães 5.5/10

Sandro Tonali 5.5/10

Jacob Murphy 6/10

Anthony Gordon 5/10

Callum Wilson 5.5/10

Elliot Anderson 6/10

The one missing is Alexander Isak, who Gazzetta decided was Il peggiore, giving 5/10 and saying: ‘In front of Ibra, his former national teammate, he doesn’t enchant. He tries to move backwards to find the ball, but Tomori always tears him apart.’

If you think that’s harsh, they gave Rafael Leão 4.5/10.

The post How Italian newspapers rated Newcastle United – One player gets ‘halo’, another 5/10 and ‘the worst’ appeared first on Sport Witness.

The 18-year-old currently plays for Athletico Paranaense but in July of this year, Barcelona announced they’ve agreed a deal to sign him. He’s expected to arrive physically next summer, although the January window hasn’t been ruled out.

In good goalscoring form, there’s Catalan anger that the youngster wasn’t picked for the last break… potentially ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison.

Indeed, Sport go for the jugular with Richarlison and their comments are distasteful to say the least.

About the Tottenham player, Sport state: ‘Richarlison, who started both games, came out crying in the first, as a result of frustration; and, in the second, he said in a mixed zone that he would go seek psychological help to work on his anxiety. He stated that he had off-field problems (which sounded like an alibi and a public distraction due to his poor performance).’

That’s quite a nasty way of framing things and seems to distort the truth to fit the Barcelona agenda.

Richarlison has 20 goals and eight assists in 46 matches for Brazil, a very good return on the international level. He hasn’t scored in his last five matches for Brazil, but before that he was flying and he was unlucky in the last match when VAR took an age to rule out a goal for offside.

The Tottenham player returned to the scoresheet for Tottenham at the weekend, with a crucial late performance to help Spurs turn the game around against Sheffield United.

Sport say Deco, Barcelona’s football director, ‘was not amused’ by Diniz’s decision to omit Vitor Roque from his last squad. That requires quite some level of cheek, given Deco, born in Brazil, decided to represent Portugal at international level.

The post ‘Public distraction’ – Nasty attack on Tottenham player warps reality and is self serving appeared first on Sport Witness.

The Italian businessman and never-ending ‘character’ had an, erm, interesting spell in charge of the club which saw interference in squad selection, personal choice of transfers, players being set to war against the club, and all manner of drama until he eventually sold his shares to Andrea Radrizzani and moved on.

Under the second Italian, Leeds did rather better, achieving the much desired return to the Premier League, but things were to turn sour and last season saw the Whites relegated to the Championship.

Radrizzani was quickly off and is now building a new football life for himself at Sampdoria… but there’s a hitch, and it’s a Massimo Cellino shaped one.

The Brescia boss has spoken to Gazzetta dello Sport, and they have a headline on Thursday stating: ‘Cellino and Radrizzani’s debt «I’ll seize Samp’s shares»’

Of course this drama will be at the very least mildly amusing for Leeds United fans. The crux of the issue appears to be that Cellino is claiming he hasn’t been paid on time for all the financial agreements he secured when he left Elland Road.

Gazzetta state: ‘At stake is an old loan to be repaid in annual instalments. The 2023 one would not have been honoured in time, thus leading Cellino and his lawyers to consider a sensational action: the seizure of Sampdoria’s shares.’

It appears to relate to a €9.6m loan Radrizzani is said to have taken from Cellino to buy Elland Road.

Cellino believes Radrizzani used Elland Road as security when buying Sampdoria, but even if that isn’t the case, the loan still needs to be paid at a certain amount per year and the claim is a payment has been missed.

True to his character, Cellino is quoted as saying: “Even in the past there was no punctuality, now the 2023 instalment expired on August 31st. I made myself heard and I get no answers. That money is needed for my Brescia.

“How can Radrizzani buy a prestigious club like Samp to rehabilitate if he can’t even pay his old debts relating to Leeds? An embarrassing thing! I have to protect myself and Brescia and for this reason my lawyers are evaluating whether it is possible to take action against Sampdoria’s shares, provided they are in his name.”

The post “Embarrassing” – Cellino says Radrizzani has missed Leeds United loan payment, taking action appeared first on Sport Witness.

Newcastle United fans who don’t usually get the chance to go to the stadium will have been a target market, with families able to take their children to the Magpies’ stadium. An experience which will often be out of financial reach for many, such is the pitiful state of the UK at the moment.

Despite that, the attendance was around 5,000, far less than Saudi Arabia will have hoped for, and the event would have come and gone without much attention had it not been for what happened outside. NUFC Fans Against Sportwashing arranged a protest, with fans encouraged to meet at the Alan Shearer statue.

The group’s points of protest related to the club’s ownership were multiple.

‘Don’t let the Saudi dictatorship use our city to divert attention away from their crimes’
‘Hundreds of migrants shot on Yemen border’
‘Man sentenced to death for 6 tweets’
‘Women jailed for decades for campaigning for women’s rights’
‘Minors on death row’

The situation is quite obviously horrific, many of us would be hung, drawn and quartered by Thursday if the UK went on a similar trend. Personally, I’ve been critical enough about my own country’s leadership to die a thousand times.

The group’s tweet advertising the event was met with criticism and insults from a handful of other Newcastle supporters. That’s been the theme for them, and they’ve admirably kept going despite the comments they often receive from fellow fans.

On Friday evening they were confronted by multiple people, with videos of the altercations since going viral. An ignorant boy shouting at an elderly man has brought anger even beyond football, it’s one of those things which manages to escape Football Twitter and go out into the wild.

An even younger boy was pictured holding a Saudi flag in the face of the same man, an image which feels iconic in a negative sense.

When the takeover attempt was launched and criticism started, this is exactly the kind of thing that many expected to happen. Indeed, the images, although shocking, can’t really have been a surprise for Newcastle supporters or others.

Whilst those involved in the video are a small minority, it would almost certainly be wrong to say the majority of Newcastle fans are against the ownership. Some feel that criticism of Saudi Arabia is by extension criticism of their side and of the one-club-city they’re so proud of. There’s a difficulty separating the two, because to do so, again for some, would question all the things they’ve already enjoyed and what will happen in the future… it would all be somewhat tainted.

What many outside of that circle would respond with is – Well, it is.

Fans can’t be expected to abandon a club they’ve deeply loved for their entire life and which has connections within their families going back generations. They can’t even be expected to not enjoy a goal scored by a record signing or a trophy won thanks to funding from Saudi’s PIF.

But they have to accept they’ll be questioned on that and that others will see any success as tainted. When this happens, many go on the defensive, partly because of the reasons mentioned above.

Of course a lot of this is on social media and whilst social media is not a complete reflection of life it does not exist in a vacuum. The Newcastle fans running around Twitter armed with whataboutery and a persecution complex are still Newcastle fans when they put their phone down.

Those youngsters outside the stadium may be a product of social media but they also exist outside of it, as they quite clearly demonstrated. The lines, especially for those local to the club – as this bunch were – are not becoming blurred but rather being erased.

The defensiveness from many Newcastle United fans and the support of Saudi Arabia by a smaller number of others is more than even that from Manchester City when their UAE takeover happened. But then that was in 2008, there were no fancams, no desperation from people wanting to be famous by going to extremes, no opportunity for a small number of idiots to go after the equivalent of Jamal Khashoggi’s widow.

The surety of success was also absent.

Banter Era Manchester City + UAE wasn’t a guarantee of top tier trophies. For every fan wrapping a literal tea towel around their head (and even offending their owners in the process), there will have been more who were half expecting it to all go wrong. That’s what so often happened with their club, it was City innit.

They succeeded and provided the blueprint for takeovers like Newcastle United, and therefore, especially given the way the game has changed since, Geordies knew that Saudi cash would almost certainly propel them to heights they haven’t seen for a long time… or ever.

A feeling of being ruined under Mike Ashley saw a victim mentality, and whilst some will take that as an insult, they would be wrong to do so. Many Manchester United fans feel the same under the Glazer ownership, and Newcastle United fans would likely scoff at that: You’ve had all the success you could desire, you spend a lot and yet you’re crying for more?

There are many Red Devils bursting with thirst for Qatar to buy their club, they feel an entitlement for that route to success… and they’re already defending the potential owners in ways which simply wouldn’t have been possible in 2008.

And, rightfully, they’re already being slammed for it by some.

In Newcastle, a proud one-club-city, the current echo chamber of opinions which is available to all clubs will be even more entrenched and especially because many feel they are unfairly treated. When some of the media surrounding the club often adopt that mentality too, it’s possible to live life through chosen perspectives and therefore become angry when others see a different reality.

Hence an eagerness from many to defend their club, and sometimes the owners, even when much of the criticism – although not all – is clearly on the side of reason.

Things seemed to change a little with that Saturday viral video and the accompanying images. Newcastle fans are pissed off.

Yet they don’t see it as an obvious result of everything that has happened, but as an embarrassment to their club which will provoke opinions which are unfair. Many of the comments from those angry fans have been clear and correct – “Embarrassing set of windmills” being my personal fave – but there’s still many running around Twitter unleashing their whataboutery and loose defence of Saudi Arabia because they feel their club is being attacked.

The key, and the hugely difficult task for fans, is nailing that separation and making sure they don’t slip into defence or endorsement of Saudi Arabia’s regime just because the country funds their football club and they’re irritated by criticism of that.

Because Newcastle United will almost certainly be here long after Saudi’s PIF has packed up and gone, even if that’s in 50 years, and the families who have been Magpies for generations will still be so.

The club is more than the current owners or success.

It is far more important than that.

The post What even is Newcastle United? – Not a vehicle for Saudi Arabia, fancams and whataboutery appeared first on Sport Witness.

Why you tweeting this? Nobody is even bothered. Just stick to the proper football. Can’t you have a separate account for this? This isn’t why I follow you.

We all sailed past a lot of that last summer, as England won the Euros. This summer, if we can call it that, has pushed things further forward.

There were excuses made before the World Cup from some who follow the women’s game regularly. Worry that early kick-offs would struggle to capture the imagination of an English audience and similar across Europe.

Nervousness that if the tournament in Australia and New Zealand wasn’t a success, the achievement of last year would be left far behind and the step forward that had been taken would be reversed.

Concerns which have been cast aside.

The quality and drama in the knock-out stages has been a show, and the women involved are becoming bigger stars than was beyond my imagination as a little girl growing up in the 80s.

But the “nobody cares” group is somewhat evolving. In reality, for many it was never that they didn’t care, they very much did, they just didn’t want to see women’s football covered… or to be confronted with the potential success of it.

Not caring has turned into something of an art form.

Let us take Ross Clarke of The Telegraph. He works for a newspaper which actually has good coverage of womens’ sport, although it’s doubtful he’s read any of it.

You see, Ross hasn’t watched any of the World Cup.

Let him explain it himself: ‘What a fantastic achievement for the Lionesses to have reached the final of the women’s football World Cup. I wish I could join in the celebratory atmosphere a little more, but to be honest I haven’t watched a single minute of the tournament. In fact I couldn’t even tell you how the England team reached the final, other than that they defeated Australia in the semi-finals. It is not that I have been trying to avoid women’s football, but I just haven’t managed to summon up the enthusiasm.’

Ross is upset that Keir Starmer called for a Bank Holiday should England win the World Cup. And whilst I would agree with him that the Labour leader is simply using England Women as a political tool, I would also say that Ross is using that as an excuse to wheel out his deep-rooted gripes.

Let’s hear some more from him: ‘From my point of view you might as well give us a day off to celebrate Grimsby Town’s two-nil victory over Salford City on Tuesday.’

Oh Ross. At least you got your real views off your chest, darling, without having to go through the ordeal of actually watching a single minute of the tournament you wrote an article about.

Women’s football exists for many purely in a vacuum of comparison

For some men, such as the aforementioned gent, comparison has to be used to dilute any success or impact.

Win the Euros did you? Ay, enjoy your little selves but it’s not the proper one is it, something-something Fleetwood Town.

Score a good goal did she? You could see it that way, but the goals are too big, need to be little for the women.

Lots of people watched the match? Yeah but look how many watched Only Fools and Horses on that Friday night in 1984.

The comparison overreach can also come from a position of positivity.

Sarina Wiegman has been a phenomenal success since taking the England job, and yet there’s a thirst to validate that by suggesting she could take on the same position in the men’s game.

Following the semi-final victory over Australia, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham was pressed on whether Wiegman could take over from Gareth Southgate.

He rightly said such a question was verging on disrespect to England Women, but his comments suggesting it wasn’t impossible became almost as big a story as the team getting to the final.

Success in women’s football needing to be somehow validated, or otherwise, by links to the men’s game, is a theme.

This eagerness, for some seemingly a necessity, to frame women’s success through the prism of the male game is a repeated phenomenon.

Emma Hayes’ success at Chelsea was quickly met with pondering about whether she should get a job in the men’s game. There’s a clear belief from some that true success with the women opens up a route to the “proper” version of football.

And yet, women’s football is growing so quickly that the excitement lies within.

Commercial opportunities beyond compare will be available to those clubs and countries who invest, and top players will become even bigger stars than they already are.

There may never be the crowds associated with men’s football in the UK. The last time there was, in the 1920s, the women’s game was largely banned for 50 years. Clubs who were members of the FA were instructed to ban women’s football from their facilities, and it’s been a very long road back.

Nobody knows what may have been if that hadn’t happened, and there’s little use twisting the mind to scenarios relating to such.

In the here and now, women’s football is doing well.

On its own merits.

Enjoy the final,

Annie.

The post Football beyond comparison: ‘Nobody cares’ about England Women and the World Cup… apart from when they really do appeared first on Sport Witness.

There’s been a widespread belief that a move to Manchester United is the likeliest outcome, with Fiorentina getting around €25-30m for their midfielder.

Indeed, Wednesday morning brought claims that Erik ten Hag’s side were taking their time, and knowing they had the approval of the player, could wait until the final days of the window… to try and get a discount.

That felt a little unreasonable. €25-30m for a 26-year-old midfielder who impressed at the World Cup looks Middle of Lidl level compared to much of what has gone on this summer.

Wednesday evening saw claims from the Netherlands, Dutch newspaper AD to be precise, that Amrabat was now actually on his way to Liverpool and talks were ongoing with Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Some immediately jumped to claim that it would be Fiorentina trying to pressure Manchester United. That is incredibly unlikely, because they simply wouldn’t be contacting the Dutch media about it.

It does not take much of a detective to work this one out. Amrabat may play for Morocco, but he was born and brought up in the Netherlands.

So it would appear people close to the player have either leaked genuine information about Liverpool talks, or there’s growing impatience with Manchester United dragging this out.

As soon as the story broke, we checked Italy and there wasn’t really much, if anything.

So let’s move to Thursday’s major Italian sport newspapers.

Gazzetta dello Sport have a sentence as part of a round-up, which will just be them covering the rumour.

Corriere dello Sport have much more for us.

Firstly, they report Liverpool re-established contact with Fiorentina a couple of days ago, having been rejected by other midfielders.

Amrabat is a ‘clear request’ from Jurgen Klopp, ‘who would have spoken directly with the midfielder’. However, Liverpool don’t want to pay the full €30m either and are ‘trying to find a solution’.

WON’T SOMEBODY JUST PAY THE €30M.

Anyway, intriguingly, Corriere dello Sport go on to say: ‘Amrabat after some hesitations – related to the preferences of his entourage – now seems convinced to accept the Liverpool court. Even if Manchester United has not left the scene and could forcefully return to the race.’

Now it appears a case of waiting for either club or another, and there’s loose Juventus links in Italy, to pay up.

The post Jurgen Klopp has ‘spoken directly’ with midfielder – Now seems ‘convinced’ to join Liverpool rather than Manchester United appeared first on Sport Witness.

Let’s not hide from the obvious reality ahead, if Manchester United allow their disgraced attacker to return to their team then the above will become a thing for some.

In the ground when that chant and similar happens there will be pushback. On social media it will be grasped by those who have spent months making defending him part of their personality.

When I and others of a similar age started following football, there was a requirement to lad-it-up a bit to feel at home. Going to matches even in the 90s wasn’t a sterile experience, and that was fine.

There was no attitude of wanting to arrive and cleanse everything. You adapt to your environment and laugh at jokes you’d otherwise find a little awkward to say the least.

But it was never toxic. As I would adapt my behaviour to fit in with the lads, so would they to make sure things weren’t too far over the line.

Now, with the mass arrival of social media and the anonymity that brings, there’s no need to adapt for many. They can take the worst of their views and purposely exaggerate them to create an impact the vast majority of people would avoid in person.

Social media, perhaps unfortunately, doesn’t exist in a void. What is said there impacts what happens in person and influences young people especially. What would be left unsaid at one time, or at least tempered, is now a route to attention.

The Mason Greenwood situation and the length of time it’s gone on has provided endless material. These things will start on social media and when we see middle aged fathers, even grandfathers, proudly parading their little girls in their profile picture and then going on to defend the Manchester United player with increasingly wild arguments, it is not difficult to imagine the impact on younger generations and their respect of women.

Many of these men would be the first to tell anyone and everyone that if someone harmed even the slightest hair on their little darling they’d gladly ‘do time’.

But then there’s your women, and those other ones.

Should the club welcome him back those people will feel their stances have been somewhat vindicated by Manchester United Football Club. Sure, they could release press statements, talk about rehabilitation and blag about trying to turn the situation into something good, but the message will be clear.

There is no easy way out of this, however, they’ve sure made it as hard as possible for themselves. The drip-drip of leaks about a possible decision have looked plainly like a business trying to create the easiest ground for them to alleviate themselves of moral responsibility – and worse – abdicate the decision to someone else.

That brings us to the latest briefing. Manchester United telling their preferred press personalities that they want to consult players from their women’s team, and will have to wait until their World Cup involvement comes to an end.

That message was indeed parroted as they will have wanted, without any serious criticism from those relaying it. And yet, it was obvious to anyone who engaged their brain what would happen.

The Greenwood Legion would target those women and put the pressure on. In a scenario which started with the recorded abuse of a woman, rounding it up with further abuse of women creates a fitting circle.

Manchester United players at the World Cup were sent messages including such things as ‘we are watching you’.

That particular message struck me because of the threatening nature. So I reached out to the person who sent it, who – and this will stun you – didn’t have the cojones to reply.

Targeting women on the internet is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, and Greenwood’s situation has provided fertile ground for people to do so.

There’s a clue in much of this which points towards the motivation for the Greenwood Legion. Many of those who are the most enthusiastic little soldiers had been questioning him before this all happened.

They’ve taken someone they had niggling doubts about and turned him into Messi-in-waiting. Someone who hasn’t played a match since an appearance against West Ham in January 2022 is presented as an absolute necessity for the coming season.

Greenwood is just a vehicle for them, it’s women they’re really concerned with. And, whilst it’s a difficult topic to address, it would be dishonest to ignore that many of those involved come from countries where women simply don’t have the same respect as in the UK.

Tackling misogyny isn’t very fashionable, tackling misogyny when it could bring accusations of racism is even less attractive. It is understandably scary to fight back against this and we all saw similar during the Qatar World Cup.

We were told we have to respect other cultures, even if those cultures are misogynistic and homophobic. Yet, that desire for respect doesn’t go the other way.

One crowbar which is used to open up that argument is that Greenwood hasn’t been found guilty in a court of law.

Less than 1% of rape cases reported in the UK result in a conviction. Unless we want to believe – and some will absolutely want to believe this – there’s thousands of women just making things up, the reality is that it’s near impossible to successfully prosecute sexual abuse cases.

Another argument is that the woman involved is still his partner.

The National Domestic Abuse Hotline reports that survivors return to their abusive partners an average of seven times before they leave for good… those who are still able to do so.

Perhaps the best argument the Greenwood Legion provide is that there wasn’t quite this same energy for other footballers accused of similar. That is fair to a point, but the huge outlier here is what we all saw and heard, imprinted on our memories and a chance for people to realise what actually happens and to form their own, informed, opinion.

We have what we have, we are where we are.

Those on either side of the divide won’t be changing their opinion anytime soon.

So now it’s over to Manchester United.

The delays and attempts at abdication for responsibility need to end. They had serious concerns about Greenwood’s character before this event, and they navigated those concerns because of the talent involved.

Even if judging on a purely football basis, this is a player who hasn’t appeared for 18 months.

Someone who would be – rightly and understandably – hounded by opposition supporters at every possible opportunity.

Someone who would be a huge distraction for the rest of his career with the club, clocking up negative front pages as quickly as he appeared on the back.

Take it off the pitch, but not too far, and Manchester United need to think about what they actually represent to those people who pack out Old Trafford and have done so for generations.

Those people in the crowd who have been battered, sexually abused, controlled by a partner.

Those who know they’d stand little chance of getting a conviction if they even tried.

Those… who are still going through it.

If the club cares one jot about what happens beyond the pitch then the decision is easy. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be that simple for Manchester United.

It very much should be.

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