Look at the misery on the face of poor Jadon Sancho, living a ‘life in limbo’

Editor F365
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford

Jadon Sancho has scored twice this week, which might sound like a good news story unless you read the Mail. Plus, Marcus Rashford was the subject of a ‘secret meeting’…

 

Do you want to know a secret?
The Mirror were one of the publications to claim on Wednesday afternoon that PSG ‘are ready to test Manchester United’s resolve to keep striker Marcus Rashford this summer with a £75million bid’ but within three hours they needed another line, another angle. Because one of the world’s richest clubs wanting one of the Premier League’s biggest names was not enough.

So they needed to go ‘inside’. Right ‘inside’, which is the opposite of outside. So we want insight. We expect details.

Inside PSG’s secret Marcus Rashford meeting as Man Utd star is targeted in £75m deal

By now you know these Reach publications as well as we do, and you absolutely know that the ‘as’ in that sentence is a red herring, designed to make you think this meeting has happened now. And not in August 2022.

You will be shocked to learn that Dan Marsh, Senior Sports Writer of the Mirror, was not ‘inside’ that ‘secret Marcus Rashford meeting’ in August 2022. It wouldn’t be much of a secret if he was, would it? That would be a very silly invitation to be issued to a secret meeting.

And you know what else indicates that it was not a ‘secret meeting’? That the PSG President literally said a few months later: “We’re not hiding it, we spoke before and…interest. But the moment was not a good moment for both sides.”

So the Mirror was not ‘inside’ a meeting that was not ‘secret’ and that meeting took place 19 months ago.

Excellent ‘news’, fellas. And the mystery continues of just why Reach cannot make a subscription model work.

 

Capital stuff
For once, we applaud the capitals here on MailOnline:

Marcus Rashford heads on a night out WITH his Manchester United team-mates as Erik ten Hag and his squad have dinner in town together ahead of crunch FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool on Sunday

 

The greatest of all captions
‘Steve McLaren wore a grey jumper’ – The Sun.

 

Jadon Sancho: A life in glorious limbo
One man not invited to the Manchester United party was Jadon Sancho, currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund, for whom he scored on Wednesday night to take them through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

If this sounds to you like a good news story – it certainly sounds more positive than being out of the first-team picture at Manchester United – then welcome to MailOnline

Jadon Sancho’s life in limbo: Living in £170-a-night 4* hotel which was once home to Jurgen Klopp, Man United’s £73m exile is ‘much quieter’ but admits he ‘isn’t completely happy’. And nobody knows what’s next

We’re not entirely sure whether we are supposed to think that £170 a night is a lot or not, but the price is obviously important because it’s right there in the headline.

And as for ‘isn’t completely happy’; well that’s a bare-faced trick.

That quote was given by Sancho after he scored v Werder Bremen on Saturday night when he said: “I can understand if they’re a bit upset with me for not contributing as much these past few weeks. I expect that from myself too. As you can see, my face isn’t completely happy. But I want to continue improving for the team.”

So he scored a goal – the first of two this week – but realises he should be contributing more. It’s not about being unhappy at a ‘life in limbo’ but about being unhappy with his form.

But we should at least applaud Nathan Salt for going to Dortmund to research his piece, though there are paragraphs that reveal just how much access he enjoyed…

Even Aki, the bar woman of the Lütge-Eck pub, which is floor to ceiling clad in various items of Dortmund memorabilia, is unconcerned when it is pointed out that her display of player autographed postcards has Sancho from his previous spell, then with the No 7.

‘Unconcerned’ and probably really confused at the Englishman obsessed with her display. Helpfully, Nathan has taken a picture; Aki is presumably also ‘unconcerned’ that her display includes lots of players no longer at Dortmund. Almost like she has a bar to run.

At the club’s megastore on Wednesday the only sign of Sancho, who doesn’t feature on any signage on either the first or second floor, is on a €20 scarf buried on the second row at the back of the room and a mug showing a smiling Sancho beaming ear to ear in his first spell.

It would be really f***ing odd if they had changed their signage for a loan player.

It is here at this four-star hotel – which has previously housed Jurgen Klopp and his wife Ulla – that he is living right now. Living life out of a suitcase can take its toll, even if this hotel and spa is a plush set-up for the 23-year-old.

The 70-room €200-a-night hotel – the best suite in the place, which staff were abrupt in telling Mail Sport they could not disclose who is using, is closer to €300 a night.

What’s German for ‘no, we can’t tell you which room Jadon Sancho is staying in; stop being weird’?

 

Missing the point
Headline in the Telegraph: ‘Antony police investigations threaten Man Utd hopes to sell £85m flop’

Antony being utter sh*t is also threatening Manchester United’s hopes of selling the £85m flop.

 

Hyperbole, much
‘Rise of a TV station that glorifies violence against British fans and Ultras riding roughshod over police… how following your football team in Italy will get you STABBED’ – MailPlus.

STABBED. Every. Single. Time.