Sport

Hill took a gamble with his starting line-up in Tuesday’s 5-2 defeat of Crewe Alexandra – sticking last season’s left-back Matty Done up front which raised eyebrows – however the makeshift forward responded emphatically with a hat-trick.

Centre-back Rojo, 24, is due to cost United around £16million in a part swap deal, that involves misfiring winger Nani being shipped out to the Argentine’s club Sporting Lisbon.

Arnold Muhren, who played for several seasons at Old Trafford in the 1980s after a successful Uefa Cup-winning spell with Ipswich Town, joined Ajax in the 1970s when Van Gaal was also in the early stages of his playing career.

American Woods also nominated tennis giant Rafael Nadal while McIlroy took it away from sport by mentioning former US president George W Bush and fashion model Meghan Markle.

Rooney, who has just been appointed Manchester United’s new captain, is the club’s third all-time leading goal scorers after his acrobatic effort against Swansea City on Saturday took his tally to 217 in all competitions.

Manchester United have reportedly signed Argentina international and World Cup star Marcos Rojo after the footballer announced on the radio he was now an Old Trafford player.

Manchester United’s 2-1 loss to Swansea on Saturday certainly came as a shock, but the ludicrous expectations surrounding Louis van Gaal could not last forever.

Defender Kompany, basking in the English sun, sat back as goalkeeper Joe Hart and forward Edin Dzeko poured the ice-cold water over his head.

United winger Nani made a second-half appearance in Saturday’s Premier League opening defeat to Swansea City and appears on the way out under Louis van Gaal.

Man Utd and Chelsea are the only two of the five Premier League winners to defend the competition since it started in 1992, while City’s second-placed finish in 2012/13 was considered a “disaster” by Pellegrini when speaking to the BBC yesterday.

Fletcher said he thought about United’s inexperienced, title-winning 1995/96 squad in the dressing room after the disappointment of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea City.