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#Manchester United Latest News

legitloadedng · 2 years

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Erik ten Hag wants three more players to leave Man United before deadline day

Manchester United boss, Erik ten Hag is now ready to sanction the sale of three more players after defender, Eric Bailly’s departure. Erik ten Hag wants three more players to leave Man United before deadline day The Red Devil’s boss, Erik ten Hag wants to offload four defenders before the transfer window closes as Ivorian centre-back Bailly agrees to join Marseille on loan. Manchester United is…

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#Manchester united latest news

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passperspective · 6 months

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Sancho Vs. Man United Saga

As we have all been made aware, there is currently a lot of unrest at Manchester United. Whether it be the season they are having, the management of Ten Hag, or players' crazy social lives, there is a new story every day.

However, one recurring scandal is the treatment of player Jadon Sancho.

We begin with, after refusing to apologise to Erik Ten Hag for saying that the manager was dishonest about Jadon Sancho's omission from the 3-1 loss against Arsenal, for which 20 man team he was not a part of, on September 3, the player will no longer be able to practice with Manchester United's first team. After said game, Ten Hag said: “Based on his performances in training we did not select him. You have to reach a level every day at Man United and we can make choices on the front line. So for this game, he was not selected.” Sancho clapped back at this comment to defend his honour, since then the 23-year-old's future has not been looking ideal. After this issue, a club statement read: “Jadon Sancho will remain on a personal training program away from the first team group pending resolution of a squad discipline issue.” Surprise, surprise, it has yet to be resolved.

The most recent update of this ongoing battle has been that the winger eats his lunch away from the team also. Settling to eat alone in his car during breaks. He has also been reportedly removed from the team WhatsApp group.

What else is to come from this feud? Only time will tell if it will be resolved. However, this treatment is a cause for concern within the football community itself and the general public as a heavy focus on mental health has been implemented. Many fans believe that this treatment is inhumane and neglectful, as grown adults a resolution should not be so difficult to come to terms with.

Will Jadon Sancho and Erik Ten Hag continue to bite their tongues on resolutions or will they be able to come to an agreement?

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totallyhussein-blog · 20 days

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Breaking news. Germany detains two suspected of IS genocide against Yazidi's

Two Iraqi citizens have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as membership in terrorist group Islamic State (IS).

As Politico EU reports:

The detention of the married couple follows a resolution by the German parliament last year that recognizes crimes committed by IS against the Yazidi religious minority in Iraq as genocide. The intent of its authors was to facilitate prosecutions against such crimes in Germany’s courts.

“Twana H.S. and Asia R.A. were married according to Islamic law and were members of the foreign terrorist organisation ‘Islamic State’ in Iraq and Syria between October 2015 and December 2017,” the Office of the Federal Prosecutor said in a statement Wednesday that did not give the full names of the suspects, as is customary in Germany.

“They held a then five-year-old Yazidi girl as a slave since no later than late 2015. Since October 2017, they enslaved a then twelve-year-old Yazidi girl as well. Twana H. S. repeatedly raped both children,” the prosecutor said.

The suspects denied the girls the right to practise their own religion and beat them, before handing them over to other IS members, it added: “All of this served the organisation’s objective to destroy the Yazidi religion.”

The suspects were brought before an investigating judge, who ordered that they be placed in pre-trial detention.

Germany jailed an IS member for the first time in 2021 for involvement in genocide and crimes against humanity committed against Yazidis in Iraq and Syria — including the murder of a five-year-old girl.

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topsportnews · 8 months

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Erik ten Hag interview: Man Utd manager reveals how his team must improve at Arsenal after failing to match standards

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag discusses the team’s problems and why he believes they can improve. Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag explains the problems in midfield and why he is not concerned Erik ten Hag’s second season at Utrecht brought European football. His second season at Ajax brought his first title and took the club to within…

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kazifatagar · 11 months

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Historic FA Cup Final: Can Man Utd Stop Man City Now?

In a historic clash between Manchester City and Manchester United in the FA Cup final, anticipation is high for an exciting encounter. While City is considered the favourite due to their deep squad and recent league triumph, cup finals are known for surprises. United, having achieved the treble under Alex Ferguson 24 years ago, will be motivated to prevent City from matching their feat.…

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#FA CUP FINAL #football #guardiola #latest Malaysia news #manchester city #manchester united #sports #ten hag

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allfifaworldcup · 1 year

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Manchester United XI vs Real Betis: Starting lineup, confirmed team news and injury latest for friendly today-FIFA WORLD CUP

No new faces are set to arrive from the World Cup for the friendly in Spain, which follows a 4-2 defeat to Cadiz in midweek. Every senior outfield player available to United starts along with youngsters Alejandro Garnacho, Teden Mengi and Zidane Iqbal. Still absent will be those stars competing in Qatar, such as Marcus Rashford and Antony, while Facundo Pellistri and Christian Eriksen are not…

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#Betis #confirmed #Cup #David de Gea #Erik Ten Hag #friendly #injury #latest #lineup #Manchester #manchester united team news #news #Real #Real Betis #Starting #team #todayFIFA #United #World

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storynstory · 2 years

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Mason Greenwood Charged with Attempted Rape

Mason Greenwood, a Manchester United participant, has been charged with tried rape, the larger Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed Saturday.........Read More

#mason greenwood #manchester united #sports news #news #latest news #trending news #celebs #celebrities #sport news

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sportearly · 2 years

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MANCHESTER united News: Ronaldo strongly warns Erik ten Hag of things NEED to change at United as he set to stay

This is the latest Manchester united News with Ronaldo already having to commit his stay with the club and point out the key areas ERIK Ten Hag needs to focus much on and take steps on it. ‘I was thrilled, of course, to be back at a club that truly enhanced my career,’ Ronaldo stated in an interview with the club. As a result, it was incredible. ‘It was good to sense the fans when I (returned)…

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#EPL News #latest man u news and update #latest man u news caught offside #latest man u news update #latest man united news goal #latest man united news live #latest man united news metro #latest man united news sky sports #latest man united transfer news fabrizio romano #latest man utd evening news now #latest man utd injuries news #latest man utd news daily express #latest man utd news daily mail #latest man utd news every 5 minutes #latest man utd news goal.com mobi #latest man utd news this hour #latest man utd transfer news done deal now #latest manchester united breaking news #latest manchester united coach news #latest manchester united evening news #latest manchester united football news #latest manchester united kick news #Latest Manchester United news #latest manchester united news about coach #latest manchester united news and updates #latest manchester united news bbc #latest manchester united news goal.com #latest manchester united news happening now #latest manchester united news in metro #latest manchester united news kicknews

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newschurn · 2 years

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Manchester United target has 'decided to leave' RB Leipzig, but will he?

Manchester United target has ‘decided to leave’ RB Leipzig, but will he?

Manchester United target Christopher Nkunku has reported ‘decided to leave’ current club RB Leipzig this summer, but matters may be complicated by previous comments made by his club’s CEO and the fee that could be demanded. Manchester United are in desperate need of attacking reinforcements this summer, with Cristiano Ronaldo now 37 years old, Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani both set to leave…

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#breaking news #decided #global news #Latest news #latest news and updates #leave #Leipzig #Manchester #News Churn #target #United

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legitloadedng · 2 years

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Transfer: Dembele set for shock move to Man Utd

We are notified that after Manchester United missed out on Aunatovic they make shock move for Dembele who is now set for shock move to Man Utd. Transfer: Dembele set for shock move to Man Utd Lyon striker, Moussa Dembele, is set for a shock move to Manchester United this summer. CLICK HERE TO JOIN MANCHESTER UNITED GROUP According to Manchester Evening News, Man United are eying a move for…

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maxsimagination · 4 months

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𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 - 𝗼.𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗹𝗹𝗲

warnings: none

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"mapi! my favourite living canvas!" i yell out to my favourite customer as she walks into the studio.

"y/n! my favourite tattoo artist!" i laugh at her antics. "mapi, i'm you're only tattoo artist. you don't let anyone else near your skin." she poked her tongue out at me and sat in the chair.

"so what are we doing?" mapi pulled her phone out and showed me a sketch that i knew she'd been wanting for a while. while i was getting my products out and cleaning everything, mapi was talking about the latest news with her team, barcelona. "we signed a new player, she's from manchester united."

i knew what mapi was talking about already and i knew the player that had transferred. it was my girlfriend, ona batlle. i was over the moon when she'd told me she was moving clubs to come over to barcelona. owning a tattoo studio doesn't require me to travel a lot so it was mostly long distance, but we made it work.

we face timed and called when we could and texted often. i knew most of her now-teammates through my work, especially mapi. she was my most frequent customer and probably one of my closest friends.

her girlfriend, ingrid, would come along to some of her sessions sometimes and we'd chat while mapi was practically half asleep in the chair. i had also done work with players like alexia putellas, patri guijarro and of course, ona but they didn't know that.

"we played our most recent game with her and she's actually pretty good." mapi was still talking about ona and i sat with a smile while i worked, glad to hear praise for my girlfriend's soccer skills. "i hear she has a girlfriend." that bit caught my attention. "how do you know?" a grin was plastered on my face at her words.

"she has a vibe, a feeling that she's happy with life. i don't know, i just hear things from the girls." it was comical really, how right they were, but i definitely wasn't going to say anything.

we spend about two hours there, me working on mapi's tattoo and mapi talking my ear off about anything and everything. when i'm done, i clean off the excess ink and spread some gel on it before mapi is up and bounding over to the mirror to see her latest artwork.

we finished up and mapi handed me the cash she'd gotten for today. i thanked her and she was on her way. when i closed up for the day i called ona, something we do regularly now that she's in barcelona with me. "hola mi cariño." (hello my darling.)

"hola mi amor. how was training?" (hello my love.)

"bien, (okay) it was just the normal. although the girls kept talking about how they think i have a girlfriend." i laughed at that, it was the same thing mapi had told me about when she was with me. before she went to training.

"they aren't wrong." i laughed. "mapi told me about that today. she said there's rumours your dating someone." we just laugh together at that. it's not like we are trying to hide our relationship from our friends, they just haven't figured it out yet. and when ona was at manchester i would fly over to her, so it wasn't as obvious.

"did you want to go out after? we can go to your favourite cafe?" ona offered.

"por favor, amor. i need to spend time with just you." (please, love.)

we agreed and ona said she'd pick me up from mine in an hour. i lived by myself in an apartment not too far away from the studio. ona tended to hop between living with me and one of her teammates since she's been in barça. i was honestly surprised that none of them have caught on when she wasn't living with them.

as promised, ona picks me up and we drive out to the cafe. it was small and slightly secluded with some tables scattered through the front and down the side.

it was such a pretty place and had the best food i'd ever tasted, i loved it so much. we enjoyed our time together and shared some food before we had to head out. what i didn't expect when we walked out was mapi, waiting, with a semi-tired ingrid in tow.

"i knew it! i knew she was dating someone!" she was almost yelling and had completely shocked both ona and i.

"maria leon! what are you doing?" i used her real name, that got her attention. "lo siento, (sorry) i knew you knew something when i told you during our tattoo session. normally you are all over gossip with the girls, but today you seemed like you already knew about it. it just made me think-" i smiled at how mapi was rambling about how she knew about us. i looked down at ona and she was already grinning at our friend. "-about how happy ona seemed and how you are and-"

"mapi, it's okay. we don't care if people find out about us." mapi stopped talking and looked at us before breaking into a grin. "sorry, thankyou. i think you guys are cute."

we all ended up laughing together, even ingrid who looked like she needed a nap. after we'd caught up mapi and ingrid left to go to their place, while ona went to mine with me. "i guess the rumours were true, onita." i grinned over at her from the passenger seat. she was grinning back at me before responding.

"shut up, amor." (love.) then; "i want you to tattoo me again."

#woso #woso x reader #woso community #ona batlle #ona batlle x reader #ona batlle imagine

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skipper1331 · 8 months

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Red Devil // Laia Aleixandri

a/n: based off this request. Enjoy.

You

Mi amor, when are you gonna call me back?

i miss you :(

You were currently still in Madrid but not for long. Your transfer was confirmed. In less than a few days your new home would be Manchester.

There were rumors that you would transfer to the WSL or to the French league, but you didn't address the rumours. However, the rumor that you would join Manchester United was spreading. It‘s was true yet not to be confirmed, at least not now.

Laia saw the rumours, there had been a bunch of them but didn‘t believe them. You would talk to her about something big like that, wouldn‘t you?

Or so she thought.

When she saw a leaked picture of you wearing a ManU jersey, she was confused. It didn’t look fake, your name and number on the back.

She didn‘t reply to your text nor did she answer her phone when you called again.

You

good morning x

guess you fell asleep, call me today?

you texted - she didn‘t reply.

The following day you said good bye to everyone of your team mates and staff members, ready to start a new chapter.

You were beyond excited not only because of the new challenge ahead of you but also because you‘d finally be in the same country as your lover. You hadn‘t told her yet because you wanted to suprise her. You had made up a whole plan; you would drive to her house with a flower boquet in your hands and her favorite sweets and surprise her.

A great plan that hadn't been thought through to the end.

ManUtd announced your transfer; pictures and videos on their socials and on your own Instagram as you sat in the plane on your way to Manchester. Your 'good bye-thank you' post, one post before your pinned announcement.

Of course she saw your 'good bye' post, she had the notifications on for your social media accounts to be up to date and to admire pretty pictures of yourself and as well she saw your new club post.

Why didn‘t say something to her? She felt betrayed. Did you not love her? The reason she hadn‘t replied your latest texts.

You arrived at the airport and drove to your new home. The apartment was roughly set up, the furniture was there and the rest of your stuff would arrive in the next few days.

You didn't want to move in with Laia right away because firstly she didn't know you were here and secondly because you didn't want to pressure her with something she wasn‘t comfortable with.

Hoping she would be at home you made your way to her apartment. On the way you got her, her favorite flowers and some candy.

Gently, you knocked on the door.

"Sí?" the voice of your girlfriend said as she opened the door. "Hola, mi amor" you smiled brightly. You expected every reaction, just not the one she gave you. She rolled her eyes but stepped aside anyways. You furrowed your brows, usually she was always happy to see you. "No kiss?" you tried again. She brushed past you, walking in to the kitchen. "Amor?" you asked, following behind, "I have great news"

"Oh I know! Red devil huh?!" she snapped.

"Oh" your voice saddened as you put the flowers down on the counter "you don‘t like it?"

"Do you think I‘m stupid?!" she yelled, marching out of the kitchen, yourself close behind. You grasped her wrist, turning her to face you "why would I think that?" you asked, utterly confused.

"Why didn‘t you tell me! I had to find out through a picture! Through your instagram!" her arms gesticulating wildly. "That‘s what this is about?" you asked, your voice level normal.

"Of course! I feel betrayed. My own girfriend isn‘t trusting me!"

"No, mi amor. I- i wanted to surprise you.." she wiggled out of your grasp. "Surprise me?! How stupid do you think I am?!"

"Laia! Stop it!" you grabbed her waist, pulling her close. Your expression was strict and the spaniard knew when you said her name (which she didn‘t enjoy) that you‘re getting upset. "I don‘t think you‘re stupid! I wanted to suprise you with me being here. I couldn‘t stand it any longer being in a country where you‘re not! I trust you, you know I do." your eyes looked so sad and disappointed "it wasn't thought through, i only wanted to be here. With you" you admitted. She didn‘t answer nor react in any kind of way. It broke your heart. Sighing in defeat, you let go of her waist "I‘m gonna go" you mumbled, walking to the door.

Finally, she came back to her senses "wait!" Now it was her turn to grab your waist, "lo siento" she whispered, "lo siento mucho" one hand came up craddle your face, "I want you here, more than anything" your head dropped against her shoulder, exhausted. "I‘m sorry for raising my voice, I didn‘t like the feeling that people who don‘t know you, know more than I did"

Both of you stood there in silence for a while.

"Do you still love me?" you murmured against her chest. "Sí, mi amor. Te amo mucho" she hooked her thumb and index finger under your chin, softly pulling your head off her chest so you could look at her. She leant forward, closing the gap between you two. Her lips tasted sweet, like home. The kiss was gentle, apologies spoken.

"Te amo, but I‘ll never wear your ManU jersey" the spaniard giggled, pressing her lips against your own over and over again.

"We‘ll see about that" you grinned, grabbing her hand. "I‘ve got you flowers and sweets"

"You‘re the best, my little red devil" she smiled as she trailed behind you.

The red devil and the cityzen

———————-

#laia aleixandri #laia aleixandri x reader #woso #woso x reader #woso fanfics #man city women #man united women

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topsportnews · 8 months

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Man Utd exploring Cucurella loan deal

Manchester United are looking at Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella as an option following Luke Shaw’s injury. United are exploring a loan deal in what has been described as “tentative interest”. The Red Devils are in the market for a left-back following Shaw’s injury and Tottenham defender Sergio Reguilon is another they have looked at. The Spaniard can leave Spurs this month. United boss Erik…

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player1064 · 1 month

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If you're still doing prompts: I just saw the rooney pic set and the beckham with carra and just either of Carraville being a hot commodity? Other people having crushes or being into them? And maybe them being obvious because they only have eyes for each other or so? Or being possessive

alright lads I am BACK (the essay uh. dont even worry about it.) I've been distracted from drabbles with a) my beville wip which is getting. long. and b) making a gary character thesis statement video which is also getting. LONG.

Anyway I was gonna do a Gary half to this (w/ Stevie and Michael Owen) but it's already at like 1.2k words with just the Jamie ones so if anyone wants me to write the Gary half u will simply have to send more asks adksjfkjdasfsvdsa...

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Wayne is young, and excited, and he’s scoring a lot of goals.

England is fantastic, it’s a break in the routine, a chance to play with new people. A chance to prove to the whole world that he’s the best there is, that there’s more to the buzz around him than just talk. And there’s so many United players in the squad, there’s no fear of feeling lost or out of his depth.

Except, the United players are all senior United players, that little gang of Phil, Butty, Scholesy, and of course their ringleader Gaz.

Gaz is great, but Wayne has to put up with him every day of his life and he’s not sure he can stomach spending his free time at England camp listening to his ranting when he could be doing literally anything else.

The first time he’d been called up he’d still been with Everton, and being the only player at the club to get in the squad he’d not known anyone when he got to training camp. The Liverpool lot – or rather, Jamie Carragher and his less enthusiastic mates – had adopted him, but now just a few months later everything is different, because now he plays for Manchester United.

It’s stupid, really. The club rivalry stuff. The ‘stick with your own teammates’ stuff. David Beckham doesn’t play for United anymore, but he’s still sat at their table every day, saying stuff that’s not even that funny but that makes Gaz do this stupid over the top laugh that Wayne never hears at any other time.

Gaz’ll have a go at him for it, but he’d rather go sit with Stevie and Carra.

They’re sat at a small table in the canteen, just the two of them and Mo. Except Carra’s not sitting next to Mo like he did last season, there’s no easy banter flowing between any of them. Wayne ignores the tension, or maybe he just doesn’t notice it, and he takes the long awaited opportunity to sit right next to Carra.

Gaz likes to complain about the Scousers, and about Carra in particular. He can’t stand him, thinks he’s after his position in the squad or something, like anyone would want to be a right-back. Last time they’d played Liverpool, Gaz had sat in the dressing room moaning about how Carra was a ‘pathetic little whiny bitch’ and how ‘he’s the most miserable looking footballer I’ve ever had the misfortune of meeting’.

Wayne’s not sure where Gaz is getting that from, he’s always thought Carra was quite nice. Friendly, even. And he smells nice, which is unrelated but feels like it’s worth mentioning.

Even now that Wayne’s at one of his club’s biggest rivals, he still gives him a little smile and an “alright, Wazza?”

There’s a little flutter in his chest, and he grins back. “hiya, Carra. How’s things in Liverpool?”

Carra squints at him. “Did Neville send you over to spy on us?”

David is under a lot of pressure.

This was meant to be his last tournament, one last chance for him to finally do it, and now he’s sat in the dugout and every newspaper in the world is asking what his job is meant to be, exactly. He’s not a coach, his latest injury ruled him out of the squad months ago, but he’s still here, and everyone is still watching.

It’s weird, to be away with England and not have Gary by his side. He’s in a hotel in South Africa and he should be going out, enjoying the fact that for once he doesn’t have to be fit to play, but instead he’s staring at the door wishing Gary would walk through and complain about something.

It’s probably not fair to say that he misses Gary (you’re the one who left, you prick), but well – he does miss Gary. He always misses Gary. It’s a world cup, he should be here.

If he’d known, four years ago – if he’d known. He’d’ve done better, tried harder. But what thirty year old thinks they’re at the end of their international career?

So he’s here, now. He’s not a player, not a coach, he’s just David Beckham. Apparently that’s enough. The squad is changing, shifting into something unrecognisable. The senior players don’t bother with the club rivalry thing so much anymore, there’s not enough of them from each club to really justify it. So at lunch he sits with Frank and JT and Gerrard. And Carragher, who’s not got enough caps to really be a senior player at England, but who’s too old now to count as anything else. He’s always around, anyway – sticks to Gerrard like his shadow.

And sometimes – sometimes, David finds himself looking.

He’s all alone out here. He’s under a lot of pressure.

It’s been years, since he’s done anything like that. Four years, in fact. And it’s not that he’s just substituting one defender for another, but he sees a lot of Gary in Jamie. Always cross about something, always moaning. Always pushing himself in training as hard as he possibly can, always pushing the others to do the same.

And he’s not bad to look at, either. Though David’s not sure if that’s a point in his favour or not, he’s always had a bit of a soft spot for the awkward, ugly ones. Or maybe just for that one specific awkward ugly one.

He’s not quite sure how to broach the subject, spends a few days agonising over it before deciding to just get on with it and go knock on the man’s door.

Carragher squints at him when he opens the door. “Does the manager need me for somethin’?” he asks cautiously, like maybe he’s not sure what David’s job is meant to be either.

“Nothing like that, just wondered if we could talk.”

Carragher doesn’t respond, just crosses his arms and waits for David to talk.

“Um, I was thinking more like – in your room?” he says, trying to load as much meaning as he can into the words since Carragher seems a bit slow on the uptake.

Carragher waves him in and he walks ahead to sit on the end of the bed.

“If this is about that fight I had with your mate a few weeks ago, he’s the one who fuckin’ started it.”

“I – what?”

David’s not quite sure when Jamie would have had opportunity to fight any of his mates, or even which mate he might mean – they don’t exactly run in the same circles.

“I swear, he’s always in the referee’s ear, mouthy cunt.”

Ah. Gary.

He wonders when the last time United played Liverpool was. He wonders when the last time was that he asked Gary how a game went.

“We have nothing to do with the referees,” he says automatically, before remembering that he’s not really part of the we anymore, hasn’t been for a long time.

“Yeah, yeah. Well tell your little boyfriend that if he still ‘as a problem he can say it to my face, but it was his man who dived, not mine.”

“That wasn’t why I – you know what, never mind.”

#do i even tag this as carraville. does this count as carraville.#people showing interest in jamie and him immediately being like. this seems like it has to do with gary neville (it never does)#carraville #drabbles

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vikingsong · 13 days

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Reforged (excerpt)

Fill for my Merlin Bingo 2024 adopted square “Aliens” 😉

Hello! For context (if you haven’t already heard me ramble about this WIP in one Discord server or another), this is the first half of Chapter 1 of a loooong and not remotely complete WIP, hence sharing it here rather than AO3 or FFN. It’s a modern-with-magic reincarnation fic.

(TW: graphic violence)

Fic summary:

Arthur Rhydderch had spent years trying to ‘find his calling,’ as his thesis advisor described it. This wasn’t quite what I had in mind, the reincarnated Once and Future King thought as he gave his sword a twirl and launched himself at the alien before it could breathe another blistering spurt of flames.

Up-and-coming paleontologist Dr. Merlin Emrys had thought he was adulting quite well; most days, he even managed to avoid getting yelled at by his landlady. Then secrets from his past life resurfaced, and everything fell apart. Facing an impossible choice, Merlin must come to terms with who he was, who he is, and—most importantly—who he wants to become.

Or:

When Albion’s greatest need arrives in the form of an alien invasion, the reincarnated figures of legend must deal with the consequences of their shared past even as they fight for humanity’s future.

Chapter 1 (excerpt):

Arthur was in the library when the world ended. It was barely 10:00 AM on a Tuesday, and it was shaping up to be one of the worst days of his life even before the sky rained fire.

Six hours ago, Arthur had shaken off the claws of a nightmare for the third night in barely a week. Running, always running, with watering eyes and screaming lungs as the soot threatened to choke him. Four hours ago, he’d paused in the middle of his training run through the city to sit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and watch with bleary eyes as the pale dawn crept up from the horizon, silhouetting Capitol Hill against the clear autumn sky. His t-shirt stuck to his skin as his sweat cooled. Blood and sweat mingling, trickling down his back as he twisted away from vicious claws that slashed his shoulder from behind. The fresh air hadn’t banished the phantom tang of acrid smoke, so he’d dragged himself home and attempted to drown the taste with a fourth cup of caustically strong coffee, nearly scalding his tongue in his haste. Burns blistering on his forearms as he gripped the sword hilt with white knuckles while hissing creatures stalked him from the shadows. The shifting shadows had still dogged his thoughts as he’d headed to an early one-to-one meeting with the head coach of his college soccer team.

Three hours ago, his coach had informed him, not unkindly, that he wouldn’t be nominating Arthur for the pro soccer draft at the end of the semester, despite Arthur being co-captain and the best on the team. Arthur understood his coach’s reasoning, but it did nothing to ease the sting. The prevailing industry view was that most players peaked in their mid-twenties, and Arthur was already twenty-six. His American uni scholarship had already been his fallback option, a new route to the same professional goal after he’d aged out of Manchester United’s football training academy without a pro contract at twenty-three. Now, the coveted draft slot would go to a younger player—a domestic player who wouldn’t have to deal with visa complexities—and Arthur would simply have to find another calling.

Two hours ago, Arthur’s thesis advisor—never particularly interested in Arthur’s athletic goals—had inadvertently poured salt in that raw wound by asking, as he did at least once a semester, if Arthur had “found his calling” yet.

Arthur’s self-control had slipped, and he’d answered bluntly, “If it’s a calling, then it needs to make itself heard.”

Dr. Taliesin had simply sighed and said, “Someday you will know your destiny.” Then he’d asked to see the latest draft of Arthur’s senior thesis and proceeded to spend the remaining twenty minutes of their meeting eviscerating it.

One hour ago, Arthur had clocked in for his work-study shift at the campus library. The students who’d pulled all-nighters on midterm assignments had all gone to bed or to class by the time Arthur arrived, and it hadn’t taken him long to reshelve the trail of reference texts they’d left in their wake.

Thirty minutes ago, he’d settled at the circulation desk with a stack of books which Dr. Taliesin had just recommended. Arthur had tried—and failed—to concentrate on his thesis research instead of his imploded career plan, even as he’d tried—and failed—to ignore how the silence amplified the harrowing echoes of his nightmares.

Fifteen minutes ago, Arthur had scrubbed a hand over his itchy stubble, regretting that he’d forgotten to shave in his distracted state that morning. His neck had popped audibly in the quiet lobby as he’d stretched and had given up on his thesis research for the moment. Having concluded that he needed to distract himself from anything having to do with his future, he’d pushed aside the heavy books and pulled out the latest reading assignment for his Medieval Lit elective.

One minute ago, Arthur had realized that he’d been staring blankly at the same Middle English paragraph for several minutes. He’d given up on studying altogether and gathered up his reference books to shelve. When he’d stood, his rolling chair had skittered sideways out of his reach. He’d been ready to chalk it up to caffeine tremors and jittery nerves when he’d heard the lobby’s floor-to-ceiling windows rattle.

That was when he’d glanced up and discovered that the world was ending.

He blinked—once, twice—and craned his neck to get a better look. Well, his tired brain amended as it struggled to process the latest milestone in his terrible day, perhaps ‘ending’ is too strong a word. Maybe just the ‘start’ of the apocalypse?

Semantics aside, the sky was raining fire.

The ground shook as each flaming meteorite crashed, one after another after another. One hurtled toward the window, and the prospect of his impending fiery death finally jolted Arthur into action. He dropped the books and dove behind the circulation desk, throwing up an arm to shield his face as the glass shattered and the fireball barreled through.

Over the greedy crackle of flames as a row of study cubicles caught fire, Arthur heard an unnatural hissing. It grated across his nerves like nails on a chalkboard. He peeked around the edge of the circulation desk and froze.

Am I dreaming?

From within the smoldering wreckage of the thing that hadn’t been a meteorite, a creature emerged—a creature unlike anything Arthur had ever seen. The firelight glinted off its burnished scales as it unfurled leathery wings like a monstrous bird hatching from a cursed egg, like a cassowary made of fire and brimstone. The creature fixed its glowing red eyes on him and uttered a shrieking hiss.

Arthur knew that sound.

So that’s what they look like, he thought, half-hysterical. He ducked back behind the desk, even though he knew it was too late to hide. The beast had seen him, and just like he knew that horrible cry, he knew that thing would hunt him down. He heard the creature flap once, and then a spurt of flames shot past the edge of the circulation desk where his face had been moments before. The industrial carpet melted.

Arthur’s instincts took over. One. There was no hope of getting out through the burning front entrance, so he scrambled away from the flames and ran the length of the circulation desk, staying low as another fiery blast raced over his head and immolated an oil painting on the wall above him. Two. Just like in his nightmares, he counted, and just like in his nightmares, he had no idea why. He reached the end of the circulation desk and made a run for it across an exposed stretch of the lobby, dodging more fireballs—Three. Four.—as the creature chased him toward the winding, windowless corridors that formed the only route to the back exit.

He skidded into the corridor and ricocheted off the wall as he took the first turn at full speed. Another volley of flames hit the wall just after he’d turned the corner; he felt the heat at his back as he continued his flight. Five. The fire alarm kicked in, and the reverberating noise in the corridors nearly drowned out the creature’s shrieks and hisses. After several more turns and another near miss with a fireball—Six.—that left one sleeve of his red hoodie singed, Arthur hit a dead end.

He cursed colorfully under his breath as he realized he’d taken a wrong turn on autopilot; he’d been so focused on dodging fireballs that he’d turned left instead of right at the special collections display case. He’d reached the central elevator’s windowless alcove rather than the exit. The elevator was out of service, he’d already passed the nearest stairwell, and he didn’t have time to retrace his steps to the turn he’d missed. He heard a crash followed by scuffling as the creature—the alien, his brain so helpfully supplied—slammed into the display case before approaching the final turn. I’ve got thirty seconds at best. Arthur backed away from the sound, wracking his brain for any remaining options. His shoulder bumped into something sharp; he glanced back and saw it was the corner of a wall-mounted display case containing a medieval-style sword from the university’s eclectic collection of artifacts. On the lower right corner of the plate glass front, a snarky student had added a sticky note that read:

In case of emergency, break glass :)

What have I got to lose? he thought, glancing around. There were no fire extinguishers—Ironic, he lamented—nor any other heavy objects in the alcove to break the glass. Out of time and options, he raised his hood for protection like a knight’s coif and shielded his face with his right arm before slamming his left elbow into the glass as hard as he could. It cracked but didn’t shatter.

The hissing grew louder. Ignoring the pain in his arm, Arthur struck the case a second time, and then a third.

Razor-sharp shards grazed Arthur’s hoodie as the glass shattered and spilled out onto the floor. As the security alarm blared in concert with the fire alarm, he reached into the case and drew out the sword.

It felt strangely comfortable in his hand. Not quite like the sword in his dreams, but familiar all the same. He gave it a quick twirl with his wrist, then faced the hallway just as the alien appeared.

It stalked toward him on all fours with its folded, bat-like wings curving up from its clawed forefeet; the barbed tips met in a sharp arch over its back like crossed lance poles. Its glowing red eyes were nearly level with Arthur’s as it paused, tilting its large, draconic head side to side on its long neck as though sizing up the sword in Arthur’s hand.

Arthur stood his ground. Not like I have anywhere left to run, he thought as he tightened his grip on the sword. Might as well go out fighting.

The alien hissed, and smoke curled out through its nostrils. It opened its jaw wide and coughed out a sulfurous black cloud. Arthur gagged as his eyes watered. The alien hacked again like a chain smoker, but no flames burst forth.

Arthur saw his window and took it. Just like on the footie pitch, he feinted left, then spun to the right. With a screech, the alien fell for the trick and lunged, leaving its neck vulnerable to Arthur’s attack. Arthur used the momentum of his spin to throw his full weight into his one shot at survival, bringing the blade down squarely on the creature’s neck.

The steel sliced clean through sinew and bone, and the creature’s head hit the ground mid-snarl. Arthur dodged the body’s writhing death throes and vaulted over the convulsing tail as he raced back down the corridor toward the exit. He slipped more than once on the wet linoleum—the emergency sprinklers had finally activated—before he stumbled out through the back exit into the deserted alley, soaked and bleeding, still clutching the sword.

#merlin bingo #bingo fill #alien invasion #aliens & swords #bbc merlin #fanfic #wip #shameless self promotion #my stories #writing #angst with a happy ending #wip wednesday #aliens #fic: reforged

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