Sponsors go cold on £47m United deal
ManCHester UnIteD’s
shirt sponsor teamviewer have got cold feet over their £47million-a-year deal just 18 months after it was announced. the german software company have confirmed that they will not extend the sponsorship when it runs out in 2026. teamviewer’s share price has lost four fifths of its value since the tech company replaced Chevrolet on the United shirt. the cost of the deal, which was met with scepticism on the stock market, was cited as one of the main reasons for their struggles. a teamviewer statement read: ‘International awareness of the brand was increased last year through the partnership. nevertheless, the company has decided to review its marketing strategy in light of the economic environment.’ the company’s share price recovered by five per cent after it was announced that the deal will end. United are relaxed about the situation as the deal has four years to run, and yesterday announced a multi-year deal with american firm Qualcomm technologies.
ERIK TEN HAG must decide if an undercooked Cristiano Ronaldo can be thrown into the starting line-up for Manchester United’s opening game against Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday.
A lack of options in attack means that Ten Hag may have to consider playing Ronaldo or at least putting him on the bench, even though he admits the unsettled Portugal star is not fit. The 37-year-old is two weeks behind his team-mates in terms of pre-season preparation, having missed the club’s summer tour and five friendlies. However, Ronaldo played 45 minutes against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday and is said to have been excellent in training this week. Although Anthony Martial has led the attack in pre-season, the Frenchman suffered a hamstring strain against Atletico Madrid in Oslo which is set to keep him out for at least three games.
Ten Hag could play Marcus Rashford or Anthony Elanga through the middle, or he may set up with a false nine, as he did against Wrexham last week. Ten Hag, who is facing his first big selection call as United manager, will answer questions on Ronaldo’s availability at a press conference today. The situation highlights the problem caused by United’s failure to replace Edinson Cavani after committing a large portion of their transfer budget to the as-yet-unsuccessful pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.