Not There, But Everywhere

United aren't at the World Cup but take a closer look at the teams and they are, in another sense, all over it

Pick almost any group. France, Germany, England, Portugal, Brazil. Scroll the squads and you will find a name with a United story attached. Some are obvious: Bruno, Casemiro, Cunha, Martínez, all embedded into the spine of one country or another. Some are footnotes: a goalkeeper who we sent out on loan a few seasons ago, an academy lad who never quite made it at Old Trafford, a right-back signed by Moyes in 2013 and last seen in red the year after. Some ghosts you had to be told were still playing.

More than 30 current or former United players are at this summer’s tournament across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Four former coaches are too. Nineteen of the 48 squads carry at least one United name. The club isn’t at the centre of attention this summer. But also, it is.