The World Cup gets underway in Qatar this afternoon as the host nation take on Ecuador in Group A and excitement levels for the tournament appear to be at an all-time low.
Fans' main gripes, quite rightly, come due to the human rights stance of Qatar and the migrant worker deaths during the construction of the stadiums; moving the tournament to winter, clashing with the domestic season, was just the cherry on top.
For Manchester United, this break for the World Cup has come at an intriguing moment. On the one hand, the Reds' form has been much improved since the dismal opening defeats in August and a break has halted momentum, but the can of worms opened following the Cristiano Ronaldo interview now need to be dealt with and the distraction of the World Cup might have come to United's benefit.
