CHRIS WILDER has banned his Middlesbrough players from swapping shirts with Cristiano Ronaldo or any other Manchester United stars.
The Boro boss and his side head to Old Trafford on Friday in the FA Cup and will be backed by over 9,000 away supporters.
Wilder admits victory for the Championship club ‘wouldn’t be the biggest shock, but it would be a shock’ and promised that they would not get ‘fuzzy eyed’ when the teams are confirmed.
And after claiming he wants to make it ‘dangerous’ for Ralf Rangnick’s United, he warned his underdogs it would not be a ‘sight-seeing’ tour.
He said: “Their team sheet will come in the dressing room and it’ll be De Gea, Varane, Harry Maguire… let’s not crumble in that process!
“They have some fabulous individuals that can hurt you, and hurt teams around Europe and the Premier League. A huge array of talent to choose from.
“But it is not sight-seeing for our players. It is not a shirt-swapping situation. I don’t want people going to Old Trafford to enjoy the visit.
“If they want a shirt, do it in the changing rooms after. We don’t want to be looking at them all fuzzy-eyed. They are up against a competitor.
@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Regular.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Regular.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Regular.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Regular.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:400;font-display:swap;}@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Medium.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Medium.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Medium.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Medium.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:500;font-display:swap;}@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:400;font-stretch:semi-condensed;font-display:swap;}@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Bold.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Bold.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Bold.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-Bold.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-stretch:normal;font-display:swap;}@font-face{font-family:’The Sun’;src:url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.woff’) format(‘woff’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.ttf’) format(‘truetype’),url(‘/assets/fonts/the-sun/TheSun-HeavyNarrow.svg#’) format(‘svg’);font-style:normal;font-weight:700;font-stretch:condensed;font-display:swap;}.css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}
Most read in FA Cup
.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS
“I want them to play well. To give a good account of themselves and make it a competitive dangerous night for Manchester United.
“If we play well we can do. If not it will be a comfortable night for Manchester United. No one wants that, me included.”
Wilder, who has led Boro to eight wins from his 12 games in charge since replacing Neil Warnock, added: “This is an obligation to play well for our 9,000 fans at the game and those watching on TV. “There is a glint in the eye from the boys. Motivation levels are big. Playing in front of 75,000 is something they want. We want to go to Old Trafford on a regular basis in the seasons to come.
“We need a structure and a shape so we are not picked off by world-class players but we will have an opportunity to play and we won’t be sitting on the crossbar for 95 minutes.
“We have to be ambitious and aggressive when we have a chance to cause them problems.”
⚽ Read our Manchester United live blog for the latest news and transfer gossip from Old Trafford
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk