Don’t think for one minute that Manchester United fans will be looking on with envious eyes as Champions League football returns this week.
Sure, they may not have seen their side compete in the continent’s premier cup competition since a dismal night in Wolfsburg at the back end of 2015 (Nick Powell on for Juan Mata), but the blow has been more than softened by the commercial deal with 20th Century Fox.
Instead of dreaming of knockout stage trips to the Bernabeu or the Allianz Arena, United fans have been delighted by seeing their players star in promotional commercials for a string of upcoming movie releases from the American Film Studio.
From a bizarre penalty shootout scene featuring Deadpool…
To the United boys joining forces to kick the shit out of a load of aliens in the Independence Day: Resurgence ad – the club’s supporters have been royally entertained (more so than by the football served up during Louis van Gaal’s tenure, that’s for sure).
With Europe’s heavyweights gearing up for the Champions League last 16, United fans can proudly share the latest collaboration between their club and 20th Century Fox across all of their social media platforms – something that the Real Madrids and Bayern Munichs of this world simply can’t offer.
The trailer for Logan, a film about legendary comic book character Wolverine, draws parallels between its main character – played by Hugh Jackman – and none other than Wayne Rooney.
Interspersing clips and footage from the film with newspaper cuttings and commentary soundbites about the United skipper, it’s perhaps not quite as cheesy as some of the previous offerings…
Nobody is born a legend. You fight to become one. #Logan #HisTimeHasCome
@20CenturyFoxUK pic.twitter.com/Hc7xp1EzDX
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 15, 2017
Still, the initial reaction was a predictable one…
https://twitter.com/GarethBale22/status/831897888779276288
(He’s not dead)
https://twitter.com/NotForThe_Weak/status/831896637945544705
delete. pic.twitter.com/Lvj0EcmHLD
— Naji (@Naji_Ishag) February 15, 2017
You get the gist…
