Coentrao confusion as United may have faxed papers too late

Manchester United may not have actually signed Fabio Coentrao, with a dispute over whether the papers were sent over in time.

Reports are conflicting, but to sum up: most in England seem to think the deal is done, most in Spain seem to think it isn't. We're hoping to get confirmation on the situation before midnight, with Sky Sports News still broadcasting and hoping to clarify the situation.

It was a surprise deal with no real mention of the player until the deadline had actually passed, although we had talked up the possibility of signing him before.

Realistically, we may not know until morning. Coentrao is a nice player to have around, but he's not the player who'll define our season. That player was passed up for the want of the same amount of money we paid extra to sign Marouane Fellaini after waiting for his contract to expire.

Deliberately.

Grown men running this club.