Manchester United lose part of the League Cup trophy and nobody knows where it’s gone

THE League Cup trophy has been proudly displayed in Manchester United’s museum with no one noticing that part of the trophy was missing.

Man of the match, Manchester United's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic lifts the trophy as Manchester United players celebrate their victory after the English League Cup final football match between Manchester United and Southampton at Wembley stadium in north London on February 26, 2017. Picture: Ian Kington/AFP

MANCHESTER UNITED may have celebrated in style when they beat Southampton 3-2 at Wembley, last February, but these celebrations have landed the club in hot water.

Jose Mourinho’s men have misplaced the base for the League Cup and have been proudly displaying the trophy in the club museum without it, The Sun reports.

According to the Mirror, Football League officials went to Old Trafford to retrieve the trophy, only to discover that part of it was missing.

The inscribed base has gone amiss and no one at United can recall ever seeing it.

It was paraded around Wembley, after the thrilling final where Zlatan Ibrahimovic was named man of the match, but is believed to have been separated in London and not made it back to Manchester.

United have claimed that they don’t know where it is and that no one connected to the club had taken it as a memento.

United are out of the running this year, after Bristol City dealt them a 2-1 blow, so the trophy may well be set to travel to the blue side of Manchester.

We’re left to wonder how Mourinho’s Manchester-based rival will take the news that part of his first trophy in England is incomplete?

A spokesman for the League Cup labelled the saga a mystery, and said: “We can confirm that the base of the League Cup has been mislaid.

“Trophies are sometimes damaged during celebrations but it’s the first time we can remember this kind of thing happening.

“We aren’t aware of the circumstances or what happened to it but Manchester United didn’t have it when the time came to hand it back.”

The Cup, now known as the Carabao Cup, has been doing a nationwide tour and was most recently in Bristol, the spokesman added:“The base isn’t the original one but it was inscribed and a new one is in the process of being made to hand over to the new winners on the day of the final next month.”

This story first appeared in The Sunand is reproduced here with permission.