More questions than answers remain after United's Emmanuel Reynoso returns to Minnesota
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota United announced that star forward Emmanuel Reynoso had finally returned to Minnesota on Saturday.
Reynoso missed the entire preseason and the first 11 matches of the season.
The team was back in town on Monday, after a lengthy flight delay slowed their return home.
Amid the countless questions about Reynoso's absence and return, at least one thing is certain.
"There's not a team in this league who's not better without a really good Emmanuel Reynoso. And we are the same," said United Manager Adrian Heath. "We need him on the team."
But will his teammates be good with his arrival after he seemingly left them in the lurch?
"Look, I think everyone's gonna have different feelings on that, whether that's players, fans, the club," said backup goalkeeper Clint Irwin, the only player made available on Monday. "I think all the feelings are valid, right. Like no one's gonna have the same opinion on it as someone else."
There are many boxes that will have to be checked before Reynoso will play a game for the Loons this season. Not the least of which, his MLS suspension will have to be lifted.
"That's all today," said Heath after training on Monday. "Obviously we found out that he was arriving only a day or so ago. And with it being over the weekend I think the league, we're discussing with the league the next steps today. So we'll probably have more of an idea maybe after the game tomorrow what the next two or three days and weeks look like for Rey."
There are still fitness questions, too. And undoubtedly fences to be mended.
"We've spent an awful lot of money bringing him here," said Heath. "We've done an awful lot to try and put pieces around, making him the best version of himself. You know it might be a few weeks before we can do that. But the fact that he's here, we can get started now."
