What can Man United achieve this season?

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1:55Laurie Whitwell: The Athletic FC

2:14Laurie Whitwell: This is Talk of the Devils, the Athletic show dedicated to Manchester United. The new season is just days away. We're back in the studio here in Manchester and we're going to preview the new campaign for United. Michael Carrick reckons that this group is capable of something special. We'll assess their chances of silverware. Pre-season, of course, ended with a defeat to AC Milan. We'll look at the concerns from that and how close are United to adding more faces to this group. We'll also answer that question. We've got Carl's bad take amnesty. We've got season's predictions. There's all sorts of stuff coming up.

2:46Laurie Whitwell: Anyway, let's introduce you to the lads. Carl and Laurie are here in the studio with me in Manchester. Andy's at home as well. Hello everyone. We've got our live stream coming up on Thursday just before we get into everything so I wanted to remind you about that. It's going to be 12 noon August the 20th. Make sure you subscribe to the channel. Make sure you've got your notifications on as well and obviously whenever we go live we want you in the comments, we want you involved, we want you asking questions. You can also email ahead of time devilspod at theathletic.com. Right that's your to-do list, let's talk about Michael Carrick's to-do list because that pre-season game has brought up a few questions against AC Milan, we'll talk about the details of that in a moment but first of all I just wanted to do a bit of a to-do list of what Carrick's got to get sorted between now and the whole game and beyond that Andy I'll let you go first, what's the top priority in your mind for him?

3:35Carl Anka: I think a left-back I think that's what Manchester United are working most strongly on.

3:40Laurie Whitwell: Signing a new left-back

3:41Carl Anka: Yeah, I think trying to get a couple of deals done before the window closes in a couple of weeks and we've seen the names which are linked and I would just be worried if Luke Shaw got injured. Now he didn't get injured once last season but I would hate to see a return to the situation where Sofran Amrabat, an unloan midfielder, was played and exposed playing left-back this season. That said, Noos Mazraoui could play there, Diogo Delo could even play there but I think a left-back and a midfielder if possible.

4:13Laurie Whitwell: why do you think the biggest problem is left back it's one thing going into a domestic season

4:18Carl Anka: with only luke shaw and i think that was a risk and we weren't entirely sure of the status of malasia a year ago before we sort of learned in in september that he'd be coming back but he wasn't going to feature this season will be far more demanding with the champions league games and we would hope domestic cup games as well and I do not think that Luke Shaw is up to play him 50 to 60 games this season that's why I think it's an area which Manchester United are rightly looking at to try and strengthen and to bring in a player to challenge Luke Shaw the challenge for Manchester United is what do you tell that player you're coming in at number one when you're probably not so that's what the club have got to work out aside from the obvious financial issues which have been well covered.

5:06Carl Anka: I think the club keep getting into situations where players indicate that they want to join Manchester United and then selling clubs are reluctant to sell or the transfer fee just goes way out of proportion or other clubs come in with much higher wage offers.

5:20Laurie Whitwell: I can understand why Andy has picked that because it's been a lot of talk, Carl, across pre-season, certainly in recent weeks about the position but if they actually went out and spent whatever it takes to get Lewis Hall from Newcastle, would he not be the first choice? He would eventually. I think you're... Not straight away? No, I think you start with Luke Shaw at the beginning because of continuity, because the connections he's got with so many people in that dressing room. And then eventually Hall will take over. I think the appeal of Hall is that he will be, to my mind, he's going to be England's number one left back by Euro 2028.

5:57So he's just someone who can deputise for sure. But then as soon as, I mean, as soon as the end of this season, he'll take over fully, to my mind. So, yeah, I think that's the appeal of Lewis Hall. Lewis Hall, Luke Shaw, I'll get that. Lewis and Luke? Yeah, yeah, get that sorted. Yeah, I very much think they should be going for a left back. I know when we did our big transfer episodes, I thought we should go for a left back over getting a left winger because I think you can get a little bit more bang for your buck by spending 50 million on a left back than spending 50 million on a left winger in this.

6:28Well, I didn't even see this market getting this inflated at this current point in time. But yeah, left back for me, absolutely. Both sides of the ball, really, really useful, particularly when you're looking at ball progression, when you're looking at build-up play and you're trying to stop so many crosses you can get in and out as well. A really good left back who can be better than Luke Shaw on Luke Shaw's best day would be the dream.

6:48Laurie Whitwell: Obviously, I'll get your two priorities for Carrick in a moment, but just to stay on left back, there's been a lot of talk around Harry Amas and his ability to contribute this season. There's been chat about transfer fees being set for him. Does he go? Does he get loaned out? How does that work? Is he involved in this conversation or do you think it is absolutely vital now that they go out and get another first choice left-back? Yeah, I think he is part of the conversation in the sense of he is in the building, he's played in pre-season, but from the get-go it's felt that United don't view him as a player that can support Luke Shaw, compete with Luke Shaw this season.

7:24Laurie Whitwell: Will that ever be the case? That's something that only they can decide and he can prove perhaps them wrong in a way because it's felt like he's been heading towards the exit. I do think it's a live situation though. So we'll see what that looks like in the end because it has been spoken about, a permanent move away, also a loan. I feel like maybe a loan is the more likely one now because I think he has done well in pre-season and shown that actually you don't want to necessarily rush to let him leave if you're not going to get the price. If you're going to sell him, you want to get maximum value, don't you?

7:52Laurie Whitwell: Yeah, because like I say, when I put out there six million being the ballpark figure they would like, People were really taken aback by that. But I think there is a reality to it in that he's played half a season in the Championship for Sheffield Wednesday. And Championship clubs, are they going to spend that much on a player with that pedigree so far? But yeah, he's a good player, so let's see. But I do think that that then does feed into the Luke Shaw debate because you need the support. You need someone that can alternate with him. He can't play, to my mind, two, three games a week, which is what they're going to have in the Champions League.

8:23Laurie Whitwell: It has to be measured in terms of his involvement, and that's why he did so well last season with one game a week. And obviously the focus has kind of gone on that left-back role a little bit more after the game against AC Milan with three of their goals coming from that wing. And we can get into sort of what happened there when we discussed the game. But I think to your point, and this is, I guess, what you were referring to, like if you're spending£60 million on a left-back, which you maybe do with Lewis Hall, then it's strange to then put him on the bench to start with. Like it kind of feels like, okay, you then have to go in as the number one.

8:55Laurie Whitwell: So that's perhaps a little bit of the consideration that United are making right now. And obviously there's other options that we've sort of touched on. And maybe there's ones that we don't know about yet because they've obviously kept the Telemans deal really quiet until the moment that they struck on that one. But I agree with Andy that it feels like that's the area they're most attentive towards. And let's see which way they go. But I agree with you, it's not necessarily straightforward as go and get him. And he goes straight into the team because you've got that kind of balance with Luke Shaw to figure out.

9:22Laurie Whitwell: And he had a good season last year as well. He did. I know we've had a lot of questions in the inbox recently about Diego Leon in all this. And unfortunately, all the identification I've got so far is he's not quite at the first team standard. So it might take a while for him to get up to speed. He had some problems in the 21s last season. I don't think he shone in the 21s, for example. Still very young, isn't he? Still very young. I know he gave an interview to Press in his homeland where he mentioned he was only really beginning to get a grasp of English in January as well. So I think he's still trying to get his feet under the table.

9:53Laurie Whitwell: He's not got your Duolingo app then? No, not yet. Or yours. Or mine. I'll stop doing that. Anyway, you were going to pick left-back, full disclosure, and Andy nicked it. So maybe this is priority two in your head, but what's another top priority for Michael Carrick? Possibly that midfield balance. I mean, Andy again sort of touched on that, didn't he, there in terms of do they get another midfielder? There's this sort of debate, isn't there, with Mason Mount? And then where's he at at the moment? But I just thought the AC Milan game perhaps just reminded that But when we sat down with Carrick, and obviously he can see the game perhaps differently than some other people in terms of keeping hold of the ball and possession being the strength of a team.

10:31Laurie Whitwell: But I think it showed perhaps the legs in certain aspects of the game. You need runners, you need that athleticism against certain opponents. Because it felt like there was gaps on the pitch. And ironically, or aptly maybe, it was Ruben Ammering's system that drew that out of United. But have you got the right physical profiles in that midfield to counter that, to cope with that? And just because it was also Kobi Maneu's first appearance for United since going to the World Cup. Him, Tielemans and Santos, you've got three for two positions there really. So that's quite competitive bounce strike.

11:08Laurie Whitwell: And Mason Mount as well. I know, yeah. That was before he went off with a precaution. Yeah, OK. All right. Well, we'll see what happens with Mason Mount. Obviously, Michael Carrick will have a press conference later this week, see where he's up to with it. And it feels like it will be Telemans and Santos, doesn't it, to start the season at Hull. When you said about signing a new midfielder, do you think it's still someone who goes in and upgrades that first choice line-up straight away? Or is it someone to supplement what they've already got?

11:35Carl Anka: Both. I'm reminded of going back four years when the season started badly and Manchester United went for Casemiro because of a really poor start to the season. and he came in and he was that clear upgrade, a very expensive one. And I think there's relative calm now. I think the mood is genuinely good inside the Manchester United camp. And I've seen it. I've been at all the pre-season games apart from the one in Poland on Saturday. But reality can bite. Remember Van Gaal's first game after a great pre-season was a home defeat to Swansea City. And it was like, whoa, what's going on here? So if the team start well and you've got the ideal start really against two promoted teams and we see more of the encouraging form we've seen from Andre Santos, from Juri Tielemans, Cobby finds his feet as well.

12:25Carl Anka: I think there will be less panic, but clubs also start to panic towards the end of the transfer window. That's when most of the business gets done, when the seasons have started, when players and agents push for moves, when clubs decide that they need money and they need to sell. And Manchester United's position has always been that they're open and will be willing to act. They just won't overpay. And I think last season, United got players who'd cost a lot of money, but looked quite good value, even a year on, looked really good value. And then this summer, they've not done that. So if you, I think United have said, and Omar Barada said this, if the play can be an improvement, a significant one, not just a marginal one, then Manchester United would be interested.

13:13Carl Anka: You're looking at world-class players to do that. I'd like to think that Juri Tielemans can improve Manchester United's midfield. They're bringing different attributes to the ones that Casemiro had as well. But if you suddenly offered a world-class player, do you take it? Can you make it stack up? Because United's squad at the moment is unbalanced and does need to be stronger ahead of the Champions League.

13:33Laurie Whitwell: Yeah, your pick for this, Carl, we talked about it just before we came on, it kind of feeds into the midfield conversation, but other elements of the team as well. So what have you got as Carrick's priority? I need to see who's Carrick's enforcer. So who makes the tackles? When the other team is having too much fun, who's the nasty so-and-so who walks in and goes, no, who's going to be the one who picks up the tactical yellow cards? That part of Casimiro's relationship, basically. Yes, I want the nastiness. And Yuri Tilemans did interview Rio Ferdinand and he mentioned a little bit about how training sessions so far, I mean, he'd only been there 10 days, was a lot about on-ball work rather than necessarily fitness work, which you can feel is related to the fact that so many players are at the World Cup.

14:14So they haven't quite gone up to Premier League intensity yet for various reasons, but I want to know when it's a rock fight, when it's getting really nasty up against the opponent, who's going to be the nasty person either in central midfield, either in centre-back or indeed at full-back where the winger is doing, you know, a couple of shimmies, having fun and then someone walks over and goes, go away. This is now going to be a throw-in because I've just escorted you off the premises. I want a bouncer. Who could do it? Oh, is that the issue? That's, so, Santos I like because Santos is good at spotting smoke before it becomes a fire and he's doing loads of interceptions but I do want someone where when it is getting a little bit

14:55Laurie Whitwell: hectic reduce someone yes yes who's that player Mason Mount's good at doing it without looking like he's doing it Ahmad's done a bit of it Ahmad's he's really good at pressing maybe it's a bit too far out of the way to really sort of affect it but he's pressing it's been great I really like it when he sneaks up on someone's blind side and they're like oh I've got the ball he's like no I've nicked it now so yeah I want to see some of that and hopefully we can see some of that against Hull and then when the Premier League, well I really want to see loads of it in the Manchester derby Well yeah, they need to get up to speed for that no question, that feels like, we'll talk about the fixtures a little bit later but that game in particular feels like it could be a bit of a moment it feels like, you remember the Manchester derby when it was Mourinho and Guardiola and they'd first arrived, it's like a fresh slate it's sort of, get your marker down straight away anyway, don't worry about that for the minute do you agree?

15:42Laurie Whitwell: Do you see there being an issue with there being that type of character? I feel like, I love how Carl, because you've mentioned this before, haven't you, the bouncer kind of person. I know what you mean. I don't know if that would be my main focus right now. Well, you've picked the other two, so you had to come up with some of it. Yeah, okay, fine. You said you want the midfield balance, you want large spaces, you want the large spaces closed up. Is that not an enforcer? Well, yeah, but I mean, I suppose to a degree, so you've just kind of nicked my answer then, haven't you? I mean what I've actually done is I've basically said I want a football player in Man United who reminds me of how I play football which is no technical skill I mean I've seen you play football I don't know if I want anyone even close to Manchester United it looks like that I feel like I feel like that's not been yeah maybe you're right I think maybe someone to kick the opposition I don't know if you can buy someone basically for that reason that's my concern you're going to have games where even if you work towards being a possession side in the transitional period between what they've been and what Carrick seems to want them to become.

16:46Laurie Whitwell: There's going to be games where you have less of the ball than the opposition. Because we've seen before as well when occasionally when the going gets tough, people do regress a little bit. That has been an issue for United in the past. And it will take time for that, I think, to be worked through. So if you are away at Anfield, Stamford Bridge, the Etihad, wherever, the Emirates, surely there's going to be moments where you can't dominate possession. And actually, this United team have proved themselves to be really good. They don't need possession necessarily when they're countering teams. But to do that, you do need bite, especially in midfield, don't you?

17:21What I feel is, if you look at Tielemans' career, very successful at Leicester City when he's got Ndidi next to him, bodyguard, enforcer. He's successful spells at Aston Villa, Kamara, enforcer, Amadou Onana, enforcer. Big, tall, nasty guys.

17:35Laurie Whitwell: So, Andre Santos has got to be that then? Santos has potential. but I think at 22 50, 60 game season you need someone in there I'm now thinking about the left back thing as well so for example someone like Sander Berg who United could get I think something like 40 million so it's more than what Fulham paid Burnley for him would you be satisfied with that? or do you actually think well United need to be just more smart with things where it doesn't necessarily have to be a glamour name but actually someone that fits a very specific brief I wouldn't mind Sander Berg, I think he's an intelligent player I think he's tall, I think he's good in both boxes I think the Ugarte upgrade if that makes sense so Ugarte's strength is running around making loads of tackles but there were times in the United shirt where he gets on the ball and then things got a little bit complicated or indeed he was running around so many times he wasn't aware of how much space he was opening behind can you find someone with Ugarte's appetite for destruction but also phrasing it but also with positional discipline and some set piece offering and And indeed, when he does collect the ball, he knows how to get the ball into the final third a little bit more compared to Ugarte.

18:41Because Ugarte will be returning at some point in the next 18 months.

18:47Laurie Whitwell: I wonder what time limit you're going to put in 18 months. At some point in the next 18 months. So we'll see necessarily what Manchester United want to do when he returns as well. But yeah, I think someone with that defense first, and I keep making this gesture with my fist, nastiness to him. That was a loud slap. And also, by the way, rock fight. I'm just going to pull you... A rock fight is... You've had a rock fight. A rock fight is an American sports term for when you are one-on-one in a duel with someone and you've run out all your guns, you've run out all your swords, and the only thing left is just like rocks next to you and start hitting people.

19:21Laurie Whitwell: I thought this was like your upbringing that I wasn't aware of. A rock fight. It's when you've extinguished all other means of hurting the opposition and now you're just scrambling for rocks at each other. I think there's going to be two or three rock fights this season.

19:34Carl Anka: Okay.

19:36Laurie Whitwell: Am I allowed to have one? Yes, sir. So I think he needs to work out what's happening with Benjamin Sesko because it's been surprising that we haven't seen him at all in pre-season so far. I think there's been, obviously, a couple of moments where there's been reports that this game he could be back for, that game he could be back for. But now, realistically, I suppose there's even a chance we might not even see him as part of the squad at Hull, depending on his fitness status. Again, Carrick will hold his press conference later on in the week, maybe give us a bit of an idea. But, Andy, United are essentially starting this season without a striker.

20:08Laurie Whitwell: They've got people who can play up front, and Bumo's done it quite a bit for Carrick, actually, and there's obviously Rashford and Cunha who can do a job there, Joshua Zerkesy maybe as well. But they're out-and-out, number nine-style player they're not going to have for the start of the new campaign.

20:22Carl Anka: And I think that's a concern. I think we all want some clarity over what's happening with Benjamin Sesko. I mean, I saw him at the training camp just outside Dublin last week, but I don't know his exact state of readiness ahead of a new football season against a whole City team who are very well drilled, will be very well organised, but will be very aggressive. And it's okay saying that there are other forwards. I sat next to Jesper Blomkrist in Sweden last week when Brian Mbumo played as a central player and he said, you can't just switch from being a wide man to being a centre forward in one game.

20:58Carl Anka: And I've spent the last week travelling around with someone who knows what they're talking about in that position in Andy Cole. And he agreed with that. It takes five or six games. Manchester United have not got five or six games. So if Seshko is playing, then great. I would also like to see another striker. Would Marcus Rashford play centrally, where he started out, before moving more to the left? So I think there's a lot of questions. Matias Cunha played centrally for Brazil, not particularly prolific. Brian Abumo we've seen playing there as well. So there are definite options up front. There's a lot of talent up front for Manchester United, but the great United sides have had two, three, four centre forwards.

21:38Carl Anka: Manchester United have currently got one and he's injured.

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23:51Laurie Whitwell: right let's talk about AC Milan if we can because I think that's going to feed into well some of the conversation already also lots of details from that that have given people things to think about before the start of the season at Hull you were there Laurie it was a 4-2 defeat painful because it was Ruben Amarim's AC Milan maybe more so than than anyone else because of all the history there but how concerning was it it's difficult to gauge right because it's pre-season friendly you don't want to put too much emphasis on it and there was players coming back for the first appearances obviously Lissandro Martinez for example for one of the goals clearly where it was you know not at his peak shall we say but I still think that would actually then say there's some bits to sort out here.

24:33Laurie Whitwell: And so, yeah, how much on the spectrum you put that from alarming, concerning... It's pre-season, mate. It's pre-season, mate. I don't know. Probably somewhere in the middle. But I do think... I mean, we spoke to Harry Maguire afterwards and he sort of said it felt like players didn't want to get injured. So, if there's that sprint to make, do you definitely make it? Because you've got the Premier League season starting in a week's time. Also, the heat, it was very hot. I can vouch for that, certainly. We'll be used to that being in England this summer, though, surely. Well, true, yeah. It's 34 degrees, though.

25:05Laurie Whitwell: That's cool compared to some of the days we've had now. I've been out of it now. I've not been fully in England. I am, Jess. Well, you're nice and brown, aren't you, from your trip to Devon. Well, I've been in Devon. 34 degrees as average. Yeah, so no problem. You could have run around in that heat, you reckon? I've lived in a caravan for two and a half weeks in this heat. Do you know what I mean? No problem. Fine, okay. So, you're giving that no validity whatsoever. No, I do think it is a factor. I definitely think the fact it's the final pre-season game and the season is so close and people are still getting up to speed and people are still managing themselves a little bit is a factor.

25:37Laurie Whitwell: There's tactical things there, it felt like. There were some issues there. The goal, three goals in 14 minutes, second half, something like that. And AC Milan had a couple of chances first half as well. Lamont's made a couple of good saves. Although then the Ruben Loftus cheat one, I felt like it looked like an awkward finish maybe he could have I don't know maybe I'm being harsh there but it was just from our angle in the stands it looked like kind of giving him maybe too much room on that near post but also it was the fact that it was quick switch of play from AC Milan and then they've got Ocean to space you know Truqueze obviously had a great game wasn't closed down by Luke Shaw for example in a couple of moments but also there was then who was ahead of him who was next to him and obviously that final goal you've got Martinez looking he's getting run away from by Loftus-Cheek So that's obviously he's only just come back.

26:27Laurie Whitwell: So that perhaps then feeds into the line-up for Hull, for example. But yeah, I think just to kind of remind that, because it's felt like a positive pre-season because of the lack of injuries generally, although we've got a couple of cases that we still haven't quite figured out yet. But the fact that you've seen some really good football being played, and I think there was occasions of that against AC Milan, but not knowing near as many as we saw against Leeds, for example, or in other games, Atletico, in PSG. So yeah, that was perhaps the element of concern. is it just because it's the final game and they're not at their optimum or is there something a little bit more to it that actually if you're up against a team that can figure you out there is some weaknesses to this side?

27:04Laurie Whitwell: I suppose you don't want to provide some sort of blueprint for how you can beat Manchester United at this stage because even though it is pre-season I'm sure there'll be lots of analysis done on how exactly AC Milan did do that to United I mean the other side of it, Aurobindo has been in touch on email it says, do you feel that it might be just what the team the current manager of the club, the fans needed, if not a wake-up call, but something to maybe temper expectations a little bit coming into the new season, a bit of a reality check. Yeah, a little bit of a splash of water to wake you up, perhaps.

27:33Yeah, they looked flat, flatter than I've seen across pre-season. Again, we're seeing this 4-2-4 shape out of when they don't have the ball and they're trying to put pressure on. And it didn't really work. It didn't really work against AC Milan. I don't think they were as aggressive with the front four and Santos wasn't quite able to intercept passes in the same way he used to or the same way he has during pre-season. Perhaps that's Ruben Amren looking at United and going, I know how to get the ball past these players. Or indeed, it could be a side effect of how the character United play up against teams that play in a back three.

28:13So against Leeds, United looked a bit flat last season. So maybe that's something I might have to put in the back of my mind and re-watch two or three times. This system versus a back three. Possibly. That could be something. I know Harrison over on the breakdown has been looking at that and mentioned that before. So I'm going to start downloading what I can from United. Carrick's United against back threes, just double check there. And there were two or three times where United were trying to do the one-touch pass, one-touch pass. That was so effective against Rosenberg and really looked good in places against PSG.

28:44And it just didn't zip. Didn't zip as well as it had done. I think there might be maybe some early teething problems. Bruno Fernandes has started season slowly in the United shirt before.

28:55Laurie Whitwell: The penalty misses are weird, aren't they? Two in a row. Again, it's only pre-season, mate, but it is a bit strange. I wrote about this on the briefing, but obviously he changed technique completely for both of them. So the first one was like a kind of, he's done the keeper, but then he just puts it wide. Yeah. Almost, are you kind of relaxed in that penalty shoot out in Dublin? It doesn't necessarily mean anything. It's not too many autographs, that's what it was. He was doing that after the game as well, by the way. He's amazing. Massive credit to him for that. But then the second one in Poland, it was really intense.

29:26Laurie Whitwell: He wanted to hammer it. And he seems to do that when there's a little bit of pressure to it. Remember the Aston Villa one against Martinez, the Fulham one, the Brentford one. It's always when something slightly unsettled him. So I just sort of wondered whether that Dublin miss had slightly unsettled him. But listen, I think he scored 67 of his penalties in his career, club and country, missed eight. So his record is still ridiculous. I don't think we need to worry. If he steps up against Hull, I'm not going to feel anything other than confident that he's going to put it away. But yeah, just something to note, I suppose.

29:55Laurie Whitwell: Andy, what else was on your agenda from that game? I guess Marcus Rashford being back in a Manchester United shirt needs to be mentioned.

30:02Carl Anka: Yeah, I thought it was poor Ian. I thought it was a poor performance and I felt a little bit for the Polish Reds because Manchester United have not been going to Poland pre-season. But because the Polish economy is doing well, because the club has supported there, you now have promoters who are able to afford Manchester United's match fees and I wasn't there, Laurie was so I don't know how the heat affected the players. I'm not too concerned about results but then I was concerned when they conceded all those goals in a short period of time and Ruben Amarin obviously getting a win as well irked slightly but it's not a huge deal.

30:39Carl Anka: I spoke to some AC Milan fans who I know and they were actually really appreciative that Manchester United had a tribute to Franco Beresi in the city before the game led by Wes Brown so I think that small details like that matter Marcus Rashford Cobby Maynard it's about getting up to speed as quickly as possible because judgments will be very quick to come with all the players and if Manchester United don't win the first two games against the two promoted teams then I think you're going to see a drop in the mood And up until that point, I think you've got to realise that Michael Carrick has only lost two of 17 games.

31:21Carl Anka: He's done really well. Pre-season is a time when you get odd results. They don't really matter too much. You don't know what you're up against. You can't watch Man United-PSG and go, United have done well there against PSG, because it was a mishmash of first and reserve team players for both teams. and at the highest level, the finest margins and just one player can tilt a game. And there were a lot of, you know, Milan didn't have some of their best players playing either. And clubs are at different stages in the pre-seasons as well. So I don't read too deeply into that. I can talk more generally about the pre-season players who I think have done well.

32:03Carl Anka: Some of the younger players have done well. How many minutes are they going to get? Spoke to Michael Carrick the other day and he was talking about Shea Lacey, for example, as if he was a first-team player, which, great, bring it on. We've seen what he can do pre-season. But yeah, conceding four goals with three of them in quick succession was a little bit alarming to watch.

32:25Laurie Whitwell: The other aspect is Ruben Amory and the dynamic of seeing players with him after the game, the dynamic of putting videos out on Instagram that go viral, Laurie. It's definitely another thing to note that, isn't it? How many are you up to on that video? We checked before, didn't we? 2.6 million views, 66 ,000 likes. I was sort of debating whether to put it out or not because obviously it can be seen as perhaps a slight derogatory tone towards Michael Carrick's press conferences. But he was obviously... So what did he actually say? He came across, he was signing autographs for United fans in the mix zone.

33:02Laurie Whitwell: And then Simon Stone of the BBC, he recognised him. and Ty Marshall of the Manchester Evening News. I got custard pied. I didn't get hello. You're too busy recording it. I was too busy recording. For these dramatic moments so that the world can see, documenting these historic occasions. The amount of work you've put into some pieces of journalism that you've done over the years and the thing that really catches people's attention. It's the world we live in. It's fine. It's the modern era. Bizarrely shot moment with a former Manchester United manager. I'm sure I've got cameramen as well all over the world going, you should have followed him out.

33:32Laurie Whitwell: You follow the subject. Don't just leave it on an empty corridor. but yeah so he was laughing he was very happy he's just won 4-2 I think he would have been a different mood had he lost the game and then there's the kind of well there we go that's why you know Michael Carrick's manager and Ruben Amarin isn't he'd just come off the pitch as well after being sort of hugged by you know several United players which is kind of interesting obviously a couple didn't you know go over to greet him we can certainly understand the dynamics there and there's probably a certain element of optics here you know people want to be seen and shown there was genuine affection I'm sure there but also you know a former manager let's go and say hello to him.

34:06Laurie Whitwell: So he came over to us. And again, there's probably optics in his choice to do that. You know, all smiles. He probably knows what's going to happen with anything that's filmed. But yeah, the question was, do you miss me? We miss your press conferences was the response from Ty Marshall. And then, well, yeah, more boring now. And he's sort of laughing and pointing. And so it's true because you could never predict what he was going to come out with in press conferences. Obviously that famous one after the Leeds game, which basically ended his reign. but more than that there were several where you ask him a question and he kind of it gives you this is the worst Manchester United team in history yeah even the Pope will get me to change my mind yeah and that certainly had an impact on then the perception amongst perhaps players and fans certainly and you know it's great for us but you know I think a calmer kind of mood around the place certainly I think would be fruitful for results shall we say but it was interesting to see him and yeah Obviously, his system works against United in this game, kind of ironically.

35:07Laurie Whitwell: And I suppose, yeah, obviously Rashford being back just to pick up on the question that you asked Andy. Number nine. Number nine. So that's interesting, right? Because, and I think people at the club were at pains to say it's a provisional number for now. Like you can change it, you know, before the start of the season. I think they've got 24 hours before the season officially kicks off to kind of confirm it. Could even find out during our live stream. Oh, okay. That's a nice little tease. we were sort of speculating weren't we on 14 maybe the Barcelona number that he had but I was kind of thinking about it and again this is just me speculating a little bit but you know he lost the number 10 to Mateus Cunha before he was even out the building which felt pretty brutal even though it obviously was a testing situation for everybody but what he'd done for United felt quite abrupt does giving him the number 9 if that is to be the number if he does stay that feels like a pretty decent significant shirt number to give somebody in response and I kind of challenge okay go on score us the goals that you know you think you can score us so yeah I thought that was an intriguing like I could change but I think this feels like a potentially significant moment in terms of trying to get everybody on the same page Louis van Gaal will be happy because he insisted on everyone wears number 9 the striker wears the 9 so he's 39 39-19 then he went to 10 Parmi wouldn't mind if he went back to 39 I believe that's Fletcher's that's Fletcher's number Yeah, because we had the McTominay, McFred thing in midfield with a Brazilian 17 and a Scottish 39.

36:35Going back to 39 for a rebirth would be... I think that could be nice.

36:40Laurie Whitwell: It would feel like a step back there, wouldn't it? This feels like at least an attempt of progression. Sure, sure. Okay. And just on the point, and I agree with Andy in terms of a striker, potentially the market, but if you touch on there, Shea Lacey being regarded as a first-team player, then he's really a right wing. I know he's been number 10. But so then that freeze and Boomer, for example, to go. You've got Ahmad there as well. Rashford could eat. It's interesting, this kind of whole dynamic. And I agree with Andy. I think really you'd want a specific striker that could do that job. But maybe they're having a look at it a different way.

37:12Laurie Whitwell: Okay. So overall, Andy, pre-season for Manchester United, two wins against Rosenborg and Atletico Madrid, two draws against PSG and Leeds, although a victory on penalties against Leeds, and then two defeats, Buck ending it, Wrexham and AC Milan. what grade would you give this pre-season?

37:29Carl Anka: I'd give it a B. I think it was a good one. I think they benefited from playing in temperate conditions apart from on Saturday, not getting the jet lag and flying over to the US, having plenty of time not doing commercial stuff. That week in the hotel just outside Dublin, I think was really good. I mean, I walked through a room the other day and they're all playing table tennis and I just thought, this is really good. And I know they're playing table tennis, and I know that's a very different sport to football.

38:01Laurie Whitwell: You're easily pleased, aren't you, Andy? Table tennis.

38:03Carl Anka: Look, we're talking about Ruben Amorim. I think his great legacy will be that he moved on the energy suckers out of that dressing room. That will be a positive in the long run. I didn't like the fact that Ruben Amorim didn't thank Manchester United fans. I didn't buy his excuses why he couldn't. It could have taken him two minutes to do that. But I accept that he was a very good communicator. He was always pretty friendly. with us lot but managers will also be judged by results and he couldn't win a football match so I wish him well in Milan he did do some good things which he didn't always get the the credit for but I'm all right I feel it was okay there was no no serious injuries picked up it was a chance for Manchester United to connect with fans in five different countries five the highlight for me was Croke Park 82 ,000 people it was absolutely spectacular and there was some good football passages within games but even within games you've seen 15-20 minutes where you're going this looks like a pre-season friendly good chance for good players good young players to get minutes I think Michael Carrick is very settled but, but, but the transfer window is still open and I think Manchester United I think we'll see some changes in the next couple of weeks.

39:21Laurie Whitwell: Can I just echo Andy's point on the... I was in Dublin and then obviously Poland. Wrocław? Yeah. I've definitely butchered that. Honestly, I asked so many people how to pronounce it because obviously it looks like Rocklaw, doesn't it? Or something like that. But I won't try it again. But yeah, very welcoming people. Great city. And yeah, I think the Polish supporters really appreciated United going there because they came from all over. Gdansk, for example. Obviously, we've had some conversations around that. My previous trip there, there was even people that had come from Amsterdam, Italy, all over Europe to come and watch this game in Poland so I think it was a good choice to go there.

39:55Laurie Whitwell: What grade would you give pre-season? I think B as well, you know. Is it boring to say BB? No. Okay, fine, good. Not if that's what you think. Just because there's been good elements to it certainly, like the football, I can't disregard Tielemans and Fernandes looking sharp I know it's only been a little bit for Tielemans so far but you can see the connections there and the intelligence and the technique and I think that could be really promising and really pleasing to see. Like I said, the fitness of them or at least the lack of injury, shall we say, in the main, I think has been good and generally the positive vibes.

40:30Laurie Whitwell: I agree with Andy there. Obviously, I was being a bit disparaging of the table tennis element, but there's that clip that went pretty viral on the Wolf game, which looked, I'm all for that kind of stuff. There's different games that you can play. You've played Chameleon, by the way. That's a great little game. I'm going to put that one out there. but you've got a bit of deceit and all that a bit of jopes jopes one of those anyway it just looked like they all got on with each other so I think that's a good thing that you've got time together bonding hopefully that then translates to the pitch because you understand and you appreciate and you trust your team mate yeah we're still in the sort of snap stroke junior uno stage in our household but anyway grade yeah B I know we're all sharing our age here because we're giving letters B B B we're giving letters as our grades I've asked someone the other day to grade something and they gave me a number.

41:19Oh, okay. I'm the old fogey now.

41:22Laurie Whitwell: I've looked at our audience figures on YouTube. They'll understand what you mean. Grand. Yeah, I give it a B, 7 out of 10. I think I was in person for the first two preseason matches and watched the rest of the highlights. They've definitely been phases watching this and you're going, this is good. This is good. I don't want to yet say a character's got them purring, but when they're in full flow and they're playing one-touch football and they're progressing the ball from one box to the other, it's looking really nice. And I'm thinking when Bruno Fernandes gets involved, when Benjamin Sesko gets involved, when you're getting both of your first-choice wingers, so Kunja and Bumo and Kunja and Ahmad, this will be a really good team.

42:01I feel quite confident that United are going to stay in the top five places throughout the entirety of the season. I don't think there's going to be a sixth, seventh, eighth, oh, with this many points off, United are going to be in there and they're going to stay in there. and I feel good about that. There are times though where you're looking at them the way they concede against PSG which is that big long ball and there's sort of four or five players all clustered together or indeed the two goals they conceded when it goes to 3-2 and then 4-2 against AC Milan you're like there's holes in this squad.

42:30They need something at left back. They need something else at centre forward possibly. They need something in central midfield too. So I don't want to get carried away but I'm feeling good about things.

42:41Laurie Whitwell: Okay. You've previewed our next bit quite nicely there as well so thank you for that car

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44:29Laurie Whitwell: We do it every year. It's become a little bit of a tradition. So this is our pre-season predictions for Manchester United. it's quick fire so word only if you can unless you feel it's necessary to add something Andy you can go first where will Manchester United finish in the Premier League fourth Laurie third Carl third more optimistic than it was last year Andy trophies won

44:58Carl Anka: a domestic one which one League Cup sure How could it be sure?

45:11Laurie Whitwell: Laurie? None. No trophies? It's unlikely, isn't it? Don't know. It's your prediction. I think if they get to a final, I think Carrick will figure out a plan to win it. If they get to the final, they might win. That is a fantastic pre-season prediction. Thank you, Laurie. Carl? One cup. Which one? FA Cup. Okay. You're not putting your neck on the line there? I'm playing devil's advocate. What? 18th? No trophy. Out in the group stage of the Champions League. Zero wins. The league phase. Andy, player of the season.

45:44Carl Anka: Bruno Fernandes.

45:48Laurie Whitwell: Mateus Cunha. Brian Inbumo. Nice spread of answers. Andy, top goalscorer.

45:56Carl Anka: Benjamin Seshko.

45:59Laurie Whitwell: Mateus Cunha. If he's going to win player of the year. Yeah, why not? Brian Inbumo. There you go. if he's going to win player of the year. Last one. Unexpected star.

46:11Carl Anka: Can Tielemans be unexpected given he's a captain of Belgium? No. Rashford to be a hit.

46:19Laurie Whitwell: Oof. Big call. I think I know what Carl's saying. So, do I send one out? Shea Lacey. Okay. Again, he's unexpected if there's some expectation there. No, I think that is definitely more than the major signing that Manchester United have made being a hit, yeah. Lenny Uro from right back specifically from right back specifically okay I think we might get a Jules Koundé style reinvention on Lenny Uro interesting okay well there's your quick fire pre-season predictions we keep receipts so of course we'll revisit that as we go on and the next thing we also keep receipts on Kyle something else that we did last year you've done it on social media a lot so what are we doing now?

46:57it's the bad take amnesty so we've been doing this for about five years now and we're doing a talk of the devil specific one. This is where I want your expected vibes, not your XG or XGOT. So I want your baseless gut prediction from this part of your body rather than your top. It doesn't necessarily need to be informed opinion or looking at stats, but just something that you need to get off your chest before the season starts involving Man United. We'll put them all in here for everyone to look at. Drop it in the comments section as well. We can have a look at them at the end of the January transfer window, if you wish.

47:32because players might be coming and going. And at the end of the season, we'll see how we truly did. So last season, we had Lenny Yoro, young player of the season. Yeah, yeah. I predicted Harry Maguire double-figure goals. Andy predicted Ahmad was going to become a key player for Manchester United.

47:50Laurie Whitwell: I think he said he'd get something like 17 goals. We pressed him on it, didn't we? Yeah, yeah. But again, the point isn't to be correct. The point is just to get that nagging thought out your head. so gentlemen give me your gut feeling of something that you think might happen involving Man United between now and the end of the season well I feel like I should let Andy go first because he's just touched on what I was going to say so I just want to make sure it's not the same thing I know what his is and I want him to go last oh okay I remembered now that's why we do those chats before we start yeah sorry just a peep behind the curtain there and also my forgetfulness I think Rashford could get imagine if you got 10 Premier League goals I'm throwing it out there I don't think that's that wild 10's not that high well he's scored he's done that on 1, 2, 3 4 occasions for United so 17 the most, twice 10, 11 obviously the last couple of seasons for United 7 and 4 in the Premier League well 4 was only a half a season wasn't it but he's 13 Premier League goals off getting 100 so why don't you make it Marcus Rashford will hit 100 Premier League goals this season.

48:59Laurie Whitwell: Okay, let's go for that. Here we go. Marcus Rashford to hit 100 Premier League goals this season. I can see him coming on in games when it's a bit stretched, a bit broken and doing what he did, liking for England at the World Cup, scoring. He looked sharp. I know he didn't get the ball much and he didn't have that chance. He was over the ball over the top against AC Milan, but he was at least in that friendly showing going to run him behind. So that could work. Wow. I'm going to go for a goals one as well. and I don't know if it's more outlandish or less outlandish, but the fact we haven't even seen him in pre-season suggests it could be more outlandish.

49:30Laurie Whitwell: I think Benjamin Sesko is going to hit 25 goals in all competitions. 25 all comps? Yeah. I'd love it. I'd love it. What are you basing that on? I just thought last season there was glimpses and he didn't play that much and he had a few injuries. He took a while to warm up, didn't he? He did and he's going to have more games and hopefully United do better in the club competitions and they're in Europe. I think he's going to get a hat-trick in a Champions League game, isn't he? Against some fodder. Yeah, the potential's there. We mentioned, well, that spin move he did, and then eventually he pulled it off.

50:00It took him a while to get the rhythm on that. And if he gets that... He just needs to play. That's kind of the issue, isn't it, I suppose?

50:06Laurie Whitwell: But it is a bad take on this thing. Look, I'll take that. And if he can get more crosses in as well, he's so... The potential for him to score and head goals. New left back who can cross the ball prolifically. I'd love it. Yeah. I'd love it. And again... Against low blocks, against three-man defences, like you said. Anyway, I'm trying to sell it now. No, no, I love it. I love it. And again, I think when he does that big leaping celebration, Old Trafford crowd should shout something when he does it. Oh, you've said this before. I think that's a bit cringy. That's fine. Ding dong. Ding dong. For Big Ben.

50:36Laurie Whitwell: Oh, okay. And that is something we did not discuss pre-show. No. No. The ding dong shout. There you go. That's really tickled me. Yep. Come on. My one is Aidan Heaven makes more Man United appearances this season than Lissandra Martinez. Oh, okay. I could see that happening. I think there is a succession plan going on with centre-backs. I think Heaven, if he gets a fair win at the start of the season, might be hard to dislodge from that left centre-back position. I think if he can really start showing a little bit more in terms of his passing of his left foot, he can be in place for loads of games.

51:18Laurie Whitwell: Just Andy left then.

51:22Carl Anka: I'd be happy with my one last year, repeating it about Amad having a top season. No, no.

51:27Laurie Whitwell: This is not the ballsy attitude you showed pre-show.

51:29Carl Anka: United to win the league, 21 league title, 21st, coming back to Old Trafford. Yes! Go on. Fantastic. You know what I feel? United are winning Manchester derby home and away as well. That one. I could see that. Potential there.

51:43Laurie Whitwell: Again, I don't think that's the... I don't think it's bold, but yeah, that's just one I want. Beat everybody else home and away, didn't they, last season, pretty much? Chelsea, Liverpool. I mean they were good in the big games yeah anyway we'll see what it holds there's our bad take amnesty shout so do get involved let us know in the comments yours in fact we could probably go through a few on the live stream on Thursday actually and see what people are saying so get involved in the comments remember X-Vibes not XG got a feeling absolutely right just to finish us off then just have a look at the upcoming fixtures and maybe assess some of Manchester United's rivals as well so we've established really it's a kind start to the season the first two games being against promoted sides there's an early home manchester derby in there as well which i really do think could be a marker for what's to come it's like a new era in manchester isn't it carrick appointed permanently enzo mareska now in charge of manchester city do you remember that 2016 one with pep and jose and it was so disappointing that they got beat and it was that was it ian actual from a de bruyne a flick on or something like that that was the game where you could see almost in real time Mourinho disliking Mkhitaryan.

52:53Yeah. Just like, oh no, it's going to happen now.

52:58Laurie Whitwell: Bravo dropped one and Zlatan put it in. We had Pogba, we had Zlatan, Mkhitaryan maybe to a lesser extent. It just felt like that was a bit of a moment for what was to come. It was absolutely box office to have Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. It's not quite the same with Maresca and Carrick, but I do feel like that could be a big game early on in the season as a marker. I mean the main thing that stands out Andy when you look at the fixtures is just how congested it's going to be. You've obviously got this big international break coming up which is different this season towards the end of September.

53:29Laurie Whitwell: But even looking at October once you're back from that it's going to be Premier League League Cup, Premier League League Cup, sorry Premier League Europe, Premier League Europe, Premier League League Cup, Premier League Europe, back to back to back to back throughout October and the start of November. and if you think last year we waited like three weeks for a game at one point it's not going to

53:47Carl Anka: be like that again this is exactly what we want we want Manchester United playing all the time looking forward to games we don't want them 21 day gaps between I think it was Bournemouth and Leeds and there was a couple in October I'm writing articles about Manchester United having two games in 50 days or one home game in 50 days and stuff say goodbye to to to all that so it starts slowly slowly and then bang and that's why you need the squad and that's why you need a significantly stronger squad than last year. You're right to touch on that Mourinho and Guardiola derby. It was exactly 10 years ago.

54:23Carl Anka: It was in September 16. I've never known so much international interest in a Manchester derby than that, in terms of journalists asking me from everywhere. That was a massive deal. And then when City won that at Old Trafford, it was oof. It just deflated it right from... I got a speeding ticket that morning on the way to the game. I was doing 31 in a 30 outside the Gorse Hill, so I knew it wasn't going to be a good day. And that sort of set the mood for the rest of that season because I don't think Manchester United went above Manchester City from that point on. It is different now. City will be in transition.

55:01Manchester United have got relative stability

55:04Carl Anka: because Michael Carrick's been there, but he's not been there for long. So whack, whack, whack. And something I spoke to Michael Carrick about the other day, and I think we've got to be prepared for this. You can have times where there's bad runs. And I hope there's none. Ferguson's greatest sides had months where they won one game. Treble winning season was really bad in that December. And I'm not saying a Ruben Amarin-style bad run where you win one game in 400 or whatever it was. But there will be times. I just think fans have got to be realistic. Teams lose football matches. and the only two games Carrick has lost, there's been a massive backlash.

55:43Carl Anka: And I'm like, going to lose more games in the future. Just get that into your head. We want United to do well. We need United to finish in the Champions League position the next season and hopefully have a good season. But it comes thick and fast. We've got European aways again. Bring it all on. Looking forward to it. Optimistic.

56:02Laurie Whitwell: Just looking at the fixtures, Laurie, I've got in front of me here through to the end of November. And in that run, you've got the Manchester Derby which you mentioned there's also Villa and Spurs at home but there's trips in there to Ellen Road, Stamford Bridge and Anfield all in a little block between mid-October and November then that's when all those fixtures are in where you've got the League Cups and the European Games in the mid-weeks as well it's just going to have a completely different feel to it isn't it? I suppose that's where the concern comes from regarding the squad and the depth of quality and the ability to change it and still maintain a certain standard and competitiveness and consistency.

56:36Laurie Whitwell: So yeah, that is going to be a wake-up call for us. I'm going to be sick of the sight of each other. But yeah, it's much better than it was last season. I think it got, you know, twiddling our thumbs, weren't we, at times, trying to figure out, you know. This has felt good as well. Me being back in Dublin, watching United in the flesh, I was like, yeah, this is where I need to be. So I will absolutely be, yeah, hopefully, as many games as those as I can be and yeah, really enjoying it. But I think United, it will be a difficult balance for them to strike all those different games, different kinds of opponents.

57:13Laurie Whitwell: Yeah, definitely. I mean, we're only 10 days away from the Champions League draw as well, which is a date for the calendars, 27th of August. So that'll be an exciting day to see where United are going, who they're facing at Old Trafford as well. Just looking ahead to Hull then, what's the biggest dilemma Carrick's got in terms of his selection? I think it seems that's going forward. I think quite a few of these positions. I just think it'll be on Bumo. I think it'll be in Bumo, won't it? Okay. He obviously put Cunha up front. He needed some minutes, didn't he, Cunha? I suppose who's left wing, because Doug has played left wing, but you feel like against Hull, surely United are going to have more of the ball, so Cunha on the left makes sense.

57:50Laurie Whitwell: I don't know, that was one thought I had. Why did you think centre-forward? I think the Cunha in Bumo situation maybe is a bit of a coin toss. I think Cunha had a good World Cup at centre-forward. and I think his interpretation of that role is different. One touch pass in if you want Boomer there, whereas Kuni can be a little bit more cruder. I don't mean that as an insult, I'm just going to run through you, which is fun there too. And yeah, I do want to know where is Sesko? Because I've seen the photographs of him and he looks like he's been in the gym, but I do want to see him playing football soon as well.

58:26So Laurie, if you could help me out this week. You just figure out where he is and I just...

58:32Laurie Whitwell: He is with the squad. He's been training. Getting closer then, aren't he? Yeah. Like I said, there was this idea that he'd be back for the whole game, but it feels unlikely right now after not playing at all to go straight into the squad. Well, you've got a lot of players to fit into the squad as well. Yeah. Matchday squad. He's not going to be on that. I mean, it's a nine-man bench, right? Mick Olazette has been saying he wants it to be even bigger, so maybe Michael Carrick will jump on that one. Of course he does. Everyone's available. Just needs it up for all his midfielders, I think. The centre-back is, you know, Lenny Yoro, Harry Maguire.

59:01Laurie Whitwell: Definitely a decision to me. I would say heaven, right? He's played pretty much all pre-season. I think we saw with Martinez that he's a little bit short of sharpness. Probably, yeah. And he plays right back. Dallow now? Yeah, I'd go for Dallow. Do you think Dallow? Masraoui started the last two pre-season games. Lenny Oral was right back before that. Has Dallow started a pre-season game? Did he not start in Dublin? He was captain in Dublin. Was it? There you go then. That's quite an important thing to be captain, isn't it? It was quite interesting that he was captain. Yeah, part of the leadership group.

59:36Laurie Whitwell: Do you know what my bad take, Amnesty, was going to be if I couldn't have the Rashford one? That Dallow was going to get like 10 assists in the season. Ooh! Well, he gets in the positions. That's what I mean. Because when he was in that game, he was coming central and he was going through the centre, as we've seen him do when the ball over the top. Unfortunately, he's missed a few like that. But I wonder if it just clicks for him and he gets in those positions and he squares in. It's a tap-in. Imagine if it clicks for Dallow. 10 goals 10 assists I'd love that from right back yeah go on that's fun I didn't say 10 goals no sorry I did that that's what Laurie said 10 goals 10 assists for Dallov unbelievable combined yeah go on 10 goals 10 goals and assists okay I know I don't like goal involvements but yeah combined Andy I suppose the other thing for us to do finally is just to assess the rivals as well there's lots of change we've mentioned it before but nine new Premier League managers for the start of this season who weren't in charge of their clubs last year.

1:00:33Laurie Whitwell: It's history. It's never happened before. Obviously, that adds a layer of unpredictability, maybe, certainly for big rivals like City, like Chelsea. Also, Liverpool, I suppose, De Zerbe has not been in at Spurs that long either. How do you assess United's rivals? Who are you most worried about?

1:00:51Carl Anka: United fans hyper-focus on Manchester United, which is understandable. You realise that all the other clubs have got their own major issues as well with massive changes. I would expect Arsenal to be the favourites. It would be really interesting to see how Maresca does following on from Guardiola. And in Iriola, I think he's a very good coach. Is he a very good manager at a huge club like Liverpool? What will come out of Chelsea's continuous change? Will there be another top season from Unai Emery at Aston Villa? I think going straight into it, you've got Hull City the weekend, and I know we'll talk about it more, but you've got to control that environment.

1:01:30Carl Anka: Hull City are back in the Premier League. The fans are going to be completely up for it. I went over there to watch one of the playoff games against Millwall, but Hull finished 22 points behind Coventry last season. They finished sixth in that division. They won one of the last five league games. They lost 15 games in the league last year. So you're probably not looking at a top, top quality outfit and they will be one of the favourites to go down, but they will be so up for it, the players and the fans, because they're back. And Manchester United have got to manage that situation with calmness.

1:02:02Carl Anka: Because a year ago, Manchester United crossed the Pennines and went very close to Hull, to Grimsby, and were totally unprepared. I don't think Ruben Amarin knew the significance of the League Cup. And then you got that big shock result. Do not let that happen this August. But no, I don't think Hull City will be a major rival for Manchester United this year.

1:02:20Laurie Whitwell: I wondered where you were going with that. Who are you most worried about? Or who have you got your eye on? Maybe that's the wrong way to term it. Who are you most worried about? Looking at Liverpool, they've got holes in their squad. I was speaking to Dom King last week and he asked him what he believed Liverpool's strongest back four, almost like the back four would be. And I sort of went, oh, that's not great. I agree with Andy. I do believe Viro is a very, very good coach, but that squad needs a lot of surgery. I'm not sure about some of them. Big step, isn't it? Chelsea are just so volatile.

1:02:55I've seen predictions that have them as high as second I've seen the predictions I think we've predicted

1:03:01Laurie Whitwell: like pretty the third yeah I've seen some people have predicted them as high as second some have predicted them as low as 12 some people say Xavi Alonso is a genius and we'll make it some I've got a nagging feeling that Chelsea are going to be good they've got no Europe have they yeah so no Europe deep squad the signed experience yeah it'd be interesting wouldn't it because Xavi Alonso did so well at Leverkusen like ridiculous obviously it you know kind of was chaotic at Real Madrid but that's a club unto itself. Chelsea's kind of a similar vibe but it feels like he's already got a bit of control because he's getting these players that clearly are his.

1:03:32Laurie Whitwell: He wants that experience in there. So I think that's really interesting. That's something that too... Aston Villa are just going to be functional and good. Spurs are going to be back in the conversation. Possibly. I don't want to predict Spurs. They've got a potential to be... Are they in a title race? And then they just drop away at Christmas. There'll be a lot of United fans looking at them because obviously Tenale and Fernandes, how do they play? But then also I'm looking at Spurs and going, well, who's your striker? Solanke doesn't look quite fit. Richarlison's this way as well. So I've said it before, loads of things I'm looking at at my United going, oh my God, I'm so worried.

1:04:07But then I sort of get my blinkers off and look at the other teams. Oh wait, yes, they've all got problems too.

1:04:12Laurie Whitwell: And is that why we said third? That was kind of my thinking. When you put us on the spot for where United finish in, my gut would be lower than last season because of the Champions League, because the squad has lost Casemiro and it's only got two midfielders so far. We need to see what they're going to do in the final weeks here. But then I do think of the other teams. Man City got torn apart by Arsenal. Losing Pep is huge. How does Maresca follow that? Losing Rodri even bigger, perhaps. Not even bigger, I don't know. I don't know. The influence he has had on that group, there has been a strong correlation between Rodri being on the pitch, City being brilliant, and Rodri not being on the pitch, and City being not as good.

1:04:49Laurie Whitwell: The exception being the FA Cup final 2024, but we'll take your point as it's ended I mean generally across and I know he's not been fit for a while either fully fully fit but I think that's a huge loss for them around the club as well the influence that he is in the dressing room too there's a consistency to it they've lost a lot of winners a lot of the players who have been around the key people when they've won won big have gone so that's again why I think that Manchester derby could be a huge thing I just have a nagging feeling about Chelsea it's got to get you throw enough stuff at the wall it's going to stick eventually enough stuff Yeah, I didn't want to say the word.

1:05:22Laurie Whitwell: They've got super Danny Wolves. Oh, no. He's scoring at Old Trafford, isn't he? But it's interesting what you say. I'm stressing out about it already. It's interesting what you say. You pick out Arsenal, majority of people are picking them out as the title favourites. They've got stability. You're thinking that Manchester United are going to follow up on what they did last season under Carrick because there's an element of stability. And is there a way that Iriola at Liverpool deserve to be at Spurs, Alonso at Chelsea, and Mureska at Manchester City all do well or a couple of them going to have a shaky start?

1:05:54Laurie Whitwell: Surely you'd think a couple would be issues, right? Law of averages suggest someone will. But like with the Chelsea thing you think of Antonio Conte coming in, no Europe, had a bit of a rough start but then won the league in his first season. Playing a back three. I know we've talked about the crisis baton was the one we've joked about before. I think that one's going to go back and forth a lot. As long as we don't have it. As long as we don't have it especially before that long October international break as well. Yeah, whoever gets beat heavily on that weekend. Good lord. Good luck to that manager.

1:06:26Laurie Whitwell: Okay, well, we don't have to worry about that just yet. The season hasn't even started, but I hope we've got you set for it, shall we say, throughout this podcast. That's our season preview. Like we said before, we'll be back on Thursday with a live stream, midday UK time, August the 20th. So get yourselves, subscribe to the channel, get the notifications on as well if you've not done it already. Get involved in the comments on the day and you can email us devilspod at theathletic.com if you've got any question for us ahead of that. But for the moment, Andy, Laurie, Carl, good to be back, isn't it?

1:06:56Laurie Whitwell: Definitely is. And thank you for your company as well. We'll see you on the next one. Take care. Bye-bye.

1:07:25Laurie Whitwell: The Athletic FC.

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