421: Carrick's Midfield MASTERPLAN! Anderson AND Tchouameni BOOST!

0:00Save big money on everything for your next project when you shop at Menards. Get your project started right with our huge selection of concrete and mortar mixes. Our concrete products are great for a variety of applications, from installing a walkway to setting a post. View our entire selection of concrete mixes and supplies in-store and on Menards.com. Plus, check out the weekly flyer for more great deals happening now. Save big money at Menards. Hello everybody, welcome to the United Stands. I'm Mark Goldbridge and this is your latest Manchester United news and transfer news. Three, four big stories to talk about this morning.

0:40One coming in from our source close to United, the person who told us that Man United would make a big signing before the World Cup. But we've got another update about the mind games United are playing around their main marquee midfield signing. Also a little bit about Rashford, a fascinatingly funny thing about Steve Holland and he's got aura. And also some interesting stuff coming in around Tonali, Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho as well. But I want to just start off with something from last night's show. I feel a little bit like Oli when he apologised to Rashford before the press conference all them years ago.

1:16So look, I knew this would happen um obviously the clip of me talking about man united potentially getting lewis hall um has gone out there and and as typically predicted newcastle fans have um have picked up on it and used abuse as some of them do i wish they'd use their bloody ears instead of using abuse because all i said last night was that if lewis hall wants to leave newcastle he has to do it man united can't knock on the door and say there's 50 million pounds for lewis hall because newcastle won't do anything. If Lewis Hall wants to come to Man United or anywhere else, he's going to have to put a transfer request, isn't he?

1:53And I said, obviously, the news is coming out that he's not happy at Newcastle. I think Ben Jacobs mentioned it on our show. A couple of other people have mentioned it. And I just said, look, I don't think we'll get Lewis Hall. I think it's too good to be true. But if it's going to happen, United can't really push that. I can't even blame Wilcox for anyone. We can't really push that until he says he wants to leave. Typically, some Newcastle fans have, you know, taken that, not listened to that and interpreted it as we're signing Lewis Hall, which at no point nobody's ever said. So you get stuff like, well, abuse, but you also get stuff like Lewis Hall and his family are Newcastle fans.

2:31You really think he's going to shit on the club? And then we all get called idiots because we think he's going to leave after one game, etc etc look wasn't said I think Lewis Hall probably will stay at Newcastle but if he wants to leave he's got to push that and Newcastle have got to agree with it and if that happens then hopefully Man United do something about it but I don't think there's a United fan out saying that out there saying we're going to get Lewis Hall we're all eyes wide open to the situation and maybe he will stay at Newcastle simple as that anyway let's talk first of all about the midfield mind games that are going to be played by Manchester United.

3:09So remember a couple of weeks ago, I told you, well, our source told us that Manchester United were going to make a big signing before the World Cup. Some people laughed. Obviously, I think that's going to happen with Ederson and it might happen with Fernandes or somebody else as well. So the latest we've got this morning is that Manchester United are very relaxed about the situation with regards to the main Casemiro signing. They're not in a rush. They don't need to be in a rush. There are scenarios that can play out. And one of those scenarios is obviously Elliot Anderson. If he decided to choose Man United over Man City, then Man United would make that move.

3:47If he chooses Man City, then Man United have Chiamini. And we'll talk about the developments around that in a moment, but that might take two months and Man United would be happy to wait two months to get a player of that quality. So the plan at Man United is to get one or two midfielders in as early as possible. And then the Casemiro replacement might happen in June, might not happen until the start of August, but United are quite relaxed about that if they can get the two midfielders in first. So probably not a major surprise really, but I think that United, what's coming out of United from what we were told is that United are very relaxed about this summer transfer window.

4:27Now we've heard this before and I'm sure there will be some you know um doom merchants that say I don't like the sound of this but we have heard that United are relaxed in the past but I think that on this scenario Edison will sign imminently we then have a clear path at Fernandes or maybe somebody else maybe Alex Scott maybe Belabe or whatever and then you've got time to make sure you get the right guy in and ultimately when you do sign a player of the caliber of Anderson or Chumini or Tonali it probably doesn't happen as quick as some people would like so United very relaxed about this summer you might have to be a little bit patient on it but the signs are good now let me take you through the targets as to you know who it's likely to be well Real Madrid have presidential elections which I mentioned the other day.

5:19Really interesting stuff coming out of Madrid, though. Jose Mourinho has still signed a three-year deal. If Florentino Perez loses the election, then it'll be a different guy in charge who might not want Mourinho. So I don't know how that works, but I think Perez is expected to win. As part of that election, it actually helps us because for the first time in, I think, a couple of elections, Florentino Perez is actually being opposed by somebody. So he has to win those elections, but also to do that, he's got to show to the members that he's the right guy to do it. Part of that is going to be Mourinho back and backing him.

6:02Now, what's coming out of Madrid is that Jose Mourinho will want certain players in his midfield and he wants certain players out of that midfield. What's also coming out of Madrid is that there's no situation where Valverde and Cermini stay together in that team next season. It's just not, it's an own goal from the club. It's an own goal from Mourinho because if they play badly next season, everyone will say you should have got rid of one of them. So it might be a case of waiting, but the chances are that if you're choosing between Valverde and Cermini, you will choose Valverde and they know that United will pay for Cermini as well.

6:41So the feeling around Madrid is, And a lot of Madrid fans would like to keep Ciomini. They like him. But the feeling is Mourinho will want his own players. He will solve that situation that needs solving by keeping Baldurdi and Ciomini will be moved on. Now, I wouldn't say that there's an 80 % chance that he's going to sign for Manchester United, but I would say that it looks logical that Chiumini will leave Real Madrid. Now, he doesn't necessarily want to go, but there is an acknowledgement from his camp that Man United really, really want him. And there is an acknowledgement from Real Madrid that they would do a deal with us.

7:18Now, a year ago, I don't think Chumini would have come to Manchester United, but we've seen him do those interviews with Varane talking about coming to Man United. He's seen Casemiro go there. We're a massive club. We're still in the Champions League and there is an opportunity to go in there and start every week in a team that is hopefully going to be on the way up. So I think that maybe Chumini at this stage does make the most sense if Anderson leaves Forrest to go to Manchester City. But patience is probably going to be the key. The expectation is that Edison and another will come in before the end of June.

7:57And then in July, probably late July, early August, we will make a signing to replace Casemiro. So what are your thoughts on that? I think that I still really like Tenali I've said that before I still really like Tenali But I do probably agree with some of you That the Elliot Anderson thing pisses me off It really pisses me off And as I said to you, I think it was last weekend If it's Christmas Day morning and my whole family have been hinting that I'm getting a PS5 for nine months and then I open up my presents and it's not a PS5, I'm going to be an ungrateful shit. I'm sorry, I'm ruining Christmas.

8:46You know, shove your turkey up your ass. Like, that's not my fault. You did it. You did it. You know, when I was at my friend's birthday party and he got a bloody Xbox and you were there going, don't worry, we're getting a PS5. We're getting a PS5. Where is it? And I do feel like that, is something that is modern football, but United have played a part in that because I know how it works. You know how it works. And if Fabrizio Romano or David Ornstein or The Athletic or Ben Jacobs or the Manchester Evening News, and they've all done it more than once, are saying that Elliot Anderson is Man United's top priority.

9:25It's not Samuel Luckhurst in the sun on his own, is it? It's everybody saying that Elliot Anderson is Man United's number one priority for nine months. And then he signs for Manchester City. And I think, look, there's nothing wrong with him signing for Man City. There's nothing wrong with fans having a fan theory that Elliot Anderson is perfect for us. But this has been pushed by the club for nine months. They could have shut this down. So ultimately, what you're telling me is, is that when your financial figures come out, they're propped up by ripping your fans off, you know making the same amount of money from 10 games that you made from 15 last year tells me everything about this ownership it's about ripping your fans off so not only are you ripping your fans off financially and let's be honest most man united fans are just sat there like gullible fish now going you know like bloody seals clapping i mean there is no movement against the glazers at all anymore so they're ripping their fans off and then coming out and going look at our profits everybody.

10:23Look at our profits. And you go, and there's people going, look, trust, trust. Oh, trust this ownership. Trust it. Yeah. Trust them to rip you off. Yeah. Well done. Well done. Have you made that money then by ripping the fans off again? Well done. Yeah. Great. Have you brought the debt down? No. Okay. So debt loaded on by you lot and serviced buyers lot. Great. Well done on that one. And then on top of that, not only are they ripping us all off to make their financials look good. They're also manipulating us with bullshit, lying effectively. Oh, Elliot Anderson, Elliot Anderson for nine months and then it doesn't happen.

11:03And not only does it not happen, it doesn't happen because they go, oh, can I just shock you actually? For nine months, we've all, I don't know, I can't believe we've done it. For nine months, we've told you that he's our obsession and he's our number one priority and he's perfect for our midfield. and we've got you all excited. And we could have stopped at any point, but we've carried on doing it for our own benefits because the lie has been very beneficial for us, let's be honest. And we've kept lying and we've kept putting it out there that we want Elliot Anderson. And actually when it comes down to it, yeah, we're not willing to pay for it.

11:38We knew the price, but we just thought for nine months, we'd pretend that we wanted him. And then when it comes down to it, we'd put a story out saying that he's overpaying. Yeah, and that's what they've done. That is what they've done. They've got no intention of going for Elliot Anderson because it's too expensive. But they'll spend nine months telling us that that's what they want to do. So when we don't get Elliot Anderson, if we don't get Elliot Anderson, it will still piss me off. Yes, there's other options in the shop. There's Chimini, there's Tonali. But that will still piss me off because I didn't ask them to do that.

12:09You didn't ask them to do that. Why have you played your own fan base for nine months? And then when it comes down to it, gone, oh, actually, we can't afford him. Let's let him go to our biggest city rival, you know? So, no, it will piss me off. But I think we do need to be patient if he signs for Manchester City. I still think at the moment there is a big chance of Ciumini, which is nice, actually, because I want to bring in the hot-o-meter, actually. Saturday morning treat You see We don't stop for the weekend There is a new updated Hotter meter I want to bring in here Which fits in perfectly With What we're talking about With the midfield So That is the hotter meter As it stands At the moment I've just realised It's not new I showed you this yesterday But I still have Anderson there As a 7 Tremini as a 6 Fernandes 7 Edison as a 9 Out of 10 The Labour 5 Scott, four, and Rodgers, four.

13:09I think that's very accurate at the moment. I still think that's very accurate. Until Anderson holds up a Man City shirt, I refuse to believe that we're not going to get him. I'll play the game and I'll play the club at their own game. But no, I do concede that I think Ciumini might be the player that Man United get, but it could take some time. It could take some time. It could take a few weeks. Let's wait and see. What I just want to say here, actually, just got a few super chats. Then I want to talk about this Tonali nonsense. Katie says, Chumini was on the bench for the last game and Valverde played, so they shared the dressing room, which would suggest they have at least somewhat sorted matters.

13:50Not sure we will get Chumini. Katie, without being disrespectful, this is getting on my bloody nerves. Why is it so high? Without being disrespectful, for. Do you not answer your own question there? Like, are you not answering your own question? Like, in the sense that one was on the bench and one wasn't. They are paid huge amounts of money. Right. Imagine, imagine you've got two players at Real Madrid on huge amounts of money. They have a fallout physically what would you do if you were Real Madrid? I would say I want statements from you and you apologising or you're in breach of contract. And for the rest of this season, you put on a show or you bury your differences.

14:45So Real Madrid will solve that problem in the summer. It's embarrassing for Real Madrid. They will solve that problem in the summer. If Chumini leaves Real Madrid, I'd be most worried about Liverpool. They've been in for him before and need a CDM. We can't be too relaxed if there's a deal to be made. Well, look, Goldfridge, I'm not going to deny that there could be other people in the shop for him, but I think there's a chance that he's going to leave Real Madrid. Will fans accept 100 million and 300k a week for Andersons as V33? I mean, what fan... I mean, are you telling me we've got football fans that would moan about us signing Elliot Anderson and giving him 250 grand a week?

15:19I mean, they don't deserve to support Man United if they think stupid stuff like that. I mean, last time I checked... I mean I don't remember people being on the streets When we paid Sanchez 400 grand a week I don't remember people being on the streets When we gave Mason Mount 250 grand a week I mean and now we go on the streets Because we sign a player that we actually bloody need Come on Don't be accountants Be football fans If we didn't give Amar in the players he needs Why would it be different with Carrick's as Anshul And Jack says Scott, Edison and Anderson are my ideal midfield three What's yours?

15:52First ever super chat Love the show Listen every day and work Keep it up Well lovely message Jack My ideal Man United Midfield three Would be Scott Stilla And Tenali This morning It could change But that's I'd quite like that As a midfield three At the moment I think there's a good Good mix there Will Faddon Thank you very much Goldfridge We've done that Emily Derry says Honestly In some ways I prefer a midfield Of Chumini Edison And Fernando slash Scott, but Anderson is such a good player that we can't ignore the opportunity if he chooses this. I completely agree. I also think Chiamini, Edison and Fernandez slash Scott is the most likely midfield at the moment.

16:35Have you watched Obsessions? I really enjoyed it. Yeah. Why are we so focused on Premier League proven players? Says Harry.

16:45Hit the ground running, I suppose. Steve says, I was 40 this week. Happy birthday. Any words of wisdom for me? Thanks to you and the united stand for all the work you do bring on champions league next season um don't forget champions league watch along with me on that's football tonight at 5 p.m 5 p.m uk time words of wisdom for steve and his super chat because he's 40 uh no one's guaranteed a 40th steve no one's guaranteed a 50th no one's guaranteed a 30th so don't fixate on age fixate on you you're an individual um i think we spend too much time comparing ourselves to others as i said some people make don't make 40 some people make don't make 50 some people make 100 but you've got to live in your own lane some 40 year olds look like the 25 some 25 year olds look like the 60 um so don't get fixated by age there is an 8 p.m show tonight yes warrior i think edison is a smokescreen to make us look less desperate when negotiating for scott and fernandez then walk away from the edison deal says razzler i mean i think that would be harsh that would be harsh and i think i think based on the way we play we also need to look at who works dm well with our center backs any updates on delit within back i see a big upgrade says ryan well we'll know more about delitz in the new pre-season won't we um he's had the operation on his back he's missing the world cup i think he either comes back from this or he doesn't um embermo and kunya are center forwards think we may be overlooking the importance of a backup center forward they're not center forward says Gaz.

18:14Interestingly, on the centre forward scenario, I don't think we're going to sign a centre forward. I don't know who this centre forward would be, and I don't think we're going to sign one. Some of you have mentioned Vlahovic. He's on 400 grand a week, and he's a free agent, so we're not paying those wages. We're not even going to pay half those wages. Mateta is being linked to Juventus again, so he looks like he's heading there. I just don't know where we would go. I do agree that we do need one, but I don't know where we would go. Stam says what's the difference between a club approaching a player to make sure they want to move to them and tapping up Is it just the going through an agent?

18:48I don't think tapping up exists anymore Stam I mean everybody does it Legally you're not allowed to tap players up under contract but everybody does it Everybody does it Lewis Hall do you think he's the best option out there in that position we could sign says Mac I think Lewis Hall is the best option I think that's available if he's available but there are other options there's people like truffett as well so um and goldio says if we got anderson and germini are we a step closer to a title not going to happen though i mean i think if you bought two players of that quality you would expect uh you know a big increase in man united's title perspectives yeah um prospects arshon says probably with city getting elliot is the board said whole nine month we want him if they didn't say that we wouldn't get frustrated with City getting him, says Arshan.

19:38And it's your boy, Cal. Thanks for being a member for 86 months. Thank you very much. Gehi is on 350k a week. Anderson will want the same. Gehi's wage seems to go up by the day. I mean, he's not on 350k a week for a start. He might be on 300k with bonuses, but he's not on 350k. You can't just keep adding stuff on to make it much longer. Look, maybe you're a glazer, but you can't just keep coming in here and talking about 300k a week, 350k a week. for Elliot Anderson when we've got no idea what he wants. And ultimately, you're talking to somebody that if it's the right player, I don't really care about what we pay them.

20:16If it's half a million pounds a week, I might say no. But if we're talking about a player that's going to massively enhance our chances of being successful, they have a value. And, you know, Brunei Fernandes is easily worth whatever he wants because he's just absolutely essential to us. we're a hypocrite as a football club. We don't want to pay people over 200 grand a week, but we pay Mason Mount 250 grand a week to dance and laugh around on a photo shoot. I mean, that's basically what Mason Mount's done for the last few years, because bless him, he's never fit. Most of Mason Mount's wages go on photo shoots for the new kids.

20:53So we're a hypocritical football club, really, because we don't want to pay over 200 grand a week, but we do pay over 200 grand a week for players that offer nothing. But then we use that as a reason not to do it. No, we never should have bought Mason Mount. He had injury issues before we signed him and we ignored it and we paid the price. Elliot Anderson's one of the best players in Europe before we sign him. It's a big difference, isn't there? People are worth big wages if they tick the boxes. We paid stupid wages for stupid players and we gave him the number seven shirt and we paid 55 million pounds for a player with one year left on his contract.

21:30It was a stupid deal. We gave fucking Anana, 100 grand a week and 50 million pounds to Inter. Stupid deal. We make stupid deals and then it stocks us making good deals. It's madness. Nate, welcome to the members club. Thank you very much. Fans should push for Stilla. What a player, says Francis. They're not going to listen to fans, mate. They're not going to listen to fans, unfortunately. It's Nikkei, says, morning mark completely unrelated but all the bruno's haters say that bruno also made us finish 15th last year that was an anana single-handedly i i don't really get that one i don't really get that one in fact it brings me nicely onto tonali i don't really get that one that bruno made us finish 15th last year because i specifically remember having these conversations a year ago about if we didn't have bruno we'd have been relegated so So, I don't know.

22:21I don't know. I mean, look, I don't know what that's all about. I think because of Champions League, we need backups in the same and high level as the starting players. How possible is it that we get two DMs who give above seven and eight every game, says Eus? Well, I think every player's got to be somebody, you know, whether it's Edison, Fernandes, Tonali, Scots, Cimini, Anderson. Out of the three players that we sign, every single one of them has got to be a player that has the capability of starting for Manchester United. Absolutely. But look, I think this sort of fits in with what you were talking about with Bruno there.

23:03And, you know, some people don't like Bruno. Some people do like Bruno. It's the same with other players in the team. But I saw a clip from it was actually True Geordie. and a few United fans have sort of clipped onto it, where he was talking about Elliot Anderson and Tonali and basically sort of saying that Tonali doesn't give you anything compared to Elliot Anderson. And then a few United fans have gone on it and sort of compared Tonali's stats to Edison's stats. And I'm like, this is where you get stupid because as I said in answer to that question a couple of minutes ago, my dream midfield this morning would be Tonali, Stilla and Scott.

23:43Now, tomorrow it might be Anderson again. I like Anderson and I like Tonali, but I'm not going to sit here and be told that Tonali is shit and that, you know, Edison's better and Anderson's better. I think Drew Geordie's probably got his arse in his hands because they haven't sacked Eddie Howe. He's just very angry with his team at the moment, which is completely understandable. but you know Newcastle football club is not an exclusive club where only Newcastle fans get to watch them unfortunately for them I and you have probably watched a lot of Newcastle games over this season and last season also the Champions League games Tonali up until Newcastle getting knocked out of the Champions League was playing like one of the best midfielders in Europe He was brilliant.

24:33Absolutely brilliant. He's a very, very good player. Now, he doesn't get your goals and he doesn't get you assists. But if we're going to live football through the lens of, oh, he doesn't get you any goals and he doesn't get you assists. Well, not every player does do that. I mean, breaking news, sometimes a player gets you no goals, no assists, but is your best player because they conduct, they dictate, they drive. And Tonali is a fantastic player who, in a better team, well, why do Arsenal want Tonali then? If he's so shit, why do Arsenal want Tonali? Why have Real Madrid looked at Tonali? He's a very, very good player.

25:15And I think he conducts much the same as Michael Carrick. Michael Carrick didn't get many goals or assists, but what a player. You know, you listen to people like Wayne Rooney and other people that played with Carrick and they would say, look, all the goals, everything I get doesn't happen without people like Michael Carrick who run the team from deeper. I think Tonali is not going to stand up statistically. He won't be the guy that makes the most tackles. He won't be the guy that makes the most passes. He won't be the guy that makes the most assists. He won't be the guy that makes the most interceptions.

25:44He won't be that guy. But what he will be is the metronome of that team. What he will be is the conductor of that team. What he will bring is experience. so to say that Elliot Anderson or Edison is better than Tonali is subjective and I understand that but to say it's like a you know it's a done deal I think Tonali would be a fantastic signing for Manchester United Chumini doesn't get goals and assists Chumini doesn't pass the ball as much as Casemiro he's another conductor in a different way so you know if you're looking for goals and assists from this position, you know, probably do sign Elliot Anderson, but let's not forget Elliot Anderson didn't play this position last season.

26:29He didn't play as a holding midfielder. So we're looking for a holding midfielder, aren't we? I think Tonali and Chiamini fit that better than Anderson, as much as I would like Anderson. And I think he can do the role. Sale says, Tonali reminds me a bit of Roy Keane, and I'd love to see United go for him instead of getting caught up in all these Anderson rumour stories, says Sal. And I would, look, I'm very happy with Anderson and I'd like us to sign him because we've said that we wanted him for nine months. If we don't sign him, I'm happy with Tonali or Chiamini. We've just got to get one of those three.

27:01And it's a little bit like Alex Scott or Fernandez. I don't really mind. I have a preference, but I don't really mind. And with Anderson, Tonali and Chiamini, I certainly wouldn't we sat here if we got one of them and going, oh, my God, what a shit summer. I'd be very happy with any of those three. Obviously, I ranked them. For me, I'd probably want Tonali first, Anderson second and Chiamini third, but I'd be very happy with any of them, really. Sunriser said, I prefer Bruno G over Tonali. Brings good experience and decent price. I like Bruno Gamera's Sunriser. There's a shithousery and passion to him that I really like.

27:42But, you know, I don't want to do it. No, you know. Let me just remove someone from the chat. Trouble is, we welcome everybody, but we do need to remove some. There we go. I wouldn't mind Martinez being used in midfield on rotation so Lenny Yarrow or Hayden Heaven can play. You know what, Reckon guy? I think Martinez in the midfield could do a job, and we saw that job against Villa away just before Christmas, but that would make me sick. If we bought two midfielders and then said, we're not buying another one because we can use Martinez and Mount there, that's unambitious. We need to buy three specialists.

28:25Martinez could get a bad injury again. Mason Mount will get an injury again. We can't use people that we've already got in positions where we need to strengthen we have to be ambitious we have to back this manager we have to try and win the big prizes um i'm gonna do the watch along later for arsenal against psg when i'm watching it i'm gonna enjoy it but honestly how far do you think man united are away from that because i think it's a fantasy i think a champions league final the biggest game in football is a fantasy for man united at the moment and it will remain a fantasy if we make decisions like that oh we can use martinez in the midfield we can use mount in the midfield if we're serious you've got to build something serious um ton ali done that one thank you very much uh who is leaving this summer says mac um i don't know hadn't said that don't know um i think i think xerxi needs to go i think agate needs to go but I don't know that they will.

29:27Tonali is the pass before the pass, says Official Rare Skills. I think sometimes Tonali is the pass before the pass before the pass. You know, and there's nothing wrong with that. Any rumours of a left back or right back to United, says Francis? And literally watch the start of the video. And the difference between Hall and the next left back is miles bigger than Tonali and Chiumini. Newcastle ain't selling three cornerstones so Chiumini should be the one we get, says Naveen. I think because of Champions League, we need back. I've done that one. Oh, yeah, I've done that one. Thank you very much.

30:03Good morning, Mark and the United Stands. Shane, good morning, pal. Hope you're doing very, very well this morning. Over 10 ,000 watching again. You're absolute legends. Thank you very much for that. Right. A couple of other things I want to talk to you about. I do. I do want to talk about this, actually. Let me talk about this. We'll talk about Rashford in a moment. I got sent this this morning. um and look you know what this is what it's all about it's all about opinion it's all about debate um this is what actually one of my biggest concerns um so i i will read it out so this i think it's coming from the manchester evening news um and it was on at simply united on x alan russell who is a former colleague of Steve Holland at England, says this, Steve Holland has an aura about him.

30:57He is a genius. The way I work and coach now, 75 % of it is because of Steve Holland. The way he works to prepare sessions, to deliver sessions, to debrief sessions, the way he communicates with staff and communicates with players, Michael Carrick is very lucky and he chose wisely with Steve. So we've got a genius in our ranks. He's an absolute genius. The way he prepares sessions, delivers sessions, debrief sessions, communicates. I don't know what Michael Carrick does, if Steve Holland's doing all of this, but he has an aura and he is a genius. So we are in the company of a genius here with Steve Holland.

31:36Look, I hope we are. I really, really hope we are. But my answer to Alan, hello Alan, is that you say he's a genius. Why was he out of a job halfway through the season? You say he's a genius. Why did Southgate play such shit football for six years? You say he's a genius. Why have Man United played counterattacking football for the last four months? I don't think he's a genius. I don't think he's a shit coach. I just don't particularly like him as a coach. I don't like his style of play. And as Moz says, a genius would win Premier League titles. Yeah, I think he's a good coach if you like that.

32:19It's like going in McDonald's, isn't it? And somebody saying, oh, look at this chocolate milkshake. It's the best milkshake in the world. And you go, I prefer banana. you know Steve Holland's probably a good coach I would concede that but I didn't like him for England you're talking to me who I just can't be a hypocrite I did videos on that's football about sacking Southgate and how crap him and his coaches were I can't sit here and say oh actually can I just shock you I spent six years slagging off Holland and Southgate and actually you know we've got a genius. I just don't like his style of football.

33:00And until we start playing a brand of football that I like, I'll acknowledge he's a good coach. England did get to finals and semifinals. Man United got to third in the league. You know what I think he is? I think he's a pragmatic coach. I think he's a statistical coach. I think he's an analytical coach.

33:26and that can be quite effective, but I wouldn't say he's a genius. I wouldn't say his style of football is very easy on the eye. It's effective. He's an effective coach, isn't he? That's what he is. I'm being very nice this morning. He's a good coach. He's an effective coach. He's just not my cup of tea, and that's absolutely fine. I bet you're shocked there. I bet you thought I was going to start calling him names and stuff. No, there's no need. Look, he's going to be Carrick's right-hand man I said I would back this coaching team if they got the job there's no point in saying I don't I want them to do well but I'm not all I'm also not going to lie to myself I don't like the way we play football I don't like the way that we played the England played football and also I think calling people geniuses we all know the last four months means nothing when the next four months of the season start.

34:18Where we are at Christmas will matter a hell of a lot more than where we are now. Nobody, if we're mid-table at Christmas, no one's going to be talking about, oh, but he's a genius. We got third place in May. It's over. That's the brilliant thing about football. When we used to win the league with Sir Alex, you'd enjoy it for a month and then people would start buying players and you'd start going, oh God, they could be good next year. And although you're the champions, as soon as the season starts again, you're not the champions anymore you're not celebrating you are the champions but you're not like you know it starts again you're not the you are the champions but you're not you know because you know it's about this season so i think that the proof will be in the pudding won't it but um i'm not convinced we're in the you know we're in the company of a genius but i think we've got a good good coach who's very effective but something's a little bit disrespectful to carrick it makes it sound like steve holland does everything and um the one thing michael carrick needs to do is exert his authority because we already know as a head coach, Wilcox has got the power.

35:17And then if his assistant coach is the genius, what is Carrick? Just a front guy. And I don't think Carrick is that. I really don't. Dave the Brave says, ignoring the centre-back conversation is shocking. How are we expected to mount a challenge with a combination of youth and injuries? I think our centre-back scenario, Dave, is quite complex. I don't mention signing a centre-back because I don't think we need to. And that doesn't mean that our centre-back pool is good enough. But when we kept Maguire and you've got Martinez and you've got Yoro and you've got Heaven and you've got De Ligt and Luke Shaw can play there and Masraoui can play there, you've got seven centre-backs.

35:56To buy another one would be ridiculous in a back two. So I don't think we need to buy a centre-back, but you could argue, is our centre-back roster good enough? Numbers-wise, plenty. quality wise availability wise we're gonna have to wait and see because you're right there are injury players there are young players what you need there is a centre-back that can just play every single game and play well um and we need a consistent starting pair as well which is good from fisk i mean what is our best centre-back pair that's the problem too many options but not too good options for me our best starting pair is martinez and delitz but when are they going to be fit um i think maguire will start a lot um and and you know honestly you've got players like yoro and evan where you think when are they going to play watching on holiday in croatia playing football in the sun with my two-year-old nephew three midfielders and a left back minimum enjoy your holidays if you're on your holidays uh the united nick uh lovely weather here in the uk again today but won't be tomorrow so enjoy your holidays which one newcastle player would you signs is Tabisol well we can all get in that um if I could sign one player from Newcastle I think I would take Tonali yeah um yeah I would yeah I like Lewis Hall but I think I would take Tonali because I can get a left back I can get a left back but if I don't get Tonali I've got to bloody make sure I get Anderson or Chiumini and that's difficult um yeah Anderson and Chiumini only for 160 or three midfielders as dirty deeds we need three midfielders dirty deeds and if we sign anderson and chumini we're benching one of them aren't we um outside of major sorry emily derry's here in the chat outside of a mega injury crisis we should not be relying on square pegs in round holes to cover gaps in the squad the board needs to address we've done it for too long and it got us nowhere completely agree um thank you very much for that okay let's talk about uh marcus Rashford because there has been a bit more I mean the Rashford situation it's a big situation for Man United um it's a big situation for Manchester United because um if Rashford doesn't stay at Barcelona, it's something we've got to solve.

38:28It's, you know, it takes up time. Um, and I think that, you know, ideally that would, uh, work. Man United lemon coin challenge.

38:44Gosh. We've gone back to being that football club again, haven't we? We've gone really social media. What's your favorite crisps?

38:53lemon coin challenge i don't know i don't know look it's all fine and well when you're finishing third in the league if we're doing lemon coin challenges next season in mid table it's going to go very wrong i think united missed the boat on social media so so often it's uh it's laughable um so english reports this week saying that man united don't want rashford back Spanish reports this morning Marcus Rashford does not want to return to Man United With Barcelona remaining his priority After Hansi Flick told him before that he is in favour of him staying Rashford is not considering other offers And can see himself playing in Jamal's position Similar to the role Rooney had Who is going to leave, I think So Rashford wants to stay at Barcelona Effectively Man United Marcus Rashford doesn't want to come back to Man United And Manchester United don't want Marcus Rashford back I think it could run and run all summer If I'm being honest And as I said to you before I think with the Rashford situation If Barcelona say to him we want you to stay We just need to make sure that you don't do anything else Because we don't want to sign you We want to loan you Then we're going to get done solve that scenario for me right solve this scenario right marcus rashford says i don't want to go anywhere else i want to stay at barcelona i want to go to stay at barcelona like he did last summer barcelona say to rashford we're not going to pay the transfer fee but we will loan you and that is in your interest because next summer you'll only have a one year left on your contract and you're 12 months away from total freedom and cash out um but man united say we want 25 million what do you do in that situation I remember saying this in February like we're doing it with an honor as well we brief or journalists say you know Man United are going to play hardball how do you play hardball with Barcelona when they're spending all their money on other players and they only want a loan deal for Rashford Rashford you're coming back to Carrington we're selling you somewhere else and Rashford says I don't want to come back to Carrington and I don't want to go anywhere else.

41:10I want to go to Barcelona. So you either let me go to Barcelona or I'll come back and earn 300 grand a week with you.

41:19He ends up going on loan to Barcelona, doesn't he? And I think United might not like that, but we might have to swallow that. And the reason United don't want to loan him to Barcelona, by the way, is because they'd like 25 million, but also in a year's time, he's only got one year left on his deal, so we won't make any money but the way i look at it with rashford is we never bought him from anywhere he came through the youth setup we had a few good years out of him yes he's been on a big wage but barcelona paid the wage last year they'll pay the wage this year and jayden sancho walks out of this club next month he's cost us in excess of 120 million pounds in transfer fees and wages.

42:01So sometimes you just got to go, look, didn't go to plan. Let's move forward. Because we're not going to get Rashford back and then sell him somewhere else if he doesn't want to go anywhere else. Nick P says, Steve Holland is a genius. We should get him a badge. He can wear like those Apple store employees. Yeah, he could have it on the back. He could wear a tracksuit top that says genius, resident genius. Yeah. If they both want to play that game then we bring him home and keep him in the reserves but it costs us 300 grand a week jmr uh thanks for being a member um rashford is his own worst enemy he wants to play football or be paid mega millions i don't you know what i i i genuinely do not have a problem with rashford's situation if he wants to stay in barcelona then and barcelona want to keep him i put myself in his shoes he's going to play in the world cup for england he backs himself to keep staying in the england setup and get game time in barcelona and he likes it there you know when you think about what he was going through at man united if he's in a place where he's happy mentally and he likes it i'd push for it i would push for it i don't think he feels any obligation to man united that he needs to earn them£25 million and go to Munich or where else.

43:22If I was in his situation, I'd be like, look, Barcelona don't want to keep me. I want to stay here. That's my final decision. If we had serious owners, Rashford would rot on the bench, says Mo. Bord's fault should have been an obligation, says Blameshifter. Could bench Manu for Anderson and Chirmey and he's his dirty deeds? Still thinks that's going to happen. Belaber is the type of midfielder we need, but he didn't perform this previous season, so he's become a second option to United says Giovanni. Why? Because he's shit.

43:55Basically because he's had a shit season. Man United have made enough bad signings in the last 10 years. They don't need to be going to make it. I mean, look, how many flocks have we bought over the last 10 years? We don't need to be going and making massive risks on players again, do we? Hi, Mark. It's good to see the hotter meter back, says Shane. Thanks for your super chat, Shane. Would you rather sign two players from the top shelf with Balaba Or four decent players without Balaba Like Stilla, Scott, Garner, Edison, Fernandez, Wharton I don't want to sign Balaba I've seen a lot of him in the last few weeks I don't rate him I don't rate his style on the ball I think he's a little bit What was the word somebody said?

44:39I don't like his first touch I don't like the way he runs I don't like his energy I wouldn't go anywhere near Balaba In my opinion I'd much rather get People like Ciumini, Edison Scott Fernandez Yeah I think with Balaba He's not the finished article And I think he might be a good player He was a very good player about 18 months ago But the last 12 months Have been shocking And there's loads of players that, you know, look at people like Cole Palmer now. You know, a year ago, you would not go into the World Cup. What are you talking about? A year later, it doesn't deserve to go to the World Cup.

45:25So would you pay£125 million for Cole Palmer now? I mean, I might. I think a lot of you wouldn't. It's the same with Labour. He's had a shocking season. There's better options in the shop that are less risky. I think he can be a good player, but why should we buy a player that could be a good player? why should we buy prospects and risks go for the players that are ready would you rather Chumini and Tonali instead of Edison there's a lot of people asking this same question uh Mantle and I'm not having a pop at you but would you rather Chumini and Tonali instead of Edison Fernandez and another midfielder you're about the fourth person to ask this and and whilst hypotheticals are great when they're steeped in reality why do people keep asking would you rather sign two midfielders like Chumini and Anderson or Tonali and Chumini instead of three we're not going to buy two midfielders like Chiumini and Anderson or Tonali because they're both those two players would be on big wages we're not going to do it we're going to buy three we'll buy a cheap one Edison a mid one Fernandez and an expensive one Chiumini Tonali or Anderson we're not going to buy two expensive ones so it's not about whether I'd rather or not and I wouldn't rather actually I'd rather buy three because we need quantity and quality I don't need quality I need quantity and quality so I need three midfielders because if I buy Chumini and Anderson and I've got Manu I've got three midfielders to play twice a week I can only sub one of them if one gets injured I'm fucked so I need three definitely three Arnie says I'm excited about the season but I'm over the moon that we're not getting belaboured the past few summer windows have been decent especially the last one but we need to step this window up and I hope we will says Ami Arnie thank you very much pal it is Arnie it looks like Amy but it's Arnie.

47:08Sunrisers Army says, Mark, please rank our centre-backs from best to worst. Do we need to find a replacement for De Ligt or wait and assess till December? Good question. Ranking our current centre-backs personally, and I'm taking into account ability now and future at the club. So I am including a bit of potential. I would say that right here, right now in fifth place is Yoro. In fourth place is Maguire. In third place is Heaven. In second place is Martinez. And in first place is De Ligt. Now, obviously, I've excluded injury because availability is a trait. But I genuinely think De Ligt's the best centre-back we've got.

47:54I think Martinez, when he's fit, is very, very important to us as well. A leader, very good on the ball. Heaven, every time I've seen him. Just looks amazing. I don't know why he's not getting more game time. Harry Maguire's reliable, but he's coming towards the end of his career. And I think we saw at the end of the season, his vulnerability to pace in a back four. And Yoro, we just don't see enough of Yoro. Let's be honest. I hope Yoro is going to be a good player, but we just don't see enough of him. Stig says, hope you're doing well, Stig. Need to be quick getting players in and getting players out.

48:25We have seen it so many times. The longer players stay, the more behind the scenes problems. Thank you very much, Stig, for that. appreciate it okay lovely show the meal this morning uh enjoyed that um do not forget that the champions league final is at 5 p.m uk time so it's literally in six hours normally it's at 8 p.m uk time so it's a 5 p.m kickoff arsenal against psg i'm live on that's football um i think this video will push you there anyway um so get yourself over to that's football for 5 p.m watch along come on psg don't want arsenal to win it i never want an english team to win the Champions League final unless it's Man United.

48:59And we have got an eight o 'clock show. Obviously, if anything happens, we'll go live as well. But we have got an eight o 'clock show for you as well. Take care, everyone. Stay safe. I'll speak to you all later.