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The United Stand

5 Jun 2026 · 36m · 15 chapters

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427: Fernandes TRANSFER Blow! Scott NEXT?

In short

Manchester United transfer talk, focused on Matias Fernandes from West Ham, amid reports Real Madrid and PSG are also interested; debate whether United should pay £60m+ and how fast they must act. The host also discusses other midfield targets (Chiamini/Barella/Stilla/Yulman, etc.), potential alternatives if Fernandes fails, and broader club issues (Favell recruitment role, debt refinancing, and Old Trafford stadium logistics/canal dredging).

Key claims

United should not “walk away” unless the fee is ridiculous; market pressure will inflate prices; Fernandes is a “top target” but could be a setback if big clubs enter the race; United must move quickly before interest grows; recruitment should “woo” players, not only sign those who already want United.

Notable examples

Perisic deal (Mourinho wanted him; United capped at ~£40m), Leny Yoro negotiations (Real Madrid refused to pay over ~£40m), January vs summer timing (United’s Bruno Fernandes precedent).

Guests

No named guests appear; it’s a solo host/live chat format with references to journalists (e.g., Simon Stone, Ornstein) and commenters (e.g., Beth, Stephen, Jami, Looney Clown, Rogerio, etc.).

Written by AI. May contain mistakes.

Chapters

0:57

State of the United Transfers

Discussion about Manchester United's transfer market challenges.

“And United seem reluctant to chuck money at things.”
1:41

Evaluating Fernandes' Price Tag

Analyzing the implications of West Ham's high asking price for Fernandes.

“But look, let's start off with Fernandes.”
3:10

Competition for Fernandes

Concerns about Manchester United's ability to compete with Real Madrid and PSG.

“And I'm not going to say that, but we probably do walk away because when was the last time Man United went toe to toe with two other clubs for a player that they really won.”
4:35

The Case for Fernandes

Debating whether Fernandes is worth a transfer fee above £60 million.

“So I hold on to things like that because Simon Stone's a very credible journalist with the BBC.”
5:36

Concerns Over Transfer Strategy

Critique of Manchester United's transfer strategy and potential alternatives.

“Is he good enough to go north£60 million?”
7:31

Reality Check on Transfer Goals

Acknowledging the challenges faced by Manchester United in the current transfer situation.

“Let me just get rid of this person in the chat here Kingston says Why are you always moaning?”
9:11

Importance of Quick Decisions

Highlighting the need for Manchester United to act quickly in the transfer market.

“It is difficult and it will take you a long time to do it, but you will do it.”
10:42

Reflection on Transfer Challenges

Reflection on the broader challenges of building a successful team and the importance of strategic decisions.

“And I don't know how many people haven't figured this out, but to build a side that wins the league, it won't fall into your lap.”
14:00

Discussing the Fernandes Transfer Situation

Analysis of the potential transfer of Fernandes and market dynamics.

“from West Ham 41 % of you wouldn't um would I spend over 60 million pounds on him yes yes um Because if we're sure, it's the Perisic effect.”
18:57

Recruitment Strategy and Player Preference

Debating Manchester United's recruitment philosophy and player choices.

“casino America's social casino Who's reporting it in relation to Real Madrid?”
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28:03

Manchester United's Canal Dredging Plans

Learn about the ongoing dredging work near Old Trafford and its potential implications for Man United.

“Man United are still working hard behind the scenes.”
30:24

Discussion on Potential Signings

The hosts evaluate the potential signing of Rafael Liao and other players, weighing their benefits and risks.

“Talking of Canals, I wouldn't cry me a river if we signed Liao.”
32:06

Risk Assessment in Player Acquisitions

A debate on the necessity of taking risks in player acquisitions and the importance of consistency for Man United.

“9 ,000 on a 2 o 'clock show on a Friday.”
34:51

Andrea Medina Transfer News

Breaking news about Manchester United's potential signing of Andrea Medina from Atletico Madrid.

“And if we keep buying inconsistency, we're going to be an inconsistent team.”
38:16

Andrea Medina Transfer News

Breaking news about Manchester United's potential signing of Andrea Medina from Atletico Madrid.

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Transcript

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0:00Why have I asked my electrician I found on Angie.com to bury my pet hamster Nibbles in our yard for me? Because I was so moved by how carefully he buried my electrical wires. I knew I could trust him to bury my sweet Nibbles after his untimely end. Huh. Nibbles. Gone too soon. May he scurry in peace. Hey, sorry about your pet, but I just wire stuff. Nibbles would have loved you like a brother. Connecting homeowners with skilled pros for over 30 years. Angie. The one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home projects at Angie.com.

0:57America's Social Casino.

1:27massive money at things. And United seem reluctant to chuck money at things. So where are we? And is it time to panic? Well, we'll delve into the show. We'll get your opinions. Goldbridge Live at two o 'clock. Don't normally get to do many of these. So happy to be doing it. But look, let's start off with Fernandes. Look, I was talking to you last night about this price tag of 80 million that West Ham have put out there. I sense that there's two reasons for that. One, you go higher than you want to go and you might get 60 or 70. Two, they probably know there's a lot of interest. So you whack the price high and say, look, as I said to you the other day, if I've got a house that's worth a million and I know six people want it, I'm going to put it on the market at 1.3.

2:12And people can say you're mercenary shit, but at the end of the day, if my house is worth a million and I know 10 people want it, it's gone up again. It's gone up in a few seconds. I'm putting it on at 1.4. I might put it on at 1.5. Or you put it on at a million and you hope there's a bidding war. But this is exactly what happens. Stephen says, why would it be a transfer blow? Well, if you let me get into it, Stephen, maybe you'll learn something. So coming out from Spanish sources this morning, Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho specifically is a huge fan of Matias Fernandes. And they are throwing money all over the place.

2:45PSG are a huge fan of Matias Fernandes, and they're willing to chuck money at this as well. Arsenal have stayed very quietly at the moment. Look, I've read a lot of stuff. I've seen a lot of United fans. And look, the only thing I would sort of agree with is that if you've got Real Madrid wanting Fernandes and you've got PSG wanting Fernandes, we probably walk. We shouldn't walk. And I'm not going to say that, but we probably do walk away because when was the last time Man United went toe to toe with two other clubs for a player that they really won. And also, it's not even that we can't win that because people might say, what about Leni Yoro?

3:27But Real Madrid didn't want to pay 50 million pounds for Yoro. And I think the Yoro one's a good example because people in the chat will say, hey, we did beat Real Madrid to Yoro. We did. How did we beat Real Madrid to Yoro? We put 50 million pounds down and Real Madrid were like, we're not paying more than 40. And look, I don't agree with Jami that Yoro flopped. That's not what it's about. If you understand the Leni Yorou deal, which you do, we did beat Real Madrid, but we paid over the odds. We paid 50 million quid and Real Madrid were like, well, we're not paying over 40. In fact, they wanted him to run his contract down.

4:00So this would be different. This would be Real Madrid and PSG going toe to toe for a player and United having to overpay to get him, which from what Barada is saying and what we're hearing, I don't think we want to do it. So look, my concern would be that this is the end of the Fernandes deal because we don't fancy a fight. And ultimately, if we really want Fernandes, then and look, it was only Simon. Look, I'm staying confident. I'm staying calm. It was only Simon Stone 24 hours ago or 48 hours ago saying I'd be very surprised if Fernandes doesn't sign for Manchester United. So I hold on to things like that because Simon Stone's a very credible journalist with the BBC.

4:41and he said, I'd be very surprised if Fernandes doesn't sign for Manchester United. We've also had a lot of people talking about talks, you know, whether it's the, you know, make-believers ITKs, they've been talking about talks with Fernandes, or it's the credible journalists who've been talking about it. So I think it's too soon to go, oh, it's off. But I do agree with what Beth said this morning. You've got to move fast. You have to move fast because if you snooze, you lose. It doesn't benefit us to find out PSG and Real Madrid do want him. And then I don't see how we win that. I don't see how we win that because West Ham will just say to Fernandes, look, we're not accepting Man United's offer because it's low.

5:23So you've got to go in. Man United have got to go in high. And United hate. Man United hate bidding wars. They hate it. So and I don't know whether we're good enough to win it. If we can secure the player, which I still think we can. We've got a chance. The question is, is he good enough? Is he good enough to go north£60 million? And that's the question. And I want to ask that question to you because I have an answer to it and I will answer it. Is Fernandes, think of it as like, would you pay it? But is Fernandes worth more than£60 million? Now, what I would say is relegated with West Ham, one season in the Premier League, reasonably good season, but also wanted by Real Madrid, wanted by PSG.

6:10Arsenal and Liverpool are looking around. Didn't go to the World Cup, but they have an abundance of talent and Martinez is a bit of a clown. So, you know, they've got Vettinia, they've got Neves, they've got Ruben Neves, as well as Jao Neves. They've got Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes. They've got a lot of players. So it's a shame he's not in the World Cup, though, because as Rogerio says, we do need agent Bruno to get this done. And I agree with Looney Clown as well. We've got to be very careful that we don't move down the list. Plan A to Plan F. I mean, I know Belaba has been mentioned again.

6:46you're never going to get me excited about signing Balaba. If we sign Balaba, I hope it works, but I will never be excited about it. I've seen enough of him this season. I don't think he's very good. He doesn't excite me at all. If we sign Balaba, then for me, he's got to prove it. I ain't going to get excited about him holding up a shirt at Man United. I'm just not. Every time we play him, he's on his Instagram. He never turns up. He's been benched for most of the season by James Milner, who's retired. I just don't get excited about that deal at all So look, Fernandes excites me Chumini excites me Tonali excites me Stilla excites me Anderson excites me Alex Scott excites me You know, there are midfielders that we can go for That excite me And that's what I want to see Let me just get rid of this person in the chat here Kingston says Why are you always moaning?

7:38Sorry, let me just It wasn't you I was trying to get rid of So, mate, I don't know whether you've just, sorry, everybody, I've probably just bitten on a bit of a bait there. But if you actually listen to the last few minutes, Kingston, I'm not moaning. I'm saying, like, I don't necessarily think that the Fernandes deal is over. We're going to have to wait and see. I would stay calm. Obviously, the blow is that Real Madrid and PSG are in for him. I mean, that is a blow. That is a setback. I mean, we have to acknowledge it. I mean, I think these people who hide under the covers or turn their back on problems.

8:11They're the problem in the fan base. They're deluded. They believe the bullshit that comes out of the club and then they have to face the reality. It is a setback if Real Madrid and PSG want him. Of course it is. We're dealing with two very big clubs who are bigger than us, certainly in relation to recent success and how they run their clubs. I mean, I don't know whether you heard Florentino Perez last night. I mean, what I would do to have... And look, Man United could be run like this. He's basically there doing an interview saying, I'm going to sign a player for£150 million next Tuesday. And, you know, I know a lot of people don't like Perez and I know a lot of people don't like Real Madrid, but has he got the best interests of Real Madrid at heart?

8:57I mean, yeah, I think it's... So, yeah, it's a scary proposition. If Real Madrid decide they want Matias Fernandes, probably don't win that race, do you? if PSG decide they want Matias Fernandes it will be very difficult but as we've always said if you want to be successful it's difficult you know I was in the garden last week in the hot weather and I was doing some keep ups and Seb was like you're amazing and I went I know and he went how do I do those keep ups and he tried to do it and he could only do about 6 and I said because you have to keep practicing and he went well it's really hard I can only do it with my right foot and I went And but that's it's difficult.

9:39It is difficult and it will take you a long time to do it, but you will do it. And with Man United, if they want to be Arsenal, and I can't believe I'm saying that, if they want to be Arsenal, well, they did win the Premier League. If they want to be Arsenal or they want to be PSG, Champions League winners, Premier League winners, it's going to be hard. It's going to be hard. It's going to be difficult. And part of that, look, we had our CEO do an interview yesterday saying our aim is still to win the league in the next two years. So if we can't win it this year, the next year, I mean, that's just words.

10:12That is just words, right? That's like your mate Jim sitting down the local tonight and saying, you know what? In the next 12 months, I'm going to visit every continent and I'm going to, you know, sod it. You only live once. And then 12 months later, he's still sat in the same chair, talking the same shit. Anybody can talk about what they're going to do. The hard thing is going and doing it, booking the flights, getting on the plane, you know, having the money to do it, whatever. Man United, it's difficult to be Arsenal. It's difficult to be PSG. You have to build it. And I don't know how many people haven't figured this out, but to build a side that wins the league, it won't fall into your lap.

10:56you have to do difficult things. You have to battle. You have to work hard. And Fernandes at West Ham is clearly going to be a very difficult deal. However, if he's one of our top targets, and obviously he's not because Anderson was, you know, technically what is Fernandes? Is he plan B? Is he plan C? Is he plan D? You know, we've got to get him. You can't keep moving down that list. So, look, if we want to be the best, we've got to beat the rest. And that's not just on the pitch, that's off the pitch. So let's see what happens with Fernandes. Of course, it's a setback. Of course, it's a setback.

11:34Only an idiot would say it's not a setback. But I think time is of the essence here. Now, West Ham, they're Louis Armstrong. They're going to go, we've got all the time in the world. Or have they? I said this last week when the Edison story came out. When Ornstein said that Edison is going to do his medical in July, I said it straight away. That's financial. We're not announcing Edison until July to put his transfer into the next financial year. But we know we've got money that we can spend in this financial year before July because we were going to buy some menu in January and we spent nothing.

12:12So we've definitely got a chunk of money. Why have we got that chunk of money? Why have we kept money back and pushed Edison into July? Well, Edison's an easy deal. We've got a good relationship with Atalanta. He's desperate to come to us. Why would you put it into this financial year when that's an easy deal? You push it into July, you push it into the next financial year, and then you leave yourself a little bit of money for June for an opportunity. and what will happen at the end of June is that, let me just get rid of this idiot as well. There's a few idiots in the chats there. Don't do the two o 'clock show very often, but there'll be a few people who won't be part of this community for long.

12:51Let me tell you that. Actually, I do do the two o 'clock show. I'm normally in the live chat. Don Goldbridge, removing people. But I'll do it live. I don't care. But my point is, remember over the last few years, We've had Everton, Newcastle, Aston Villa coming towards the end of the financial year and they've got to do something. And what happened a couple of years ago is they all did a deal with each other, didn't they? Like an Everton youth player went somewhere for£20 million, never heard of him again. They all did that to help themselves. West Ham might need to do a deal before the end of the financial year.

13:29Bournemouth might need to do it. Somebody might need to do a deal before the end of the financial year. And we've got a little chunk of money there. So we need to move fast, as fast as we can. On Fernandes, if West Ham want to take it into July, there's nothing we can do. But other clubs might be working on other things. And like Bruno Fernandes, when we signed him, if we'd waited till the summer, there would have been a lot of interest, but nobody could do it in the January and we did. so let's see what happens with Fernandes but look obviously you know it's going to be difficult if those clubs are in for it uh 59 % of you wouldn't spend uh over 60 million pounds on Matias Fernandes from West Ham 41 % of you wouldn't um would I spend over 60 million pounds on him yes yes um Because if we're sure, it's the Perisic effect.

14:22Jose Mourinho wanted Perisic and he was absolutely... It was the summer we finished second. We finished second and Mourinho wanted to go again and he wanted Perisic. And Man United wouldn't go higher than 40 million. And I think it was Inter wanted 45. And Man United wouldn't go higher, so we didn't get him. And Mourinho was sacked by Christmas. I'm not going to pay£100 million for Fernandes but if the deal is£65,£70 then I'll do it I'll look around the boardroom I'll look around the scouts and I'll say what's the alternative and how much do we want him and if all the answers are he's really good and the alternative's belabor I'll do it I'll definitely do it relegation signing this expensive market is gone says Ola but it's never gone Ola we broke the British transfer record for Roy Keane who got relegated with Nottingham Forest it's never it's not about it's not about relegation it's about the player relegated player he must be a load of shit why do Real Madrid and buy PSG and Arsenal want him then it's got nothing to do with it if we if we want this player and he's right for us you don't walk away unless it's ridiculous fee you don't walk away so maybe we could have moved Maybe we should, maybe we will.

15:43We need to move a little bit quicker on this deal because what I don't like about it is, oh, Real Madrid are interested. PSG are interested. Liverpool might be interested. The longer you wait, the more that interest might come out. So I think we need to move a bit quicker on this one.

16:00If we walk away from Fernandes, what happens? You've got Alex Scott at Bournemouth, who's not going to sign a new contract. He's a possibility, but that Liverpool worry me because Iriot is at Liverpool.

16:15I still think Real Madrid's something to keep an eye on. I mean, I still think Chiamini's a possibility. I definitely think Real Madrid are going to sign two midfielders, so I still think that's a possibility. But Chiamini and Edison wouldn't be enough for us anyway. We still need somebody else. So there are other options. There are other players out there.

16:37But it's still very early days. And whilst I understand people's reluctance and nervousness, you know, there are some silly prizes being thrown out at the moment. I mean, there was an article today from the Patrick Boyland, who's the Everton correspondent for The Athletic. And there was talk of Man United's interest in NJ at Everton. And he said that Everton would want 80 million euros for him. having seen what Anthony Gordon's gone for. So this is what I mean. It's like everything's dictated by everything. Anthony Gordon's gone for 70 million now. So everyone else is going, well, that's the going rate.

17:20This is what happened with us within Burmo because we were a little bit late on in Burmo and people had already bought Alanga and everybody. We got pushed up to 65 million. So, you know, you can say Fernandez is overrated at 60, overpriced at 60 million, but the market dictates the price and Elliot Anderson at the moment if Man City pay 100 million pounds for him then that's going to dictate the midfield market as well um I mean I would not be paying 70 million pounds for Njai at Everton I wouldn't be doing that I mean you will get Nusa from Leipzig for cheaper than that and I think he's younger and got more potential as well but the market could could it could inflate it really could so you've got to be careful about stuff like that.

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19:26I know it's not completely closed. I know it's not completely closed. So do keep an eye out on Chumini. I still think Man United will want a big signing and, you know, he could be it. And they'd have to go over 200 grand a week for Chumini as well. So should United still be like, we sign players who only want us or get in the competition for players, says Mirror. Mate, if Man United want to stick to, we're only going to buy players that want to join Man United, we will struggle because you will hit a ceiling. You know, the Mbermos and the Cunyars, how many of them are they? And are they good enough for us to win the league?

20:03Like sometimes you've got to go and get a player and persuade them. Because if you only sign players that want Man United, it's a very small pool. But what about a midfielder who is Spanish and playing for Valencia, who is going to be the best midfielder in the world? And you scout him and you scouts say to Favell, this is the guy. He's literally going to be the next Roy Keane. And Favell takes it to Wilcox and Barada and they sit in a room and they go, well, we've got to get him. And then someone pipes up and says, yeah, he's interested, but he's also talking to Real Madrid, Arsenal and Man City.

20:39Do we go, oh, well, forget it then. I'd be putting my hand up and saying, but somebody just said this is the next Roy Keane. Yeah, but he's also talking to other clubs. Well, of course he fucking is. He's a good player. He's ambitious. And he's, you know, he's looking at projects. We can't not look at players because they're not exclusively in love with Man United. How's about we take them on a date and make them fall in love with Man United? They're not a sort of falling our lap, are we? I mean, what bars did you walk into where the dream date walks in and goes, I bloody love you, let's get married?

21:10You know, you have got to woo them a little bit. You've got to take them out for a steak dinner. You've got to take them to the cinema, you know, you've got to woo them. So look, I don't exclusively believe that if a player doesn't want to come to Man United that we just walk away. Al's about, well, I'll have a chat with you. Great, we're in. Let's go. And that's what recruitment's all about. I think it's lazy to go, we're only going to go for players that want to join Man United. We will never win anything. You know, Roy Keane was going to Blackburn Rovers until Sir Alex Ferguson got involved.

21:46and then he was coming to Man United. So Wayne Rooney was apparently going to Newcastle and then Man United come along. Sesco was apparently going to Newcastle and then Man United come along. So we can do that. Phil says, if it's above 60 million, then might as well go for Scott. I mean, that's not a bad idea. BEG says, I fear we will end up with three cheap midfield options. This is the only reason I'm not high up on getting Fernandes now. I think we should go big on the next midfielder we sign.

22:16Bale Wall Justice talking about Barella says, Barella and Yulmland from Sporting are options, but don't know if United rate them. I could name five more like them. No excuses for Ineos. Barella, Stilla, Yulmland. I mean, they're all good players, but they're not playing in the Premier League. When was the last time Real Madrid bought relegated players, says Stretford Signal? I don't think that will bother Real Madrid at all. I think if Jose Mourinho says he wants that player, they will go for him. Manu Kone is another good player as well. good shout out CT. Scott to Liverpool possibly so belabor it is then says Denise.

22:50Patrick Lynch says Fernandes seems to be a Jaunevez replacement for either PSG or Real Madrid. If Real Madrid can't entice Neves they'll go for Fernandes. If PSG lose Neves they go for that. Ineos finally seeing that we have to fight the big boys for players. Yeah my worry is is that last night when Perez was talking about 150 million pound player that he's going to bid for next Tuesday and it's not a Premier League player and it's not Kane and it's not Alisi and it's not Jamal, I straight away thought it's Fettinia or Jean Neves. Well, either way, it's a PSG midfielder. And if they do that, who are you going to replace him with?

23:26Fernandes from West Ham. So, yeah, it is a setback, but it's not happened yet. The race ain't over. I hope you and the family are well. I want Chumini now. And do you think we comfortably get top four next season? What community you've built, says Man United fan for life. I would never sit here and say that we're going to comfortably get top four next season. I mean, look, Jose Mourinho finished second. Four months later, he was sacked. So, you know, I don't think there's any guarantee that we're going to finish in the top four. But that's where we need to be. I bet we only get one more midfielder in Thwaites, says Fraser.

24:03Chiamini is a dressing room rat. Do we want him, says Real Ghost Chase. and I won't be surprised if we get linked to Javi Guerra, says Kristen. He is at Valencia, isn't he? I don't see us going for another midfielder that's not in the Premier League, to be honest, because we've already got Edison. So I think we'll be going Premier League proven next, unless it's a superstar like Ciamini. Right, a couple of other things I need to talk to you about. Interesting story came out, look, very, very early days. Wouldn't necessarily panic about this, but a few people reporting it seen it on MUFC, MPB, UTD Report, Gazetta Italia saying if Ralf Ranić takes the AC Milan job, he wants to take Favell with him.

24:49Now, look, I said this about, I should call this show I Said This. Actually, I might do it as a special video every month because I do say a lot. Not always correct, to be fair. I did say about Favell about two months ago, my fear with him is he will leave because his job is not director of football now if you think about Favell he is just head of recruitment he is not the director of football so if a club comes along and says we want you to be our director of football that's a promotion Wilcox has got the job at Man United not him so look maybe there's something in the AC Milan thing maybe there isn't but I think that would be catastrophic for Man United to lose Favell.

25:37I really do. I'm not one of those people that says everything that goes well at United is because of Favell. Tony Coton was the person that pushed on Le Mans and Wilcox has pushed on a couple. All right, he gets a lot of stick because of the lap, but Wilcox has done something. I'm not going to lie. I don't rate him, but he has done some good. But Favell, I liked it when we made that appointment because his understanding of the worldwide scouting network is incredible. So we don't need to worry about it yet, but as I said a couple of months ago, it wouldn't surprise me if this becomes an issue at some point.

26:21And what you don't want to do is be Brighton. Brighton sometimes have a really good team and then the summer comes along and you lose three or four players or Bournemouth. You know, you have a good team and you lose three or four players. What you want to do is when things are looking good, you want to build on those foundations. You don't want to remove those foundations. Look, whatever you think about United last season, lucky, whatever, you know, brilliant. We finished third. We're back in the Champions League. There's a foundation there. You don't want to remove something like Favell because that's a big part of the process.

27:00It's a big part of the wheel. so and who would you we don't we don't want to for me losing Favell in a first team sense would be like losing Le Mans you know you don't want I'm not saying he's Bruno I'm not saying that but I do think he's very important for us and I don't want to see that happening but ultimately you know he's not director of football so if a good job comes up a sporting director he might take it so that's one to be keeping an eye on A couple of other things club related as well. Apparently United are looking to refinance their debts. Some people don't really understand what this is all about.

27:37All it ultimately comes down to is that Man United are never going to clear the debt and they have a lot of debt. So they're looking at ways to resurface that debt, which means that if you have a mortgage with a certain bank and then you speak to another bank and they say, we'll take that mortgage off you at a slightly better rate, then that's what they're looking to do there. Also on the stadium, some interesting stuff's come out about that. Man United are still working hard behind the scenes. There's still this thing going on with Freightliner about some of the land near Old Trafford and how much they're going to get.

28:13what i can tell you is is that uh and i can't disclose who told me this because um you know i can't but apparently and if you're around the manchester area and around old trafford you probably know this apparently there's been a lot of dredging work done around the canal system around old trafford um over the last few weeks um two plus two is that if you remember um Manchester United have spoken about bringing big parts of the structure in through the canal network. So if those canals are being dredged, what that means is that they're cleaning them. So, you know, the canal networks in any country, certainly in the UK, there's probably about 50 Sainsbury's trolleys in there.

29:01And there's probably about 100 balls that went in there from Lukaku's first touch. So, you know, dredging a canal is basically clearing it, which, you know, makes it deeper, makes it cleaner. So ultimately, that has apparently been going on for the last few weeks. And some locals are quite surprised about it because apparently it's, you know, not normal for that to happen. So it may be that that's preparatory to Man United are going to use it. So, you know, let's wait and see. I certainly don't hold, as I said before, I don't hold any confidence that we're about to. The glazes are about to go anywhere.

29:45I really don't. Why would they use the canal system? I can't remember what I can't remember what the reason was, but I'm pretty sure it was the Jim Ratcliffe who said it. You could bring, well, I remember now. So if you have prefabricated parts of the stadium, like you can, getting that up the M6 and into Manchester, you're going to have to shut down a lot of roads. It's going to be very difficult. Getting that down a canal system is probably easier and cheaper. So that's probably what that's all about. Tony says Perez has to say something outrageous because of the election I hope this board will step up and get as quality and not be cheap and Akash says our club expects players to show ambition towards us but we sit back and don't show any ambition to sign them and I bet we only get one more midfield I've done that one from Fraser thank you right I've just had something sense in here

30:54okay rafael liao on a potential summer move i want a new challenge out of serie r i follow the premier league with great attention if i have the opportunity to play there or the liga i'd be very happy because my talent would be uh exalted there uh let's see what happens what will happen in the summer, says Liao.

31:16Talking of Canals, I wouldn't cry me a river if we signed Liao. I just know a little bit about him and I feel like he's a player that's not really gone to the level I thought he would. There's a lot of people who talk about his work rate. Again, I think Noosa's a better signing. I think NG is a better signing. What I would say about Liao is, could be an absolutely brilliant signing, could work out, but I think there's better options in the shop. And when we want to go and try and win league titles in the next two years, why take risks? Everybody's a risk, but why take big risks? So for me, no, I wouldn't do it.

32:03That wouldn't be one for me. And let me just have a quick chat at everything else while we're here. Thanks, everyone, for tuning in. 9 ,000 on a 2 o 'clock show on a Friday. You are legends. Thank you so much.

32:19Michael Alise is apparently the player that Real Madrid are going to go for. I tell you what, it's got nothing to do with United, but I would love to see that happen. Well, I'll observe that. Fucking hell. He's been brilliant at Benfica. Sorry, Bayern Munich.

32:44yeah I spoke to you about enjoy there

33:01what's this all about uh I don't have done that one

33:11Do you think the Glazers are going Mark? No No No No, I don't What's this from David Ornstein coming in as well? One minute

33:30Everton now in talks with Hayden Hackney although ongoing interest from other clubs Borough prepared for Championship Play of the Year to enter final 12 months unless suitable offer arrives hopefully we won't go back there I mean that's not a deal that I think we need to be looking at if I'm being completely honest Fraser says I disagree big clubs take big risks I disagree we're not at the right time to take big risks look Fraser if you're Arsenal, you can take a risk on Lyell. You've just won the league, you've got a really good squad and if it doesn't work out, you've still got a really good squad.

34:08If you're PSG, you can take a risk on Lyell because you've got a really good squad and if it doesn't work out, it's fine. You know, the better your team is, the more risks you can take. But when you're a team that's instable like Man United, we've got to go for as many sure things as we can. For example, I don't think Man United need to be signing players that for every 10 games, they give you two really good ones and eight really average ones. I'd rather go for somebody that gives us seven really good ones and three really average ones, even if the one that gives you two good games is better.

34:49We need consistency at Man United. And if we keep buying inconsistency, we're going to be an inconsistent team. What do you think about live here we go post-Liao? Don't know what that means. One. Anyone want to... What do you think about the live here we go post-Liao? Do you get... Is this the sort of stuff that Beth has to put up with on a two o 'clock show? Fuck.

35:18What do you think about the live here we go post-Liao?

35:26It's on Instagram Whose Instagram?

35:35Whose Instagram is it on?

35:49Here we go as a channel Well it must be something to do with Fabrizio

35:58I don't know I don't know what that's all about I wouldn't go for Lialdo No Okay Thank you everybody for watching Back at 8 o 'clock as always Deal agreed for Andrea Medina So no Lewis Hall Says Denise What is this? Who's Medina? What are you talking about?

36:25I don't know I don't know what's going on it's like it's like I've it's like I've tuned in it's like I've not been here for 10 years Manchester United is set to sign the Atletico Madrid oh here we go Guardian Sport says Manchester United are set to sign the Atletico Madrid defender Andrea Medina on a free transfer this summer the Guardian understands the 22-year-old left back can also play at centre-back. Hugely successful with the Spanish youth teams. Yeah, Andrea Medina. It's a female.

37:07You've been out there, Denise, or you've tried to have me, Andre. It's Andrea. It's a female.

37:17I think Beth deserves a medal to do these two-shot that these shows. I really do. Unless Denise is taking the piss, in which case, fair play.

37:32It was a good one. Right, anyway, I'm going to go make myself a cup of tea. Thanks everyone for watching. Take care. Stay safe. I'll see you at eight o 'clock. Thank you very much for watching. I'm going to give Beth a pay rise if this is what she has to put up with at two o 'clock. Speak to you in a bit.

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From the publisher

Are Manchester United about to miss out on another midfielder this summer? PSG and Real Madrid now have Mateus Fernandes in their sights, a move that could flip United’s entire window upside down. Mark gives his thoughts on the situation in this afternoon’s show.

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