It's a strange time for Manchester United and it's confusing the mood of our podcasters, so much so that Laurie seems to want to get Andy talking about trains... We're so excited about Matheus Cunha that we are comparing him to both Cantona and Messi, but we're also nervous about his recent tendency to fly off the handle. The Athletic's Steve Madel…

After the Lord Mayor's show. Manchester United returned to earth with a bump on Sunday as in-form Wolves won at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim blooded Tyler Fredicson; he and Harry Amass acquitted themselves well, but it was another tough afternoon for Rasmus Hojlund. Still, we'll always have Thursday night. To cheer ourselves up, we went back through …

The short version is that Ruben Amorim's Manchester United beat Lyon to progress to the Europa League semi-finals, where they will face Athletic Club. The long version... wow! Cruising at 2-0 after an hour, the team suffered not one but two implosions; the first to take the game to extra time, then another to find themselves four-two down against t…

As we anticipate a crucial second leg against Lyon at Old Trafford on Thursday night, with Europa League progress (and the team's season) on the line, we look back at some of the Theatre of Dreams' greatest European hits. From the pioneering efforts of Sir Matt Busby, touched by tragedy, through Fergie's agony and ecstasy, to Ten Hag's beating of B…

A chastening 4-1 defeat away at Newcastle is not a result that anyone at Manchester United would want to consider acceptable, nor do they. But, perhaps there are more important things to worry about right now... as Andre Onana may testify. In fact, there were one or two little glimpses of positivity: Garnacho's excellent finish and the move that le…

After Joshua Zirkzee nodded home from a magnificent lifted pass by Bruno, giving Manchester United the lead in Lyon with moments left, we began putting together a triumphant podcast. Unfortunately, there was still time in the Europa League quarter final first leg for Andre Onana to concede; all this coming after a war of words with Nemanja Matic an…

United and City played out a dull 0-0 draw at Old Trafford, with both sides lacking cutting edge. City, without the injured Haaland, couldn’t break down a well-organised defence. United will be happy to finish with a clean sheet, having conceded 17 in their nine previous league matches at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim. Garnacho was United’s main …

Nottingham Forest pulled off a league double against Manchester United for the first time since they were managed by Brian Clough, and it was United academy product Anthony Elanga who got the early goal. Nuno's subsequent tactical switch and United's inability to break it down was as predictable as it was frustrating. Alejandro Garnacho showed his …

A provocative title? Perhaps; in one sense, of course United (13th in the PL) are underdogs away at (3rd placed) Forest. But, perhaps it's not that straight-forward... United's results were much improved in March, bringing a player of the month nomination for Bruno Fernandes and a manager of the month nod for Ruben Amorim. Meanwhile, Forest might b…

No getting away from it, it's a long one today, but we think it's worth it... Join Ian, Laurie, and Andy as we venture inside Carrington to speak to some of the key figures managing player development in Manchester United's Academy. We'll hear from Academy Director Nick Cox, Academy Coach Colin Little, and U18s Head Coach Adam Lawrence at a very ex…

It's been an 'interesting' time for Manchester United Women in the last two years or so. Big names have left, crowd numbers wobbling, yet the team's performance is impressively robust. Uncertainty remains, though, with Marc Skinner's future unclear, an interim boss, and significant question marks about Sir Jim Ratcliffe's enthusiasm for the project…

No game to report on with the international break underway, so we asked you for a fresh batch of queries and concerns. Ticket price rises at Old Trafford is the issue of the week, so we dig a little deeper on that, and we think about famous father and son duos in United colours. There's also, of course, the shape of Ruben Amorim's team and how it m…

Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho were back on the scoresheet for Manchester United as Ruben Amorim's side made easy work of Leicester City. Managed by United legend and recent interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Leicester aren't the stiffest test in the Premier League right now, but there are real signs of progress after a difficult spell. E…

He's done it again, Bruno Fernandes may not be an alpha captain but as a player he leads by example and steps up whenever he is needed; especially when that stepping up is to a penalty kick. Bruno holds quite a few Europa League records now, but in truth this was a team performance, one that will reassure Ruben Amorim that he can place his trust in…

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United's senior management, and members of the Old Trafford regeneration task force presented plans for a new 100-thousand capacity stadium on Tuesday at Sir Norman Foster's architectural practice in London. It's a bold design, and one that has drawn mixed reactions from fans and media. We look into the concept, the bu…

The pre-match protest organised by the 1958 Group was greater in numbers than most predictions and that energy only served to rev up the atmosphere at Old Trafford on Sunday teatime. Ruben Amorim's tactics were a slight compromise on one or two of his principles, but the deeper defence allowed United to contain and control Arsenal before Bruno Fern…

Joshua Zirkzee scored his first goal in European competition as Ruben Amorim's slimline squad earned a draw in San Sebastian, leaving their Europa League tie with Real Sociedad finely poised. It could easily have been a win with Manchester United growing into the game after half-time and squandering several good opportunities through profligate fin…

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment in Manchester United with INEOS has brought a welcome re-focusing on sporting achievement as opposed to commercial success. Project 150, encompassing Mission 21 and Mission 1, sets out a clear ambition to have the men's and women's teams winning their respective leagues by 2028, the club's 150th anniversary. Does this…

With European qualification via the Premier League an outlandish prospect, Ruben Amorim's Manchester United had two hopes of making it back into continential competition. On Sunday, two became one. Another dispiriting, disappointing showing saw Fulham defy Bruno Fernandes second-half equaliser to progress to the quarter-finals via a penalty shoot-o…

The r-word has been put to bed after Bruno Fernandes delivered three more set-piece goals (via Morsy, De Ligt, and Maguire), but there was no shortage of drama at Old Trafford on Wednesday night with Andre Onana setting hearts racing again and Patrick Dorgu dismissed on his first home start. Fighting spirit on the pitch, then, but surely a sombre m…

If you were to try and identify Manchester United's worst first half performance this season you would have a lengthy queue of candidates, but the latest showing at Goodison Park might just be it. In fact, the malaise dragged on for 70 minutes when, possibly fortunate to only be 2-0 down, the team were sparked into life by Bruno Fernandes. The capt…

Our normal schedule resumes and we're back on some familiar subject matter, but not before another big interview courtesy of the team at The Athletic; this time, Charlotte Harpur sat down with Raphael Varane and while he spoke in a measured manner he was fairly candid about his time at the club. Manchester United's accounts were published on Wednes…

It's the debut of our spin-off, in-depth, discussion podcast Talk of the Devils EXTRA and we're not afraid to dive in head first! Getting goals is the most valuable skill in football and, as a result, strikers are the most expensive players. It's also something Manchester United are really struggling with this season and a likely priority in the ne…

It was dubbed El Calamatico; a clash of two teams falling disastrously short of expectation in the Premier League this season. Unfortunately for us it was Tottenham, through Manchester United fan James Maddison, who found the crucial breakthrough. In fairness to Ruben Amorim's eleven, they had little support from the bench after a series of injurie…

No midweek game but no respite; this is Manchester United! It's an epic show with no fewer than three FA Cup round-ups after the senior men and women and the U18s all booked their opponents in their respective competitions. If things aren't going great in the Premier League, it may be even messier in the backroom where more job cuts were announced …

Harry Maguire was the hero at Old Trafford on Friday night as Manchester United progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup in entirely uncontroversial fashion... well, that's not entirely true. Yes, it was offside, but that's not the controversy we're talking about. What we want to know (as do many listeners) is why Ruben Amorim played his new lef…

The January transfer window closed on Monday with a new experience for Manchester United fans. The club's restraint in the face of deals they didn't consider good value has been met with a mixed reception by fans. So, with the help of your questions, we assess that strategy, and think about how Ruben Amorim will now address the main problem he has …

Any sense of optimism that had been building around Ruben Amorim's team was squashed by a workmanlike Crystal Palace who, remarkably, haven't conceded a goal against Manchester United in two years. Were the wounds self-inflicted? Amorim chose to move Kobbie Mainoo, excellent in Europe as a ten, to play false nine and left out both his misfiring str…

Ruben Amorim deployed Kobbie Mainoo in one of the number ten positions against FCSB as Manchester United won comfortably to ease themselves through to the last 16 of this year's UEFA Europa League. A "rotated" starting XI looked like a bit of a gamble from the Portuguese manager, but a cautious approach initially followed by the introduction of mor…

There's a case to say Lisandro Martinez is providing Manchester United's most potent attacking threat at the moment as we dig into some alarming trends with respect to the centre forwards. Positive sounding news on stadium development this week but unease continues to rumble among the fans and there was a fairly hostile response to Sir Jim Ratcliff…

Captain Bruno rescued three Europa League points for Manchester United after Cyriel Dessers looked to have earned Rangers a draw at the death. But while a European top eight finish, bypassing the play-off round, now looks likely there is still a lot of uncertainty around the club with financial question marks muddying the transfer waters. Will the …

Strong themes running through today's show as we remember United great Denis Law, the only Scottish footballer ever to win the Ballon d'Or, after his death on Friday at 84. How this current team could do with a centre forward, a goalscorer, an all-round footballer of Denis's ability. After Brighton won at Old Trafford again, Ruben Amorim called his…

Ian Irving might have been glad of a day off, very glad indeed, were it not for Amad's late show at Old Trafford on Thursday night. He became Manchester United's second youngest hat-trickster after Wayne Rooney and their first since Cristiano Ronaldo. While the 22 year-old Ivorian has a long way to achieve the stature of those two players, he is we…

After a drab first half at the Emirates Stadium, the FA Cup third round tie between Arsenal and Manchester United caught fire; so much so, that it brought back memories of the fierce rivalry between the two clubs. Bruno gave United the lead with a superb finish, but Diogo Dalot was dismissed for a rash challenge which brought a second yellow card a…

We were sceptical clubs would come in for Marcus Rashford, but just a few days after he stated his openness to a move there are already some significant suitors. Could this actually happen? Much less likely is a transfer for either Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho: the two FA Youth Cup winners may not be certain starters for Amorim, but fans nee…

A committed showing in an entertaining contest at the league leaders; how refreshing was that! It was certainly a pleasant surprise relative to our gloomy expectations. The return of Ugarte and Mainoo helped midfield, as did that of a resurgent Bruno Fernandes, but there were positive performances across the defence, from Diogo Dalot against Trent …

It was the worst month for Manchester United in 95 years, yet it started with a four-nil victory and included a famous derby win. We attempt to pick apart the problems of a team learning new patterns of play while negotiating a hectic festive programme and with their most valuable player deemed un-selectable, for the time being at least. Is there m…

The stats don't make for pretty reading after Bournemouth won 3-0 at Old Trafford, just as they did on their previous visit. In fact, United are setting all the wrong trends with Ruben Amorim's honeymoon period, if he ever had one, well and truly over. The Marcus Rashford situation might not be exactly what fans are making of it, but after he was l…

Ruben Amorim rang the changes again as Manchester United tumbled out of the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage against Tottenham. Spare a thought, especially, for the goalkeeping coaches. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford has responded to his recent non-selection by telling journalist Henry Winter that he is now looking for a 'new challenge'. But, man…

Amad Diallo flipped a dismal derby on its head in the final ten minutes as Manchester United came from behind to win at the Etihad Stadium. Ruben Amorim took a sizeable gamble by leaving Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho out of the squad and, with Mason Mount injured after fifteen minutes, it looked to have backfired. However, the young Ivoria…

The Czech town of Plzen created a special beer to celebrate the visit of Manchester United, but after Andre Onana sold Matthijs De Ligt short, the Reds needed a Rasmus Hojlund double to round off the night. After a turgid first half Hojlund, along with Ruben Amorim's other substitutes, injected pace and purpose bringing United level almost immediat…

After a tumultuous, albeit entirely precedented, weekend at Manchester United football club we break down two huge exclusives involving the team. On Sunday The Athletic's David Ornstein, Adam Crafton, and Laurie Whitwell combined to reveal that Sporting Director Dan Ashworth would leave after just five months in the job. Meanwhile, Andy Mitten publ…

Wednesday night's fixture at the Emirates stadium went roughly as expected, including the method of scoring, but was no less disappointing as a result. Ruben Amorim made six changes to his starting line-up, with more alterations in-game, but he loses his impressive personal unbeaten run in the league. Forest are no pushovers this season, we look at…

Manchester United four, Everton nil. It's the type of result that shouldn't be as rare as it has become but we're happy with the scoreline and delighted with the performance of the team, despite a fairly unspectacular opening period. Amad Diallo was the man of the match, a 'professional pest' and provider of the fourth goal. That was scored by Josh…

Ruben Amorim's first home match in charge of Manchester United started with a bang and ended with a win over Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt. But, it wasn't all plain sailing; the visitors fought back to lead 2-1 after Garnacho's super-early strike (even quicker than Rashford v Ipswich) and the result wasn't assured until the final whistle blew. A m…

Marcus Rashford was on the scoresheet after just 81 seconds of Ruben Amorim's first game as Manchester United manager, rounding off a very encouraging move after good work from Amad Diallo. Unfortuntately, that was as good as it got with Kieran McKenna's Ipswich fighting back to earn a point; perhaps a lesson for the Portuguese on exactly how compe…

Premier League football returns after the November international break and the trip to Ipswich this Sunday(!) was on absolutely nobody's lips at Carrington on Friday. That's because a sizeable press contingent had assembled to greet the club's new manager, or should that be head coach, Ruben Amorim. Ian, Laurie, and Carl took part in said press con…

The podcast team have returned from touring Britain and Ireland and we're wearing our fatigue heavily; well, some of us are... others are buzzing for Amorim's United. But, what's the right way to deal with the excitement? It would be another huge boost to have Tyrell Malacia, a genuine left-back, returning to the pitch. He has been talking exclusiv…

The lads are feeling a little bit worse for wear as we record in our hotel lobby after two nights on tour at Manchester's Lowry Theatre and the Limelight in Belfast. It's a relatively quiet week at Manchester United with the new manager getting his feet under the desk amid a men's international break, but Laurie had a (short-lived) exclusive when w…

The era of Ruud's interim Reds has come to an end, and it's been a near-perfect run. Three wins from four games, including Sunday's 3-0 win over Leicester, sees confidence much-improved since Erik Ten Hag left. Ruben Amorim was due to start work at Manchester United on Monday 11th November, but visa friction may mean a slight delay. Nevertheless, w…