Laurie Whitwell (and his cat, Ron) makes a podcast comeback with Ian Irving and Andy Mitten (and his dog). Manchester United beat Leeds at the second time of asking with another goal from Marcus Rashford and one from the recently-criticised Alejandro Garnacho. It wasn't vintage football but it's a huge result, especially with so many rivals dropping points this weekend. As we speak the team, and the fans, are Barcelona-bound for the the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Play-off. It's not the ...
Feb 13, 2023•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving, Andy Mitten, and Carl Anka assemble under the eaves at Old Trafford with The Athletic's new boy Mark Critchley. It was a disappointing result, certainly, as visitors Leeds United caught Ten Hag's men cold, not once but twice! However, there was a warm glow in the air (and on Andy's face) after Marcus Rashford and the returning Jadon Sancho scored to salvage a draw. On that evidence, the trip to Elland Road will prove a tough test, but we're hoping one or two of the seven first team p...
Feb 09, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving is joined by Carl Anka and Andy Mitten with live breaking news as we preview Wednesday night's game against Roses rivals Leeds United. Of course, on Saturday Marcus Rashford scored again as Manchester United beat Crystal Palace at Old Trafford; but, the result was overshadowed (slightly) by Casemiro's red card. Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 06, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast No apologies; Ian Irving, Andy Mitten, and Carl Anka are excited about Manchester United going to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final after Erik Ten Hag named a strong line-up for the semi-final, 2nd leg, and Forest proved no match at Old Trafford. And, with Christian Eriksen ruled out for several weeks through injury, we take a look at the deadline day loan move for Bayern Munich's Austrian midfielder Marcel Sabitzer. We said there was a chance! Produced by Ollie Bellwood *** • Get 20% Off and FR...
Feb 02, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving, Andy Mitten, and Carl Anka review another comfortable home win, this time the FA Cup clash with Paul Ince's Reading. Casemiro was the main man once again, even scoring twice, and he's loving life in England. Everything's evolving nicely under Erik Ten Hag, and Carl's taken a close look at their development for The Athletic, but with Christian Eriksen facing some time out, how much will they miss him during a hectic February? Produced by Ollie Bellwood. *** • Get 20% Off and FREE ship...
Jan 30, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving, Andy Mitten, and Carl Anka are in good spirits (in one case, quite literally) and we've added a musical twist to the show as we celebrate taking control of the EFL Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. Taking a three goal lead into the home leg means Erik Ten Hag should be able to rotate his squad over the next few days. The optimism is flowing, so much so that we're not too downbeat about a slightly ominous financial report on Manchester United from The Athletic's Matt Slater. P...
Jan 26, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Andy Mitten and Laurie Whitwell join Ian Irving for a jam-packed Monday edition, sore from a rousing but ultimately fruitless trip to North London. Still, there's a Carabo Cup semi-final to look forward to... and, after changes to the Stretford End were announced, there's another Old Trafford date for our WSL table-toppers. Produced by Ollie Bellwood *** • Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period to take your business to the next level at shopify.com/reddevils • Get a FREE 1 year supply o...
Jan 23, 2023•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving, Andy Mitten, Carl Anka, and Laurie Whitwell were on cloud nine after the Manchester derby but it's down to Earth with a bump as United cost themselves two Premier League points with sloppiness at Selhurst Park. Casemiro has become a vital presence in midfield, so much so that Erik Ten Hag chose to start with him on Wednesday night, and it proved costly. A yellow card means he will miss the trip to the Emirates to face league leaders Arsenal; perhaps we could do with another brilliant...
Jan 19, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast The podcast team were all in attendance, and a little giddy, as Manchester United fought back from a goal down to claim victory over City and move to within a point of Guardiola's men in the Premier League table. After a first half masterclass from Erik Ten Hag, with some bold team selections allied to a canny strategy, Jack Grealish gave City the lead. But, United showed resilience and guts to equalise through Fernandes and Marcus Rashford took his Old Trafford scoring run into the record books...
Jan 14, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving, Andy Mitten, and Laurie Whitwell discuss the Carabao Cup quarter final win over Charlton, Manchester City's shock exit at Southampton, and the form of the two sides going into Saturday's derby. And, as progress with the loan deal for Dutch striker Wout Weghorst picks up speed, The Athletic's analysis of United's recruitment system is proving a popular read. Laurie fills us in on the background to that article. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 12, 2023•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Carl Anka was at Old Trafford for the "standard home win" against Everton in the FA Cup third round on Friday night and he joins Ian Irving and Andy Mitten to reflect on another superb showing from Marcus Rashford, de Gea's wobbles, and encouragement for Antony. Next up, Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup quarter-final; they're managed by Dean Holden, a huge United fan, and one Andy knows very well. And, of course, we had to talk about the surprising news that MUFC are in talks with Burnley (a...
Jan 09, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Erik Ten Hag's Manchester United made it six wins in a row with a comfortable victory at home against Bournemouth with several individuals putting in good performances. Luke Shaw was the main man for new Athletic writer Mark Critchley but Casemiro showed his class again, David de Gea played an important role, and Marcus Rashford hit a six of his own. Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 04, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast A podcast full house as we reflect on Marcus Rashford's eventful New Year's Eve. Having arrived late to a team meeting, he was dropped to the bench, but made a match-winning contribution when called on at half-time. The handling of that incident capped a flawless 2022 for Erik Ten Hag and we're optimistic he will bring success in 2023 as well... but has he seen Ariana Grande on a milk-float? Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 01, 2023•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manchester United eased into the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup, where they will play Charlton Athletic, and returned to Premier League action with a comfortable home win over Nottingham Forest. However, the big news is that it looks like long-time transfer target Cody Gakpo will sign for Liverpool in January, with United choosing not to match the bid from Anfield. Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 28, 2022•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast The World Cup finished two days ago and it's less than a week until Christmas, but we have two competitive fixtures to discuss! Vincent Kompany's Burnley come to Old Trafford on Wednesday night and Nottingham Forest will be the visitors on the 27th December. Meanwhile, Andy has been doing some digging into the club's January transfer targets, and there are two Avram Glazer updates from The Athletic's intrepid reporters in Doha. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 20, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Athletic's podcast dedicated to Manchester United returns in time for Christmas with a full complement in healthy voice, ready and raring to go. Under discussion, the potential pitfalls of a sale and how it might affect the running of the club, the realistic January options to replace Ronaldo, and what Erik Ten Hag has been doing with the non-World Cup players in (massive) Spain. Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast What a day! Just when you thought things might be a bit quieter with the World Cup fully underway in Qatar we get, not one United bombshell, but two huge stories. First, news of Ronaldo's immediate release after the club and player reached a mutually exclusive agreement. Ordinarily, that would be the story of the month, but just a couple of hours later it became apparent that the Glazer family have instructed banks to seek out new investment avenues. Could that mean a sale? It certainly looks li...
Nov 23, 2022•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell starts the pod with the breaking news that Manchester United are exploring the possibility of terminating Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract after his interview with Piers Morgan. Laurie is then joined by Ian Irving, Carl Anka and Andy Mitten to get their thoughts on that Ronaldo interview. We also get the views of thousands of subscribers to The Athletic who responded to our poll. Then we'll hear from former United keeper Edwin van der Sar, now CEO at Ajax, talking abou...
Nov 18, 2022•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast News broke late on Sunday that Cristiano Ronaldo has made accusations against senior figures at Manchester United in a dramatically timed interview with tabloid journalist Piers Morgan. It will dominate the headlines, no doubt about that, but many fans of the club may be suspicious of his 'revelations'. The interview somewhat overshadowed Alejandro Garnacho's late winner at Fulham in United's last game before the mid-season World Cup break. We've been hyping up the young Argentinian's performanc...
Nov 14, 2022•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving is joined by The Athletic's Andy Mitten & Carl Anka to look back on a mad game at Old Trafford that saw United see off Aston Villa in the league cup with Marcus Rashford & Alejandro Garnacho shining. Is this the best version of Rashford we've seen? Has Alejandro Garnacho arrived now as a United player? There is also a discussion about the form of Jadon Sancho - who didn't make the England World Cup squad - & Donny van de Beek who struggled again when given a chance. Learn more about y...
Nov 11, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving, Carl Anka, Andy Mitten and Laurie Whitwell are on hand for live(ish) reaction to the Europa League draw which saw United paired with Barcelona in knock-out playoffs, a game they're already calling the Mitten Derby. That's something to fear/look forward to in February. In the meantime though, the gang look back on the dire 3-1 defeat at Villa Park and wonder what next for poor Donny and, er, Ronny. What changes will Erik Ten Hag make when these two sides meet again in the League Cup t...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Ian Irving is joined by Andy Mitten & The Athletic's Pol Ballus in San Sebastian to reflect on United's win at Real Sociedad in the Europa League that wasn't enough for United to top the group, meaning a play-off is needed to make the play-offs. A night of mixed emotions that saw Alejandro Garnacho score the winner in the first half and ended with Harry Maguire playing upfront with Cristiano Ronaldo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 04, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Marcus Rashford's West Ham winner was his 100th goal for Manchester United and the landmark put him in reflective mood about his struggles last season and the change in "headspace" that has seen him return to form this term. It wasn't always pretty but the team looked solid at the back; David de Gea made some heroic saves and the back four all had good games. United are now unbeaten in eight and looking forward to a potentially season-defining group decider in the Europa League. Learn more about...
Oct 30, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast A start and a goal for Ronaldo, early withdrawals for some key players, and a bright performance from young forward Alejandro Garnacho. It wasn't the most exciting game, but everything went right on the night; well, almost everything... David de Gea's contract is up this summer and, while the club have an option to extend that deal for 12 months, Athletic writer Pol Ballus isn't sure they will. Another David; Moyes (NOT May), brings West Ham to Old Trafford on Sunday and the podcast team are con...
Oct 28, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Casemiro's last-gasp header showed the player's fierce desire has not waned after his transfer from Real Madrid, and it summed up the team spirit shown at Stamford Bridge. United had dominated the early part of the game, but having conceded to Jorginho's penalty with just minutes left, it feel like a "winning draw". It all happened without Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, and his future will become clearer when the squad is announced for the Europa League fixture on Thursday. Better news on the clu...
Oct 24, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast A win against Spurs this season was always going to be impressive, but the manner of that victory had the podcast team purring. From midfield dominance, to cutting edge in attack, with fullbacks linking seamlessly, it was described as "one of the best performances in years and years". We look at what it means for Ten Hag, the players not involved (including that one), and the trip to Chelsea on Saturday. Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 20, 2022•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Newcastle have one win from their last 40 visits to Old Trafford, but that statistic will bring little relief to fans frustrated by a scratchy Sunday stalemate. Ronaldo, Sancho, and Antony started but couldn't find the net, and Marcus Rashford missed a golden chance with a late header. The last home win during the month of October was in 2019 and that wait could be extended with a strong Tottenham side visiting in midweek. No such problems for Manchester United's women who went top of the WSL wi...
Oct 16, 2022•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the 93rd minute, Scott McTominay did what his teammates had failed to do with more than thirty previous efforts; he beat Omonia Nicosia's back-up goalkeeper, and big Manchester United fan, Francis Uzoho. The Europa League win brings nothing but relief for Erik Ten Hag and his squad: while topping the group is still possible, they had to work very hard for the result with a very busy schedule coming up. We bring you the latest on Newcastle at home, Chelsea away, and Jim Ratcliffe's downbeat st...
Oct 14, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manchester United put their derby despair behind them with a win at Goodison Park thanks to a goal from Antony and another from Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter's 700th in club competition. Ronaldo's former Real Madrid teammate, Casemiro, provided the assist and it was an eventful evening for the Brazilian midfielder on his first Premier League start. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 10, 2022•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Manchester United beat Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus but not before, with his side 1-0 down, Erik Ten Hag made two half-time substitutions and demanded more running from his team. Goals from Marcus Rashford (x 2) and Anthony Martial did give United the win but it was much closer than it should have been and Ten Hag has plenty of question marks going into a tough October schedule. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 07, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
