Striker Hunt Begins: Can United Land Viktor Gyökeres Before Pre-Season?
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Hello and welcome along to the latest episode of the Manchester Isle Pred podcast for the Manchester Evening News. My name is George Smith and alongside me is Stephen Railston. Stephen, how are you doing?

very well george um played at the in the old trafford media game yesterday it was the mbfc media team against the journalists the first year we haven't disgraced ourselves which was uh very good i believe it was it was 2-2 in the end and sam homewood scored both goals for our side which was a bit controversial because last year he played for united's team um he had legs so thankfully we could send him through and he had a bit of pace um i did the free peak challenge at the weekend george which was

I did that in 24 hours and 35 minutes. You can imagine my legs were quite sore on Monday morning, but I still battled through. I think I played around 55 minutes to an hour, which I was impressed with. So yeah, I was happy with my performance in the end. So very enjoyable and always a huge privilege to play at Old Trafford.

So essentially, you've come back to work for a rest then, really? Yeah, that's what it feels like. But yeah, I did notice that you'd been in action, got to grace the Old Trafford pitch yesterday. So memories created there for you, Steve, I'm sure.

Yeah. We obviously played last year. There was a lot of, a lot of former pros playing last year. So it kind of influenced the dynamic. I mean, we had them on our team and we're still lost, but it was way more competitive this year. We're more enjoyable because of that. We had Mickey Gray, who's a bit of a ringer, but he does a lot of work. He covers United for Talk Sport. He's obviously a former Premier League footballer. And it is a bit surreal when you're telling them where to be or what he should be doing. Yeah.

Telling the former Premier League footballer what to do. Yeah, interesting. Well, good times. But before we dive into the main crux of this podcast, we must offer a shout out to our podcast sponsor, Saley, which is a brand owned by NordVPN that is a new eSIM service app that you can use abroad if you're in desperate need of an internet connection. You can download Saley in your app store and use code MANCHESTER

Check out to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase. For more information, please go to our description box after this video. So with the formalities out of the way, Stephen, we'll dive into the topic that we're here for. And that is obviously Manchester United transfers is still the main talking point. It seems weird sitting here on the 10th of June saying it's deadline day. It's a bit weird this year with the Club World Cup taking place. It's kind of got a mid-window deadline, if you like, at 7pm this evening.

unless anything happens that we're not aware of, United are not going to be doing anything before the window temporarily closes this evening. But in all honesty, a week or so into the window, I think United will be pretty chuffed with what they've been able to achieve, cutting you through the door, seemingly making progress on getting Mbwemo in. So if you'd have offered United to find that last Sunday morning, they'd have snagged your hand off, I'd imagine.

yeah i've asked a question i'm just waiting on a response but the expectation is that there's very slim chance of um anything being announced on or communicated in any direction on in bram or today of course that could change we're recording in the morning and it's a tuesday morning isn't it i've lost track of my days having been up the mountains like a mountain goat

um but yeah it's been a very good start as you said george we obviously discussed the the kuna deal um on the the last podcast when we were on i think you've done one with thai haven't you since then and of course obviously they've launched the bid for for brian and breno um of brentford uh subsequently i think obviously around 45 million with 10 million pounds in add-ons which uh has fallen short of brentford's expectations

that's no surprise really um it's it's probably going to take around 65 to 70 perhaps um to get bramble across the line he's obviously a proven premier league player just like kuna which is why i'm such a big fan of these transfers i think they should be

Excellent additions if they can obviously pull off the Mbwemo deal. I've been really fond of Mbwemo for a long time, actually. I mean, it was excellent in the Championship with Brentford, who there's a lot of talk of expected goals on this podcast.

And Samuel obviously doesn't like them. But Brentford were basically the Championship's biggest XG performers for a long time before their promotion. For around two seasons, their XG pointed at them being promoted. They were obviously eventually promoted. And they're all heavily into their day. They're at that football club. That's how they sign players. And that's how they have success with their transfers. And Brembo was one of those players

I've said there was no expectation on Bramwell, just going to message through that there's slim chances today. So there you go, there's confirmation on that. But again, not expecting anything today, but look, it's a chance where something could happen, I suppose. Anything can happen. Back to Bramwell, yeah, we're in the Premier League, fantastic season.

And I think they've obviously, Brentford and Brembo have kind of been the perfect match for each other. They've kind of come up together and they've developed together. And Brembo has established himself in the top flight and Brentford have done that as a Premier League club as well. And he's been hugely pivotal in that success. And it just feels inevitable that now he's going to have a bit of a, I don't want to be disrespectful to Brentford, but a bigger move, a quote unquote bigger move.

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And it's interesting to see he's obviously been linked with Tottenham in the last few days, who are closing in on Thomas Frank, having sacked Ange Posakoglu at the Europa League final. And whether that will change anything at all, I personally doubt it, because Mbrembo has indicated that he wants to move to Manchester. So I don't think that will. But again, I probably just want to keep an eye on.

Yeah, it's certainly going to create headlines, which it already is doing. It was inevitable once the Thomas Frank to Tottenham links started. And obviously it doesn't look like that managerial move is going to happen. But like you've said there, Stephen, Mbwema's got his heart set on Old Trafford. He wants the move similar to Mateus Cunha. They've both wanted to make this switch and that's going to give United an added incentive to try and get it done. But you make a good point about Mbwema, about how he's become established in the Premier League.

Him and Kunya between them since the beginning of the 23-24 season. 56 Premier League goals between them. Remarkable return for mid-table clubs, shall we say. Obviously, Wolves have flirted with relegation a little bit in that time. But Mbwema, when he first came into Brentford in the Championship from France, formed that formidable front three with Oli Watkins, Saeed Benrahma. And those two obviously established themselves pretty well in the Premier League as well. So Brentford have been the perfect example. Similarly,

perhaps from a lower base in comparison to Brighton, are plucking gems and then selling them on for bigger fees. But as we've seen with others, it's been a recipe for success. And we've both said many times in both on this podcast, written work, that we'd like to see United go for established Premier League ready players. Yeah, it's an interesting kind of shift in policy, isn't it, I suppose? Because when you look at Dalash, where a few is probably...

when he was looking at um alternatives to eric ten hog he was probably going up that avenue where he was looking at premier league proven managers and they actually took a different direction and obviously ashworth left the club but now with their recruitment they are heading into that direction again whether looking to sign premier league proven players

It's low risk, isn't it? But it does come at a higher cost. These players aren't going to come cheaply because Premier League clubs have money. They don't really need to sell. And obviously the stock of these players are incredibly high. So that's why Wolves could, well, obviously Kuna had a release clause, which helped, but they negotiated that in his new contract.

so for 62.5 million and now in Buemo Brentford are in a good position and with the PSR I think financially they're all right so they don't necessarily have to sell in Buemo he's obviously got a year left on his contract they've got the option of another year so essentially he's got two years left on his deal so that's obviously gives them some bargaining power in negotiation so yeah they can hold out for a bit but I do think this is this is one that should get done because of the players um

the player's desire and he's obviously indicated that he would like to move how long it will take is another matter um you'd like to think by the end of june again because that's an important psr deadline june 30th and united will intend to get it over the line before then um but as you said we're in this weird situation aren't we where this transfer window is closing and then opening again for this stupid club world cup which is absurd no one's going to watch either

I'm certainly not. I've got no aspirations, no ambitions to watch it, but it is what it is and we soldier on. But realistically then, Stephen, if Mbwemo does get across the line and he comes in, the general expectation is that he's going to occupy that right-sided number 10 spot with Kunja expected to play in the left position of that role. All of a sudden, it looks like a potentially very formidable attack. And obviously there is one position in the middle of those two that still needs to be filled and we'll come on to that.

But for Mbwema, if he was to come in, the likelihood is Ahmad goes to right wing back. You've got a very excited potential partnership down that right flank with goals, pace, creativity. And all of a sudden, United have gone from being a team, the rift of attacking ideas, to potentially one of the best in the league, certainly on paper.

It's funny, isn't it? Because as you said on paper, that was the important thing to say. I mean, it could potentially go from having one of the worst attacks in the Premier League to having on paper one of the most exciting attacks. And I think other clubs will be looking around and be quite envious, actually, of the business United are looking to do at the start of this window.

especially after the season they had in 15th, losing in the Europa League final, to make such a strong start to the window is incredibly encouraging. United scored 44 goals in the Premier League last season. Absolutely abysmal. Just saw two players. I think Mbwemu Mkuna scored, is it 37?

35, I think. 35, yeah. I remember I noted it in an article the other day, but as I said, I've been off for a few days. So there you go. What's that? Nine for you. I mean, that's remarkable, isn't it? For two players to kind of get so close to a full team's output.

it's probably a good reflection on both of them and it shows how well they performed last season and it's also it does not do this current crop of players any favours and it highlights how bad and two-flinched they've been really so they should really add some cutting edge to that side which is needed and

And again, really encouraging because we've all seen what the biggest problem on the pitch is this season. United cannot put the ball in the back of the net and they're looking to address that. A striker would obviously be the icing on the cake, wouldn't it, alongside those two. And you're right, it's interesting, again, to see how it affects the rest of the squad because Ahmad has played in that position. Gennadjo is set to leave, obviously, who is kind of operated in that left-sided role today.

you'd imagine Ahmad would play a right wing back I was kind of making the argument to move him there permanently and before his ankle injury I just thought there was more creativity on the pitch it would allow if I played there and you can have another number 10 in that position and but that would obviously haven't me having someone more defensive minded on the left and is Patrick Dogu defensively good enough to kind of cover Ahmad so

So there's a lot of moving parts and the midfield needs to be right. Again, where does that leave you? Guardia and Maneu as we discussed on the last podcast. There's a lot of questions, isn't there, to be answered in the next coming weeks, next six weeks or so leading up to pre-season.

Yeah, there's a lot of moving parts in all of this. And it's impossible at this point to say, isn't it, what this squad is going to look like. And Amrim's already accepted the squad doesn't need to be as big with no European football. Next season's been a lot of free and clear midweeks to spend on the training ground. So United could play as few as 40 games next season if they crash out of the League Cup and the FA Cup at the first hurdle. So it could be, in that sense, a...

a scenario where it's good collectively, but there could be individuals struggling for game time. But you've raised a good point there about Ahmad moving to right wing back. I remember Ruben Amri when I actually found the quotes out yesterday, I dug them out, where he said that he could imagine Ahmad long-term playing in that wing back role, preferring though at that point when he had to move forward, wanting a left footer in that right side number 10 position. So Mbwemo is a perfect fit. He had goals, he's got pace, power, aggression. So really,

If Mbwemo comes in, it feels like that partnership could well be set in stone. And where does that leave someone like Mason Mount, who obviously Amri Madoz, you said last week, he loves him. There could be some players there that are struggling for game time, but you've got to think of the team rather than individuals, haven't you?

Yeah, I mean, can any of these players, can you protect any of these players that have been part of this absolutely abysmal season? No. When we've talked about kind of what the squad might look at, what it might look like in the new season, none of these players deserve to be protected. None of these players deserve to have their positions in the team safeguarded. Everything is up for grabs after finishing 15th in the Premier League. They were shocking the need to be replaced.

is the bottom line, essentially. That's going to take time. There's obviously players who need to be kept and there's players who will play a part of successful teams going forward. But the majority of the dressing room, I think everyone would agree, fell incredibly short of the club's high standards and aren't good enough. They've shown that, unfortunately. Look, there's probably around 10 players, maybe that's a stretch, that you'd say should be kept and can play a part in a really successful side.

You just mentioned Mason Mount there. There's been peaks and troughs, I think, with Mount. Obviously, his fitness record has been a bit concerning, but he kind of got the fitness there at the end of the season. Some promising performances, his two goals in the semi-finals against Bill Bowerd, Old Trafford, and the Europa League, of course. Great goals from the halfway line. That was a brilliant strike. And then the Europa League final, I don't know, he just wasn't that good, was he? Yeah.

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Well, nobody was, to be fair. Well, yeah, I was going to say bad performance. It probably was a bad performance. I was going to describe it as indifferent, but it wasn't great. So that was disappointing. But you're right. Yeah, I don't think anyone really had a good game. Fernandes was off it that night, wasn't he, and Ahmad? And they were the biggest creative outlet. So that's why they lost. But yeah, the bottom line is I don't think any of these players can have complaints if they have competition and they lose their places because they have just been part of a shocking season.

Yeah, they have. And I think most people have got a list in their mind of the players they'd realistically like to see the club try and move on this. So we know there's a few that the club are actively going to try and shift. Marcus Rashford, Sancho, Gonaccio, Anthony. Then obviously there's a little bit of a few question marks of the likes of Casemiro. Would anybody want to take Luke Shaw with his injury record? We know the pattern. We know what the likelihood is of certain players moving on. But

Moving on, Stephen, looking at that elusive number nine spot, we know it's the position that United simply have to strengthen this summer, come what may, however they do it. Liam de Lappe's been and gone. It seems like there's two or three names now that are just continuously bubbling away, such as Victor Osserman, Victor Jokeres, been a few links with Jonathan David.

So it does feel like there is an expectation that it could be one of those three. We don't know what's going to happen. Sales are going to dictate what's possible. But over the last 24 hours, there's been quite a lot of rumours again linking Jokeres and being reports that he's not happy with the sporting hierarchy for increasing their valuation of him.

But to me, this is a gut feeling. This isn't on any sort of intel or inside knowledge. It's just a gut feeling. I think it could be destined that Victor Jokeres is the striker they end up with this summer, but it could take a while to get everything done. It would be a brilliant addition. I mean, the two names, Jokeres and Osherman, would be the leading candidates, wouldn't they? We discussed their goalscoring records on the last podcast. I mean, Osherman, clearly the issue there is the wage demands. His move to Chelsea collapsed at the 11th hour last summer because of his wage demands.

That's obviously why he ended up at Galatasaray. Antonio Conte decided that he wasn't part of his plans at Napoli, so he needed to ship him out and that's why he ended up in the Turkish division. In this summer, it looks like the same with Oshman. I think there's been reports of him failing to agree terms with Al-Halal. Again, they've been up the mountains, I'm not sure what the latest is on that.

if al-halal are thinking your demands are too much then bloody hell victor what are you asking for um it makes you football was way simpler wasn't it 20 years ago you think back to paul gascoigne joining top of united

and he famously got persuaded to join Tottenham over joining Sir Alex Ferguson because a sunbed and a car for his dad was thrown into the deal and he thought that'll do for me so he moved down south and joined Tottenham instead of going to Old Trafford he probably would have been on the street and narrow a bit more if he'd moved to United over Tottenham anyways that's a different story but yeah it just goes to show you I mean Osherman's demands are clearly very very high and United have lowered the wage bill

Since INEOS have gained control of football operations and they've deliberately brought that down and players who are signed now are offered lower wages, they still pay good money and that's why players will obviously want to move. Along with the prestige of the club, it still obviously means something, which again is encouraging after such a bad season. They can still sign really big players and be attractive to the likes of Bramwell and Cooter.

But yeah, for that reason, it's starting to feel that Gokrez is probably more realistic. I'd agree with that. But Arsenal might be the elephant in the room. They've been heavily linked with them as well. They need a striker. A striker really feels like the missing piece of their jigsaw, whereas at United...

It's just a missing piece. There's probably 12 missing pieces, isn't there? In a huge jigsaw. The box is scattered on the floor and it's broken, but Arsenal's is a bit more complete and it just needs finishing with a centre-forward. So if you've got Cores and you get offered Arsenal, United, objectively, you would probably have to sign for Arsenal because of the position they're in. Champions League football in the Premier League, competing for Premier League titles.

they're further ahead and they are where Amram wants to be in a few years but Amram knows Grocares and he has that up his sleeve so that could be hugely decisive as well in potential negotiations

Yeah, that could be the key attraction, couldn't it? That relationship he's got with Ruben Amorim and his record under him at Sporting, both before and then after Amorim left to go to Old Trafford, has just been exceptional. I mean, 97 goals in 102 games. It's Haaland-level numbers. It's absolutely sensational. I know a lot of people will point out that the Portuguese top four... George, you need to be careful. You need to be careful with your Haaland comparisons because you know the last striker who's compared to Haaland?

Go on. Rasmus Weyland. I don't know why he was there. He's just a Scandinavian. That worked out well, didn't it? Yeah, there were some strange comparisons with Weyland in Haaland before he signed. But I think, obviously, a lot of people will point out on Jokka Rez's figures that the Portuguese top flight, with respect, is not as difficult as, say, the Premier League is.

But I just think ultimately, if we're going to argue about how some leagues are more difficult than others, this, that and the other, who do you go for? Because Liam de Lappe would have been an enormous gamble again, like Rasmus Hoyle and Joshua Xerxe. But Jokka, as his figures over the last two seasons, prove that he is a reliable goal scorer. He's done it on the international stage with Sweden as well. So I just think there comes a point where people get so hooked up on, will he do this for style of play? Can he do it in this league?

Ultimately, strikers are judged on goals and he scores goals and his record is there for everybody to see.

Completely agree. His profile, it just seems right, doesn't it? I mean, United need to sign someone of that profile. Late 20s. I made the point last season on a podcast with Samuel and I actually went through the Premier League top goalscorers. It might have been, I don't know, maybe in March time or April time. And the top 10, with the exception of Cole Palmer, I believe, were aged from 25 onwards. So, I mean...

It's very difficult for a young striker to kind of, in the Premier League, to have really, really high output, I think, and to consistently do that. It has to be a really special player. Look at like a Wayne Rooney, for example, that kind of player. Strikers kind of come into the room, I think, in the late 20s, and yeah, Gokrez and Oshman both take that box. Gokrez, again, has previous experience of playing across here. Obviously, his time at Brighton wasn't a success, but

But his time at Coventry was, and the Championship is not an easy division. And you look at the players that have come out of the Championship, actually, in the last five or ten years, and it has been a really good breeding ground for a lot of excellent talent. I think it's quite an underrated division. And I think if top Premier League clubs signed players in the Championship more often, instead of allowing...

lower Premier League clubs to sign those players, develop them and then sell them for big bucks. That would be maybe an intelligent strategy. But again, as we always make this point, the demands are different at the bigger clubs like United. You need to hit the ground running straight away. If you join Crystal Palace, for example, like Adam Wharton from Blackburn, you're allowed time to thrive and develop. If he's thrown into United, is he going to

take his game to that level at that speed? Probably not because of the weight of expectation and the scrutiny. So it's horses for courses. It's a bit different. That is the thing, isn't it? Obviously, Premier League clubs have all got demands, but at United they are tenfold to most. We know that they are exceptionally high standards that are set, but you raised a good point there about Championship talent stepping up in recent years. And I think the one that comes to my mind most often in terms of scoring goals at a regular rate has been Jared Bowen.

from Hull City to West Ham, being a consistent source of goals. Ollie Watkins, wasn't all that long ago, he was playing in League Two with Exeter, went to Brentford, then obviously went on to Aston Villa, Ivan Toney as well, playing League One with Peterborough.

Harry Kane, many, many moons ago, he was on loan in League One with Leighton Orient and that's not worked out so bad. So, yeah, you've got to make your step up at some point. Not everybody can do it, but there has been improved examples of players doing so. Gokre is the latest, isn't he, George? Because he's gone on to do that. And like you say, they need someone with that goal scoring record. They need someone who is the closest guaranteed to goals they can find. And at the moment in the market, it's Gokre as an Oshman.

Well, that's the thing, isn't it, with Victor Jokeres? For me, in my opinion, as you know, Stephen, I'm a bit of a championship nerd. I'm obsessed with the division. I support a team in the division. But two seasons ago, before he joined Sporting Lisbon, Jokeres, in my opinion, was the best striker outside the Premier League in this country. He was exceptional. Pace, power, aggression, all types of goals, box movement. And now, all of a sudden, he's gone from being a player that was sold for about £22 million to being arguably the most sought-after striker in Europe with an unbelievable record.

For me, it's just enough.

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He knows the system Amri wants to play. He knows him. And if you're bringing in a player like Brene Mbwemo, in addition to Kunya to play with him, he's got some unbelievable firepower to go alongside him. You've still got Bruno Fernandes, Ahmad, Mason Mount potentially as well, if he can stay fit. You've got a lot of talent there that can create and supply. And if he needs to persuade us, if it's between Arsenal and United...

can just say, well, I'll throw in a sunbed in the car and I'm sure that'll get the other guy crazy with the United. That might convince him. We shall see. But it's going to be interesting to see what happens on this striker search and I've

I've actually done a piece on it this morning, sort of looking at how it would be nice if they could get a striker in before they head on the pre-season tour. Because you think about last year, Hoyland got injured in the first game, the season before he didn't arrive until the tour was finished. Xerxes didn't go on the tour last year because of commitments with the Netherlands at the Euros, was granted an additional break. So United have not had a striker in position for a pre-season, for a full pre-season for a few years now. So it would be nice. But of course, the elephant in the room,

is getting sales over the line and raising funds because I think we're all agreed that if they get this Mbuemo deal done, that will be it until additional funds are brought in via sales. Yeah, and you've got three really good sales that you can kind of push through really with obviously Rashford, Anthony and Sancho and that should at least make up 100 million you'd like to think. Real Betis obviously would like to sign Anthony.

i just think that's obvious that they probably won't permanently because they they probably won't have the money unfortunately it always seems to be the case when united's players go on loan and and succeed in these instances and the club are like oh fantastic we want to keep them but we can't afford well p.o you've got to pay the price for what they're worth and

I think it's the money they need for Ante. I think it's £35 million. It might just be a little bit less than that to prevent a loss in the books for PSR. So, look, on the form that he showed for Real Betis, I think he's definitely worth that, considering, I know they're grossly overpaid, but you've got to kind of factor in his last few years, how badly he's underperformed. But still, I think he is worth around £35 million. The upside he's shown out in Spain, I mean, I couldn't believe it, really. I was watching...

I can't remember if it was his last game, one of his last games before the conference, he finally cut inside in the last minute and he scored to go 2-1 up. It was a bored Sunday night watching that match and it was just stunning. Where's this Anthony been? It's remarkable, really. But there's plenty of reasons why it's chalk and cheese, really. We'll not get into those. That's a very different podcast. But yeah, you're right. Sales will be key to that and they should raise a decent amount of those free pass.

Yeah, you'd like to think so. Obviously, Garnaccio as well could attract a handsome fee if they can find a buyer for him. Obviously, Napoli had a £40 million bid turned down in January, but you'd expect for somebody of his quality and potential upwards of £50 easily. So we'll see what happens on that one. But on the subject of exits, Stephen, the retainers dropped yesterday. No major surprise. We all knew that the three senior players that are departing were going to be listed in Victor Lindelof, Johnny Evans and

Christian Eriksen, they'll all officially leave at the end of June. Tom Heaton's been offered a new deal. Talks are ongoing over him, which Tyrone Marshall did report a few weeks back was possible. A few youngsters, though, are departing. A few of them you reported a few weeks back that they were going to be on their way. Jack Kingdom being one of them. So no real surprise in the form of the retainers, to be truthful.

Yeah, no real surprises. Obviously, we knew Ericsson and Lindelof were heading out at the end of their contracts and they all said goodbye on the final day of the season. Tom Heaton, a really good character around the place. It's a bit of a cliche, but he is. He's a good role model. He's very hands-on as well with the young players at Carrington. And I think there's been a bit of a surprise that he hasn't played more often, actually. He's on

He's only made a handful of appearances for the club. Made his debut in the Champions League, of course, under Ralf Rangnick, was finally given that kind of first appearance, having come through the academy and leaving and having a really good career with Burnley, et cetera, and other football clubs. So, yeah, it'll be good to see him tied down for another year. That kind of boxes that off, but I still think there'll be more change to the goalkeeping department, potentially Bain Day leaving. And like I say, I think Keaton should have played a few more times over Bain Day, who has not been convincing.

Regarding the youngsters, I mean, there's names on that list. I always say this on this podcast when we're discussing these academy players that the majority of fans listening to this podcast wouldn't have heard of. I think I was a little bit surprised at Jack Kindan leaving. He'd just been on loan at Rochdale, helped them to the conference playoffs. It's called the National League, isn't it? The National League playoffs. So he had a really good loan spell.

I've kind of heard why that happened and I think the club's kind of financial situation has affected certain things with certain players going forward, whereas in the past they may have been offered new deals. So just an interesting one that obviously points towards a kind of different strategy. Maybe players will now be let go sooner than they would have. That's academy products, I should say, going forward. So just one to bear in mind as well.

Yeah, there's no real shocks on that list. Young Ashton missing as well, been offered a new deal, so we'll see if anything plays out on that one. But, Stephen, on the subject of youngsters, you are our resident academy expert. Is there any youngsters that you look at, you see a lot of the under-18s, the 21s that you've seen this season, is there any players that stand out in your mind that United should be actively looking to try and get out on a loan move this summer to try and develop their progress and speed up their development? Yeah, well, I spoke to Travis Binion yesterday

after one of the games I think in May and we were discussing loans and it's really interesting because when loans don't go well the club will still say look there's no such thing as a bad loan and I do understand that to some extent because it teaches these players where they are and what they need to do and it might give them a reality check of where they are on their journey

and it tells them a lot about themselves. And so basically, even if they don't play and a loan can look bad from the outside, it can still be very helpful. And without that first loan, for example, a player can then

might not have a good second loan. So there's plenty of instances. You kind of look at Reece Bennett, who went to Stockport 18 months ago, didn't play, didn't have a kick, was never in the squad, but he actually enjoyed it and said it was good for him because he was around the squad, he was around the first team. And then he went to Fleetwood last season or this season, I don't know. When's the changeover? Probably last season. And he had a really good year. So without that first loan at Stockport, he wouldn't have had that second loan.

I expect more players to be kept in the building, dare I say, in the new season, from what I've heard. There's talks ongoing. I've spoken to a few people in the last two weeks and the young players are in the process now, obviously, at the end of the season.

has come around there and talks about what's next and their agents will basically sit down with the club and with Nick Cox, with Jason Wilcox, with all the appropriate kind of staff members, with Travis Binion, and they'll discuss the kind of next steps and what might lie ahead. An interesting one is Harry Amas, of course. He was due to speak, I think, in the next two weeks around with club staff.

and kind of discuss what might be next because obviously you've got Patrick Dorgu there at left back you've got Diego Leon who's coming in I expect him to go into the academy straight away so

that might be an arm room to decide whether he wants amas to be around the first team squad and kept in there or whether to send him out alone he did really well amas in the last three months obviously made his debut against leicester in march and um surely he could cut it in the premier league and look comfortable in difficult circumstances it's not easy to throw a young player in such a struggle inside and he coped very well therefore um so i think the the kind of players who are close to the first team i think will be kept in and i think the players who

might not necessarily be as close to the first team will be sent out on loan I think that's the kind of approach they'll take so if you do see myself or anyone else reporting that and the talks for a player just kind of keep that in mind because I think that's the kind of way it's going to develop in the next two months but again I could be wrong we'll see what happens but from conversations and what I've been told I think that's the approach they'll take

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Get started at linkedin.com slash jobs. Finding where you fit. LinkedIn knows how. And things can change quickly in the market. We know that, of course. And I think on Harry Amas, personally, I would be inclined to keep him around the first team squad. I know, obviously, preseason, very, very different pace of games and all of that. But I thought last summer he was probably the standout player in preseason for United. I thought he had some really good performances over in the U.S.,

he had to wait far too long for his debut should have come a lot sooner i thought his competitive debut but when he did get his chances he looked very assured very comfortable and on the presumption luke shaw stays and plays as a center half i'm asked could find myself he played his cards right as patrick dog who's deputy well that's why i didn't even mention luke show and when i had a conversation last week about amos the show's name wasn't mentioned because everyone's kind of seen shows the left side it's at half now um it

in that kind of situation. So yeah, it's kind of Leon and Ndogu who are at left back. Obviously, Dalo can play there. He prefers to play on the right for the Sanganyi right wing back.

i'd like to think so and maybe dalo competes there and covers a left back so but you're right i'd like to see um and i kept throwing the first team as well i think there's definitely merit in that um you mentioned it took a while from the maker's debut it did and it must have been so frustrating for a no young player of course it's entitled to make a debut but amos couldn't have done much more in pre-season then he was taken down to wembley for the community shield

And if you remember, George, against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, the early rounds, Toby Collier, Eric Tenal, he played Collier at left back. So he played Collier out of position and didn't give Amos his debut. And I think at that point, Amos must have been scratching his head and thinking, what have I got to do to get into this team?

And that must have been really frustrating. And I think to be honest, that might have been the moment because I started to prepare him to go out and load. They placed him on a kind of a muscle conditioning program. And he notably bugged up in those months leading up to the winter window. But an appropriate offer didn't arrive. He stayed in the building and then he made his debut. So that was kind of vindication of that decision in the end.

Yeah, the Barnsley decision was very odd, I must admit. You looked at that team sheet and you just felt sorry for Harry Amos, to be fair. And that's not a criticism of Toby Collier, because he's another young player with a lot of potential. No, it's a criticism of Eric Ten Hagel. He's not a left-back. And obviously playing Amari Forsen over Ahmad as well, and playing Maswari in another 10th position. So, yeah, some baffling selections.

There was. There were some very interesting times in that era. But on the subject of loans, again, Stephen, in terms of you, how you quite rightly pointed out that not every loan is a success. I think we saw a prime example of that this season, last season, whatever you want to call it, 24-25 campaign of Ethan Wheatley going to Walsall. He'd obviously...

Made his debut for the senior team. He'd been in and around that for a while. Done quite well for the 21s. Goes to Walsall, who at that point are seemingly storming their way towards the League Two title. And you think, yeah, this is a good opportunity for him. They've just lost a young striker called Nathan Lowe, who was on loan at Stoke. He's gone back. Wheatley will go in. He barely got a kick of the ball and ended up back at Carrington a lot sooner than they anticipated and played no part in the playoffs. So it just goes to show that not every loan can be a success, but it can be an enormous learning curve.

there's so much that goes into making a loaner success isn't it there's so many again different moving parts there's so many different deciding factors does the player get on with the manager is the player settled and does the manager play the right system um is there enough quality in the team is the support system right is the environment right there's so many different factors really

Obviously, every case is unique and different. In Whitley's case, at Walsall was interesting. Unfortunately, he didn't play. United would have liked to see him play a lot more, of course. And then he came back and he played at the end of the 21s at the end of the season. And luckily, he reminded everyone of kind of

sent a reminder look i'm back this is who i am and this is what i can do because he was excellent in those games and the kind of the premier league two playoff matches he was on target a few times and he looked strong he looked athletic and bearing in mind he hadn't played so he was short of match fitness and considering that he did very well one of the games he was just ready to come off around 70 minutes he continued i think around 85 against west ham in the quarterfinals and and again a

Travis Binion praised him and just said look don't write this lad off because he's got a lot of talent and Travis Binion once said to me that if you could draw a perfect number nine it would look like Ethan Beatley so that says a lot doesn't it it's a huge compliment that and he does have all the attributes

boots. This summer is important. He needs to take his chance in pre-season as far as his first team potential is concerned anyways, because there is an opening there and if he can impress Amberham, there might be a chance. But if not, I'd imagine it'd be another loan and then it'd be interesting to see how it develops after that. Yeah, and the thing is, he's only 19. He doesn't turn 20 until January. He's still young. He's still very raw. He's

And like you said there, another loan, it could be really beneficial for him. He might find the right club who do think, yeah, we can make this guy who we believe he can be. He could be the main man for us at lower levels. So a League One, League Two loan, who knows? And we discussed him last week on the podcast, Dan Gore, another one who's not had much luck on the

temporary loan deals. Obviously, horrific injury look at Port Vale and then at Rotherham, but he's another player, obviously, contract situation might implicate things for him, but he's another one that United may think, yeah, we'll try again, find him at the right club. If he can stay fit, we know there's a really exciting young player in there. Yes, I still have a sliver of hope for Dango regarding his first team prospects, but the truth is he's running out of time. One year left on his deal, he's had bad luck with injuries.

Can he do enough this summer to convince? I mean, look, there's people within the football club who think the world of him and they know he's had such bad luck of injuries. So he'll be looked after in that sense. And I could see him potentially getting a new deal. But again, with the way the club's going and there maybe being a bit more careful and rethinking contract decisions, whereas in the past the

I don't know how to word it, maybe hand them out a bit more. Willy nilly's unfair. That's not what I'm trying to say. But they're really considering things now and looking at every nook and cranny and giving things a bit more consideration, I'd say. That's probably the way it would. And Gore, again, yeah, really interested to see how that develops because a really high quality player and he obviously went to Rotherham

He could easily go to a championship side, I think. Spend two years at a championship club and end up in the Premier League. And then eventually maybe end up at a mid-table, higher-end Premier League club. And for a decent fee, he's got that kind of ability.

Yeah, we've seen prime examples, haven't we, of numerous players at various top Premier League clubs not quite making the grade there, but making a name for them elsewhere. I mean, the prime example, one of them is currently who's in the news, James Trafford. Didn't quite make the grade at Man City, went out on loan to Bolton, did well, sold to Burnley, and now Newcastle are having a serious look at him this summer. So it just goes to show that it's not the end of the road if you don't make it at a club like United, a City, a Liverpool, etc. But Stephen, just to wrap this podcast up,

Will, I'll allow you to just talk us through a little bit more of your trip to Old Trafford yesterday, playing in the media game, just to offer us a peek behind the curtain, you, Samuel and Stephen, grace in the hallow turf. Was that your first time doing that?

It was my second time, I played last year, but I will say, George, before I get into that a bit more, my background here behind this, I'm not in Abbey Road, I'm not in a recording studio, it's actually, it's not my office, it does look like, it's all the records in the back and there's even a sword. I've come to visit my dad for the weekend, he's a bit eccentric, as you can tell by the background in the video.

um but yeah the football match it was like i said really really competitive really enjoyable um joe nelson who works united's media team he scored twice for them and sam homewood as i mentioned in the first box scored our goals um because my legs were so so dodgy i asked to start on the bench which is um a bit questionable isn't it you don't ask to start on the bench i came on around 25 minutes filled in at center half then moved the right wing back i believe

and played center midfield um you do realize when you play center midfield it does take a lot more legs and it's it's very sober and play a little traffic because look we sit on this podcast and we discuss players performances and fans discuss best performances we all do and it's the business we're in but when you're on that pitch you just give your reminder of the task they face and

The pitch feels a lot bigger for some reason than a normal 11-a-side pitch. Old Trafford, it just does. I think because of the stands, and you look around and you see the stands. But again, an incredible privilege. There was some tourists actually having a stadium tour at one point, and they were watching the game. So that's as far as we got, is having spectators watching us. I don't think there's the footage. I think they have CCTV. I think Manchester City, when they have their press game, they actually clip it up and do proper footage. But I think there's CCTV available of the goals, which...

One of them circulating at the moment of Sam Holmwood's equaliser. I think Laurie Woodwell played him through with a clever assist. And do you know what? I'll give a shout out to Michael Gibson, who is on United comms, because he did one of the most insane touches I think I've ever seen, actually. I was on the bench at that point and the ball comes down

he touched it under his leg and laid it off and it would have been one of the most sublime assists you've ever seen but it didn't quite come off thankfully and he was on the opposing team because it was again united staff against the journalists but yeah it's it's a fantastic opportunity um to play in that game and it's it's always really appreciated from us guys um

There's obviously bits and pieces on the side as well, some waters and some isotonics and stuff, just to make sure that out-of-shape journalists don't collapse on the pitch. I think that's probably for health and safety. So, yeah, I look forward to it next year. And hopefully we can finally get a win over the MUFC media team because the journalists still haven't won, but a respectable 2-2 draw.

Well, good to see you, Samuel, and Ty Ruck in the retro black boots as well. I was very proud of that. What I will say, so yes, Samuel was playing centre midfield, did a good job, and Ty was in goal. He did brilliantly. I've obviously seen Ty play in goal before, but I was surprised. He was excellent. He was sharing his goalkeeping duties, unfortunately, though, with someone else. And I'll not get into the other goalkeepers' performance too much, but he was at fault for both of the goals. It was Andrew and Onoresk.

So I'll claim a moral victory because we actually scored goals from, like, decent goals, well-worked goals, and they scored two very rubbish goals. So basically, if Tyrone Marshall had been in goal throughout the entire 90 minutes, it would have been a 2-0 win in my book. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

Well, on that cheery note, we'll end this podcast on a high, I think, on that positive note for our colleague Tyrone Marshall. But that does mark the end of this episode of the Manchester is Red podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel or wherever you may get your podcasts from. Also make sure to leave a like and maybe a comment as well. We'll be back again later in the week with another episode of the Manchester is Red podcast. So make sure you subscribe for when that drops. Take care and catch you again very soon.

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