Dan Ashworth closing in on Manchester United move | Luton review | Top four in sight

George Smith and Rich Fay review United’s 2-1 win at Luton and discuss the on going situation with Dan Ashworth’s move to Manchester United.

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Hello and welcome along to the latest episode of the Manchester is red podcast from the Manchester Evening News I’m George Smith and I’m joined by our United writer and my esteem colleague Rich Fay this Monday morning Rich how are you yeah I’m good thank you very

Much George just a note to anyone who’s who’s watching the podcast of course you can’t watch on YouTube and socials these days I’m I’m in a different room today that’s why I’ve got this rather garish Lal background because the setup is just it’s just not right um so every time I

Move you can see there’s like an outline of a chair behind me so yeah I’ll try to stay as still as possible but uh that’s the explanation for why I’ve got such a bright red background today well that’s Richie’s plan for the podcast to keep as still as possible but coming up on

Today’s show we’re going to look back on Sunday’s victory over Luton Town at kennworth Road discuss the latest with Dan ashworth’s potential move to Old Trafford and look at the wider picture of the top four race but first we’ve got got to start with that win at Luton on

Sunday afternoon United another Victory making it five on the bounc and all competitions four in in a row in the Premier League Rasmus hland at the Double his first ever Premier League breaks eight goals in eight games now for him in All competitions Rich it started so well at Kenworth Road on

Sunday afternoon two up inside 7 Minutes Luton though hit him back pretty quickly and from that moment onwards it was a a contest that EB and flow a very chaotic match which probably favored Lon rather than United but at the end of the day United got the points four in a row in

The league and they march on to the next one it’s really weird watching United at the moment isn’t it because they could score as many goals as they like and you still wouldn’t say they’ve had a convincing performance really it it’s a really it sort of reminded me of the

Newport game and and the Wolves game really where United were very comfortable but they made it so hard for themselves by the end and obviously they did do enough in the end to to get the fre points and it’s quite a quirk really because part of me says this style of

Play just isn’t sustainable but but they’re sustaining it so there’s a bit of hypocrisy there they always seem to just do enough there’s a bit of luck you always sort of walk away from United game saying they should have scored more but they could have conceded more as

Well I think they did deserve to beat Luton on Sunday I think they had the better opportunities you might look and say look Lon had some good chances themselves but the opportunities United squandered in the second half were were really disappointing and they should

Have put the the game to bed I think it just raises more questions really about what they’re trying to do the toughest questions come after a win sometimes because once you’ve lost it’s very easy to rip apart uh sort of tactical blueprint and say we’ve done this wrong

We need Improvement here after a win it’s sort of Home truth sometimes because everyone’s on a high but United need to take a step back and realize that if they keep performing like that they probably will get caught out again sometime soon so you know I think United

Just need to take a look of how they’re going to control games better really because we’ve been saying for so long that whenit have all their best players available they’re going to be fine again they started with 10 of the best 11 against Luton on Sunday Shaw obviously

Just wasn’t match fit I don’t know why he was risked in the first place he was torn apart by o Ben in the first half before he’s brought off uh just before half time Midfield just looks a bit of a mess and we’ll try write a piece this

Week thinking of maybe a alternative Midfield setup but right now United can’t really point to the injury sort of situation as as an excuse so they need to have an improvement on the pitch of course winning games helps you build that mentality helps you build that

Identity as a team as well they’ve got the confidence back so I think you just got to take it as positives there’s certainly reason still to be concerned for United but to be in the position they are now I don’t think anyone saw this coming a month or two ago no I

Agree and it it all extends doesn’t it really from that kobby Mayu winner at molu on what was the first effect February it felt like a pivotal moment in the season since then United haven’t looked back four League wins on the bounce but I think the thing obviously that was particularly noticeable about

Sunday was the clinical of Rasmus Highland first goal pounds in on a luten era expert tenacity to get there win the ball round the goalkeeper then the second one on first viewing it looked like a a simple deflection from garnacho shot but in reality it was a really

Clever finish and that man at the minute he he can do no wrong it’s eight and eight in all competitions six in a row in the Premier League he’s scored in now and everything he touches turns to goals and it’s almost like now even though it’s taken a fair amount of time United

Will right to Shell out quite a big transfer fee for this player because he does look like he’s got the potential to go to the top he’s got the pace he’s got the power he’s got the energy and he’s got the eye for a goal so it’s taken

Time as as it was going to with a young player but now it looks like the real deal I agree with you on that I still think he needs a lot of time going forward though I think that you you know he he looks excellent at the moment but

What happens if he goes another 10 games without a goal what happens if he goes another 14 Premier League games without a goal as quickly as form can go it can disappear as well and there will maybe come another spell even before the end of the season where he goes two or three

Without finding the back of the net and that’s when he needs the support that’s when he also needs you know to to be given more lenience really what what the last like eight games or so now has done has given him Credit in the bank because

We know what he is capable of now he’s answered those critics he can do it in the Premier League you know I think Gary Neville said on commentary yesterday you know if you can score in the Champions League he can score in the Premier League so he never really had any doubts

About about him finding the back of the net uh for United in in domestic competition now that he’s done it he’s got credit in the bank we know what he can do we know the type of goals he can score and I think just what would please tenh the most is he’s just

Scoring I’m not going to say the simple goals but the type of goals I just never used to score we used to say so last two three seasons if United had a center forward they’d be scoring so many more goals they’d be getting these Scrappy ones in the six-yard Box they’d have

Someone who’s just at focal point in attack and Rasmus is doing that he’s reminding me of rud vany really the type of goals he’s scoring you look at the anticipation reading of the game for that first one that is that’s excellent Center forward play there’s a little bit

Of luck but you know Center forwards make their own luck by being in the right position and if he hadn’t made that run then that poor pass wouldn’t have been punished you look at the second goal again you know improvised finish okay maybe maybe part of me still thinks

That’s quite lucky the way that it went in but he stood in the right area to get any rebound to get a scrap and that is just what a good goal scorer does you look at the goal against Newport you look at the goal that he scored against

Wolves he’s and the West Ham goal as well he’s just scoring these great goals from Central areas and that’s what United just haven’t had in recent years so I think he’s so excited to watch now like he said they have have to stick with him they have to persist with him

And looking ahead to the summer we all know United need or United want at least one new forward it depends on other areas of the squad as well you know you at least want a versatile forward to one that can may play out wide and through the middle but we’re no longer saying

Buy another top Striker anymore because you’ve got one you just need someone to help ease that workload on him and give him a bit of a rest now and again but Rasmus holand looks the real deal and it is huge credit to him for staying positive for keeping his his attitude up

When there’s been so much skepticism about him and it’s a cror ten haran is coaching team for identifying that him as a talent because I think we were all very cautious of the fee being paid still can’t say it’s going to be justified just yet but he

Looks the real deal he’s got all those raw attributes now they just need to give him the time and the platform to to fulfill that potential yeah I agree and when you take into account now he’s up to 13 goals for the season and he’s reached this tally quite quickly as a

Result of his recent run and there is obviously potential now like you said his goal scoring his goal scoring run could stop as quick as it started but now up to 13 he’s got to be looking at maybe if I can end the season with 20 for for instance nice round number that

Would probably resemble a really big success in your first season in English football for a very young player but away from Rasmus hland the other big plus point on Sunday once again was the performance of kobby Mayu superb in the middle gave United the the little bit of

Control they did have it all extended from him Ian Wright actually tweeted during the game that the more he watches him he feels he’s got to be in G southgate’s England squad for the Euros in the summer I think it’s got to the point now Rich where a lot of young

Players are hyped up very very early in their careers bit too quickly but this young man he he looks the real deal doesn’t he’s just a joy to watch and he just ooes class in every aspect of his game it’s yeah it’s very difficult to properly and fairly analyze a young

Player because like you said they they come through the academy system there’s such a reputation at United in particular and then when they come into the first team because they’re homegrown and because they’re exciting the conversation around them is always very positive so everything Mayu does is amazing any short fallings are often

Overlooked but even with all that context he is an exceptional talent and during my time cover United I don’t remember a young player having as much about him as as Kobe Mayu does really he he looks absolutely just made for senior football it’s not just the technical ability it’s the fact

That he’s got the physicality as well to to be a presence in the Premier League at such a young age it’s his reading of the game his calmness that composure and it’s the fact that you know United still have like we said now United have well

They started at the weekend 10 of their best 11 players the best 11 individual players Kobe May is now one of them but he’s also arguably the most composed of all them we keep on speaking about these World Cup winners the Champions League winners Kobe Mayo is outshining them at

His his age already it is absolutely obscene the talent that this young player has again you need to take a step back you need to nurture him properly in terms of international involvement for some players that’s worked wonderfully at a young age for others it’s been a

Bit detrimental I think United will be very keen for him just to you know still slowly be eased into proceedings not get too much hype not get distracted by off the field matters just focus on your football take every game as it comes there’ll be a new big contract for him

This year that’s that’s a certainty probably again at the end of the season so there’s not a distraction right now and yeah un united just need to really be careful with his development because he’s got everything but again as we say hland it’s potential and it’s only that

Word potential you’ve still got to fulfill it there’s been very there’s a very long list sorry of of false Dawns of young players who have looked really good when they’ve brok on the SE and they’ve just sort of wilted away and you’ve never heard of them I do think

Mayo is is better than most that we’ve we’ve ever seen in the Premier League but you know there still is that that concern about development I think what’s most interesting from the weekend for me is that when casir went off United actually looked better in Midfield they had a bit more control

Really and casemiro has been he’s really regressed this season we all know how good he is and he can really do a job in certain games he’s starting to look more and more sort of like the Manu Matic where there’s games you got to pick and

Choose him and he breaks up play gets yellow cards but long term United midfield for me has casir has Casmir on the bench and Kobe Mayo starting in the deeper role and then it opens up so many possibilities Midfield about who else could could play alongside him so yeah

Kobe monu looks a real deal you don’t want get to carried away but it’s so hard not to right now yeah he is on another level for me there was one point in the second half on Sunday I think maybe 60 75 minutes in in that period of

The game the middle of the second half where he just picked the ball up middle middle of the loot and half and just glided about 20 or 30 yards forward he just made it look so easy so simple and you watch him and you just think there

Is no end to this young man’s talents he’s just a joy to watch and that is exactly what he is he is a joy to watch really exciting young player and like you said he’s got to be nurtured it’s got to be a slow progression but it is

Hard not to get excited about and to be fair you mentioned there quite rightly about some young players when they make the step up to International Football it doesn’t quite work out and I I think there’s probably a fair place to put that in Alejandro gacho’s case he’s had

A couple of Argentina call-ups not really done anything as of yet not been given Much Game Time In fairness to him but he was another player that throughout the season’s got better as The Season’s progressed but on Sunday again it was just that clinical one-on-one that let him down a big big

Chance in the second half that came his way which he should have scored should have wrapped the game up and made it a lot more comfortable for United so I think foron ATO as Talent as he is as quality as he is and he’s looked a lot

Better on that right hand side he’s still going to improve on his Finishing Touch hasn’t he because realistically he should have been bearing that chance in the second half on Sunday afternoon I think we’ G thato he’s a very high variable player in the he maybe just he’s started having that

Level of consistency this season but there’ll be some games where he’s a nine out of 10 a 10 out of 10 other games where he’s maybe a three or four out of 10 and things just don’t go his way and that’s just part of being a youngster

That’s no criticism of him that is just the nature not only of of being a young player but particularly being a young Winger as well someone who you know every game is completely different for him because he’s up against different fullbacks some games he needs to go

Outside some games he needs to go inside the overall sort of makeup of the team as well United just need that consistency Garo has been their most consistent forward all season so I think almost every for every poor performance he’s had he’s had a very good performance as well that’s again what I

Said in some sort of his variables at the moment what United would probably rather have have is just a Winger who’s a seven out of 10 every single week but when you’ve got that you maybe don’t have the match winning Brilliance that garnacho has brought either so there’s

Always going to be a tradeoff and you look at United’s history it’s a club Laden throughout the years of players like him who can just make things out of nothing they’ve got that excitement the bums off seats he should have been given the number seven shirt last summer again

Maybe that’s part of his own development not too much too soon I think long term he should be man his number seven maybe even the number 11 which could come available this summer sort of a Ryan gigs esque flanker he has just got that bit about him that flare he’s got the

Tenacity he works hard that’s what United fans will love the most that’s what his coaches will love the most is that he tracks back and plays with his heart on his sleeve he’s a young player again we can’t expect it to be the finished article he has achieved so much

In such a short space of time it’s less than two years ago that I was watching him in the fa youth cup and he was the the star for them him and Mayu guided them to to that Trophy and it’s crazy that two years later they are arguing

You know two most important players at this moment in time so again we’ve G that show it’s just a product a byproduct really of of his young age he’s not perfect yet he’s still got a lot of work to do I think he will get better as the the years go ahead and

Again for him it’s a case of keeping him levelheaded making sure that he doesn’t maybe get too much of an ego because part of the Brilliance of garnacho is he has that self assurance a little bit cocky you know maybe a little bit arrogant at times opposition fans will

Absolutely hate him you know that’s just what he does that’s what you want from your Winger you want them to be hated by your opponents because it shows they’re doing something right and gacho has that about him he’s very hardworking he still seems to be quite down to earth and

Focused on the football you I need to make sure it stays that way and that he doesn’t maybe have too much too soon either I think it helps him that you know he still has some games where he drops poor performances and games where he is brought back down to earth and

That’s just the the Cutthroat nature of of Top Flight football and that’s what he needs really he needs to realize that look you’ve been brilliant for most of the season but if you’re not brilliant for two games you leave your place and I think that is that that’ll be Testament

To ten Hog’s management really yeah definitely and let’s be fair in terms of the wide positions he was expected in the main to be to be Marcus rashford’s backup this season really on the left side but obviously he’s dislodged Anthony on the right and he he’s looked

Far better in that position but yeah he wasn’t at his very very best at Luton but like you said he’s a young player he’s going to have fits and spurts and it’s going to happen so there’s certainly a lot of potential there there’s no doubt about it but as we

Continue to just look on individual performances from this game one player that didn’t quite bring his aame to kennel withth Road was Bruno Fernandez you’ve done a piece on it this morning rich and you’ve looked at the way he was pretty wasteful in possession on on

Sunday afternoon and I know it’s in the first half there was one particular point when United were on the break Alejandro gacho was making a really smart intelligent run on the right hand side and Fernandez a got the option just to slip it through the ball along the

Tur through to him and he almost tried to hook his foot around it and he almost went out of play and gach had to Scamper to the by line to keep it in and then there was that point in the in the second half where Fernandez had got five

Or six options within passing range and decided to shoot and obviously went horribly wrong so yeah plays are entitled to an off day but Bruno Fernandez on on Sunday was he was certainly off the pace for his usual high standards wasn’t he he he was I I

Think I want to at least cave out the beginning of this that he’s been one of the most consistent performers of the ten hard Gea Bruno Fernandez the the long-term concern and the underlying sort of elephant in the room really with Fernandez is that he is

A bit of a contrast to what T hog wants we keep on saying that United are a team who don’t keep the ball enough who are aren’t smart enough in possession game management isn’t always there and Fernando is kind of the embodiment of that he often goes for highrisk high

Reward passes he often goes for goal when there’s better options on and sometimes you sense in the game that if it gets to 80 minutes and Bruno’s not scored or got an assist he will Overlook better options so that he can get a goal contribution and that was evident at

Luton that Kenworth wrode on on Sunday like I said there will be a piece live by the time you’re listening to this where I’ve looked at the moment that that just made me want to pull my hair out really um because 93rd minute United get a corner Liverpool Arsenal or city they’d

Probably just keep the ball in the corner flag try to get a few more corners just absolutely kill the game off United take it short Bruno Fernandez gets the ball from a very tight angle I’ve worked I’ve worked out he had seven options he could have passed to I’m

Going to try reel these off in the top of my head by the way so this could this could end horribly um but he had to his right he had Mayu and amrabat from the corner he could have played Short too on the edge of the box he had

Doow and gacho both unmarked on the edge of the box he could have passed to he had rashford making an underlapping run to his left and he had Scott mctom in the six-yard Box who would have been a good Target for a cross if he did want

To go for a highrisk approach he then also had the option of taking the ball back to the to the by line to run the clock down to just kill time bit of game management so we had seven options he chose the eighth one which wasn’t even

There he had a shot goal it was weak at the near post Kaminsky saves it loten Counterattack and 58 seconds after Fernandez needlessly shot Ross Barkley hits the crossbar with a header and if United dropped points yesterday there would have been a lot of contributing factors to that but it would have stemed

From Bruno Fernandez taking the shot when he just really didn’t need to and it’s not just poor decision making it’s poor decision making from your captain this is the guy who’s meant to embody your entire style of play he’s meant to be out there giving the orders of tenh

Hark he’s meant to be executing that game plan and it was just really poor game management I just don’t know why he did it and you know you might say well if it went in the top corner you wouldn’t be saying this you won’t be having this conversation well of course

Not because that maybe that is part of Bruno Fernandez his sort of enigma he can mask shortcomings with goals and Brilliance and we’ve seen that so often throughout this time of United I still think he is a very important part of this United Team he adds he’s just got that Stardust he’s

Just got that quality he’s a Talisman and it’s just about finessing him still at the age of 29 you wonder how much he’s going to change maybe the formation needs to change a bit because Bruno Fernandez for me has been maybe at his best for United in a deeper Midfield

Role under ten hog remember last season he had some games where he sat back in sort of central Midfield and he was just pulling the strings and I am going to write a piece about this this week’s so don’t steal this idea George cuz I’m writing this but basically I do think

That long term United’s Midfield could look Mayu and Fernandez in the deeper roles and someone else maybe a Mason Mount maybe someone else further up the field I think that there’s a compelling argument for that to be Midfield in some games going forward it’s easier said than done obviously it wouldn’t suit every

Opposition but I think that Bruno Fernandez has a lot to offer to this United Team it’s maybe just about giving a bit more defensive responsibility so that he’s less inclined to go for goal all the time yeah I do recall the times actually did play in that sort of deep

Line number eight role last season it did suit him well I can’t remember the specific games it was but he he did look good in that position and you mentioned there about him Mayu and then maybe a new number 10 or Mason mount in that role and I suppose when in games that

United are certainly favorites to win perhaps at home it’s one that Eric tenar could go with might be a little bit too attack-minded maybe in games against maybe the liks of City Liverpool or whatever because obviously Mayu he does seem to be more of a progressive player

And though he’s demonstrated he can play as a number six but I think it certainly got some substance to that because Bruno Fernandez did look good in that deeper role but finally reach the the headline act from Sunday’s game it was it was an unfortunate one it was the exit of Luke

Shaw just before halim as you mentioned at the top of the show he he was past fit before the game after going off at Villa 7 days earlier and it did feel as though he was going to start Eric tenh har said speaking to the media on

Thursday that he was a doubt but he was going to try and leave it as long as possible to give him a chance of playing and ultimately now if the injuries do turn out to be the same which is quite possible we don’t know at this point

What the specifics of the injury are it’s potentially a gamble that’s backfired for Eric ten hog but at the same time of course he is very very light on covering the fullback positions we’ve seen instances where Dogo delos played at left back this season and last season as well obviously AR Aaron Waka

Is missing as well so ultimately at the moment Aaron do gal should say is United’s only fit and available fullback United you did a piece on it last week they let Alvaro Fernandez go out on loan they terminated Sergio regi on loone from Tottenham this could be a big

Problem if Luke shs out injured especially with alandro martinez missing as well because those two are so key in the buildup play on that left hand side for United with their Progressive play yeah um the other thing that that t hog said was was pre-match and he said

If Luke Shaw is fit he has to play he’s a very important player he is irreplaceable what he brings to United side you know on his day he’s arguably the best left back in the Premier League still uh I I mentioned on last week’s podcast and a piece on it that for club

And Country since he joined United almost 10 years ago for club and Country combined he’s been available for just now over 50% of all matches obviously he had that horrific double leg fracture which is a huge contributing factor tce percentage is so low I think I said last

Week that what he’s he he was available for 88% of of United matches last season B missed nine for England which took him down to 78% overall and that was the highest percentage of availability he’s had since he joined United for for club and Country combined and you do have to wonder

Number one you’ve got to wonder was he really fit enough to be playing this game Luke Shaw will have wanted to play tenh hard will have wanted him to play does it come down to the manager the club doctors to Luke Shaw to actually say look I’m not fully fit I’m not going

To be risked because there there’s repercussions further down the line we’ve seen it I remember it being sort of a an issue I think during only on soci time at the club as well that players are being rush back when they just weren’t quite fully match fit and

You’ve just got you can’t be taking any chances because now you know did you really need luk short looting away it certainly helps but Lindelof could have played that H bar Johnny Evans perhaps he was brilliant From the Bench there might have been a way around it so you

Know it’s very easy to say now to criticize the decision don’t think anyone’s criticizing again with the team news draw dropped but it’s it’s not aged well and the other factor for Luke Shaw is he’s left footed you know he he brings so much to the team ten hog loves

Having left foot specialists in the defense because it opens up new passing Avenues gives United better buildup play and there’s another contributing factor as well and he Luke Shaw was almost the unsunk hero last season because he was a key cog in why Marcus rashford was so good because rashford always had Luke

Shaw making underlaps or overlaps on on the left wing which dragged Defenders out of out of position created the space for rashford to cut inside onto his dominant right foot and part of the reason Marcus rashford’s struggle the season is because Luke Shaw has been

Unavailable for so much of it so he is a huge blow United will hope to have him back as as soon as possible but maybe it does raise the question long term of do they need a better cover I don’t want to write off Tyrell massia too soon he’s a

Very popular member of the dressing room he’s got a good attitude but is he really good enough you know if any Oso and want to raise the standards is tyl massia who’s been injured and missed the the entirety of the Season really good enough to to deputize for Luke Shaw when

He’s not there we’ve seen glimpses but they’re very different players so I think it just raises the question really of United’s lack of replacements for their Specialists for Martinez and Shaw you just do not have another proper left for Defender and it really affects the way they play yeah definitely well

Speaking of inos wanting to raise standards we’re going to discuss that in the United’s pursuit of Dan Ashworth in part two of this episode of the Manchester City’s red podcast do rejoin us then after the Break welcome back to part two of the Manchester City’s red podcast as I said a few moments ago we are now going to discuss inos so Jim Ratcliffe and the club’s pursuit of Dan Ashworth from new Castle United and we’ll start with Dan Ashworth cuz he’s been a heavy talking

Point in the past seven days or so with a lot of developments in the last 24 hours there’s been widespread reports in the National media that he has been placed on gardening leave by Newcastle United in a ploy to potentially join Manchester United Rich we know that Dan

Ashworth wants the move so Jim Ratcliffe wants him at Old Trafford as quickly as he can get him however this position where he’s been placed on reportedly been placed on gardening leave means that apparently if United want him now they’re going to have to stump up a 20 million fee or wait until

2026 which is obviously another couple of years away to bring him in it’s a very unusual situation certainly for United wearing in mind that the the sporting structure has been a complete miss a complete mismatch for for years and years at Old Trafford it’s a difficult one to gauge because obviously

We’re in an age where footballers cost big fees but do those that pull the strings at the top of the club command them as well it’s a it’s a complex issue this but if United want to get this sporting structure right which the Jim Ratliff EV evidently does and he’s made

Great moves to try and Achieve that very quickly do United stump up the money it’s it’s a hard one to make a call on isn’t it there’s a really fine balancing actor to this one because on the one hand the best people in the industry like that are worth waiting for because

He would tick every box for United he would fit with everything anyos want to do the caveat of that is can they afford to wait because if youit into this summer without Dan Ashworth that is a big part of their puzzle missing that is a huge component of their new structure missing they

Can’t do the work that they want to do they can’t make the change that they want to do without him in position and if you go into another summer window without someone like Ashworth appointed you run the risk of wasting or squandering another 100 150 million

Pound in in transfer fees if you don’t have someone there to to to maybe stop you buying another Anthony to stop you buying another Jaden Sancho then you can do real long-term damage and really undermine all the work that that you’re trying to do United want to to shake up

The club they want to have these footballing figures they want to have the best in class Ashworth is that for me he’s worth paying for immediately Newcastle feel well within their right to demand a fee over 10 million pound you know it could be as high as 20

Million pound who knows they could even drive a harder bargain and say actually we want a bit more than that so you’ve got to look at it two ways Ashworth would effectively be I think in terms of ffp his compensation fee would would be taken into account for all those figures

So he would effectively be treated like a an actual footballing signing and well look at some of the fees that has played in recent years I mean TW 20 million pounds for Dan Ashworth is it really that bad if if he can unlock the true potential of the club for my personal

Opinion I think it is just is worth paying but as we’ve said I think on previous podcasts you need this is the Summer where United need to reestablish their reputation really this is the Summer where United need to prove that they have really changed and if they’re

Being held to Ransom by Newcastle United maybe that undermines everything that inos are trying to do so Ashworth wants United United want Ashworth I do think United will get their man I think they will find a way to get him earlier than Newcastle would like to let go of him if

It comes down just to money I think he’s worth paying for just to get him in place you can move on then you can properly start planning you can take full advantage of this summer which is going to be a seismic one for United with barard joining already with you

Know the possible onfield and off field changes so United obviously don’t want to be taken advantage of by Newcastle but it is imperative that they get someone like Ashworth in as soon as possible this is the thing isn’t it it’s it’s a very very fine balancing act2 million obviously is

A an extortionate amount of money it’s a hell of a lot of money but when you look in comparison to what United have Shel out for players in recent years you mentioned Anthony Jaden sanche there for example it could be money well spent in the long-term running of the football

Club in the way that they’re going to evolve hopefully these next few years and and correct the transfer mistakes of yester year I think I’m with you in the sense that United if they’re serious about this they just need to stump up the money and get it done it it does

Feel like a lot of money in the sense that you’re not gaining a footballer for this but ultimately like you said he’s been coming in going to hopefully come in and transform the the structure of the club and work closely with Omar barard at the top table Sim Ratcliff so

David brailford it could be money well spent in the long run so it is a very very fine Balancing Act But ultimately whether United do get Dan Ashworth or not I think there’s a general feeling that it will happen one day whether it’s this year two years time who who knows

But you certainly can’t fault the the ambition of s Jim Ratliff and inos and I think a lot of supporters who were who were initially doubtful the fact that he was only getting a 25% stake have certainly been impressed with the way that he’s mapped out his ambition quite

Quickly and just how quickly wants to get things moving absolutely again you know it was very easy to be skeptical of Ratcliffe when he came to the club it’s very easy to say oh he’s the local lad from failsworth well you know he owns a Petro

Company he he’s he not a corner shop down the road you know he he he isn’t just this little local lad who who supported United his whole life you know he tried to buy Chelsea um you got got to look at that as an elephant in the

Room as well but he’s done everything right so far really and you know there’s also skepticism about the fact that he was working alongside the glazers rather than replacing them outright you know a lot of you fans are still passionate about full sale only and maybe the

Long-term plan will still be for rat cliff to have total control over Manchester United but he is not joining with that total control obviously he’s got what he wants on the footballing side of things and maybe there’s a Synergy here that can can work because for all their faults United have made a

Lot of money under the glazes they are commercial Behemoth and if they can have that sort of growth and success on the footballing side as well then maybe both sides of the business can could work hand in hand of course it was so easy and it is so easy in football to make

Make these promises you look at every single managerial appointment every single takeover at every single step across every single division in World football every manager says we want to start winning we want to play attractive football we want to bring through young players and every owner says we want to

Be successful we want to be the best team in the world again we want promotions we want trophies but to actually deliver upon that is something completely different and it’s so much easier said than done so far United look like they are really sticking to those words they are really trying to make

Something happen they’re trying to shake everything up and of course you know the bar wasn’t very high from the glazers and what they’ve overseen they’ve just allowed the club to stagnate to to get rotten really they’ve not had the I’m not going to say being brave enough to point externally it’s just

Cheaper and easier for them just to give it to people they know to give Woodward the job to give Arnold the job now United actually have exter J eyes coming in and properly having an audit of what’s going on giving a a harsh structural review really of of the flaws

At United and it’s just been long overdue so part of me thinks look they didn’t have much of a standard to to beat anyway coming into the club but they certainly have exceeded a lot of expectations if they get Ashworth that is just another giant tick in their box

Really because like we said it’s so far easier said than done to to actually do this and the capture of bar the capture with the potential capture of Ashworth that is that is seismic it is and it does feel like the club is acting like an elite level

Football club again in the in the same way we’ve seen Manchester City get everything right off the pitch and on the pitch in recent years but another name that we’ve not mentioned in this segment is of course Jason Wilcox he’s another man that’s been linked with coming in to Old Trafford another one

With Manchester City connections of course he was their Academy director at the Etihad he’s currently at Southampton as as their director of football and it just goes to show again the glazers they want the top people the best in class for these positions and again ultimately it shows their Ambitions to get these

People in I think as well I think the big factor for me is the fact that sjim rackliff only received regulatory approval from the Premier League in the fa last week it would have been very easy for perhaps for him to have just held off a little bit until that came

Through but it’s quite clear that he and the inos inos team have been at it from the start in identifying the men that they want to rebuild the structure of the club and Willcox again yes doesn’t quite maybe sound as fancy coming from Southampton as it would maybe om Bara

Coming from Manchester City but of course he’s worked at City he’s worked at a big massive club and been very successful as well so if you can assemble a team of barard Ashworth and Wilcox and no doubt one or two others along the way it sets sets your core

Group up to build the football club around and hopefully work close with their at 10 Hau I think to be fair coming up to his H 100th game and charge in a few weeks is fully deserved this sort of Team around him yes there’s been

Bumps in the road in 10 hog ten but overall be in mind what’s going on behind the scenes he’s done a pretty successful job so far yeah certainly and I think the the ultimate defense for ten har will always be that he’s had a couple maybe one hand tied behind his

Back he’s not had the luxury of of working under a proper football structure there’s still a few question marks about how much power he will have and I know his previous quotes he’s had ax saying that he wants to have total control over transfers and he wants to

Have the final say and he wants to have input he seems to have suggest in recent quotes you know that he has had input and he’s been consulted on a lot of the changes that are happening at the club but as part of this new structure he’s

Just got have to focus on the football really you’re getting the the transfer brains you’re getting the recruitment brains involved for them to stick at what they’re special at and ten har need to stick at what he’s a specialist at and that is managing a football team

That is training the players day today setting his team up to to win at the weekend making those big calls in terms of personnel and in game changes so I think there’ll be a bit of adaptation for tenh har he might have a slightly

New role he might lose a bit of power in terms of the way that the transfers are executed he can maybe put names forward but they might not be the game the names that United then go go and sign you know he United effectively need a transfer

Board where ten hog says I need a new left need a new left Center back who can give us proper cover for Martinez go get me one and they bring him a list and you know he might say this is the one I’d like the most but ultimately there’s the

List that they’re going to have to choose from if those players aren’t available they move on they have a proper structure in place they have ultimatums and they just have a bit of authority again in the transfer window so that’s what needs to happen and like

We said I think ten hog does deserve a lot of credit because he’s not had the luxury of that there’s been so much change off the pitch since he arrived at the club he’s never really known who his boss was going to be didn’t really know

Who was going to be owning the club long term so he deserved a lot of credit for that and we talk about whether inos is giving United a lift or not I don’t think that their rals really giving unit as much of a change on the pitch because

As we said the runs been good but the performances have still been a bit lacking in recent weeks but what tenh har has done is he’s given himself sort of the perfect re audition for his own role there’s no reason right now that inos would come in and say we need to

Change the manager because United look like they going to get top four football again so fair play to tenh for having this revival at the right time to coincide with the the arrival of of new owners in the club and yeah like I said I think everything’s pointing towards a

Very very bright future for United But ultimately it is always easier said than done yeah definitely and you mentioned there that top four push we’re going to look at that shortly in the in the next part of the show but just before we move on to that rich just very quickly we’ve

Got James Weir podcast coming out next week featuring the former United midfielder you were part of that do you just want to tell everybody a little bit about that and what’s coming out next week with that one yeah it was a really interesting chat myself and Tyrone had

James in the podcast studio in person last week we spoke about his time at United making his debut in that game where rashford scored twice against Arsenal there was why he left the club under Jose Mourinho there was his time in English football with a variety of clubs the injury chaos

And there was also Tales of playing during Co having to drive to Europe from Preston getting the ferry across being in lockdown he’s playing in was it bu um Hungary and he played in Slovakia and yeah it’s a really interesting podcast really insightful and like we said you

Can get all of that on the Manchester red podcast like you said I think next week that’ll be released fully um it’s it’s still up in the air the exact date of when that’s going to go but stick with our socials it’s a really interesting chat and hopefully there’ll

Be more chats like that in the future as well yeah it sounds good we’ll look forward to seeing that but do rejoin us in part three where myself and Rich are going to have a look at the Intensive top four Battle welcome back to part three of the Manchester City is red podcast as I mentioned just before the break myself and Rich are now going to look at the landscape of the top four race which is really hotting up at the moment just Five Points separating Aston Villa in

Fourth and United in sixth Tottenham Hots but sandwich between the pair of them Rich a mixed bag of results over the weekend for for the three of them United obviously win Lut and Villa beat Fulham 2-1 and Spurs beaten at home by Wolves losing 2-1 the Gap was six points

Heading into the weekend United have trimmed it slightly you moving it to five they’ve all played an equal amount of games it looks as though it could go right down to the wire but United at the minute they’re the ones with the the energy and the thrust and the ones that

Are obviously banging for yeah I it’s reach the stage now where I I would be staggered if United didn’t finish in the top four and mind thep the top five I just think they’ve got the momentum they’ve got a lot of key players back even with the current injury situation

They’ve just got the squad depth that the other teams don’t have if if Villa lose a key player I just don’t think they can deal with it in the same way that United can same for Tottenham really who uh you know again Tottenham and a very popular manager who’s got the

A lot of the media on side everything they do seems to be positive you don’t really talk what the negatives of them whereas man united everything they do is just failure failure failure so they’re very easy to it’s very easy to get sort of sort of sucked into that that cycle

Isn’t it where some teams all lots of the coverage is just positive and then with other teams it’s just always negative and I feel like United all whatever United do it’s always yeah but they should be doing better when Tottenham sort of do something that seems to always be they’re doing so good

Aren’t they they’re playing lovely football they’re not winning anything they’re not getting top four but Andrew is nice he says mate a lot so I just feel that United need a bit more you know they they’ve had a very bad season and you can’t Overlook their shortcomings and the abject failure at

Times they’ve had Dreadful results they had Dreadful humiliating performances but right now they’re in the ascendancy and for all their flaws the teams above them still haven’t really punished them for it Villa played Tottenham I think the same weekend United played City so you know that’s a bit of a free hit

For United it comes at the perfect time that one you look at the other games coming up and what will please United fans the most is it’s so easy to sort of list five or six fixtures on paper and say win that win that we’ll win that one might draw that one but

We’ll win that United are making these routine matches routine they’re making going to Luton easy and we know that’s not easy but they’re winning there they beating West Ham at home they are just getting that confidence getting that momentum and that’s been what’s that’s that’s what’s been missing all season

It’s that familiarity it is that those patterns it’s that confidence and I just think United a certainties now for the top four really I really do just because the way that the season is going the fact that United have that confidence they’re getting better they’ll argue they’ve already gone through their rough

Patch and they’re now doing better Villa Tottenham and United will all probably have devastating defeats by before the end of the season but I still think there’s going to be one game where everything clicks United and they win four or 5- nil I still think that is

Going to happen it could have happened yesterday if they’d kept their foot on the gas if they hadn’t got too complacent if they’ just gone for the jugular so you know I I think United are well placed for for Champions League football now well I think if you look at

United’s upcoming crop of games and and Gary Neville made a good point speaking pre-match on on Sunday afternoon before the win at Luton where he said if you look at United’s next two Luton and then Fulham at home Fulham game this coming Saturday Old Trafford they are two games

United realistically should be taking six points from they’ve got half of that number already and you would think Fulham at home they should be winning that one Fulham not been great this season and then beyond that obviously they’ve got the Manchester Derby the other side of the forest Cup game then

They’ve got Everton at home that’s another game United should be looking at winning then they’ve got Sheffield United at home which as a caveat should be mentioned that that game could be called off if United progress in the FA Cup cuz it’s the same weekend as the

Quarterfinals so that game could be be pushed back a little bit further and then they’ve got brenford away over Easter before a couple of tough ones to start April with Chelsea and Liverpool back to back so it certainly feels like United have got mixed bag in the coming

Weeks but the likes of Everton Fulham potentially Sheffield United at home in the next three or four weeks they’re the games that United really do need to take charge of and like you said maybe there’s an opportunity within those crop of games there for everything to click

And have a bit of a goal spludge and win four or 5 nil yeah I think so I think that there’s going to be a game where unit just turn on really and and make their quality known it’s just about everything clicking into place there it’s just yeah there’s so

Many variables and so much mitigation yet and you know vill and Tottenham fans would love for me to be proven wrong and I just can’t see it happening right now like I said I think United have coped relatively well with the injuries they’ve suffered of course it’s going to

Be difficult to see how the defense shapes up without sha and Martinez for for the foreseeable future but what’s happening now is United are just scoring scoring goals for fun and you back them to score in every single game and you know ultimately for all the the flaws in

United they don’t control games well they leak goals but if you outscore your opponents they get glossed over and United just have a front fre who look confident at the moment who look like they can make things out of nothing they’ve then got that extra fire power

From Midfield as well you got Momin and Fernandez who are both constant goal threats so yeah I just think that even if United aren’t perfect and even if they still have these unconvincing performances they will just find a way to win because it’s happen so often now

That there is a real belief within the club that even if they go into stoppage time drawing or behind they think they’re going to get their chance again and they do keep fighting towards the end we saw that wolves yes they’ve almost been punished in so many of these

Games but as we said at the top of the podcast it’s happened so many times now but while you say it might be unsustainable they’re sustaining it so so what would make you argue otherwise that I still think there might be one maybe even two really humbling a

Humbling defeat for United they could get freshed by City they could get freshed by by someone else you know before the end of the season but I think that on the all they will just find a way to to do it really I think they’ll have the consistency that the other two

Teams don’t manage yeah and I think the home form is going to be key as well isn’t it that’s a big factor it was so strong last season and it did pet her out certainly in the first half of this season but just lastly Rich obviously achieving a top four finish based on

Where United have had to come from would resemble a successful season even though at the start of the campaign they would have had much higher aspirations throwing a potential victory in the FA Cup winning that that that would be really pleasing but do you think in way

In the fact that United obviously have had to come from so far behind in the top four race and it’s never anything that we wanted to happen or ericon hog would have wanted to happen in the way the league campaign was mapping out was it perhaps a good thing that their

Champions League campaign ended did so early nobody wanted that obviously but in the grand scheme of things and obviously we don’t know how that may have mapped out doubtful they would have gone on and won the Champions League but to just allow them to concentrate on the league that little bit more and

Potentially rebuilding for another Champions League Campa campaign next year to just go a little bit further a bit stronger and more well equipped yeah look I mean there’s always the there is always this quote of the Champions League that so many teams you you value it highly because it gets you

The riches it’s very prestigious to be in the tournament but in part of he thinks why are you fighting so hard to qualify for a competition you’re going to crash out of in the group stages anyway united we never going to win it this season maybe a quarterfinal at best

If they’ve got a for for to sort of last 16 round you know quar finals would have been fine but like you said that then could have affected the the hopes of getting back into the Champions League next season which will be worth a lot more as part of this new Swiss model

More games more money for United you know ticks a lot of boxers so next season’s the you know fromit point of view would you rather get to the quarterfinals in the Champions League one season but not qualify for it the next season or would you rather a crash out in the Champions

League one season but still qualify for the next year they’d always take option two because you know that is money money money it’s easier to attract players if you’re in the Champions League it shows that you’ve at least had that little bit of stability in in the league at least

And yeah it’s it’s it’s all very impos very hard to say what might have happened as the United stayed in the Champions League but I do think that being out of it has given them that Focus I still don’t think you can classify it as a successful season if

They finish fourth um because you just turn it into arson venger Arsenal then if if that becomes the new barometer of success if they win the FA Cup it is because you know that is a more prestigious tournament than the League Cup and you know it’s a tournament

United really haven’t won enough times in the last 20 years is they should have won a lot more fa Cups than they have done in that that period of time so you’ve got to look at the mitigation you got to look at the circumstance there

Been so much on and off the field change United really have been they’ve had rotten luck of injuries it’s it’s been a convenient excuse a lot of the time the injury situation but it has contributed to the lack of consistency and identity that has underpinned their struggles

This campaign I think if they finish fourth and don’t win a trophy it’s not a successful season finish fourth win the FA Cup I think you can say it is one right now that United just need to get Champions League boxed off as early as possible and see what happens with the

FA Cup because they got another favorable draw there’s not many massive teams left in it but they’d still be what third or four favorites to go and lift that Trophy and you know cup success rides on a lot more than than just you know being the best team so

Yeah it’ll be interesting to see how how it plays out but for me I still think United can salvage their season certainly yeah there’s certainly scope for that to be achieved he reached the FA Cup Final last season as well as winning the league cup of course and

Narrowly missed out to city in the final at Wembley so I think that does wrap up today’s episode of the Manchester is red podcast a big thank you to Rich for joining me this Monday morning to reflect on that winner looting and a whole host of other topics if you did

Enjoy this podcast please make sure to leave us a review on your preferred podcast provider and of course watch us as well on YouTube you can leave a like and comment as well there so we’ll catch you again in the next one later this week but for now take care and have a

Very good Week