ManchesterWorld Q&A: Rashford situation, Pep’s future and Premier League previews
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00:00 I'm joined with Michael Clance of Manchester World to discuss everything Manchester United
00:05 and Manchester City in our weekly catch-ups. Michael, let's start with Marcus Rashford.
00:10 Obviously, it's a subject to touch lightly on, but there's another player at the end
00:14 of the day, the black and white is there's another player at Manchester United that's
00:17 going through something off the field that could certainly disturb what's going on on
00:22 the field.
00:23 Yeah, I think that's a good way of putting it. It just takes the spotlight away from
00:30 everything that you know, there's so much going on at Manchester United as it is, you
00:33 know, we don't need players kind of creating more drama and creating more issues.
00:37 And look, there's been a lot of talk about Marcus Rashford. He's done wrong. He's had
00:42 his hands up, he's admitted it, he's taken responsibility for it.
00:47 And I don't want to equate this with Cristiano Ronaldo or Jadon Sancho, who have come out
00:52 and publicly criticized the manager. It's not on the same scale, but it's still wrong.
00:57 You know, if you or I went out, got drunk and called in sick to work, lied to our employers
01:05 about our whereabouts as well.
01:06 You know, it's not a good thing. It's not a good look. It's not what something you should
01:10 be doing. And yeah, I think it was silly. I think from my view as well, I can't understand
01:17 the rationale behind it. I don't understand how Rashford thought he was going to get away
01:22 with it. You know, he's gone to somewhere not particularly far away. It's a big city
01:28 that has thousands and thousands of Manchester United fans. And he's gone out to one of the
01:35 kind of biggest and most public nightclubs in Belfast. It was a very silly move from
01:42 him.
01:43 And look, I think the story will move on pretty quickly. The players held his hands up. He's
01:47 been punished or well, it's been dealt with by United. You know, vague about how exactly
01:50 that's been dealt with. It will move on pretty quickly. It probably should move on pretty
01:54 quickly. There are bigger crimes in the world, but at the same time, it's a problem. And
01:58 it speaks to the issues that are in that Manchester United squad and how not everyone is talking
02:04 on the same line, how not everyone is pulling together as a team and how Manchester United,
02:09 I mean, it is just a 24/7 circus and drama and Mark Rashford, as I say, has only increased
02:16 the attention on that.
02:19 Just looking at the January window, obviously a couple of days remaining, it's been a very,
02:24 very quiet window, especially comparing it to last year. Is there any more business that
02:28 could be done in or out of Manchester United?
02:31 I mean, you say it's been a quiet window and I mean, it has in terms of income and in terms
02:38 of outgoings, it's been quite busy. I think we've had nine loan departures. We've had
02:43 one player leaving permanently. It's mainly youth players and players in the fringes of
02:48 the squad. No perhaps significant names other than Jadon Sancho and Donny van de Beek as
02:54 well. So, yeah, I mean, I think in terms of the last couple of days, I mean, I was told
02:59 last week that the Facundo Polisari would leave on loan and then kind of reports elsewhere
03:04 kind of claimed that, you know, I wasn't sure that was happening and now they're claiming
03:08 it is happening again. So, yeah, I think that's one that looks like it's going to happen and
03:12 that's based as much on reports as I've heard elsewhere. In terms of incomings, look, I
03:16 think United and the Parc des Bois would like to sign a new striker on loan. There's no
03:21 finances available for a permanent transfer and there's a bigger topic about United and
03:27 finances, but it's a real concern at the moment. I think, I mean, the club are maintaining
03:34 that an incoming looks unlikely. I think if there was a possibility to do a short term
03:40 January addition, that would be a good move for them in terms of bringing in a striker,
03:44 but I'm not sure whether they'll be able to do it. I know there is some, you know, Eric
03:51 Triple, Eric Maxim, Triple Moutin is a player that has admirers at United. I think he's
03:56 seen as the sort of player United could look to bring in in terms of a stopgap striker.
04:01 There's not been a lot of those over the last five or six years at United. I'm thinking
04:05 Udine Nogalo, to a certain extent, Ederson Cavani as well. But yeah, I just don't know
04:11 if anything will happen in the final couple of days of the window. I'll be honest with
04:15 you, if they were to bring in a striker between now and deadline date, it would be a bit of
04:18 a surprise, to be honest.
04:19 And looking back to Premier League action, Wolves away up next for Manchester United.
04:27 Both sides really in good form in terms of recent results. It could be quite a tough
04:32 challenge for United to go there and come away with three points. Obviously, Wolves
04:36 have beaten Spurs there, they've beaten Manchester City there as well. It could be quite an
04:41 interesting fixture.
04:41 You're just going to read through all of Wolves' good results this season? Is that the plan?
04:46 Yeah, no, listen, I think Wolves, to be fair, they're a decent enough side under Gary O'Neill,
04:54 well organised, difficult to break down. I actually really like Gary O'Neill as a coach.
04:59 I think he's done two fantastic jobs at Bournemouth and Wolves. It's a game United should be
05:05 going and winning. I think this looks like a slightly different Manchester United in terms
05:08 of having their main players back in the likes of Martinez, Casemiro, Shaw. I think they're
05:13 three huge players to have back. I think Kobe Meunier as well is only growing in stature
05:17 and importance. Garnaccio's playing well, Hoyland's in the goal. So listen, there's
05:21 reasons for optimism at Manchester United, but they are never more than 90 minutes away
05:25 from a crisis on the field. I think factor in as well that it's deadline day on Thursday,
05:30 which I think always just creates a bit of a strained atmosphere and environment for
05:33 football matches to be played in. And I mean, by the time the game finishes, Molineux will
05:38 have about 45 minutes until the deadline shots. Very, very peculiar decision, I think, to
05:44 put that game on deadline day, partially. But I mean, you mentioned United, I mean,
05:50 they're playing in okay form in the league. They're away form has, as of the last couple
05:54 of games, struggled. It was at that game, obviously, at Forrest just before Christmas.
05:58 Sorry, just after Christmas. And they were really poor. They haven't actually had...
06:04 Their Premier League season feels really disjointed at the moment. I mean, I'm always, off the
06:08 top of my head, kind of trying to remember even their last couple of results, because
06:11 they only had one game in January. So it's been a really kind of disjointed Premier League
06:17 season. It feels like very much that we've hit the mid-season mark in the TV series.
06:23 We've come back after a four-week gap, and we're going to see the second half of the
06:26 TV showdown almost a little bit with their season. But yeah, I think United should go
06:32 to Wolves and try and win, although... Sorry, should feel confident in winning, even though
06:37 I don't think it'll be an easy game. Wolves are well organised, as I say. And actually,
06:40 I think when Wolves win, they can level on points with United, for instance. So yeah,
06:45 it shows that the gap between United and perhaps, let's say, the mid-table size is starting
06:51 to shorten. But an important game nonetheless for Manchester United, that's for sure.
06:54 Michael, moving on to Manchester City, let's just touch on Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland
07:00 being back. This is huge for them, and it shows that level of class that they've sort
07:06 of maintained whilst they were away. They can take it up a level, you'd think. Obviously,
07:11 we saw De Bruyne change the game later, Newcastle as well, with a bit of magic, and that's what
07:16 he can bring to the side. But how important is it, them both being back into this City side?
07:21 I mean, it's huge, isn't it? I suppose the big question that has surrounded the title race this
07:29 season is what will City be like, particularly with De Bruyne coming back, but with Haaland,
07:34 and having the two of them back together at the same time. Obviously, that's not happened
07:38 this season with De Bruyne being out. De Bruyne's been fantastic since he came back. He's only,
07:42 I mean, you add up the amount of time he's had on the pitch, he's probably been about 90 minutes.
07:46 He's set up three goals, scored one himself. I don't actually know if Friday's counts as an
07:52 assist because the goalkeeper punched it, didn't he? But he took the corner that it was scored
07:56 from anyway. But yeah, I think it's been really good. And I think, look, it will take a while
08:01 for them to get fully into their stride, to get back up to their best. I actually think that
08:06 City, I mean, I've spoken to you regularly, Charles, over the last couple of weeks and said
08:11 that they're not at their best, they're not playing brilliantly. At the same time, I don't
08:14 think at any point they played badly, if that makes sense. I think they've been good, not great,
08:19 if that makes sense. And I think that this is now the question is, can they get back to the great,
08:24 the fantastic levels that we saw in the second half of last season? And can they push on?
08:28 And look, I still think that this is going to be a different Liverpool they're going to face in
08:33 the second half of the season now, following Klopp's news. But I still have always thought
08:36 throughout the campaign that City would go on to win the title. It is just so difficult to beat
08:41 Pep Guardiola with 38 games, that's been proven. And I think that'll be the case again. And I think
08:46 that the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal are probably just nervously looking at City and
08:51 thinking, are they going to click into gear? And that's the big question, as I say, that
08:55 surrounds the second half of the title race. Well, you mentioned Jürgen Klopp and his news,
09:01 quite a strange time, in my opinion, to announce such news. In terms of Pep, what's the future
09:08 looking like for him? Obviously, he said that he could go the other way and actually sign an
09:13 extension as well. What's your thoughts on that and his reaction to Klopp as well?
09:19 It's funny because you start to wonder, is there something building here? Is there some
09:26 momentum building here? Because there was news comments about Barcelona, I can't remember the
09:31 exact word, but the club that he loved. And then you've got Xavi leaving the other day. You've got
09:37 him, Guillem Balaguer did that report where he said that he's only got 18 months left. He's
09:42 obviously his contract's up in 18 months. Klopp's going and suddenly you start thinking, right,
09:47 is this? Are we looking at the beginning of the end here a little bit? And someone says to Pep
09:51 on Friday night, something along those lines, he goes, well, am I signing a contract? And
09:55 you can never predict Pep and what he's going to do and what he's going to say.
09:59 But look, I think in terms of that rivalry, people always talk about Wenger, Ferguson. I think that
10:09 was perhaps a little bit more drawn out. I don't think Wenger and Ferguson ever got their clubs
10:14 and their size to the levels that Guardiola and Klopp got to. I think it's, in terms of quality,
10:20 the best rivalry we've ever seen in Premier League English football. I think that it's
10:26 lacked at times the intensity. I think of those United-Dorisdale games that I grew up watching
10:31 and just absolutely still love. If they ever come on TV, I still kind of watch the highlights of
10:36 them or whatever. And they lack the ferocity of those games, but still real rivalry. And there've
10:41 been plenty of flashpoints over the years as well. And I think that we are now entering,
10:46 and we will for the next couple of months, enter a period where people will be reflecting on Klopp
10:49 and the amazing things he's achieved. But I think people will reflect on this rivalry and reflect
10:53 on just how fantastic it's been and how amazing it's been. And for Guardiola himself, look,
10:59 who knows? And listen, Pep loves to throw curveballs in there. And it wouldn't surprise
11:04 me if he just said that the other night, just to keep us all on our toes and keep us guessing. But
11:08 he's been very clear that he will never have a Sir Alex Ferguson career at Manchester City.
11:16 At the same time, he absolutely loves City. I mean, this club has almost been
11:20 costumiered in his image. He absolutely loves it. He loves the Premier League
11:24 as well. And I suppose the big elephant in the room, the big question mark is these 115 charges
11:32 brought against City, which they deny. But if they would be found guilty, if they, for instance,
11:38 hypothetically, would it be relegated, then where does that leave the club as well? So that's a big
11:42 factor in all this. Although I did see a report in The Athletic the other week that he would stay
11:47 if they were relegated again. Who knows? But yeah, we're certainly, I certainly think now that the
11:52 focus and the attention is starting to come a little bit more on the thought that this is,
11:57 let's say, the latter stages of Guardiola's time at City and the fact that we should enjoy that and
12:03 celebrate his achievements, I think. - Back to Premier League action up next for City.
12:10 Burnley at home. Obviously, we've mentioned De Bruyne and Haaland are coming back to fitness.
12:14 This could be a route. What are you expecting from this game?
12:18 - Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it's a route, if I'm honest. I mean, City's record against
12:23 Burnley is absolutely unbelievable. I was looking yesterday. I mean, they've won the last eight
12:30 without conceding. They've won something like, Guardiola's won 16 out of 17 games against Burnley.
12:35 And of course, he's found it pretty easy up against Vincent Kompany in the two games that
12:40 they've met so far, the league earlier this season and the FA Cup last season. So, Burnley aren't in
12:45 great form. They're not a particularly fantastic side in terms of standard of the Premier League.
12:50 I think that Haaland and De Bruyne are coming back, as you said. I mean, it could be a big
12:56 boost. It seems like a perfect game for me to start De Bruyne, that he's had these three games
13:01 off the bench. Right, now you go, here's your start against Burnley. No disrespecting, but
13:05 might not have to be at his very best in that game as well. I think likewise, it's a good game to
13:10 throw Haaland into. I mean, there's no way he'll start. I mean, well, you wouldn't suspect so
13:14 anyway. It's not confirmed that he's back yet, but I mean, I think I'm pretty sure he is going to be
13:19 back and available. And yeah, I mean, I think the interesting thing for City now is they've got this
13:24 lovely run of fixtures coming up over the next couple of weeks. I mean, we started with this
13:28 talking about the title race, but they've got Burnley, they've got Brentford. I think they have
13:32 Everton in there. I think they have Brentford again. And there's a run of six matches in 24
13:40 days in the Premier League. And I mean, considering that they haven't played in over, you know, it's
13:46 about 18 days in the Premier League, you know, that kind of sums up, we've got a really, really
13:49 significant run of fixtures here. So yeah, really important for City to, I think, try and take his
13:54 maximum points from these next six games because they've got a very difficult march. I think the
13:59 first United, Liverpool, Arsenal in that run as well. So yeah, really important game starting
14:03 with Burnley. And listen, I think it's going to be a comfortable victory for City, if I'm honest.