Talk of the Devils: The Athletic FC's Manchester United show – Details, episodes & analysis

Mason Mount had his best moment in his injury-hit United career so far and then twenty minutes later he had an even better one as Ruben Amorim's men recovered from a rocky start to, eventually, cruise into the Europa League final.

Low on confidence and struggling to get out of their own third, it took a triple sub from the manager to liven up the performance, but the impact was almost instantaneous. Bookended by the two Mount goals, Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund also scored, making it a remarkable 7-1 on aggregate against an accomplished Athletic Club.

So it's another trip to Bilbao, this time to face Tottenham on May 21st; an opponent United haven't beaten since October 2022. Will it play out as a Premier League fixture might? We're not so sure. West Ham probably will on Sunday, though.

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Manchester United's terrible run of form in the Premier League continued at Brentford as a VERY youthful side lost 4-3. Alejandro Garnacho had a good day, as did Mason Mount, but it's all a bit 'Groundhog Day' and we're not too perturbed by the result.

We will, however, be disconsolate if Amorim's men are not able to defend their three goal lead going into the second leg of the Europa League semi-final against Athletic Club.

Champions League football is the prize, of course. Manchester United's women achieved that at City's expense with a battling draw in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

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After Joshua Zirkzee nodded home from a magnificent lifted pass by Bruno, giving Manchester United the lead in Lyon with moments left, we began putting together a triumphant podcast.

Unfortunately, there was still time in the Europa League quarter final first leg for Andre Onana to concede; all this coming after a war of words with Nemanja Matic and a bad first-half error to gift Thiago Almada the opening goal.

Judging by Ruben Amorim's comments, there's a non-zero chance Altay Bayindir will start the game at Newcastle. More importantly, there's a pretty good chance Manchester United will progress to the Europa League semi-final stage.

For more information about Talk of the Devils on tour: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6235043/2025/03/31/talk-of-the-devils-2025-tour-dates-uk-ireland/ (no subscription required)

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Once again, it wasn't pretty, but Manchester United got the job done. two-nil at home with Alejandro Garnacho winning two first-half penalties, scored by different players.

The same questions remain, though. Casemiro's wasteful performance with the ball was the latest worrying midfield display and a huge performance was required by both centre halves, especially this season's unexpected hero Jonny Evans.

One person who didn't enjoy Saturday's game is Evertonian Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. He joins us to discuss his role on a new task force of "decision makers" aiming to get the ball rolling on the redevelopment of Old Trafford and the surrounding area.

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The team have relocated to Hotel Football, overlooking a very famous waterway, not that Ian Irving would know. We're going in-depth today, first on Andre Onana, the subject of 'cautious optimism' and a detailed profile by Andy Mitten and Carl Anka.

Slightly less optimistic, though not without hope, is the outlook for Manchester United's Women's team. They haven't been able to recreate the magic of last season having lost key players. Might they lose an even bigger asset in Mary Earps?

...and, with Everton coming to Old Trafford this weekend, there's no room for any sentiment with wins at an absolute premium.

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Marcus Rashford would have been a huge talking point on Manchester derby day whatever happened after his op-ed for the Players Tribune. But, with less than ten minutes on the clock, he struck hope into red hearts with a lightning strike from thirty yards.

Throughout the first half Erik Ten Hag's innovative selection had Pep and City frustrated, albeit they used the lion's share of possession and territory to carve out some decent chances, one in particular...

But, Phil Foden turned the game on its head with two goals, and we were left wondering if this was a worrying indictment of United's status quo or if injuries were sufficient to justify the game-plan.

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The awesome foursome are united once again on Monday morning after Manchester United scraped through to the FA Cup quarter finals at the City Ground.

Casemiro's late run, late in the game, was just enough to edge out relegation-threatened Forest in a "scrappy" encounter, and Erik Ten Hag was in a scrappy mood himself, defending Bruno (who assisted the goal with inventive free-kick delivery).

However, the Manchester Derby comes next and, with so many positional problems it's difficult to be bullish about this one. Will Andy's hearty rallying cry inspire the team, and the fans, to turn Manchester red again?

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A Monday morning full-house from the podcast team, but there's precious little positivity on offer after Manchester United lost at home to Marco Silva's Fulham.

An injury to Rasmus Hojlund in training on Friday was a huge blow and it was alarming how much that unsettled the United attack. Our main concern, though, is how familiar many of the team's problems look.

Erik Ten Hag bemoaned the inability to sign an additional striker over the last two transfer windows, but there's no doubting the pressure on the manager now to produce results; starting with the FA Cup tie at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have, after an arduous process, completed their partial takeover of Manchester United and will now assume control of football operations.

We'll hear from Sir Jim himself, speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon in central London. The Athletic's Adam Crafton was there, and he joins us to reflect on a wide-ranging discussion.

From stadium development to corporate structure via player trading, FFP, and Monday mornings across Manchester, get the lowdown on the man who wants to take United back to the top.

Producer: Ollie Bellwood

Exec Producer: Adey Moorhead

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Manchester United won 2-1 at Luton's Kenilworth Road on Sunday night, and Andy Mitten was the happiest man in Bedfordshire.

It wasn't all plain sailing, despite Rasmus Hojlund setting new Premier League record's for United's fastest goal and their fastest two-goal lead away from home.

In fact, it became a bit of a chore. Partly because Luton showed their resilience, but also as a result of some tactical errors by senior pros. Thank Carrington, then, for Kobbie Mainoo who put in another calm, collected performance in midfield.

Producer: Ollie Bellwood

Exec Producer: Adey Moorhead

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