Talk of the Devils: The Athletic FC's Manchester United show

Pre-season is here and Ruben Amorim has his work cut out after his disastrous first few months in charge, but what, precisely, does he need to achieve before the Premier League resumes in mid-August?

The training squad is five lighter after Rashford, Sancho, Garnacho, Antony, and Malacia were given extra time away to find new clubs, so where does new no. 10 Cunha fit and how strong is each department looking?

There's no doubting the anxiety after Bilbao and bust, so what are we hoping for this term? Is top half good enough, or is a higher target required? With no European football, what about the cups? And who, from our team, has the wildest take on the coming season?

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Manchester United's pre-season training starts this Monday, but it will begin without five players. Five players with different profiles, salaries, and ages, but with one thing in common; they are considered surplus to requirements by Ruben Amorim.

We take a look at each individual case, their personal circumstances, who might be interested in buying them, and whether it was a good idea for the club to make such a bold statement at this time.

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Exciting times at TotD Towers as we launch on not one but three social media platforms. Some listeners have been asking to see us on Youtube for a while, well now you can... and we're on Instagram and TikTok to boot.

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On today's show, the Bryan Mbeumo transfer negotiation is in danger of becoming a saga, but what's true and what's bluster? Plus, what is the nature of Manchester United's interest in Ollie Watkins?

With pre-season starting next week, we also get into the details of Darren Fletcher's new job and why he might be choosing to take it now.

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The longest day has come and gone but we are now deep into silly season, the transfer-rumour-ridden hinterland that chases the end of the previous season out of town.

Manchester United may or may not have made an improved bid for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, and may or may not have had a discussion with the representatives of Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez. After Mbeumo, the plan is to sell before buying, but it has been an 'interesting' few days for the players expected to leave the club.

We also dig into the mailbag where there was a powerful response to the ticket price hikes and categorisation of league matches and take on the tricky task of mapping out the women's team's route through European qualifying.

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It's a midsummer special on the week of the longest day of the year (if only there was a proper name for it...)

It's also pretty much square in the middle of Manchester United's summer break, with a month gone since last season and a month until the first pre-season fixture. The Premier League fixtures were announced this morning and we react to a tough start!

Andy has been speaking to Omar Berrada, at great length, about his plans for the club and we consider his performance, both in the interview and in the job.

Finally, sort of, there's a glimpse into Carl's breakdown of Ruben Amorim's ideal striker and whether he can buy one who matches up in reality. The "sort of" is because we have an extra bit with Ian and Andy reacting to the news that ticket prices for individual fixtures will go up next season.

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We made it to the end... a season that will be remembered for many years to come, for all the wrong reasons, is finally over.

But who actually deserves some credit for sticking to their task, inspiring their teammates, and just generally defying the general trend of underperformance?

We choose our player of the season (who isn't Bruno), the goal that moved us, the standout moment, the podcast highlight, and mint a special award for a very special man. All with the help of your suggestions.

Hasta luego!

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In your podcatchers a day earlier than planned, it's a transfer junkie special (especially for Andy) with news that Bruno has decided to stay at Old Trafford top of the shop.

Meanwhile, the Matheus Cunha deal is done and another right-sided forward impressing in the Premier League, Bryan Mbeumo, also wants to join the club (that's according to our colleague David Ornstein).

The price tags on those two forwards presumably requires some transfer income. We have a think about all the candidates but especially Jadon Sancho after Chelsea decided to take a £5m hit rather than progress his loan deal to a permanent transfer.

Send us your nominations for "Player of the season who isn't Bruno", "Goal that got you", "Standout moment", and "Podcast highlight of the season". [email protected].

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After a few extra days, the season we all want to forget is finally over. Not that that means there's no news.

Matheus Cunha looks poised to become a Manchester United player, but might it be one Portuguese speaker for another with Bruno Fernandes apparently giving consideration to a hefty contract offer from Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal.

And, while the post-season tour wasn't the most eventful in the club's history, there was certainly plenty to pick through. Luckily for us, Laurie has been on location to report on a defeat and a late rally on the field as well as some interesting extracurricular happenings.

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It's our first podcast since the calamities of Bilbao, and we're not just talking about the football. Who is responsible for the series of events which led to leaving hundreds, maybe thousands, of fans stranded in a city that had essentially closed for business?

Ruben Amorim's future had even seemed up in the air after that game, but it seems he has been reassured of his future by Manchester United's execs. He used the authority lent him by this vote of confidence to give Alejandro Garnacho marching orders. The Argentinian winger, and his entourage, were publicly critical of the head coach, which appears to have crossed a line. Fan reaction was mixed.

The team went on to play Champions League chasers Aston Villa on Sunday before jetting off to Asia. The clean sheet and comfortable victory at Old Trafford was met with raised eyebrows as much as anything else, but Amorim addressed the crowd to a positive reaction... Now for the difficult part.

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It was supposed to be party time; 24 hours in a cultural and culinary paradise, taking the edge off an awful season. Instead we're left wondering what happens next... for the team, the players, even the manager.

Ange Postecoglu's Spurs are the Europa League champions, they will play Champions League football next season and represent the Premier League in the European Super Cup... Manchester United will have to come to terms with the sporting, commercial, and financial, realities of a 40-game diet of domestic football.

Although there is one more game, one we're now dreading against a very good Villa side, the loss in Bilbao feels like a line drawn under a dreadful season. It may yet lead to lines drawn under some tenures at the club.

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