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

It's the last Q&A of the season (or the first of the new one, depending on how you look at it). Either way, it's a whopper, with a massive influx of questions.

Mixed fortunes for Manchester United players past/present/on loan/future(?) when it comes to World Cup call-ups. We discuss the merits of Harry Maguire's omission by Thomas Tuchel, and whether Anthony Gordon's Barcelona move will skupper Marcus Rashford's hopes.

Ederson looks like he might become United's first midfield signing; what do the lads know of him, more than even they thought... how might the Brazilian fit in to Carrick's plans for next season? And what are those plans? And, of course, the heated question of former players criticising the current team. Do they go too far?

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Michael Carrick was appointed as Manchester United's permanent head coach before the final game of the 2025/26 Premier League season and he will start his two-year contract off the back of a comfortable three-nil win on a beautiful day in Brighton.

Bruno Fernandes was once again mobbed by his teammates after his corner was headed strongly home by Patrick Dorgu; he has now made the Premier League assist record his own with 21 for the season. The skipper would go on to score in the game as well with Bryan Mbeumo having finished a slick passing move on a day where everything went right.

There were also appearances from the bench for academy players Tyler Fletcher and Shea Lacey, a more positive showing from Mason Mount alongside Kobbie Mainoo, and Luke Shaw completed an entire season of Premier League starts, one of only five players to achieve the feat.

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Apparently, there have been a couple of domestic trophies decided this week... no, us neither. While Manchester United have made significant progress in the Premier League, it would be nice to be the ones celebrating this time next year. How can that be achieved?

Obviously, the big question is on midfield recruitment, and we may be getting closer to some answers there. It would also seem that Michael Carrick and the current coaching staff, with a strong United influence, are the answer in the dugout. But are there other lessons we can learn from rivals, both those succeeding and the ones experiencing difficulties.

One thing league winners do, we've learned this week, is get results on the south coast. Bruno and co head to Brighton in the sunshine, as usual, and they will NOT be heading to the beach, but to the Amex where they haven't always had it their own way of late. Time to change that.

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Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 at Old Trafford on Sunday, their last home game of the season. However, it was Bruno Fernandes who was the focus of most attention (in the game, at least) as he equalled the record for assists by one player in a Premier League campaign. He can still make it his own at Brighton next week, but really should have done so already going by his remarkable chance-creation stats. We dive in.

Outside the game, there was a heartfelt send-off for Casemiro, a man who has made his mark on Manchester United just as he has done on a few midfield opponents over the years (it's in the genes). Elliot Anderson showed he can go head-to-head with the best, but if he's interested in becoming a red he was giving nothing away.

Most of all, there was a real feelgood factor as Michael Carrick addressed fans, even if he didn't update us on his employment status. He, and other senior figures, also attended the FA Youth Cup Final defeat to Manchester City. A disappointing end to the academy season for United on a couple of fronts, but the bigger picture looks healthy.

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Manchester United will face Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford this Sunday and there should be a good feeling about the place. Results have been close to perfect under Michael Carrick and we understand the club's executive team will recommend his appointment as permanent head coach.

So, hopefully Carrick will be staying on, but Casemiro will say a fond farewell to the home crowd after four emotionally charged seasons. The Brazil captain has shown admirable qualities to weather various storms and is arguably having his best spell as he prepares to leave.

Long before that, almost as this podcast goes out, we'll know how the U18s have fared in the FA Youth Cup final. It's a first Manchester derby since 1986 and controversy around the late change of venue adds an extra spice to an already interesting match-up; winning would represent a real achievement for United in English youth football's highly competitive environment.

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We asked a series of questions about the rest of the season on our podcast last Thursday, mostly concerning Manchester United's "squad" players and what they need to do in the last three league game to stake their claim for a prominent role next season.

In the first of those three games, at Sunderland, it's fair to say we were left rather underwhelmed by the answers. With the caveat that they haven't played much football recently, and this was an unusually low-stakes fixture, messers Zirkzee, Mount, Amad, even Martinez looked a little flat.

Let's hope for the return of Casemiro at Old Trafford next time out and fingers crossed Bruno can get the two assists he needs to become the single-season record holder without needing to get over the line at Brighton. United's captain was rewarded for his stellar season with the FWA player of the season award but chasing that prize gives him and his teammates a mini-target to shoot (or pass) for.

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Manchester United will compete for the 2026-27 Champions League and when the draw comes around they will most likely be in Pot 2 which should deliver a couple of high profile matches and some more interesting destinations as well. But, what does that mean for the rest of this season?

Will Michael Carrick (still not confirmed as a permanent head coach of the team) choose to rotate a little and give opportunities to fringe players and academy prospects, or is that too risky? It could be expensive, too, with a good chunk of prize money at stake. The trip to Sunderland this weekend can't be taken lightly, even if the opposition's form has tailed off slightly.

We also have a couple of news stories with Betway seemingly close to becoming Utd's new training kit sponsor and a frustrating situation with the FA Youth Cup final. Manchester City were drawn as hosts and, while tradition dictates the game be held at the senior stadium, they are carrying out renovations.

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Manchester United are back in the Champions League having done the double over Liverpool, that's the league double against Liverpool.

The lads rushed straight to the studio to record this podcast for you, even with Ian feeling a little poorly, and even though United didn't take their 2-0 half-time lead and add a few more to really add insult to injury.

As it was, we had to make do with another great winning goal, another goal in a big game, from Kobbie Mainoo. Bruno can get his assists record in the next few weeks, no bother at all!

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Manchester United face Liverpool at Old Trafford this Sunday knowing that a win against their biggest rivals will guarantee Champions League football next season. It would also represent an incredible turnaround in the two teams' fortunes from this time last year. It looks good, especially with the hand Arne Slot has at his disposal, but the podcast's confidence is very cautious.

Michael Carrick likes to keep his cards close to his chest and he has not been drawn on a potential appointment as permanent manager (or head coach), but he did confirm he had a cup of tea with Sir Jim Ratcliffe last week. Meanwhile, Kobbie Mainoo will hope to celebrate his new contract with a positive performance in the middle of the park; it's not that long ago he and the club were seriously contemplating his departure.

We also hear from Mason Mount about his hopes for next season as the players look to build on the current momentum. And just one more thing; "a win against their biggest rivals"... Are Liverpool actually the number one rivals for Manchester United? We start the debate.

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Man United ran through this season's full repertoire in beating Brentford at Old Trafford on Monday night. Casemiro header, tick, Bruno assist, tick, Sesko finish, tick, wobbly spell at the back and nervy last five minutes... tick, tick.

Casemiro put in a statistically remarkable performance but also did lots of Casemiro things and we're forced, once again, to ask, "is there a chance he'll stay on?" Meanwhile, Bruno keeps coming up with new and interesting ways to impress and entertain us, even though there were sticky patches and we've got fresh fitness concerns.

But they did win, for the first time on a Monday since August 2023; thanks to a half-time adjustment from the coaching staff? Carrick's managerial record in this spell now reads won 9, drawn 2, lost 2; he has the most points of any Premier League manager in that time, and his team need just two more to guarantee Champions League football. Bring on Liverpool.

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