00:00Hi Michael, it's just over a week ago that Sir Jim Ratcliffe made his comments on
00:06immigration. Obviously they've had a global impact but they've also been
00:13condemned by many many people including all Manchester United's major fans
00:18organisations. As the most visual face of the club, as the manager, the person
00:24that we hear from more than anyone else, could you give us your assessment of
00:31those comments and the impact they've made?
00:35Yeah, I think that Sir Jim has made a statement and the club has made a statement
00:39on the back of it really so for me to add to that is not my place to add to
00:45that.
00:46I think enough being said in that regard. I think what I can say is I've been around
00:51this club many many years and I think we always make a huge impact globally and
00:57in whatever way and we're really responsible for that and throughout the years
01:06as a player, as a member of staff, as a supporter I think we're really proud of
01:10the environment and the culture that we've got at the club and equality and
01:15diversity and respect for each other is something that we look to carry through
01:20every day and I've travelled the world and I know what this club means to an awful lot
01:25of people so fully aware of the responsibility and we're trying to carry that out every single day.
01:30Is there a possibility that Sir Jim's comments undermine that? You were part of a multicultural
01:37squad. Sir Alex Ferguson made a point of emphasising the different backgrounds in that
01:42squad and said it was one of the reasons why you were so successful. You're now in charge of a
01:48a squad with players from all kinds of different backgrounds both from England
01:53and overseas. Have you had to speak to them and is Sir Jim's comments possibly undermining
02:01unity and what you are trying to achieve?
02:04We've got a really strong strong group whether that's the players in and around the dressing
02:09room and the staff and certainly around the club and outside of the club but certainly within the club
02:16I think we're in constant communication anyway we're here to support each other and help each
02:20other in whatever way we can. The boys have been in really good spirits this week in terms of training
02:27we've had some time away so I think that was important for a refresh and a bit of a deep
02:33breath
02:33of everything you know for the short time we've kind of been together to digest everything and then come
02:40back and focusing on what's next so we're looking forward to the next game at this stage but yeah
02:47obviously we're here to help each other support each other in any way we possibly can.
02:54Michael just picking up off that though do you think comments like that can impact a group that
02:59as Simon mentioned are from all around the world from different backgrounds from different social
03:04classes as well you know when they see someone of such leadership at the club can that have an impact
03:10I guess not even on the football but just in any working environment?
03:14Yeah I think I think part of being at this club we understand what what it's like and and globally
03:20and
03:20as I said the responsibilities we have and within this and and I can only speak from my personal
03:28experiences of being here for a long time and with various managers with various staff
03:34supporters largely probably stayed the same gathered some new supporters over over the years but
03:39all backgrounds different backgrounds and and and it's something we're fully aware of and I am and
03:44and I'm proud of how I'm proud of of what the club stands for and and has done for for
03:48so long really and
03:49I'm really aware of that. Just on team news now looking ahead to Monday I think you mentioned Mason Mount
03:55could be
03:56close back to fitness for Everton and De Litt do you have any kind of updates on those? Yeah Mason's
04:02um getting closer I think we we're really um we're going to be patient as well and we have
04:06well sorry we have been patient with him so we don't want to we don't want to push anything um
04:10he's an
04:11important part of the group Mason and we want him we want him back and and fit and he'll have
04:16a big
04:16impact for us so um he's getting closer which is which is good for us um uh matter a little
04:23bit
04:24working towards it but as I said last week he's a little bit behind Mason really so um
04:29we're just trying to to to work with him to progress him to to get him a bit closer really
04:34Michael how do you go about beating Everton um listen there's there's a lot goes into a game um
04:42David's teams are hard to play against you know and um he's he's such a good manager and and and
04:48with
04:48the experience he's got and and knowing what it takes to have success in this league and um
04:53um it's it's a it's a new challenge for us you know it's one we're looking forward to i think
04:57it's
04:58one where we've had a lot of time to kind of to look forward to it um so yeah it's
05:03going to take a
05:04lot i think it's um going away to have it i know it's a new stadium but historically if it's
05:08always
05:08been tough it's always been um the atmosphere and and the supporters that they create i think it's
05:12always been one one of the toughest ones that i've played away from home so we're aware with that
05:17um and then trying to be our best way we can you know i think we've um we've got things
05:24to improve
05:24on but we've we've got a good base and a good foundation moving forward um good spirit um so
05:30we'll have to draw on pretty much all of that on on monday night you said you've had you know
05:34a couple
05:35of weeks here to just take a breath and and assess the start that you that you've made together did
05:40you feel like the west hand performance was a little bit of a step back from from what you've shown
05:44and and what are the details that you think need to change for this everton game who may well have
05:48a similar approach to west ham as well i think we've got to be a bit balanced you know in
05:52terms
05:52of a spot not getting carried away before before that game in terms of winning games and certainly
05:58not getting carried away if it doesn't quite if we don't come away with the three points i think
06:02there's an understanding of games are tough to win in this league and and it's proven um not just
06:08for us so um i think a lot of performance in terms of the control and and and how we
06:15went uh about the
06:16game was there was a lot of good things in the game um it probably got open towards the end
06:21when we were
06:21chasing it a little bit more but we looked dangerous so and scoring a late goal is a big positive
06:26so i
06:26think um it's an important point for us yeah of course we wanted to win the game but certainly not
06:31um
06:32thinking that it was um it was all bad or it's a big negative i think we're pretty balanced going
06:37into
06:37the game to what we are coming out of it really and looking for the games ahead thank you jimmy
06:41hi michael um so it's been 30 will have been 13 days by the time you play everton how has
06:46it
06:46been having an extended break like that has it been helpful or do you feel it's broken the rhythm
06:51then how are the plans going for a mid-season friendly when the next gap comes up and how involved
06:57in the plans for that are you yeah we just it's we've tried to make it uh useful you know
07:02the break
07:03that we've had at the moment i think we're trying to make um in different ways i think it was
07:06important that the the i think when there's change and um and the kind of the month or so that
07:12we we
07:13had together i think to it was important for everyone to you know have a couple of days to digest
07:18that and
07:19take it in and um so we've the boys have had trained a bit had a few days off trained
07:24a bit again and and
07:25looking to get the balance right of keeping the rhythm keeping the sharpness keeping that the the focus
07:29which the boys have been i have to say really good in training again um and then yeah moving forward
07:36it's the fixes have thrown up some some um mixture of gaps between games really so just adjusting and
07:43adapting and um we'll see what kind of comes of that um especially obviously the international and
07:49then a bit of a break after that so we'll manage it as we go but we'll obviously try and
07:53make the best of it
07:53how do you feel about the prospects of a friendly is it something you would welcome if that's what
07:59what the club thinks is the right thing to do it just depends on on a lot of things really
08:03i don't
08:03think there's a there's a there's a black or white answer with that one i think it's it's really kind
08:07of um we'll we'll we'll make a call and there's there's there's a bit of an area in between where
08:13we
08:13it depends on where the game is what it's like what time it is when the fixtures fall you know
08:17so it's it's
08:18not straightforward but it's something if we need to look at we can do if we think it's the best
08:22for
08:22the players okay thanks
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