00:03Hi Michael, the new season's upon us, how are you feeling about the group and how's the squad looking, is
00:08there anyone unavailable?
00:10Yeah, I feel good, as you'd expect, really looking forward to another season, you know, they've come thick and fast,
00:19so it's about making the most of everything that's in front of us really, and really encouraged with the work
00:27we've done pre-season,
00:28on the training ground, mostly in the games, I think it's been really good, so yeah, very much looking forward
00:34to the first game and a tough one on Saturday.
00:37In terms of player availability, is Sesko De Ligt available? What's the situation with Mason Mount and Carl Darlow as
00:43well?
00:44Yeah, Carl's trained this week, he's back training, so he's in good shape.
00:51Mata's obviously been out for a long period of time, but he's training and great to have him back.
00:56He won't be involved but he's in good shape and moving in a good direction, so that's really a good
01:03bonus for us really.
01:05At this stage driving back, Ben's back training, so that's again another positive.
01:14Looking forward to having him back around the group and getting him some minutes as well.
01:19And then managing Mason a little bit, but he's very close, so it's a touch and go for the weekend
01:25really, if not going into next week.
01:28Michael, with Mason, is there a kind of concern about injuries? Is that kind of underpinning everything?
01:36Because clearly the first three games of pre-season he was outstanding, but then everybody says, well he'll get injured
01:43at some point and then he goes off.
01:45Is that a concern?
01:49I think, first of all, Mason's a top player, I think we've seen that so far pre-season.
01:54He's one of our best players in the early stages in the games that he played in, I thought he
01:59was fantastic.
02:01Not surprising, it's what I've seen before, what I expect, what I know of him.
02:07And he's picked up with a little bit of a knock, there's no drama, maybe it's been a week or
02:11so or ten days or whatever it's been,
02:13so it's nothing major.
02:16Of course he's missed some football over recent years and he wants to be fit, he wants to be in
02:23that full rhythm and he wants to stay fit,
02:25so we're doing our best to help him do that, but he's a top player, Mason.
02:31It's the same as the squad, we've got to manage the squad, there's going to be injuries through the season,
02:34we've got to have a squad that's strong enough to have a really top starting team with the depth to
02:40carry us through the season.
02:42Mason will be back very, very soon, if not immediately, so it's all good.
02:47Some people have looked at your fixture list and said two newly promoted teams, that's a favourable start for Manchester
02:55United.
02:56You've been around the club long enough to know that United have slipped up in games like this right at
03:02the start of the season before.
03:03How do you see it, you almost see it as more dangerous because people will think you should win?
03:11First of all, for all of us to know this league, there's no favourable start, I think it's a tough
03:18start.
03:20Both teams, but not getting past Saturday, I think a newly promoted team away from home is a tough, tough
03:28game.
03:28I've been involved in them in the past, so I'm fully aware of what's coming at us from Saturday,
03:33what we've got to be ready for, so it's not favourable.
03:36I think it's an easy thing to throw out there, but it's pretty ridiculous and certainly we're not taking it
03:42that way at all.
03:45Evening Michael, just a question on Marcus Rashford.
03:47I know we did ask you a few questions about him in Dublin, but since he's been back,
03:52has he expressed any desire to stay at United beyond the deadline?
03:55Just a second if you don't mind.
03:57Do you see him as an option to the middle as well as a player on the left?
04:01It's been pretty obvious since Marcus came back training with Kobe and Leitcher,
04:06pretty much in Dublin that he's come back fantastically well.
04:13He's enjoying his football, he looks fit, he looks sharp, he looks strong, he looks ready to play football.
04:18So I've been delighted with him since he's came back.
04:22Yeah, of course he can play through the middle.
04:24He has done.
04:26I wouldn't say it's necessarily his number one position, but he can do that.
04:30I think we've got forwards that give us that flexibility right across the front line
04:34that we've used all of them pretty much in slightly different roles.
04:38So I think for us to have that option is really good moving through the season, obviously.
04:43Just on the transfer window, the club being heavily linked with Carlos Baleba,
04:46but I just wonder how busy do you expect the club to be between now and the deadline?
04:51Do you still see left-back, with Luke Shaw as essentially the only first-team left-back in the squad,
04:57an area you'd like to strengthen?
04:59I just think we're looking to strengthen the squad.
05:03We're certainly working towards that and making the most of the situation that we have
05:06and trying to improve things and trying to move forward.
05:09I said the same thing to you last time,
05:12so yeah, certainly trying to make the most of the opportunities
05:15to finish the window stronger than we went into it,
05:19and I think we're in a good way to doing that so far.
05:22Hi Michael, it's 13 years since United last won the title.
05:28What's it going to take to get over the line?
05:30Could you do it this year?
05:33It's going to be a jump.
05:35I said to you, whatever I say, it doesn't really matter.
05:38Whether I say we can or we can't.
05:39I would never say we can't, by the way.
05:41I don't believe that.
05:42But whatever I say, it's about what we do, what we can do,
05:46what we're capable of doing, what we believe we can do as a group.
05:50I think the run of form that we had last season gives us a lot of confidence,
05:53but we know there's a whole new step to make as a group.
06:00We're pushing to do that.
06:01It's exciting, I think we've got the potential to achieve things
06:03and we're definitely giving everything that we can.
06:07We've got to believe that we're a good team and we can do good things.
06:11Just on the game, Hull are obviously devoid of pressure really,
06:17United never are, but are they in a way an unknown quantity
06:21because of the number of new players?
06:25Well, that's the beauty of the new season.
06:28I think certainly for teams coming up in the league,
06:33for the most part there tends to be quite a few changes within the playing group,
06:37so it's always the challenge when you're playing against them.
06:41There's that freshness, there's that buzz around the football club
06:45of coming into the Premier League and what that brings.
06:48So again, we're fully aware of that.
06:50We'll be prepared obviously, mentally and physically we've done a lot of work anyway,
06:55but mentally we'll be prepared, we know what the game's going to bring
06:58and how good we need to be to get the right result.
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