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

What a day! Just when you thought things might be a bit quieter with the World Cup fully underway in Qatar we get, not one United bombshell, but two huge stories.First, news of Ronaldo's immediate release after the club and player reached a mutually exclusive agreement. Ordinarily, that would be the story of the month, but just a couple of hours later it became apparent that the Glazer family have instructed banks to seek out new investment avenues. Could that mean a sale? It certainly looks like it.Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell starts the pod with the breaking news that Manchester United are exploring the possibility of terminating Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract after his interview with Piers Morgan.Laurie is then joined by Ian Irving, Carl Anka and Andy Mitten to get their thoughts on that Ronaldo interview. We also get the views of thousands of subscribers to The Athletic who responded to our poll.Then we'll hear from former United keeper Edwin van der Sar, now CEO at Ajax, talking about the transfers of Lisandro Martínez & Antony. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News broke late on Sunday that Cristiano Ronaldo has made accusations against senior figures at Manchester United in a dramatically timed interview with tabloid journalist Piers Morgan. It will dominate the headlines, no doubt about that, but many fans of the club may be suspicious of his 'revelations'.The interview somewhat overshadowed Alejandro Garnacho's late winner at Fulham in United's last game before the mid-season World Cup break. We've been hyping up the young Argentinian's performances and he's looking more and more like a happy bonus for manager Erik Ten Hag.Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Irving is joined by The Athletic's Andy Mitten & Carl Anka to look back on a mad game at Old Trafford that saw United see off Aston Villa in the league cup with Marcus Rashford & Alejandro Garnacho shining.Is this the best version of Rashford we've seen? Has Alejandro Garnacho arrived now as a United player?There is also a discussion about the form of Jadon Sancho - who didn't make the England World Cup squad - & Donny van de Beek who struggled again when given a chance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Irving, Carl Anka, Andy Mitten and Laurie Whitwell are on hand for live(ish) reaction to the Europa League draw which saw United paired with Barcelona in knock-out playoffs, a game they're already calling the Mitten Derby.That's something to fear/look forward to in February. In the meantime though, the gang look back on the dire 3-1 defeat at Villa Park and wonder what next for poor Donny and, er, Ronny. What changes will Erik Ten Hag make when these two sides meet again in the League Cup this midweek?Produced by Ollie Bellwood Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Irving is joined by Andy Mitten & The Athletic's Pol Ballus in San Sebastian to reflect on United's win at Real Sociedad in the Europa League that wasn't enough for United to top the group, meaning a play-off is needed to make the play-offs.A night of mixed emotions that saw Alejandro Garnacho score the winner in the first half and ended with Harry Maguire playing upfront with Cristiano Ronaldo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marcus Rashford's West Ham winner was his 100th goal for Manchester United and the landmark put him in reflective mood about his struggles last season and the change in "headspace" that has seen him return to form this term.It wasn't always pretty but the team looked solid at the back; David de Gea made some heroic saves and the back four all had good games. United are now unbeaten in eight and looking forward to a potentially season-defining group decider in the Europa League. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A start and a goal for Ronaldo, early withdrawals for some key players, and a bright performance from young forward Alejandro Garnacho. It wasn't the most exciting game, but everything went right on the night; well, almost everything...David de Gea's contract is up this summer and, while the club have an option to extend that deal for 12 months, Athletic writer Pol Ballus isn't sure they will. Another David; Moyes (NOT May), brings West Ham to Old Trafford on Sunday and the podcast team are confident of another good result. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Casemiro's last-gasp header showed the player's fierce desire has not waned after his transfer from Real Madrid, and it summed up the team spirit shown at Stamford Bridge. United had dominated the early part of the game, but having conceded to Jorginho's penalty with just minutes left, it feel like a "winning draw".It all happened without Cristiano Ronaldo, of course, and his future will become clearer when the squad is announced for the Europa League fixture on Thursday. Better news on the club's third former Madrid player; after Raphael Varane reacted emotionally to his knee injury, it may not be as bad as feared.Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A win against Spurs this season was always going to be impressive, but the manner of that victory had the podcast team purring.From midfield dominance, to cutting edge in attack, with fullbacks linking seamlessly, it was described as "one of the best performances in years and years".We look at what it means for Ten Hag, the players not involved (including that one), and the trip to Chelsea on Saturday.Produced by Ollie Bellwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.