Man Utd
Guardiola’s Rashford admiration revealed by Giggs
Giggs revealed Guardiola once said Rashford was United’s best player and would be signed tomorrow.
Ryan Giggs has revealed that Pep Guardiola once made clear how highly he rated Marcus Rashford, saying he would have signed the forward for Manchester City immediately. The former Manchester United winger shared the story from a dinner hosted by Sir Alex Ferguson “eight or nine” years ago, where he sat alongside Guardiola and decided to ask a direct question about United’s best players.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents: The Debrief, Giggs said he challenged the City manager to name the player he liked most at Old Trafford. Guardiola first asked him to guess, but the answers Giggs offered, David de Gea and Luke Shaw, were both wrong.
“He said, ‘The best player at Man Utd [is] Marcus Rashford. I would take him tomorrow.’”
Giggs said he was taken aback by the response, adding: “What’s [Guardiola] seeing? And that was obviously as a center forward,” a reference to Rashford’s early impact as a replacement for Anthony Martial.
The exchange was hypothetical, and there was no realistic chance of Rashford moving across Manchester. Even so, it offers an intriguing view of how Guardiola saw him at the time, and how different things might have looked had that imagined move ever happened.
In 2017, City were moving toward a historic 100-point season. Their striking options were Sergio Agüero and Gabriel Jesus, who combined for 47 goals, while Raheem Sterling operated on the left, Leroy Sané on the right and Bernardo Silva had just arrived. Guardiola also handed a debut to 17-year-old Phil Foden.
Foden stands as a clear example of Guardiola’s work with young players, and Rashford might have developed in a similar environment. At the same time, Guardiola’s record shows how quickly forwards can be moved on. Agüero, despite his status, had only three strong years under him before injuries and age reduced his influence. Sterling left aged 27, Sané after four seasons, Ferran Torres after 18 months, and Jesus departed in 2022.
Rashford’s own return to the side this season has been a positive one. He has started twice, been used at half-time once, and has offered a threat from the left. He is still without a goal or assist, but Giggs believes the key is effort, especially the work off the ball that Ruben Amorim has said was missing.
“Assists, goals,” carry importance. “But also you need to do [what] will get the fans [on board]. Forget the other stuff, they’ll forgive you for dribbling and getting tackled or hitting a shot over—not all the time, obviously. But they won’t forgive you for not tracking back.
“I love Marcus and I want him to do well. I wasn’t sure if it was right for him to come back because … just the whole hype. But he’s got the talent. He was running at players. He was tracking back. [In] games, just do that. Do that for a season. You will be a superstar.”
Giggs, who made 963 appearances for United, knows better than most what the club’s supporters value.
Man Utd
United’s Carrick era under threat after latest collapse
United may sack Michael Carrick after eight winless league games leave them 18th in the table.
Manchester United are facing another managerial change, with reports on Monday suggesting Michael Carrick is expected to be dismissed before club football resumes after the November international break.
The club’s decision comes after a damaging sequence of results. Consecutive defeats to Como and Bournemouth had already pushed Carrick into danger, and although United were later able to respond with a comeback win against Roma and then recover again to draw 4-4 with Aston Villa on Sunday, the point was not enough to shift the mood around the manager.
That result extended United’s Premier League winless run to eight matches and left them 18th in the table. It also means the club are in the relegation zone for the first time in 40 years, at least nine matches into a season, as they head into the final international break of 2026.
A final call will rest with owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, but TalkSport reported that chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox are expected to “recommend” Carrick’s removal when they meet with Ratcliffe on Tuesday.
Even the backing of supporters has not prevented the situation from deteriorating. United have won only three of their 15 matches in all competitions this season, and that record has left Carrick’s position looking increasingly untenable.
If the reports are accurate, Carrick would become the fourth permanent manager the club have dismissed since the start of the decade. The wider pattern is stark. Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Ten Hag, Amorim and Carrick have all been unable to restore United to the top of English soccer since the turn of the decade.
Should Carrick go, he would also be the seventh permanent manager of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era to fail to deliver a Premier League title back to Old Trafford.
According to multiple reports, U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino is the leading candidate to take over. Pochettino signed a new four-year deal after the 2026 World Cup, but the contract includes a release clause, and TalkSport say it would not be a major obstacle for United to trigger it. The Argentine, who has long wanted a return to the Premier League, is preparing for the USMNT’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti, yet could be set for a swift change if United act.
Aston Villa
United Rescue Point in Villa Thriller, but Carrick Pressure Grows After Defensive Collapse
United drew 4-4 with Villa after another defensive collapse, leaving Carrick under pressure.
Manchester United emerged from a chaotic afternoon with a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa, recovering from two separate two-goal deficits yet still ending the day with major questions hanging over Michael Carrick before the November international break.
United’s response began in familiar fashion. Bruno Fernandes converted from the penalty spot, just as he had on Tuesday, to ignite the comeback. The home side then pushed forward with purpose and found an equaliser before the interval through Youri Tielemans, who struck against his former club on the edge of half-time.
But the pattern returned after the restart. United conceded twice in quick succession, both goals the product of loose defending that once again undermined any sense of control. John McGinn made no mistake from the penalty spot to restore Villa’s lead, before Leon Goretzka finished a scrappy set-piece move to deepen United’s problems.
At 4-2 down in stoppage time, defeat appeared inevitable. Instead, Patrick Dorgu transformed the closing stages. The substitute first supplied Joshua Zirkzee, then rose to head in the equaliser from a corner, salvaging a point that may spare Carrick in the short term while doing nothing to ease the wider unease around a side now stuck in 18th place in the Premier League table.
The opening stages set the tone. United were behind in the fourth minute, and for the fifth match in a row they found themselves two goals down. That early setback came after alarming defending, with a costly error from Senne Lammens adding to the damage.
There was little improvement after half-time, when United conceded two more poor goals inside eight minutes. Diogo Dalot’s challenge conceded the penalty and his side were then punished again by Villa’s simple finish for the fourth.
Carrick will take the blame, but the evidence on the pitch pointed just as strongly to a team repeatedly making amateur errors. If a change does come, defensive repair will be the first job awaiting any successor.
Aston Villa
United Slip Into Relegation Zone After City Ground Result
United fall into the relegation zone after Forest beat City, leaving Carrick’s side under fresh pressure.
Manchester United’s brief relief did not last long, as Manchester City’s 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest pushed the Red Devils into the relegation zone. It is the first time the club have been there since November 1986, at least nine matches into a season.
The table now leaves United 18th on seven points, level with Crystal Palace in 19th and only above Sunderland. Nottingham Forest’s win lifted them to 16th, with Coventry City and Crystal Palace also on seven points in the lower reaches of the standings. Fulham sit 15th on 10 points, while Nottingham Forest are on nine.
United had already been hovering around danger for much of the campaign, and their only league victory so far remains the 5-2 win over newly promoted Ipswich Town in August. There has been little sign of a sustained recovery, and the pressure has only intensified.
Michael Carrick’s side now face another difficult test. An injury-riddled squad welcomes Aston Villa to Old Trafford on Sunday, with little margin for error as the season continues to tighten around them.
Forest’s victory was built on a composed and disciplined display, even as they spent long spells under pressure at City Ground. Enzo Maresca’s team were repeatedly forced back, but Nottingham Forest held firm.
Liam Delap provided the decisive edge with a brace, taking his tally to just his second and third Premier League goals of the season. He last scored on Sept. 12 in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.
Forest were two goals up by the 20th minute. Jair Cunha opened the scoring in the sixth minute after forcing a turnover on City’s Joško Gvardiol, then finishing low into the left side of the net. Twelve minutes later, Delap doubled the advantage after collecting the ball in Forest’s half and driving between Rúben Dias and Marc Guéhi before firing high into the net.
