Rival players 'too pally - it shouldn't be like that'
BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater, speaking on the Devils' Advocate podcast about Sunday's goalless draw with Manchester City:"It was a really good atmosphere, all throughout the first half in particular."The Stretford End were all on their feet, they really gave it some. I thought the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic, it was just a shame nothing came from the performance."I'm relieved in a way that we didn't get beaten or battered."You go into derbies against Manchester City nowadays knowing that they are better than us. Even this season, when they have been really poor, City are still better than us looking at the league table."Boxer and United fan Pat Brown added: "The trap we are falling into though is that we are happy to get these sorts of results. The expectation at Manchester United has dropped so much over the years and it's not right."We were always giving everyone what for before - and we were proud of that. Whereas now it's like we are happy to leave a derby with a draw. You shouldn't want to draw with City, no matter how much better they are."In derbies, you don't see players menacing players any more. You need to have one figure in the team that is strong, because you need that little one percent and that fire."But I feel like all the players now are like: 'Oh yeah, I know you from the national team' and they are all too pally with each other - it shouldn't be like that."I remember that Gary Neville video where he was about to walk out, nobody shook hands with each other, and everyone was stern and ready. You just don't get that in football any more."Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Football transfer rumours: Jack Grealish to join McTominay at Napoli?
Having been left out of Manchester City's Club World Cup squad entirely, Jack Grealish is badly in need of an Italian renaissance. Having rescued one Briton from Manchester last summer in the form of Scott McTominay, Napoli could repeat the trick this year. Grealish's wages are a sticking point – the 29-year-old earns close to £300,000 a week at City following his £100m move to the Etihad in 2021 and would need to take a drastic pay cut if a permanent deal with Napoli is to be arranged. A loan deal is more likely, with City continuing to pay a portion of Grealish's wages, unless Napoli opt for another adopted Mancunian entirely, United's Alejandro Garnacho, who has also been linked with Spurs. Both the Argentinian and Grealish are thought to be available for around £40m. 'That's the dream, to play for Arsenal one day,' Ollie Watkins said in 2020, and the Aston Villa could yet get his wish, with the Gunners unsure over the €80m (£68m) price tag for Viktor Gyökeres and uncertain they can convince Benjamin Sesko to make the move to north London. With Villa missing out on Champions League qualification, Watkins could be a more feasible option. Apparently Bournemouth's reward for overachieving last season is that now, every elite club wants to sign their best players. Much of the attention for the Cherries has been on overcoming the departure of Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid and the potential transfers of Milos Kerkez to Liverpool in a deal thought to be worth £50m and Kepa Arrizabalaga to Arsenal. The Mill has dived deep into the internet and found that Kerkez's brother has shared an Instagram post of the left-back saying: 'Soon to be Liverpool player.' To make matters worse for Bournemouth, the interest from PSG in Ilya Zabarnyi won't go away and while life on the south coast is probably a fine thing, life with the European champions on a far greater wage is arguably preferable, if you don't mind the whole Ligue 1 procession and Qatari money thing. Having signed Leroy Sané last week, Galatasaray are in the market for another German in Marc-André ter Stegen. The imminent arrival of Espanyol's Joan García could dump Ter Stegen on the scrapheap at Barça but he is reportedly unsure of a move to Turkey. A player that has just won the Süper Lig title with Gala is Victor Osimhen, who is returning to parent club Napoli after a successful loan spell last season. Osimhen wants a permanent move to another European giant but could yet end up in Saudi Arabia, Al-Hilal having returned with an improved bid for the Nigerian – the astounding salary on offer is thought to be close to £43m a year. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Like an ex all up in your DMs, Nicolas Kühn's former club, RB Leipzig, want to re-sign the German winger from Celtic. Kühn spent three years with Leipzig at academy level, where he impressed enough as a teenager that Ajax spent €2m on him, and has continued that way in Glasgow, scheming and scuttling on the right wing to help Celtic to domestic glory and a decent run to the Champions League league phase playoffs. They are expected to demand around £15m for the 25-year-old, around five times what they paid for Kühn in January 2024.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Napoli ready to rescue Jack Grealish but could opt for Man Utd star instead
Jack Grealish faces little future at Manchester City after falling out of favour under Pep Guardiola but his escape route could potentially be blocked by a Premier League rival Napoli have handed Jack Grealish a much-needed Manchester City escape route but could see his exit blocked. The England winger appears set to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer after being axed by Pep Guardiola. Grealish was omitted from City's squad for the Club World Cup in the USA - that decision having come after the winger's Premier League minutes were restricted towards the end of last season. As it stands, there have been no offers for Grealish's services, with a loan move looking like his most likely route out of the club for now. Everton have been linked with a move but it appears that the 29-year-old now has suitors in Italy. According to The Sun, Serie A champions Napoli would be willing to spend around £45m on Grealish. They are keen to reunite the winger with former City star Kevin De Bruyne, who has been handed a two-year deal at the club. Grealish is currently working on his fitness on holiday following his absence from the City squad. Taking to Instagram, Grealish shared a selfie with a caption reading: 'Late night runs on holiday. Feeling good,' accompanied by a running man emoji and a flexed biceps emoji. Grealish remains under contract with City until 2027 but Guardiola has hinted he might be better looking for opportunities elsewhere. Speaking at the end of last season, he said: "Of course, Jack has to play. 'That's the truth. Jack is an unbelievable player that has to play football every three days. And it didn't happen this season, and last season neither. And he needs to do it with us, or another place. "But that is a question for Jack, his agent, and the club. If he stays, we'll be fine, and he'll fight like he fought since day one to make a contribution." Where do you think Jack Grealish should go if he leaves Man City? Share your thoughts in the comments below While Napoli are interested in Grealish, they do have other options. The Serie A side are also eyeing a move for Manchester United misfit Alejandro Garnacho, who is potentially seen as a better long-term investment given his age. Garnacho looks set to leave Old Trafford after a very public fall-out with Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim. Speaking about his future after the Europa League final, he said: 'It's hard for everyone The season was s***, both now losing the final tonight, and in the league, where we didn't beat anyone, that's the truth. "Up until the final, I've played every round, and today to play 20 minutes… I don't know. I'm going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens after.' Despite Garnacho hinting at an exit, Amorim suggested he still had a future at Old Trafford. Asked if he had played his final game for the club, he replied: "No, Garnacho is a Manchester United player who is not in the squad today. But he continues to be a Manchester United player." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Chelsea move can help Liam Delap become England's No 9 in the future, says manager Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca insists Liam Delap can use his Chelsea platform to become England 's next No 9. Delap, 22, was signed for £30million from Ipswich in a move which reunited him with Maresca, under whom he scored a bundle of goals for Manchester City 's academy. The Blues boss reckons he can do so again and that he is confident the striker can go on to replace Harry Kane as the Three Lions' regular frontman. 'When Liam was not a Chelsea player, I said that, for me, potentially, he can be England's No 9,' Maresca said ahead of his side's Club World Cup opener versus Los Angeles FC. 'So he was not even with us, and for sure, now that he's with us, I'm going to say again that I don't have any doubt that he can be England No 9 in the future. '[But] I never say to a players you are going to be a first choice. The message is always the same: you arrive, you work hard, you work more than the other No 9 and you are going to be No 9 first-choice. So the conversation with Liam has been quite clear. 'He was keen to join us because he knows the way we play. The season that we were together also we won for the first time for Manchester City the Under-23 competition. He scored 24, 25 goals that season. So he knows exactly what we can give to him and I know what Liam can give us. So I think it's a win-win. We like Liam and Liam likes us, so it was an easy conversation.' Delap scored 12 goals for Ipswich as they were relegated to the Championship last season, with Chelsea winning what was a hectic race to secure his signature. Maresca added that Delap is not going to get bogged down by talk of Chelsea's No 9 shirt carrying a curse, as he continued: 'Personally I don't see any problem about that. 'I see Liam quite relaxed, easy, he's doing well. Since he arrived he's working well. We know each other already from years ago, so I know what Liam can give us, he knows what we can give to him to improve and to become a better player. And again in terms of No 9, hopefully he can score goals for us.'
