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

After a tumultuous, albeit entirely precedented, weekend at Manchester United football club we break down two huge exclusives involving the team.On Sunday The Athletic's David Ornstein, Adam Crafton, and Laurie Whitwell combined to reveal that Sporting Director Dan Ashworth would leave after just five months in the job. Meanwhile, Andy Mitten published a lengthy and wide-ranging conversation with club minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.We also take time, as everyone at Old Trafford did before the defeat to Nottingham Forest, to share tributes to the club's longest-serving staff member (perhaps ever), the much-loved Kath Phipps.We just about found time to talk about some football, much of which wasn't great; but was it all that bad? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wednesday night's fixture at the Emirates stadium went roughly as expected, including the method of scoring, but was no less disappointing as a result.Ruben Amorim made six changes to his starting line-up, with more alterations in-game, but he loses his impressive personal unbeaten run in the league.Forest are no pushovers this season, we look at the threat they pose, and discuss a story from Adam Crafton about how and why the players abandoned a plan to wear jackets in support of the Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaign. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester United four, Everton nil. It's the type of result that shouldn't be as rare as it has become but we're happy with the scoreline and delighted with the performance of the team, despite a fairly unspectacular opening period.Amad Diallo was the man of the match, a 'professional pest' and provider of the fourth goal. That was scored by Joshua Zirkzee, who himself put in possible his best showing at the club so far.There was more unrest at ticket price hikes, including chants against Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and we reflect on your reaction to the news, plus a preview of Arsenal away (that's the league fixture, not the FA Cup third round!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ruben Amorim's first home match in charge of Manchester United started with a bang and ended with a win over Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt.But, it wasn't all plain sailing; the visitors fought back to lead 2-1 after Garnacho's super-early strike (even quicker than Rashford v Ipswich) and the result wasn't assured until the final whistle blew.A major talking point among those attending the game was the club's decision to disallow any concessions on tickets remaining for sale this season. This was taken without fan consultation, contrary to an agreed protocol between the club and fan representative groups, and has provoked significant anger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marcus Rashford was on the scoresheet after just 81 seconds of Ruben Amorim's first game as Manchester United manager, rounding off a very encouraging move after good work from Amad Diallo.Unfortuntately, that was as good as it got with Kieran McKenna's Ipswich fighting back to earn a point; perhaps a lesson for the Portuguese on exactly how competitive the Premier League is.There was plenty to digest from that game, from positional play to passion and spectacular saves, and there's likely to be a fair bit more to come over the next few matches starting with a fascinating Bodo Glimt side on Thursday night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Premier League football returns after the November international break and the trip to Ipswich this Sunday(!) was on absolutely nobody's lips at Carrington on Friday.That's because a sizeable press contingent had assembled to greet the club's new manager, or should that be head coach, Ruben Amorim.Ian, Laurie, and Carl took part in said press conference with Andy listening in and we share our (mostly) first impressions of the Portuguese 39 year-old as he prepares his squad for Portman Road. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast team have returned from touring Britain and Ireland and we're wearing our fatigue heavily; well, some of us are... others are buzzing for Amorim's United. But, what's the right way to deal with the excitement?It would be another huge boost to have Tyrell Malacia, a genuine left-back, returning to the pitch. He has been talking exclusively to Mark Critchley about the reasons behind his extended break with injury, and some of the crazier theories that emerged about why he was keeping a low profile.And, we get to your questions on a wide range of subjects from youth team formations to the new coaches via european loyalty points. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The lads are feeling a little bit worse for wear as we record in our hotel lobby after two nights on tour at Manchester's Lowry Theatre and the Limelight in Belfast.It's a relatively quiet week at Manchester United with the new manager getting his feet under the desk amid a men's international break, but Laurie had a (short-lived) exclusive when we learned that Ruud van Nistelrooy has left the club.We'll get into Ruben Amorim's in-tray next week, when we want your messages please, but we put down some early thoughts and glanced at a stuttering season for the Women's team, in contrast to the boys' U18s who are firing on all cylinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The era of Ruud's interim Reds has come to an end, and it's been a near-perfect run. Three wins from four games, including Sunday's 3-0 win over Leicester, sees confidence much-improved since Erik Ten Hag left.Ruben Amorim was due to start work at Manchester United on Monday 11th November, but visa friction may mean a slight delay. Nevertheless, we've got some fascinating material gathered by Charlotte Harpur as we try to get under the skin of the new man. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can a win be described as "routine" when it's your first in more than a year? If so, that's what 'Ruud's unbeaten interim Reds' achieved on Thursday night at Old Trafford.Amad Diallo was the clear stand-out performer, first breaking the deadlock with a looped header from a searching Fernandes cross. He made the second himself with persistent pressing, a strong run, and a sharp finish. 2-0, job done.That's not to say it was all plain sailing; van Nistelrooy was not pleased with the first-half performance and demanded better in the second. His time as manager will end with the Leicester game on Sunday but it remains to be seen if he will leave the club altogether. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.