Michael Carrick's starring role in what has become one of the nation's favourite soap operas has been extended for at least another week, with the 45-year-old set to be in charge for Saturday's visit to Chelsea.
Good news - you'd think - for Carrick.
asserted
you → become → Carrick
But even better news for Amazon's All or Nothing camera crews, who have been given "unprecedented" access to document the behind-the-scenes goings-on at Old Trafford this season.
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who → give → Trafford
United fans will presumably be relieved when the football resumes on Saturday, if only to break up the constant stream of opinion for 90 minutes.
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football → relieve → minutes
But while the wall-to-wall reporting of one of the world's biggest football clubs is hardly new, the unrelenting coverage from former players is a growing phenomenon.
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coverage → grow → players
It is easier to name the Manchester United legends who don't have a platform from which they scrutinise the club's every move than those that do - and it begs the question whether the club's demise has been industrialised into a content-creating machine.
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demise → name → machine
'It doesn't really help in any way'
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It → help → way
Whether supporters feel comments from ex-players are damaging or not differs from fan to fan, but what cannot be denied is how difficult it is to escape their views.
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it → feel → views
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville provided scathing on-air commentary during United's 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth last Sunday, before conducting a post-match podcast in the Old Trafford gantry in which he accused some of their players of being unprofessional.
"There's a couple of them...
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he → provide → them
I live in Manchester and they're not that professional, some of them," Neville stated.
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Neville → live → them
"I've got no time for them.
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I → get → them
There's a few of them that don't go to bed at the right time.
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that → be → time
"
But it's digital and streaming platforms that are re-defining a new age of analysis.
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that → re → analysis
Neville launched The Overlap in 2021, and its success across video and podcast platforms has seen the channel become one of the most influential outlets in sports media.
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channel → launch → media
On Tuesday, Wayne Rooney appeared on Neville's Manchester United-dedicated YouTube channel 'Stick to United' where he said Carrick's players "need a firework up their a***".
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players → appear → *
Neville has since hosted his own The Overlap show where he said managers sometimes need to be sacked "for their own good", while ex-United captain Roy Keane said Carrick and his backroom staff are "lucky boys" to still be in jobs.
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Carrick → host → jobs
Neville acquired a network of YouTube channels from United influencer Mark Goldbridge last summer, which has significantly increased the channel's coverage of the club.
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which → acquire → club
Largely known for viral clips of his expletive-laden rants during streamed 'watchalongs' of their matches, Goldbridge's YouTube channels had amassed more than 3.7million subscribers.
Goldbridge - whose real name is Brent di Cesare - now co-hosts the 'Stick to United' show with Rooney, the club's record goalscorer.
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name → know → Rooney
But Neville, Rooney and Keane are far from the only ones setting the agenda.
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Neville → set → agenda
Class of '92 pair Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt co-host their own podcast called 'The Good, The Bad & The Football'.
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pair → co → podcast
Before last season's Manchester derby at Old Trafford - Carrick's first home game in charge - Butt said City striker Erling Haaland would "pick Lisandro Martinez up and run with him", while Scholes said the Norway forward would "throw him in the net" after scoring.
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forward → say → net
United won the game 2-0, with Martinez putting in a stellar performance.
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Martinez → win → performance
Asked about Scholes' comments after the match, the Argentine defender said: "Honestly, he can say whatever he wants.
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he → ask → whatever
I told him already, if he wants to say something to me, he can come to wherever he wants.
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he → tell → wherever
I don't care."
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I → care → ?
Asked during Thursday's news conference how he deals with the 'noise' from former team-mates and ex-players, Carrick said he avoids it as best he can.
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he → ask → it
"I don't see it really.
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I → see → it
I see the things that I need to see," he added.
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he → see → that
"I don't look for it - it doesn't really help in any way.
"
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it → look → way
I've said it before, I care about what the supporters think.
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supporters → say → what
I care about what it feels like in the stadium, and them travelling to games for us, to come and see us and support us.
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them → care → us
I care about what we give them, and what we offer them, and what they see.
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they → care → what
I genuinely don't take any notice of anything else.
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I → take → anything
"
'Unhelpful' or standard-bearers?
Where once a low rating in a newspaper could anger players, they now have to deal with days of debate after a bad result or below-par performance.
Former manager Erik ten Hag recently alluded to the difficulty his Manchester United squad had dealing with the opinions of people like Neville and Rio Ferdinand, and said former players could be "more helpful" to the club.
"
uncertain
players → anger → club
I did nice interviews with them both [Neville and Ferdinand], so it didn't hurt me.
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it → do → me
Of course, they have podcasts, they have their models," Ten Hag told The Athletic, external.
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Hag → have → external
Some of them get affected by it, get annoyed by it.
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Some → affect → it
"They achieved massive successes.
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They → achieve → successes
But also, they can help the club more, help the players more.
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they → help → players
There should be two ways that they support it.
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they → support → it
But I think always the thing you most love, you most criticise.
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you → think → ?
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
