Dwight Yorke claims Manchester United are still in title race and issues Rashford warning to rest of Premier League

Dwight Yorke discusses his former club Manchester United in the second part of an exclusive interview with Ladbrokes: Fanzone.

Click on the link to find out his thoughts on what’s gone wrong at Liverpool.

Man United can still challenge for title

Arsenal are in the driving seat, but I’m still expecting plenty of twists and turns. My old club are a little bit behind at the moment but who’s to say if Manchester United can’t go on an unbelievable run – who’s to say they can’t come into the frame?

No one is talking about Man United at the moment, but they’re just getting something going over there now, so maybe they could become a threat with Arsenal and Man City slipping up.

You tend to look back and reflect as a manager, at moments in the season where you’ve perhaps dropped too many points – and the obvious place to start with United would be in those two opening games of the season. I’m sure Erik ten Hag will be sitting there, thinking about just how good a chance they’d have had in this title race were it not have been for those first two games, losing to Brentford and Brighton.

🇦🇹 The boss liked what he saw from his debutant 💪#MUFC || #MUNCRY

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 5, 2023

But eight points is nothing. They have got a slight chance of winning the Premier League. There’s still 17 games and 51 points to play for. There’s a lot of football in there. All United have to do is chip away and capitalise when Arsenal and City slip up. All of a sudden, we could see a dramatic shift in the title race.

I’m so interested to see what happens in the next couple of games, particularly for Arsenal and City, because usually what you’ll find is that the response to a defeat is often more important than the defeat itself – teams that go on to win titles tend to bounce back after surprising defeats, so we’ll see if those two at the top of the table do the same…and if they don’t, then United have a chance to close the gap.

I’m a United fan, but I’m not one of those who hates City with a passion. When you play the game you see things slightly differently to a normal fan. For the good of the Premier League, I think it would be better if Arsenal won the title, ahead of City. City and Liverpool have been so dominant in the last few years, so from a football perspective, it would be good to see someone like Arsenal cause an upset…that’s if United don’t come from behind and nick it!

Best is yet to c ome from Marcus Rashford

I went to Manchester United maybe a year ago while I was doing my pro licence, so I spent around 10 days at the club on observation, watching training, taking notes, talking to players. Being a forward myself, I really, really see a fantastic player in Marcus Rashford. I said this a year ago and people almost laughed at me, but from what I saw in those training sessions, I couldn’t understand how he wasn’t performing on the pitch. It must have been the coach, or things going on behind the scenes at United.

When I saw him, and what he could do with the ball, the ingredients he has to his game, I thought ‘this guy can really play’. From a football standpoint, this current form from Rashford is not a surprise to me. I’ve seen him close up in training. I’ve spoken to him personally as well. I think he’s finally playing in the correct position.

Centre-forward is a unique position. You’re playing with your back to goal but there’s an expectation on you, always, to score. It takes time and experience to master that position, and when you’re only having a run or a spell in the first team here or there, of course it’s going to take longer to perfect the role. When you look at the likes of Alan Shearer, he’s a number nine, and that was that. He wasn’t in and out of the side, he wasn’t playing off the left side one week, the right the next and through the middle the week after. He scored so many goals because he played, consistently, in one position.

Marcus has found his position now. It’s coming in from the left side as an inverted winger, on to his most comfortable foot. His dribbling ability, his speed and the way he sees the game, it’s the perfect position for him. The chopping and changing has confused him and disrupted his development. But he’s still got another year or so before I’d say he’s mastered his role – which is exciting because it means the best of Marcus Rashford is yet to come.

McTominay and Fred have got to step up and earn their money

You’ve got to be aware of anything cynical you might do these days as a footballer, especially with VAR. Casemiro is an experienced player, a serial winner, who should know to keep calm in those situations. The game is not like it used to be, where you could square up to players and things would get physical. The game has moved on and you’ve got to be aware of what you’re doing, knowing cameras are watching you. You’re under scrutiny from the very first whistle to the last, so I think it was petty from Casemiro to do what he did against Crystal Palace.

It’s harsh on his team-mates, because we all know what he brings to the table, and they’re a much better side with him involved. It’ll be a massive loss for them against Leeds, but this is where the top teams are tested. You need players to come in and do the job while he’s out. For the likes of Scott McTominay and Fred, their job right now is simple: they’ve got to stand up now and earn their money. You’ve got to come in when the team needs you.

Erik ten Hag needs to pull those players aside and just stress how much he needs them in Casemiro’s absence. That’s where you get team unity, when the boys sitting on the bench can come in and do a job, and help the team. These fringe players have to stand up – it’s why you have such big squads. You can’t rely on one player all season; there has to be depth in quality, otherwise what are you getting paid for? I hope the players recognise that, and I hope Ten Hag can trust his players. This is their moment. He needs them now.

I found the whole situation around Casemiro missing the Arsenal game a little strange, to be honest. Yes, he’s been instrumental for the team, but there was so much made of the fact he’d miss the game, but the team as a whole were on such a great run at the time, they should have focused on that as a positive heading into the match.

So much is made around the alternative options now that Casemiro has been banned again, but I think back to my time at United and it didn’t matter if one of our superstars was out – there were top-quality players ready and waiting on the bench to come in and do a job. People go on about Casemiro and how important he’s been, but Roy Keane didn’t play every game in a season, did he? And we had enough depth to not have to worry if he was unavailable; it didn’t become a huge talking point.

The more you make a thing of it, the more of a burden you’re putting on your team. He’s a massive player and he’ll be hugely missed, of course. But you’ve got to get on with it.

Man City fans have got to be disappointed

You’ve got to be disappointed if you’re a Manchester City fan right now. There was an opportunity to close the gap last weekend, and they’ve not taken it. But it’s the beauty of the Premier League – that unpredictability makes every game so fascinating, and it just shows us we’re in for a really interesting end to the season. We’ve seen so many ups and downs over the years, and I’m expecting more of the same this season.

Even though City slipped up against Tottenham, they’ll still think they’re in with a chance of winning the league because there’s still so much football to be played.

We fight 'til the end 👊

⚪️ 1-0 ⚫️ #ManCity pic.twitter.com/cO9fQ7AEvz

— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 5, 2023

When you think of where Arsenal were last year and the struggle Mikel Arteta had to go through – at one point there was talk of the board getting rid of him –  the fact he’s managed to turn things around is a credit to his managerial ability and belief. The players obviously buy into his philosophy and it’s been an incredible turnaround.

But the title race is still open, because we’re talking about a team at the top of the table now, who don’t really have the experience of this kind of run-in. OK, they’ve brought in a couple of Manchester City players and Jorginho from Chelsea, and they know what it takes…but is that enough to get them over the line?

We’re going to see plenty more upsets between now and the end of the season; it’s so compact at the bottom of the table that there are no easy games anymore. Teams are fighting for their lives and Everton proved last weekend that anything can happen at this point.

Ronaldo saga could have been handled better

As a manager, you’re put into a situation where you have to stamp your authority and implement things the way you see them – especially at a club like Manchester United. I felt Cristiano Ronaldo was harshly treated, actually, when you consider everything he’s done for the club. I suppose the manager has a right to make those big decisions, but I felt they could have gone about it a little differently, in a more appropriate way.

For whatever reason, due to his frustration, Ronaldo decided to speak up. He’s got a right to do that, and by doing so you’re always going to risk a backlash. Cristiano would have known that going into the interview, and Ten Hag then stood up for what he believed, and the club stood by him and backed him. That was important for Ten Hag. As much as Ronaldo is a great player – the best to play in the modern game – you’ve got to back yourself as his manager and do what you think is right, and what’s going to improve your team’s chances of success.

Fair play to Ten Hag, though. Since making that decision, things have gone well for United on the pitch, and they’re having a great season so far. That’s how quickly things can turn around in this game – you probably wouldn’t have expected the club to be in the position it’s in now after those opening two games. People are quick to forget, but it also means that people are quick to forget all the good that Ronaldo has done for the club.