Eric Cantona says he would not join Man Utd again over Sir Jim Ratcliffe's views | Paper Talk
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[music] >> Hello there. [music] It's time now for paper talk here on Sky Sports News, bringing you a first look at the sports stories in the morning's newspapers. Joining us this time around [music] Charlie Wyett, chief football correspondent at The Sun, and Daniel Storey, chief football writer at The I. Welcome to you both. Let's run you through the back pages. Start with this. Turf times is the headline in the Mirror. Debt hit Manchester United selling a cube of Old Trafford grass for 125 [music] pounds. Cheeky sods is how The Sun puts it, and above that, National Trust [music] Kane backs dropouts as a number of players make themselves unavailable due to fitness concerns. [music] Same headline in The Star, cheeky sods, who also carry a story about Cristiano Ronaldo targeting a thousand career goals. Bit of a different take on this in the Express, [music] and Harry Kane, Harry's punt on USA. The England captain eyeing up a move to the NFL as a kicker after his career [music] is done. More Kane in the Telegraph, and above that, a story about [music] the BBC making cuts to its sports department. Back to Kane in The Guardian, and the headline, [music] "Not us as a team." Kane says England must move on from World Cup let down. And Kane, "I [music] trust absentees" is the headline in The Times, and alongside that, Cantona would snub Ratcliffe, [music] and can Klopp work his magic? Uh Daniel, Charlie, [music] it's great to see you. Let's start with Harry Kane because he features on many of uh the back pages this time around, and we'll start with the Mirror. We saw that headline uh just a moment ago, didn't we? Uh Kane's in the end zone. Look, Charlie, you were in this press conference where Kane was talking to the media and some particularly poignant quotes where he said every time England go out of a tournament, it hurts in a different way, but he said this one hurt more than any other one. >> Yeah, we had 25 minutes the the guys that cover England for the newspapers, we had a sort of in with Harry 25 minutes and covered so many topics and he was really good value and look there's I think because there were so many different lines, the newspapers we all going in different ways just cuz there was so many things to do. So, yeah, he spoken about Argentina, said it's the for him the toughest moment of his career. For him until then it was missing the penalty against France in Qatar. And he speaks about the mistakes made and he's sort of saying, you know, was it mentality? Was it just, you know, the decisions on the on the night? Obviously Thomas Tuchel had a lot of criticism for his subs and tactics. So, you know, and Kane says we've got to look at it properly and equally he couldn't even bear to watch the final. He was in New York, but he was on the golf course. So, yeah, it was some fascinating stuff today. >> There was a bit of talk as well in these back pages. The The Daily Express reflect this. Harry's punt on USA, they say. New buying deal comes first for Kane, but then he hopes to live his American dream by moving to MLS and finally the NFL as a kicker, Daniel. Can you see it? >> Harry Kane's dreams. I was as guilty as anyone of the one season wonder after his first season at Tottenham, so maybe he can prove me wrong, but you look at some of the guys out there like little hitting 70 yard field goals in early 30s. I'm not sure Kane in late 30s, early 40s is quite up to that task, but >> [snorts] >> uh MLS is probably more realistic dream, I suppose. We've seen uh you know, a number of particularly attacking players like Lewandowski and Müller go from the Bundesliga to MLS and really enjoy themselves. So, that sounds like a far more realistic goal, I suspect. >> Uh Charlie, what's your take on this then? From footballer to NFL star. >> So, the reason he was asked this question was was was on the back of an Instagram video he posted of him chipping golf balls into the sea while on the back of his luxury yacht. And he even said happy sort of replies. Now, Kane has always been open about the fact that he might be a professional golfer or a kicker. So, he was asked about the golf and he basically said, "Look, I've thought about it, but now I realize I might be a member at Wentworth Golf Club." And he plays off two. But he says, "I can't I'm not at that level." And then he said, "Well, actually though, I still think I could do be a kicker after 6 months to 12 months training." And then he said said, "I might even be a juggler while playing MLS." So, you know, I suppose when you're an elite sportsman, you think you can do anything. So, he certainly maybe going to have a try. But as Daniel said, it could be quite tough for him because at the moment, his priority is new contract. He was asked about that again and quite clearly he's going to sign. It's probably going to be announced in a couple of weeks. He's got, you know, a year or 9 months left of his current deal at Bayern. He absolutely loves it there. So, short-term short-term mid-term Harry Kane staying in Bavaria. >> Okay. Look, back at the Guardian, they've got a different angle on Kane here. Not us as a team. This is Kane talking. Saying that England must move on from World Cup letdown. Do you expect there to be any hangover from the emotions and the heartbreak of that semi-final defeat, Daniel? Or is it just full steam ahead now into the Spain game? >> Well, the the message is is full steam ahead, but I think only the results will dictate that. We've come out of a period with Gareth Southgate where the main criticism was that England didn't beat uh elite opponents. Uh in the World Cup, England didn't beat elite opponents under Thomas Tuchel, and they are immediately handed a Nations League group that has elite opponents in. So, this is the brief. Show that the World Cup was the aberration rather than the rule. Uh we're about to find out. Kane spoke as candidly, you know, Charlie will know this. He's pretty good at keeping his cards to his chest most of the time with England. So, for him to talk about it not reflecting the beliefs of the team and it being his lowest moment, that's pretty much as candid as Kane gets when talking about England disappointment. So, there's clearly some feeling in that squad that they want to absolve the fact that they were up for playing attacking football. They they did not like the manner of that exit, that kind of meek defeat, inviting teams on repeatedly. That's got to them. It's got to Kane. He is the captain of this team, and yes, now they need to move on, but they can really only do that by A, beating one of these elite nations, and B, doing it with some style, I guess. >> Yeah, these quotes, you're right, they are very telling. You don't honestly usually get this to you from Harry Kane. He's usually quite keeps his cards quite close to his chest, but he does say it felt like it wasn't us as a team. It wasn't the team that we wanted to be and said we would be, Charlie. >> Yeah, and to be honest, I don't think England were really the team they wanted to be for a lot of the World Cup. You can't just say it was that one game against Argentina. >> Mhm. >> You know, you know, they they trailed to DR Congo, didn't they? Yeah, they could have been knocked out by Norway. Um you you you you they were disappointing in many respects and and did well to even get to the semi-finals. And then, of course, it was a hugely frustrating that they were so close to to grinding out a a win against Argentina, a team that were there for the taking. So, I I why Kane is is frustrated, but but it equally yeah as Daniel said it is a big opportunity for Saturday on Saturday, but quite a lot of pressure on Tuchel and on the team. They cannot afford yeah a really poor performance yet taken apart by the world champions. >> Um and they will be going into that game without some of their key players who have made themselves unavailable because of fitness concerns. So likes of Palmer, Rice, Rashford, Mainoo and Livramento as reflected in the times. I trust absentees though, says Harry Kane. England captain says the players who pulled out of the squad were right to put themselves first. What do you make of this from someone particularly from Harry Kane who's always said that the country comes first Daniel? >> I mean Kane is is England captain. He he is smart enough that him defending those players is is far more an obvious stance than criticizing them. It would have been a a huge blow up story if he'd have for example criticized Rice for pulling out. So I'm not surprised that this is the line he's taken. I think the bigger question around the dropouts is not what Harry Kane thinks and players do you know they do share the concerns of their teammates around load management and about physical health and about the red physical red zone. The question is what Thomas Tuchel thinks about it because if you are a player such as Cole Palmer, I think that's the most obvious example here who has been called back into a squad after a a World Cup who has been given a lifeline to show in four games what he can do who doesn't have European football this season who didn't have football in the summer and then you hear players pulling out, that can linger in an international manager's mind. I have no doubt about that. So I'm not surprised that Kane has towed the party line on this one. He he he spoke about you know that his concerns about the team in the World Cup far more than we thought. I think this was about par for the course for Kane, but that's not the question. The question is what Thomas Tuchel thinks. >> Yeah. Before we move off Kane, let's go to your piece, your spread in the sun, Charlie, the new England expatriate. We've already spoken, of course, about Kane perhaps wanting to join the NFL after his career is over, but you've also uh delved into the issue of the Ballon d'Or and the fact that he's just four caps off, four appearances off Peter Shilton's England appearance record as well. >> Yeah, you know, so of course, if he plays in all four games, so we've got four Nations League games coming up, Kane will equal Peter Shilton's record. So, if that's the case, he would then break it, break the record at home to Croatia in November. So, he speaks about that. He talks about the Ballon d'Or. Of course, he's he's hopeful of winning that. That's next month in London. Uh Kane also says that, you know, the timing's not great, sort of in the middle of the season. Uh but there's other stuff as well, you know, he speaks about the fact that he's faster and generally fitter than than every then sort of admits that after games he's stopped eating sweets and stopped eating sort of bad stuff, not treating himself after matches cuz he said ahead of the World Cup he thought, due to the heat and because he played certainly so well at Bayern last season, 73 goals, which is, you know, a key reason why he's up for the Ballon d'Or, he's decided to to cut out the sweets as well. So, there are lots of little lines, but the Shilton, you know, equaling his record is clearly obviously a big a big deal for him as well as, you know, in the spread that we've done talking about, you know, NFL and you're not playing golf and and and lots of other stuff as well. >> Remarkable. Remarkable if he's able to equal that record and even surpass it. Okay, let's talk Manchester United then. We can go to the back page of the Sun. Let's try that. Cheeky sods, they say. Ratcliffe and Co selling off Old Trafford turf for 125 pounds as club club post 43 million pound losses. So, Daniel, is Manchester United are flogging tiny chunks of Old Trafford turf for 125 pounds. When they say tiny, the actual measurements I'm led to believe are 7 cm by 7 cm and it's a cube of soil and grass. Would you buy one? >> Uh I wouldn't buy one. I'm not a Manchester United fan, which is one of many reasons why I wouldn't buy one. Uh look, it's one of those things that lots of clubs do. You know, it's not a particularly unusual event, I don't think, but there's a PR issue to this and that is the mistake that Manchester United have made in that these are being released at a very similar time, you know, for supporters to pay more money despite the rising ticket prices, despite the on-field performance. They're being asked or you know, emotionally blackmailed maybe to pay some money for a piece of pitch at a time when Manchester United are announcing loss, you know, losses of 43 million, more importantly, debt, total debt of 1 billion pounds and interest on that debt of 70 million pounds a year or 1.4 million pounds a week. That's a lot of um That's a lot of grass to sell. That's a lot of pieces of turf. That's a lot of glass cubes to frogmarch supporters into buying. So, I see why it's a back page story because it just it just strikes as a yet another case of pretty dismal PR uh and managing the story for Manchester United on a day when the headline news is a club is 1 billion pounds in debt. >> And it's the same headline in the Star as well. Cheeky sods. Debt hit United, flog Old Trafford turf for 125 pound, Charlie. And as uh uh Daniel alluded to there, do you feel that this could become another PR crisis for United with considering the financial instability that they're going through at the moment? >> Yeah, yeah, bad timing, but I tell you what, it's going to They're selling 4,000 of them. I mean, they'll sell out. I mean, without without doubt. Um but yeah, poor timing. I think that obviously the bigger crisis is the fact that they're still a billion pounds in debt. You know, they spent quite a lot of money on buying up land, but the worrying thing for United really is looking, you know, let's not forget with Arsenal when they moved grounds, yeah, they they couldn't buy any players, and they really struggled. And then look where United are now. If they've had, you know, well, they've spent 150 million on players, but if over the next, you know, couple of years they can't really reinvest because they're spending more money, you know, on this new stadium, uh and of course they're hugely in debt. I can understand why Man United fans are really worried. And uh yeah, sort of uh buying uh bits of uh the pitch probably the least of their worries, to be honest. >> Yeah, both of you have mentioned this, the 1 billion pounds of debt, and that's reflected in the mail as well. Staggering sum United have spent on debt since Glazer takeover. Fans will not want to see this, Daniel. This will be really really worrying for them, won't it? >> Well, this is the whole argument that underpins the discontent amongst supporters. It's that, you know, 350-ish million of that is is football debt, is transfer debt, and that happens. That's not unusual at a club, although it's probably higher than people would like given the return that Manchester United have had on those transfers over the last two or three years. But the rest of it is is debt service due to the leveraged takeover of the club when the Glazers took over, and that's the bit that really rials Manchester United season ticket holders. That's why you see the protests before games. That's why you see that when ticket prices go up, you know, people play war because they're saying, "Well, hang on a minute, we're being asked to service something that we weren't responsible for. You bought this club, and you loaded the debt onto it, and now you're saying that we need to pay more to help you." And that doesn't make sense. And it can make sense if the team's doing well on the pitch and if fans have something to believe in, but when they have neither, suddenly they have nothing to believe in. And when they have nothing to believe in, and someone's making them pay more for it, surprise, surprise, people get unhappy. >> Okay, we'll leave it there for the moment. Daniel, Charlie, thank you very much. We'll be taking [music] a quick break now. When we come back, we'll be looking at more of the sports stories in the morning's newspapers, including this on the front of the Sun. Going [music] down, going down, going down rather nicely. Andy Burnham's plans to bring back alcohol to football grounds. That's next. >> It was just raining down on the press box. Um but it equally, you know, people Yeah, if they go to a game with their families, they don't want to be soaked in beer. That's my reservation uh about it coming to this country you know, in England. Otherwise, you know, I was in favor. And also, let's not forget, I don't think we'll get a lot of sympathy from our friends north of the border because they're only trialing in Scotland now to even have alcohol at all in grounds. I'm not talking in the stadiums. I mean, you've not been able to get a beer at a Scottish football match, you know, inside the grounds since 1981, which is utterly bonkers. Uh but this trial Look, look, look, I think we need to try it, but I I I'm in two minds about it. >> Yeah, this was trialed Daniel in the women's game and relatively went pretty smoothly. Although I might add that the uh perhaps the fan bases are completely different in the women's game as to the men's game. What's your take on it? Is it a good idea? >> It It's not for me and it's not a question of of trust. Uh I have no issue with people being allowed to drink at football matches. Um it's it's all inside of the pitch. The issue is I don't think it it provides a pleasant experience for most football fans. Uh not just as as Charlie says, absolutely rightly, about the kind of idea of everybody getting soaked in beer. We've all seen those kind of box park performative throwing beer into the air videos. But also, it's one thing at a non-league game when if you need to either get another beer or relieve yourself after a bit, you can just sort of walk off. Uh it already It me anyway going to matches as fans and people start leaving 15 minutes before half time and you're up and down and up and down letting people through. That is quite annoying when you've paid and quite a lot for a seat. So, for that to happen, you know, times two, times three all the way through a half, people wanting to get more drinks and bring them back. Yeah, I I don't like that bit at all. >> Sounds like you've got quite a few rules as a football fan there in the stands, Daniel. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, I mean you I mean maybe I sound like an absolute killjoy. It wasn't my aim, but no, not for me. >> Fair enough. Your view is your view. Okay, let's see what they said in the Times because Eric Cantona has been speaking. Of course, a Manchester great. And he said he would not sign for the club if he were a player now because he disagrees with the political beliefs of the minority co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, uh Charlie. And in particular, Eric Cantona took aim at Ratcliffe's comments about immigration. What's your take? >> Yeah, look, Cantona was was was Ratcliffe's favorite player. >> Oh, it looks like we've lost Charlie Wyatt. We're going to move on to you, Daniel. So, same sort of question, I I I guess. Your reaction then to Cantona's words about Ratcliffe. And as Charlie was alluding to, Ratcliffe has actually stated publicly that Cantona was his favorite United player. >> Yeah, he has. And I'm sure that was about Cantona's performances on the pitch given what we've heard from from Jim Ratcliffe over the last week and beforehand. Cantona is clearly an icon amongst Manchester United fans. He is one of the most beloved players. He's also one of the most outspoken politically players in Premier League history. And it's pretty clear that his own political beliefs align against Sir Jim Ratcliffe's. And it's interesting what you said there to Charlie about him being a minority owner because that's what's easily forgotten in this. Because he's so outspoken and because his actions and his words are so all-encompassing in terms of the Manchester United mood, when he speaks, it does taint Manchester United. It almo