The former Scotland international discusses Marcus Rashford and Man Utd's upcoming season, Coventry's transfer business and Southampton's promotion hopes.
Former Manchester United player and Scotland international Gordon Strachan believes the Reds Devils will once again be in the top three of the Premier League, but they need to find cover in midfield for Bruno Fernandes to improve.
Strachan also discussed Marcus Rashford’s return to the team and where he could fit into the attack, as Manchester United look to challenge reigning champions Arsenal, who are currently favourites in the football betting to win the 2026/27 Premier League.
In our exclusive interview, Strachan also reflects on his former club Coventry City’s return to the Premier League, how ‘Spygate’ could affect Southampton’s promotion hopes and Leeds United’s upcoming season.
It was only three years ago that Marcus Rashford hit 30 goals for United, if he finds a spark is he capable of those numbers again?
I think if he doesn’t start a game of football, or if he doesn’t score a goal, then it becomes a Marcus Rashford saga again. That’s my only problem. He’s a good player but he plays in spells, so it’s very hard to be consistent through 90 minutes.
I would say to great players that if you produce four or five great things during the game, that’s all you can do, because there’s only a certain amount of time where the ball arrives to you and the situation is correct.
If he plays a full game and he scores a goal, or makes a goal, then that’s wonderful. But the pressure is always on people like Marcus Rashford. It’s easier if you’re a midfield player or a fullback where you can rectify a mistake, but it’s harder for these attacking players because they’ve got to make the game.
The game comes to the midfield players and the defenders, but he has to make the game, so that can be difficult at times, but that’s why they’re paid the big bucks. But I just worry for the manager, who’s done terrific so far, that the same thing will happen again every match.
I don’t think a rift will happen because they know each other well, so that will probably help Michael Carrick. With other managers who Marcus Rashford maybe didn’t know personally, the question was always if there was a rift or something wrong.
Marcus at times could have done a little better last time at United, but he has seemingly dedicated his whole life to the game, and if he has, then we’re going to see exciting football.
My worry is that if it doesn’t work, then Marcus Rashford has to deal with the publicity stress of being at one of the biggest clubs in the world. I’ve seen that happen to other managers at these big clubs – having to deal with one man in particular for a certain amount of time and that can be draining on a manager if things don’t go well.
The great squads from Sir Alex’s era had three or four strikers. Do you think United have enough options up front this season with Sesko, Rashford, Mbeumo and Cunha as potential strikers?
The game is changing a bit now. It’s not just a front three so it depends how you play. There are only certain clubs like Manchester City that can get away with playing two wide men and one through the middle.
I can see there’s a bit of going back to a 4-4-1-1 now. So you can have four attackers, maybe two central and two wide attackers. That would mean there’s a lot more room for Rashford in that situation. I think it’s a good move because there’s too many times where we are making midfielders defend rather than the back four defend, and I think that might help Marcus.
Rashford has not lost the ability to score a goal when the opportunity comes to him. But there’s more to the modern game than just waiting for one chance to come to you. So it’ll be interesting how Michael [Carrick] deals with it. Hopefully he gets on and enjoys the rest of his career at Manchester.
What do Manchester United need to do in the transfer window before it closes?
They’ve not got enough money right now to be as good as Arsenal, that’s the problem. But I would like to see somebody in midfield like [Martin] Ødegaard who can eliminate people from the game. Bruno Fernandes can play that number 10 role, but if you only have Fernandes and that’s it, what happens if he gets injured?
I think Manchester United have to be in a position where if Fernandes in particular gets injured, someone else is ready to step in. I think they could still do with some top midfield players with a bit of vision. There are no problems with elsewhere.
Are United title contenders this year?
Arsenal are the favourites and we’re still looking at Man City asking whether they can get over Pep Guardiola. Is it going to be like when Sir Alex Ferguson left Man Utd?
We all saw what happened there, so that’s the huge problem when you have a dynasty like that.
Arsenal’s recruitment has also been tremendous. But for Manchester United, I see them being in the top three. If they add another two midfield players, I would put them down as top three material.
What’s your prediction for the top five in the Premier League?
It’ll be the usual suspects, so I’ve got Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City and Arsenal, so that’s four. But outside of that I might even say Brighton could get in the top five because they’re settled with what they’re doing and have a great manager.
Aston Villa’s in there as well, they can definitely threaten to be top three. But then the group behind that, with Brighton as my outside bet for top five. Tottenham will also be there because they have to be up there this time, especially with the money they’ve spent.
Spurs took a chance because when you go early to get transfers done, you have to pay top whack on players.
Can you see Spurs repeating the disappointment of last year?
I can’t see Spurs doing that again, I really can’t. Not after spending that type of money, and not with the manager they’ve got, who’s permanently angry – which is good. It’s like Sir Alex, he was permanently angry, as long as he’s [Roberto De Zerbi] got that drive to scare people into winning games of football and not getting beat.
When I played with Sir Alex, it was not the fact that you had to win, you were just so scared of getting beat. So I think that’s what De Zerbi does to these teams a little bit.
Who’s the most underrated player in the Premier League, in your eyes?
I would say Jack Hinshelwood. I think he can play with a top side. When I watch him play, he does everything right. I don’t know how regular it is, but when I turn up and see him, I thought he’s a great player.
I see players who are mentioned for 50 or 60 million, and I think they’re not as good as him. I think he’s going to be a top, top player without being recognised. If I was asked where to find the most underrated players, as a collective, it would be Brighton.
What have you made of Frank Lampard’s work at Coventry so far, and how highly do you rate him as a manager?
It’s amazing what football can do to a community and I’ve got to say, the Coventry fans that have stuck by them when travelling to Birmingham and Northampton, I really am delighted for them.
Unfortunately, I don’t go to see many games because I love to go and watch. It was alright when I worked on TV and the radio, where you get transported right to the game and you don’t worry about traffic and cars, but maybe it’s because I’ve been spoiled for so long and I find it difficult to get through crowds or leave early.
As for Lampard, he’s an intelligent boy, he likes people and he’s been a credit to the game as a player and as a manager. He’s had a few knockbacks and character-building moments in his football and management career.
I don’t know him that well, but he looks like he’s learnt a lot in different moments and that’s allowed him to be the manager he is now. But I think we all agree that it was a two-pronged attack between Mark Robins and Frank Lampard to help Coventry get back. I think that the Coventry fans would congratulate them both for a wonderful job.
What have you made of Coventry’s recruitment so far, and what’s the most important position for them to strengthen in order to survive this season?
Once again, it’s about looking after the club. If you’re the owner of the club, you will have Northampton, Birmingham, travelling to play home games in the back of your head, and that’s why Coventry fans are okay. They understand that you can’t go over the top, not just of transfer fees but wages as well. If you go overboard, that when you put your club at risk.
Every Coventry fan I’ve met. They’re happy to let the club decide what they’re going to do. They understand they can’t spend 200 or 300 million, it’s too much of a risk. You’ve seen it before, ask the people at Leicester. Could they see this coming 10 years ago? That’s what happens if it’s mismanaged.
If Frank Lampard keeps them up should he move on or stay on?
That’s a hard question to answer; it depends how they stay up. You’ve got to look at the performances. You can be a legend in this world by staying up with 32 points, but you become a mug if you go down with 36 points.
That’s the world of football. You get people screaming and shouting but it will depend on how they stay up.
Middlesbrough just missed out on promotion last season. How impressed have you been by their business in the summer transfer window?
Steve Gibson is never afraid to spend. But I think the playoff thing for them was a bit strange. I don’t think they ever really got the focus back on playing in that playoff.
I’d love to see them go up because Steve Gibson is a fantastic fella. It might be somebody who can score the goals or a goalkeeper that can make a difference. A goalkeeper is somebody who can finish them and somebody can stop them. We saw the importance of David Raya in the Community Shield for Arsenal, that’s what you need when you want to win things. We all talk about the goal scorers, and we talk about defenders who make mistakes, but it’s all down to players, it’s not systems, it’s players who make the difference.
How do you think the Spygate controversy will affect them? Will they find it difficult to block out that noise or could it help them build a siege mentality?
It’s not going to go away for a while. Every interviewer wants to talk about it and the only thing that can make it go away is winning. Nothing else matters in football. Until they start winning, the Spygate thing will be coming back.
But I do think the deduction of points was too much as well. That’s enough punishment that I don’t think those boys needed. I don’t think those points were needed, to be honest with you.
Southampton were arguably more than good enough to go up last season. Where do you see them among the favourites this year?
Absolutely they are good enough. They know this league off by heart, they know what it’s all about, the players know it, and the fans know it, which is always a good bonus.
How do you rate Tonda Eckert as a manager and was it the right decision to keep him?
I don’t know him as a manager or how he works. But I do believe that you give everybody a second chance if there is genuine remorse.
Leeds have made a couple of big signings this summer. What do you think their goal is for this season?
I’ve got to say that Leeds and the manager were the group who got the most out of themselves last year. They maybe weren’t the best players in the league, but they put in fantastic performances. As a fan or the owner or anybody to do with the club, you would walk away from the games and say, there was nothing left out there. That’s the one thing about Leeds that hopefully they do again this season.
If they add a bit of quality, they’ve got the goalkeeper they wanted. I would definitely say they need more options up front, and just a bit more flair in midfield. With that I’d be really confident for them having a good season.
