3: Interviewing Rasmus Højlund
The Men Who Made Manchester United, United's first-ever Charity Shield and the Academy Briefing.
Welcome! I’m Harry Robinson and every week, I’ll give you a fascinating tale from Manchester United’s past, my thoughts on the current goings-on at the club, an in-short briefing telling you all need to know from the Academy plus what I’ve been enjoying recently.
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If you don’t know me particularly well, I’m a 22-year-old Stretford End season ticket holder and freelance journalist with a passion for youth football, travel and the intersection of sport and social history. I’ve written or worked for Manchester United, FourFourTwo, MUNDIAL, The Independent, and The Blizzard, among others.
What’s inside:
What I’ve enjoyed this week: ‘Proof in the pudding,’ Rashford’s interview, YouTube jazz
Interviewing Rasmus Højlund
So, this happened!
It was a real privilege to conduct Rasmus Højlund’s first interview as a Manchester United player. Rasmus was relaxed, confident and genuine. With duties for social media, TV, brand and others, and that same ‘how excited are you?’ question coming time and time again, a genuine buzz was evident in his answer on each occasion. In fact, at the end of our second interview, he said “I can’t wait, I’m just buzzing to get started — is that how you say it in England?”
Indeed, it is. Rasmus had some particularly interesting things to say on the type of striker he is, how his mentality is inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, how he’s looking forward to playing alongside Marcus Rashford, what his manager at Atalanta told him before facing Andre Onana and which two Danes (apart from his parents) offered advice on this move to United. Head here to watch the full thing.
Now, that was actually the second interview we did. The first was a more relaxed chat looking over the set for his photoshoot.
Both interviews were a bit of a personal challenge for me. I’ve been lucky enough to interview several United players, past and present, but always in a one-to-one sit-down interview, facing each other. Your only company in those times can be the camera op, although for an important interview, you’re likely to have a photographer, a press officer and the player’s agent or representative. At the most, you’re looking at five people in the room.
This one couldn’t have been more different. My first interview with Rasmus was a relaxed chat on the set, talking through those personal photos from his childhood and career so far. Watching on, you’ve got 20-odd people, including family, agents, several camera ops and colleagues, some you know well and others not at all. But, as always with these things, whatever nerves you might have before, they go as soon as a hush descends on the room and you get started. Why? Because footballers are normal people and, more often than not, friendly, polite and forthcoming. United fans will be pleased to know Rasmus, in my experience, was all of those things.
Being separated in age by a little over two years, we shared some childhood memories of United. It’s an exciting new signing made even more so by the knowledge — and I can assure you on this one — that Højlund is a proper Red who has dreamed of playing for the club.
“I want to bleed for this jersey and win trophies.” - Rasmus Højlund
His parents were proudly watching on as he donned the red shirt for the first time. That was a while before our interview, but I made sure to watch his photoshoot in United’s new kit. It feels like a big moment and seeing this lifelong fan’s obvious and genuine buzz at getting to pull on the shirt was heart-warming. When I asked him later on about how it felt, that same authentic excitement came across. “A bit surrealistic,” he said at one point.
It might be interesting for you to know a little more about the process of these interviews. For an important event like this one, there’s so much going on. The interview is often a player’s final responsibility before leaving for the day. It comes after they’ve been pictured in various kits, jackets and training wear. But, unsurprisingly, there’s a team working long before the player’s arrival to get everything perfectly set up.
It was fascinating to see this process because days like these are such a balance of getting the necessary content for various branches of the club while also ensuring it’s a special day for United’s new signing and their family.
So, for this interview, we spent a couple of hours considering potential approaches. Where in the room would give us the best background and/or lighting? What kind of chairs, sofas or stools should be used? Which angle to shoot from would best balance the quality of the shot and how natural it would be for the interviewee and the interviewer?
In the end, we used a fairly casual set-up which showed off the set for his photoshoot behind and gave what we thought was a lovely behind-the-scenes look to it all. Again, seeing people with more experience in this than me was fascinating, but it was also pretty rewarding to be able to offer my own opinions and have them considered equally. The people working on these shoots are lovely and great at what they do.
Anyway, if you get a chance to watch my interview with Højlund, I hope you enjoy it and find out something new. I’m looking forward to our other chat coming out, too. And if you’ve any more questions about the process or my experience, please ask in the comments — I’d be happy to tell you more! It was a bit of a 'pinch me’ moment.
United’s pre-season ends
I’m loath to take too many conclusions from pre-season, but some quick ones…
Garnacho and Fernandes look sharp.
Højlund’s unveiling was a great moment for all those at Old Trafford - especially those kids who might not get to go as often.
We’re already seeing what we expected from Onana: the need for the team to adjust. I like his attitude already.
It was good to see Facundo Pellistri score in Dublin. I’d be pleased if United kept him around. He’s got something about him.
To hear more of my thoughts on those games, on Højlund and loads else, you can listen to the latest episode of the Manchester United Weekly Podcast.
More on The Men Who Made Manchester United
Last week, I told you about my upcoming book (released 25 September). I shared it on Twitter a while later, and the response has been lovely. Having spent so long working on it — and enduring what I’m sure are the regular doubts all authors experience — to have people pre-ordering it and spending their hard-earned money on my work is humbling. If you are one of those people, thank you and I just hope you’ll enjoy it!
So, where did the idea for the book come from?
Well, the very original inspiration was one character in particular: Louis Rocca.
Rocca was a second-generation Italian immigrant born in Ancoats in 1882. He began at what was then Newton Heath Football Club as a teaboy. By his death in 1950, he had fulfilled almost every role at Manchester United, right through from teaboy to kitman and chief scout to assistant manager. It’s just such a brilliant story and it had me immediately hooked. I spent some time searching online for more, then I flicked through my United bookshelf to do the same. Before long, I was in the British Library, pencil in hand, reading books by famous old names like Alf Clarke, Percy Young and Tom Tyrell on United history. Rocca was mentioned frequently, but even then, much of the story seemed to be missing.
The initial result of this research was United Through Time, a podcast I launched in 2018 seeking to provide immersive documentaries on the most influential figures in United history. This began with Episode One: Louis Rocca. I had found some of his descendants and began to piece his story together.
It remains the podcast’s most popular episode, but, looking back now, far from my favourite. Some of the stories I tell need historical fact-checking, and I’d love to tell them again with better production values, the kind you can find in the podcast’s later episodes on characters like Charlie Roberts, Billy Meredith and Walter Crickmer (and, still to come, James W. Gibson). Nevertheless, inspired by Rocca, I was set on a path of learning more, and telling others about, the key early figures in United history.
It was Charlie Roberts’ story which sent me down a new road: a book. I spoke to Charlie’s grandson, the now 85-year-old Ted. He was a great support in my research on Roberts and, immersing myself during one of the Covid-19 lockdowns, I became convinced that Charlie’s story needed telling in a biography. That was the original plan, but when I was told such a book would be a little too niche for a publisher, I adapted to the current format: The Men Who Made Manchester United. Then came the realisation that I had to tell the story of eight men over 70 years. How to do that? Perhaps more on that process another time.
United’s first Charity Shield
Arsenal beat Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday in the latest edition of the Community Shield.
Manchester United remain the most successful side in the history of the ‘competition,’ with 21 victories from 30 attempts. In fact, the Reds were the first-ever winners of what was then called the Charity Shield.
The one-game ‘tournament’ was renamed from the Charity Shield in 2002 when it was found that the FA had broken regulations in their distribution of the money raised. Essentially, ticket holders were not told how charities would benefit from the funds.
Prior to 1908, a professional club took on an amateur club each year in the Sheriff of London Shield. This tradition ended after a dispute between amateur clubs and the Football Association in 1907. A new ‘Amateur Football Association’ had been founded and the two were at war.
United had been crowned League champions only days before when they rushed down to London - having already played eight games in April - to take on Queen’s Park Rangers, winners of the Southern League. This was the new Charity Shield.
The two title holders played at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium and could not be separated. Billy Meredith, the maverick Welsh winger, scored a stunning long shot which cannoned in off one post and into the opposite side netting, but it wasn’t sufficient for victory. Unlike on Sunday, a 1-1 scoreline led not to extra time or penalties, but to the shield being shared. Well, that’s what was thought at the time.
All that was left to do was share out the funds raised from the game. Unlike in 2001, the FA did this transparently and at a pace. Several London hospitals benefitted a great deal, as well as the Metropolitan Police Orphanage, the Surgical Aid Society and the Press Benevolent Fund.
And then, over the summer, it was decided to replay the game, with all players and staff giving up their time for free to do so. By the time a date could be found, United had been on their first European tour and been chased out of Budapest by stone-throwing hooligans. You’ll have to read the book for that story.
The events in Austria-Hungary had no impact on United’s success, for the Reds romped to victory in London at the second time of asking.
They travelled feeling like champions, having dined at club President JH Davies’ Alderley Mansion a couple of days before, receiving their League winners’ medals. They took a Friday evening train to Bedford, rested for the night and then boarded a morning service to St. Pancras. In a 4pm kick-off back at Stamford Bridge, United ran out 4-0 winners thanks to Scottish forward Jimmy Turnbull’s hat-trick.
Billy Meredith, again, was on fine form, assisting several with his unerringly pinpoint crossing.
“Meredith’s twisted legs and pinched face caricature one’s idea of what figure of a man the athlete should present. He is fleet of foot - he is something more than a mere sprinter - makes the ball completely sensitive to his touch, and in these times, when our footballers seem to be no sort of individualist at all, he proves the efficacy of dribbling, the most fascinating of all the arts of forward play.” - London Evening Standard, 31 August 1908.
Meredith’s starring performances in London fixtures such as these ones endeared him and United to many local Cockneys. And this, I believe, is how the first Cockney Reds came about. (Again, more in the book)
United collected the first-ever Charity Shield, and a medal each, and £1,304 was raised for charity. Some of this, on this occasion, went to Mancunian charities upon JH Davies’ request. United would normally play two matches for charity in Manchester each pre-season, but because of their duties down in London could only play one, and so the FA acceded to his request. That’s the story of the first Charity Shield and United’s first trophy in London. Nine months later, they were back again, to win the FA Cup amidst enormous tension in the football world.
The Academy Briefing
United’s U19s were beaten 3-0 in the final of the Mladen Ramljak tournament (Zagreb, Croatia) by Feyenoord. Ex-Red Robin van Persie was managing the Dutch victors.
United reached the final with a draw against Udinese (1-1, Munro) and victories over AS Monaco (3-2, Moorhouse, Musa, Williams) and Dinamo Zagreb (5-4, Musa x2, Williams, Biancheri, Scanlon).
The young Reds were off it in the final. Some of those starting had played as many as eight games in the last fortnight, some at SuperCupNI. The challenge of dealing with so many games on the bounce and filling in at different positions where needed is clearly a positive one.
Feyenoord scored all their goals in the second half having threatened before the break. Elyh Harrison made a wonderful reaction save around the half-hour mark and the young goalkeeper, whose distinctly modern in his style, was named the tournament’s best.
As ever with Academy sides at the moment, United’s squad was notably young, with no players older than 17.
Omari Forson was given a full 90 minutes for United against Athletic Club. He spoke after about learning “habits on and off the pitch” from his time with the first team, including on Tour in the USA. While Ten Hag took him off early in one of those Tour games, the boss has taken a liking to Forson and given him more opportunities than any other youngster except Kobbie Mainoo (now injured).
The U21s beat Chester 4-0 in a friendly on Monday evening. Mateo Mejia assisted Shola Shoretire to open the scoring, Charlie McNeill hit one either side of half-time and Noam Emeran wrapped up proceedings with a close-range finish.
What I’ve enjoyed this week:
Proof in the pudding - as brilliant as ever from Bryan’s Gunn
City’s supporters taking a stand. Right to do so and perfectly done. That being said, I feel like there is something else they could take a stand on…
This channel on YouTube does really good, hugely varied music mixes. Particularly good if you work from home.
Marcus Rashford’s interview on The Overlap. Maybe the best I’ve seen with Rashford, who’s relaxed, honest and engaging.
That’s the end of my newsletter. If you’ve got this far, thank you so much for reading and feel free to forward it on to a mate who you think might enjoy, or share it on Twitter. Have a great rest of your day - cheers!
Great read as ever Harry👍🏼 Delighted to hear that there’ll be at least one more episode of United Through Time and that my home town of Bedford has a very small part in United history - would love to know where they stayed that night!!