🎤 Bryan Robson Interview with OLBG

Interview September 2025

Bryan Robson has called upon Ruben Amorim to be flexible and find another way to set Manchester United up after a difficult start to the season in an exclusive interview with OLBG.

Speaking after the Manchester derby, Robson laid down what needed to change with his former club’s midfield in order for players like Bruno Fernandes to play to their best.

He also set out the steps that Sir Alex Ferguson took to build the club into a juggernaut that Amorim can learn from as he looks to create his own legacy of success at Old Trafford.

The former England hero, known to fans as Captain Marvel, also picked Martin Odegaard as the best playmaker in the Premier League at present, ahead of Cole Palmer and others, and considered whether Wrexham could become an opportunity for Steven Gerrard some day.

What did we learn from the Manchester derby?

For me it was a disappointing performance again. City more or less dominated the midfield area.

We're back to what we were last season because I've got to say the first game of the season against Arsenal, I thought we were really unlucky. I thought we played well. The keeper made a bad mistake which cost us the game but we didn't deserve to get beat. I was really hopeful after that.

Ruben’s tactics with five at the back can work well but unfortunately as the game went on, City were more and more dominant, so it was very disappointing to get beat the way we got beat.

What reaction do you want to see from United against Chelsea?

We've got to be more aggressive towards the opposition. When I say that, you can't get away with anything like in the old days, and you've got to be sensible about the way you tackle, but you can still be a bit more physical than we have been so you don't get bullied on the pitch. 

I think the fans will get right behind the players again. They'll try to lift them. Old Trafford is always a difficult place to come to, especially when the crowd are up for the game, which I'm sure there will be.

Which United players have impressed you so far this season?

I really like Bryan Mbuemo. I liked him at Brentford and I think he's a really good buy. 

Matheus Cunha as well, I think he's a good buy. Unfortunately, he's done his hamstrings so he's going to be out for a bit of time but I thought in the early games both of them played really well.

Other than that, I think that we've still been a little below par. I thought Yoro played quite well in the first two games, not quite so good against City.

Bruno has been a bit quiet so far this season but the thing about Bruno is that he has set such high standards for himself.

The manager has changed the team quite a bit and so nobody's really stood out this season so far apart from the two new signings.

With Matheus Cunha injured, who needs to step up?

Well, it's whether Mason Mount's going to be fit because Mason tweaked his hamstring as well but he was flying at the start of the season. The work rate he was putting in was really good. He held up the ball and passed the ball well. It was disappointing to lose him as well. 

I think Amad and Bryan will both start against Chelsea. You’ve got to start with those two as the wide players, especially with it being a home game.

I’d like to see Bruno get more of a free role, maybe bring Mainoo and Casimiro back into the team and get them two in the midfield area and hopefully we don't get overrun in midfield then.

Do you think Amorim is right to not compromise on his system?

No, I don't because I feel as a manager you have to have a few tactics up your sleeve. Otherwise people know how to set up against you. 

If you're playing the same way week in, week out, the opposition, and especially with all the technology and everything nowadays, you can go out on the training pitch and you set yourself up to do well against a team. That's why I feel he's got to be a bit more flexible.

Most top teams in the Premier League now are nearly always playing with a back four and so for me, if you’re playing with four at the back instead of three, you can mix it up a little bit more as well. Some people think about the old fashioned 4-4-2 but then I quite like 4-3-3 when you’ve got good forwards. I think United are still capable of doing that, going with the back four. 

Whatever the manager wants to set up, if it's with the back five, you have to get off to a good start and score the first goal and then counter attack against teams. I think it's a good system then.

If you're chasing the game, I always feel that you're lacking a midfield player or a forward so you're short in numbers because you've got the five at the back. 

I would like to see him be a bit more flexible but it looks like he's got his mind and he said it all last season that he's got his mind set on the back five so it's up to him and the players to show that they really can play in that system.

They need to take on board what the manager's trying to achieve and pick it up as the season goes on because it is still early in the season and we have played against two very good teams who are going to be up there challenging for the title. So it has been quite a difficult start.

What’s missing from the midfield partners that Bruno has had next to him?

What I like to see is flexibility. I think in today's game, you're either a defensive midfield player or you're an attacking midfield player. I used to love playing with Paul Ince and Roy Keane, whichever two of the three of us played. 

I liked to get box to box and you've got to take care of defensive responsibilities, but you've got to score goals too. Scoring goals wins your games. It's as simple as that. United are not scoring enough goals apart from Bruno last season so we need to get more goals in our team.

I liked having a couple of solid players in midfield who are great passers of the ball, then as a midfield player like I was I could get into the box because you've got people like Arnold Mühren and Ray Wilkins who were really good passers of the ball who could pick you out. 

I think Casimiro is a great passer of the ball. He reads it well and he can score you a goal from a set play. So I'd like to see him become more established in the team to go alongside Kobbie Mainoo with Bruno having that free role.

Who was your favourite midfield partner as a player?

Back in my days, Paul Ince was an underrated player and great to play with because Ince was quick, he could tackle, he was a really good passer of the ball and I think Ince was a very underrated player.

Why he was underrated is because the United fans were not pleased that he fell out with Sir Alex and then he went to Inter and he came back and played for Liverpool, so all the Man United fans didn’t like that, a Man United player who's done really well going to Liverpool.

Do you see similarities between Ince and Mainoo in how Mainoo brings the ball forward through the thirds?

I definitely do. When I heard that Mainoo might be leaving the club, I was really against it. 

I think he's a real talent. Last year, he had quite a few injuries and couldn't get going but the year before that, he was outstanding and he looked as if he had great potential. 

As long as he keeps his feet on the ground and works really hard at it, he could be a really good player.

I know he's more attacking but Mainoo can do the defending if you put it on him, and that's what he's got to do. He's got to get his overall game a little bit more established and then I think he would go really well with Bruno being the more advanced midfield player.

Is there anyone else in the game today who reminds you of how you played the game?

I like Odegaard at Arsenal. Declan Rice as well. I don't think Declan can score as many goals but Odengard's got that tackling ability as well. 

Then in my later career, Rodri I feel is a little bit like me as well because he protects the back four great and in my last four or five years, Sir Alex always wanted me to do that. He wanted me to sit and let the young lads like Giggs, Kanselskas, Incy and them get forward while I'd always try and protect the back four. I think Rodri is excellent at doing that.

Who is the best midfielder in the world right now?

I really like Bellingham. I think Bellingham's a good all-round player. He's another one with a great attitude who works very hard. People like him and Rodri, I would say are right up there. They’re a little bit different as types of players but they are top-class players.

How much would Bryan Robson cost in the current transfer market?

Well, I've got to answer that with whatever anybody would pay for me!

Ron Atkinson loved me and that's why he broke the transfer record to actually sign me but my wife always said, could you not have just played another 12 or 15 years later because she would love to have spent the £500,000 a week that some of the lads get nowadays.

Is there one midfielder in your playing days that was such a hard fight that you never wanted to face again?

Maradona. He was a really difficult player to play against.

Maradona would drop deep into the midfield area but then he could actually run on as a forward, so he could play both. He could play either attacking midfield or he could play as a centre forward and with his quick feet he was a fantastic player. World class!

Is there one midfielder you wish you’d got to play alongside?

At club level? Gazza.

He just had so much ability and I've played with some fantastic players with England and with Man United but for me Gazza could do things on a ball which other people couldn't. 

I would have loved Gazza to come to Man United and at least played with him for four or five years.

On reflection, what do you now make of Paul Pogba’s time at United?

Paul had unbelievable talent, a great presence and he could score a goal. But for me, after a few years of real success at Man United, he and a few of the other lads got caught up with all the social media and forgot about the football and how hard you've got to work. 

What they forgot was that they were getting all the money because they were great players and then they dipped off because it was all about clothes and image and dancing in the dressing room. I don't think there would have been dancing in the dressing room if I'd been captain at that time!

Does the pressure that’s on players like Florian Wirtz and other big money midfield signings compare at other clubs to the scrutiny Pogba and even Veron had to deal with?

No. I think the spotlight is obviously on Liverpool but I don't think it’s as much as at Man United because I think globally the amount of fans we have, it attracts media attention all the time. 

The lads who play for Man United, you’ve got to expect that, and when people say the pressure is too much for some of them, well, that's why you join Man United because you want that pressure and you want to achieve and win things. 

That's why they're getting criticised now and last season because they're not winning anything. Even when we haven't done fantastic since Sir Alex left, we were at least winning trophies and, okay, maybe it wasn't the league, but we were at least winning trophies. You've got to do that when you're a Man United player.

What have you made of Florian Wirtz so far at Liverpool?

I think it's just too early to say. You know, we’re only a few games into the season. Players can perform great. Sometimes they don't perform. Sometimes they're in between. But I think you can only judge players when half or three quarters of the season has gone. Then you can say, right, he's consistent or he's not consistent. You can't really judge players after four games.

Could the Merseyside derby this week be the stage for him to step up?

Derby games are always the games you want to play in, apart from last weekend! 

David Moyes has done a great job at Everton. He's made them a lot more solid than what they were so Everton will be competitive because of it being a derby game.

Where do you stand on the Michael Owen vs Wayne Rooney debate over who was the best player at 17?

Ryan Giggs! I tell you what, both of them were a little bit different because Wayne had more to his overall game. I think Michael was a great goal scorer though and really dangerous. But I think Wayne's overall game and then when you think he beat Bobby Charlton's record with England, beat Bobby Charlton's record at Man United. I tell you what, you've got to be some player to be able to do that.

Why would you pick Giggs over the both of them?

Longevity. He was so dangerous. I mean, I know he's different to those boys because he was a wide player but the longevity and the amount of things he won in his career. That's why I just say Giggsy only just but edges Wayne and Michael Owen.

Do you think younger fans don’t appreciate how good Giggs was when he burst on to the scene?

He was unbelievable. The dribbling at pace with the ball. He was a little bit erratic when he first came into the team because he just lashed everything across the box whereas once he'd had a couple of seasons, he started picking out forwards and that's what made Giggsie an even better player.

Seeing how United have fallen away since he left, do you think Solskjaer should have stayed on as manager in hindsight?

I think it's always difficult when you're selecting managers because different people look at different managers and some people fancy them, other people don't. 

I think Ole had a good chance at United and maybe it was time to move on. I think the club did actually give him a fair go.

Would you like to see him return to the club in some capacity as a coach or in another role?

I think it could only be beneficial to the club because he knows the club inside out and he is a good coach but whatever position that would only be up to the hierarchy at United and whether they think it's the right choice.

Did Michael Carrick show enough in the Middlesbrough job to suggest he could be a permanent Manchester United manager of the future?

I feel that Michael was very unlucky not to get the caretaker job right to the end of the season to let him show how good he was because he beat Villarreal 2-0 away. Then he went to Chelsea and got a 1-1 draw where he went to a 4-3-3. It was brave to change it. Then he came back to Old Trafford, was a goal down against Arsenal, and came back and won the game. You couldn't really do much better than that with the three games he took charge of, you know.

So I believe United made the wrong choice with the caretaker manager. Michael I think could have done really well and proved himself because he's an intelligent lad as far as football goes. He keeps his feet on the ground and he is knowledgeable about the game. I think he deserved the chance when he did take over.

Can Carrick put himself in the position to take on the United job with his next role in football?

I think that would be up to Michael and whether he wants to go back into management because sometimes we surmise that because you've been in management and you always want to be in management but sometimes you go, well, I'm enjoying another role and I don't particularly want the hassle and the pressure which goes with the manager's job.

Who do you see as the next Michael Carrick playing in the game today who United should look to add to their squad?

When the club got me and Denis Irwin on board and we had 10 months where they got our opinion, me and Dennis said you should sign Declan Rice, and I'm still in that opinion. 

If I could get a midfielder player, it would be Declan Rice because he's still a decent age and got plenty of years left. I just think he does most things on a football pitch.

Is there anyone else who might be a more realistic signing?

I think Adam Wharton is a very, very good player and the challenge of Man United might bring the best out of him but he has done great at Palace over the last couple of seasons. He is one who you would definitely look at. 

But I think when he left Blackburn, he wanted to come to United at that time, so maybe we’ve missed out there.

If you could boil down the key factors behind how Sir Alex built Manchester United up again after taking them over from Ron Atkinson what would be your advice now to Amorim?

Jim Leighton was one of his first signings. A solid keeper is really important if you want to win things. Jim was it but then Schmeichel was a monster of a goalkeeper. Unbelievable on crosses, a great kicker of the ball. He was a top keeper and I know that Sir Alex knew that if you want to win things, you've got to have a great keeper. 

The other side of it is I think you can fit around midfield players who are very good and all that but the boss always wanted three or four strikers who could score goals, then if somebody was out of form, he could bring another striker on.

At United's peak when they had Sheringham, Coley, Yorkie and Solskjaer. That's why they kept winning things because all four of them could score goals and he kept them happy because they were in cup competitions all the time. So he changed them about all the time and all of them could play together.

So when I look at that, you're going to win things, you've got to score goals, and I'll even go to Liverpool last season. Four really good strikers who can all score goals. And that's why I'd like to see it United.

Should United have kept Hojlund in that case to make sure they had another striker in the mix?

I think from what I saw last season, he didn't do enough, and so maybe going out could do him good, playing in a different country here. 

You know, maybe he could have stayed in the squad but it's like I'm saying, you can't really have a great opinion because you don't know the finances of the club and who's got to go off the wage bill, who's got to try and get money in for transfers. 

There's only the people inside the club who know what the finances are so it's difficult to make judgments when you're sitting on the outside, even though I go to United at every home game to watch them.

Do Liverpool need to add even more to their options up front in that case even after signing Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak?

No, I think they're still pretty good in that area, especially with Mo Salah. 

You know, he's an outstanding player and he's up there every year with the goals that he scores and the goals that he creates. 

Liverpool are still there, and you can see Salah, he loves the game. He's always fit. You know, and he's got a desire. You can see it in him that he just wants to score goals and create goals.

If the trend of player-managers returned to the Premier League, which current boss would bring the biggest benefit to their team on the pitch?

It's a difficult one because you don't know who wants to still play or if they just want to be a manager. 

With me, I was very lucky that Sir Alex in my last two years at United had allowed me to go in and have a cup of tea with him and all the coaching staff every morning, and so I went in and then you learn things about how you prepare the training, how you prepare to play whichever team you're playing at the weekend. 

Sir Alex was really good at that, and then on the other side of it, I was fortunate when I went to Boro, even though they finished 14th in the championship the year I went. If you've got good players around you, it helps you to be able to play in the team and it makes your job just that little bit easier.

You're never quite sure unless you play with the players, you're never quite sure who wants to go into management and who still wants to play. But what I would advise anybody, if they are going to go as a player manager, you need good staff around you who can take a lot of workload from you. Then you can still concentrate to a certain degree on your playing.

Who should be the focal point for England out of Cole Palmer or Jude Bellingham?

I'd like Bellingham always to be fit but the way Cole Palmer's going about his job, he's played out wide and coming in, and he's been very dangerous like that, so you could put both of them in the team really and you could balance it off.

Rice would always be in my team but so would Bellingham so you can balance it off with them too, especially with Rice playing, because Rice can do that little sitting role and allow the others to go forward.

When you've got top players like that, that's what you love as a manager.

How good can Jude Bellingham become?

You know, I was disappointed because myself, Sir Alex and Eric Cantona all met Jude when he spoke to United, and so we thought we'd probably get him because of that meeting with the three of us at Carrington. 

I was really disappointed when he went to Germany but the kid's done great. I mean, he's done it at the highest level with Real Madrid and he is a top player.

Where would he fit into this current United team if you could wave your magic wand to bring him in?

I think I'd have him alongside one of the other midfield players because I think he can do that role and he has got a bit of the defensive responsibility. 

I just think with his passing ability that he'd probably bring Bruno into the game a bit more. We all know that Bruno's best position is just behind the striker.

Who is the best playmaker in the Premier League at the moment?

I think Odegaard is as good as anybody. He's an excellent player, has got a great attitude, so I'd probably say in the Premier League at the moment, he would be the best.

Who was the hardest player you ever faced? Graeme Souness?

Yeah, even though when I played against Graeme we had respect for each other. We never really got into a war with each other because we had sort of a bit of a mutual respect for each other.

Was Roy Keane the toughest, hardest teammate of your career?

Keaney and Incey were hard players. Both of them were hard. But yeah, probably Roy was just a bit more aggressive than Incey because Incey always tried to win the ball where Keaney didn't mind wiping somebody out.

Have today’s players got too soft?

No, I don't think it's that the players are too soft. I just think the rules and regulations have come down on the tackle and challenges, which is a little bit of shame because it takes the passion slightly away from the fans because the fans, they've always liked a good hard tackle from two players.

You miss that a bit in the game but the one thing I've got to say, it does help the players not get injured as much because the tackling's got to be a lot more sensible now or you're sent off. 

Plus the better players, the skillful players are not getting kicked so much, so you don't miss them with injuries nowhere near as what you did years ago.

When you see Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,, Maradona used to get kicked up in the air because he was so good. Messi and Ronaldo are a lot more protected.

What have you made of Rob Edwards and his start at Middlesbrough?

Well, it's very early in the season. I know Boro have done well and have got off to a good start, and sometimes that can get your confidence going within the club. 

But, like I say, it's too early to say whether they can go on and win the league. I'd be very surprised if they didn't make the playoffs this year but as far as winning the league or finishing second I think it's too early to say that. 

The one thing which might just let them down is if they get injuries to the better players or the squad's just not quite good enough when you do need to change it because maybe it’s getting a bit tired towards the end of the season. I'm not so sure how strong the squad is.

Have you been impressed by the impact Ryan Mason has made at West Brom?

Yes, I have. They've got off to a good start like Boro but like I say, it's a bit early in the season, and then it just depends how the teams that you have maybe fancied before the season starts, like Southampton, how strong they come on once they've found the feet after the disappointment of getting relegated. Ipswich, I think, could do well.

But West Brom are a big club. They've got great fans and they've got a good set up at West Brom now, so they could go on and have a good season, definitely.

Could Sheffield United be one of those clubs flying up the league to mix things up in the chase for the playoffs now that Chris Wilder is back?

Yes. I think he could do it because Chris has got unbelievable experience. He's been at Sheffield United a few times and always done a good steady job. 

I think he can steady the ship and then as the season goes on, I think Sheffield United will come on that little bit stronger and could make the playoffs.

Is this going to be the season where the Wrexham project comes unstuck?

Well, they've done fantastic to get where they are from where they were to get into the Championship in a short period of time. 

For me, if they can consolidate in the Championship, even if they finish mid-table, that would be a really good season from where they've come from. 

But yeah, the charisma that the US lads have is fantastic, and the good thing about Wrexham, they've got a good fan base that’ll get right behind them so there’ll always be a good atmosphere within the stadium. Then with the sponsorship Ryan Reynolds has brought in too, that can only hold the club in good stead.

Without wishing for Phil Parkinson to be moved on, could Wrexham be the perfect job for Steven Gerrard to do what Frank Lampard has managed at Coventry City?

Well, we're going back to the situation that I said earlier. It's whether Stevie wants to get back into the game. 

I mean, he's had a good experience now in Saudi but you know a job like that would definitely interest him if he does want to go back into management.

I think Wrexham at this moment of time should give Phil a bit more time because he has done a great job for them.