I mean you can't really believe much of what he says as he's Mourinho's bitch, but there were some interesting points in the interview.
- It was Mourinho that turned US down in '13 (find that particularly hard to believe)
- It was Mourinho who wasn't convinced by Maguire, (who was suggested by our scouts) Summer '18 - and wanted other experienced options (Boeteng was it?)
- The Glazers WANTED Fergie to retire - they didn't like the power he had at the club and relished the opportunity to take the club in their own direction. Fergie "agreed to retire" as long as he got to pick his successor and have a seat on the board. Fergie chose Mourinho but he turned us down for Chelsea so Fergie scrambled around and ended up hastily picking Moyes.
- Glazers didn't like this but knew they'd be able to sack him sooner or later.
- SOME of the senior players aren't convinced by Ole's training methods (British, Old School, unsophisticated) and Castles reckons it's also caused us to have a massive increase in muscular injuries because of the overemphasis on physical fitness training. (Didn't we have a similar situation with Moyes?)
- Castles portrays Ole as a Yes Man to the Glazers who won't kick up a fuss for not having adequate funds/recruitment.
- Insists Ole is vastly underqualified, not a good enough manager to run a club of United's stature - but the main blame is reserved for Woodward's incompetence in footballing matters.
- Herrera was offered a pay cut for a new contract. Herrera understandably rejected that. He liked Ole but by the time Ole arrived, it was all done and dusted.
- Our top priority in January is to sign a forward. Three candidates at the moment are Moussa Dembele, Ousman Dembele and Timo Werner.
- Allegri is apparently interested but Castles doubts whether we'd even be an attractive option for him.
So there ya go. Some interesting points but whether they're believable or not is another matter.
The Maguire one is interesting because Jose suggested on Sky Sports that United signing Maguire now vindicated his stance last season. It would have been a strange position to take if he didn't want him.
I find the whole dynamic in who selects which players to sign at United really confusing.
Fergie retiring at the time was a huge shock to me and seemed to come completely from left field. With Gill leaving at the same time, I'd be surprised if it was a 100% personal decision as he suggested.
The Ole stuff is clearly agenda driven. United had lots of injuries under Jose too. If you're trying to show Jose in a positive light then the opinion of the playing group is something to steer well clear of.
I hope the transfer stuff is true - although I highly doubt it. Timo Werner would be great if they could get him.