Rooney and Goldbridge Set to Host New Manchester United Show 2026

Key Points

• Wayne Rooney will host the newly launched Manchester United-focused show called Stick to United with Wayne Rooney together with influencer and YouTuber Mark Goldbridge (whose real name is Brent Di Cesare).
• The show will debut on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, just prior to the 2026-27 Premier League season and will be available on Disney+, The United Stand YouTube channel, Hulu, and podcasting sites.
• It is part of an exclusive one-year deal between Gary Neville’s The Overlap network and Disney+ that includes 40 episodes of Stick to Football along with six UK-exclusive episodes.
• As Gary Neville explains, this duo brings “our audience even wider without compromising our DNA” and he praises Wayne Rooney for his “uniquely exceptional” experience and authority because he says fans appreciate “the candor and authenticity of former players as well as fan-made content.”
• For his part, Rooney described it as “a natural progression” following his work together with The Overlap team on Stick to Football and Fan Debate whereas Mark Goldbridge called it “an unprecedented milestone for fan media.”
• Longer versions of Stick to United episodes will be available only on Disney+ with the main episodes being free on YouTube and podcasting platforms.
• According to The Overlap

FC United of Manchester (Manchester Mirror) August 13, 2026 – Wayne Rooney is set to co-host a new Manchester United-focused programme titled Stick to United with Wayne Rooney, partnering with digital creator Mark Goldbridge as part of an expanded deal between Gary Neville’s The Overlap and Disney+. The 50-episode series will debut on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, and run weekly through the 2026-27 season, offering analysis, debate and guest appearances centred on the club’s matches and storylines. Episodes will be published on The United Stand YouTube channel and major podcast platforms, with longer, extended cuts commissioned exclusively for Disney+ subscribers.

As reported by the BBC, the initiative follows The Overlap’s acquisition earlier this year of Goldbridge’s YouTube channels, including The United Stand and That’s Football, integrating them into Neville’s network. Gary Neville told the Press Association that the collaboration “broadens our audience without sacrificing our essence”, signalling a strategic push to reach global streaming viewers while retaining the free, community-driven format that built The Overlap’s audience.

Why are Wayne Rooney and Mark Goldbridge hosting together?

The pairing brings together Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer and one of the club’s most prominent independent fan voices. Rooney, 40, has been a regular pundit on The Overlap’s flagship Stick to Football programme and fronted The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC platforms last season, while continuing his role on Match of the Day. Goldbridge, whose real name is Brent Di Cesare, runs The United Stand, described by The Overlap as the biggest Manchester United fan channel on YouTube, with a combined audience of 3.7 million viewers across his platforms at the time of the acquisition in April.

As reported by Gary Neville to the Press Association, he initially would have considered such a duo “unlikely” a few years ago, but said the media landscape is “changing dramatically” and The Overlap is “moving with the times”. Neville added: “One thing I know is that neither of them will hold back. Fans can see right through if you’re not truthful and honest.” He highlighted Rooney’s “great authority and experience” from his playing career and World Cup punditry, and said the format aims to blend “lived experience” from ex-players with the perspective of fans, coaches and journalists.

In a statement carried by The Version, Rooney said:

“Having worked with Gary, Roy, Jamie, Wrighty and Jill on both Stick to Football and The Overlap’s Fan Debate show it was a natural next step to co-host a new show from The Overlap that is totally dedicated to everything Manchester United.”

He added:

“I am delighted to co-host Stick to United with Mark Goldbridge, which will be available to watch on The United Stand in addition to Disney+, where The Real Rooneys featuring me, Coleen and our 4 boys will premiere soon.”

Goldbridge said: “I’m massively excited to be working with Manchester United’s all-time record goalscorer Wayne Rooney on Stick to United with Wayne Rooney on The United Stand.” He described the project as “a historic milestone for fan-led media” and said it was “another huge step forward for The United Stand community to join forces with an undisputed legend of the club”.

How does the Disney+ and The Overlap deal shape the show?

Stick to United is commissioned under a one-year exclusive distribution and sponsorship agreement between Disney+ and The Overlap, which also covers Stick to Football. As reported by The Version, Disney+ will stream 50 episodes of Stick to United and 40 episodes of Stick to Football, with 20 of the latter temporarily exclusive to the platform before general release, plus six UK-commissioned specials. Sean Doyle, VP of Unscripted at Disney+ EMEA, and Angela Jain, Head of Content at Disney+ EMEA, commissioned the extended cuts and specials.

Neville said: “We’re immensely proud to be partnering with Disney+. It’s one of the world’s most iconic entertainment brands, and for us this is a unique partnership that feels right for everyone involved.” He stressed that the community would “continue to enjoy our content in exactly the way they always have through YouTube”, while Disney+’s global audience would now be able to discover the shows. Doyle added: “As we move into a new era of sports entertainment on Disney+, we’re excited to be bringing one of the UK’s most popular and distinctive sports shows to the platform.”

The Overlap, founded by Neville and former Sky Sports producer Scott Melvin in 2021, has grown into a multi-million-pound operation. Global, the UK commercial radio group that owns LBC and podcasts including The News Agents, bought a majority stake in The Overlap in January. The company reported 2.2 billion views across all platforms in 2025 and said it is attracting 38 million views per month on YouTube this year.

What have other media outlets reported about the announcement?

Coverage across UK outlets emphasised the scale of the Disney+ deal and the high-profile nature of the hosting team. As reported by the Irish News, Neville framed the Rooney–Goldbridge partnership as reflective of “the changing media landscape” and said he expects the pair to “go hell for leather at times when they disagree”. The Mirror noted that Stick to United is a spin-off from the popular Stick to Football podcast and will “run for 50 episodes, focussing on the Red Devils’ trials and tribulations”. It also highlighted Goldbridge’s background as a former police officer from Nottingham and his status as a “divisive figure” among some match-going supporters, while noting Rooney’s continued BBC work.

The BBC reported that Goldbridge has more than 3.8 million subscribers across his two YouTube channels and that Neville invested an undisclosed seven-figure sum to acquire them in April. The Version provided the most detailed breakdown of distribution, confirming the 18 August launch date and noting that fans outside the UK can also watch episodes on Hulu and The Overlap YouTube channel. Talksport reported that 50 episodes of Stick to United have been commissioned and that Disney+ subscribers will still be able to watch Stick to Football via the official YouTube channel.

What is the background to this development?

The Overlap launched in 2021 as Neville’s independent media venture, initially focused on long-form interviews before expanding into weekly panel shows and branching into other sports such as cricket and rugby. In April 2026, The Overlap acquired Goldbridge’s YouTube channels, The United Stand and That’s Football, in a move Neville described as part of a broader strategy to collaborate with fan-led creators. That acquisition followed years of growth for fan channels, with Neville acknowledging he had been a “sceptic of fans’ channels” eight or nine years ago but changed his view as the sector matured.

The Disney+ agreement builds on Global’s majority investment in The Overlap in January 2026 and positions the network to compete with other large-scale sports podcast and streaming ventures, including Netflix-backed projects and Gary Lineker’s The Rest is Football. Stick to Football, featuring Neville alongside Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Jill Scott and Ian Wright, has become The Overlap’s flagship title, and Stick to United is designed as a club-specific extension of that format. Rooney’s involvement deepens his relationship with The Overlap after regular appearances on Stick to Football and the Fan Debate show, while his BBC commitments, including The Wayne Rooney Show and Match of the Day, continue in parallel.

What predictions can be made about how this will affect Manchester United fans and the wider football media audience?

For Manchester United supporters, the show is likely to broaden the range of voices analysing the club by institutionalising a partnership between a former player of Rooney’s stature and a fan-led creator with a large, engaged online following. Neville’s comment that “fans can see right through if you’re not truthful and honest” suggests the format will lean into unfiltered debate, which could appeal to viewers seeking more candid post-match discussion than traditional broadcast punditry often allows. The availability of extended cuts on Disney+ may also create a tiered experience, with casual viewers accessing free YouTube episodes and dedicated fans subscribing for deeper analysis.

For the wider football media audience, the deal signals further convergence between legacy broadcasting, independent digital creators and global streaming platforms. By placing The Overlap’s content on Disney+, the arrangement exposes UK fan-led formats to an international subscriber base, potentially normalising club-specific, long-form discussion shows as part of mainstream sports entertainment. If Stick to United performs well, it could encourage similar collaborations between other ex-players and fan channels, and prompt more streaming services to commission non-live football programming alongside live rights. However, the success of the model will depend on whether the chemistry between Rooney and Goldbridge sustains viewer interest over a 50-episode season and whether the balance between free and exclusive content satisfies both communities.