Man Utd will let the Amazon cameras go behind-the-scenes next season but they might have got more dramatic footage a year ago.
A year ago, Manchester United were considering letting the Amazon cameras go behind the scenes for an All or Nothing documentary on what the club hoped would be a season of progress under Ruben Amorim.
It was something of a risky idea anyway, given United had just finished 15th in the Premier League, but there was hope that a full pre-season under Amorim and a good summer of recruitment would deliver significant improvement.
United have held talks with various streaming platforms and production houses about the idea of a documentary for several years. As far back as the pre-season tour to the United States of 2023, there were discussions, with a proposal even made to the club during that trip.
Old Trafford executives were conscious of getting the timing right, as well as the idea for the series. There is potential for a story of rebirth at United, but they needed the right partner and the right moment.
Time was likely also of the essence, however. Insider accounts of a season at big-name clubs remain popular, but the bubble could burst at any moment, and the sense that they were becoming more sanitised could change the market.
In the end, the project never got off the ground last year and Amorim himself was a big part of that. The Portuguese head coach opposed opening the dressing room to cameras and felt it was too soon to grant them access. United might be thankful he did now.
Had the All or Nothing franchise covered United last season, it would have delivered a story with a positive ending, concluding with a club generating momentum under Michael Carrick, but there would have been drama along the way.
None more so than the first weekend of January, when Amorim's frustrations finally poured out. Old Trafford insiders believe he had been trying to engineer a departure for a month, but an explosive argument with director of football Jason Wilcox hastened his exit.
Amorim and Wilcox had a spicy showdown at Carrington on the morning of Friday, January 2, and you can only imagine the Amazon cameras: either granted access to a meeting originally scheduled as a debrief and a catch-up, or lurking outside as the decibel levels rose.
Two days later, Amorim delivered a memorable press conference at Elland Road, basically calling on United to sack him, which they did the following day. That would have made for a memorable episode.
Instead, United have probably picked an ideal season to go ahead with a series. Carrick has delivered results since replacing Amorim in January and there is a quiet confidence at Old Trafford that they can take another step forward next term, with a title challenge not completely off the table.
That will make for quite the TV series, but as long as United continue on this trajectory, it should fall in the ideal wheelhouse for a club, of delivering positivity without making headlines. That wouldn't have been the case last season.
Carrick has been a safe pair of hands since stepping into the role of head coach and he has mastered the art of saying plenty without saying anything. He can deliver positive soundbites in press conferences, and he always backs his players, but he doesn't do grand headlines or major statements.
That makes him an ideal figurehead in a season when the documentary makers will be hoping to catch a little drama. They will have to work hard to find any amid the calm, serene presence of Carrick.
If United can build on last season's third-place finish, while telling a positive story about progress at Old Trafford, all while banking a record fee for these kind of documentary of more than £10million, they will consider it a job well done.
