30 Apr 2016 10:26:42
Further down the page someone asked if we thought Higuain would be a good target this summer.

On the whole I don't think he would work well in the EPL. Great preditor but lacks either great pace or strength. He would mostly be a bystander until the chance to score arose. I think he could be another example of a great player not suited to our league.

A couple of people questioned whether we even need to sign a striker given we have Rooney, Martial and Rashford as options and tend to only play with one stiker anyway. There is a concern that signing another striker could hinder Martial and Rashfords development.

It is a valid concern, at the moment everyone is cheering and backing both the young lads, but we know how quickly that support can turn if their level of performance drops. Just look at the season Lingard has had, great support to start with, but a few missed chances and people are starting to write him off.

What happens when Rooney has his dips in form, his goals have always been feast and famine. What happens when the young lads have the invariable dip in form. Would they still get the same support from yhe fans if their missed chances during a dip in form cost the team the title next season, or a place in the next round of one of the cups?

For me Rooney's career as a first choice striker at a top club is over, if he is to have any continued place in the side it will be deeper, maybe not in the heart of midfield but as a No.10 or attacking midfielder.
That leaves us dependant on an 18yo and a 20yo to score the goals to fire us to glory. That is an unfair expectation to put on their shoulders. That pressure can break a young player. Therefore we need a top level striker who can carry the burnden and allow our young strikers the protection to flourish without the burden of success resting on their shoulders.

Rooney and Ronaldo had experience around them to take that pressure off. The trick is to bring in the right kind of stiker. Ideally we don't want another young striker, first off we would have the same issue of unfair pressure, secondly they could be around the first team for 8 years or more which would prevent our younger strikers from having a chance.

So we will want a striker in his mid to late twenties, who has experience and a proven track record. Who is adaptable and mobile.

Griezmann would be my first choice, he is the right age, can lead the line or play off the main striker or out wide. The issue will be getting him.

Aubameyang is another similar to Griezmann, although possibly better at leading the line. Again the issue would he signing him.

Cavani would be an interesting choice, my only issue with him is his patchy form similar to Rooney. Also he is soon to turn 30, adjusting to a new league which is much quicker and competitive to what he's used to could be an issue.

Lacazette is an interesting option. The youngest of the four, able to play wide as well as centrally. Probably they easiest to sign.

Any of those four would be good signings potentially great. The important thing is we sign the right person.


1.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 10:44:46
Martial will be 21 this season and after having 12 month in the epl is ready to kick on imo.
Why buy a "big name" like cavani to play infront of him .

Martial is only 2 years younger than kane, look at his last 2 years once he was given a chance at martials age .

We talk about youth but really everyone seems to wants a big name.


2.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 10:49:06
I would only be happy with bringing in a striker if the more important positions were filled first.

If a striker was needed, I'm with you that it would need to be somebody who could play across the line, I've been banging on about griezemann but not sure if he is attainable. Lacazatte is a very good shout. He has been fantastic the second half of this season.

I would definitely not be signing an Ibra or higuain. More flexibility would be the solution but only after the other positions are taken care of.

Although knowing Woodward he will probably go all out for the marquee signing, Neymar most probably.


3.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 10:52:08
By further down the page did u mean literally the post right underneath yours shaps lol?

I see what u mean about higuin mate however, I think in the right team he would score a load of goals.

My preference would be Cavani personally, if the price was right.

I also don't think many are writing Lingard off, just most are coming to the realisation he is a squad player in the title challenging team we aspire to be.

Greizman on the left and Martial ip front would be very interesting I think too. I just wonder how attainable he is.


4.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 11:26:21
Griezmann seems like a good shout as he can play on the right as well as up top. That way, even though we#ll have four strikers for one spot - we could still play all four at the same time (Martial lW, Rash CF, Griezmann RW, Rooney CAM) meaning they would all get game time.


5.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 12:04:58
Jred you're right we don't want to stunt martials development. But for me he looks better on the left wing that up front. If he can get 10+ goals a season from that side and we can find someone equivalent on the right (hopefully memphis or lingard) to supplement a main striker well look a lot more better attacking wise next season.

For me the striker we have to sign is lukaku, guaranteed goals and premier league experience.

Martial lukaku and memphis with rooney in behind with schneiderlin and herrera in midfield would be a dream.


6.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 12:06:35
Again it depends on the manager. Van Gaal has said that he sees Martial as a winger, and with Rooney dropping deep that leaves Rashford as our main striker. Far too much pressure for a young lad, so if van Gaal stays we will need to sign an experienced striker.


7.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 12:38:24
Jred, if Kane had got injured this year or if his form of last season only proved to be a purple patch or indeed he suffered second season syndrome then Spurs would have been well off the pace rather than title challengers. It is an example of a big gamble paying off. But more often than not they don't.

Martial for me has given more to the team on the left than he has upfront. He has scored and assisted more from out wide than he has through the centre. Rooney looks better deeper that leaves a massive burned on Rashford a player with 12 games of first team experience.

We definately need another striker to take the pressure off. I am one who wants to see the youngsters given a chance, my biggest concern going forward is them not being given a chance. But you need a safety net. Otherwise you could be feeding the youth to the wolves. Rooney and Ronaldo had Giggs, Scholes, Vidic, Ferdinand, RvN and others to take the burden off them. It didn't stunt their development, in fact it helped them flourish.

Who is there to give that protection to Martial, Rashford, TFM ect?


8.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 12:36:51
I think martials future is cf .


9.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 12:55:58
Shaps
I don't think vidic or rio would of played upfront if rooney or ronaldo got injured .

We have linders (who has been wrote of after less than 1 season )
Depay again wrote of because he hasn't hit the ground running.
Martial who imo looks the real deal but people would rather spend mega cash on a 30/ 35 year old like ibra or cavani .
And the rashford.
All them players have had less than 1 full season in the epl .

I would like us to add 1 other to compete with them, i like berahino (not a superstar so that won't go down well ) but can play right across the front 3 is a similar age and stage in development and is hungry .
That type of player.

A lot of people say we should give youth a chance, truth is i don't think they mean it.

What if kane got injured? He never, what if sherwood hadnt of dug his heels and give kane a chance to develop when the club wanted to buy a big name striker.

I think people like the idea of giving the kids a chance but really want the big names and the big deals.


10.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 13:05:02
Chris, when I posted it there were several other posts which have either been moved or deleted, did make me look a bit daft. Lol.

Danny your right, whoever the manager is will play a massive part in what areas we strengthen in the summer.

Jred, I believe long term Martial will be a striker, but at this present time I think he offers us more from a wide position. He is able to create as well as score, and he can create more from out wide than he can from up top which limits him slightly. Henry is a player he gets likened to often, and he played wide left until he was 22/ 23.

I just feel its a big gamble to expect one of Martial or Rashford to score 20 league goals next season. And that's not just a gamble on where we finish in the league but on the development of the young players. Too much pressure could be very damaging, and only tends to pay off if you win. High pressure on young players in a team that fails can crush those young players.

Its a balancing act, if it was me I'd sign a striker who can play up top or wide, someone to carry the scoring burden. Then rotate him around with Martial and Rashford. Give them someone to learn from. Atm Rashford is keeping Rooney out of the starting striker spot, there is no reason that he can't for a period of time next season keep someone else out of that same position. Well unless you feel that keeping Rooney out of his favoured position isn't much of an achievment.


11.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 13:19:19
Im going to go with lukaku i want it to be done. Rashford and lukaku can battle up top with martial wide rooney deep and maybe depay right. Lukaku will bring other players into the game is a strong physical presence that can hold the ball up aswell as score goals. All for 30 million. YES!


12.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 13:46:01
Hazard as bit of a wild card . Can play lw rw and 10 .


13.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 14:39:33
I think we need a goalscoring right sided attacker and that will be enough with Rooney, Martial, Rashford to share the goalscoring burden. Someone like a Mahrez or Griezman would be my pick.

Ideally we would buy a striker but I think we should get a center back, a central midfielder or 2 and a right sided attacker/ winger before we think about getting a striker.

Higuain is ridiculously overpriced and I don't think Lukaku is anywhere near worth the amounts that are being asked. Aubameyang wants to go to Spain. There aren't any other top strikers that we could realisticaly get and say we have improved on what we have.


14.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 15:38:21
Depay is not a right winger, I don't know why, but he looks lost there.


15.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 13:26:15
Shap
If we sign cavani or ibra rash sits on the bench .
Can u imagine how much some people on tbe site would kick of if jose came in bought a load of 30 year old big names and dropped the kids?


16.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 13:28:18
Jred - There is a big difference between giving youth a chance and building a team consisting entirely of youth.

The best United sides of my generation have been built upon a solid foundation of experienced players. At the moment that's something we're really lacking.

Having experienced players in the squad is as important to the development of young players as giving them game time. Without them they have nobody to learn from and an unnecessary amount of pressure.

Carrick will likely be gone next season and Bastian will probably spend most of the season out injured - which will leave us with Rooney as the only player in the squad with real experience. For me that's just not good enough.

The versatility of our forward players means that giving them game time should not be too difficult. I see no real downside to adding an experienced player into the mixer.


17.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 13:30:37
Berahino looks a good player, the only issue is his atitude which looks set to ruin his career.

I don't care how much a player costs or whether they have a "big" name. What I care about is how my club progresses moving forward. Youth needs to be given a chance, but by the same token they can't have the pressure of winning titles for the club put on their shoulders. They need to have a fully functional team around them with players who can carry the side when the youth have an off day. Fosu-Mensah has been a revelation in the first team in his few appearences, yet his poorest performance came in the FA cup semi-final. Under huge pressure he stumbled slightly. I'm sure he'll come back stronger but a performance like that could have cost the club a place in the final. How would that have effected him? That is why you need to create an environment in which these youngsters can be given a chance and can thrive in.

Going into next season expecting Martial and/ or Rashford to fire the club to glory is reckless and potentially damaging to the young lads careers.

{Ed001's Note - it is when they suffer adversity that they grow as people mate. Youngsters need a hard road or they never reach their full potential. Being part of a losing side is needed, you don't learn much, if anything by winning. I can't remember who first said it, but it is something I believe in too, that you don't win or lose, you win or you learn.}


18.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 13:32:23
Berahino is not a bad shout you know. Young, English, pacey, great finisher, track record in the league, just gone a little stale with the anti-football style of Pulis. A chance at the big time may change his attitude a lot, and if he doesn't he's out. Probably wouldn't cost an arm and a leg either.


19.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 16:54:31
Gav

Depay looks lost on both sides lol but you are right even wise on the right hand side. We need a striker no matter what and will be in deep trouble if we depend on rash ford as our key attacking point for 60 or so games next year.


20.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 17:00:03
Icardi, Lewandowski, Lukaku, Higuain, ibra to name a few that would be very useful.


21.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 17:12:49
If kane is good enough to lead the line and be the main man for spurs martial is good enough to do it for united .

But i understand it would be more exciting if we bought a big name like ibra or cavani .

People go on and on about giving our youth a chance when we have the likes of welbeck and clevs, we actualy get some top young players and people want to buy big names who have never played in the epl .

Martial leading the line for united or inbra? Martial all day long for me.


22.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 17:41:21
Ed001, I completely agree that it is through our failures through which we learn. But there is a big difference between being a youngster in a losing team and being a youngster with all the expectation of winning being on your shoulders.

Like I said it is a fine balancing act.

Jred, whoever is manager next season will have to manage the club through 50-60 games potentially, do you think Rashford and Martial are ready to do that all on there own. Do you think we have enough quality and depth in our forward players to win the EPL and make it deep into the final rounds of the cups and Europe?

If the answer is yes then I would question your judgement. If the answer is no then we need reinforcements.

{Ed001's Note - it is make or break, you are correct, but you don't want those that break anyway. They will be found out eventually. You only find out how good players (and manager for that matter) truly are when there is adversity. It is easy to be great when things are going well.}


23.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 18:28:08
Ed001, I agree to an extent. The issue for me is that players obviously mature at different ages and at different points of their careers. Balotelli for example has never matured, or at least not yet.

Is a player ready is such a hard question. I was having this chat with a few coaches recently. Are they physically ready? Are they mentally ready. It was quite interesting I was shown the break down of a young player, an actual ex-player he had above average well developed technical ability, but was under developed physically, he had great understanding of the game but was emotionally quiet. The question is do you put a player who has the technical ability and the understanding in with the older kids, even if he is physically weak and not as developed emotionally. There is no correct answer as its horses for courses. In the end they kept the kid where he was. He grew up to become Jamie Carragher. So it shows the journey players can go on.

If a player is physcally ready and has the skillset to compete in the first team doesn't mean they are emotionally ready to deal with it. But that doesn't mean they will never be able to deal with it. Its judging when is the right time to put that pressure on them. Some can cope with it at 18, other not until they are 22/ 23 and have several years of first team football under their belt.

{Ed001's Note - I know what you are saying, but they develop slower because they don't experience enough to mature, usually. The issue is not that they suffer pressure, it is that they are put under continous pressure, and never taken out of the firing line for a while to reflect on the lessons they have received.}


24.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 18:28:08
Ed001, I agree to an extent. The issue for me is that players obviously mature at different ages and at different points of their careers. Balotelli for example has never matured, or at least not yet.

Is a player ready is such a hard question. I was having this chat with a few coaches recently. Are they physically ready? Are they mentally ready. It was quite interesting I was shown the break down of a young player, an actual ex-player he had above average well developed technical ability, but was under developed physically, he had great understanding of the game but was emotionally quiet. The question is do you put a player who has the technical ability and the understanding in with the older kids, even if he is physically weak and not as developed emotionally. There is no correct answer as its horses for courses. In the end they kept the kid where he was. He grew up to become Jamie Carragher. So it shows the journey players can go on.

If a player is physcally ready and has the skillset to compete in the first team doesn't mean they are emotionally ready to deal with it. But that doesn't mean they will never be able to deal with it. Its judging when is the right time to put that pressure on them. Some can cope with it at 18, other not until they are 22/ 23 and have several years of first team football under their belt.

{Ed001's Note - I know what you are saying, but they develop slower because they don't experience enough to mature, usually. The issue is not that they suffer pressure, it is that they are put under continous pressure, and never taken out of the firing line for a while to reflect on the lessons they have received.}


25.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 19:20:01
So its important to have players with whom they can compete with and who can come in and give them a break to not just rest their bodies which are in some cases still developing but to give them chance to reflect on their experiences amd learn the lessions from it.


26.) 30 Apr 2016
30 Apr 2016 20:33:53
Shaps
Like i have said i would sign some one like berahino.

But like i also have said if kane is good enough to lead the line for spurs martial is for united.

I don't see many spurs fan wanting the big name signings like ibra or cavani .
Ibra could maybe start the 9 and kane pushed out wide or deep.
You would have to be mad tho .