Manchester United Banter Archive June 11 2013

 

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11 Jun 2013 23:41:22
Man Utd and Moyes are in agreement to sign one defender, two midfielders and one striker and the same amount of players will leave so that's a total of four players out and four in. That said if Ronaldo signs for Utd then its four out and three in. Take it as a done deal for transfers this season.

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Varela is the defender.

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11 Jun 2013 21:46:33
There have been many people on this site suggesting that Fabregas would never choose us over Arsenal if he were to leave Barcelona this summer. Whilst I personally think it very unlikely that Fabregas will come to United this summer -it is predominantly down to the fact that I do not see Barcelona selling him rather than him choosing Arsenal over us in that event.

In his 8 years at Arsenal - Fabregas won an FA Cup and a Community Shield. For a player of his caliber - that's simply not good enough.

As much as players talk about love for a club - they also want to win things and earn money while they still can. After getting a taste of winning things with Barca and Arsenal's reluctance to break their wage structure - I can see why he would be reluctant to return to Arsenal if Barca decide to sell him - and thus why he might consider a move to Manchester United.

The real question is though - would Barca sell?

It's worth pointing out that 9 of Cesc's La Liga starts this season came during the spell in which Messi was injured. Given how infrequently Messi is injured - my guess would be that he's likely to miss out on those extra starts next season as Messi seems to play every minute when fully fit.

It's also worth considering that Iniesta was pushed out on to the left wing a few years back in order to accommodate the arrival Fabregas. This was in no way because Fabregas was a better central midfielder than Iniesta - but down to the fact that Iniesta can play on the left wing if needed and Fabregas can't. With Neymar coming in - the left wing berth will be very much occupied for the foreseeable future and as such I can see Iniesta coming back into a central position as at this point in time he is a better player than Fabregas. Again - less starts for Fabregas.

There'll be people pointing out that Xavi is getting on a little and that that may free up some starts for Cesc - but imho his ball retention is too poor to 'fill in' for Xavi. It's not bad - but is nowhere near as good as Xavi's (which at times lead to a lot of boos and whistling directed at Cesc over the course of the season). Xavi's role also does not require too much mobility and so age should not affect him anywhere near as much as a player who relies in any way on pace. In any event; Thiago is a much better fit in terms of the position Xavi plays in - and they also have Sergi Roberto waiting in the B team who's shaping up to be one hell of a player. Again - less starts for Cesc.

Finally - Barca have just spent a lot of money on Neymar (57 million) and require two more signings in the immediate future. A CB (as Puyol is nearing the end of his career) which, given the names they are being linked with, is likely to set them back between 20 and 35 million and a goalkeeper (as Valdez is entering into the final year of his contract) who could cost them up to 25 million. Dani Alvez has also seemed both unsettled and out of sorts over the past few seasons - but Montoya could in theory take his place if he were to leave (he has played well when called upon to fill in for Alves).

It seems very likely that they will sell Sanchez (which may bring in around 20 million) and Villa (who would bring in 20 million at most) but that still leaves them with the need for up to 30 million to strengthen the defence. Their financial situation is poor - and given the expenses already incurred in signing Neymar - I do not see them strengthening the areas they need without bringing in another £30m or so from player sales.

It may well be that they sell Thiago - but imo (looking past the fuss involved with signing Fabregas) - it makes much more sense that Fabregas should be the one who leaves.

If Thiago really is unsettled; the knowledge that Cesc is leaving should put him at ease in regards to him wanting more game time over the coming seasons. He's also younger - and is a better fit for the 'Xavi role' which will be their most immediate concern and will probably turn out to be the better of the two players once he gets a few seasons of regular first team football under his belt (although as they are different types of player at different stages in their career it's hard to make too direct a comparison). Thiago would also only bring in around half the amount which Fabregas would if reports are to be in any way believed.

I do not see them selling both players under any circumstance (at least to do so would be stupid, imo) - but would not be at all surprised to see Cesc leave and Thiago stay. Personally I'd rather we signed Thiago anyway - but Cesc to United is not impossible (although is improbable).

redseven

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12 Jun 2013 11:06:59
I'd rather have Thiago as he's younger and should become the better player. However my big concern with Thiago is that he'd want to leave after two to three years to go back to Barcelona to replace Xavi. So it would be no more than a loan. Also he's another signing with potential and I feel we have a lot of potential already. We also have a lot of players in their thirties but we lack players in their mid twenties so Fabregas would maybe be a better fit. Personally i'd offer Barcelona forty million for both Fabregas and Sanchez. MrE

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I agree, Barca will sell one of Fabregas and Thiago, as they have enough centre mids but they need another centre back. Therefore I can see them letting Fabregas go, since Thiago arguably has more potential. Also I can see them letting Sanchez go because Pedro is from their academy. We desperately need a centre mid and I would prefer Fabregas to Thiago personally. Plus I would love to see United sign Sanchez, since we really need a winger. All in all I think we could sign them both because they both want to play regularly, and they both want to win trophies, which is why I think Cesc would choose United over Arsenal.

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MrE, I would do exactly the same. Fabregas would improve our team so much and Sanchez would provide some much needed pace and spark. Plus I think we have a decent chance of signing them for the reasons I suggested above.

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11 Jun 2013 21:15:57
As pessimistic as usual (though i'm definitely giving Moyes time). i'm not buying into these big names we're being linked to. Its season ticket o'clock, this seems to happen every year.

Im betting these big names go elsewhere or stay put. BUT. If we get say, Strootman, Zaha, Varela, another good CM and another winger (with Nani leaving). and hopefully Rooney replaced adequately, we could be okay.

I just have no faith in the Fabregas or Lewandowski rumours, I'm afraid. If they happened, I'd lay eggs and be ecstatic!

RED_SKY

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I too am a tad pessimistic and the timing with season ticket renewals cannot be coincidental.

However Barcelona are running the same ruse telling their fans they are preparing a £100m bd for Cleverly and Wellbeck in response to United declaring interest in Fabergas and Thiago. The Barca fans beleive these two United young stars to be the Midfield Messi and new Rivaldo. unfortunately neither player wants to leave united unless they are forced.
In other unrelated news Wayne Rooney was surrounded by Moyes new fitness please outside a take away and told to put his hands up, drop the kebab and cigs and step back towards the wall.

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A career on stage beckons no name, as likely as a formerly homeless unknown foreigner not even watched by the manager signing for our club.
Invisible STuey

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11 Jun 2013 21:14:01
With Zaha and Varela wrapped up things are starting to get moving.

But we rarely sign more than five players at any one time which means we would only see three more players sign at most.

Now Strootman and Thiago are highly tipped to be joining. And to be honest I think they are both exactly what we need. Strootman offers some steel and a long term replacement for Carrick. And Thiago is the kind of player we need to come in to replace Scholes. Someoen who can link the play up all over the pitch and really hurt teams with an array of passes an help control the tempo of the game.

If we tie up those two then that just leaves one more player to come in. And this is where it gets interesting.

Do we sign a left back to replace Evra such as Shaw or Digne?
I don't think that this is vital as Evra will likely stay, we then have Buttner and Blackett in the under 21's. So probably not at left back.

What about a striker to replace the likely departing Rooney? Lewandowski has been linked but in all fairness he is unlikely to join. But do we need a striker? We have RvP, Hernandez and Welbeck in the first team. Plus Zaha can cover, then we have Henriquez and Will Keane pushing to break through from the under 21's. So that's six strikers and we normally only play with one up front. So a striker probably isn't needed either.

What about a winger? Di Maria and Gaitan have been linked, and with Nani likely leaving and the poor form of Valencia and Young maybe a winger would be a good idea. But at the same time we have already signed Zaha, and Welbeck can play wide, and we have Januzaj coming through. Also aren't we trying to move away from the older style play with wingers? Valencia and Young still offer a traditional winger options within the squad, plus we have Zaha, Welbeck and Januzaj who can all play the more modern inside forward type that is replacing traditional wingers. Not to mention we would have Kagawa and Thiago who I think would take two of the three starting places behind the striker in a 4231 fromation. So maybe we could bring someone in but they would just block Zaha, Welbeck and Januzaj from getting enough game time.

What about another midfielder? Its been so long since we signed a midfielder maybe we should sign several at once to make up. After all Scholes is retiring and Anderson is likely to be sold. And Fletcher will not be able to be relied upon. Which leaves us with just Carrick, Cleverley, Strootman, Thiago and Powell. Powell Thiago and Cleverley are better off further up the pitch, which only leaves Carrick and Strootman as deep playing midfielders. But we could bring Jones into this role next season when needed. In which case we will have Carrick, Strootman and Jones all able to play defensive midfield, and Thiago, Cleverley and Powell all able to play more attacking midfield. We may also see a sneaky sixth player brought into the squad in the form of Nampalys Mendy, although I wouldn't expect him to play much.

The player who has been most linked to us is Ezequiel Garay. Now this seems strange as we have Rio, Vidic, Evans, Smalling, Jones and Micheal Keane all able to do a job in defence. But when you look closer you realise that this is Rio's last year, and Vidic may not be able to play all the games after his serious knee injuries. So if both of them are out injuried then that just leaves Evans (25), Smalling (23), Jones (21) and Keane (20) which is a very inexperianced defence, especially in europe. Garay who'll be 27 soon has huge european experiance and is a leader. Plus at his age he would be key to the first team for the next few years while Smalling, Jones and Keane develop. We may see Vidic move on this summer too. A new manager will want to appoint his own captain to lead his team, this is always hard when you have the old captain around. If a significant bid comes in for Vidic I expect it will be excepted. We'd then have a defence of Evans and Garay, with Rio offering some experiance and Smalling, Jones and Micheal Keane being squad options.

This is how I see our summer panning out.

We'll see Rooney, Vidic, Lindegaard, Fabio, Nani, Bebe, Petrucci and Macheda leaving.


We'll then see Zaha, Varela, Garay, Strootman, Thiago and Mendy joining.

De Gea will be first choice keeper with Amos and Johnstone as cover.

Rafeal will continue at RB with Varela as cover.

Evans and Garay will be first choice CB, with Rio, Smalling and Jones as cover.

Evra and Buttner will battle it out for the LB spot.

Micheal Keane and Tyler Blackett will go out on loan to gain experiance.

Carrick, Strootman, Cleverley, Jones, Thiago and Anderson will all compete for the two midfield slots. With Mendy joining the reserves and Tunnicliffe going out on loan.

In the three behind the striker we'll see Kagawa, Thiago, Welbeck, Anderson, Giggs, Zaha, Cleverley, Valencia, Young and Januzaj all compete for a starting role.
Powell and Lingard will go out on loan to gain first team experiance.

Upfront we'll see RvP start most games with Hernandez being his cover. Welbeck and Zaha will also cover here. Henriquez will go out on loan again, but Will Keane will continue his come back in the under 21's where he can be monitored closesly then if he is back to full strength and fitness he may go out on loan in January.

This is how I see the summer and next season panning out. {Ed004's Note - I reckon we will see more than 3 first team signings tbh. Zaha and Varela won't add much to the first team and I expect a cb, lb, 2 cm's and a winger with Rooney staying tbh. Possibly Mendy on a free as well}

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Your both deluded, I may be wrong but have we ever done so much business in 1 window?
Zaha is going to feature this season seeing as Nani looks to be on his way, Scholes needs replacing (Alcantara) if there is a chance Lewandowski will sign (Fergie as confirmed interest)then Rooney could be on his way.
Anymore signings will be kids with potential Mendy if true makes sense though I've never seen him! With his pedigree and age would be worth a risk.
You talk as if we've been taken over by some mad Oligarch determined to make a statement
Dylan

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Good post and well written - I know, I should have expected as much Shappy :)

I agree with a lot of it but I really would like to see us sign a good winger this summer. With Strootman & Thiago we would have added all the attributes we are missing in the middle of the pitch.

But our other problem this year IMO has been a lack of pace/dribbling ability to create magic from a wide position. I'm not necessarily talking traditional wingers here, but someone to play wide in a 4231. Someone who can either hit the by line and cross or cut inside, interplay with opponents and be able to create/score. There aren't many available options so I'd be happy with Di Maria TBH as he possesses most of these attributes.

We all think Nani is leaving but Zaha is arriving too. I think Welbeck and possibly Kagawa (if Rooney stays) will play wide in a 4231. So that leaves Young & Valencia on top. TBH I wouldn't mind losing one of these 2 if we need to make room.

Strootman, Thiago & Di Maria would answer most of our problems IMO. I'd love to replace Evra with Baines and I can see the merits of Garay but the first three names IMO would have a bigger impact on the team and squad.

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Few points I forgot to make,

1) my original post is what I want not what I think. I think it's more likely we sign Garay than Di Maria, unfortunately IMO.

2) I don't think Vidic will leave and I really, really hope that is the case.

3) sorry Ed004 but I can't see anywhere near the level of activity you are hoping for. I sincerely hope I'm wrong and I'll happily bring this up so you can rub my face in it, if I turn out to be :) {Ed004's Note - Well I'm being very opptimistic as Ed 2 has said utd have had interest in Garay, strootman, Alcantara and Di Maria and I have a feeling all 4 will be signed as Nani and Anderson will leave so we need an experienced winger in. I don't think a left back will be signed but Moyes hands might be tied if a bid comes in for Evra as this will be the last chance to sell him for money}

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Shappy I can't see us selling Vidic and Rooney in the same window, Vidic is a massive player for us and although Rooney has apparently asked to leave, he is also a big player at the club. Vidic should stay.

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Well I hope your optimism is rewarded because I'd be delighted with that summer.

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The other thing to bear in mind this isn't a "Usual" transfer window SAF has retired and Utd cannot afford to f*ck up with DM now in charge I still hope for something special to lift the fans and the club

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Dylan, you need to see these possible transfers for what they are. Yes it is a considerable amount of moves but with a change of manager new ideas come in and things get freshened up. I doubt we would be making a high number of changes if Sir Alex stayed but with him leaving then we could see a slightly busier summer than expected. Also you need to consider that we are likely to lose several first teamers who Moyes either doesn't think are good enough or don't fit into his plans.

Garay, Strootman and Thiago would be the real changes to the first team. And three changes for a new manager isn't that much. Zaha won't be first choice but will be in and around the first team squad.

As for Mendy and Varela they will more than likely play with the under 21's while they adjust and acclimatise to the club and round of some of their rough edges. But they could come in in an injury crisis.

As for Lewandowski I don't think there is a chance, he and his agent has set themsleves for Bayern. He'll either move there this summer despite what Micheal Zorc says, or he'll play out the last year of his contract and join Bayern next summer.

Gav, There will still be plenty of players at the club who can play wide and run at the opposition. Young, Valencia, Zaha, Welbeck and Januzaj can all do this job with varying degrees of success. Di Maria and Gaitan have been looked at but I doubt we'll follow through with any bids. I can't see Benfica sell us both Garay and Gaitan in the same summer, nor do I see us competing with PSG and Monaco for Di Maria.

As for Vidic leaving? I don't think the club would force him out, but I think they would entertain offers over 10m. He is nearly 32, he has had a serious knee injury and will struggle to be fit for a full season again. There are concerns over whether he can play twice a week. Which means if we keep him then we will have to keep rotating our central defenders for every game. The key to a solid defence stability, if you keep chopping and changing then you only cause uncertainty, and that's where mistakes happen. Besides how do you keep six centre backs happy?

Weggy, I think its a possibility. I would rather we keep him. But with Garay looking more and more likely then how do you fit Evans, Garay, Vidic, Rio, Smalling and Jones in to two spots? There rotation but that just won't work with that number of Centre backs. Imo if Vidic stays then we won't sign Garay, which i'm fine with but if Rio and Vidic were injuried for a couple of months (which isn't unlikely) then would you be confident especially in the european games of a CB partnership of Evans with one of Smalling or Jones? I think that would almost certainly cost us our place in europe for that year.

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Shappy as much potential as januzaj has he will get very little 1st team action next season. I've watched him a lot last season and he's a quality player but not ready to be thrown into the premier league. he will get carling cup games and will make the bench a few times but that will be it i'm my opinion we might even send him out on loan to toughen him up a bit, moyes will not dabble too much with youth players in his 1st season where a good showing is important to keep the fans onside and make sure we are competing at all levels making for a smooth transition
johndenton

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Zaha was signed in jan then loaned back, he is returning from loan in the summer not being signed, that's as far as I got sorry.

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Who ever said we are moving away from wingers.

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12 Jun 2013 01:00:31
John, I completely agree. Januzaj isn't ready and won't be for another year probably. But he'll still get a few games, the issue is what if he grabs those games by the scruff of the next and really makes his mark? It'll make it harder and harder to leave him out if he does well in the few games he is given. Giggs took his chance and never looked back, and he was a very skinny lad in his first couple of seasons in the first team. And the league was much more physica back then. So you can't rule out Januzaj doing something special.

No name, I never specified when Zaha was signed just that he will be new to the team this summer. He has never trained with our squad, so although he has been signed for six months he is as good as a new signing.

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When did anyone ever say we are moving to a system without wingers.

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12 Jun 2013 08:16:52
No name, we have been slowly evolving over the last few years, to a more modern style. The old system of having TWO wingers leaves you far to exposed in the modern game. Possession is key, and wingers by their vary nature will lose possession quite often either by losing out trying to take his man on, or by crossing the ball. Even the best crossers of a ball only have about a 25% cross success rate, which means 3 out of 4 times possession is lost.

I don't think we'll totally move away from wingers but I think we'll certainly see us go to a system that only has one winger, and even then it will more likely be a more modern inverted winger or inside forward rather than a traditional chalk on your boots around the outside and whip in a cross type winger. Seeing as we have Valencia, Young, Zaha, Welbeck and even Januzaj coming through who can play that role is there any need to sign someone else? I mean 4/5 players for one position in the team should surely be enough. Especially when you consider three of them are under 23 so are good options for the future.

So no one has said we won't be playing with wingers, but to those who are kean tacticions and have watched the way the team evolves each year will have seen that we have slowly been moving into a system that only accomedates one winger. Our wingers poor form this year can be credited to the implemention of these new tactics. Have you ever seen Valencia cut inside in previous seasons as much as you did last season? That is the tactical changes I am on about.

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So basically SHappy you see us signing the players we are msot linekd with in the press in the alst two weeks, I look forward to you next likely incoming transfers when the names in the press change on two weeks, though I think you definately have two of the six correct anwyay. And I bet we don't see Fabio or Vidic leaving and we don't see Garay coming and I certainly don't expect us to sign Strootman AND Mendy, especially an odd prediction as you still have Anderson, Carrick and Cleverley and Fletcher all still here in midfield so we will have six central midfielders then? And I see a lot of people and Eds that seem to know something expecting Di Maria, I bet this doesn't happen either. I can't really guess names as I only expect one really known signing and I HOPE it is Thiago but the clause and lack of other linekd clubs at the moment is too good to be true, really feel a possible Moura situation happening here. If Rooney leaves I think we may see Lewandowski, otherwise I will plump for Varela, Zaha (two right so far for me as well) Thiago (in hope), and two surprise signings, one a box to box midfielder possibly Mendy, the other a young winger we are not even aware of. If Rooney stays I expect Nani to be the only major departure though possibly see Fletcher, Anderson and Young phased out over the winter dependant on fitness and performance
Invisble Stuey

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Can our wingers poor form nt be put down to nani and young being s*** and valencia just coming back from a serious injury?

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Too be honest I can t see us playing a system without wingers next season. I think we will line up 4-4-1-1 / 4-5-1 with kagawa playing behind van persie. strootman and carrick in midfield with valencia on the right if he can find his best form and di maria and the left if ed2 is right that we are in for him. I just think this is how moyes side will line out but obviously I could be completely wrong.

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12 Jun 2013 14:01:29
Valencia was amazing at the end of last season having come back from his injury. Yet its this season he has struggled, he hasn't been playing his natural game this season because he has had to play to the new tactics.

As for how we will play next season it could be many different ways we play as we have a new manager.

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I don't think Vidic will leave. He is a top class defender and we always defend better with Vidic playing and he has lots of experience. Plus he is the current captain and he is a leader in the team. Also, I don't think Rooney will leave, since he is also a top class all round player. He has had a poor season, but the last time he had a poor season, he followed up with the best season of his career. Plus he is another leader in the team. Plus Rooney is another leader in our team and he also has lots of experience.

Furthermore, I think we will sign at least one winger, potentially Di Maria or Sanchez. They would add a lot of spark and pace to the team and we would be more dangerous on the counter attack. Also I think we will go all out to sign Fabregas, since he would improve the team massively and we would be more dangerous in possession with his passing.

Finally, Shappy, how do you write so much and how much time do you have?

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Shappy if he gets a few chances and impresses then great that will be a bonus
johndenton

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11 Jun 2013 20:41:04
But the former Arsenal star, 26, told Spanish radio Onda Cero that he has no intention of moving and is determined to stay and fight for his place at Barca.

"It's fascinating how some people can invent these things, " said Fabregas. "I've never opened my mouth about this.

"I'm very happy, it's taken a lot to get where I am and I don't plan on throwing that away for anything.

"The truth is that if I didn't feel that I was wanted it would be different, but I haven't been told anything.

"I'm very happy, the truth is that I want to triumph with Barcelona.

"I'm living a dream, it was my dream since I was a child and I would like to fulfill that by working hard. "

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The interesting part

"The truth is that if I didn't feel that I was wanted it would be different, but I haven't been told anything"

If Barca say they want to sell where would that leave him?

No idea if they want to sell but that has always been the key point so today's statement means that he would unlikely agitate for a move but there are always two parties in these situations.

Players leave United who don't want to go.

Red Man

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11 Jun 2013 19:23:24
Zaha in, Varela in. What with the possibilities of Thiago, Strootman, Lewandowski and maybe others. Who else do people think might be making there way to OT?

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Is Zaha any better than Gabriel Obertan?

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That's an insult, Zaha in time will be a great player. He had all the skills and physique to be a great player. Just give him time and you will see

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"Is Zaha any better than Gabriel Obertan?"

I don't know, why don't you leave a sign-off name so we can come back to you when we find out?

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No name,

Yes

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11 Jun 2013 18:57:55
Season ticket renewed = skint lol

Redrum182

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11 Jun 2013 18:57:22
Been reading here a lot about the players we have and the players we are linked with. This is just my point of view on these players.

Evra: Some still think he is good enough. Maybe if he is used on the left wing he'll be great but defensively he was responsible for nearly half the goals we conceded last season. It tells a lot about you if the other team thinks of you as the weak link in defense.

Rooney: Well two transfer request and he isn't half the player he was a couple of seasons ago. He needs to go but it'll be good if we make good money from him and put it into someone more useful. His touch, vision and work rate just look poor for someone earning a lot of salary. In front of RVP he just looks like a knob.

Anderson, Nani: Should be sold. Even though I'm a fan and still think they would excel wherever they go but United is just not the club for them and it'll be better if both the parties understood that.

Thiago: Great player and would immensely improve us. Still don't know if Barca would want to sell him. Hope they don't put a buyback clause in for him.

Fabregas: An Arsenal/Barca fan and told millions of times he would like to return to them only. Still would be great signing, but the chances are very slim of him being at OT.

Zaha: Only needs to improve his crossing. Best thing about him is his pace and strength. Can take on players which our other wingers don't seem to do. So would be an improvement on our present wide players. It was time we spent that much amount of money on some kid with potential.

Bale: Spurs won't sell cheap, we won't buy expensive.

Lewandowski: I believe that most of you have only seen the madrid game in which in which he scored 4. He scored so many goals in the season because he has a great team around him. He is not a bad player but he isn't the great he is being made out. For the reported 25m he would be very expensive. He is slow and some of you might get frustrated with him if he ends up here. He would be a gamble in my opinion.

Varela: He is a gem. He won't get to play in the first team as of now but he might give Rafael tough competition next season. I have a gut feeling he might be turned into a winger in a couple of years.

Strootman: Replacement for Fletcher. He might not be the best in the business but he is good enough with a great chance of even being better.

BP

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I thought varela has only played a handful of games for his clubs first team? But yeah In a few videos seemed quick and good on the ball!

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You can't have watched many Dortmund games if you think Lewandowski is slow. He's deceptively quick, there aren't many centre backs who'll out sprint him. Plus his work rate in the build up play is vital in allowing players like Gotze and Reus to have the time and the space to hurt teams. Because Lewandowski is quick defenders can't push up on him and instead have to drop deep, then because he uses his strength well he holds the ball and and plays it into the space in behind him for Gotze and Reus.

I agree that i'm not sure we need him though.

Other than that I agree with your summing up.

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11 Jun 2013 18:41:39
This is just my point of view on the Ronaldo situation.
I've never been a fan of anyone who has left United "just to fulfill his childhood dream". I am of course very grateful to him for what he won us but that is it and he was being paid to do his job tbh. If he comes back he might become my most favourite player again but not for now and I can only see him going where the money is more. I actually put him and Rooney in the same category who just would go where the money is.

"""The thing that I find very interesting is that some people think that Fabregas would sign for United and not for his beloved Arsenal and then the same people go on to say that Ronaldo will only sign for United and no one else. """

AWOL

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How do you know the same people have said both statements? Can you name and shame these poster's? ; )

Personally, I can't see either player at OT this summer and I can't imagine Fab ever playing for us.

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11 Jun 2013 18:26:02
Dortmund claim there is no chance of them selling Lewandowski to Bayern Munich and they say that he is all United's for a fee of £25 million. If we snap him up for that price. it's a bargain!

This transfer window will be an interesting one for us United fans I reckon!

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Yes bc with four strikers already what we need is to blow 25 mil on another. He absurdity of the fans on here. The team needs one holding mf, one attacker with width and that's about it.

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11 Jun 2013 18:23:50
Beening watch England U21 and Zaha. Zaha still needs a year maybe 2 then he should be ready.

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Its abit harsh to judge him on the two performances at the under 21's.

First off he was just coming back from an ankle injury.

And secondly I defy anyone to play well in that set up with Pearce in charge. The team was a shambles.

In his first game against Norway he played upfront with no support and was totally isolated.
In his second game against Isreal the team was totally demoralised and put in a half effort performance.

In a team with better players and a decent tactical set up he will do very well.

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11 Jun 2013 17:57:27
SlySpurts have confirmed Navas to City for £14.9mil not the inflated figure of £24mil that was been thrown around a week ago.

I have to say I see that as good business.

Now let's give moyes a fighting chance and get him Lewandowski, Thiago, Fabregas, Strootman, Di Maria, Baines and LOL
Sulei

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Don't be daft, its still a lot of money and quite a risk on a player whom gets home sick playing away games, plus that's quite a lot of ins you have there that would all take quite some time to gel together

19JackC94

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Oh well if Sky say so.

TK-Red

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He doesn't get home sick for away games anymore that problem went away more than 4 years ago.
DHk

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19jackC94

5 years ago he hired a sports psycologist to get over that, people seem to forget he spent a month in south africa for the wc and a month in the middle of no where in poland&ukraine for the euros.

£14.9mil sterling for navas is excellent business he's 1 of the best classic style right sided wingers in the game.
If we were to sell Valencia now how much would you want for him?
10/12 million? and Navas is twice the player!

I was beign sarcastic about the ins but at the same time we do need to bring in 2/3 quality players to help the transition of the new manager otherwise we will end up behind and trying to catch up next season.
Remember the season we bought carrick? We went on to win the league at that summer we went for Hargreaves and anderson! We need to fianacially support moyes otherwise will be making excuses this time next year.
Ed004 what do you think, could this be a summer like "the summer of 69" (2007)

Sulei {Ed004's Note - I reckon there will be quite a high net spend this summer and I reckon close to 60 million net with some player sales as well possibly Evra, Anderson, Nani and Rooney}

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It's an initial £15m rising to £24m.

Sydney!

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Sydney

All sports sites say 14. 9, only the tv said that it could rise to 15. 9.

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Sydney the other day you said city paid 70mill for navas and fernandinoh where do you get your info because now your saying something different do you make it up

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The sports sites said City only paid £25.5m for Tevez, but we all know it was closer to £42m.

The exact same sports channel who said it was £24m last week are the one's saying it's £14.9m this week.

Sydney!

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Syd
that doesn't really answer the question, do you know what the price is or r you ust going of very unreliable numbers in the paper
Jred

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Sydney, City are paying £15m this year, then potentially another £9m the next year. That is a lot of money for a 28 year old player who can only play one position.
No name, they paid exactly £34m for Fernandinho, which means they have spent potentially £49-£58m on those two players, and that £58m figure has been posted many times on this site.

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Jred, I was going by the same numbers as everyone else. I have never pretended I knew the exact fees, how would I know? We were commenting on Sly saying the fees were a respected €40m and €30m. (€70m)

Sydney!

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11 Jun 2013 17:32:31
Ed002 do you know if we have a deal made for Lewandowski and if we sign Thiago does that mean we won't buy Fabregas Thiago is a young midfielder who will be a brilliant player if we train him right Ronaldo and rooney were young and they turned out to be great players while fabregas is getting old and I don't think he fits united, s style {Ed002's Note - Try the search function.}

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"Train him" h is better than all our crop of midfielders now except carrick but they play different positions. No need for training mate, he will be first team material immediately. He gotover 20 something games at barca with their choice of midfielders.

Shahram

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11 Jun 2013 16:14:27
Eds, is there any truth that the Manchester United website today confirmed the signing of Lewandowski before quickly taking it down? Saw the story on an Irish news website?

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11 Jun 2013 15:23:51
Ed002 any ideas when we are actually going to see something concrete instead of the garbage about ronnie cesc or bale. Would be nice to know who the targets are but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Cheers dubred {Ed002's Note - You don't seriously expect me to answer this?}

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11 Jun 2013 17:34:11
Just can't stop smiling. Not only does Dracula want to leave Liverpool he also said this: "About a week ago I was walking in a shopping centre near Manchester and three or four guys asked me for a photo. While we were posing for it my wife said to me, "Luis, get out of the photo". She noticed they were making biting gestures. I was with my wife and my daughter. Things like that get on your nerves. My wife was on the brink of tears and the blokes ran off laughing. You get tired of stuff like that. "

Now go on think about it and try not to smile

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As much as I dislike Dracula. I still think that's a bit harsh

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It's not really that funny. Banters fine between fans and some times it goes a little far. But when a person is out with their family and put down in front of them I think that's a shame really

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Thats amazing, i'm smiling from ear to ear. And what's even more stunning is it's from a post by Kloot. lol.

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Kloot, did you do some out-of-town shopping a week or 2 ago? ; )

I'll never feel sorry for the guy personally seeing as he feels plenty sorry for himself (from all the excuses he's made). He needs to man up.

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"It's not really that funny. Banters fine between fans and some times it goes a little far. But when a person is out with their family and put down in front of them I think that's a shame really"

I'd say it's MUCH more of a 'shame' that a professional footballer decided to bite another for no apparent reason?

If he hadn't have done that (twice BTW) those folks would have had no reason to do the whole bitey photo thing. Lesson learnt for Luis, or not at the case may be.

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Kloot, where exactly did you read/see Saurez say this? do you have a article or did you just make this up to make yourself look funny ad clever? How could he have said that he was in Manchester a week ago when he has been with his national team for about 3 weeks in another continent? Did you make this up? Did it make your bobby twitch when you wrote this and that's how you get your thrills? You are a complete Kloot.
Cruickie. {Ed004's Note - it is an actual report from Suarez a quick google and you will find the quotes}

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What those guys did was totally wrong that too when he was with his family.
He did it in a match and he was banned for some games for that incident. That is closed. If people still do that now then where is the difference.

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11 Jun 2013 17:26:03
We have been linked heavily with Fabregas and Alcantara, I can't see barca selling both but was wondering which one would barca prefer to sell?

Thoughts?

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They would probably prefer to sell Fabregas but Thiago has a release clause for 18m euros as he didn't play enough games.

Personally and I know i'm in the minority here but I would prefer Thiago.

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Thiago

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Thiago, he will become another Xavi in 5 years.

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11 Jun 2013 16:54:47
That lewe story is fake, off a fake website posing as manutd website, the quotes used are from rvp signing.

Sulei

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11 Jun 2013 16:47:54
Having seen the rumours of Lewy, Fabregas and Thiago all supposedly signing for us who else would be happy to send Rooney and maybe £5m to Barca for Fabregas and Thiago and then to buy Lewy?

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Why would Barcelona want Rooney?

Sydney!

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And why would barcelona end up giving up £45million of players for Rooney (20£mil) and £5mil?

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BOTH players won't leave Barca, it will be one at best IMO - even then I'm sure United won't be the only option.

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No name, Rooney is worth a lot more that £20m, any player who has scored over 20 goals and made over 10 for each of the last 5 seasons and is only 27 is worth potentially double that money. I would say Rooney is worth £32-£40m and Fabregas £30m and Thiago maybe £20m. Plus Barca are probably not interested in Rooney.

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11 Jun 2013 16:33:29
Lets consider Nampalys Mendy shall we. I mean what would his signing mean and what would he bring to our team.

It's an interesting potential transfer as its come right out of left field. A player who none of us had considered, a player who none of us had really heard of.

Now i've not managed to see any of his games so I can only base the kind of player he is on what i've found written about him online. And i'm sure many of you have tried as I have to find out about him.

Ed030's player profile makes for interesting reading.

From what I can make out, he is a small quick player who puts in 110% effort into every game. His Passing can be quite limited, although Ed030 feels he has the talent to improve his passing ability, and he throws himself into challenges in a full bloodied nature allthough lacks the size and power to dominate players in such a manner.

So some quite conflicting info. He sounds like he could be worth a gamble, especially after how gutted Ranieri sounded when speaking about him. He has played over 80 games for Monaco in both Ligue 1 and 2 and french cup games over the last two years so he has been an almost ever present in their line up. Which speaks volumes of a player who is yet to reach his 21st birthday.

If we sign him it sounds like he will still require a lot of work to get him upto standard. He will have to go on the Manchester United bulk up plan that has worked so well with players like Valencia, DDG and Kagawa over the last few seasons.

I like the fact that Ed030 likens him to Ramires, and from what it sounds like he is very good from a defensive point of view. So we could have a defensively strong version of Ramires on our hands in a couple of years time which would be good.

He sounds like he could add the drive our midfield misses when Anderson isn't playing or after 60 mins if he is.

Definately worth a gamble, especially when you see how much we are lacking in depth in the midfield department.

The only issue I see it what this means for our youth players. He sounds quite similar to both Tunnicliffe and Ekangamene so where does that leave them? I'd also expect Mendy to play in the under 21's a lot to help him adjust, so i'd think that means at least one of Tunnicliffe or Ekangamene will be going out on loan.

Ultimately though this is a minor issue. It will be interesting now to see whether this is just paper talk or if we will be welcoming Mendy to the club over the summer.

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11 Jun 2013 16:33:11
why does everyone think strootman is the answer to our midfield problems. to me too slow no killer pass in him plays safe all the time. fabregass, thiago streets ahead even cleverly Anderson and powell.

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Dylan? is that you? lol.

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Shappy
Afraid not its contagious!
Dylan

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11 Jun 2013 16:15:12
So I watched a few YouTube videos of varela, not saying he will be great, and I know you can't judge from a YouTube video who good a player can be as they can even make Stewart downing look decent, but he's got great pace and stamina, he looks like he loves to go forward and doesn't seem a bad crosser either, hopefully he can adapt to our league and give rafael some decent competition!

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Great stamina? How long were the videos ;)

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Lmaof

Now that is Funny.

Shahram

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11 Jun 2013 15:25:18
after releasing many in the junior ranks
ngiak has been led to believe there will be a senior rank clear out too
6 players have been earmarked
and 3 others are on the brink
ngiak is excited for the near future
moyes is addressing ngiak's obvious concerns
gan

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Who's ngiak?
Steve

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Does ngiak / gan have any thoughts / knowledge of which players are being released?

RedDub

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Aha, the penguin returns. I thought birds flew south for the winter not the summer. lol.

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Everyone loves a happy penguin! Good to see you back, gan. Say hi to ngiak!

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Gav

I have my doubts! Look at the post below this one. that's so unlike the penguin!

Deeps.

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Welcome back Gan! :)

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You may be right Deeps, can the Ed's confirm if this is the one (or should I say two?) and only gan?

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11 Jun 2013 15:18:22
mendy is rubbish
ngiak

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Ngiak is rubbish
mendy

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11 Jun 2013 15:16:25
Some people here need to get a better understanding of how player, agent and club "quotes" get into the media at this time of year.

First, don't assume just because you see a quote that it's recent. Lazy journalists may just have searched archives and regurgitated old quotes that fit the current situation.

Second, don't assume translations you see are correct. Subtle differences between languages can make big differences in what's being said - particularly when said lazy journalists only have Google translate and their own intended story to help them get the right spin.

Third, remember - everyone has a motive. Agents might link players with United not because United have any interest but to get their player's name out there and tempt 2nd tier clubs in. Or maybe they'll link players with United to push the player's current club into giving them a new contract. Players might say they aren't interested in a move because there are delicate negotiations going on in the background and they don't want to de-rail them by breaking the news of the move early. Clubs might say players aren't available for sale because they want to keep the price up when a transfer does go through, or because they are mid-way through signing replacements and don't want to see their prices leap up.

The best thing for everyone to do (as I see it) is take what the press, players, clubs and agents say with a pinch of salt and wait and see what happens.

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11 Jun 2013 14:48:53
Ive got a feeling that 'Fabrigass' is this years Shhnayder? ;)

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Do you mean Fibreglass? lol.

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This isn't even funny no more.

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Do u mean fakegrass. ?

Rodio17

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Shappy

Classic mate. there have been a few during the last few weeks that have been good. Gundragon being a personal favourite. sounds like a Transformer ;) keep it up everyone. waslay schdneiiderley still an outside bet I hear ;)

Rk16

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No name,

Trust me, to the people that had to put up with the 600 different spellings of young wesleys surname, this joke will never get old!

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11 Jun 2013 14:29:39
Why are people still thinking of Fabregas did noone see his comments how he is sick of the rumours of him going to Manchester United and that he ONLY wants to succeed at Barcelona people really need to move on Fredthered.

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11 Jun 2013 13:30:09
With Lewandowski not going Bayern Munich after Dortmund chief saying they will refuse to sell him to them. It's a Race between Chelsea and United to who gets him. Hits towards united being ahead of Chelsea in enquiries, but still a close call

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BVB said he wasn't leaving this summer - full stop. They didn't say he wasn't going to Munich.

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I think he will end up at BM eventually. I think Dortmund are just trying to squeeze every last Deutschmark out of BM before they do allow him to join. I think we are the most likely if he doesn't move to BM.

Sydney!

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NO it depends on the system we are going to play but I really don't see the need for Lewandowski unless we are definitely selling Rooney or going to play with 2 strikers.

At 24 I would want the club to get him though.

KB

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If Bayern are Lewandowski's preferred club, all he has to do is wait one season. Then Bayern get a free player, and Lewandowski gets to go to the club of his dreams, along with a massive signing on fee or else a massive wage. I would be very surprised if Lewandowski and Bayern did not have this already agreed privately.
If he has no preference where he goes, I think Moyes would be very interested in this type of player as a focal point for the team. I am still unsure about RVP's position if we got him. Does he play on the left of a 3 in a 4231 formation, how will this affect his goal-scoring prowess?
Regardless, I just can't see us getting Lewy!

Regarding Rooney, I do feel that SAF has got his revenge on him from the first transfer request. It was totally unnecessary for SAF to discuss what was said in private between him and Rooney. I think it is very hard now for Rooney to stay, as the overwhelming majority of fans I've talked to cannot forgive him for looking to leave (reputedly) again. I can also see him going to a PL club rather than abroad if he does move. He and his missus just doesn't seem the type that would start again abroad with such a young family (I could see her loving London though). But that's just my own opinion. It will be all down to Moyes really - does he want Rooney to stay, and if so, what can he do to improve his fitness, and where will he play him to get the best out of him.

BTW, Ronaldo and Bale are not going to happen. Too much money. But we can dream anyway? can't we?

J Bones.

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"Who said that? The boss?
I do not think that this is a final decision. I think that will change. "
For the time being I'm on vacation, I am recovering, " continued Lewandowski. "I hope it goes forward soon and soon something will change. "
Lew answers when told told by bild Dortmund had said he would not be as to Munich

Players tend to get there way so I wouldn't rule Munich out just yet
Jred

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I for one don't beleive any of the players touted will be signed a ploy as usual for season ticket sales think about it youve got gill saying zaha can play in the middle as well as wing we have signed the young right back I for one don't now why the big signing will be the young lad from monaco whos said to be the next best thing in football youve got woodward saying we do not need changes because we won the league at a canter just what the glazers want to hear I hope i'm wrong but I can just see us being a cup side and if iam wrong don't mind being slated for it heres waiting to see what happens a red united fan

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A red united fan,

Not going to slate you the fact you think people will suggests you know how daft your post sounds.

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Getting more deutschmarks out of Bayern would be pretty redundant as it's been out of circulation since the early part of the last decade.
DHK

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GDS

Season Ticket renewals close on Friday and sadly we nearly signed quite a few players around this time of the season only to then find we didn't quite get them over the line.

For the last week or so there have been some making the same comments about Arsenal so those comments on here are understandable. We will see the extent of our owners drive to improve in the near future and I still hope they see the bigger picture in this window.

Red Man

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11 Jun 2013 13:24:57
not united related but would just like to say r. i. p. SIR HENRY CECIL a true legend in horse racing who sadly passed away today, will be sadly missed by all in sport, my deepest sympathy to all your family. R. I. P
BIGAL REDFOREVER

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Totally agree. Henry Cecil first got me interested in the great sport of Horse Racing. A chain smoking man of style, verve, integrity, tenacity and talent. The look on his face when Frankel won his last race said it all. Through all the pain life had thrown at him it had been worth it. A true legend.
Steve

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11 Jun 2013 12:20:23
According to some BVB have told United it will cost £25.5m to sign Lewandowski. I am not sure that we need him and that price doesn't really convince me we do either. I know in terms of todays market it is not a bad price and if we hadnt of signed RVP last year I would say we should go for it but we have.

I don't see a problem with our strikers as we scored a great amount last season and that was with Welbeck struggling and Rooney off key. If we can get another 25 out of RVP, 20 off Rooney and 20+ from Pea and Welbeck combined that would be fine.

Signing Lewandowski will only make sense if Rooney goes as he doesn't want a midfield role. We should just spend the money on our midfield and wings and improve them.

I have also seen that we may be looking at Shaw, now I am again wondering if we would sign him to loan him back to Southampton as we still have Evra, Buttner and Fabio. I worry selling Fabio will have a negative effect on Rafael.

Last thing, seems as though Fabregas has shut the door on a move away from Barca and with his comments it has put me off a little. He says how Barca are his dream club and he wants to play there and I know it sounds weird but taking him away from Barca wouldn't be good for his morale surely.

1redarmy

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That was what Dortmund wanted last summer for Lew. I think it will be lower than that although his four goals against RM and BM willing to pay more than us isn't helping. I think we will pay below £20m, BM will pay more.

Sydney!

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I agree I see Lewandowski being pursued really only if Rooney goes. I also think Evra was ok last season and Fabio deserves another chance as back up to prove himself a succesor. I am not convinced by Buttner as being Utd quality msyelf but as a 3rd choice left back who was maybe bought as a stop gap we are covered there for now too. Personally I never thought unless forced out Fabregas was a starter and much more than paper talk, though Irwins comemnts were interesting. And though he has premiership experience and is a top player I would personally have Thiago anyway, who I do believe the rumours of interest, saying that I can't believe there wouldn't be a whole host of clubs prepared to offer him silly wages meeting the buy out clause if he does decide to leave so what happens there will be interesting and hopefully not frustrating
Invisible STuey

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1redarmy

Not really sure what you would expect Fabregas to say differently given his reason to leave Arsenal was to join his boyhood club. However read the whole relevant points, particularly that things would be a lot different if Barcelona decided they didn't want him, interesting that he added that. In reality it is no different to what any would say at this point as if they said they would be interested in moving they may put a loyalty bonus in jeopardy. Actually the situation is little different to yesterday, if Barca want to sell they would accept the offer and his situation would be different as he put it. The only interesting point is that we now know he would look at leaving IF Barca didn't want him. Interesting message to give out and not the, I am not going anywhere, clarity. I also noted they discussed the Barca fans booing or heckling him.

We shall see what Barca want but I would be surprised if they kept Cesc and Thiago

Red Man

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Lewandowski is better than Rooney, Welbeck or Hernandez. Buying him would improve the team. Therefore it would be a good decision. These things are simpler than many people make them here.

I suspect he's Bayern bound though.

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Well I always said he would cost in that region even before the madrid game. He is in the top 5 or 6 strikers in the world and given his age there was always going to be premium on him. I would pay and get him and ship Mr. Rooney out and believe in a few years we will look back and realize it was a very good piece of business for us.

Shahram

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11 Jun 2013 11:55:12
A certain newspaper saying Lewandowski and Cesc Fabregas have given the nod for United to start bidding for them. I don't speak for everyone, but I wouldn't give a flying **** where Rooney went if we signed those two.

Sydney!

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+1 Sydney

That would be an unbelievable summer transfer window - the guts of 50m right there.

Fabregas, Lewendowski, Strootman along with Zaha and Varela already signed - that would transform our team for the better

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I have just posted something pretty contradictory to this one haha, I do agree if Rooney does go then I want Lewandowski to replace him but I don't think we stand that much of a chance with Fabregas.

1redarmy

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Agree with that, however, I still can't see Fab at United.

HB

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Don't think Cesc is leaving. I can see Lewy using us as a route of exit from Dortmund.

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At their best Rooney is a much more valuable game winner with a match winning mentality.
And before you mention the 2 transfer requests (1 in not convinced about) both those players have publicly stated their dream clubs and neither of them are man united.
Grassisntalwaysgreener

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Did you not see Fabregas's comments yesterday that he is sick of these Manchester United rumours and he only wants to suceed at Barcelona he is going nowhere

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Add in Strootman, Thiago and perhaps a winger then we'd be in shape to take on the best in Europe. Without a winger total cost would be about £72m. We should be able to recoup about £50m by selling Rooney, Nani, Anderson and perhaps one other. Makes good financial and footballing sense IMO.

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That's not the attitude

Ross

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But how long is it since we've seen Rooney at his best? If he can't be bothered keeping himself fit, he can't think that much of the club, can he?

And it's not as if United is Rooney's dream club either.

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Yeah soon as that story came out Cesc said he didn't want to leave, I would prefer Thiago actually over him anyway. Interesting looking over a few websites and forums and youtube comments. The general consensus I seem to be getting from Barcelona fans is they aren't to bothered about Fabregas but are about Thiago and would much rather keep him and sell on Fabregas which is quite telling, considering this supposed buy out clause they all seem to be pretty confident he will stay at Barca which is quite surprising with all the gossip
Invisible STuey

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11 Jun 2013 10:09:30
Does anyone else think Rooney is actually a bit like Jose Mourinho, or just a way of wooing him?

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11 Jun 2013 10:01:35
A question for the eds,
Real Madrid and barca like to put buyback clauses into contracts/deals of young players they sell (I think madrid have exercised 1 this year) IF utd were to sign thiago do you think barca would try to add this to any deal and do you think we would agree to it,
I kno u can't give deffinate answers just your opinion. {Ed002's Note - Perhaps, but I can only speculate. It is bst to ignore finance and contracts.}

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I don't like the buy back clause, if Barca or Madrid don't think the player is good enough for them when they sell him why should the player want to go back?

If we buy Thiago we shouldn't give the option of Barca getting him back for when Xavi retires, its basically a loan.

1redarmy

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11 Jun 2013 15:57:15
Barca don't want to sell him, he wants to leave to get first team football ahead of the world cup. He has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave for �18m if he doesn't play 60% of Barca's games. Which he didn't last season. Which means Barca are over a barrel and can't stop him leaving. A buy back option could only be put into any agreement if Thiago insists on it or if Barca accpet a lower offer than his �18m on the basis that a buy back clause is inserted.

I wouldn't be against it to be honest. If we could get Thiago for around 10m rather than 15m and there be a buy back option for 30m+. Then we could get a top young player for next to nothing keep him for a few years then make a huge profit on him. Plus just because the clause is there it doesn't mean that a, Barca will want him back or b, that Thiago will want to go back.

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United would not agree to that and they are used when they are dealing with smaller clubs.

Shahram

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What if agreeing to a buy back clause is the difference between Thiago signing or not.

If your options were to sign Thiago for 10-12m with a 35m buy back clause or not sign anyone?

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I guess you know the answer sign him and hope they don't come bck calling back lol.

Shahram

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11 Jun 2013 07:43:08
Luke shaw to united 10 million

Cwil

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Your have to bid way higher than that

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11 Jun 2013 11:33:11
Irwin claims that Fabregas is top priority for the club and will do anything in their power to bring him. Hope so!

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That doesn't mean much we'd have to convince Fabregas to leave Barca and Barca to sell in the first place.

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Irwin writes for a rag in Ireland called the Sunday World who are notorious for coming out with BS. If the current players don't know what is going on why would Irwin given he has no connection to the club any longer.

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11 Jun 2013 09:59:30
A newspaper reports:

"Manchester United can have Robert Lewandowski — as long as they stump up £25.5million. His club Borussia Dortmund have put the blocks on an expected move to European champs Bayern Munich. And that leaves the way open for United to land one of the game’s most in-demand strikers. But United will not be happy at the asking price after being offered Lewandowski for just £18m last season. His value soared following his four-goal heroics against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg. The Pole, 24, who has only a year left on his deal, announced last week he was expecting to move to a ‘club of his choice’ in a matter of days. "

Not sure if it is a reliable source though.

Nicolas_United

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Hoingstein said yesterday that Lew and his agent have made it quite clear that he will only move to Munich, be it this year or next.
But things can change and money talks
Jred

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Honigstein has also said he knows nothing of any MU interest in Lew.

Seems very odd that he wouldn't know we are interested in Lew.

Sydney!

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Waiting for a season, moving on a free and a hefty sign on fee. Its pretty much what may happen with regards to Lew!

Deeps.

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When was the last time a club allowed a player like him to just run down his contract and leave? It just doesn't happen, lewy will leave this summer one way or another.

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11 Jun 2013 09:17:49
Morning, Has Moyes made a decision about his number 2, coaching staff etc. if not who would you want

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11 Jun 2013 12:34:34
I'd like to see Phil Neville as his no. 2, Rene as first team coach and Chris Woods as goalkeeper coach.

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11 Jun 2013 08:44:25
Morning all,

Do people think that we could potentially land Strootman, Thiago and Lewandowski this Summer possibly?

If it is achievable, I think we'd have possibly one of the best offensive line-ups in Europe. Having Lewandowski up top, with RVP, Kagawa and Thiago behind him is absolutely mouth-watering. Add the stability of Carrick and Strootman behind them, and that's some midfield/attack!

To think that these 3 could be available for around a combined fee of £55m (Strootman £15m, Thiago £15m and Lewandowski £25m) isn't inconceivable is it? From a salary perspective, I don't think either of these would want silly wages either?

WF Red Devil

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I just worry about width, Thiago and Kagawa can spread out but both like being inside. Unless we do a Barca and rely on Rafael and Evra for width.

1redarmy

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It is highly conceivable! I hope that it happens as it will make us significantly stronger.

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This is why I don't want Garay to sign, he'l cost about 15-20m, and would bring our total spendings to over 70m if we were to buy those three. Which let's be honest, can't see Utd spending that type of money. Would love Monaco's interest in Evra to come about too, so Baines could have signed, but those three of Lew, Thiago and Strootman would be really effective, especially a lot more than Garay!

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11 Jun 2013 11:05:55
{Ed030's Note - Just to let you all know I have posted a profile on a player rumored to be attracting interest from Manchester United you can click on Nampalys Mendy to see it on the player profiles web site.

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11 Jun 2013 11:24:02
Cheers Ed030.

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Thanks Ed 030 much obliged mate

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10 Jun 2013 18:09:37
Question for the Ed's. Regards Mendy of Monaco, I thought he was signing for Nice. Is this incorrect or is the United stuff just speculation? Thanks. {Ed002's Note - It was certainly the intention. I will try and find out when if I get there later - we have an ATC strik and everything is fouled up here this morning.}

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11 Jun 2013 14:00:19
Thanks Ed

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11 Jun 2013 00:53:02
In relation to Eds post re Rooney if he does stay and gets himself back in shape and is willing to work for the team will he ever win the fans back or has he done too much damage that his position within the club become unintenable? Personally I think I could never hold him in the same regard again regardless how good he might be in the future.

Red Paddy

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We are a fickle lot really. IF he got back to his best I think all could be forgotten (think the first time around and Ronaldo the winker and first summer he was linked with Real people weren't too happy with him). I don't WANT Rooney to go but am not too fussed if he does either, I wouldn't want to see him in a Chelsea or Arsenal shirt mind you, rather if he did he went abroad as even a not fully fit or firing Rooney if we are honest with ourselves is still a very good player
Invisible STuey

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To be honest there are a few on here will never forgive him (Kloot, myself) to name just two, but let's be honest too many forget these things when players are turning it on

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Very noble of you Pardoe. Thing is Kloot uses this against Rooney to the point of critisizing him even when he's one of the best players on the pitch. It blinds him in much the same way as you say it blinds the posters who forget about 'antics' when he's playing well.

It works both ways, believe me.

HB

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