Manchester United Banter Archive April 30 2015

30 Apr 2015 22:52:24
How much faith do people have in mark ogdan's reporting than? I can't see us paying out £100 million on bale with there being other positions that need attention, are we really going to outlay £200 millions ish in the summer??? We will get some money out of sales but i can't see more than £30-35million being made from sales of hernandez, nani, rafa and evans

01 May 2015 00:46:37
Itll never happen for that much. As the eds said, if possible madrid will sell if they get a good offer but i think even they don't think hey could reclaim the 85 million they paid or him andfrnkully, he ain't worth that much. If we could get it to around 60mil i'd take him.

{Ed004's Note - Around 50/60 million would be fair. A front 3 of Di Maria, Rooney/RVP and Bale looks good on paper}

01 May 2015 03:45:33
If we sign Bale I think it would spell the end for Di Maria. The financial outlay will have to be recouped somewhere in my opinion.

01 May 2015 05:25:45
Actually I must admit Mark Ogdan is a journalist I rate very highly and I am not saying what he writes is gospel but he wouldn't be putting it out for all to see if it was a nothing story.

01 May 2015 08:54:24
JMB,

I am the same about Ogden, no smoke without fire as they say, think Ed002 has made it clear in the past there is interest at the right price and I am hearing whispers Real are willing to accept at the right price, so who know what that right price is and how much difference there is in our idea and their idea.

01 May 2015 09:24:53
Personally would be happy to sacrifice Di Maria to fund a Bale deal. I would prefer a front three of Depay, Rooney/RVP, Bale. Depay cutting in from the Left and Shooting with the right, Bale cutting in from the Right shooting with his left. Mata back to his No 10 roll with Gundogan, Carrick, Herrera, covering the two deeper midfield positions, propped up by a Hummels controlled defence would be a well balanced team I think.
All said and done though I Still think our most important signing this summer would be a certain Mr De Gea!

01 May 2015 09:42:51
I stick to my guns and say Bale is a £50/60mil player at most but having said that I do believe he could be a catalyst for great things next season .
I personally don't see us targeting another striker unless it's Ings on a free just a rb,rw and a cb or 2

01 May 2015 09:56:12
Di Maria can do decent job in a 3 man midfield.
Don't you all remember?

01 May 2015 01:47:13
004, do you

a) Think we would sign Bale if we keep ADM?

b) Think Madrid would sell for even 60?

{Ed004's Note - Yes I think Bale would play on the left and Di Maria on the right. It would inject a bit of pace into our attack. Not sure how much Madrid will want for him}

02 May 2015 09:07:37
ED04

Dimaria is a failure IMO and will not do well n the PL. He seems to only play well if has tone of room to run into and the PL everyone packs up the filed and his passing and crossing is shit to go with very poor decision making. Will go down as out worst ever transfer but would love to be proved wrong.

30 Apr 2015 20:59:38
Anyone see pat murphy interview with Pearson ,talking about a journo trying to get a rise out of Pearson,he wouldn't have got away with that if it wAs fergie

30 Apr 2015 18:56:41
sad news today that 24 year old mertens has died after suffering a heart attack on the pitch. condolences to his family and friends

{Ed004's Note - Awful news. RIP}

30 Apr 2015 21:41:58
Unbelievable mate. I have just turned 24 myself so it's worrying to think what could be around the corner. Wishing his family and friends all the best. Sad state of affairs.

{Ed025's Note - that goes for all of us mate..

30 Apr 2015 17:34:59
Anyone got any news on James Wilson's contract? It looks like we will lose perreria unfortunatley, and I'd certainly be gutted to lose another young talent coming through in Wilson, who could feature a lot more for us next season!

30 Apr 2015 18:20:32
Sounds more and more like we won't lose perreira, where are you hearing that we won't?

30 Apr 2015 20:32:28
I don't see why we'd bring him on to let him go.

30 Apr 2015 21:44:15
I think Parreria's head may be turned by money elsewhere and if that is the case then good riddance. If he wants to focus on his football and be the best he can be then by all means I hope he signs a contract. Wilson will most definitely still be here.

30 Apr 2015 17:03:52
Two contrasting opinions in the papers today about Januzaj.

The first is that he may be about to make a loan move to Everton for the duration of next season - an excellent option for all parties concerned.

The second is more interesting. Apparently, LVG thinks he could be a very effective striker due to his eye for goal and ability with the ball and that he will be taught the strikers role during pre-season. It would certainly be useful to have Januzaj as a striker, but I am not sure this one will work in terms of re positioning.

Whether this is paper talk / nonsense or not I would still be interested to hear your opinions on whether or not Januzaj could make it as a striker. For me, he is an advanced central midfielder, like Kaka.

30 Apr 2015 17:19:48
Fresh I don't think he is quick enough for a winger.

But interesting you mention Kaka because even I think he could play that role.

30 Apr 2015 17:51:22
MB, I have to disagree mate, he can be very fast at times I've seen him knock it down the wing and almost fly after it haha, he's not bale quick but definitely quick :)

30 Apr 2015 18:01:12
Fresh,I love Januzaj and get a bit heated at how people have slagged him off this year. The boy is a real talent and we need to nurture him and turn him into the world class player that is waiting to get out. Not sure what position that s but I wouldn't be sending him out on loan, he is too good for that.

30 Apr 2015 21:48:10
Agree with AJH. Keep him, train him and develop his massive potential. Loans can be very dangerous in some cases and I feel we should be looking to get the best out of Januzaj at OT.

30 Apr 2015 16:46:51
Does anyone else feel alarmed by the lack of good young players we have produced in the past few years?

Lets not compare ourselves to others by saying "so what even Man City and Chelsea' haven't produced any good players". They might not have but that is their problem, let's just worry about our own club.

The only players that have gotten through into the first team and have had any sort of impact are Cleverley, Evans, Welbeck (wouldn't really call Rafael an academy player) and we all know none of them have lived upto the expectation.


I know people will say we have Wilson, McNair and Blackett playing in first team this season and Januzaj was a major player last season but how many of these players will be able to nail down a place in the first team?

It seems McNair and Blackett get a game only when all our other defenders are injured. Let's exclude Wilson from the discussion at this point because he hasn't really featured much and looks like Januzaj will be out on loan next season whereas after 2013-14 season under Moyes we would've thought that Januzaj would be our starting winger in 2015-16 season.


Where are we lagging? Why are we not producing good youngsters? (or maybe we are just afraid to play them?)

I am not interested if all the other clubs are doing the same, the point is why have we stopped playing youngsters?


You might say that if we play youngsters and start losing the fans will be the first ones to criticize the manager.

At this point when I look at our club I just don't get the confidence that there will be academy players becoming regular starters for this club anytime soon and mind you that is not because i think we don't have good youngsters but it just that i feel the attitude of the club is shifting maybe?

Sorry for being so negative and I hope someone has something positive to say about this.

Banter please EDs, would love to hear what others think about this. Eds opinion is also sought after as always.

30 Apr 2015 17:07:16
I agree completely, the class of '92 will never be repeated but we are struggling to bring people through and I have no idea why. Is it something to do with how far youngsters are allowed to travel now?

30 Apr 2015 17:16:37
In Current Academy I am very impressed by Periera(think he will make it), very much like Coutinho in his playing style.
Have high hopes for Harrop, let's see if he can develop into a player or not.
I thought Ben Pearson will do well.but he has hardly impressed on loan and will not make it. Janko had his chance but is very much like Valencia imo.

30 Apr 2015 18:15:29
Timothy Fosu Mensah is a player that has massive potential at CB. He is only 17 but has been promoted to u21s and there is talk of him going on tour with the first team. Andreas Pereira and Wilson are the obvious ones. Also,we have been linked with a player who is apparently the next big thing from south America. He is called Gerson and he is a apparently like Pogba. Any eds know if we are truly in negotiations over a transfer?

30 Apr 2015 18:24:39
I agree that not many young players have made the grade at united but am not surprised by it and think positively about the work being done. The class of 92 were unique as already stated by others and we may never see such a talented bunch come through all at once. Today's youngster has to be good enough to replace the experienced pro he most likely replaces in a league with more title challengers (city and Chelsea money joining arsenal etc) than in the premierships infancy. In my opinion our squad was a lot stronger back then so bedding in a young player carried less risk of dropping points. To me it is a strange quandary as bringing in talent like hummels etc could stifle opportunities for youth or alternatively make it easier for them to integrate. However I am positive about the amount of quality coming through and if you look around the premiership, championship, league 1 etc you will see plenty of ex united youth earning a living within the game. This may not be beneficial to the playing side but does bring in revenue and the right education helps those not able to make the grade earn a decent living elsewhere.

30 Apr 2015 20:05:22
The class of 92 were also at the tail end of the old premier league before the influx of all the foreign players and the big money. It's not the same world. In this days we had 1 player from outside the Home Countries. Our revenues in 1992-3 were £25m compared with £391m now and £525 projected in 2016.

Leave the nurturing to the second tier clubs who can make a handsome profit at it if they do it well, but the top clubs need Champions League football and high profile international players with marketing credibility to meet their financial goals. It may be regrettable but that's what it takes. Wishful nostalgia won't take us back to those halcyon days.

30 Apr 2015 15:55:12
Who would people pick from Jack Grealish and Ward Prowse as potential signings for the Future??
I am personally very impressed with Grealish with the composure he has and his passing Range too is very good.
He was Amazing Against a very good Man city side.

30 Apr 2015 16:06:47
ward prowse has looked a good player for a couple of year

30 Apr 2015 16:14:11
Ward-prouse reminds me very much of David Beckham.

Grelish looks a decent youngster too.

At this moment in time I'd go ward-prouse

30 Apr 2015 16:57:29
I mentioned about jack grealish before and everyone laughed! I think the lad has huge potential and should watched very closely!

{Ed025's Note - but you would have to watch villa games to see him ronnie, and that sounds like a nightmare mate..

30 Apr 2015 17:08:34
Ward-Prowse for now but neither would be high on my transfer list.

30 Apr 2015 17:18:59
Ed. recently they are decent enough to watch after Sherwood took over.

{Ed025's Note - im not a fan of his devil mate..

30 Apr 2015 21:50:37
JWP will be a sick player in a few years. He is switched on and has a brain. Too many young flops with potential have come out from Villa lately so I don't have huge hope for JG thus far.

30 Apr 2015 15:22:38
Afternoon, I see a lot of people saying that if we can get Bale then we won't go for Depay. Well for me, and I can't be sure on the finances of the club apart from it seems money again this summer will not be an issue so therefore why can't we go for both players? Ultimately we will be going for one of these it would seem but with the growing thought that ADM may leave then surely the 2nd of these 2 targets would replace ADM? Plus if the Januzaj to Everton on loan deal is true then that's 2 players removed from the squad so Bale and Depay can both come in?

I personally believe we have set aside a huge amount of money for a real marquee signing if they become available, much like Real Madrid have done over the years and potentially that money is not included in the ''budget'' if you like. Anyhow, if we got £50 Million for ADM, and brought in Depay for £25Million and Bale for £75 Million, that is still only (I say only it's ridiculous money really but in the grand scheme of things!) a £50 Million outlay. And I wouldn't of thought Depay would command astronomical wages?

Anyway, that is just my view, I think we are all guilty of over complicating situations and I trust LVG to bring in the right players. Personally, I can see Clyne, Hummels, Depay coming in. Rumours are strong on Gundogan however I would prefer a more physical presence in CM as I think Herrera has done a fantastic job in CM so can't see Gundogan being a player we are crying out for.

It is very exciting though and I can't help but get caught up in all the rumours and excitement.

30 Apr 2015 15:38:20
Ports all that sounds good and I don't think any poster on this page would say no to Bale + Depay for ADM and 50mp but it all sounds too speculative at the moment. Better off waiting for the end of the season when things will start getting clearer.

30 Apr 2015 15:47:05
whos going to buy di maria ?

30 Apr 2015 16:18:43
PSG are likely contenders jred.

30 Apr 2015 16:22:57
as well as pogba ,thats a lot of cash

30 Apr 2015 14:14:09
Let's face facts, Di Maria hasn't worked, let's him go to PSG with the possibility of Lucas Moura coming to Utd? I admit Di Maria is good, but not showing it because he is uphappy at Utd? There is nowt we can do on how Di Maria feels? It's unfortunate but this kind of stuff happens sometimes?

30 Apr 2015 15:28:33
I'd swap him for Verratti and say 15 million As long as I knew Depay or Bale (or even both!) We're coming.

30 Apr 2015 15:29:11
how has he not worked? because he's been in and out of injuires and still is our highest assist maker, and i think he's created more chances than anyone in the team?

30 Apr 2015 23:47:24
Give Di Maria more than one season! Remember Fellaini??

30 Apr 2015 11:09:35
Hi Guys

I was watching the U21's the other night and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of Andy Kellet at left back.He possesses good pace and is a sound defender maybe 1 for the future.

30 Apr 2015 12:02:23
Isnt he the one on loan? Anyone know if we're likely to extend it?

30 Apr 2015 10:28:09
So the big question of the summer is does David De Gea stay or go?

Personally I think that decision is out of our hands, we need to sit down with the lad and find out what he wants to do. No one can blame him if he want's to head home, he has shown himself to be the perfect professional during his time at our club and if he wants to leave for personal reasons then we need to respect that and wish him well.

That leads me on to who we should go after to replace him. Now there has been a lot of noise about Hugo Lloris. He is a player I rate highly but personally I don't think he is the right choice for us. He is an exceptional shot stopper and his distribution is good, he is prone to the odd error and some times he doesn't command his area as much as I would like to see. He would cost upward of 25m and considering he is a poor mans De Gea I don't think we should be paying that kind of money for him.

Besides people have too easily looked over the obvious choice, Victor Valdes will be our No.1 if De Gea heads back to Spain. For me he is as good as Lloris but has more experience. The only question marks is has he fully recovered from his injury, and seeing as the club monitored him for several months before deciding to give him a contract I would assume the club feel he is fully recovered.

So with Valdes being our likely No.1 if De Gea leaves then what we are looking for is a highly gifted younger goalkeeper who can challenge Valdes and maybe take over from him in a year or twos time. For me there are three stand out candidates.

First off Bernd Leno, and excellent all rounder. And the second best German goalkeeper behind only Neuer, which considering the number of excellent German goalkeepers atm(Adler, Trapp, Zieler, Weidenfeller, Karius, Ter Stegen ect) is saying something. The only issue with him is he is already playing at a good club who will likely be in the UCL next season then I would assume he would rather stay there and be first choice than come to play second fiddle to Valdes. But out of this list he is the most ready to challenge Valdes for the No.1 jersey.

Then we have Mattia Perin, this guy will be Buffons heir. At times he pulls off saves that can only be described as genius. He looks the closest thing to what De Gea was when he joined, he is still a little raw at times and he needs to refine certain aspects of his game, but in 3/4 years time he will be one of the very best keepers in the world. The only worry is will he do a De Gea in 4/5 years time and want to head back home.

The final name on my list is another young German, Timo Horn. For me he is the most talented of the young German goalkeepers and will probably given his age be the one who goes on to replace Neuer in the national team unless someone more talented comes along a few years younger than him. He has a massive upside but probably needs the most work out of the players on this list. Also German players are less keen to return home as the difference between cultures is much less than those of the latin europeans. that's not to say that if and when Munich need a replacement for Neuer he would turn them down, few Germans turn Bayern down.

To be honest I would be happy with any of these three as longer term replacements for De Gea if he decides to leave.

{Ed004's Note - I would be worried about Valdes ability to deal with crosses if he becomes our number 1. He was very poor at it while playing for Barcelona.}

30 Apr 2015 10:40:13
valdes hasn't played enough football over the last couple of years to be in with a shout of being uniteds 1. has he fully recovered from his injury?.
begovic or lloris are the stand outs for me . both top players with good experience and EPL Proven

{Ed002's Note - As is Krul.}

30 Apr 2015 10:45:59
That's my worry Ed 004. I always loved watching Barcelona when he played there, but he was always the weak link and I often thought if the opponents got in the box (rarely) they stood a good chance of beating him. He has a bit of Bosnich about him.

Shappy - Didn't we sign some giant young Serbian keeper recently, I don't know anything about him but maybe he would be the back-up to Valdes? Do you know how good he is?

Hopefully DDG will stay.

30 Apr 2015 10:47:20
ed
im not sure krul is at the same standard as begovic

30 Apr 2015 11:13:33
I hope krul stays where he is

30 Apr 2015 11:52:13
Please, please, please! I'd rather have Amos in goal than Krul! And that really does say a lot! The guy at Lyon has had a superb season, so Anthony Lopes it is for me! I'm sure he'd be a a lot cheaper too? We being quoted £40m for Lloris and if Lopes came in at £25-30m it's still a better deal? Lopes is also younger I think?

30 Apr 2015 12:14:21
I can't see Krul happening. It makes no sense if Cilleson was LVG's first choice for the World Cup.

30 Apr 2015 12:47:31
I thought same beast but a few ed's have mentioned Krul a few times for quite a while now, I hope they're just playing a krul joke though.

30 Apr 2015 12:48:03
Begovic for me! Petr Cech will probably move on worth a look.
Maxym Koval may be the next Lev Yeshin. Any opinions on Vicente Guaita?

30 Apr 2015 12:56:41
Personally think daves waiting till we confirm champions league football before signing a new contract. Do personally see him leaving next yr or the year after mind.

30 Apr 2015 14:57:04
If DDG moves on, then following will be my order of preference

1. Lloris
2. Fraser Forster
3. Adrián from West Ham
.
.
.
.
1026583: Tim Krul

30 Apr 2015 15:15:17
Can't believe I've found someone who agrees with me about Adrian, what a keeper MU

30 Apr 2015 15:24:57
1. Lloris
2. Leno
3. Adler
4. Forster
5. Begovic

30 Apr 2015 15:59:10
Anon,Adrian has been outstanding this season, he has made some wonderful saves against very good sides, he is commanding in the box and now has PL experience too. Would be a good shout.

28 Apr 2015 17:27:07
ED which players other than the real obvious candidates do you think are in danger of leaving/being sold by the club?

I mean Clevs, Chicha, Falcao etc would probably be the obvious ones but do you see anyone of Mata, Januzaj, RvP to be sold/loaned given that their positions will most likely be taken by new signings?

Thanks.

{Ed004's Note - I reckon Lindegaard, Rafael, Evans, Cleverley, Nani, Hernandez and Falcao all at risk of leaving. Rvp is unlikely and maybe loans for Januzaj and Wilson depending on signings}

30 Apr 2015 08:40:57
Morning. Interesting report today showing United have had the highest number of injuries this year (68). Chelsea on the other hand have had one of the lowest (43).
But I think who is injured makes a big difference. While Chelsea back line and midfield has remained mostly free from injury, we've had the whole back line injured and Carrick, hererra and fellaini out for long periods over the course of the season.
Of course, we can't take this as the only reason but I can't help thinking what might have happened if we had fewer injuries.

30 Apr 2015 08:55:59
how many more points would chelsea have won the league by with a fully fit costa .
i think the carrick injury has affected us but liverpool fans will argue the sturridge injury has affected them.
thats football

30 Apr 2015 09:12:34
Injuries happen, its all part of the game. The real difference I think the sheer number of injuries we had and more specifically the timing of those injuries maybe had more of an effect on us because we had a new manager who was bringing new ideas to a group of players who needed their confidence built back up while having several new members of that group trying to settle in. It made it impossible for LvG to consistently pick a team, formation or tactics to build any kind of momentum. There was no continuity which destroyed our already slim chances of having a good start to the season.

We have a large squad and had the advantage of playing fewer games due to not being in europe this season so we should have more than enough to get over a few injuries over the course of the season. But for me it is the timing of those injuries which has had the greatest effect on us this season more than the number of injuries.

{Ed025's Note - what has let you down shappy is lack of quality to replace those players who are injured, look at chelsea, city and arsenals bench they are far stronger mate..

30 Apr 2015 09:23:44
look on the bright side the rvp injury seems to of been a blessing .

also we ditched the daft 3 at the back

{Ed025's Note - an injury a blessing jred?..

30 Apr 2015 09:39:31
ed
i should wash my mouth out .
but i'm not sure lvg would of dropped rvp and rvp up top with rooney in cm and herrera on the bench wasnt the way to go imo.
i think we stumbled on to a formation and tactics due to injuries

{Ed025's Note - i sort of get that jred, and even though im not RVP,s biggest fan he is an option from the bench who has a knack of scoring vital goals mate..

30 Apr 2015 13:46:57
Ed025, good point, but at parts of the season, we had the whole back four injured. Will Chelsea have coped without Terry, Cahill, Ivanovich and Azpecuelta for long periods? I doubt that very much.
As for Costa, he is only one player and as soon as he was injured the goals have dried up a bit, but if they had strength in depth, this should not have affected them, but it did. More importantly, their back 4 have remained more or less the same all season and that is the big plus for them. But it is all part of the game and hopefully next year we will have fewer injuries and a more settled team. We've had more than 50% injuries as have Arsenal, and in the end, that does take its toll.