Manchester United Banter

18 Dec 2025 21:25:45
If and it’s a BIG if! We sign semenyo, where does he play? Great player but not a priority so can’t really get my head around it. Maybe, It’s just me.

18 Dec 2025 21:55:27
Completely agree. We have Mbeumo, Cunha, Mount and Amad who cover those number 10 positions. For me all 4 are good enough, certainty for the stage we are at. We need to prioritise wing back and central midfield.

18 Dec 2025 22:59:46
I feel sure, if it should happen, that he would be bought to be a wingback.
He is obviously very, very good as an attacking player but he is also excellent and structured in his pressing and has good physicality.


He would seem to have the attributes required to be an ideal RA type wingback.
The prospect of him and Amad being first choices for the WB positions is surely a hugely exciting one!

19 Dec 2025 03:18:17
Agreed IWOTB!
Imagine semenyo at LWB.

19 Dec 2025 03:18:59
That's why I think it is a LWB and a Centre mid (Anderson )

19 Dec 2025 03:44:59
Exciting indeed. But would he want to come to essentially be played outside of his best position?

Yes he could fill the role really well but we already have players not in their best positions.

I suppose if we keep buying the wrong player for the wrong position they can all move one spot clockwise and end up where they are supposed to be.

19 Dec 2025 06:44:33
If we buy strength in the middle of the park, Semenyo would be a lot freer to play with width. I noted he looked very physically strong.

Depends where he wants to go, suspect he may be drawn to replace Salah tbh, unless he supported us as a kid.

Anderson and Semenyo would transform the team.

19 Dec 2025 07:58:52
Never really saw him as a wing back, how’s his defensive capabilities? Amad and him would be exciting for sure. Lots of attacking threat and if we soldified the midfield then it could work really well. U think Anderson is a possibility jimbo? Forest may take the p on the price is what I’m thinking. English and premier league proven normally = expensive.

19 Dec 2025 09:31:24
Tim 99
If we sell who we should in January, if we can, then make Forrest an offer. Anderson looks a very good all round player to me.
As a club we have to show we are decisive both selling, which we haven’t been, and selective in buying, which until the summer just gone, has been awful for 20 years. SAF let the Glazernomics rule, the no value in the market nonsense.

Then we ended up with wrong players because some idiot couldn’t make a good judgement. So much spent on inappropriate players that didn’t fit.
That has to change and we must not see purchases because they might be a good price to ensure dividends are payable.

19 Dec 2025 10:14:53
Semenyo is available now, our midfield targets are not, so it would make sense that we might go for him in January. I cringe when I see people say we already have a player in that position. What if he gets injured? Our bench more often than not looks weak, we had 2 injuries and were left with hardly any attacking options on the bench which is criminal.

Getting players that improve the team / squad is highly important, especially as the club will be planning for Europe next year, which a signing like this could help us achieve.

19 Dec 2025 11:07:40
Keefy, what is his best position? He has operated on both left and right sides and been excellent on both. Who would of thought Amad would be played as a wingback and look good, despite not having the physicality of Semenyo. Don't see your comment of ''keep buying the wrong player for the wrong position'' as valid. Who of the recent purchases fill that description?

Red Man, he is an avid Arsenal fan! Agree that he looks strong and that if we get the right midfielders, powerful, athletic and mobile that would free the wide player's to be more attacking.

Tim, I think he has the qualities to be the ideal WB, not saying it would definitely work but given his work rate and pressing skill's along with his skill level I would certainly be optimistic.

Despite the above and I would be delighted if we could get him, sadly I don't think it will happen. He will certainly have a few options.

19 Dec 2025 12:06:22
I always thought Amorim liked a winger on one side as wing back with a full back on the other!

That being said if Semenyo can be adapted similarly to Amad then we would have a really strong attacking threat with wing backs and the 10's Semenyo/Cunha and Amad/Mbeumo.

It will require the CM's being overhauled to give us the defensive strength we currently lack there. However what we would get with the front 4 is an aggressive pressing defence that will help.

17 Dec 2025 22:51:51
What do you make of the timing of this Bruno interview Ed?

{Ed001's Note - just seemed like a warning to the club not to try and sell in Jan. He doesn't want to go. A bit like Salah really, where they are both very happy and settled and upset at the club trying to push them out of the door to Arabia.}

18 Dec 2025 19:26:52
Is that it ed001, they are trying to get Bruno out the door? Amorim too?

{Ed001's Note - they were trying to get him out of the door, yes. They wanted to take the money in the summer.}

19 Dec 2025 00:01:05
But they were not offered any money for him. No bid was lodged because he didn't want to go. No bid was accepted because it wasn't made. If a bid was made the they would have had to make a decision but they never had that choice to make.
I tend to agree they would have accepted the bid but he chose to rebuff their advances.

{Ed001's Note - semantics. They had agreed a deal in principle. So they did accept.}

19 Dec 2025 07:14:21
Its not semantics you can't accept an offer that's not made.
Why did they not formalise any offer? Because the player refused their advance.
They would have accepted but they never got the chance because the offer was not put in.

That's not semantics.
If they wanted to 100% push him out they would have encouraged a formal bid and accepted it but it was left to the player to decide his future. Once he said no their advances no attempt to force him out as they had no offer.

17 Dec 2025 11:39:44
So Slysports have a piece saying fans are back on side after 'tactical flexibility' at Bournemouth. but everyone I've spoken to were infuriated with him

What are people's thoughts on Amorim as we near the half way mark of his first full season?

17 Dec 2025 13:08:50
Read the forum, and the answer will become as clear as mud.

17 Dec 2025 14:04:20
I think a lot of people on here would love to see a strong January window getting a central back and Wong back and maybe a midfielder and back amorim with the new signings.
While some don't rate him we all can see that we are lacking in certain areas.

{Ed025's Note - January is notoriously a bad time to buy John, dont expect too much i would say mate..

17 Dec 2025 14:23:46
Definetly ed025 we bought dorgu last Jan do think we need something though to change it up a bit would be criminal for the board not to try.

{Ed025's Note - clubs wont want to lose players mid season though John as its very disruptive, especially to the better teams who obviously have the sort of players you want mate..

17 Dec 2025 15:41:24
What are people furious with Amorim about from Monday? We played really well and it was enjoyable.

17 Dec 2025 16:48:11
Maybe the fact that we leaked 4 goals at home.

18 Dec 2025 14:40:21
Sim did you every play football?

18 Dec 2025 14:50:19
Was that on Amorim? People have been asking for 4 at the back, he did that and we looked a lot better. It was a bit of a freak game where all of their chances seemed to go in, but the performance was really good, the first half an hour was the best we’ve played in years.

If we play like that for the rest of the season we would finish top 5.

18 Dec 2025 19:25:15
GDS it's the losses and the amount we concede. I think 6 clean sheets since he has arrived. We could've conceded 6/7 the other day and he insistence on the midfield 2 of Bruno and Cas has cost us a lot of goals, cost us goals on Monday. 4 goals conceded at home, tough.

18 Dec 2025 19:29:28
What's that got to do with it ken?

18 Dec 2025 23:33:15
Because angel if you've played football you know its not the managers fault 99/100 when you concede a goal.

16 Dec 2025 10:15:28
After last night we're now on target to score 70+ goals compared with 44 last season. With our woeful defence we're going to concede over 60. So, plenty goal action, and If goal action is the main criterion for entertainment, United's games are probably the most entertaining from a neutral perspective in the EPL right now. Love or hate Amorim, football entertainment is what United should be all about and that element seems to be returning, as frustrating as it is to watch us give up leads game after game.

We all have our ideas about what we need to take the next step. Clearly we have problems in midfield and defence particularly in Amorim's preferred system. It would not surprise me if the club tries to sign someone in the January window. In the meantime I'll go along with 4-8 goal thrillers over a painful 0-0, 1-0, or 0-1.

16 Dec 2025 11:28:26
I absolutely agree, last night as a whole lot of fun and I’m all for it. In the summer we sorted out our attack and we all knew that left us short in midfield and defence, if the next few windows improve our defence and midfield like the last one improved the attack then the future looks just fine, with a few youngsters shining and looking to knock on the door that hopefully we can keep hold of.

16 Dec 2025 12:13:47
We are 2nd in the league for chances created and top of the league for shots. We are third in the league for goals scored. Every metric is a massive improvement on last year.

The issue is obviously the goals we concede. There is a glaring issue with the team, you see it every game. last night was a perfect example, we get absolutely destroyed my midfield runners both on and off the ball. The back line are set up and keep their discipline in most instances. We allow midfield runners to overload the defence.

Last night the three Bournemouth goals from open play were all due to the midfield not dong their job.

1st - Shaw loses the ball on the left, makes no effort to get the ball back, there is massive amounts of space as Casemiro isn't in the left CM position, Mount is having to sprint back to cover, Semenyo is allowed to run for appox 20 meters at the defence and scores.

2nd - Tavernier picks the ball up in the centre circle, Bruno is the wrong side, Tavernier is allowed to run with the ball for approx 10 meters and put in a through ball completely un impeded by Bruno.

4th - Jiménez picks the ball up in the centre circle to the right (no player within 7 meters), Bruno is on the left side of the pitch. Cuhna tries to get back to put him under pressure but there's too much space to make up player drives at the defence with the ball, puts in a through ball and they score.

This is constantly happening, we've lost loads of points this season as we have not picked up midfield runners.

We have a great creative vessel in Bruno, he however lacks tactical discipline. Casemiro hasn't got the legs to cover both him and Bruno and to be fair to Casemiro there isn't a player in football that can cover that much ground.

We desperately need to change this midfield. We need players with better tactical discipline, more energy and more tenacity. We need two players that an cover Brunos creative numbers whist actually providing cover for the defence.

16 Dec 2025 18:52:17
Rewz good points and whilst I absolutely recognise brunos strengths i also see his short comings in his position at the moment.
For the 4th goal he was on the left but mainoo dived in to win a ball he couldn't win and left the midfield vacant.
The reasoning for that is that neither have defencive instincts and nous. Its not natural for them and the more frantic a game gets its plays into their strengths but more importantly throughly exposes their weaknesses.
Bruno gets exposed losing possession in bad areas and as you say players running off him. Cas is his cover and its been ok at times but when cas goes off the stats tell you we do worse.


But bruno also is our talisman and is involved in a high percentage of our attacking play and output.
Again i'm not a huge bruno fan but I respect him a lot and I acknowledge how hard he tries.
In his defence in order to be rounded he does not want to play deeper. For the way the manager wants to play he feels bruno is our best option to play with cas. We know he wants a cm. Is that to play with cas or with bruno. If he gets a cm My guess is it will be to play with cas for the remainder of the season and not with bruno.

17 Dec 2025 09:13:29
I thought he was immense against Bournemouth. He was been directly involved in the 9 goals in the last 7 games, even from this deeper position. He just never stops.

I agree Ken, he's not the CM, but there is absolutely no way he will be dropped. If anything, he goes back to playing further forward and we will see a formation shift from the 3-4-2-1 tactics he currently employs to something more like 4-3-3 or something.

17 Dec 2025 11:29:59
Who suggested he will be dropped?

18 Dec 2025 19:26:01
No one. I'm saying he won't be dropped.

19 Dec 2025 00:14:31
To be fair to bruno he tries all the time. I think 6 of the 9 goals he was involved in were from dead ball plays so it not a reflection of his creativity from deeper. That's not a slight on him at all just an observation. He is chosen there for his mobility and intensity but he isn't a natural for some aspects of the role but he is the best available.

He needs to continue there until we jabs another option. I think despite his shortcomings in that position the he is the best we have available and he is doing his very best to make it work and that's not lost or shouldn't be to any united fan. Imo.

16 Dec 2025 08:21:26
Well all I wanted for Christmas is a back 4. Not the result we wanted but a solid performance.

16 Dec 2025 09:51:18
Two young CBs. De Ligt is sorely missed atm. Hopefully he returns soon and Lisandro Martinez gets match fit. We'll be ok defensively with those two.
Yesterday was a really good performance undermined by really poor defensive judgements but I'm convinced those players in defence will be top class in time, so I'll take it.

16 Dec 2025 16:43:20
I totally agree.
I think having Dalot at RB and then Yoro and Heaven, Shaw at LB. Would make more sense.

16 Dec 2025 19:08:00
We more or less played with a back 4 last night.

16 Dec 2025 21:43:39
That’s my point, I was pretty happy with last night.