23 Apr 2020 10:42:33
Odion Ighalo

I really like him. He converts a high ratio of his chances and he is playing as a striker in the area like
Ibrahimovic.
I think we should sign him on a 3 year deal and I'm sure that he will deliver the goods.


1.) 23 Apr 2020
23 Apr 2020 11:44:43
I like him and think he could be a real asset to the club. I'd probably go with a two year deal with an option for the third year considering his age.

I think with Greenwood coming through we don't need a striker in their early or mid twenties. Someone experienced who can play a support role is what we need. Ighalo does that well.


2.) 23 Apr 2020
23 Apr 2020 12:22:12
Ighalo is different to the other forwards we have.
Physically strong yet technically very good.
Him being a die hard United fan is another plus.

Unless a top class striker is attainable, I would go into next season with Martial, Greenwood and Ighalo as the strikers. Go all out for Sancho to share the goal scoring burden filling the huge RW gap.


3.) 23 Apr 2020
23 Apr 2020 14:15:22
I think a front four of Sancho, Bruno, Rashford and Martial has the potential to score 70-80 goals between them, maybe even 90.

Then add Greenwood, Ighalo and James all likely getting 10-15 goals each on average. Then that's an extra 30-45 goals.

Plus say 20 goals coming from midfield or defence (with Maguire aerial ability and Bruno's delivery that isn't unrealistic at all) .

Then that's between 130-155 goals next season. Which would be amazing, and very attainable if we get Sancho and Ighalo.


4.) 23 Apr 2020
23 Apr 2020 15:02:10
Potential is the key word shappy. Bar ighalo, that’s still a very young set of players likely to go through ups and downs in form.

A great attacking line up on paper, but I don’t think it’ll be pulling those kinds of numbers out for a few seasons. I hope I’m wrong off course!


5.) 23 Apr 2020
23 Apr 2020 17:57:57
155 goals, I think City scored 95 when they won the title last season.


6.) 23 Apr 2020
23 Apr 2020 18:47:30
That front 4 for me would be awesome Shappy but I think you are looking at nearer 50 goals between them. If Martial can get close to 20 and the other 3 average 10 each we will be okay. Anything over that we will be excelling.
Add to that 15/ 20 goals from replacements Ighalo, James, Greenwood and support from the midfield and defence it will be a successful season.
Hopefully I am pesemistic but these feel good to me.


7.) 23 Apr 2020
23 Apr 2020 19:13:38
Shappy - I actually think predicting how many goals a team is capable of scoring is a very good measure of how successful it can be.

I read an interesting stat that the amount of goals a team scores is roughly equal to the amount of points they accumulate over the course of a season. Of course it's by no means a proven scientific theory and there will always be anomalies but in the vast majority of cases it proves a useful barometer to predict how many points a team will roughly accumulate throughout the season.

So far this season we have scoured 44 goals and acquired 45 points for example. If you look through the league table the amount of goals a team has scored is very often similar to their number of points.

We have consistently struggled to score goals since SAF retired and in defence we've been unable to replace the likes of Rio, Vidic and Evra.

If you look at our team now Shaw is finally starting to produce more consistent performances and the additions of Maguire and AWB have helped to establish a more familiar and solid back 4.

Rashford and Martial have continued to improve and the addition of Fernandes has injected creativity and goals from midfield. The emergence of Greenwood and the loan signing of Ighalo has also added more goals to the squad.

I think Sancho would be a brilliant addition (although unlikely) and whilst I think your numbers are somewhat optimistic I get your point.

In my opinion if the likes of Rashford and Martial scored 15 league goals each I think that would represent a remarkable success at this stage of their careers. I think Fernandes should be capable of contributing at least 10 league goals, Sancho (if signed) similarly with the likes of Greenwood, Ighalo and James probably contributing another 15 between them. Conceivably Pogba could contribute at least another 8 depending on his position with the likes of Mctominay and even Maguire capable of adding an additional 3 or 4 each. That would potentially give us over 80 league goals with obviously other members of the squad getting the odd goal here and there.

Rashford - 15
Martial - 15
Fernandes -10
Sancho (if signed) - 10
Pogba - 8
Greenwood - 5
Ighalo - 5
James - 5
Mctominay - 4
Maguire - 3

That's a team potentially capable of scoring around 80 league goals. Obviously injury may restrict some and others will suffer loss of form but equally some will score more and other members of the squad will also contribute with the odd goal along the way.

If we have a team capable of scoring that amount of goals then you can start to envisage a squad capable of beginning to challenge for the top honours again.

*My predictions are for premier league goals only and I have only included players I believe will score more than 3 league goals over the course of a premier league season*.


8.) 23 Apr 2020
23 Apr 2020 21:55:33
Shappy, have you banged your head? I defended you from some stick a couple of weeks ago but your calculation of goals is ridiculous. I'm hoping you're having a laugh.


9.) 24 Apr 2020
24 Apr 2020 10:57:43
I think that if Ighalo is happy to play mainly as a substitute and as a back up for Rashord and Martial then i would give him another year at the club. Ole may be planning on bringing in another forward in the summer, add to that the emergence of Greenwood as well it's a tough one to call.


10.) 24 Apr 2020
24 Apr 2020 11:05:35
My bad, I probably should have said that was a total estimate of goals for the club not just league goals.

I don't think it is that optimistic either.

So far club goals not including friendly goals the players have:

Rashford 18
Bruno 16
Martial 16
Sancho 17

That's 67 goals between them, with at least 10 games of the season to go. While both Rashford and Martial spent 6-8 weeks out injured each this season. So I don't think my target of 70-80 goals for those four is a million miles away. Now I know most of Bruno's and all of Sancho's goals have come in other leagues (bar their UCL and Europa League goals), but by the same token adding Bruno and potentially Sancho would massively increase the creativity we have in our side, which should increase the chances Rashford and Martial have been feeding off of.

Greenwood has 12 goals for us in his debut season so 10-15 shouldn't be too big an ask. While Ighalo has 4 goals in 5 starts. James would need to up his return of 4 goals so far.


11.) 24 Apr 2020
24 Apr 2020 14:47:33
Shaps above you have said we are several years away from being a top team, but you also think we could score a 155 goal next season.


12.) 24 Apr 2020
24 Apr 2020 16:30:24
Jred, if we sign Sancho we in my opinion have a group of players capable of scoring 155 goals next season across all competitions.

However, to challenge we need depth. Not all of those players will be fit every week, nor could they play every week even if they were.

As pointed out several of them are still young a a few years away from hitting their peak years.

Also I don't think we have a settled defence, Maguire has been a good addition, while AWB will be remembered as a great in my opinion. Yet questions still remain around who should be out first choice CB pairing, while Shaw is our elder statesman of our fall backs at 24 with AWB 22, Dalot 20, Williams 19 and Laird 19. While DDG although slightly better this season has yet to reach the heights of 3 years ago.

Fred and McTominay have been very good this year, but beyond them in holding midfield we have a soon to be 32 Matic, TFM and Andreas Pereira.

So while I think we have the potential to score a lot of goals, that rests on young players doing well consistently, a lack of injuries, and a key signing.

While goals win games, clean sheets wins titles.

I think with 2-3 key signings this summer and next summer along with young players reaching their potential then I think the first realistic title challenge will come in the 2022/ 23 season.


13.) 24 Apr 2020
24 Apr 2020 16:55:51
Shaps if we score a 155 goals next season we will of had a great season .
And yet you have said several times we are several years off competing.
Just twisting it
Wan maguire linders Shaw ddg are fine imo and there is plenty of back up . I also think we will buy another cb .
I personally think we will do very well next season.