Manchester United Banter Archive June 10 2015

 

Use our rumours form to send us manchester united transfer rumours.


10 Jun 2015 20:21:25
I know we are still waiting patiently for more signings but these are the ones I think will happen!
Clyne
Otamendi ( I did actually mention him on here 27 August 2014 as a potential signing)
Naingolan
Gundogan
Benzema/ lacazette

It looks like lloris is putting himself in the frame should de France leave!

I know these list's have been done to death but with players beginning to sign for other clubs these are still looking likely. I just hate the waiting, I'm like an impatient kid at Christmas!

Believable3 Unbelievable0

10 Jun 2015 22:33:10
I disagree with both Gundogan and Nainggolan. I thought we would get Gundogan but that doesn't seem likely now.

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11 Jun 2015 00:02:14
Fresh can I just ask if you could elaborate on saying Smalling is the next Rio was fishing or being serious?

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11 Jun 2015 05:45:43
I have always said Smalls was our best defender just needed to stay confident instead of retreating into his shell if he screwed up a pass or whatever. Jones is the one that's just not cut out for it imo. Not learned enough or progressed to the level we need and the fact he covers RB aswell is ideal for 1st sub defender. Hummels would be ideal for me but Otamendi would be good also, I just prefer hummels. Miranda i'm not keen on.

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11 Jun 2015 09:27:42
There's absolutely no chance of lacazette coming here

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11 Jun 2015 09:59:59
Smalling could be a similar type player to Ferdinand, but no he will never be his level. Smallings top level though will probably be the level of Ferdinand three years ago.

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10 Jun 2015 21:43:29
Evening fellow devils

Interesting discussion at work today, what do you guys reckon.

If you could bring back any former united player, playing like they did in their hay-day, who would it be and why?

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10 Jun 2015 21:48:27
Ronaldo for obvious reason.

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10 Jun 2015 21:50:51
Roy keane because roy keane

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10 Jun 2015 21:58:30
Hard to choose just one, avoiding the obvious Ronaldo choice we could do with van nistelrooy banging them in

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10 Jun 2015 22:08:40
Paul Scholes, can play anywhere in midfield and forward.

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10 Jun 2015 22:14:17
Roy Keane all day long

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10 Jun 2015 22:14:37
Denis irwin

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10 Jun 2015 22:14:57
George Best, would have love to have seen him live.

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10 Jun 2015 22:50:02
Keane , the captain and driving force we've been missing badly in recent years

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10 Jun 2015 23:00:12
Jaap stam
Eric Cantona

Impossible to just pick one

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10 Jun 2015 23:02:46
Cantona. The man was a God. End of.

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10 Jun 2015 23:33:53
We've had far too many class players and currently have too many gaps in quality for me to choose just one! I could pick a shed load tho.

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11 Jun 2015 00:24:29
George best or Peter Schmeichel too hard to pick just one

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11 Jun 2015 00:35:06
scholes

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11 Jun 2015 01:27:24
Massimo Taibi

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{Ed007's Note - Stupid answers like that are what wastes threads and gets them deleted. It's not banter, funny, ironic or even sarcastic. Read the OP, look at your answer, what do you think you constructively added to this thread?
Stupid waste of space answers just put people off trying to get a discussion going like the OP Jack has tried to do or attract more stupid answers like yours.}

11 Jun 2015 02:36:08
If George Best had approached the game like Ronaldo he would have undoubtedly been the best player ever to have come from the British Isles. Unfortunately he was a man of his time, the first 60s superstar, and he succumbed to the temptations. It cut his career - and life - short, but even then he lived up to his name. He was the best - on his day, arguably he best in the world.

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11 Jun 2015 05:41:26
Scholes.

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11 Jun 2015 08:39:14
Duncan Edwards. Never saw him play but if Bobby Charlton rates him as potentially greater than all we had then it will do for me

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11 Jun 2015 09:26:25
Keane by a country mile. We need leadership and an example being set more than any team in the PL.

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11 Jun 2015 09:38:41
Without a doubt Roy Keane.

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11 Jun 2015 10:24:31
Scholes but can we have Keane too.
Midfield sorted. :-)

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11 Jun 2015 10:31:57
Rio Ferdinand or Jaap Stam

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11 Jun 2015 10:58:50
I agree with Hereford red!! Duncan Edwards for me. Apparently he could play in any position and still be the best on the pitch!! Other than that in my era it would have to be Robson or Keane!

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11 Jun 2015 11:14:03
cant believe no one said B Robson

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11 Jun 2015 12:53:23
Scholes for me. Never saw Duncan Edwards play so hard to go that far back. Scholes would cost over 100 million in this market.

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11 Jun 2015 13:08:03
Imagine LVG and Keane in the dressing room? Would be like watching now WWF

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11 Jun 2015 13:25:22
Having been fortunate to see a bit of Best and all of Ronaldo's time with us , I would still say Duncan Edwards. Perhaps because it would be the only way for any of us to know just how good he might have been.

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10 Jun 2015 20:52:18
MOTD fever
Let's sign that Patrick hermann up
He's just what we need.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

10 Jun 2015 21:55:12
The worst case of motd fever would be to ask for Gary Lineker to play up top with Rooney just off, the day I see that suggested I'll now the world's gone mad!

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10 Jun 2015 20:25:35
So here's another one. Everyone has a user name but a few have let slip their own names. I think I know the real names of:

CTR (obviously)
God Created United
HoneyBadger
NouCamp99

Any others people?

Believable0 Unbelievable0

10 Jun 2015 20:51:23
Jred and Deeps are Mr & Mrs Rooney ;-)

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10 Jun 2015 21:51:04
I think Chris the RedMan is really Christina the RedMan. I would assume folk like Brendan, Ken and even Danny may be real names. Wouldn't suprise me if Bettyswollocks was actually named Betty also.

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10 Jun 2015 21:59:42
It may surprise you guys but my name is not Gav or Gavin or Honeybadger. the mystery continues! Although it is similar to Gav (clue)

I hope Sydney is actually called Sydney otherwise my whole world will collapse!

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10 Jun 2015 22:00:43
I'll shout Brendan81 is called Brendan ;) and a completed stab in the dark, AJH's real name is . Angelo Jethro Halsbury? I could be wrong, but I've just got an inkling I'm bang on, Anthony or tony is probably the popular guess, but I'll risk it.

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10 Jun 2015 22:37:21
Shhhh jmb that's only on Tuesdays

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10 Jun 2015 23:39:06
Betty Swollocks is just a comedy name JMB. My real name is Mary Hinge.

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11 Jun 2015 00:48:39
Hi I'm Ken for real;-)

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11 Jun 2015 00:58:29
HB,

Sydney has said in the past his name is not sydney, it is taken from the street where he grew up.

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11 Jun 2015 01:32:08
Gds, thanks for the info but that's left me devastated. Not sure I can return to this wonderful site having found that out. Next you'll be saying Santa Claus doesn't exist!

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10 Jun 2015 19:22:53
Obiang has singed for West Ham then, very good signing for them, can see him moving on to a big club in a few years time for a much more significant fee, a few more shrewd signings like that and they could push for Europe.

Believable2 Unbelievable0

11 Jun 2015 10:16:04
They are already in Europe!

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10 Jun 2015 18:24:12
Hi everyone, am a long time reader but this is my first time to post. Would like to talk on the issue of the striking position. Chicharito have said he will stay since there's too much matches to be played next season and so opportunities will be afforded to him, does any one still think we need another striker if chicharito is staying? Also putting into consideration that Rvp might not leave, am still thinking LVG is not going to sign a striker this time around especially with too many new faces coming in, it might disrupt the rhythm of the team. Don't anyone think so? Thanks so much everybody.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

10 Jun 2015 18:44:28
If Rvp rooney & chicha are our strikers for next season we will not improve much. Our team is crying out for a genuine and fit goal scorerm

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10 Jun 2015 18:49:55
Hernandez may stay but to be fair to him, he deserves to play at a club where he can be a regular starter.
I expect him to move on and he probably isn't the player LVG likes.
If Hernandez is happy being third choice I'd be happy. But he personally may want to go to a club where he starts regularly.
RVP is on a very high wage and hasn't been in the best of forms for 2 seasons now. He seems lost in games and Huntelaar overshadowed him in the latest outing. RVP is a class player and a lot would depend on how he plays in the pre-season.
A striker shouldn't be the highest priority as we have decent backup there.
Even the Fellaini lad can play as a striker.

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10 Jun 2015 20:52:53
if we go into the season with Hernandez, Rooney, RVP and Wilson I doubt we would finish top 4.

Rooney scores in bursts , RVP has gone past his sell by date, Hernandez is good as long as he is facing goal and running on to balls, Wilson cannot have that level of pressure. That top four strikers wouldn't be good enough. We need to carry a threat, it's a given we need to get it in there for the strikers better however a predator is what we need. Aguero, Costa both have that and we must have something better than we have.

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10 Jun 2015 21:33:43
But then red man, we have to sell at least two out of those four. The problem with having an ageuro or costa is that they won't sit on the bench. And neither will rooney.
And we're back to rooney in midfield again

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10 Jun 2015 22:05:51
Welcome mate.

Our striker position is a bit up in the air right now but perhaps if we sign someone to rotate with Rooney and Wilson (if Rvp goes) we will be in a decent position.

I like Hernandez but perhaps he is more suited to another club where he will get more opportunities and where possession football is not the mantra (he struggles to hold up the ball or even control it at times!)

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10 Jun 2015 22:07:28
Imightbesomeone

I said days ago i would sell RVP and Hernandez and would like a Benzema or Lewandowski.

In terms of Rooney, if we buy a top class striker and Rooney isn't good enough for midfield or a supporting No10 role then put him on the bench.

LVG needed him last season but if he has a top class striker he may not be so keen. We can't have someone as the total focal point who is not consistent , who scores in bursts and can go many games without scoring. Needs must last season, same again this coming season and I sense trouble

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11 Jun 2015 12:56:08
Agree with reedman. Benzema or Cavani for me. I am not sure on Higuain and would be neither against it or for it.

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10 Jun 2015 16:55:16
Does anybody else think this summer may end up lots of hype with little goings on? Cast our minds back to when Ronnie left for big money and we spent 2/3 windows talking about spending that money when nothing much actually happened. Or am I just putting a dampener on people's transfer window before it gets fully underway?? Sorry in advance if I am!!

Believable2 Unbelievable4

10 Jun 2015 17:35:14
I wrote a similar post a few weeks ago where I stated my opinion that I don't see us buying a load of wordlies for multi millions either. Talk of Pogba, bale, Hummels etc won't happen for me. Be more like Otamendi, begovic, and Schneiderlin. IMO we are quite a way off Chelsea, Madrid , barca etc and still will be after the summer. Interesting article I read in the papers today about the price of the world top players, our highest valued player was Di Maria, at number 31 in the world. When I look at our side, how many players bar De Gea who is leaving , would Barca, Real, Bayern Chelsea or Arsenal take off us? Would any of ours get into their starting like up? Arsenal maybe a few but the others I'd say none. Sad times that we haven't got a truley world class player who can win games on his own.

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10 Jun 2015 17:42:37
If you are correct then we'll be fighting Spurs for 4th next season.

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10 Jun 2015 17:20:33
Your being what is commonly referred to as a drama queen. It will all be fine

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{Ed007's Note - People need to relax, it's only the 10th of June!!!

10 Jun 2015 18:53:28
This is the much talked about "third window", it will be crazy.

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10 Jun 2015 18:56:53
Tune!

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10 Jun 2015 20:57:14
Yes ed that is all very well and good but the transfer window has been open all day and we haven't even bid for anyone yet !!

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{Ed007's Note - I honestly can't understand why people get so worked up about it.}

10 Jun 2015 22:10:31
Every little thing is going to be alright!

Apart from if Ddg leaves and we don't get a decent CB 😝

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10 Jun 2015 16:30:03
We've had the end of seasons players awards, how about our own end of season posters awards?

The Grumpy Old Man award goes to NoMidfield

The Whatever You Say I Will Disagree With It award goes to Beast

The King of Comedy award goes to Danny PughUnited

Believable3 Unbelievable3

10 Jun 2015 16:42:05
I'd go with Fresh for most improved too, glad he's dropped the Ronaldo dream and knows when to spot a bs twitter rumour instead of posting them here :)

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10 Jun 2015 17:30:43
Best supporting act : JMB? LOL :)

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10 Jun 2015 17:19:08
I hit send by mistake; I have a few more but feel free to add your own.

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10 Jun 2015 18:09:01
I second, Danny. Had my differences with him over Moyes, but I usually tend to agree with him a lot more than I disagree. The fella cracks me up.

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10 Jun 2015 18:30:51
Delighted to be grumpy old man ajh. Keep up the good work.

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10 Jun 2015 18:50:47
Best where's waldo act - Ed002

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10 Jun 2015 19:12:06
The Belgium teenager award goes to Ronnie

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10 Jun 2015 19:18:45
Biggest Oh My God We'reAll Doomed let's Overreact Award goes to Jamie

Toys Out of The Pram Ok Put Them Back In Award goes to JMB

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10 Jun 2015 20:11:18
I can't believe it's not Beast award to JMB

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10 Jun 2015 20:53:24
The I'm not trolling, I'm serious you guys award - beast

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10 Jun 2015 21:14:21
Glazer puppet award presented by and sponsored by I am kloot goes to Sydney

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10 Jun 2015 21:51:59
Best banter and sustainable coversation - JMB or the Beast.

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10 Jun 2015 22:02:18
I hope there are actually going to be some sort of trophy for these award nominee winners. But seeing as I'm a glass fully empty guy I guess not!

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10 Jun 2015 22:17:36
Nice1 ajh.

The shortest ever dramatic leaving of the site, also goes to jmb!

Danny Pugh has had me in stitches often he has to get sarcastic banterer of the year award.

King of the one liners, jred (who's posts I generally appreciate btw).

Most missed posters, Syd, Kloot and Gan (plus more).

Part of me prefers this site during off season because we get less of the drama from those who overreact to every game (whether good or bad).

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10 Jun 2015 22:58:04
Who's more?

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11 Jun 2015 00:00:59
Most pedantic GDS

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11 Jun 2015 01:00:19
I am not pedantic

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11 Jun 2015 01:37:09
Most times clicking on 'agree' for their own posts? that's another trophy for jmb 😆

Or am I just paranoid?

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11 Jun 2015 03:32:28
Most paranoid Honey Badger

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11 Jun 2015 09:52:36
Haha that tickled me jmb! So I gave you a little 'agree' to add to the couple you've given yourself 😉

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11 Jun 2015 10:37:43
Haha the paranoia continues HB!

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11 Jun 2015 11:46:53
JMB,

To be fair, you either have a lot of 'fans' or you click agree a lot on your own posts, I am not sure which would be the most worrying for me. Funny how when you disagree with me I often get 5 or 6 disagrees as well, so HB, you aren't going mad or paranoid, it is quite clearly true.

It would be good if the ed's could look at a system so we can see who agree's and disagree's with our posts, I presume this would be quite tricky but it would make it a lot clearer who was agreeing with who. I would suspect JMB would get a lot less agree's as well, although I imagine the ed's would see JuanMatasbeard logged on frequently ;)

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{Ed001's Note - it is supposed to only let an account agree or disagree once.}

11 Jun 2015 13:32:33
001,

It only let's you click agree once each time you go on the site, if you refresh you can agree again.

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{Ed001's Note - I will get that changed when it can be done.}

11 Jun 2015 13:25:29
GDS if someone agrees with my posts and not yours then what do you want me to do about it? I very rarely use the agree or disagree button as I would rather just post a comment. Maybe just maybe there are folk out there who don't actually agree with your posts or is that out of the realms of possibility?

Stop being pedantic mate.

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11 Jun 2015 15:40:53
Just seems strange that everybody that types their reply disagrees but the agree button says different mate, maybe the answer is for these mystery people multi clicking agree on your posts to start commenting as well, then we would all be happy :)

Ed001, thanks, that would be great.

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{Ed001's Note - I have taken to clicking agree on his posts just to annoy you now..... ;o) In fact I think I might have a word with Ed033 about setting up so his posts get a bunch of agrees as a starting point from the moment his posts go through.....}

11 Jun 2015 17:26:28
I agree ed

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10 Jun 2015 16:02:44
To all the regular reserves watchers:

With Amos gone, Lindegaard and DDG likely to follow we will just bring in 1 keeper I reckon to challenge Valdez.

Do you think Sam Johnstone or Joel Pereira are ready to be the 3rd keeper in our squad?

Believable0 Unbelievable0

10 Jun 2015 16:23:57
Mumbai_Boy, I was speaking 5/6 years ago with the GK coach who worked with the England U17 team and the topic of conversation was around GK's becoming technically better with their feet and how lots of teams were starting to look at GK's distribution as a major factor and the guy mentioned that he and other coaches had high hopes of Sam Johnstone and how his distribution was one of the best they have seen and I have tried to follow his career since but obviously the GK position is difficult to break in to. I hope he gets the chance but I also like Joel Pereira so would be nice to see one of those two get an opportunity. Johnstone has had a few years out on loan now so perhaps it's Periera's chance to go out and Johnstone to step up?

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10 Jun 2015 18:51:45
Don't forget the Serbian we signed.
Vanja-Milonkovic?

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10 Jun 2015 19:19:23
MB, love your posts but please God change your picture. It's just wrong

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10 Jun 2015 23:37:26
Lol ahh, is it mr hanky off southpark or just a random pile of sh!te?

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10 Jun 2015 15:30:22
Guys, are we still interested in Schneiderlin? Or Kondogbia for that matter? Replacing Carrick eventually?

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10 Jun 2015 16:00:47
Nobody knows Ronnie, just let the transfer window roll out and we will eventually find out!

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10 Jun 2015 15:28:42
Brendan on the rumours page has mentioned that Real have bid £73 Million for Courtois which I think has come from the Express and they reported it back in Feb and suggested Varane would be part of the deal. Now, we all know this is a reliable as a liverpool fan suggesting this season is their season but it got me thinking, Casillas seems likely to leave so although with De Gea only having a year left and that seemingly giving Real in the upper hand, if, IF, United were to be really stubborn, how would Real react? Would they be prepared to wait a season for De Gea but that would mean them going a whole season without a ''World Class'' GK, what makes this interesting is that Barcelona cleaned up this season, so would they be prepared to risk another season of Barcelona dominating or would they push for a different GK thus making De Gea's position next season with them questionable? I appreciate this is all pie in the sky but I wish we could play hardball, risk losing De Gea on a free just to see how Real would react this summer in the GK position.

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10 Jun 2015 15:45:29
I'm with you Ports, I've said before, we should say £40m or he stays for the season, see what they do. The figures of around £20m are ridiculous, we could afford to let him leave on a free if necessary, rather than take a lesser amount.

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10 Jun 2015 15:47:50
If we flat out said no then they would keep Casillas for a season, he isn't that bad a keeper by any means and DDG is a young Spaniard who they want.

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10 Jun 2015 15:58:05
Fresh, I think though Casillas has agreed to leave or they have agreed to let him go which makes the situation a bit more interesting.

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10 Jun 2015 15:59:00
We have all the money in the world so we could surely be able to afford to lose out on 20 Million if it meant keeping him for one more year.

We need to start being more stubborn in the transfer window, we're selling for peanuts and buying for over-inflated prices. Time for Ed to work some magic!

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10 Jun 2015 16:55:17
Amen Weggy, Testify!

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10 Jun 2015 18:12:50
One of my very first posts on this site, was about other teams grabbing us by the roots when it comes to transfers. Pain in the feckin arse, when we play fair with the likes of Everton over Neville etc, but get shafted in return. Boll0cks to the lot of them!

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10 Jun 2015 18:36:35
Agreed steviek. We seem to be really poor at dealings. While the like of Madrid, barca, juve and even Chelsea get better deals.
It is a shame if ddg leaves but if he does, then let's at least get what he's worth or stick him in reserves and let him leave next year.

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10 Jun 2015 19:19:20
DDG is the main reason we are back in the cl and this is worth more than the reported amount Madrid are willing to offer. Another season like this one and that is the amount covered. One of Varane, Modric or Benz in return or no deal for me. Yes he may leave on a free, but if Madrid get a suspension like barca's then he will not be going there next summer either

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10 Jun 2015 21:00:31
I honestly don't know how Chelsea do it the money they make from outgoings is phenomenal.

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10 Jun 2015 15:06:32
What on earth is LVG doing? Why, oh why are we after Mandzukic? If we sign him I'll cry! Firstly he's too old, if he could do a job up top, then why are AM willing to let him go? Louis, wrong man, it's Greizmann we want!

Believable3 Unbelievable6

10 Jun 2015 15:31:49
Ronnie, i see you posting quite a lot now and I don't mean to be rude but you really need to stop taking what the media says as gospel.

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10 Jun 2015 17:03:19
I read what I read and say what I say to give my opinion, whether or not it's gospel is irrelevant? What ever anyone reads, who's to say it's not bull? At this time of the year, yes, there is a lot of bull published, does that mean I can't comment on anything just in case?

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10 Jun 2015 18:38:36
Agree Ronnie if the rumours are true. But they're only rumours.
Greizman will be great. We need a striker that has lots of energy to make moves behind the defence and non of ours do that.

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10 Jun 2015 20:59:14
The issue lies in your initial question, "What is LVG doing?". It tends to imply that you have accepted the rumour as having some substance, and that LVG is after him, whereas there is simply no evidence to suggest he is, other than a made up report masquerading as news.

A good honest discussion on the merits of specific players with whom we've been linked, however speculatively or tenuously, is what the banter page should be about, but please take all these "reports" with a pinch of salt. They are 99.9% rubbish.

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10 Jun 2015 21:01:20
Why are you getting so worried saying LVG doesn't know what he's doing if you don't really know that we're actually interested in mandzukic?

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10 Jun 2015 22:25:29
He's not even Belgian is he? Only joking! don't think we will go for him mate but if we do I agree and I will cry alongside you 😊

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11 Jun 2015 01:16:17
We see hundreds of posts from others that are worse to read than Ronnies imo.

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10 Jun 2015 15:05:25
If anyone can tell, i'm rather bored, Had an interview for a new job today so am just sitting at home.

So it's time to post!!

DDG wise, if we let him go we have to get someone in return, someone who will go straight into our first team (Benzema, Varane, Bale, Ronaldo, Modric etc.)

With regards to the above point, my options for replacing De Gea are, Cech, Valdes, Lloris or Neuer. All PL Proven excpet Neuer but who would say no to him haha!

Right back situation, Personally i would have liked Alves, but seeing as that is a no go, i'd have Coleman/Clyne or Van der Weil. All good defenders with the ability to go forward and a good improvement on Toni V.

CB would for me be Otamendi, Garay or Hummels. Physical, Commanding and experienced is what we need.

Centre mids we might need. Personally i think we need a Carrick replacement and a decent all rounder. So for a carrick replacement i'd tale someone like Sven or Lars Bender, or possibly Schweinstiger. And as the all rounder to partner Herrera, i'd like us to look at Verratti, Pjanic or Vidal.

Now to the striker. We are calling out for a clinical finisher. Someone who is already very good and will have no problem adapting to the PL. So my players to aim for would be, Benzema, Lewandowski, Muller, Cavani, Lacazette or Ronaldo.

Lastly on the manager, Personally i like LvG, he adds arrogance and passion, whihc i like about him. I think he was surprised by the BPL at the start and will need to concentrate on the lesser teams home and away but i think he is the right guy to take us forward. Few seasons under him and we will be challenging on every front.

Just my opinions so let me know if i haven't taken anyone or anything into account.

Believable2 Unbelievable2

10 Jun 2015 16:43:47
Good post.

I am not sure that we will keep the same shape. We seem pretty keen on a new striker so it wouldn't surprise me if we see Rooney drop deeper than being a striker but slightly more advanced that being a midfielder.

What is clear is that, whilst the players towards the back end of the season 'got it', a lot aren't good enough to play in the intelligent way LVG teaches.

So, we need two things - pace and brains.

We have that pace now with Di Maria and Depay flying down the sides with Young supporting them. Januzaj and Mata offer different wide options.

We are clearly looking at a Carrick long term replacement and I believe that we will end up with Schneiderlin - he ticks all the boxes. We need a right back which I also wanted to be Dani Alves, but I'd settle for any of the 3 you mentioned. A commanding centre back would be fantastic and is necessary, still ideally Hummels but if not then Otamendi.

Lloris for De Gea, I'd do a straight swap for Benzema or even Varane, (OR preferably Modric).

Up front, I think we need someone with a bit of presence who isn't one to not be in the box. Benzema ideally, maybe Cavani, Mandzukic would do a job but I doubt would be the world class striker that we want.

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11 Jun 2015 13:30:45
Is Mandzukic good enough though Fresh?

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10 Jun 2015 13:41:06
Now that alves isn't available I hope we step up our interest in Coleman,I was at the Irish English match and watched him carefully,he gets up and down the pitch.can cross a ball unlike valencia and can score a few goals,he has been very good for Ireland and Everton,with all the big nAme players England have he stood out as the best player on the pitch,he is a united fan and he will not buckle in big games,I'd take him over clyne any day,after what happened with shaw

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10 Jun 2015 13:54:42
quite pleased the alves rumour is over.
coleman would be a top signing

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10 Jun 2015 14:15:29
I would have took Alves but Coleman has always been my first choice.

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10 Jun 2015 14:21:09
LvG also mentioned McNairs name as a potential RB for us for the next 10 years.

But the fact that LvG continued to play Valencia despite McNair being fit tells me that McNair won't be our RB.

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10 Jun 2015 14:45:30
Would really like to see Coleman at RB for us. I assume he would count as homegrown too? Which is a bonus. The price will be the issue but he does have plenty of years ahead of him to re-pay the fee.

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{Ed004's Note - Surprisingly Coleman doesn't count as a homegrown player but he would be my first choice}

10 Jun 2015 20:20:01
Can't remember who it was against, because I'm getting old and my memory's shot, but I think one of McNair's best games last season, was at right back.

Still think he'll be a midfielder in the long run.

I know I'll be accused of bias towards a fellow Ulsterman, but I think he might have a future here. I'd like to see him get a run of games in midfield, either here or on loan, though.

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10 Jun 2015 13:35:22
With all the nonsense printed and hype around who's coming to Old Trafford and who's in who's taxi on there way to where for how much?

I want to take some time out to talk about my new love. Depay.

The fact we have signed him has already made me excited for next season. He is strong, fast, technical, clever, skillful and everything you want a winger to be. Especially a goal scorer.

As some of you maybe have worked out by now, i have a strange thing for him. I even found myself showing pictures of him to my Mrs.

Love and peace to all ;)

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10 Jun 2015 13:51:48
The MEN had a report from a Dutch journalist who was saying he is more like Ronaldo than Robben but from what I have seen, which is relatively little and on YouTube, yes YouTube, he reminds me of Hazard, which is an exciting prospect. I also like that his first name is Memphis and may look at changing my little boys name to it!

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10 Jun 2015 14:05:58
Personally i don't like comparing people because then they just have to live up to some massive expectation. YouTube is a dangerous place Ports. There were video's of Anderson and Bebe before they came here and they looked like world beaters!!

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10 Jun 2015 14:25:02
I have an issue with that though Harry, you get people always saying ''I could look a world beater on YouTube''. Well, the fact is it gives us a glimpse of what they are capable of, the key is them doing it regularly. I think YouTube is an excellent resource for the fans to see what they are getting as it is real footage, in front of real fans, in a real league. Bebe in his defence has done well since returning to Portugal so the question is, are you or I or any others on here better than Bebe or Anderson? Unfortunately, what YouTube doesn't show us is what players attitudes are like which is what let Anderson down. Sorry if this sounds like a rant at you, it's not personal, just a standard comment that irritates me. Also, I think the comparison is the style of their play, I don't believe that sets any pressure on them to hit a certain expectation, for me it just means Depay is very direct and powerful with excellent dribbling ability like Hazard is.

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10 Jun 2015 18:23:23
Me feeling it brother. Depay 😍😭

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10 Jun 2015 13:33:25
Hi Guys

I must admit I'm gutted to hear that Lucianno Vietto is close to signing for Atletico.I think that he would of been a good acquisition for us.I think we need to start moving quickly to bring in our major targets as other clubs are starting to move for theirs.

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10 Jun 2015 13:55:24
A replacement for Mandzukic?

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10 Jun 2015 14:08:41
I have to be honest Fresh Mandzukic isn't for me.If we are going to go for a player like him I'd rather Lewandowski.Personally I think we need a more mobile striker with plenty of pace and movement which is why I liked Vietto.

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10 Jun 2015 13:47:40
I think its a good move for him. He's not established enough at present, we need a world class striker, not one with potential.

He might become good, but he could also turn bad. Personally i'd stick to gunning for the big names, like, Benzema, Cavani, Lewandowski, Muller etc etc.

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10 Jun 2015 14:36:24
LVG has made Rooney undropable. That leaves a second fiddle role and some starts if Rooney gets injured. I don't think a big name is required as Rooney up top has showed last season how wrong lvg was when he questioned about his ability as a strike during preseason tour. I think Rooney, chicha and another striker of experience will add to attack and allow Wilson to go on needed loan spell.

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10 Jun 2015 14:40:38
i wouldn't want mandzukic

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10 Jun 2015 15:03:01
Rodio - I must have missed those Rooney displays up top last season, can you remind me which games he stood out in please? I watched the Preston game where he looked half decent, but struggling to be honest.

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10 Jun 2015 15:23:10
I think no one at MUFC supporters wise wants Mandzuckic! He's old, slow, and doesn't suit us? Go get Kane, Vietto, Beradi or someone who's quick! He's so not for the prem league!

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10 Jun 2015 15:56:41
did you miss the Spurs game beast?

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10 Jun 2015 16:57:27
Wasnt the spurs game won by the young blind and fellaini triangle?

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10 Jun 2015 12:40:38
So I'm going to throw in a player who I am surprised has not been mentioned much or if he has, I have not seen. With all the talks of strikers we should sign, I cannot believe Ibrahimovic has not been mentioned more. This guy would single handedly bring back an arrogance we have lost and could have the same impact as what King Eric had when he walked through the Old Trafford doors. I'm sure people will say this guy is bad news and he is not the sort of player we need but I think LVG is the type of Manager who could manage him and I think the enigma of him could be what we need to generate a confidence and arrogance again around the club and really rattle some cages at Chelski.

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10 Jun 2015 13:24:12
I have seen him play live twice and quite a few times on the telly and what stood out for me is yes he is arrogant but he is also bloody lazy if he cannot stretch out his leg to control the ball then he makes no effort to go for it and we cannot afford to carry anymore passengers in our team.

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10 Jun 2015 13:29:10
Brings too much baggage for me mate, I too am surprised at the lack of speculation but i wouldn't have him personally. He's lazy.

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10 Jun 2015 11:53:38
I have been watching a recap of the La Liga season on Fox over the past few nights and I have been keeping a lookout for Otamendi as he seems to be linked with us continuously and a few posters on here seem to rate him. He does seem decent, a little small for me and rough round the edges but I can see why a few folk like him.

However from what I have seen the guy beside him Mustafi looks twice the player. If I could have one of the Valencia CB's it would be him. He seems very strong intelligent and tough. Granted all I have seen on these shows are snippets from the season but I am very surprised no one has been linked to him in the tabloids. Looks like a really good defender.

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10 Jun 2015 12:29:45
The thing about Otamendi is not only is he consistent throughout the season but against the top teams like Barca and real he was unbelievable, had messi in his pocket, and that's why he's got his plaudits and rightly so.
Now I am a massive fan of Otamendi and he is a class above Mustafi, I also thought he was short but after looking it up he is 6ft, which is more than tall enough if he had Smalling next to him and he hasn't looked bad in the air at all either so it shouldn't be a problem.
Mustafi has the tendency to switch off, and is often covered a lot by Otamendi which shows his great reading of the game, seems to be a step ahead of everyone else.
I'd snap off Valencia's hand for £25-30m

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10 Jun 2015 12:42:03
I do like Mustafi i must admit, i try and watch whatever football is on the TV when i'm not at work (To avoid the mrs). So have seen a few Valencia games. Wouldn't say twice the player but still just as good. Would both be a step up from Evans and Jones.

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10 Jun 2015 12:52:57
I wonder if Ed could sort out a buy on get one half price deal? Maybe even send Phil Jones to them to take 1/2 million quid off the price.

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10 Jun 2015 13:24:26
Good idea Weggy! Especially now that Smalling has come out and told us that him and Jones have filled the void left by Rio and Vidic!! can't believe Smalling actually believes that!!

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10 Jun 2015 13:31:22
Swap deal please ED. Preferably send Rafael there to get us both. and throw in £10m. Well look at that, i'm almost a journalist.

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10 Jun 2015 14:47:49
you've been watching him or you read an article about how we should be targeting Mustafi instead of Otamendi??

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10 Jun 2015 15:08:47
Harry, now link us to Vidal, Shindeyer and Gaitan. Then you've mastered the arts of being a journalist!

Smalling must be smoking something to think that would ever happen, unfortunately Jones has failed for us and he won't be here much longer IMO.

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10 Jun 2015 15:40:25
anytime I've seen Valencia play this season Otamendi has been by far their best defender . Not very tall but still good on the air and a real leader

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11 Jun 2015 01:39:51
"Not very tall but still good on the air" ability to walk on air, wow that's impressive, sign him up! 😊

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10 Jun 2015 09:54:19
Was just wondering what people's opinions are on young Paddy McNair, his first season and will he be able to establish himself here or elsewhere?

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10 Jun 2015 10:09:06
I see him at West Ham or Hull, maybe Newcastle.

Not good enough for me.

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10 Jun 2015 10:23:08
I feel McNair is a player worth loaning out. The difference between loaning out a player like McNair and a player like Januzaj is that one may have a future and one surely does. I feel McNair could develop his game at another club with no pressure on him but if a player like Januzaj leaves on loan the limelight will be on his indivdual performances.

Loans are very much a gamble. I think you keep your most talented youngsters and develop them your own way but with others of a lesser pedigree by all means send them out on loan and see how they hold up. A good example of this is Coleman going out on loan to Blackpool was a very good move on Evertons part for the player and the club where as someone like Macheda just lost his way.

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10 Jun 2015 10:31:46
Sheesh Beast, give the guy a chance. I think he has huge potential, probably in midfield

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10 Jun 2015 10:47:07
AJH - Nothing against him mate, just doesn't look like he will have what it takes for me. Paul McShane.

I'm all up for giving players a chance, but if I had to put money on it I don't see him at a club like Utd in 3 years time.

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10 Jun 2015 11:01:49
I would like to see McNair stay as back up. Bare in mind the amount of games we hope to play next year we need at least 4 ready CD's.
If he did go, Villa would be a good option to play alongside Vlaar.added bonus being the relationship with LVG and Vlaar may help with getting feedback

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10 Jun 2015 11:39:19
I don't think he is good enough. This applies to Blackett as well IMO. They will be backups and then moved on when better younger players are ready and we could get few millions with them being British players.

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10 Jun 2015 12:44:47
The only CB i see from our Academy even perhaps making it as a first team CB here is Fosu-Mensah, and he's 18 so could easily go down the drain.

The rest will become good defenders, a lot like Shawcross, but never world class defenders. And this isn't me moaning, i'm saying that its incredibley hard to be classed as a world class CB and they appear from nowhere, sadly we normally have to fork out for them.

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10 Jun 2015 15:03:20
Too early to tell for me, he's young and has some quality so surely he should be given time to prove himself. A loan may well do him good in the mean time.

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10 Jun 2015 17:06:03
He put in some quality performances but had a couple of howlers but i think he will be quality in a few years. Reminds me of pique and I was there the night we got dumped out of the cup by coventry when the cup scheme first started and he got pique got schooled which I think was his last game for us. The way i see it when i watch youth players make the step up, u will see some howlers but if they can give you a handful of quality performances at the top level then i'm happy. he's brave, can bring the ball out well and he can shoot aswel as his defensive qualities (backwards diving header anyone) that was some awesome defending.

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10 Jun 2015 20:39:21
My thoughts on McNair are that he made his debut younger than Scholes was, he had to take more responsibility in a shredded defence as part of a team shorn of confidence which made his position a lot lot harder than others coming in to a settled team with experience around them.

I still think he would be better in central midfield holding role.

Given his age I would give him a couple more years because he does glide with the ball out of defence and has a bit of a look of Pique about him and we have all seen what happened there.

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10 Jun 2015 22:44:35
Redman, your first para explains perfectly why he needs time and patience rather than slagging off and shunting out of the club, well said.

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10 Jun 2015 09:21:54
Good Morning - Just wanted to talk about Daley Blind. I see a lot of people wouldn't consider him in the starting line up if we were to sign a couple of CM's but for me, I think Blind is another very underrated player who is in the same mould as Carrick. Carrick never got the plaudits he deserved up until 2 seasons ago but now everyone appreciates what a good player he is and I think Blind is the same and my reason for this is that he goes around his job very quietly without getting noticed because he's not scoring goals or smashing people in tackles but these steady eddies are worth their weight in gold as Carrick has proven. Now for his first season which was disrupted by a knee injury, I think he has done well, he came up with 2 important goals and having a look at his stats he made 88% of his passes and 77% of these were forward and he also created 17 chances. What potentially goes against Blind is a physical presence but he is a smart player and made 81 interceptions in comparison to Matic who made 73 and played 11 more games. I think people should not dismiss Blind as an important player for us, I always liked Carrick but he carried the title of Keane's replacement for so long but is a completely different player and now everyone see's his worth and I think if we look at Blind for the player he is and not compare him to the Vidal's, Verratti's, Matic's, everyone will appreciate the job Blind does.

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10 Jun 2015 10:04:06
With respect I disagree Ports.

Carrick was underrated because he deserved to be. He has only seemingly come into his own of late because our midfield has deteriorated to the state it is in. For all the praise he gets for "keeping things ticking", that is my major concern, we do pointless ticking with no alarm bell. Don't get me wrong Carrick has been our best midfielder for a while, but how many actual chances does he create? I remember one goal he set-up for Fellaini and all of a sudden he is this guy that plays all these forward defence splitting passes according to the media. He is just as side to side as the rest of them and its fashionable to praise this type of player now.

He drops too deep to pick the ball up off the defence leaving gaping holes from midfield to attack, (its even worse when Rooney is in there). Granted we have no ball playing defenders so it may be necessary, but he should be 20 yards more advanced most of the time, how much time would he have then? This system and style flatters the anchor man role, I would look good in there at the pace we play at and how deep we drop.

Blind - he is intelligent no doubt and he does get interceptions like Carrick. But its only because we have so many men camped behind the ball and hardly any committed to attacking teams. Blind is mid-table PL standard wise imo, too slow, does nothing with the ball and ticks less loudly than Carrick. He wouldn't get anywhere near our rivals starting 11, but if fit I think LVG will play him week in week out. He is John O'Shea but Dutch (and lacks physicality).

I appreciate it takes all sorts to make a team, but it's all the rage at the minute to praise the "quiet" player, the one that you don't see but does a job. Look at Marchisio the other night. Yes you need a lot of Indians in the team but don't confuse these Indians with Chief's.

Just my view mate and I'm sure my down playing of Carrick will get disagrees, but Blind is a far inferior player to him and I don't even rate Carrick that highly, he is just benefiting from the system and the dross around him making him look little better than he really is.

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10 Jun 2015 09:45:00
I totally agree, maybe he doesn't have that sprinkling of stardust that makes people get all emotional. But he does a hugely underrated job very efficiently. He is someone who can add balance to the midfield and offer us something the likes of Mata or Di Maria can't.

I think after Herrera Blind has been our second most successful signing of last summer. I would then say its very close between Di Maria, Shaw and RoJo. With Falcao obviously flopping badly.

I think many fans are too easily distracted by the guys who score the goals, or have a neat trick in their locker and over look the clever intelligent players who bring it altogether. The guys who do their job quietly and effectively and give our other players the platform to build from. These guys get labelled "water-carriers" as an insult, but without them the whole team would die of dehydration.

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10 Jun 2015 10:11:54
Shame these water carriers can't quench the thirst of our strikers who had worse service than Charlie Austin!

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10 Jun 2015 10:31:48
Beast I'll bite in regards to your downplaying of Carrick's ability. He is a fantastic reader of the game and makes the correct decision 99/100. He isn't scared to try a difficult pass when most would rather just keep possession. LVG's system does emphasise possession but Carrick is more than that. Smalling looks more assured with him in front, as does Jones.

For me Carrick walks into the Arsenal and City teams and he'd be in a Chelsea team ahead of Oscar with Fabeegas more advanced.

Then I'd say Daley Blind is a good squad player for us but I don't think he's near Carrick's level. He'll be a good 2nd option at LB and 3rd or 4th choice in CM for us.

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10 Jun 2015 10:40:11
blind is average .
poor at winning the ball back and slows the tempo down .
makes himself available quite well but imo no better than cleverly for example .
blind is just very average milner could do the same job far better imo

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10 Jun 2015 10:51:12
Rjmanutd - Carrick is a fantastic reader of the game no doubt about it. He also does retain possession well. He is a 7/10 player for me and is reliably that. However he plays the easy ball far too often for my liking. That said we are better with him than without him, but I do think that is more to do with how weak we are rather than how strong Carrick is.

I agree Blind should be a squad player at best, but LVG loves him. If fit I think he will play, and that is my major issue/worry.

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10 Jun 2015 11:04:23
I think he will play a big part next year. however I do wonder whether this will be as 1st choice left back at the start of the season.
My reasoning being how well he played with Young this year.and if Deepay comes in on the left I think good defensive left back behind him would benefit his very attack minded game.
Wherever i think we will see an improved player next year

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10 Jun 2015 12:01:59
Beast, do you not believe though he could and would play further 15/20 yards forward with a more solid defence? And as a team that would allow us to press higher. I don't believe he was brought in to create chances, defence splitting passes, we had ADM, Mata, Rooney, RVP, Falcao, Young, Herrera who were expected to do that. I also slightly disagree with the statement that it is fashionable to praise these players, I think most people question what they do. But if I was to offer Blind or Lahm, majority would straight away jump for Lahm and I expect most would have Lahm in the starting 11. What are those reasons though? Because Bayern win most games very comfortably but is this not due to Lewandowski, Robben, Ribery, Goetze being more clinical then United this season? I think Blind has been criticised due to others underperforming and people haven't judged him on his individual performances. I hope he is a regular next season and I think if we are successful, peoples views on him will be different.

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10 Jun 2015 12:18:26
Ports, I think Carrick looks better precisely because he is playing so deep. If we had a better defence we wouldn't need Carrick as much and I can't wait until we get rid of this proxy 3rd CB. I don't think he would be very effective further up, he wasn't in his youth when he had more energy/pace.

I do appreciate he isn't meant to be playing through balls etc a lot, when I wrote that I did think it could be easily interpreted in that way. What I mean is that he is effective at recycling the ball, but he is too safe. There were countless times our strikers made a good run last season but the ball was just played 10 yards and the run ignored. Probably LVG's instructions but Carrick is a safety first player and we struggled a lot this season because too many players were instructed or wanted to be too careful with the ball.

In terms of the "fashionable" thing to say comment. Pundits and commentators want to try and be unique and say something that others haven't thought of, almost every time I watch a game nowadays praise is lavished on the grunt work or the ticker rather than the people that change games and make things happen.

I'm fed up of hearing people go on about under rated players like Milner or Carrick saying they are forgotten about, when in fact they are talked about more than "rated" players because of how much they are under-rated - it's all backward.

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10 Jun 2015 12:42:55
You're in good form today, Beast. First McNair, now Blind :)

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10 Jun 2015 13:05:03
I'm not going to dismiss what you're saying Beast and this for me is what makes the site great when people can have discussions about players. We will all never agree as football is about opinions and we all have our views. For me though, to continue this discussion, after the season of Moyes where we could not keep possession for love nor money and playing a rather set way, having Blind keeping possession and the whole team in general looking more confident on the ball and wanting the ball was a welcome relief from what we endured the season before. Adding exciting players such as Depay and a couple of others for next season to build on the foundation laid this season and I think we will be seeing something of the old United.

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10 Jun 2015 13:15:14
I agree with Beast on this one. Carrick usually stops and looks after receiving a pass, which slows down the tempo. He does not have that ability to escape his marker, and he plays fairly conservatively as a result. Players like Pirlo, Modric, Verratti can evade their marker, drive forward, draw another defender, which opens up the defense for a dangerous pass. Carrick does not do that, for all of his other good qualities.

Blind reads the game well, can intercept when we compress the field, but is far too slow when the game opens up. Given his attributes, you would think he would do better at defensive mid, but he generally looked much better at left back.

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10 Jun 2015 13:22:28
Carrick came to us the season after Van Nistelrooy left. Everybody thought we would score fewer goals but we scored more. Witness also our decline in performances this year when he was injured. He's one of those types of players who are essential but go largely unnoticed. In my view he should have been an England regular rather than playing both the apparently incompatible Lampard and Gerrard together. Every team needs a Carrick. The question is, are there better Carricks out there? Probably yes, largely because against top opposition he lacks speed. It was true going back to the finals against Barcelona, and its even truer now.

I would say he was one of SAF's best signings. But, we have to face it, while he probably still has a contribution, his best days are behind him.

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10 Jun 2015 15:09:18
Not sure about starting 11 quality but I agree he is underrated by some and will be a very useful, versatile squad member. You always need a few of his type in the squad, players who understand their role(s) and are willing to cover positions and sit on the bench from time to time.

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10 Jun 2015 15:27:58
Beast, in your first post I think you have missed the point of what a deep lying playmaker is supposed to add to a team, certainly not goals and not many assists really. Carrick is a very good, modern type DLP imo, in an era when there aren't that many flying around. I think he blossomed once Saf found that role for him and I think we've been lucky to have him.

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{Ed004's Note - there aren't many replacements for him either. From those that we are linked to in the media; Schweinsteiger is a identical in style of play IMO, Schneiderlin offers more defensively but not as good on the ball (also HG and would offer height at set pieces) and Nainggolan who is better on the ball than both but doesn't offer as much defensively in terms of positioning (more attack minded IMO doesn't sit in and cover the defense). I think Gundogan has been looked at for the Fellaini role}

10 Jun 2015 08:38:26
With smalling claiming that he and jones have already filled the rio and vidic void, i don't think we need to buy any cb anymore.

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10 Jun 2015 09:25:52
I think Smalling could be as good as Rio, but Jones is hopeless.

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10 Jun 2015 09:41:31
You think Smalling could be as good as Rio? WOW.

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10 Jun 2015 09:41:34
ferdinand was at times the best cb in the world for me .
smalling is no where near that level

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10 Jun 2015 09:51:20
I think people massively underrate Rio Ferdinand if they think Smalling will be able to be as good as him.
I like Smalling and think he can grow into being a very good player for us, but Rio was one of if not the very best centre back of his generation.
His reading of the game, his touch, technique, passing were better than most midfielders, yet he had unbelievable pace and strength and was excellent in the air.

He out thought, out paced, over powered and dominated every opposition player who he came up against. His only weakness was he would occasionally switch off, which probably came about because he found it all too easy.

So to say Smalling can reach those levels is insulting to probably the best centre back to have played for us.

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10 Jun 2015 09:52:48
Oh I hope not, jones is a liability.

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10 Jun 2015 10:08:09
Smalling is a mistake waiting to happen. Maybe he could be as good as the Rio we have seen over the past 3 years, but in Rio's prime Smalling is not worthy of any sort of comparison.

He is rubbish with the ball, switches off and isn't positionally astute. He is physical and is better in the air than Rio, but in that department he isn't in the same league as Vidic.

Jones is just nowhere near good enough and I had high hopes for him.

Both of these players are mid-table PL players now, maybe Smalling could develop to Europa League standard, but nowhere near Utd quality unfortunately. They should have played more frequently in their best positions so they could develop quicker.

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10 Jun 2015 11:06:16
April fools right.surely!
Smalling with a dominant player alongside him would be a good combination, assuming we don't buy 2 this summer.
Jones has not developed and he does not seem to have the ability to either. I think he will either be back up or moved on this summer.

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10 Jun 2015 11:40:59
Smalling and Jones as cbs will never win the league or anything else,maybe smalling as backup,they never will replace Rio or vidic,surely lvg can see this and a cb is top of his shopping list

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10 Jun 2015 12:41:45
Rio would have walked into every club team in the world smalling could get a game at west brim if he left us. Again best of a very bad bunch have u seen how awkward he is with the ball at his feet, next time he plays count how many times he passes to an opponent or hoofs it into touch. i think he would be the best to benefit from a cultured ball playing CB in there with him as he has some pace and positioning is getting better. Jones needs to go caught out of position constantly hence the last ditch tackles and headrests on the floor. Rojo is more physically robust but again distribution is pretty non existent with him. Johnny Evans causes me more concern when he's in possession around our box more than the oppositions strikers. Try and cash in whilst we can some mug will take him.

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10 Jun 2015 13:20:38
*Clap* *Clap* well done imightbesomeone. Caught a few here.

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10 Jun 2015 14:41:14
No need for so heavy discussion. just ask him if they both can stay fit for 10 straight games. Error or no error are far questions. Lady boy Jones is out injured half of season. so as smalling. And they are dreaming of replacing a pair who have given us steady back line for years??? Funny

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10 Jun 2015 08:16:55
Is the transfer window open today? I thought it was July the 1st

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10 Jun 2015 09:12:52
sky sports said its open, i thought it was july 1st aswell,

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10 Jun 2015 10:40:51
Probably International deals is July 1st. It was when I used to play football manager anyway.

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11 Jun 2015 03:00:50
None of this really matters, its just a case of administration. I think Beast has the facts right. The reason sly say "its open" is to get the sheep interested and hanging on their every word.

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10 Jun 2015 07:22:45
Alluding to the great post below regarding the cost of the Juventus midfield that has completely dominated Serie A and made it all the way to the CL final this year which cost £7.8million, I would like to compare that to our midfield five.

So adding together the payments for Di Maria, Mata, Herrera, Felliani and Blind that cost comes to an estimated whopping £165-167million. I am not saying they are not decent players but none of them for me have justified their price tags at the moment. Some have had some decent displays on occasions (Mata, Di Maria) and others a good season on the whole but not wildly fantastic (Felliani, Blind, Herrera). I have particularly left Carrick off this list as I feel we have fully recouped the money we outlaid on him with his display's over the years.

I know players are overpriced and we are always going to be a target for clubs looking for a payday but if you calculate the difference between the Juventus midfield value and ours the figure is flabbergasting. Can anyone really say our midfield is overwhelmingly better than that of Juventus at the moment? I can't.

At the end of the day we are Manchester United and I expect teams to try to squeeze us in the transfer market but if we continue going down the route of letting clubs take advantage of that reputation we are fast accumulating, we will be in for some tough times and strife ahead. It's not my money so the club can do as they please but I would like us to be a little more shrewd and authoritative in the negotiation process and if a certain club is trying to rip us off then we should walk away instead of satisfying their greed.

Believable9 Unbelievable4

10 Jun 2015 08:19:31
Since last 7 years midfield question is not answered. Fergie knew scholes and Carrick will need timely and quality replacement. But that never happened because of inflated prices and agent fees. Because Saf didn't want to bow down. Since than Chelsea and city rolled the money and became our eqilent or batter. Please don't show me stats. Rio and vidic needed replacements. but gamble yet to be proven right on smalling and Jones. Now strikers has same issue. So in short spending along with luck that signings repay properly is the only way out. as I don't see united had promoted quality youngsters since 92. Last best were pogba and spolied lad. And we knownwha happened to them.

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10 Jun 2015 08:29:06
If we don't pay we don't get, you can be as aggressive as you like but if the seller isn't bothered about selling in the first place ala fellani and Herreras clubs, they will tell you to move on.
Also as you did state it's not your money so why do you even care?

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10 Jun 2015 09:34:29
I care about the money because chronic over spending means we pay World Class money for sub-par players. Then when genuine World Class players may be available we either don't have the money or room in the squad - Plus we then have to pay Universe Class money for them.

ADM is not better than Sanchez, yet Arsenal paid half the amount we did for a better player. No other club would pay what we paid for ADM, Fellaini, Mata, Herrera, Shaw. If Barcelona, Juventus or even Bayern wanted to sign those 5 players I would bet they would have paid £125m compared to our £190m - give or take.

That's two top class player we have missed out on in theory or one Worldie! What's funny is that most top clubs wouldn't want those players we signed either!

We are making a rod for our own back with our incompetence in the transfer market. We will suffer, just like we are suffering now for not blooding youngsters sooner in their best positions.

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{Ed001's Note - just one thing you were wrong about, Herrera woud have cost that to anyone who wanted to buy him. There was no other price, it was pay his buyout or don't get him, and that applied to any club in the world that wanted him. Bilbao simply do not need the money, it is of little use to them as they find it difficult to spend it, with so few players that are available to them to buy.}

10 Jun 2015 09:34:51
But what about the ability to spot potential, unearth a gem or attract an established talent on a free. I.e why are Juve getting far superior value for money from their players?

Juve have just signed Khedira on a free as we know, they got Pogba for £800,000 or something I think, Vidal was 10 million euro from leverkusen. They signed Pirlo when he was 33 and out of contract then managed to squeeze 4 more years out of him.

What is Juventus have or are doing differently to Utd which enables them to build such a great pool of central midfielders for next to nothing?

You can point to other examples as well such as Tevez for £10 million, Evra for just over a £1 million, llorente on a free, plus Chiellini was signed as a 20 year old anmd cost 4.3 million Euros.

I'm sure there are other examples in the Juve team but I'll leave them for someone else to highlight (note team, not squad; these are not just squad players we are talking about)

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10 Jun 2015 09:39:29
Why do I care FZZ? As a Manchester United fan I would hate for us to do a Leeds for starters and secondly I would be very unhappy if we constantly outlay vast amounts of cash on players who don't work out we may eventually find ourselves in a postion such as Liverpool's where they have to sell to buy at the moment. But if your happy should that be the case then each to their own.

Rodio - you make some good points but when you look at the signings made by the club's around us some of the major players have been very cost effective. For example, Di Maria cost us much more than the superstars at City such Aguero for starters and Silva and Toure came in for much less than Mata. The same could be said for Sanchez, Koscielny, Ramsey and Giroud etc. Who is getting more value for their money us or them?

As far as Chelsea goes, yes they have made mistakes in the past with Torres and Schevchenko etc but recently they have got the players they want for the cash they are willing to part with while making decent profit on outgoings. Players like Courtouis, Matic, Azpi, Ivanovic and even Costa came in at a price that either matched their abilities or less.

When I look at the midfielders we have signed since Moyes and LVG took over I see panic buys and players who weren't necessarily needed coming into the club for inflated fees. Do you think we will recoup what we have paid for any of our players at the moment if we moved them on? We may get our money back for De Gea if we're lucky.

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10 Jun 2015 10:17:02
Every club has different obstacles to over come in the transfer market. Juventus for example play in a declining league and as such lack the financial clot to compete with the richest clubs of world football. But everyone knows that so when Juventus come calling for a player the selling club know they can't hike up the price as quite simply Juve can't afford to pay it.

I think its also a bit of a cheat to mention Marchisio as he came through their youth system.

Pirlo was supposedly coming to the end of his career, he didn't want to leave Italy and AC Milan didn't value him enough. So Juventus was one of the only options open to him if he was to stay in Italy which was his wish.

Pogba wasn't free as the previous poster mentioned, we never got a fee for him but his agent received over 3m euros, admittedly that in hindsight seems like peanuts but remember he was a young player who had played less than 5 first team games, this was a gamble. He could have just as easily had gone down the wrong route and ended us like Ravel Morrison. Get to big for his boots and let the money and fame stop him from achieving what he has. We have signed many young lads in similar situations but for some reason they haven't worked out, imagine if Nick Powell had fulfilled his potential.

Khedira has just signed for them so I wouldn't be singing his praises yet. He could well struggle to settle in Italy(although i doubt it). Also he only managed 98 out of 136 league games for Stuttgart meaning he missed 38 league games in four seasons, and he managed 102 league games for Real Madrid out of 190 meaning he missed 88 league games for Real over 5 years. So out of a possible 326 league games he could have played in his career he has played 200 and missed 126. Most of those through injury. And that's not including all the cup games he has missed through injury. He is a very good player when fit, but seems to be made of glass. He is also on a huge wage, so let's see how many games he manages for Juventus before we start calling him a bargain.

Vidal I will give you was a great bit of business for Juventus, but both us and Bayern were interested in signing him but were quoted much higher figures then what he went for. This is because us and Bayern are known to have the financial backing to pay more. In the end he went to Juventus for much less then what we were quoted for him because it was his wish to move to Juventus over all the other teams, this also gave Juventus a much stronger bargaining power, as he only had a year left on his contract and only wanted Juventus. It forced Leverkusens hand and Juve picked up a bargain.

Yes Juventus have been good in the transfer market, they have also been lucky with some transfers. But you can't directly compare them to us. Our position in football and in financial as well as our location make the clubs very different prospects for players and for selling clubs.

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10 Jun 2015 10:24:53
Jmb- do a Leeds? Have a word with yourself. We have just been named the most valuable club in the world.
Unless we bought terrible players for big prices and wages that will never happen.

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10 Jun 2015 13:10:56
Also this whole thing about what Juventus is skewed because it omits several other players Juventus have signed in that same time period.

players such as Kwadwo Asamoah, Pepe, Pereyra, Sturaro, Romulo and Padoin are all midfielders currently in their squad who they have spent on in the last 5 years, what about the money they spent on Ogbonna or Caceres? Or Llorente Or Lichtsteiner? Or Tevez, Morata or Bonucci?

Did all these players not also contribute to them getting to the final? And they have all joined the club in the last 5 years and have all cost the club money in some way, some have been free transfer which aren't free as the club have to pay a large signing on fee, or they paid their previous club for them. They have also paid agents fees. Some of those players have been a success and some haven't.

You need to consider all of a clubs spending before you say they have got value for money.

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10 Jun 2015 13:24:51
But Shappy, isn't that the point of the Juve post, that it DID turn out right with their midfield? They made very good moves that the rest did not make, and they deserve credit for it. I prefer to call them smart rather than just lucky.

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11 Jun 2015 01:39:03
Agree with Zidaniel.

You can call it lucky, you can highlight their mistakes and pick apart each signing. However, the fact remains: Juventus won the Italian double and gave Barca a good game in the final of the Champions league without high spending.

I think the test will be whether they can sustain it and I believe they will. They've had too many successes for them all to be just good fortune or flukes. To my mind they've been shrewd wheras utd have been wasteful.

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10 Jun 2015 06:54:21
1REDARMY

I was reading your post down the page !

Funny that you was comparing to 2008, i was doing the same my self with a few friends down the pub the other day !

Tevez Park Vidic, Vidic was amazing but although tevez & park didn't play every game they gave us massive energy in the important games or at important times !

Our team doesn't have a cb that is as dominating as vidic ! not even close to him !

Park was a true quality player that people never noticed for a while ! we'll have no one like him again !

Up front we don't have a workaholic, non stop on the go with also the quality !

I think we are aiming to the 2008 direction with the team but don't you think the era has changed a lot with all teams now trying the possession game ?

I know LVG likes possession but as for using fellaini for direct play i think utd have always been about being direct using the wings !

Anyway role on August :)

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10 Jun 2015 08:09:33
Big V, I know that the game has changed but Barca seem to have moved to a style closer to us of old than the possession game and I believe that is how we need to go and how we look to be going.

Just looking at our so called targets makes me think we are looking to be more direct and obviously more solid at the back

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09 Jun 2015 22:53:51
If we get Van Der Wiel I'm gunna cry. I'd rather put my faith in Valencia/Rafael.

Believable5 Unbelievable5

10 Jun 2015 10:22:31
Van Der Wiel is a much better defender than Valencia and is better on the ball and more productive going forward. He is an obvious up grade, that's not to say he is the best option available. But he is better than what we have. He also has experience and is Ajax trained and understands many of the ideas that LvG likes to incorporate into his teams. Therefore he could be a good cheap option which will upgrade our defence, offer experience and leadership and should be able to integrate into the side quickly. And if he is available for as little as 7m then there should be plenty of money left to invest in other areas.

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