Manchester United Banter Archive August 17 2014

17 Aug 2014 23:37:31
Seems to be a lot of talk on di Maria. But I honestly just don't get where he would fit in.

In a 352 he isn't going to play wingback, its been suggested he could play the robben role but then its dropping one of Mata, Rooney or van persie. And not solving either the defensive or midfield issues.

433 has been mooted with him as one of the 3 along with januzaj but again means one of Rooney or van persie miss out not to mention we lack two world class midfielders to fit into the midfield 3.

So basically tactical geniuses how would it work? Over to shappy lol.

18 Aug 2014 00:01:21
In my opinion Di Maria won't necessarily have to play in the front 3 of a 433 because of the pace he has I think he could do a great job in midfield with his ability to run box to box tirelessly like he did for Real Madrid last season. A midfield of Herrera, Di Maria and Mata would work wonders albeit being very lightweight on the whole they are all players who can keep the ball well and move with pace under van Gaal's management. A ball-playing defender could constitute for the steel enforcement in midfield as they would indirectly strengthen the midfield too by pushing up with them when necessary

I personally think if di maria was signed van gall would revert back to his favourite system of 4-3-3 so if we can land him it would be an outstanding buy in my opinion, just means van persie and rooney either rotating which neither would be happy with or fighting it out to be the main striker.

18 Aug 2014 00:21:56
He can play how Robben worked for Holland during the worldcup as a pacey/wide striker in the 352 or, as LvG usually prefers, a 'wing specialist' in a 433

18 Aug 2014 00:34:33
Thanks for the replies but its not answered the question.

As I said its not solving the defensive or midfield issues by using him as robben or wide and who do you drop to accommodate him.

Yes he played centre mid for Madrid, in more technical and less physical league where 80% of your opponents are playing to keep the score down. It wouldn't work in a more physical and competitive league without a de jong or Carvalho in there as well.

Totally agree that's why I can't understand why we are chasing Di Maria when we should be doing everything possible to sign vidal and a good cb

MRE

He has more to offer than anyone in our current team. He will make a monkey out of most defenders in the league and can play either wing or cm as an advanced midfielder.

If we signed him and let's say a vidal we would revert to a 433 with him playing on either side of the striker which I believe it would be rooney and RVp most likely playing on the right hand side and dim aria on the left hand side.

I believe the midfield would end up being herrera, carrick and Vidal with one sitting deeper i.e. carsick, one midish and one more advanced, either Herrera and Vidal could do that.

It would mean mata will not get a lot of game time imo and even questionable if Janusaj is not a better fit playing on the right of cf.

Expect to see massive changes in the next 12 to 18 months to how we sett up and play if we get the right players.

Also as rooney is now captain I doubt he will be dropped.

Di Maria is an outstanding player and regardless of what system we play he will bring more to the team than the player he replaces. If he plays as a CM he's better than all of our current players in that position, if he plays as a winger he's better than any of our current wingers.

As the Ed has said we are looking at 3 windows to rebuild and it will be done with the players LVG wants. LVG is not here to make friends and wants players capable of playing his way. In order to have a top class first 11 again we need at least 3 signings, a CM, a CB and winger. Following that the squad needs improved as players like Nani, Anderson, Hernandez, Kagawa and Zaha just haven't been good enough over the past couple of years to warrant staying.

Di Maria has great stamina, pace, dribbling ability and work ethic. Who else in the United squad has these qualities? It would also be a big lift for most United fans to see us spend big money ( I know it's not always about the size of the fee but it shows we are willing to compete financially) on a truly top class player, not someone who is going to develop into one.

In order to get everyone into their right positions we would need to play a 442 diamond which I don't see us doing as we don't have the right type of player to play the holding role. Carrick or Fletcher could do a job but Carrick IMO is not mobile enough to do that job on his own and Fletcher has the energy but wouldn't see a pass as well as Carrick from the deep playmaker role.

I think LVG will make the tough decision of dropping one of RVP, Rooney and Mata as he is not here to make friends. We could then play 4231 with Di Maria wide along with Januzaj then 2/3 of RVP, Rooney and Mata to play as 10 & 9. This gives us more pace and therefore less of the predictable, boring football we have played at times for the last 3 years.

Probably the longest post I've ever written on here haha.

Whilst we all acknowledge we need a CB and CM, I would also like to point out that we are very boring to watch and need to get back our mojo and start creating stuff upfront and get the crowds going and he would do that for us.

We are by tradition a football team that has always had great wingers and the last few years have been awful to watch our wing play.

18 Aug 2014 08:27:02
How about a 4-2-1-3 with the from 3 being di maria, rvp and Rooney, mata in behind them and fletcher and Herrera holding, that way we would rely less on the fullbacks to get forward and we wouldn't be as exposed

If Di Marea is viewed as Cm then I think we need a very solid holding midfielder. I know van gaal has gone off him but Carvallho would be an option. cheaper, younger and maybe easier to get than vidal. Or maybe we will move for de Jong to.perform the role he does for Holland.

18 Aug 2014 09:36:46
Signing someone like Di Maria is the difference between being reactive or proactive.

Signing someone who covers our weaknesses seems like a good idea and it will obviously need to be done. But being more solid defensively is only one way to skin the proverbial cat.

For example do Real Madrid or Barca approach a game worrying how they are going to cover their weaknesses or do they think sod it can they handle Ronaldo or Messi and co?

Signing someone like Di Maria will help the defence by immediately forcing our opposition to be less attacking for fear of what we can do to them. They will be less kean to venture forward and will do so in less numbers.

So although Di Maria isn't a battler in midfield ala Vidal or solid defensively like Hummels he will help in stopping opposition attacks by sheer prescence on the field.

As for how he will fit in to LvG's 3412 well first off you need to consider that LvG being an attack minded coach has so far more often than not played wingers as wing backs rather than full backs, he clearly wants his wide men to attack first and defend second. So there is no reason for why Di Maria wouldn't take one of the wide roles.
Secondly 3412 won't be the only formation we use over the season. In our first game we started 3412 then went 4411 then switched to 3421 so with three different formations used in one game i'm sure we will be pretty flexible this season formation wise.

And thirdly Di Maria is a very flexible player anyway, he is fast, has great balance, excellent vision and reading of the game and is an accomplished passer. He can there for play wide on either side, in the number 10 role(although we have enough of them atm), he can play as a midfield shuttler in the midfield three of a 433 or he could play a similar role to Robben at the world cup. There is no reason why a player with his skills and work rate couldn't play as a.wing back and as i've pointed out LvG will want far more attacking wing backs anyway.

What you need to remember is if we do sign Di Maria he will he totally a LvG signing, unlike Herrera or Shaw who he just approved. He would be a player that van Gaal has looked at and decided he needs in his squad to play the way he wants. So if that's the case then van Gaal who is a far better tactician than me will be doing so because Di Maria fits into his plans. So take comfort in that and then just sit back and watch what LvG can do.

I can't see how 1 winger will make a big difference when we need a defence and midfield who are not playing well.Injuries are a big problem and we need some fresh blood with hunger for success and not players who feel nervous due to last year.rather than hanging on to people such as cleverly who is not up to the plate, get rid.Nani and the rest who are named here frequently need to go and even use youngsters with ambition rather than the same old as last year.If Woodward is so good with figures why waste it in retaining mediocre players when it could be spent on better players.I see some panic buying as last year, but I hope not.

Manu123, it's not a case of Di Maria or midfield/defence. MU will look to sign defenders, midfielders and a winger.

In a 3412 Di Maria (if signed) would replace Valencia, just like Cuadrado would have done. Valencia being his cover. I wouldn't be surprised to see Di Maria move to Mata's position (similar to Sterling's position at Liverpool) with Van Persie & Rooney ahead of him to add speed centrally on occasion, with Valencia/Young as the RWB. And if Rooney or Van Persie are injured or rested there is no reason why he couldn't play a Robben role in the Dutch 352 with Mata behind and Valencia/Young on the right.

Obviously in a 433 he would play as a right or left winger. However I do not see us playing a 433 often due to LvG wanting to play all of his best players and playing a 433 would mean one of RvP or Rooney and Mata missing out. Highly unlikely IMO. LvG will want all of his best players on the field together otherwise we are not getting any stronger. There is a way to keep all of them playing together, it's called a 3412.

{Ed002's Note - I am done with all of this 3-1-5-2-3-4 nonsense so we are shifting all discussion about teams and "formations" to a revised Teams page. It will deal with all of the random lists of players and where you all think they should stand at kick off.

You might want to ask me a new question about formations just to get it going - and I can give share some views from two of the world's great tactical coaches of the past 30 or forty years and add some thoughts of my own.

Then all further discussion about fantasy line ups that keep you awake at night can be kept in one place - away from me. Anything that then appears on the other pages will simply be deleted.}

17 Aug 2014 21:49:03
" I was hot-headed and I'm sorry. I'll be back with the rest of the [Sporting] squad tomorrow."

Rojo Quote on Sporting TV. (The interview was about 90 seconds long.)

17 Aug 2014 21:07:58
We have spent over £100 million in less than 12 months. Does that say there's no money to spend? We've just spent it poorly. Mata was a crazy purchase as was fellaini. Is woodward at fault or were the targets wrong?

Apart from Fellaini, I think the money was well spent on quality players.

Samthered - I don't think anybody is disputing that Mata is a quality player; but did we need him? There were four or five positions that needed strengthening before AM. Signing Mata was like buying a new 4K television but not fixing the whole in the roof above it!

Redseven

Well we have a chance to fix the roof in the next few days and we'll still have our 4k tv

We wasted money on Mata 100%, we were moving away from a free role position and buying Mata has set us back as he has to play for the money (under Moyes).

LVG should make the right call, but I don't want Janujaz stifled because of Mata and he is a key reason why our build up play is so slow. He is a luxury we don't have the quality to support at the moment.

Mata is perfect for lifting 8-10 performers to 9's or 10's because he makes things tick with the right pace and skill around him, but if we are full of 6 out of 10 players he actually lowers their ability to a 5-10 because he offers little else and they can't read him or get the ball to him where he hurts teams. His own performances drop and improve with the quality of those around him.

Mata should have been a purchase for the end of the re-build not at the start, it was sheer desperation.

17 Aug 2014 20:34:47
Ed002 a specifically 2 questions for you for a bit of understanding transfer business

Do buying clubs leave it quite late to buy a player in hope of price being more negotiable as the deadline day approaches closer or the stance of selling clubs become less adamant to let the player go?

Do selling clubs show more resistance early in transfer market so they can get more grip on the buying club and even if they don't have a desire to sell they start looking for replacement when an official enquiry comes in or they start look for replacements in anticipation even if they put a player as not for sale.

Your insight would be quite appreciated

{Ed002's Note - (a) No. That would be a dumb thing to do as fewer players would be available. (b) Not really, generally they know who would be leaving, or at least have a good idea. They will have a price in mind and will look to stick to that. Clubs will have replacements in mind for the departing.}

17 Aug 2014 19:06:35
Supposedly near the end of the window we turn to carvalho, its going to be near impossible to negotiate a low(er) price after this rojo debacle.Its buyout clause or nothing.

€30m may be enough for Carvalho, or that's what they want as an initial payment.

{Ed004's Note - What do people think of playing a back four of Rafael, Benatia, Rojo and Shaw. A midfield 3 of fletcher/Carrick holding and dropping into defence to make it a back 3 at times with Vidal and Herrrera ahead of them. Then Mata, Rooney and RVP}

Personally Ed, unless we sign a top class winger, that is exactly what I would want, although if we play two centre backs, I don't think we need to sign two centre backs, four would be enough with Keane and Blackett as back up, especially as Benatia and Hummels are particularly prone to injury.

Correction, are not particularly prone to injury.

That does sound good Ed, but I just read a rumour that Benatia to Bayern is almost done.

Ed004 - Neither Fletcher or Carrick are good enough to play as a CB unfortunately. There seems to be this feeling that they can because they have in the past - but like Valencia at RB - they've been poor when they have.

I'm a big fan of what you're suggesting (I posted something similar a month or two ago) - but we'd need a Carvalho type player to do it.

{Ed004's Note - Carrick has played the role before. I think it is ideal for him. We need someone better on the ball than Smalling someone who can step into midfield. Smalling is brilliant defensively but can not pass a ball}

004, it's basically swapping the central CB with a defensive midfielder isn't it? Problem is we would be lacking speed which someone like Di Maria/Cuadrado could supply as a wingback.

Much will depend on who we sign of course, but the likeliest signings right now are Rojo and Blind. We will need to see who comes in first I think.

{Ed004's Note - Basically 4312 formation. It would work if we had pace in our front 3. Maybe next summer go all out for Reus and then play a 433 with Reus and Januzaj/Di Maria. But then you have to drop either Rvp or Rooney and can't see were mata fits in}

No real pace up front in that formation. We would be completely relying on our full backs to provide width leaving us exposed to counter attacks.

I see you are a dreamer too ed004

{Ed004's Note - I am but I'm using Reus as an example there will be other wingers to go for. Only mentioned Di Maria cause we are linked to him}

Also I think people are being too harsh on mata for one match in which no player of ours really played well.

Ed004
How about a plain 4-2-1-3 With mata as the CAM along with hererra and vidal in the center?

{Ed004's Note - Just think our front 3 lacks pace. Don't know how we fit Rooney into our team still think he limits us and will throughout this season}

Whilst signing a defender an a dm will help us to stop losing silly goals and costing us games unless we get some directness into our midfield we will still struggle to win games

17 Aug 2014 18:45:46
The fact that I have said that yesterdays team was of mid-table standard and that a lot of the current crop isn't good enough does not say that I don't support the team. I am behind them as much as anyone, but that doesn't get past the fact they aren't good enough.

How does that opinion make me less of a fan? Unbelievable.

Well said fresh. If anything it makes more of a passionate fan because we want the best for our club! Having players on the pitch playing with no effort and embarrassing the club is not what I want to get behind. I want to get behind passionate and class players, and a winning philosophy.

It would also be nice to be entertained once in a while, I think Leverkusen was the last enjoyable game I watched us in.

Watching England & United are very similar experiences at the minute, it's just all so cautious and predictable. As you say Fresh, because we love Utd so much it hurts us more, just think what the former players are going through seeing our club the way it is now and the constant tolerance of averageness?

That no fear attitude needs to return, but it will be hard especially the more we move towards computerised systems/tactics, robots - players spend more time worrying about where they should be rather than being creative. I hope Janujaz doesn't get corrupted.

I wasn't having a dig at you personally Fresh - just sick of all the crazy negativity on here. You are nowhere near the most negative. Maybe not up to Zee's happy standards, but then who is?!

I want to see some players come in just like you, but also like to see the fans get behind the current players too. Again, not saying you don't, some on here would rather we changed our entire match day squad - if that's the case they should just go support another team that already has all their favourite players!

Fresh, it doesn't make you less of a fan, it just makes you look a bit silly. We won all pre season games and we were all excited. We had a poor day yesterday, not helped by injuries and it was not a good show. That doesn't make us a mod table team. 1 good win does not make us brilliant, 1 bad defeat does not make us mid table

And Fresh mate, stop surfing Twitter and every website you can find. It's the road to madness. People make things up, including Sky. As I said last week, no media outlet called Herrera or Rojo before they became very public so let's just wait and see what happens.

But you highlighted one of the problems AJH this current squad have had quite a few off days and as a squad on the whole they are very injury prone for some reason: rafael, smalling, jones, evans all spend a lot of time on the treatment table as do valencia, nani, anderson, young, rvp & rooney that is almost half of our 1st team squad add into that that carrick is getting older as well as fletcher so they will start to pick up niggles more reguarly I have no idea what the solution is but while we don't have the quality that we need throughout the squad it is even more important that these players are fit

17 Aug 2014 21:25:03
Funny because we played good, fast, attractive football most the time in preseason especially against Inter. We're really not that bad, people are getting a bit dramatic after losing yesterday. I agree we do need some new quality players but like LVG said it takes a bit of time for everyone to come to grips with the new philosophy.

17 Aug 2014 18:19:44
Hi all,
Some rumours.

Blind: will probably be our next signing, hopefully before the end of the week. Will prove to be an astute signing IMO.

Benatia: I never thought we would sign him. Bayern are now backed in to odds on favourites and I expect them to complete a deal for him. If we still managed to sign him I would be very surprised.

Di Maria: PSG still look favourites but I am quietly confident we might still be in with a chance here. If Liverpool sign Cavani then PSG will prob bag him but if they can't offload Edison then we are surely we have a great chance.

Cuadardo: can't this us signing him.

Vidal: this is probably going to go the deadline day but I am very confident, especially if Bayern sign Benatia.

KingGiggsy

If reports are to be believed then ROJO seems like he could be next for a £16mill Fee + a player on loan (Nani?).
Not sure if I would be happy with that, I'd rather pay the fee they want (20mill apparantly) then sell Nani, surely that would be more profitable.

Not necessarily Herbie mate, say we give them £15.9m for Rojo plus Nani on a season-long loan, Nani has a great season in Portugal, then we sell him next summer for a few extra million. Then again you could be right as we would have to pay most of his salary for a season which we wouldn't have to do if he was sold this summer.

Exactly my point Syd(salary).
To me it don't make good financial sense to loan Nani. A season on loan could also see his valuation drop.

We have been trying to sell Nani for almost 2 seasons now.

17 Aug 2014 16:11:55
Schneiderlin is a far better player

Ok, thanks for letting us know.

Was meant for the post below Carl, don't know why that's happened

Carloto, I have had jacket spud for tea twice this week, God knows what's making me fancy jacket spud all of a sudden :)

Syd I suggest you scoop out the spud mix it with a filling and bang it back in the oven for a bit, takes it to a new level.

Like ham and cheese Carloto?

Double baked taters are the way forward!

And to keep things relative.

I hear that Rojo likes jacket spuds too :)

Syd live a little, go for a spicy chilli. I heard Chicharito has it with a big king Edwards for his pre match meal.

Chilli? I grow chillies :)

17 Aug 2014 14:57:15
Serious case of MOTD fever, but Wanyama would do the job we need. Not the marquee signing people are looking, but he'd certainly fit the bill.

17 Aug 2014 13:44:58
I hate to say it but I have to agree with Gary Monk that our current team is basically a mid-table side. Especially the team that we put out yesterday - it just isn't going to cut it. Thank god we don't have one of the big boys for a little while yet.

{Ed002's Note - The Blue Brazil are always looking for supporters - perhaps you could change back to being a Manchester United supporter in 2017 when the new owners arrive? http://tinyurl.com/lqd5zqt }

LOL

Nice one Ed.

We need 4 players in my opinion and ALL four ARE gettable IF Woodhead pulls his finger out and stops trying to barter. Vidal ( Bayern now sniffing ) Cuadrado, Benatia and Blind. These four will win us the league.

17 Aug 2014 17:31:22
He's not saying he doesn't support them ed, he's saying they aren't good enough, which they aren't.

Even Scholes said so.

{Ed002's Note - Fans need to be supportive of the team. The Manchester United fans have shown they can be as fickle as the Liverpool fans. It is embarrassing reading all of the dribble.}

Bang on Ed, it's embarrassing.

Sometimes people forget that teams or players can have an off day. It's easy to support a team when they are winning, real fans stick with their team when the going gets tough.

Booing Fellaini this week was frankly disgusting, and some of the drivel on here at times makes us sound like pretentious brats.

We have no devine right to be at the top. We were lucky to time our dynastic success just as the globalisation of the premier league projected our club's brand into the stratosphere.

We need some rebuilding, but it will take time and planning. If anyone thought that we could stay at the top perminantly was kidding themselves.

17 Aug 2014 18:17:07
i agree, and I'll back whoever wears the shirt but having an opinion on a website they probably won't come on won't hurt anything.

Fresh from your posts you sound like a younger fan who has known nothing but success. Welcome to the real world of older United fans.

17 Aug 2014 12:28:58
eds, do you think benatia will join united and any other information on benatia do you know? e.g other clubs that are interested?
thanks.

{Ed002's Note - RTP.}

17 Aug 2014 12:40:06
Any new developments on di maria?

Cheers

17 Aug 2014 12:27:32
Daley Blind is having a pretty good game for Ajax.

17 Aug 2014 11:34:45
Reports coming out that bayern are intrested in benatia, could we see the repeat of thiago saga.

I think we are looking at Rojo and Blind personally. LvG isn't going to get his prime targets in the CB position, but let's hope he gets his prime targets in the midfield and attack.

Would not be surprised at all as I always thought City or Bayern will be the front runners for him but according to ed Bayern wants to trim their squad down and are showing interest in khedira.

Bayern can also offer champions league but don't know if that will matter to him, we may offer better wages so let's see what happens.

I disagree Syd. It all depends on what we offer and the players preference, I'm sure some would prefer England over Germany and vice versa. By the end of the window I hope that our back three is Rojo, Benatia and Smalling.

17 Aug 2014 14:09:22
We didn't even bid for Thiago, so I don't see how this will be a repeat of the thiago saga. Correct me if I am wrong Ed002.

Also, the players choice matters. We can bid as much as we want. Wait it out. United seem interested and if we bid, its up to the player and Roma (who must be enjoying the potential auction they will have for Benatia)

17 Aug 2014 10:24:07
Edd just wondering because you seem to have a lot of knowledge around this. why do mufc seem to be very poor at closing deals on signing players? I hope and believe we will add to the team but it looks like we are terrible at closing deals. I know have said before deals can be complicated but would appreciate your take on this.
cheers

{Ed002's Note - Most fans think if you simply offer the money the players will come running. It is never that easy, but many football fans are impatient and would rather see the club spending money on players regardless of who they are - this seems to be most prevalent amongst the fans of both Liverpool and Manchester United. Manchester united are looking to do some significant business in the coming two weeks and then that will continue for a further two windows until the transition is complete. Would you rather the club spend money regardless or wait to spend money on the right players? Best not to answer that.

In the meantime I can only advise the so called supporters to keep up the hate campaign against the owners and members of staff, or perhaps find another club to support whilst Manchester United rebuilds.}

I said this yesterday, fans are desperate for united to sign a player, it doesn't matter who as long as it's somebody. People say we need a world class cb but who is available in this category? We lost yesterday fair enough but wot happens if we go on a 10 game win streak now? U never know wots going to happen in football, this site went into meltdown yesterday all over a silly result

Great post ed we sometimes could be a little impatient but we all love the club and want success like anyone else.

17 Aug 2014 11:01:27
That buy a player , any player mentality meant we spent 37m on Mata last January when we were well stocked in his position and badly lacking elsewhere .

Mata cost considerably more than £37m mate. Mata will be a success, but he needs better players around him. Swansea's tactics yesterday was to kick chunks out of Fletcher, Herrera and Mata. What a difference a bit of speed in the attack, some solidity in defence and some menace in midfield could make. Hummels, Vidal & Di Maria would have been excellent, but let's hope LvG can get the other two of the three after missing out on Hummels.

Im not a massive fan of mata

If you say it would take 3 windows for the transition to be over. By then I think van gaal has 1year left on his contract,
So what's happens next,
another transition.
That would be painful again

Cheers edd I know very little about how transfers are done so thought i'd ask the question. I agree I don't want the club just throwing around money for the sake of it but it was just worrying seeing players move to other clubs that could have done a great job for us ie. Midfielders. but I hope your right and hope the right players do arrive in the coming weeks.
cheers

{Ed002's Note - The club are certainly trying to do the right thing. I expect there to be a lot of movement in the next two weeks with several high profile players subject to offers from various clubs. Manchester United are looking to do some business.}

Ed, I'm really glad that you posted that. Hopefully people will take more notice when yourself ir any other Eds share their views on the topic. When "ordinary", mere mortals sat it we usually get slated.
It is clear that money has been made available, but spending it badly and failing to secure deals is not the fault of the managers or the owners. I'm not for one minute saying I like the Glazers, because I don't, but I personally feel they are prepared to spend the money. But like you say, getting the RIGHT players is not easy.

17 Aug 2014 11:46:24
Ed002, can you give us any info on the players we are trying to sign? I know you have done, but is there any recent updates? In your opinion is it feasible for MU to sign four players in the next two weeks? Especially when two of them are huge signings like Vidal & Di Maria? I know you say it will be over three windows, but you have to admit at least with Vidal & Di Maria, it's now or never. We will not get a better time to sign these two and if we cannot agree deals now, then why would we in January or next summer?

{Ed002's Note - Don't get drawn in to numbers Syd - I can tell you where interest is but I am not going to get drawn in to "will four or five players be joining" questions. Cuadrado, Di Maria and Vidal are of interest to more than one club and both are at clubs who may not be willing to listen to offers. There remains Manchester United interest in Benatia (and there is interest from elsewhere), Rojo (which should be surmountable), Daley Blind (which is a case of making a suitable offer and something can be done - although there is interest from elsewhere) and in Memphis Depay.}

I think the fans understand its a two to three season plan , it's the fact it could have been a one season plan if we had bought previously when we needed to and last pre season window when we could have been in a better position than we are now and got more money for the obvious dead wood that was plain to see to everyone but those at the club. It evens goes back to the season before Sir Alex retired, we should have started the rebuild then. That is what people find frustrating and its got to point some fans sound as desperate as Moyes did buying Felanni. Yes it will take time but it should never have got to this point.

What's the bet we end up with all the cheap alternatives? Rojo, Blind & Depay?

17 Aug 2014 14:10:12
Ed002, Thanks for all the info. We get a lot of detail and insight here which we don't anywhere else.

I hope Bayern haven't stolen Benatia from under our noses though. He would be a perfect replacement for Vidic.

17 Aug 2014 09:01:46
Really difficult to address the very real deficiencies in our team with our failure, so far this Summer, to buy world class players. Why we have failed to attract the best is an interesting debate. However, at the moment, am I the only one to sense a few panic buys are likely in the next week or so, just hope whoever we buy really improves the first team and not just the squad.

17 Aug 2014 08:27:08
Ed002 did the meeting about Cuadrado in Warsaw take place?

{Ed002's Note - There were discussions in Warsaw on Friday night - they are not really of any relevance to Manchester United.}

17 Aug 2014 11:23:17
Will that team now be pursuing Cuadrado then Ed?

{Ed002's Note - Cuadrado remains available for those clubs that are interested, but no one is interested in an auction and the price will need to come down a bit.}

17 Aug 2014 01:49:40
Does nobody else find in strange that we haven't made an effort/been linked to signing sami khedira? I know he's not vidal or strootman but he is a very solid holding midfielder, much better than anything we have and apparently available at decent money as he's in the final year of his contract!