Manchester United banter 10

31 Aug 2026 16:31:32
The club needed to buy a LB and Striker and here we are circa 24 hours to the end of the window. No doubt the Glazer parasites are rubbing their hands with glee at the expected dividends for next year whilst a few of the supporters on here cheer them on and make excuses. Maybe the Glaxer apologists on here have selected where they want their 30 pieces of silver depositing.

If Hall and Osimhen sign tomorrow I would expect a run at the top spot, even with Carrick.

Yet that isn’t the aim. The aim clearly seems to be to spend the minimum to get CL football cash again.

24 hours to prove me wrong about what I said all summer.

Thing is I find myself posting like RainfishTrombone/iamKloot did all those years ago. People ridiculed him yet we haven’t won the league since and I can’t see it again until we get the Glazers and their debt out. 24 hours.

31 Aug 2026 18:02:24
Sorry, but that just seems wrong to me. My guess is that Carrick and Wilcox had their targets, but they just weren't available, or were for stupid amounts, or the players chose different clubs.

No point paying over the odds for a player who may not be that much better than we already have, or who just wants a huge payday.

I'm happy we are no longer paying over the odds for players. Maybe the "Utd tax" can be lost. Maybe that now is passed on to Spurs.

If we have to wait for eg Hall til next season, so be it. How many outstanding left backs can you think of who are/were available?

Regarding a striker, again, how many top top strikers are there? Even Arsenal haven't signed one yet, and if they do get Alvarez he will cos a fortune in transfer fees and wages....

and he really only wants Barca.

I would try to get Osimen, but the fee and huge wages are probably the reason we haven't gone for him. Tony is another I would like, but again he will be on huge wages. Signing players on such wages causes another Rashford-like problem.

Who else has signed a top top striker? I think Villa have got a good one in Jackson, but let's see how good he is.

So overall, I don't think the problem is all down to the owners.

31 Aug 2026 18:09:05
Salford,

If they need specific players, as clearly they do, why are you arguing over the cost? The club can afford both profiles, and if they want to win the league, it's something they have to do.

31 Aug 2026 18:45:34
Last I heard was that Hall is not for sale. So that's not an option this window.
I've been calling for Oshiman for a few years now. There is a lot of well documented baggage with him, no top club has ever gone in for him, but sure why.
He would still be my choice, with the limited knowledge I have. He is a real handful and scored goals.


His wages would be a problem, I'd imagine.
Personally, I think I'd rather a lb and cb before a striker in the last 24 hrs.
I see the argument for a striker, but unless Zirkzee goes there is no space.
If Zirkzee does leave then a striker must come in, imo.
I suspect a loan striker could come in if Zirkzee goes.

31 Aug 2026 19:31:41
I think we have to bring in the new player, and the old player will leave or sit in reserves. There is a total lack of ambition from Zirkzee, but he is given hope because there is no second striker in his way. You cannot force players out, so you cannot wait for a player to leave to trigger new purchases.

You end up with Zirkzee and Rashford holding the club to ransom.

We should really all be concerned with how little we get for sales. It really is disgusting. Collier had a stint in the first team and looked okay. The fee for him is ridiculous.

31 Aug 2026 19:50:18
Redman

If they had targets who weren't available for sale, then they can't help that. You haven't given any top alternatives we could have or should now sign.

As good as Hall is, I don't think he is worth the 75m + which would probably be needed to get him, and Newcastle aren't desperate for money now.

I agree, Ken, re Osimen. He would be my choice, but it does make you wonder, with his goal return, why no other top team hasn't snapped him up.

Re Collier, it's a low upfront fee, but I read that there is a hefty sell on fee and buyback clause.

If he does well at WBA, it's to Utds benefit, and he wasn't good enough right now to get into our midfield ahead of the five others in front of him. Seems a sensible deal to me.

Seems to me the club are being realistic. Improving each part of the team when they can, and not going for short term fixes. If we consolidate our league position this season, and do well in the cup competitions, then we will be more attractive to players next year.

31 Aug 2026 20:55:40
Never been a fan of Osimhen. Inconsistent first touch. I think he has a good but not great goalscoring record without the penalties, and that is in less physical and strong leagues like Turkey and Italy before. He picks up some injuries too, and believes his own hype based on the wages he asks.

No wonder no big team took him, even though there is a shortage of top strikers in the market. A very problematic and arrogant character without the talent to back it.

31 Aug 2026 21:46:16
This is the transfer spend per club. Chelsea are out in front, but will be overtaken by City if the Enzo transfer goes through tomorrow.

When Ipswich have spent more than us, and we have more games, will the lack of investment prove crucial as the season goes on?

1 Chelsea.

£340.4m
2 Man City. £332.5m
3 Tottenham. £304.5m
4 Newcastle. £221.8m
5 Liverpool. £212.5m
6 Arsenal. £205.0m
7 Aston Villa. £183.9m
8 Ipswich. £174.7m
9 Man Utd. £159.7m
10 Coventry. £122.4m

31 Aug 2026 22:18:11
Why are so many fans caring about not spending too much on a player?! I don't get it.
I can kind of understand if the club thinks we want 7 signings, so we need to think about what we spend on each one, but we haven't.
Our spending has been pathetic.
All the cuts the club has made, and now the cuts are to transfers.

31 Aug 2026 22:26:54
I like him, Heaven, but I'm also aware of the significant baggage stories, so there are issues in that regard.
I'm never afraid of a bit of madness in the team as long as they deliver on the pitch. I think all our best teams had their fair share of oddballs and head cases that came together to deliver.
He's played in winning teams and played his part. At 27, he's young enough to flip on at 29 or 30 if he gets itchy feet, but he might like it here if he and we do well.

He is the type of player the United fans warm to, imo. He works hard for the team in every game I've seen him, and the opposing cb's always know they've been in a game. Decent finisher.
However, if the baggage is not worth the risk, which appears to be the case, then so be it.

31 Aug 2026 23:03:06
The club needs to deliver a better team. If one option is not available, then move on to the next. Lammens came in, and has done great. I think, as fans, we should expect a team that is better than last year.

CM has been addressed, but the reason it was so desperate was due to lack of investment last 2 windows, knowing Casemiro was leaving and Ugarte was looking poor. Ugarte's injury was a shock, but surely he was not going to play a key role this year for Carrick.

Leftback looks an area of weakness, and playing Cunha and Mbuemo at striker is also not good enough for a team looking to challenge across all comps. We should expect these areas are addressed as a minimum.

With Mount, Bruno, Amad, Mbuemo, Cunha, Zirkzee, Rashford, Dorgu, Lacey (as well as Mainoo and Tielemans), we seem to have too many winger/number 10 type players, with only Sesko as an out and out striker.

It would have made more sense to me if we had tried Rashford at striker in these first games or pre season. But he has hugged the touchline very much as a wide winger.

In a season, you should expect injuries. You should also expect to need to sub off option A and try option B to change the game. Not having 2 strikers is frankly ridiculous for this club. We have a squad imbalance that means we will see lots of Cunha and Mbuemo playing at 9. I hope it works.

No one wants panic buys. We want a competent management team that delivers results. I hope they know what they are doing. If we finish top 3, win a cup and have a good showing in the UCL, then I will be the first to say they do and that waiting for the right signings only was the right choice. If this doesn't work, many will question what they are doing.

01 Sep 2026 00:44:59
But, Dodgy, what if the players they identified were just not available, like Hall seems not to be? I can't think of one top top striker who has moved this window. No point buying for the sake of it.

I would rather we saved the war chest til somebody gettable was available.

01 Sep 2026 01:41:35
If the targets we had weren't available, we should have targeted players who were. If we knew that we weren't going to be prepared to pay the going rate for our targets, we shouldn't have targeted players who were in high demand, or players we knew could be purchased for bargain bin prices.



Whilst I do think the three midfielders we've brought in are pretty decent, the failure to secure a left back and a backup striker this far (who, given Sesko's injury record as of late, may well end up being our main striker) is unforgivable.

01 Sep 2026 01:53:11
I never rated him that much, Ken. I never wanted him near our team. I prefer to go with Cunha as striker instead of him. I can't stand him. On the back of a good (or a couple) seasons at Napoli, he asked for about 500-600 thousand a week. He is not that good; I suspect in England he would be average.

01 Sep 2026 04:35:51
Rashford never wanted to play CF and told Carrick as much too.

We seriously needed a striker and a CB, but for me we also needed midfielders to start and improve us. I don't think we got that with Santos or Tielemans, they are OK players but won't set the world alight.

OK, keep blaming the Glazers but SJR apparently runs all the football side and he is skin flint and the one who is penny pinching all over the club, including the team on the pitch. Look at the problems at Nice.

All those that think it's good spending virtually nothing, let's see how you feel when we struggle for 4th every year, maybe get semis of domestic cups and get nowhere in CL.

This team is no better this year than last, I would argue in fact it's worse. Now the only 1 striker we got is all potential and injured a lot for a youngster too.

Midfield is weaker without Cass.

Shaw got slower and another year older, so possible more injuries. Martinez and Delight, along with McGuire, the same and all slower.

This is not a great team by any means, but it's ok we spent no money and we got loads of potential. Jeez how the mighty have fallen.

01 Sep 2026 07:44:01
Big day ahead. Let's judge at 11pm tonight. Lots of big clubs with lots of work to do today. I'm not sure on the logic of football clubs as to why they do this, but it seems an industry norm.

01 Sep 2026 09:22:47
The transfer window is the biggest game of chicken ever, with no-one wanting to blink until the final minute.
By then, the selling club is reluctant to sell, as there's no time to replace anyone.
It's exciting and frustrating. And obviously not just a Manchester United thing, although it is frustrating watching other clubs get their deals over the line early.
Only Spurs have been prolific, and it's fair to say they've overpaid in pretty much every case.



Re our own transfer deadline day, I really hope if Zirkzee goes, someone comes in, as there will literally be no other CF at the club other than Sesko, which is a shocker. LB, Newcastle don't want to sell, and I'm not convinced Hall is a great player. Hold fire on a permanent LB, in my opinion, but we need someone who can do a job if required until then, as you never know, a backup player today could easily be the starter tomorrow. It's happened before with Shaw.

31 Aug 2026 16:29:42.
Just watched U21s play Leicester in league match. We won 4-1.

A player I really like, Shea Lacy, scored 2 goals. The first a typical receive ball on right wing, beat player cut in and shoot from outside box, score a terrific goal.

He was replaced on 60 mins by JJ. That makes it fun for the defenders! He scored a super goal late on.

Anyone not really seen JJ play, go on MUFC website later on. There will be highlights, and watch his goal. That boy has a future!!

Talking of Leicester, there has been much talk of us and Arsenal going after their young midfielder, Louis Page, this summer.

He is a big Utd fan, and he was at O. T. yesterday for the match. Will be surprised if we do not announce his signing before close of transfer window.

Finally, it was good to hear a golden oldie on co-commentary. Sammy McIlroy, the last Busby Babe, is fit and well. Remember he scored on his debut at age 17, against City at Maine Road, from a George Best assist.

How the hell was that 1971? Call the police! Somebody has stolen 40 years.

31 Aug 2026 17:52:40
The question is, where will J J play, replace Bruno at 10?

IWOTB,
Yes, I remember 1971 and Sammy Mac being introduced. And, it is 55 years, not 40!

31 Aug 2026 19:25:54
Red Man, yes, I realise that was 55 years ago.

My figure of 40 years was not meant to encapsulate the whole period, but to suggest it seems like 15 years ago the event happened, and to highlight the apparent speed of the passing of time.

As to JJ, when he starts playing on a regular basis, I suspect he will be playing on the wing, to acclimatise to first team football.

His main position is striker/No10. It will be some years before he will be able to fill either of those slots.

It could well be a case that, by the time he is ready to move into a central position, it could well coincide with the departure of Bruno. Remember, this is all some years away.

31 Aug 2026 19:35:47
Lacey should be going out on loan imo. He might get some minutes here, but him playing week in, week out, will improve him more. He's too good for u21 football and it won't teach him much. He's not ready to be starting games here at the minute, but with a good season away to help his development, he could be ready next season.

31 Aug 2026 22:15:23
Yeah, it's a tough one, Danny. In all probability, he is 3rd choice for rw, and probably 4th choice for the no10 role for a starting role.
However, he can be a good impact option off the bench. Being a full squad member and training every day will improve him.
It's possibly one to revise in Jan if he is not getting the minutes he needs in match play.


He is, as you say, a bit of an in-betweener.
If Mbeamo covers for Sesko a lot, it will promote him to 2nd choice on the right, so game time may not be too rare.
If Zirkzee goes and is replaced with a striker, it will not help him at all. I've seen him play left wing too, so he could push Dorgu there, too, as 2nd choice.

01 Sep 2026 00:48:17
I would keep Lacy, and alternate his playing time with the U21s. Give him game time in short bursts to build up his exposure and reduce pressure. The lad is really talented, and showed glimpses of his potential in preseason. If the kids are good enough, play them, but in a controlled, measured way.

01 Sep 2026 04:38:06
Call the police, alright, and report someone stealing Manchester United too, and also a load of fraudsters trying to impersonate elite footballers...

31 Aug 2026 14:14:26
Not expecting anything in now, maybe Zirkzee to leave. We need to get all players fit now, I think De Ligt will be very important if we can get him back to replace Maguire.

31 Aug 2026 15:18:38
I would not pin any hopes on de Ligt. He will be a while getting fit and match sharp, that's if he doesn't break down again, plus then how he comes back after another long lay-off, which his career is littered with.


Probably our best CB when fit, but still slow, just a Dutch Maguire, but with injuries.
We are desperate for some quality defenders. Let's hope they surprise us with something, even a decent loan signing or two. We can live in hope.

31 Aug 2026 10:55:13
Less than 38 hours left of the transfer window and I wonder if we will see much more movement at Manchester United.

On one hand the signings of Baleba, Tielemans and Santos have massive improved and strengthened our midfield, which was the primary aim this window.

However, there is still a feeling that the club could and maybe even should be doing more.

Obviously we are in an actual squad rebuild, rather than the repatch that we really have endured over the last decade or so. As such there will always be more work to be done, so in that regard no transfer window will really feel fully satisfying.

Yet the club have clearly explored and even attempted to bring in more players, so it's not a lack of knowledge of what we need or even ambition.

I think the club have a new philosophy around transfers, and as fans we need to accept that comes with both benefits and drawbacks.

We don't seem to be a club fixated on one particular player to the point where we massively over pay to bring them in. We seem to have a clear plan for who we want, as well as potential alternatives if the first choice doesn't pan out. Yet, that list of alternatives doesn't appear to be endless; where we just keep going further and further down the list just to make sure we sign someone (anyone).

Which is a double edged sword. On one hand it means we don't sign players who aren't good enough, while on the other hand it can mean that sometimes we won't sign anyone for a position of need.

Last season we were short of options in midfield and we had to muddle through. We had tried to sign Baleba towards the end of the window, but a deal couldn't be agreed and the club chose not to bring in someone cheaper/less suited/further down the list of options. But instead chose to wait until this summer to get their no.1 target.

I think we will see something similar this season with left back. The club clearly wants Lewis Hall, but he isn't available this summer. The club could sign an alternative, but they seem to be choosing not to. Maybe they feel the gap in quality/suitability between their first and second choice is too big to consider spending significantly on them this summer just to get someone in.

I mean if you took a statistical approach and found the Lewis Hall was a 99% fit to your ideal left back profile, but the second choice option was only a 82% for to the ideal profile. Then does it make sense to spend potentially 40m+ on that second choice option?

The saying buy cheap buy twice has some semblance here, but really it's about only spending on players who are the right fit. No more square pegs for round holes.

We also have some options within the squad to cover for a lack of a LB signing. Options of Shaw, Dorgu and Amass give us some flexibility, and reduce the need to spend on a lesser quality "back up" option.

Would you rather spend on the second choice this summer, only to find them not quite good enough. Leading to you either having to spend big again next summer to replace at the cost of not being able to sign a player needed on another position, or sign that player and accept that we will have to live with a substandard LB for the next couple of seasons.

The club made the right call with Baleba last season, hopefully they are making the right call again this summer with Hall.

The only position I see is signing someone now is striker. I expect to see Zirkzee leave for Italy, and I think the club will try to bring in a younger striker. Someone who has the potential to challenge Sesko, but isn't quite a direct rival yet due to a lack of seniority. The most similar signings I can think of is when we signed Chicharito. A talented young, slightly less proven player, who could step up in time, but is really here to make up the numbers initially.

Who that is who knows, we've been linked with Tresoldi and Matanovic in recent days, they seem like the right sort of level of signing. Young, talented, high potential, but not yet proven to the point where they become 50m+ players.

That is the only business I can see is completing in terms of incomings, hopefully we manage to shift a few more players out the door and continue the clearing of the decks.

31 Aug 2026 14:12:54
If the deals don't make financial sense, and we don't get our first or even second choices, it's best to use what we have. Dorgu is more than competent to play lb if needed. As is Mazaroui. Amass might stay and come of age. Who knows.

I do agree our defence is weak, and we really ought not to play another season with one striker.

31 Aug 2026 14:28:58
And, for a bit of fun, ChatGPT is calling Amass and Dorgu as left-back cover until we buy Hall next summer, and Sorloth coming in if Zirkzee heads to Juve.

31 Aug 2026 15:05:28
I don't see any signings coming in now. Which is frustrating, given the lack of talent in the defence, added to our rivals for the top 4/5 adding good signings (on paper).

And also, don't see Zirkzee moving, think he's turned down Fiorentina.



But nothing we can do about it; we just have to get on with it and hope the club know what they are doing. I personally think it will come back and bite them on the rear end, but time will tell.

31 Aug 2026 15:06:36
Totally fair to wait out a window and sign your number 1 target the next window, but pretty inexcusable to go into a potentially 50+ game with 1 experienced left back who is proven to be injury prone.

1.) Dalot and Maz can play there? So, are we saying the way we play doesn't benefit from having a natural left-footed player at left back? I doubt it.



2.) Dorgu or Amass can play. Carrick has shown he doesn't think Dorgu is a left back, and Amass has been rumoured to be sold back to the Championship.

Stop-gap or loan signing needed, in my opinion, to at least provide cover and play EFL Cup games.

31 Aug 2026 16:45:26
Rock and a hard place, but keep Zirkzee as back up No9 or loan Sorloth?

31 Aug 2026 16:49:43
I have a big problem with comparing last season to this season.

Last season we coped with limited midfield options because we only had to play one game a week. The drop off in team performance when Casemiro was off the pitch was massive.

Unless you expect us to drop out of every cup competition, we can't muddle through with one left back.

Shaw is injury prone, getting older, and tbh looks a bit off pace despite not going to the WC.

Amass isn't ready to play at the top level, and Dorgu isn't a defender. At that point we're relying on right backs to cover Shaw, and that's a massive concern.

01 Sep 2026 01:48:00
I sort of understand the point you are trying to make, but it's likely Shaw is gone at the end of this season. Dorgu ain't a lb, Amass seems to not be rated, and if he's loaned this season I believe he has one year left on his deal, so will prob be sold, and then there's Leon, who could be anything or nothing...

I wouldn't say spending 34m on Raum or 14m on Salinas is a waste of money, both are release clauses as well. If Hall is indeed #1 target next summer, you'd either have an experienced player for him, or rotate with a more defensive lb to rotate with, who has a different profile and can play cb.

31 Aug 2026 12:15:09
I always believe time gives us better clarity of a situation, or in this case a football match.

Yesterday was a good and potentially needed result after the poor performance against Hull. Every club is susceptible to having a bad game, but two in a row, both against promoted clubs would have been the start of a negative narrative that would threaten to derail our season before it even gets started.

Some takeaways from the game then.

Mainoo was excellent in midfield, and he is the only one so far who has really put down a marker to be a starter. That said he does have a slight advantage as he is already settled in this team. He is really flourishing into a great player, and so far it looks like which of the other three will swap in to play alongside Kobbie to suit the game plan for that particular match. I still believe it will take another 6-8 weeks for our midfield identity to fully take shape, and probably longer for that to become consistent with the rest of the team.

Our attack looks very threatening, especially when Bruno clicks into gear. I think attack will be our strength this season. Without having one dominant goalscorer it becomes very hard for teams to come up with a plan to shut us out. It's not like if you mark one player out of the game that we are completely nullified. All of Sesko, Bruno, Mbeumo, Cunha and Rashford should be aiming to score at least 15 league goals this season. That alone would give us 75 league goals, which would make us the second highest scorers in both of the last two seasons. Add in another 20 or so goals spread out amongst the rest of the squad and we could be looking at 90+ league goals.

Finally, defensively we still look suspect. Both individually and in certain phases of play. Our tactics leave us a little open in the middle of the park, and that can lead to us being susceptible to quick counter attacks when we lose the ball. Maybe a slight change in our rest defence here could help. Rather than have 424 shape, have one of the fullbacks invert into midfield to create a 334 shape instead.
While individually we are making a few too many mistakes. Maybe some of that is down to rustiness, or a lack of cohesiveness due to a lack of consistency of selection. Or it could just be a lack of quality.

We could see quite a few high scoring games this season, where we let in a couple of goals each game, but score enough to still pick up points.

Some people are being a little too dismissive of the opposition in my opinion. Hull have won both their first two games, a record currently only matched by City and Chelsea (although Arsenal will probably also join them).

While Ipswich played well in the first half against us and made a real game of it, as well as having won their first game of the season.

Promoted teams maybe, but still in the league on merit and playing well.

31 Aug 2026 13:35:02
If you add Amad to scoring line, they each only need to score 12 to reach 72 goals total.
Everything up front looks promising.
My worries are with the back 4.

31 Aug 2026 11:26:16
Who are our strongest 11 at the moment?

Lammens
Dalot
Maguire
Martinez
Shaw
Baleba
Mainoo
Bruno
Mbeumo
Cunha
Rashford.

31 Aug 2026 11:49:07
Lammens
Heaven Martinez Shaw
Santos Mainoo Baleba
Bruno
Mbwuemo Sesko Cunha.

31 Aug 2026 12:40:23
No way Heaven gets in our strongest 11. He is too susceptible to mistakes and lacks concentration, and I don’t think Carrick thinks that highly of him either. I hope he eventually gets to our strongest 11, but he currently doesn’t make it.

As much as I hate to say it, McGuire makes our strongest 11, even Martinez is a liability as he showed yesterday.

Our defence is really poor and so slow. Plus, I don’t see our attackers all hitting 15 goals each, that’s wishful thinking.

31 Aug 2026 14:47:07
I don't see our attackers getting 15 each either. If Sesko, Cunha, Bruno, Rashford, Mbeumo and Amad get 60/65 between them in the league, that would be OK.
Then, you're hoping for 20 or so from the rest.

We are ahead of that target after 2 games.


Typically, you need between 75/85 goals to win the league; a few times it's been 90-plus.
Mind you, we need to stop letting them in at the other end, to take the pressure off needing to score 3 to win a game.

31 Aug 2026 15:23:41
Stop them going in, would be a great start, because it's just not possible to score 2-3-4 or even 5 to win a game every game, and we look terrible at the back.

Hope Lammens don't spend the season picking the ball out of the net.

Saying that, Onana is doing really well, picking the ball out of the net.

31 Aug 2026 09:37:14
5 games between now and 20th Sep
3 league games then we have a 2 week intl break
Everton (a) City (h) and Fulham (a)
And midweek cup ties in CL Sabah at home and Brighton in League Cup at home.



1st really big test for Carrick with 2 games a week.
Can we win all 5?
I don't expect City to beat us at home but we do need to improve away from home 2 big league games away that we need to win.

31 Aug 2026 10:03:51
Big few weeks coming up, Ken. That defence really does worry me though. Dalot and Shaw as number1 full backs is shocking, and the cbs don't fill me with confidence either. The midfield will improve as we go, and I think will be very good.

In forward positions, we have lots of options, so I'm happy enough there. Hope we do some business at least a lb b4 the deadline, but it doesn't look likely.

31 Aug 2026 10:53:49
You do know that back 4 and team have more points than City, Arsenal and everybody else since Jan.
I agree, we need to improve, of course we do, but don't worry, Tim, it's only a game.
We are not as bad as some people worry about; the results, in the main, say something very different.


We do need more, given the fixture schedule ahead and in order to keep improving.
The defence is poor for the higher level we aspire to, but the results have been good in the main.

31 Aug 2026 12:40:10
I actually feel more confident with our defence against teams that will have more possession and will be more methodical when in possession. When we attack and commit players forward, we look vulnerable on the counter. I hope that is where Baleba will come in and make a difference. We absolutely need to strengthen defence, though.



I must admit, I'm not his biggest fan, and I've been vocal in my criticism of him, but we certainly look better when Dalot plays at rb. Would love to see a lb come in now, and then Shaw's role becoming more a cb until we can move him on. I'm not saying Shaw starting as a cb, just that's where he'll compete for.

31 Aug 2026 13:35:42
I get that, Ken. I just feel that Shaw, especially, is a weak link back there, and teams deliberately target his side. Also, can't rely on his fitness. I'm not stressing, believe me, I just think we could improve further with someone else in that position. Just my opinion, though.

31 Aug 2026 14:21:53
I'd be of the same opinion, I think everyone is, but as someone said above, in the medium term, the wrong signing is worse than no signing. Especially at United, as we have made a lot of wrong signings in the past, and they live with you longer now than before, because it's harder to get rid of them if they don't work out, and very expensive.

31 Aug 2026 15:41:43
Agree totally with that.

31 Aug 2026 01:40:52
Got a lot of luck today. The slip creates the equalizer opportunity. Then we get away with an accidental handball for the go-ahead goal. From then on we looked really good, bar Licha's error.

I've been a supporter of Shaw based on last season's performance but today he was sadly at fault for their goal. We clearly need an upgrade at LB, and probably RB too.

I was only able to watch the second half. I thought Rashford looked very like his old self, unlucky not to score, and on one occasion a really great defensive tackle. He's costing us £15m a year. A good LW of his quality could cost us at least that in wages and amortization combined, and with no guarantee of success. If he gets back to his best he could prove to be a great asset.

Ultimately a really good win, but the team's defense still seems really suspect.

31 Aug 2026 11:03:45
Luck is a two-sided coin; did we get lucky or were Ipswich unlucky?

Does luck truly exist, or is it just the excuse of the under prepared or those lacking ability or knowledge?

For example, did the player who slipped choose to wear studs or blades? Was that a choice or luck? Maybe he chose blades, and maybe if he chose studs he would not have slipped there.

Was Mbeumo's miss bad luck, or is he not quite fully sharp yet, or maybe he didn't get a good night's sleep?

I'd say it's early in the season, and a lot of players aren't quite fully up to speed and into the swing of things yet.

This will lead to mistakes. We made some in defence, as did Ipswich's players, while there are changes in managers, players, tactics, etc, all of which the teams are getting used to.

At this stage of the season, you can only make tentative judgements on what we are seeing as teams start to try and settle into the season. Everything up until October should probably be taken with a pinch of salt.

31 Aug 2026 12:43:05
Or should it not be taken with a pinch of salt? That is the question!!!

31 Aug 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - NOMAD_RANGER has posted a new article entitled, The Lewis Ferguson Thread That Still Won't Go Away

31 Aug 2026 00:41:28
Good game today.

We have potential to do well this season and it’s obvious where we need more and that’s the defence and possibly a back up attacker.

Frustrates me that Maguire will start regardless. He is shocking and it annoys me how every manager we have starts him. He can do no wrong!

Martinez made that mistake yes but had a good game before that and if you look at Maguire during that goal, he just leaves the man free.

Anyway, going back to my main points. Good game and we looked much better after That mistake. It pushed us to keep going on.

Left back needs to be invested in.

My take would be to try and get Ait-Nouri on loan. Not getting a sniff at City because of Gvaridol and Oreilly but he could be some shrewd business and has played with Cunha down the left.

Would like to see us get a cb but don’t think that’s likely.

I think Yoro should be able to start even if he makes mistakes. We need to look to our future and they’ll only get better from playing. Heaven got dropped as soon as he has a poor game and I hope Carrick has the balls to do it to Maguire and Shaw.

I’m not a fan of Dalot but credit where it’s due, I thought he had a great game and got into some good positions.

Tielemans started poorly but much better second half. If you watched him carefully, he actually was at the centre of a lot of play.

Bruno fantastic, playing higher up the field will definitely be a bonus for us and I hope to see even more goals.

Special shout-out to Kobbie, worked hard in his toughest year as a Utd player and it looks like it’s helped unleash a beast. Can’t wait to see him partnering Baleba in the midfield.

Positives but still a long way to go!

31 Aug 2026 05:01:43
We see 7 goals, so that always makes a good game.
But some prospective needed, Ipswich are not great but scored 2, should have been 3, that's a huge concern with Hull scoring 2 as well.
I said all last season this team crying out for an experienced CB with pace, and it still is, we not got one CB worthy of the name.


The defence is far too slow, it might get more protection from Baleba, but it's a big worry against good teams.
I still worry no decent striker, striker scores Mbuemo chance, Sesko still a lot to learn but needs to get fit first...

Take the 3 points and 5 goals and move on...

31 Aug 2026 07:18:22
I think Cas gave the defence more protection than we realised last season. Hopefully Baleba can provide the same level, because we aren't buying a new CB this season.

31 Aug 2026 15:26:06
If Baleba can get anywhere near the quality of Cass, it will be a great signing, as he appears to have the legs too, but it's a huge ask to replace someone like Cass.