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Tournaments Part 1: The 1950 World Cup

16 Feb 2024 07:39:09
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Tournaments Part 1: The 1950 World Cup

15 Feb 2024 08:13:50
A lot in the media about de ligt and whether he could be available. If that's the case, could he be someone we look to?

15 Feb 2024 10:01:00
Will be expensive and I think we will have other options that are priorities. He has been at big clubs, yet there always appears to be a negative with him not holding down first team places.
Maybe I am burned by Van De Beek/ Anthony but would like to see us look elsewhere other than dutch.

15 Feb 2024 10:39:33
Liked him when he was captain at Ajax but doesn't seem to have kicked on. Don't think he'd be suited to the prem, seems to lack pace which you need. Wouldn't be cheap either. Hopefully with a new director of football coming in we move away from big names and go back to the days of unearthing the Vidic's and Evra's.

15 Feb 2024 12:06:28
He's a really good option, my only concern over him is that he lacks a little in terms of mobility. Which could be a bigger issue in the EPL.

{Ed002's Note - Matthijs de Ligt (CB) Player now happier with Tuchel as coach and will likely stay where he is, as long as he gets the playing time he desires - but the summer will see a decision made with ten Hag likely to be interested if still at Manchester United. I am not aware of any approach to Bayern Munich by Arsenal and Bayern have no interest in selling although they are persisting in chasing another CB themselves.}

15 Feb 2024 12:17:16
What’s that rule about buying players from Bayern?

15 Feb 2024 12:53:53
Gleison Bremner the latest name linked? Don't know much about him tbh.

{Ed002's Note - Gleison Bremer (CB) Juventus do not want to sell and the player wishes to stay but the club need to raise funds which has led to his representatives testing the waters with Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea to see if there is interest. He may well emerge as a first choice target for Spurs and don't rule out Manchester United but he is not first choice.}

15 Feb 2024 15:09:16
Although De Ligt is a good player, don't think he and Licha together would work. No real pace there and not sure you could play a high defensive line with them.

Ed02 has said on a couple of times that Antonio Silva was our first choice and really hope this is still the case as I think he has the qualities needed to become a top, top player. Clearly with all the changes occurring things may alter.

In my view it is vital to get the centre back position sorted, above all else, think we need two quality player's in the summer. Would prioritise this over shiny new toy's up front.
You will never consistently challenge for leagues without having this area right, the better your defence, the more attacking you can be.
The better your defence the more attacking you can be.

15 Feb 2024 20:07:18
What you would seriously go into next season with 1 centre forward? Because you seriously won’t challenge for anything if you don’t score goals.

15 Feb 2024 21:35:17
That is not what I said RTFP.

15 Feb 2024 23:27:42
Just ignore him Trophy.

16 Feb 2024 08:26:10
Deligt not for me. Too slow and you can get a run on him. Need faster ball playing CB's as all of our current ones are too slow and why we end up playing deeper and defending deeper. Love Tapsoda:) He is left footer too and miles better than the Everton guy imo but suspect very pricey.

16 Feb 2024 15:51:04
You don't play for Ajax, Holland and Bayern by being 'too slow', or too anything. He might not be Franz Beckenbauer but he'd do a decent job in the Prem in my view, albeit a little older than many of the players we're being linked with.

16 Feb 2024 16:19:28
Eric Dier got picked ahead of him. Enough said.

16 Feb 2024 17:05:54
Spenno, of course you can play for Ajax, Netherlands, and be slow, look at Daley Blind! Netherlands play 3 at the back so you can compensate for a slow player in that system, which, of course, we do not play. Maguire looks good playing for England in a 3.

As for Bayern, that is entirely the point, he is not getting the playing time there he wants and is likely to be the reason if he decides he want's to leave.

Also, I want someone who is more than just 'decent' at centre back. I honestly feel unless you have top, top quality there, you will never be truly successful.

I know it will never happen and as someone often advises I will not be holding my breath, but Araujo and Antonia Silva would be my first choice.

16 Feb 2024 18:33:22
Donny played for Ajax he hardly moves, Antony played for Ajax for a winger he is slow Blind is incredibly slow, de jong is slow, De Ligt is slow, they rely more on technical quality hence why lots struggle in the blood and thunder premier league.

I’m not sure where this fallacy of play for Ajax and your a world beater, they would be lucky to get in top 6 in Premier even when ETH won the league with that team, it would not finish top 6 here

Good technical players but it’s poor league and is much slower and less physical.

16 Feb 2024 18:39:54
Spenno

Mancman hit the nail. he is okay playing 3 at the back, they did that at juve too. with our 433 and two fullbacks who are suppose to get up the pitch we need pacey CB's imo, he lacks pace and i have watched him over the years quite a bit.

16 Feb 2024 20:29:24
Agree with a large portion of that strangeways.
There are plenty of examples of elite players coming intnl the epl from Holland and excelling but mostly the struggle and primarily due to the physicality of the league.
Playing epl is like playing a different sport compared to practically all other league's.
Of course many come in and cope brilliantly but they are the elite and for every Bergkamp and van persie or RVN there are a dozen Anthony's or Roy's or berguin or vdb.

16 Feb 2024 22:37:51
He's a top class defender, he's good on the ball, and he's dominant in the air, but he does lack pace. He would be a great option for the right price, and he's still very young, same age as Todibo.

Antonio Silva is potentially the best option available, but he's only 20 and I'm not sure he is ready to be first choice at Man Utd, although I haven't seen him play enough to fully judge.

Shame we missed out on Kim Min Jae in the summer really, he's a fantastic defender and he has all the attributes we would be looking for. Then again, so does that Van De Ven lad at Tottenham, he's certainly not slow.

16 Feb 2024 22:58:25
Seriously, how many people have watched Antonio Silva? I'm sure everyone rubs their hands together gleefully awaiting the Portuguese league kick-offs every week. He's the latest bandwagon name that has snowballed and everyone has climbed on. Would anyone seriously know if they were sitting next to him in the pub right now?

17 Feb 2024 00:46:35
spenno, I have watched Antonio Silva quite a few times, both in Champions League and Primeira Liga matches this season, mainly because we are very strongly linked with both him and Joao Neves (midfielder) and ED02 has said he is our No1 target this summer.

With one exception, when he a bit of a mare in CL game against Inter, he has always looked polished and accomplished. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time and is very good in the air and strong in the tackle, he always seems to have time to make the right decision. I have always thought the mark of a good player is when they seem to have that time.

Now I am not suggesting I am some sort of expert, but you can only say what you see and furthermore I have read quite a few scouting report's on him, written by people who do so extensively and believe me he is very, very, highly rated by many independent sources.

I am sorry if you feel your comments on De Ligt were not met with universal approval, but please do not let that cloud your opinion on Silva.

17 Feb 2024 13:51:29
De Ligt is a very good player, he does lack pace and mobility but to a large extent makes up for that with good reading of the game.

That said he isn't a player I'd be hoping we sign. I think that mobility and pace issue will be more apparent in the much quicker and less predictable EPL. Add to that the likely cost and I just think there are better suited options available for much less.

Ahmad, you do seem to have a real love in for Tapsoda. He seems a decent player to be fair but he wouldn't feature as highly on my list of preferred targets. He is actually right footed (but still good with his left) . My concerns with him would be that he has excelled in a back three system in a league that is much less dynamic and varied than the EPL. I feel that due to the more transitional style of of the Bundesliga that both defenders and attackers from that league have a very patchy success rate when moving to the EPL.

Ideally I think if you want players to have the best chance of success then you want to sign players who play in leagues that have more similarities with the EPL and playing for teams that play in a similar way to what you're team are looking to play.

It's no good looking at the great stats and success a defender is having playing in a team that plays with a low block in a slow pace league. Is it any real surprise to see them struggling when they move to a team that plays a high line in a much quicker paced league?

While we need to sign a CB who is good on the ball and can play out from the back, they also need to have the physical ability to play in our more physically demanding league.

Kim Min Jae would have been a great signing in my opinion. Real shame we missed out on him.

Antonio Silva looks a great player, not the quickest but not slow and a great reader of the game. My only real concern would be price as I'd expect Benfica to demand a kings ransom for him. 70-90m would not surprise me at all. In which case that is just too much.

Todibo would be a good compromise, ticks all the boxes style and skill set wise, would likely be cheaper but maybe doesn't have the same potential as someone like Silva.

I think Leny Yoro has similar potential to Antonio Silva but would likely be available much cheaper. Although he lacks experience.

Also we need to assess Kambwala and wether he has the potential to grow into a first team player. If so then singing another 19 or 20 year old CB to play on the right side of the defence is just continuing to put barriers in the pathway to our own youth players.

I'm unsure what Kambwala's ceiling is, we need to see more of him playing at senior level to work that out.

If we are looking at young players Ousmane Diomande is someone who is definitely worth a look at. Good on the ball and a physical beast, quick and strong. Could be moulded into an elite CB, and we rarely go wrong when signing players from Sporting.

Marc Guehi could also be a good pick up from within the EPL.

Branthwaite looks a very good prospect, and is a left footed CB with is a bit of a unicorn in football. He also has leadership qualities that we are in dire need of.

17 Feb 2024 14:19:49
IWOTB, I am sorry if you feel my comments on Silva were not met with universal approval. I'm sure you know best, just like most do here. All opinions and all valid.
He strikes me as a player that will cost a fair whack and we need a few of those in key positions, so I don't see us doing too many deals like that. We certainly do have a lot of average players and although everyone would like us to replace them all with worldies I think there's a rung in the ladder between them we may have to cross as we continue to build before world domination.

17 Feb 2024 19:25:19
spenno, what was that about? my comments about Silva were meant entirely genuinely, there was nothing else to them. You seemed annoyed last night with your very sarcastic post about Portuguese football and Silva himself and it was simply a case of separating the issues.
Indeed this post of yours also seems to rely on sarcasm, with your you know best and word domination references.
I merely stated my opinion and am happy to talk about the merits of both, but only without the sarcasm.

Liverpool v Burnley - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

13 Feb 2024 07:39:11
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Burnley - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

12 Feb 2024 19:57:54
hello Ed01, have you ever done a player profile on Hojlund? if not can i please request one, thank you.

{Ed001's Note - I don't think I have, so I have added him to the list for you.}

13 Feb 2024 10:26:00
Thanks Ed. Keen to see that. I'd also be curious what your thoughts are on McTominay. Such an enigma.

{Ed001's Note - McTominay just needed guidance and coaching when he first came through and never got it. You can see when playing for Scotland that he can be better when he understands what he is meant to be doing. Unfortunately it is too late for him now, he will never achieve what he could have been and all he is useful for now is late runs into the box. So you either build a team around that or he is not much help.}

13 Feb 2024 13:21:15
Jesus ed that is harsh.

So when he plays for Scotland it's fine but it's too late now? He's still playing for Scotland and playing well.

{Ed001's Note - international football is a much lower level and he has a very much more limited set of instructions to follow there.}

13 Feb 2024 14:45:17
Thanks Ed. Insightful.

{Ed001's Note - very welcome and thank you too.}

13 Feb 2024 15:04:34
Do you have the same opinion of Rashford Ed? As with McT he's really good (possibly great) at some parts of the game, but is incredibly lacking on a lot of the rest. I'd assumed that with dedicated coaching he could push on. We've all been putting it down to attitude that he hasn't done so, but perhaps the lack of good coaching over the period that he was first coming into the first team is the issue.

{Ed001's Note - to a large degree, yes. He has also massively suffered through a lack of coaching. You can see he has no idea how to press or when to press. Watching him on the ball is frustrating as you can see he has not learnt how to use his options to open the game up for himself and others. Attitude can also become part of a problem through that lack of coaching, as a player with no ideas becomes frustrated with themselves when things are not working. Because he has not had coaching on options when his play is not working, it means he doesn't know what to do to change things.

I do think attitude is not helping him. His lifestyle choices have become more geared towards living it up than living the game. A few more hours spent watching players who play his position and seeing how they look to do more than just cut in and shoot all the time would do him good. A bit of 1-on-1 coaching after the main session has finished would also be a benefit, but both things need to come from him. He needs to be looking to improve now, he has to want it.

In McTominay's case, he has and does put in a bit more effort in training, he clearly does want to be better. However he has shown to operate at his best when his responsibilities are limited and his role is laid out for him. It is very difficult to do that for a midfielder at a high-level club, they need to be capable of more. Someone like Roy Hodgson would give him that limited role, as does Clark with Scotland. But I can't see him ever getting that luxury at United.}

13 Feb 2024 17:59:35
Thanks Ed. In both cases I think you're absolutely right.

13 Feb 2024 21:28:55
So would McT want a bigger role with a smaller club, or a bit part role at United.

I think he is like a Fletcher, O'Shea or Smalling, can do a decent job when called upon.

One thing for sure, I'm glad he stuck around this year.

13 Feb 2024 22:34:02
100% agree on rashford.
I think he would benefit from a move abroad. I think he could do really well but it will come down to him and his desire. If doesn't matter if he stays or goes its down to him and his application to his profession.

13 Feb 2024 22:43:52
Grim no he’s not. Oshea and smalling were defenders and pretty poor ones at that. Oshea had a solid career fair enough.

But to Fletcher, he was a very good player and well coached, won multiple league titles, very under rated. Mctominay is not even close to him. Fletcher went to other clubs and became their captain, Mctominay doesn’t have that in his locker.

13 Feb 2024 23:44:11
G_Nev2 say what you want about O’Shea but he never let us down.

14 Feb 2024 08:08:40
Damning about lack of coaching…

Wonder what other players (past and current) have had their potential limited by United because of this.

Woukd hope new regime bring in players that can be coached and really raise their games.

12 Feb 2024 21:24:58
Who do we think we might look to sign at centre forward this summer? We obviously don't want to block Hojlund, which makes it more difficult than other position we need to strengthen, but we need a centre forward. I would be keen on Mattheus Cunha personally since he can play across the front three and as a 10, which might save some funds this summer to sort out other positions and allow us to delay signing a right forward until next summer. Gyokeres is having a fantastic season for Sporting, but would he be happy to play back up to Hojlund given he can only play through the middle?

12 Feb 2024 22:15:13
If we finish is a European place this season then we can expect to play 55-60 games next season.

Plenty for two strikers to make 30 starts and 15 sub appearances each.

That being said I doubt we have the funds to sign a top end elite striker this summer, even if one was available.

I'd like to see us either sign a really good back up striker or a youngish (22-24) year old with good potential to improve who is a different style of striker to Højlund. Give the manager a different option either to start some games or off the bench.

There are lost of names we could go for, but who we do move on will depend on who the manager is, who the DoF is, who is available and wants to join, the competition we have for that player etc.

13 Feb 2024 22:08:57
Would be nice to promote from the academy, but not sure we have anyone who is ready to make the step up.

Like everyone else we should raid Leverkusen at the end of the season when Alonso goes to Liverpool. Wirtz and Boniface would be top of my list, spend the £300m on improving the team, the stadium can wait until SJR buys out the absentee landlords.

15 Feb 2024 05:50:00
If Alonso goes to liverpool I expect Tapsoda to follow. Rolls Royce of a defender and like us can see them adding a couple of CB's. I don't believe Liverpool will be in the market for a number 10 but a right winger to replace salah.

12 Feb 2024 16:59:04
A lot of noise has been made about the injury problems of Martinez - plenty from myself, but, with Shaw's own injury issues, I think left-sided CB summer signing is perhaps now a priority.

Martinez, injured or not, needs decent competition from a proper CB. Shaw, despite being an adequate backup at left CB, is not the answer. I disagree completely with the narrative that he's a better CB than LB, but to each their own.
Evans is too old to become the answer and Maguire, irrespective of how dominant a force he can be, is, like Evans, not a natural on the left.

We have 5 proper CBs who are, at least predominantly, right-footed, but just one left-footed option.
Additionally, we have 2 senior LBs with major injury problems this season, as opposed to the 2 lesser-afflicted on the right.
Yet, there are those who would insist that neither Alvaro nor Brandon Williams are good enough - each is better than an option out injured.

First and foremost for me, defensively, as shown by this season, a natural left-sided CB must surely be the priority.
Secondly, we need to manage the load faced by Shaw and, if Malacia can't return to the level required, then we have to commit some faith in Alvaro or Williams.

So, do we splash out £60-£70m on a Bastoni or an Inacio, do we take the option of an overpriced big old lump like Branthwaite for £40-£50m, or do we take a punt on someone like Nuraly Alip for maybe £15-£20m?

Or instead, should we stick with 3 injury-prone options to cover 2 positions while we lazily focus only on the right side that has 7 options across 2 positions with only Varane as the standout injury problem?

For me, it's now a no-brainer.
Until yesterday, I was thinking maybe Shaw could become the answer, but seeing Lindelof at LB with Maguire at left CB reeks of defensive fragility.

I know Dalot can cover LB, but will we now see Lindelof at RB until another FB returns?

Between now and April, we have 6 PL games - one at the Etihad and 5 winnable. This will be the easiest remaining period for us to gather points, but now our defensive injury gremlins have reappeared.

That said, we're only 5 and 6 points behind Villa and Spurs respectively with a debatably easier run-in - we might yet just squeak our stinky little extruder into the top 4.

12 Feb 2024 18:19:29
I think Branthwaite is a fine prospect and doing well. I think he is a realistic option.
He looks better than Evans lindelof and maguire to me and I think he has a very good future ahead of him.

12 Feb 2024 18:35:02
We’ve been unfortunate with long term injuries this season at the back. Our left back has been out for most of it, and our back up left back is out pretty much for the season too. Martinez has been Nicky with injuries, but Varane is a liability fitness wise.

I think we need x2 new CBs and a RB in the summer.

12 Feb 2024 19:45:28
I think we should ideally look to sign two centre backs. However, I also think we should look to sign two midfielders. Given our limited depth in forward areas, that would mean at least 6 new signings this summer, which isn't going to happen.

With that in mind I think if we signed one centre back, either Todibo or De Ligt, and kept Maguire and Varane, that would cover us pretty nicely at the back, since Maguire can play left or right side. Even Lindelof can play left or right side, and actually played really well next to Varane last season during the final few weeks.

That would leave more money for those two midfielders, which will be essential with Eriksen, Amrabat, and Donny all leaving this summer. Right back can wait until next summer for me, partly because I don't think there are many right backs available that are good enough. Frimpong might not be suited to a back 4, mainly playing really high in a back 5 for Leverkusen and even playing as right forward. Mazroaui might be allowed to leave Bayern in the summer but I don't think he would be an improvement on Dalot, perhaps not even Wan Bissaka. Arnau Martinez is pretty solid but I'm not convinced the City Football Group would sell to United and again I don't he would offer any more than Dalot. Pedro Porro is a class player and would massively improve that side but Spurs would understandably demand huge money.

12 Feb 2024 20:23:52
I've said all along that ideally we sign two CB's this summer. I also think we need to sign two midfielders unless Casemiro is both able and willing to play one more season in more of a back up role. If not then we definitely need two midfielders, as Mainoo is the only other option.

Branthwaite would be a great option and we will probably need to look at signing some options that count as homegrown players given that Maguire, Evans, AWB, McTominay, Greenwood and Sancho are all players who could and probably should depart this summer.

Then a right sided CB such as Todibo or Antonio Silva. Although Tomori and Guehi would obviously also count as homegrown alternatives.

It would be good if we could sign a RB who could also play at CB in a pinch if needed, someone like Geertruida or Simakan.

One thing is for sure, until we get better defenders who can play with the ball and enable a better style of play, we will continue to have inconsistent results.

Lots of talk about wingers such as Olise. But I think it's the spine/ heart of the team that needs rebuilding.

Look at Liverpool last year and this. Completely changed the midfield and went from alsorans to contenders.

When the team defenders well and controls the ball we will improve in attack.

I'd leave RW this summer and then maybe have a look at Cole Palmer for summer 2025 if Chelsea haven't improved. A local lad with bags of ability and a great attitude by all accounts.

We also have a few young players who could in the next couple of years start pushing for a first team place. Harry Amass at LB, the Fletcher twins in midfield, Shea Lacey at RW.

We need to start to think about Thier pathway into the first team.

12 Feb 2024 21:41:38
Shappy, I would consider keeping Maguire and McTominay this summer - never thought I would say that. Maguire is a decent centre back and solid pro, and McTominay is a great option off the bench, and has been invaluable this season. I would also keep Varane another season as he is without question our best defender with Martinez out. If we keep Martinez, Maguire, Lindelof, and Varane this summer, then we could afford to sign only one centre back.

Equally, I would keep Casemiro as he is our best midfielder when fit, but I think we should still be looking to sign two midfielders this summer. Eriksen and Amrabat will leave, which leaves only Casemiro, Mainoo, Mount, Bruno, and Scott. Mainoo is still only 18, Casemiro can't play twice every week, and Scott isn't good enough to start. We need a number 6 to provide back up for Casemiro and eventually replace him or compete with a future signing and a number 8 to take the burden off Kobbie and potentially start alongside him this summer.

Then next summer we can allow Varane, Lindelof, Maguire and Casemiro and Scott to leave, potentially Bruno too, and sign two centre backs and a young defensive midfielder that can play at 6 or 8 next summer.

In an ideal world our midfield options would be Kamara, Thuram, De Jong, Mainoo, and Mount by 2025. Then we can stop playing a number 10 that doesn't offer any defensive stability or ball retention.

12 Feb 2024 21:43:32
Branthwaite was shrugged aside like a Playmobil toy for City's second. What is the love-in with this player, simply by his nationality he'll cost three times what a shreweder less glamourous name might once our amazing network of scouts across the globe kicks in.
I thought when Lindelof came on at LB he was lucky not to cost us, they were targeting that side. Fish out of water. From what I've seen of Malacia I don't think he's the answer either.

12 Feb 2024 22:29:09
Gilly, Maguire and McTominay have been decent for us this season, but neither are good enough to be first choice and we need to both raise funds and make space in the squad before we can sign anyone.

Sell both of them and that's 70 maybe 80m coming into the club for two players who just aren't good enough.

If we are shrewd with our signings we could replace both with more suited players who could and would likely be first choice.

Todibo is supposedly available for around 30-35m, which is probably around what we could get Maguire.

While a player I really like and think would be a great signing is Manu Kone from Gladbach. Again probably available for between 30-35m which is what we would likely get for McTominay.

Then if we get 25-30m for Varane and 40-50m for Casemiro from Saudi Arabia then we would have plenty to buy replacements who are more suited to how we want to play and with more longevity.

If someone will pay 20-25m for AWB then I'm fairly confident we could sign someone like Geertruida or Simakan for a similar fee to replace him. Again moving on a player who probably doesn't have a long term future and bringing in a player who could.

Selling Maguire, McTominay, Varane, Casemiro, and AWB and bringing in two CB's, two CM's and a RB for around what we make would in theory leave all our budget not including money made from sales to sign a striker.

While selling the likes of Donny, Hannibal, Pellistri, Greenwood and Sancho could further raise significant funds if the club were to try and make more than 5 or 6 signings this summer.

12 Feb 2024 23:57:52
I don't think we will allow that many players to leave this summer. Wan Bissaka will probably leave if we can a good enough offer, but I'm not convinced by the players that have been linked as a replacement. Simaken might be a useful signing as a back up right back, since he is also an adept centre back, but other than that, there are not many that would be a significant upgrade on Wan Bissaka, let alone an upgrade on Dalot. Pedro Porro might be the best young right back not currently playing for an elite team, and he would cost huge money.

If we can wrap up deals for Todibo and Thuram with the money we can raise by selling Maguire and McTominay then fair enough, but we would still have to sign another centre back and another centre midfielder, which would likely cost another £100m. Greenwood, Sancho, Pellestri, Henderson will all be sold which will more or less cover that, but there would still be centre forward and right forward to consider.

If we allow Varane and Casemiro to leave this summer they will also have to be replaced, at significant cost. Whereas if we can keep them for a further season, perhaps on reduced wages, which has been suggested, then I think that would be the most astute option, both financially, and with regard to squad depth and experience.

Granted, if we sold Varane, Maguire, Casemiro, and McTominay this summer, along with those that haven't featured such as Greenwood, Sancho, Pellestri, Henderson, then we could potentially afford to spend £300 million of 6-8 new players this summer, but in our history, we simply haven't ever done that all in one window. I think it will be £200 million spent on 4-5 players, with maybe £120 million raised from sales. Next summer, 2-3 new players and letting Varane, Casemiro, Anthony leave would be sensible.

13 Feb 2024 01:12:02
Shappy where are you getting these figures from? £30-35m for Maguire? He’ll be 31 years old, barely have played well for 2 years and he’s literally average (altho perhaps good for a low defensive block) on high wages (unlikely to want to a massive drop off in wages) have 1 year left on his contract. His options are West Ham and maybe an Italian side like Roma? At best. Neither will want to be spending more than £20m at max imo when factoring age and wages and contract remaining etc

Mctominay will also have 1 year left on his contract. There’s v little interest in him, maybe West Ham, maybe Newcastle? No continental team is paying £30m for him with 1 year left on his contract.

Pretty sure Nice were asking for 50-60m for Todibo in January, which is always inflated prices compared to the summer window but I’d imagine they’d still want £40m+ this summer.

So think Maguire + Mctominay = Todibo or there about.

AWB is also in his last year on contract and seemingly the only interest is Crystal Palace. I’d imagine 15m seems fair.

Varane and Casemiro are slight wild cards, who knows what Saudi clubs are willing to pay for Casemiro but 40-50m seems especially generous, and I’m not entirely sure who would want to sign Varane? There were links of him going back to Madrid but I don’t see them signing an injury prone CB on high wages for £30m.


Ultimately I think those players raise £120m max imo. A far cry from the 200m+ you seem to expect. Also Donny, Sancho, Greenwood, Pellistri and Hannibal raising ‘significant funds’ seems overblown. 10, 35, 20, 10, 10 would probs be around the figures I’d imagine clubs would pay for them, so maybe another 100m max.

13 Feb 2024 02:56:10
Agreed Fuser, we simply can't afford to replace that many players in one window. We need a centre back, we need a number 6 and a number 8, and we need a centre forward and perhaps a right forward, although a versatile forward that can play across the front three might be the more financially astute option.

If we can shift Henderson, Williams, Eriksen, Sancho, Greenwood, Pellestri, Hannibal, and Donny this summer to begin with, that could raise £120 million, perhaps more. That should cover at least half the money we invest in those four new players.

Give Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, McTominay, Casemiro, and Varane each another year, and extend contracts by a year if necessary, then take £20 million a pop next summer and run. We would probably only two young centre backs, a right back, and one centre midfielder, ideally capable as a number 6 and as a number 8 to replace those 6. Potentially cash in on Bruno next summer too, which would give us plenty cash to replace those players and improve the positions we can't improve this summer.

13 Feb 2024 05:51:52
There’s so many players that need to go
Varane being one along with Evans lindelof awb and I’d like to see Maguire go but he may stay
We desperately need a top top right back who is a threat going forward but also does his job! Dalot good back up option
Erickson and amrabat will go and do they cash in on mctom while stock is high?
Sancho greenwood pellistri martial Donny also to go! I’d keep cas as a squad player to help and find a top part long term for mainoo!
It won’t happen all at once but I’d expect a lot of the above to be gone in next 18 months!

13 Feb 2024 10:01:51
There is a reason why finance and figures are not spoken about by the eds.
There is more nonsense in this thread than I'veseen in a long time.
Is for real not a computer game. Nobody has a clue what their talking about.
"Increase their contracts by a year if necessary"???
Really lads stick to the day jibs.

13 Feb 2024 10:25:36
Fuser, West Ham agreed a 35m deal for Maguire last summer only for the player to turn it down. That was off the back of Maguires worst season with us, having hardly played and being a total liability when he did. Since then he's had some decent if not spectacular form, so I think 30-35m is about the right figure for him coming off the back of an improved season.

McTominay had interest at 30m last summer but we waned 35m, again coming off of a poor season. This season McTominay has 8 goals for United and 7 goals for Scotland. Probably having his best season of his career, certainly his most prolific in front of goal. Therefore, 30-35m for him seems about right.

The wages are a non-issue in my opinion. United would have to pay up the final year of their deals anyway, while the buying clubs do not have to match their United wages, so will offer them wages in line with their clubs wage structure.

AWB would achieve 20-25m in the current market for an English homegrown player. Especially one whose only just turned 26 and is entering their prime, the buying club would get 5 maybe 6 years of peak performances from him.

Varane has had interest from both Bayern and Real Madrid as well as from Saudi Arabia, 25-30m for him seems about right.

Casemiro is the wild card, could be anything from 30-50m for him from Saudi Arabia.

I'm assuming maths isn't your strong suit, if you add up the lower end ranges I've put down (70, 25, 40, 20) then you get 155m, if you add up the higher end of the figures I suggested (80, 30, 50, 25) then you get 185m.

So I haven't suggested we'd make 200m+ from selling Maguire, McTominay, AWB, Varane and Casemiro like you're saying.

I said we could raise significant funds from the selling of some fringe players. I think you're probably right with fees of 10m each for players like Donny and Pellistri. That seems about right, but we might get a little more for Pellistri. Hannibal has a 20m purchase option in his Sevilla loan which suggests the club would want around that figure for him, which means your suggestion of 10m seems unlikely.

I think your suggestions of 35m for Sancho and 20m for Greenwood are a fair bit short of what we will actually get, I'd expect more like 45-50m for Sancho given his good form for Dortmund. While Greenwood has caught the attentions of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, again I'd expect closer to 40m maybe even a bit above that.

My point however is that I didn't give any figures I just said the selling of these players would raise significant funds. You stated that was "overblown" then gave some figures that are probably on the low side that still totalled 85m, You suggested "100m max". I think most people on here would agree that 85-100m is a significant amount of money. Enough to make one or two top quality signings at least, maybe three with some great scouting.

Like I said though I think you've underestimated on at least 3 of those players so it could be 120m.

This also doesn't include the 16m we should get from selling Henderson plus whatever we get from Williams and Alvaro Fernandez which might only be 10-15m. Still that's another 26-30m to add to the pile.

So that's 155-185m from Maguire, Varane, AWB, McTominay and Casemiro.

100-120m for Sancho, Greenwood, Donny, Pellistri and Hannibal.

and a further 26-30m for Henderson, Williams and Alvaro Fernandez.

meaning a total of between 281-335m.

That's 13 players sold with only 3 maybe 4 of them being players who'd possibly be first 11 regulars. The rest are squad players who'd have minimal impact over the whole season.

If we can bring in 5-6 first 11 quality players to replace them (which with 280m before the club adds any funds of their own or anything from INEOS should be more than enough to secure 5-6 players) We would be a much strong squad and better team for it.

As for what player would cost to buy I'm only going off of figures I've seen quoted, which I accept is horribly inconsistent.

The figures Nice would accept for their players for example have varied wildly, with some of the outlets suggesting higher figures if sold in January as opposed to what they might accept in the summer. Which given their position in a title challenge makes sense.

Either way the club should be able to raise significant funds through player sales this summer without having to sell key players.

13 Feb 2024 10:58:06
Shappy I'm now 100% sure you don't understand what your talking about.
No need for the hypothesis.
So far off the mark and so far from understanding.

13 Feb 2024 12:06:14
Times two, take away three and then tell me what time it is in Abu Dhabi!

13 Feb 2024 12:27:10
In modern football, it pays to have versatile and dynamic options for each department - say a Jonny Evans or a Scott McTominay.

Now, I've been perhaps rather harsh on McTominay over the last couple of years, but he's shut me and many others up a little with his endeavour.

If it were up to me, I'd keep Maguire and McTominay, for reasons I'll explain further down.
Both, along with Shaw, Kambwala, Mainoo, Mount, Rashford and Garnacho, would fulfill the homegrown quota.
Additionally, we have the 'homegrown' options of Gore, Hannibal, Williams, Alvaro, Bennett, Fish, Vitek, McNeill, Hugill, Forson, and the enigma that is Shoretire to decide upon. We might also have the Ethans - Wheatley and Williams - looking to stick toes in the door.
Of this group, I would probably sell Hannibal, Williams, Bennett, Fish, Vitek, McNeill and Shoretire. I doubt we'd make more than £30m from that lot, but they've all had time and we need to be ruthless.
Greenwood and Sancho are, to me, irrelevant beyond anything that pertains to received fees.

So now, we get to the senior options with value who have contracts expiring in 2024, 2025 or 2026.
Maguire might just end up leaving on a free, we must simply accept that because of the sheer enormity of his wages. He's here, imo, until 2025, that's when we should be working on his replacement.
Lindelof's contract extension also runs out in 2025, but he's not on stupid money and would absolutely be someone I'd be looking to shift.
£15m?
Varane might stay for another season with an extension, but I'd prefer to sell him. Maybe another £15m?
Evans is worth keeping for another year.
I'd look to tie Kambwala down to a new contract.
I'd sell AWB who, for me, has always been an earnest yet average PL defender who can chuck in a worldie tackle. £15m max?
Malacia (2026) is a difficult one. I'd hope to see him have an injury-free crack for a season before deciding on him.
Casemiro needs to be sold. Great player, but now failing fast.
Contracted until 2026, Saudi clubs circling, £25m+?
Eriksen will go, no doubt about that. Maybe £10m?
McTominay is an experienced, versatile player with physical attributes most don't have - big, tall and athletic. I've been harsh on the guy because I've always wanted him to be a master rather than a jack, but he's still a decent squad option.
Fernandes (2026). Yeah, never an option for sale.
Then we have Amad. I really do like him as a player, but if Antony isn't sold then he needs to move for the sake of his own career. I doubt anyone will pay close to half of the fee we signed Antony for so, unfortunately, I think Amad will go.
Perhaps another £15m?
Martial can just f*** off. Absolute w***** who, for me, is one of the worst signings we've ever made. Lazy af p**** with a pathetic attitude. Just go already.

Then we have the remaining 4 loanees - Sancho, Greenwood, Donny and Pellistri. Sell all 4. £30m, £25-£30m, £5-£10m, £10m, respectively.

So, conservatively, we could generate £195m from the sales of 17 players.

Of course that won't happen, but the point is that we must get ruthless with players already here before looking at improving the squad.

13 Feb 2024 13:23:08
Ork,

Think this is one of those times that I completely agree with ed002.

We shouldn't be chatting about finances, we haven't got a clue ?.

13 Feb 2024 13:27:28
Last paragraph there ork imo is the key.
I don't think your numbers make any sense at all but the idea of being ruthless and potentially taking big hits is OK but the books have to balance so that may well mean we need to sell one of our more valuable assets.
We all have our dream scenario or wish list but without the full picture its all just stuff in our heads.
If players don't want to move its not easy to shift them as we've seen.
I think we all just have to sit back and hope that the club tick as many of our hopes as possible and as fans we need to support that outcome imo.
No quick fix I think we all have to be patient.
But I totally agree that getting players out is more important than those coming in just now. That's just my opinion without seeing the full picture.

13 Feb 2024 14:09:14
Snappy there is no way we are getting £300 million for those players, not a chance. Just because we paid far too much for them doesn’t mean other clubs are that daft.

Tumbleweed, United have signed several players over several, with an option to extend for a further year written into their contract. For example, Pogba signed a 5 year deal with an option for a further year when we signed him in 2016, Sancho signed a 5 year deal with an option for a further year when we signed him in 2021, and Lindelof signed a new 5 year deal with an option for a further year in 2019, along with countless others.

I’m guessing similar deals will have been agreed for players such as Wan Bissaka, Maguire, and McTominay, meaning we could extend their contracts until 2025 if necessary, and therefore keep them for a further season, whilst still getting a decent fee next summer. I believe Varane has a contract until 2025, and Casemiro has a contract until 2026, though I might be wrong, so we might lose Varane on a free next summer, but I don’t know if the club might have the option to extend his contract for a further year.

It will be interesting to see how the club decide to shift so many players that don’t have a future at club, be it short term or long term, but I think it is utterly unrealistic to expect them to sell nearly 15 players in one window, and even more so to expect them to raise £300 million in the process.

13 Feb 2024 14:43:18
angelred

I'm not being funny but, while I'm sure Ed002 might at times be fed up with seeing discussion about financial doings that we're not privy to, if the Eds were vehemently opposed to said discussions they wouldn't approve the posts.
They are, after all, the captains of this 'ere ship.

Tumbleweed

As I also have no detailed picture of the intricacies involved, I can only speculate from the information available to me.

Players can be difficult to shift, Martial is the prime example of that.

My overall position is this.
I wish I could have been a pro footballer, but I was always crap.
I'd love to be a top-level football coach, but I know I'd be crap.
Despite how crap I am at playing the game and how crap I'd almost certainly be at coaching it, my inner i'd is still a rotund little 8yo hoping that just today I'll not be the last kid picked and that the game goes how I want it.
That's literally where I am when it comes to United and football in general - a kid that, despite the spiteful nibble of reality, wishes he was involved with the game he loves so dearly.

As long as the Eds allow it, this kid will unapologetically continue to talk football on any level I wish because, despite how crap I am, I am still utterly obsessed with the game.

So yes, I will talk finances, as will Shappy, as will you when it suits.
I might well talk a fair amount of trash, but I'll own that, take it on one of my chins and move on.

It is what it is mate.

13 Feb 2024 14:47:55
Dalot is playing fantastic right now and is a shout for our player of the season. There is a reason why it is difficult to find better options out there that are playing at smaller clubs.

Last year he was terrible on the back post and wan bissska was better defending a tricky winger. But this season he has improved both those problems areas and has also played well coming into midfield and overlapping out wide (where he crossing is a little hit and miss) .

13 Feb 2024 16:01:50
I respect that ork. At least your not delusional. But to be fair it's quite easy to ecucate yourself more about the finances and some of the intricacies and costs on transfers. Ed002 has a few pieces posted in the archives so you have a lot more info available to you to make more informed posts.
None of us have any idea on what is likely to happen on transfers and of course we all think we know how to pick a team and manage a squad but as you rightly say it's thrash talk nonsense, the tea lady from the office would have an opinion on how we should approach it and she would swear she is right too?
Nowt wrong with dreaming mate.

13 Feb 2024 17:41:43
Tumbleweed

I'm really not as thick as you presume.

For example, amortisation.
I understand that anything in addition to £4m max for Lindelof in the summer would be considered profit.
Anything in addition to £8.2m max for Varane would be profit.
I know we'd want £35m to break even on Casemiro, £29.2m on Sancho and £49.2m on Antony.

I also know that, for the club, contract amortisation isn't the only prickly issue - wages are a big ol' concern too, but in terms of PSR/ FFP they are of no consequence.

Of all the players I suggested we sell at the fees given, only Casemiro and Donny would represent losses - maybe a maximum of a £15m loss on the pair, offset by the profit on just Varane and Lindelof.
Eriksen arrived on a free, so £10m for him would be considered profit.
Anything in addition to £7.4m max for Amad would be profit.
Anything in addition to £1.8m max for Pellistri would be profit.
Then we have the suggested £60m made from the sales of Greenwood, Williams, Bennett, Fish, Vitek, McNeill, Shoretire and Hannibal - almost entirely profit. That figure may be missing the mark one way or another, but you get the gist.

I know you don't rate figures being bandied about and that's fine, but your dismissal doesn't count as greater knowledge or better understanding of financial doings.
I think your rating of Branthwaite is cuckoo-speak, but that's an opinion from someone who, from the outset, knows no more or less than you.

I'll be frank, amortisation of contracts in football is not the most familiar to me, but I don't think I'm doing too bad learning as I go.
I'm certainly no expert and I'm always happy to be corrected, but shut downs won't happen with me mate.

13 Feb 2024 18:06:38
Ork,

"If it were up to me, I'd keep Maguire and McTominay, for reasons I'll explain further down.
Both, along with Shaw, Kambwala, Mainoo, Mount, Rashford and Garnacho, would fulfill the homegrown quota. "

Players under the age of 21 don't have to be named in your 25 man squad. Meaning Kambwala, Mainoo and Garnacho will not be included in our "homegrown" quota for 2-3 more seasons yet.

Which means even if we keep hold of Maquire and McTominay, along with Shaw, Mount and Rashford that we only have five players to register as homegrown.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the likes of Evans and Heaton stick around for that reason.

It's often easier to think that we can only have 17 players over the age of 21 who aren't "homegrown". Next season for example Hojlund will need to be registered, while he didn't have to be this season.

Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia, Diogo Dalot, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek, Bruno Fernandes, Antony, Facundo Pellistri, Anthony Martial, Rasmus Hojlund and Amad Diallo.

As it stands these 16 players will all need to be registered next season if they were to still be at the club.

So effectively it would need to pretty much be a one in one out approach to signing non-homegrown players.

If we want to sign 5 or 6 non-homegrown players we will need to sell/ release 4 or 5 non-homegrown players. Donny, Pellistri and Martial are pretty much nailed on to leave, but at least 2 or 3 others will likely need to go as well.

Further more we will likely see the likes of Greenwood, Sancho, Evans, Heaton, Maguire and McTominay all potentially depart which is another 6 homegrown players.

So it would be prudent to look to sign a couple of homegrown players this summer to avoid a situation further down the line where we might be forced into having to sign homegrown players or play with a smaller squad.

The club needs to think about making sure we stop making financially stupid decisions with our players, big contracts for declining players, or new contracts for bit part players who aren't contributing, and finally selling players while they still have some value rather than letting their contracts elapse and leave for free.

Martial, Evans and Heaton will all leave for nothing this summer. While that might not be a big deal for Heaton and Evans, two players we got on free transfers. The situation with Martial is we paid near 50m for him, and paid him just shy of 80m over the 9 years he has been at the club. Allowing him to leave for free is exactly why we are in a tight spot with FFP.

In the summer we will have eight players who will be entering the final year of their contract (McTominay, Varane, Maguire, AWB, Lindelof, Diallo, Eriksen and Kambwala) .

I would expect Diallo and Kambwala to get new deals before Christmas. Eriksen might be allowed to leave for free as he was signed on a free.

The other five I would expect the club to look to sell as many of them as possible to avoid them leaving for free, and I really don't expect any of them to be given a new contract.

The only fly in the ointment is that we have three centre backs, four if you include Evans who will all likely leave the club this summer. For that reason I could see the club offering Evans another one year deal, or keeping Lindelof and letting him leave on a free as his fee and wages have been the lower than that of Varane and Maguire, and he has been a steady squad option.

Varane on 300k per week needs to be a starter if he stays, as does Maguire on 190k per week. Its hard to justify paying players that much to sit on the bench and is not something I see INEOS doing going forward.

13 Feb 2024 21:54:06
Not for 1 second suggesting you're dumb, ork but I would say your a bit snowflakey with that kind of response very touchy indeed, nor did I mention amortisation that's pretty simple Mathematics and accounting.

I'm taking about vat agents fees, legals associated costs pay offs etc so getting in 250m in fees that does not go to the club three is a load of associated costs. So even then that puts out your amounts going against the amortised value. It's quite complex which is why eds won't go into it
Nobody said you're dumb, just not as fully in the picture as you could be. Touchy chap you are??.

14 Feb 2024 13:05:21
Tumbleweed

I get that amortisation is basic accounting, but I don't know enough about the forensic structure of a footballer's contract to know whether it's very nature is subject to standard amortisation the same way as any other respective contract. I get that there's likely nominal difference if any at all, but I don't presume to know anything about a footballer's contract beyond the basics.

I'm one of the very many who find accounting dull and will only seek to know the bits that apply to myself, my family and my businesses, after my accountant has worked her grubbies through the puddings.
I don't have a pro sportsperson in my family so have no reason or indeed interest in learning the finer details of contracts relevant to athletes.

I like football, not accounting.

I mentioned amortisation because the manner in which you always seek to shut down talk of financial doings is that of someone who presumes themselves to be an authority surrounded by simpletons. You could be Alan Sugar for all I know pal, but you still won't be shutting me down.

Simply put, if the Eds are comfortable with finance-speak being posted, then it just leaves you with the problem.

14 Feb 2024 16:11:37
I've no problem with anything you say. I said the the eds don't talk about finances because it's complex and the try not to get into it themselves. You can make up a bunch of figures that don't make sense I'm not sure why your so touchy about someone pointing out that they don't make sense Or bare any relation to reality. Nobody trying to shut you down just pointing out that that your assumptions are flawed some of the reasoning why.

15 Feb 2024 06:10:57
I see people going completely overboard in terms of a rebuild. We are not selling mc and say what you want about him but in terms of age, attitude and ability to win you games and being an academy player, plenty will go before he goes imo.

We will get a couple of CB's and a couple of mids with Ericksen, cas moving on most likely. we will also spend money on a couple of people up top right wing and striker. 6 signings I reckon.

Greenwood, Sancho, Dvb, Hanibal, Cas, Eriksen, Maguire and Varrane will go imo. Not sure why lindelof was extended, his forward passing ability is on par with a 3rd grader. Praying shaw is ready to come back, lindelof at left back is embarrassing.

That is a massive job for whoever the new DOF is. Then you have the likes Hanibal, Gore, Pellistri, Fish who will be back from their loan spells and he has to figure out what to do with them plus a number of academy players who will need a pathway.

12 Feb 2024 13:42:09
The change in tactics towards the end yesterday where we passed the ball about slowly rather than trying to play quickly on the break, frustrated Villa and was what won us the game. Boring, maybe. But it was exactly what was required to slow down a team that had just equalized, likes to play quickly, and was threatening to score again.

12 Feb 2024 13:58:44
Agreed Shaw. i'd like to see us do that more often, in fact, I thought it was an ETH tactic, ball retention. But I guess he is trying to match two styles to give us the best chance at winning games.

I think we can also put to bed the question of, whether or not the players are playing for him. They clearly are.

I really hope he is given the chance to continue beyond the summer. I have great hope that, with the correct structure, ETH would thrive.

12 Feb 2024 14:17:47
Angel I agree. If he did secure cl football this season i hope it will be enough for them to give him another year but even that may not be enough I feel.
I think he is having to tinker a lot and go against his own principles sure to what he has available to him so it's hard to see any real patterns of consistency.
There are a lot of people that should leave the club before eth imo including some of our toxic anti fans. All will become clear over the next 6 months but I'm hopeful more than expectant that we can have a decent end to the season and get the cl spot we covet.

12 Feb 2024 16:12:23
His issue is the number of players that are not secure on the ball. He's asking them to release the ball quickly but mostly they are just lumping the ball upfield and giving the ball back. A good example was Lindelof doing just that at the start of the second half. Dalot, while generally very good yesterday, also did that, and is guilty of doing it a lot. We have a lot of players that are just extremely careless in possession and that means we give away a huge number of chances. The difference when Mainoo, Shaw and Martinez are all in there is incredibly stark.

12 Feb 2024 17:03:50
Spot on Don.
Technically we are all looking at mainoo and thinking he is standout. Which he is in our squad. So comfortable taking the ball on the half turn or under pressure no matter what the scenario he manages to be able to manipulate the ball and his body and make the correct decision.
But realistically if you look at the top 3 teams they have a dozen players in their squads who can do the same things as mainoo technically.
Our players are miles behind both technically and with their decision making.
Our youth players are showing our experienced pros up with their tekkers.
I remember grealish telling how Shaw commented to him how comfortable he foden and all the city and arsenal players are on the ball.
If you've not seen it on YouTube look up foden and grealish playing 2 touch keeps uppies 30yards apart then try and imagine mctom and Anthony doing the same. ?
Our players don't manipulate the ball well and don't run off the ball well and when they do the guy in possession doesn't see the runs or ignores them and cuts in and shoots.
Eth said he could not implement his ajax style at united. Its bloody obvious why. The players are miles behind technically imo.

12 Feb 2024 23:19:02
Exactly Tumbleweed. When I watch City I always think just how far ahead they are technically with regard to ball control and movement. It's the fundamentals we lack and it's been that way for a long time now. Football has moved on since the days SAF managed. People may disagree with this, but I'm not at all sure he would have been so successful if he was starting out today.

13 Feb 2024 11:58:41
Shaw that not necessarily true at all.
I hate these debates as they're us no way of proving anything and it's then a completely dumb argument.
Fergie never coached the players.
He was a problem solver and motivator.
He would surround himself with the best in class coaches now as he did back then.
He would have adapted.
You can't say with any certainty that he would or would not have been effective.
We do this all the time with players. You can't with any accuracy compare players from different eras.
Some were the best in their era who knows what they would do now. Its impossible to say.
Opinions are great and I get the idea of the comparisons but at the end of the day nothing can be proven so it's all a bit daft imo.
Greats were great in their day I think we should always leave it there.
It's a bit like saying Wellington was a war and battle expert. Not much he could do today if they dropped a nuke on him?? he'd have to employ different tactics and who is to say he could have adapted ?.

12 Feb 2024 10:48:11
Fair play to Onana. I've been very critical of him so far (and rightly so, imo), but he had an excellent game last night. Hopefully he can build off of this and regain a bit of confidence moving forward.

11 Feb 2024 18:58:35
There is a different feel around the club right now. Maguire looks. solid, the youngsters are immense, Scott continues to defy the neg heads, even Onano looks solid.

I'm not suggesting we are ready to compete but momentum and cultire, and 'feel'can be very underrated.

I think we have the big Mo, Villa are sliding, and Tottenham, well they're Tottehham so we have everything to plU for. It's sad we are just competing for top 4 but it wil help recruitment and revenue if we achieve it.

11 Feb 2024 19:29:36
A lot to be positive about over the last couple of weeks AJH. The season will not go down as a success but some players are at least showing some form at last.
The youngsters will be the biggest positive from this season I reckon.

11 Feb 2024 19:59:02
The season is showing who has the character to fight back and who are the good pros in the group…Maguire and McT are definitely in that bucket, and Onana was superb today. I have no doubt he will come good, and he’s starting to show it. Hojlund also showing great mental strength to keep going.

I’d also pit the manager in that bracket too - he’s had to deal with a lot so far in his short tenure, and am sure given the right structure behind him he’ll do well.

11 Feb 2024 21:13:04
Yes a definite improvement but let's be realistic West ham and villa are not at the level they were earlier in the season and we are still moles off the top three.

We still give away too many chances and don't kill off games when we should. Still lack a dominant centre forward ans midfielder and clearly miss Martinezwhem he is unable to play.

11 Feb 2024 23:21:31
Onana was good today he made 2 or 3 saves he was not favourite for.
I don't share the optimism that he will do it consistently but I hope so.
We gave up a lot of chances today and rode our luck at times but showed good bottle and we created numerous good opportunities only for our wide players fluffing their lines.
Rashford was OK in the 1st half going forward a imo but got worse and worse as the game went on.
Garnacho got himself into good positions but was again wasteful on most occasions. I would not be too harsh on him because he is such a good character the misses don't bother him he will keep trying to make something happen. But we need to be honest and fair in our appraisal and not lash 1 player for poor final balls and ignore garnachos continuous wastefullness. I'm sure the coaches will be working on it. His attitude are very poor in the bottom 4 for wide players in terms of assists in the epl this season. It really is something he needs to work on and improve between now and the end of the season and I've no doubt those stats will improve before the season is out.
Rasmus is still finding his feet and improving. Again I expect he will get stronger towards the end of the season.
The team did have good balance in attack. But the question is how long to you persist with rashford?
Moving garnacho back left to accommodate amad or Anthony on the right is an option. I don't know if amad is an option from the left?
Shaw will be missed with no malacia lindelof is a worse full back than he is a cb. Let that sink in.
Mainoo is looking better and better with every game.
I get that maguire has a good attitude but we give up so many chances when he plays and are woefully slow at moving the ball forward.
Mctom is proving to be a good weapon off the bench. I'm pleased for him. Touch of the kinks about him. Will he stay or will he go?
Martinez being out could well cost us but there is a bit of metal beginning to show from some of the others. But without martinez and dare I say Shaw our defence looks more vulnerable than a turkey at Christmas.

11 Feb 2024 23:25:07
Great result. Don't care how it was achieved. Despite what anyone says, Villa are a really good team, especially at home. Take that result all day long.

12 Feb 2024 01:53:29
Yeah, I agree with that noucamp. Snatch your hand off for 3 wins when looking at these matches around christmas time. Wolves caused us all sorts of problems in the first game this season. Westham have proved no mugs this year and villa have been very strong.

I think we caught all of them when they are in a little bit of a slump, and I will take it! We've had dogs luck with injuries and happy to play a villa side missing both Konza and Pau Torres. We created chances, took our goals and hung in a bit when we needed to.

We need our wingers to create for players in the middle. Today we put in a good cross and we score. The chemistry still needs to grow, we can have a strong second half, but these defensive injuries are a problem.

12 Feb 2024 06:33:29
The usual United win is down to opposition being poor or in a bad moment or this or that! Great win, rode our luck at times but away at a top 4 side you’re going to need to! We also had good chances and should have done better, garn hoijland and rashford all had v good chances!
Good win well done, especially without Martinez and snowflake shaw second half!

12 Feb 2024 07:01:07
Yes was great to get the win, but jeez we are just plain boring and awful to watch… I don’t believe anyone can seriously think otherwise.
2 of the Onana saves were hit straight at him, he did not move just hit him, his passing is crap, the million touches are time consuming and boring, same with McGuire, both slow the game to walking pace.

If your happy to see united play this style of football then great, personally I think it’s like watching paint dry, but of course we could all wax lyrical that we won 4 on the bounce if we don’t want to see the real thing.

Come up against anyone half decent we take a spanking.

12 Feb 2024 07:30:46
Villa are a very good side who’ve just been on a really good run at home. Granted it’s just ended recently but that doesn’t suddenly make them a bad side.

Lindelof is worse at LB than CB let that sink in. Of course he’s worse at LB Ken, has naturally a CB.

As Nou said, it’s a win and it doesn’t matter if it wasn’t pretty, it was a tough fixture.

We’ve lost those games earlier this season. Finally Sky can stop banging on about this Top 9 stat, they had 3 different graphics created for it which were all displayed within 15 minutes either side of kick off. I really struggle watching football on TV. They even included the 4-0 loss away to Brentford in August 2022, I recall it was the 2nd game of the season. Yes technically they were top 9 because they won their first game, but they’ll really do anything to pad those stats out.

We have to be looking at the next 2 fixtures as winnable. Luton away then Fulham at home. Then it’s the Derby.

12 Feb 2024 08:16:14
The Clash Tumbleweed! Otherwise good points!

12 Feb 2024 08:54:31
Calm down. Yes, a win is a win and we need them but we were hellish lucky. Okay, you make your own luck but we seriously rode our luck yesterday.

12 Feb 2024 09:09:35
Strangeways we came up against a very good side and didn’t take a spanking we won you miserable clown!

12 Feb 2024 09:53:13
I can't actually believe that we came away with a win to be honest.
The first half was pretty even but the second half we are awful.
We seem to drop off massively in the second half. If i were a Villa fan i would be scratching my head on how they didn't at least get a draw.
on a positive note Maguire, Varane, Onana and it pains me to day this Dalot were all superb and put in a battling performance.
The biggest worry was the amount of changes that we blew on the counter attack. Bruno was bloody awful! Virtually every pass he tried went to a Villa player, he was so wasteful and so frustrating to watch. He honestly drives me mad!
So glad to see Rasmus scoring, he's been absolutely brilliant since he came. 19 years old and being aksed to lead the line at Manchester United is such a big ask and he's really looking the part now.
If Rasmus finishes with between 15-20 goals this season i would say he's had a fine first season.

12 Feb 2024 12:58:54
Chris that's a really good point and really well made. ?
There are some fans that just can't bring themselves to be positive. I don't think anybody believes that we are a great team but it's nice to see form a bit better.

12 Feb 2024 14:16:46
Strangeways

We're a club in the midst of a grand transition, grasping at the coat tails of clubs who have already evolved.
We have players not well suited to possession-based and/ or pressing/ counterpressing football now playing regularly alongside those that are suited to these modern demands.
It means we cannot go all out with one approach or the other, there must a happy medium.
This current style is addressing the weaknesses within the squad as best can be managed.
The consequence is that there's less creative expression, but the team dynamic is currently better for it.

I agree that it can be a difficult watch at times and the bum is rather more squeaky than I'd like, but we're still in the hunt for top 4 which, for a club in such a mess recently, is surely worth enduring.

12 Feb 2024 15:33:50
Indeed Patrick my bad.
If he goes there will be trouble if he stays it will be double?.

10 Feb 2024 23:15:22
I think Toney is exactly the type of player we need. Experienced strong can bring others into play and doesn't miss many chances. Would be a big help to Hoijlund.

11 Feb 2024 02:34:39
Ideally like city or Madrid you want 2 very good players for each position.
The problem we have is that we probably have when all are fully fit only 5 or 6 top class players (potentially) to fill the 1st 11.
2 of them are teenagers and one is 21. Which is why I say potentially top class.
We then have a few that are playing 1st 11 that imo ideally would be 2nd choice. The rest imo are vulnerable to sale.
If we are going to play with 1 dedicated striker we need 2 top class options in a 60 game season so it's likely both will start enough games each and will play weekly from bench when not starting more often than not.
Toney has good attributes for sure but I'm not sure he is mobile enough and imo lacks a lot technically. So if you play him or rasmus then the whole team has to play differently. I think they will look for a more like for like type player.
Behind the 2 chosen strikers you need a youth and possibly someone in the wide areas that can step in if required in emergency. Like rashford has done.
Imo in the summer we need a new starting keeper.
A new starting rb
A new starting cb
Anew starting no6
A new starting cf
Hard to see all that happening.
I've no idea who the club are interested in but I do know for a fact that they hold a strong interest in Ferguson from Brighton and I think he would be the ideal foil for rasmus. With enough football for both of them even assuming they are both fit every week. If you look at the stats not too many cf start more than 30 games a season. So no issue having 2 top options in that position in fact it's a must.
Gk may have to wait given the investment made last season but onana needs to do a whole lot better.
If awb goes then we need to buy a starter to compete with dalot.
If martinez can stay fit we need to buy a starter to play beside him.
We need a dedicated no6 imo. As a priority. I think cas will be sold mctom is a good candidate to be sold too assuming vdb and hannibal leave it would leave only Bruno mount and mainoo as recognised midfielders in the squad. So how they are going to sort that mess out on a limited budget is going to be interesting.
Getting cl football would make things a little easier.
I'm really looking forward to the summer. There are so many changes afoot that none of us have a clue what's going to happen.
Will we have a new coach?
Who will leave from the playing squad?
Will we see a couple of players leave that we didn't expect or want to leave? Bruno? Rashford? Shaw?
Will eth stay and sign fdj?
Who will be our dof?
Should be great craic?.

11 Feb 2024 04:54:16
Good post.

11 Feb 2024 11:04:18
Might be better to avoid any European football for a season; easier with a smaller squad and easier to move on players wanting European football.

11 Feb 2024 23:22:02
We cannot afford to miss out on europe. don't think people understand how bad our finances are after so much wasteful spending in the past 5 years or so. Huge fees with no sell on potential, crazy wages for players who are not good enough. When we do move a player on we have to give them away because no other team will meet their wage demands. We need UCL. Missing out on Europa would be terrible.

 


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