Manchester United Banter 3

14 Jul 2026 14:31:51.
Just rewatching the Omar Berrada interview with Andy Mitten. Fascinating insight into the man and his team.

Listen to him re transfers, very insightful and I believe they have planned for every eventuality.

So refreshing from where we were the last few years.

14 Jul 2026 13:48:55
I suppose Samuel Luckhurst's ridiculous article about how United's management team is a shambles because we didn't get Fernades or Anderson, and Ederson fell through, ending up with Tielemans and Santos, achieved its goal of actually getting me to click on it. Sports journalism is a an oxymoron with emphasis on the last 2 syllables.

We were never going to get Anderson. We were never going to pay £85m + £250k per week for Fernandes, and we probably made the right decision not to risk buying Ederson if he's got a meniscus issue. Meanwhile we have signed a back up goalie, clearing the way to sell Vitek for a decent profit, plus two quality midfielders, one with high potential and one with good experience, both of whom will be needed over the course of a much more intense season.

With 6 1/2 weeks to go in the window I'd say that the club has shown nothing but total professionalism. Instead of holding out all summer for Frankie de Jong, they've pivoted quickly and decisively, as all good managers need to be able to do. It'll be interesting to see who else comes in, and whether Rashford will end up with a new home, or back in the squad. We have had two managers for whom Rashford failed to perform. Could playing for Carrick see him reproduce his best form? I could see him doing well for us, especially in Europe. (I ralso have deep reservations - there are very god reasons to suggest we would be better off without him. )

14 Jul 2026 17:33:33
Luckhurst reminds me a bit of a petulant child newname wants attention because he's not front and centre

14 Jul 2026 21:33:28
He's just bitter cos he reports for the local paper/magazine, yet he knows absolutely f*** all and has no insights at the club. Whatever he says, the opposite tends to happen.

15 Jul 2026 11:39:54
Entitled to his opinion, but there you go again, derogatory because you don't like his opinion, an opinion that he is actually paid to have as well, so probably has more contacts and is a bit more knowledgeable than yours, but either way it's an opinion!

15 Jul 2026 19:17:24
Alright, Sam. Calm down, lad!

14 Jul 2026 11:32:15
Now City are pushing for Bouaddi and to get him this season, it would be another 100 million 😂. According to D. Ornstein he’s going to make a decision soon

I’m sorry but where are these valuations coming from?

Not scored a senior goal, played less than 70 games, he’s looked a good prospect in the World Cup.



But Jesus. Why’s the market so inflated on prices of players?

Average players and great prospects going for more than double what they are worth is baffling.

14 Jul 2026 14:59:29
City are just taking the piss now. Either that, or they know a transfer ban is imminent.

14 Jul 2026 16:07:45
Redseven, if I was being skeptical, I would suggest that an agreement between City and the Premier League has been met. One where the Premier League knows they cannot financially beat City, and City have accepted that some sort of charge needs to be given. An agreement that City will get a 2, maybe 3-year transfer ban, but they are allowed to get their house in order before this is announced, which is why they have gone heavy in January and this summer.



I absolutely appreciate this could, and most likely is, nonsense, but I have zero faith in any football awarding bodies nowadays to do the right thing.

14 Jul 2026 17:13:44
There's clearly something going on, Ports. I don't think anybody expects the FA to hand out a real punishment at this point. A transfer ban after they've spent half a billion would suit both parties.

14 Jul 2026 19:23:42
There is nothing agreed. It's more of a case that City believe they can tie the case up in appeals if any punishment is given.

City will keep on spending and acting like the charges don't exist. That is the entire strategy.

14 Jul 2026 09:55:50
Ronnie

If you are out there

You called it bud, Tielemans to utd.

Eventually ;)

13 Jul 2026 23:31:50
Hello Ed001 (especiallly) and friends. I would like your opinion on Sorloths famous pass that he didn't, to Haaland.
I see all people blaming him, the hate online is unheard. I think he is targeted unfairly, i think "journalists" create a tension of nothing, because (this kind of) bad news sells a lot.

Sorloth didn't had a passing angle, i was seeing the match live and the lad tried to pass but there was no passing angle, and then instead shooted the ball. What do you think?

{Ed001's Note - I didn't see the game mate. I don't watch international footie, it is just not the same as club stuff.}

14 Jul 2026 08:31:01
Totally his fault. All he needed to do was pass the ball. He had the angle, or could easily have manipulated that angle. He hasn't got the guile. He is an awful player, and he screwed that chance too. It's solely on him.

Anybody that's played the game at a decent level knows how simple this was.
Don't agree with the online abuse he is getting, but all he needs to do, same as Lammens, is say that he holds his hands up to the mistake. That's life.

14 Jul 2026 09:20:41
He just isn't very good. He also won't be the last player to try and score himself when there is a pass on. I didn't realise there had been abuse, people are idiots.

14 Jul 2026 09:46:23
He brought it on himself. The pass was on for any unselfish team player.

14 Jul 2026 09:54:02
He's a shocker of a player. I've seen him live a few times, and I think he really is poor.

That pass, or lack of, should I say, sums him up.

14 Jul 2026 13:21:34
He wasnt good, but thats not my point. He tried, but he couldnt pass because he is a bad player with the ball. Its not that he did it on purpose.

14 Jul 2026 13:22:17
It was just a poor decision under pressure, and plenty of players do it on the counter attack, which is why I find the narrative that if you score a counter attacking goal, it's less impressive than one that takes 30 passes and breaks open a deep defence.

The reason why there was no passing angle is because Sorloth is so heavy footed and can't shift his weight to move the defenders.

Look at Bruno's pass to Sesko/Mbuemo against Brentford/City, for an example of how it's done on the counter, to move the defence with his body movements and open up the right pass.

14 Jul 2026 14:07:26
He definitely isn't winger material, but what can you do. He doesn't get in the team otherwise. I thought he'd make a decent no.9 for a mid-table Prem team in a Delap/Fulkrug kind of way.

14 Jul 2026 15:53:33
No Heaven, you said there was no passing angle. That's nonsense.
He has to make the angle. There was time and space to create the angle. He just didn't do it because he had his head down, like the bad player he is. He tried to go solo, which was harder than creating space for the pass for most players.


He made an arse out of it because he is not good enough technically and likes to glory hunt.
Totally his fault. I'd expect a decent u 16 player to attempt and deliver the pass.

14 Jul 2026 17:19:28
And its true. There wasn't an angle. What i said is absolutely correct and you said it yourself too-he had to to make the angle, as you say.
Then there is an argument that he could create an angle, and that is another matter. The fact is he did not do it on purpose and my point is the abuse online is not fair.
Bad player yes, maybe. Doing it on purpose? Certainly not. You can't expect from Messi to win the headers Sorloth wins and you can't expect Sorloth to manipulate defenders the way Messi Hazard etc do.

So you critisize a player for what he can do and not what other player could do in the same circustances. The point is, they unfairly abusing the lad, like he didn't pass on purpose.
Maybe you can your time understanding the point before coming to have a dig and playing the smartest person in the room. You are clearly not

14 Jul 2026 23:00:09
Your point was that he didn't pass on purpose?
Of course he chose not to pass on purpose.
He chose not to pass because he felt he couldn't pull it off. He saw the chance to pass, and purposely chose not to pass.
It's not a case of trying to be smart at all.
No player loses the ball on purpose, but plenty choose not to pass and back themselves.
On this occasion, it went wrong. If he had ignored the pass like he did and scored, he'd have been the hero.


There are several options open to him; he makes his choice in a nanosecond, he has time with it.
It's like a penenka pen when it goes wrong.
He shouldn't be getting online abuse, nobody should, for making a wrong decision in a play like that. It's not a big deal.
But don't think he didn't ignore the pass on purpose. He definitely chose not to pass.

14 Jul 2026 23:19:24
I criticise players for their choices, their consistency, and their input to the team play, and for a host of reasons, but I genuinely don't expect them to do things they are not capable of.
I've no issue with teams playing long to a big man, for example, and if everybody plays to that plan, it is effective. You then judge players on that sort of criteria.
Players like Sorloth have their place in certain systems and teams, and he has his strengths. His coach picks him, he plays for a big team.
Any player at that level should make an attempt at that pass, but he made the wrong choice to ignore it.
He backed himself to pull off a 1% route to goal, instead of backing himself to play a pass that, in that second, he clearly didn't fancy.

He had probably a 40% chance of pulling it off. He chose not to try the pass on purpose. Poor call, as it turned out. I'd say Haaland was fuming and thinking to himself when he saw it with Sorloth, "oh dear, wrong man in the right place at the right time."
It could easily have been a header chance at the back post when he would have been the right man in the right place at the right time.
Same idiots abusing him would have been cheering him.
That's football.
So I agree with your 1st point on the abuse, but not your second that he didn't not pass on purpose.

13 Jul 2026 17:03:11
Regarding Youri Tielemans.
I know the first thing people will say is, "He's 29, we shouldn't be signing players that age." But football isn't Football Manager—you don't build a squad with nothing but 21-year-olds. You need proven quality, experience, and players who can improve the players around them.
At around £35m, with sensible wages, this looks like outstanding value in today's market. We'd be getting a Premier League-proven midfielder who can slot straight into the team without needing a season to adapt.
What makes this deal even more interesting is that we've triggered his release clause. Villa don't want to sell him and even offered him a new contract, but they have no choice. If the player wants the move, that's the end of it.
You'd have to think this will leave a bitter taste at Villa Park.

They helped us out by taking Rashford and Sancho on loan when they were dealing with PSR issues, and now we're taking arguably their most influential midfielder.
People also forget Villa had the chance to bring Douglas Luiz back and decided against it because Tielemans had become the heartbeat of their midfield. During their incredible run he controlled games, and when he got injured, their form dropped off badly. That wasn't a coincidence.
If this goes through after his medical, I think we'll look back on this as one of the smartest signings of the summer. Not every transfer has to be about buying potential.
I am sure I won't be the only supporter happy we have some quality and depth in the middle of the park and hopefully not to far from putting a real good effort into bringing it home.

{Ed001's Note - I do actually have one issue with him, now that I have read on the Villa site. They say he missed 36 games through injuries in his 3 seasons there - that is a lot of time out over the course of a season.}

13 Jul 2026 19:00:31
He missed 23 games last year with 2 separate issues, ankle and calf. Before that, he missed very few, hopefully, last year was a one off.

14 Jul 2026 04:58:49
Looks like we are buying players and emphasis is not to overpay. Need one more, most likely a left back. It reminds me of Liverpool early years with Klopp, who made astute signings without spending crazy money.

It also looks like we have plenty left in the bank given the net spend so far that we can spend plenty more on the right player if they become available.



I personally like the way we are conducting our business. Let's judge things at the end of the window, which is still 6 weeks away, and results on the pitch.

13 Jul 2026 15:40:54
As it stands r midfield selections for 3 places.
United Bruno Santos, Teilemans, Mainoo
Liverpool Mac allister, Gravenbach, Wirtz, Sabozli
Villa new Swiss lad, Rodgers, Maginn, Kamara
Spurs Tonali, Maddison, Fernandes, Bentaur
City Anderson, Rohdri, Rejinders, Foden
Arsenal Rice, Odengaard, Eze, Marina

Imo we are not to badly off there.
Bruno is the best of all attacking midfielders.


Rice, Anderson, Sabozli, Rhodri are the 3 standouts of the midfielders imo but all the rest are pretty similar imo.
Chelsea arguably have the best 3 on paper to start but they didn't do well together last couple of years in
Enzo, Caicado, and Palmer.
Its not about who the names are is how they play together that counts.

13 Jul 2026 17:00:48
We need another signing. So far it has been good business, but I think we need to bring in a genuinely top quality player to push on.

13 Jul 2026 21:19:22
Ken, that was like picking a team on Pro Evo Soccer after they lost naming rights for players.

13 Jul 2026 21:47:20
I can almost see PES shipping with a player named "New Swiss Lad". 😆😆

13 Jul 2026 22:45:25
The day I start proofreading my posts I'm done. 🤣 I rely on Samsung autocorrect. 🤣 I rarely read them back, so hope people get the gist. 🤞
My general point is that our 1st 4 options for 3 positions are not as poor as some might think, imo.
Of course, they need to gel and complement each other. So, it's a big fingers crossed on that one. Hopefully we get a different type in to complement that 4. A bigger, strong runner, physically imposing with good technique.
That profile for me would give all the options, but Carrick may prefer a different profile.
Further back on the pitch, it's a big year ahead for our defence.
Yoro needs to step up and start fulfilling his potential. Heaven has shown good potential, and he will be hoping to impress.
de Ligt and Martinez might not be available for the beginning of the season, so Maguire will need to feature unless de Ligt is fit. Little talk of cb's, which disappoints me, but it must mean they have faith in Yoro and Heaven, and that's good enough for me.


Maz, Shaw and Dalot are our full back options currently, assuming Dorgu is moved forward.
That's even more of a concern. All 3 are poor in the final 3rd, and 2 are often injured, and none can be considered high-class full backs anymore.
Add a cf and our front 6 compares well statistically with most.
It's full backs and cb, imo, where we lack the most quality versus most of our peers. Liverpool are lacking in the exact same areas, imo.
Arsenal not so much. 😒
Lb biggest priority then, imo. Hall or Robinson would be good options from the epl.
Rb, no idea. I've seen us linked with 1 or 2 long shots, but nothing concrete, so looks like we're stuck with Dalot and Maz.
Cm, lb, cf are still must-haves, imo. Cb and rb are also must-haves, but a lot less likely this time around.
Not a word on players leaving.
Couple of rumours on Mount and Maz (neither are must keeps, imo) circulating, but not a word on Zirkzee.
Rashford, I suspect, will eventually find a new home, possibly on loan.

14 Jul 2026 00:22:19
Maz is a quality backup. He performs at a high level in any position in the back 4. He was excellent at cb for Morocco in the WC. He is, though, limited in attack, and I 100% agree that I would like to get back to having fullbacks who are a major part of our attack.

Dalot goes and stands up front as a striker, but the defenders don't bother to mark him.

That tells you everything you need to know. Shaw gets a nosebleed when he ventures over halfway these days. I would bite your hand off for Evra and Neville right now, but I suspect we might only get a left back if something drops in our lap. No way we sign a right back or cb.

14 Jul 2026 08:45:07
Great assessment, Ken. I think Maz is good defensively. Had a fine WC.
Funny how, all those years ago, Mourinho thought Dalot was, "The best young right back in Europe." Perhaps he was referring to potential, which never materialised!

13 Jul 2026 12:52:29
Football can be a cruel world. I hope he is at peace.

RIP Jayden Adams ( South Africa ).

13 Jul 2026 12:46:07
I guess Ronnie be back to say i told you he would end up at utd.

13 Jul 2026 18:00:31
You've been saving that for some time, I see.

15 Jul 2026 02:00:44
No, I just got informed and taught I beat you before you mentioned it.

Reeling in the rod as I speak.

13 Jul 2026 12:43:08
You would wonder will that be it for midfield now, Kobbie, Mount, Santo and Tielemans? Like the way this was done, discreet and quickly, like the old days, no dragging out for weeks in the media.

13 Jul 2026 15:15:24
This window is a real positive with how we are approaching it. Only time will tell how good it is, but I like it so far.

As for Mount, I think he will either rotate with Fernandes, be a rotational squad player, or the club will look to get him off the books at a loss, or loan with option to buy.



I like him as a player when fit. He just seems to pick up injuries every few games.

13 Jul 2026 15:33:21
We need one more central midfielder before the window closes. I can see it being Baleba.

13 Jul 2026 16:19:39
Could you see the last 2 being Santos and Yeilemans?
Let's just wait and see.
One more cm, lb rb cb cf lw all still need attention and better players.
Our full backs on both sides are useless in attack and suspect in defence.
Cb we could do with a bit of pace and experience.
Cm ideally 1 more.
Cf, personally id prefer if they sign someone with experience rather than the likes of Krupi.


Lw not as urgent imo.
So who are the outs still to come?
Mount a strong possibility.
Zirkzee a strong possibility.
Maz a possibility.
Amass on loan.
Bayindir a definite.
Ugarte stays.
Martinez a weak possibility.
Maguire a possibility.
Rashford a strong possibility.
Still lots of business to conclude.
Good start with Santos and Teilemans imo.

13 Jul 2026 17:03:05
Maguire is not a possibility. The club convinced him to stay on, and his form under Carrick was good. He has his limitations, but he's an important player for us.

13 Jul 2026 17:11:04
When Baleba signs, it'll be Baleba and Santos sharing the 6, Mainoo and Tielemans sharing the 8, Bruno and Mount as 10 options.

Exciting times!

Even more exciting when Lewis Hall signs, too.

13 Jul 2026 18:02:00
We won't need a LW if Rashford is staying.

Baleba would be a cool final addition to midfield.

We may well need another full back, though, and that'll be an excellent summer.

14 Jul 2026 05:00:24
We will need a LW if the petulant one stays. He needs to be challenged for his spot, otherwise will revert to type, knowing he gets a game regardless of the lack of effort he puts in.

Unless, and I doubt it, he has received the proverbial kick up the a55 he needed.