Manchester United Banter 4

03 Jun 2026 21:26:38
I'm a massive fan of Alex Scott. He really reminds me of Luka Modric in style. I know that Ederson, M. Fernandes and Scott aren't the huge name signings many of us wanted, but all three of them raise our midfield ceiling massively right away, and two of the three have Huge potential to improve dramatically in their time at OT. If we can get all three for circa £130m (£35m Ederson, £50m Fernandes and £45m Scott) and that gives us budget to sign Lewis Hall, I'm all for it.

The one concern will be us aerially, as none are dominant there. But we'd bloody well keep the ball, which would be nice. Especially if then the Rashford, Ugarte, Zirkzee sales can bring in a further signing or two. Some kind of Zirkzee/Leao swap, perhaps?

04 Jun 2026 00:05:18
Luka's a good shout. I was going to say a bit of the Paul Scholes about him. Obviously he's at the beginning of his career and has a long way to go. But his ability to draw players to him, turn away from danger, angled, short passes, long passes and shooting.

He may be a cracking player if he keeps developing. Could him, Mainoo and Bruno play in the same midfield? I don't know, but maybe.

Lots of rumors to come, just getting started for the summer. I doubt any of us are guessing the right players at this stage.

04 Jun 2026 08:33:27
Hopefully Onana can be sold as well.

04 Jun 2026 08:59:36
I wouldn't trust Onana to pick up the cones after training!

04 Jun 2026 10:52:50
Personally, don't mind Alex Scott, although she's certainly a better pundit than footballer.

04 Jun 2026 11:55:52
I would be well happy with Scott, Ederson and Fernandes.
Some really good options and add Mainoo to that as well.
We would be proper stocked up on that area.

06 Jun 2026 14:52:55
I would like to add Gibbs-White or Rogers to that list. Both could cover the left, (or right side for that matter), side of the attack, or cover Bruno with the extra games next season. Premier League proven, physical and versatile.

03 Jun 2026 14:49:58
I know there have been many posts on transfers, so please forgive one more. And I also know real life is not like a game of FIFA. But if I was handed control of transfers for United this summer, this is what I would do.

I’ve tried to keep this realistic. It’s been suggested a few times there could be around £250m to spend, so I’ll stick around that area.

Left Back -
Need somebody with energy to get up and down the pitch. Shaw can’t do that anymore. And Dorgu isn’t great at left back.

Raum from Leipzig - £30m. Entering the last year of his contract. Loads of energy and gets crosses into the box. I’d like Lewis Hall here, but likely to be hard to get out of Newcastle.

Midfield -
Ederson - £35m (done deal apparently). But would be a rotation player for me.

Tonali - £90m. Headline midfield signing as first choice next to Mainoo. League experience, fairly young, lots of energy and skill. Would prefer Anderson, but he’s off to City.



Hackney - £25m. Last year of his contract. Carrick knows him, could be a future star.

Left Wing -
I think we need some serious talent here. Cunha is great, but he’s not a left winger. Need a player that can scare the right back and push them back and beat them.

Barcola - £80m. Very fast and skilful and adds width to the team. And comes from a team where you are expected to work hard.

Striker -
Lewandonski - Free. Only a short term option, the team needs another striker and he adds experience and someone for Sesko to learn from.

That adds up to £260m.

If there are some player sales I’d add another centre back. Someone like Lacroix from Palace. Fast and knows the league, and he can defend.

Bit of fun, and possibly unlikely. But that’s what I’d be doing. There will be plenty of lesser known players out there that could be great signings, but I don’t have access to tons of data and scouting info modern day teams do.

03 Jun 2026 17:16:47
Don't apologise, Fallguy, your opinions are as equally as valid as any others on here. That, after all, is the very nature and basis of this site.

Just remember the only opinion that really matters is mine. 😂😂😂

03 Jun 2026 17:18:15
This sounds like the conversations I am having at home with my 13 year old. I will be surprised if anyone gets this spot on, as I expect some left-field options from Germany (Vivel contacts) or France. Here is what I would like:

Left Back - Lewis Hall would be my pick, and would add real attacking threat, either inverted or overlapping. He is press resistent, and would lock up the position for years. £60.

Midfield - We are not getting Anderson or Tchouameni, so it is Tonali as the next top option (£80m), and I would package the deal up with Hall if Newcastle are up for it. Ederson already in (£35), and I would then go for Fernandes (£60m), who could end up moving into Bruno's place long term.



Left Wing - I think, with Cunha and Dorgu, who I want to see progress into a Semenya type, we have this area covered.

Striker - Let's see if we can get a deal for Ramos at PSG on loan with an option to buy. I have always liked him, and if he can get back to his best, he is a clinical, dynamic, and relentless worker. Between him and Sesko, we would have a good pair.

Outgoings can help to fund additional positions, along with bringing in some of the youth players (Lacey and Tyler Fletcher appear most ready).

03 Jun 2026 18:14:13
Lewandowski - Free

Why the hell not. He'll get goals and show Sesko how to do it. He only needs to play for 20 minutes a game.

03 Jun 2026 20:24:10
It's Lewy or Vlahovic on a free.

03 Jun 2026 20:27:47
I meant to add, I'd rather have Lewy on a free.

03 Jun 2026 22:15:31
Lewy on high wages for a season would be fantastic. He looks super fit, and his workload needn't be overtaxing, sharing with Sesko. I think his presence alone in the squad is a fault basis. He brings know-how, big-game experience, and goals.
Is it out of strategy? I'm sure we would all agree it is. But opportunities sometimes present themselves that are worth the risk.


Only he knows if he has one more season at EPL and CL tempo in him, and if he wants to put himself under pressure.
15m+ for one season is the ask, no doubt he will want 2 years. So, it would be a huge part of the budget, and for that reason I don't see it happening.

04 Jun 2026 05:29:44
I can't see Lewandowski happening simply because his wages will be enormous. Though perhaps he would be happy to accept more reasonable wages for a crack at the Premier League (and Champions League) at arguably the biggest club in the country. It would be pretty cool to have played for Bayern, Barcelona, and United.



We should've signed Lewandowski in 2013 though, before he joined Bayern on a free transfer in 2014. At that point, though, we had Van Persie and Rooney, and we were looking to strengthen the midfield more than sign a new forward.

04 Jun 2026 05:59:16
Also, it might be real life, but when United potentially have £300 million to spend in one window, being Sporting Director at United this summer, and potentially next summer, might feel somewhat like playing FIFA.

Personally, I would go for Elliot Anderson, Matheus Fernandes, and Ederson for midfield. That would probably cost around £180-200 million. Obviously, Anderson looks more likely to join City at the moment, so if we can't sign Anderson, I would be happy with Tchouameni or Carlos Baleba instead. And if for any reason we can't sign Fernandes, I would be happy with Tonali or Lamine Camara from Monaco.

Left back would be next priority, and Lewis Hall and Nathaniel Brown from Frankfurt would be my top two picks in that order. Hall would probably cost £60 million, and Brown probably £30-40 million.

Left wing would perhaps be a luxury, but could make a massive difference in chance creation and help balance the team. Bradley Barcola and Iliman Ndiaye would be my top two picks in that order, though Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig would be fantastic if available for a somewhat reasonable price, though he looks more likely to join Liverpool.



We could also do with fresh faces at centre back and centre forward, though this will depend on whether we prioritise these positions over left wing. Goncalo Ramos on loan for a season could be an astute option, and Nico Schlotterbeck would be my first choice at centre back, though he has signed a new deal at Dortmund.

Ideal window:
Elliot Anderson - £80-100 million
Matheus Fernandes - £60 million
Ederson - £30-40 million
Lewis Hall - £60 million
Iliman Ndiaye - £60 million

More realistic might look like:
Matheus Fernandes - £60 million
Carlos Baleba - £60 million
Ederson - £30-40 million
Iliman Ndiaye - £60 million
Nathaniel Brown - £30-40 million
Nico Schlotterbeck - £50 million

Likewise, I think there will at least 1 or 2 surprises, and I certainly don't expect we will sign Anderson or Schlotterbeck, and Barcola would shock me somewhat too. But it is certainly fun to ignore reality for a while.

03 Jun 2026 14:31:26
I think next season will be tough on the promoted teams.
Promoted teams often struggle, although only one went down lady session in Burnley with Sunderland having an amazing season and Leeds were safe with plenty of games to spare.
Coventry, Hull and Ipswich all look very light to me.


I don't see any of them doing what Sunderland did this season.
I'd like to see West Ham come straight back up.
Usually there's a team that falls into that dog fight that you don't expect. I wonder who it will be next season. Maybe one of the 3 that lost their manager recently.

03 Jun 2026 15:58:27
I'm not so sure, Ken.

I think that Sunderland have given promoted teams a template to succeed. For a few seasons, the promoted teams tried to play Pep style football and weren't good enough. Sunderland showed how being a bit more pragmatic can work. I can see the newly promoted sides focusing on being difficult to beat, rather than trying to play beautiful football.

03 Jun 2026 17:02:23
Think it could all depend on their incomings this summer.

Sunderland did particularly well on that front last year, so much so that a number of their players are now looked upon with envious eyes by others.

Think the fates of the new boys will be pretty much decided by the end of the transfer window.

03 Jun 2026 23:59:42
I genuinely thought Sunderland and Leeds would stay up this year.

I didn't see Sunderland do as well as they did.

I honestly can't see any of the promoted teams staying up this season. Maybe Coventry at a pinch.

02 Jun 2026 20:01:14
So another Manager choosing to leave their club.

Marco Silva leaving Fulham, shame really they have been a good team for a few years now, have always liked them as used to work close to the ground.

Seems to be the way of things, Glasner, Iriola and now Silva.



Suppose they think jump before the eventual push comes. Good idea, as they can arrange a new job from a position of strength. Seems Silva strongly linked with Benfica. Good luck to him.

03 Jun 2026 09:45:43
We have seen it so many times with quality managers at clubs like that before. All too many stayed another 2 years and faded away.

03 Jun 2026 14:51:43
Shame for the league to lose another good manager getting a good tune out of Fulham. Silva probably feels that, with all the movement this year at us, City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, without him getting too much of a look, he may as well go to a big club in another league.



Benfica are a good club and could be seen as a long-term stepping stone to show he can handle the pressure that comes with a club this size and expectant fan base.

02 Jun 2026 14:19:51
Really saddened by the news today of 2 Liverpool legends and indeed British footballing legends in Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan facing a battle against a cancer diagnosis.
I wish them both well. 2 great football adversaries but also 2 great professionals also who have the respect of most footballing fans around the world for their achievements.


Good luck gents in your battle, you both showed great tenacity in your professional life and I'm sure you will show the same fight to try and beat this awful disease.

02 Jun 2026 18:50:47
I completely agree. I guess the youngsters will only remember them as Managers and not as the great players they were.

Keegan won 3 League titles and a European Cup, before going to Hamburg in '77, and then winning the Ballon d'Or in '78 and '79.

Dalglish won 6 First Division and 3 European Cups at Liverpool.

Amazing players, I wish them well.

02 Jun 2026 19:36:36
Totally agree, Ken, fine, fine players and significant adversaries.

'I'd love it' if they get through their ordeals with success.

02 Jun 2026 20:30:14
Agree. At times like this, tribal rivalries are irrelevant. Always respected both players' talent on the field, and Dalgliesh even more for how he was after the terrible tragedy Liverpool supporters suffered during his tenure as manager.

02 Jun 2026 22:22:36
John Barnes now too... Thoughts and best wishes to all 3. Absolute legends no matter where your allegiances lie. 🙏

03 Jun 2026 11:37:03
Good post, Ken. 2 legends of the game.

Really enjoyed Dalglish's most recent interview on The Overlap. It was brilliant. Highly recommend.

03 Jun 2026 23:55:01
Dalglish was the best Scottish player I've ever seen.

And I always had a soft spot for Keegan. Real heart on the sleeve type of guy.

02 Jun 2026 11:22:17
To be honest, never saw Ederson play, so trusting our new recruitment team, Fernandes is very good, young and Premier experience. If we sign both, I think that will be it for midfield, some young players coming through. We could get both for 100million. We already have Mainoo, Bruno, Dorgu etc.

I can see Urgarte, Zirkzee, Onana, Sancho, Rashford all going too. Should have money to look at defence and maybe an experienced CF. While many have critised Ineos, they inherited a mess and are slowly getting the finances in better shape, got to give some credit for that.

02 Jun 2026 12:14:07
It's risky. Replacing Casemiro's presence and know-how with these two players is risky. I like the look of Fernandes as a signing. Could be excellent. He lets his head drop sometimes, but playing for West Ham will do that to you.

😝

Ederson, I can, hand on heart, say I've never seen him play a game. But I agree, if we get these two, that'll be it, I think, for midfield.

Love to see us go for Morgan Rogers next.

02 Jun 2026 12:29:42
If we only buy Ederson and Fernandez for mf, we should absolutely have plenty to spend elsewhere. I can see us forking out £300m gross over the summer. They have £250k on the credit line, revenues that could be as high as £800m next season (+£135m on this year's projected revenues) with a decent Champions League run, and no PSR or financial fair play issues.

I agree. Ineos inherited a deep mess. They've made some missteps on the way, but they have had the courage to fix them quickly.

They have a vision, which, unlike the period under Woodward, actually includes managing a football club to win titles rather than just sponsorship.

Interesting to see whether anyone is prepared to meet the £130m release clause to buy Rayan from Bournemouth. Liverpool, perhaps, if, as seems likely, they hire Iraola. Major upgrade on Amad.

02 Jun 2026 13:48:23
I don't see why we'd be looking to sign Morgan Rodgers. His best position is as a number 10, and we have Bruno. He can play on the right, but we already have Cunha, who is a similar type of player.



Better to invest in areas where we are lacking, like central mids, centre back, and left back. Even a more direct rw forward would be more useful to us.

02 Jun 2026 15:18:11
Bode Glimt have a very good CB in Odin Bjortuft apparently. With a name like Odin, he could end up being a Man Utd god.

02 Jun 2026 16:34:32
I have said before I really do like Ederson. I have seen him play for Atalanta a number of times over the last few years.

In particular, I remember them playing Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League a couple of seasons back. They won 3-0 and it should have, and could have, been much more. Ederson was fantastic and dominated the game, both defensively and when carrying the ball.

I only saw him a couple of times last season, but he has always looked good, is physical and can also dribble with the ball. A bit of an all-rounder, and I think he is a terrific squad addition at £35m.

I have also said I really think we should make a big effort to go for Mateus Fernandez from West Ham. I think he is a fantastic prospect. He can play 6, 8 and 10, all to a good standard. He was the best player at Southampton last season and West Ham's best player this season. The only problem is both went down. It would be a major achievement to follow 2 relegations with a league title (have to have your dreams).

I am basing going for Fernandez on not getting Anderson.

It does seem that all sources are saying he wants City. If so, his choice and we should move on. I don't think we would be getting a lesser standard at all. Also, he has seemingly stated he only wants to join us. Exactly the attitude you want to see.

I don't think we would just get those two. I think we will go for a 3rd midfielder as well. We need 4 good players to cover those midfield 2 places. Midfield has to be the top priority this summer.

No doubt everyone has their favourites to go for. I would like a top, top, quality centre back with genuine pace. Seemingly MC wants a left winger, with Morgan Rogers being talked about. If he was wanted then he could also cover Bruno in the 10 position.

Back-up striker would be good, but obviously depends on cash availability as to what can be done.


This is shaping up to be a pivotal summer. Would love 2 or even 3 deals done before W.C. We shall have to wait and see. I am optimistic as to the future. Look at the last 5 players bought - Dorgu, Mbeumo, Cunha, Sesko and Lammens. As good as it has been for quite some time.

02 Jun 2026 16:42:44
Where do we all think Ugarte is going? Ie. who is going to pay for him. We are all presuming he's leaving but I've not seen any links etc. yet, and so could he be the 4th alongside the Fletcher's?

02 Jun 2026 16:57:09
IWOTB, I was surprised to see your name at the bottom of that post, as I kept reading, I was sure it was gonna be signed Shappy. ;)

02 Jun 2026 16:57:27
JD, he made the Uruguay squad, so hopefully he gets a bit of game time there and impresses a few.
I did read about interest from Turkey. He will be a loss maker, hopefully a loan move will materialise for him at the worst.
When you look at the 8 we want out, Sancho, Cas and Malacia go on frees. It will be hard to sell Zirkzee and Ugarte, and Rashford only wants a club that won't offer a fair price. Onana won't be easy to sell, and so the outs are looking a bit troublesome, as usual.

Bayindir seems most saleable for a small fee.
We still have the best part of 10 weeks to get those 8 out.
Maguire, Mount, Dalot, Martinez, Shaw and Maz all look like they will stay for next season, unless something extraordinary happens. I don't think any are being actively sold, but if a good offer came in for any of them, I think they would give it due consideration.
It's going to be a long summer, I think.

02 Jun 2026 17:26:19
I say Rogers as he is a totally different prospect to Bruno. While Bruno is a passer, Rogers is a more direct ball carrier, who I think, would supplement our attacking line.

Maybe throw in Rashford to soften the blow for them.

02 Jun 2026 17:26:28
It has been strongly reported that his representatives have been informed he has no future with us, and they should find him a new club.

Galatasaray are strongly linked with him, and Atletico Madrid and Napoli have also been mentioned.



We are supposedly looking for about £25m for him.

I suspect any club looking to buy him will come in for him very late in the window, obviously looking to get the price reduced.

02 Jun 2026 17:28:54
There is also a world where we may have to keep one of Onana, Rashford, or even Sancho? Out of all of them, maybe Onana as backup keeper to do the least damage.

Ugarte had been linked with Turkey for a while now.

02 Jun 2026 17:55:02
Sancho is out of contract, and we won't be taking the iron if a year more, I assume, Eric.
Rodgers is a fine player, and multifunctional across the attack.
Big price tag, and a few will be interested.
We are in the realm of 'must' fill positions, and Rodgers, for me, would be a nice to have, but not a must have.


We must buy 2 cm minimum, ideally 3.
And, imo, the cb, fbs, and striker are a bigger priority than a Rodgers type.
Today's just the way I see it, but obviously Carrick & Wilcox will see things their own way.

02 Jun 2026 19:05:48
mbd, maybe an occasional touch of surprise is good for us all!

Thinking about it, not sure whether to feel I have been complimented or insulted.

02 Jun 2026 19:31:09
But, where is Rogers going to play, Eric?

He's not going to keep Bruno out of the team.
He can't play as one of our two central mids.

The only position he would start in is on the rw. He's a similar player to Cunha in that he takes the ball on and looks to shoot. But we already have Cunha.

Is Rogers better? Possibly, but there's not much between them.

That's a huge amount of money to spend on a marginal upgrade, at best, when we have far more pressing transfer needs. I honestly think that anything above £60m for Rogers is too much, and can guarantee that Villa will be looking for more than that. Let Arsenal sign him to add to their hoard of attacking mids that don't get to attack.

03 Jun 2026 07:12:31
I really like Rogers and I think he is a fantastic player, but unfortunately there are several greater priorities than spending over £80 million on a number 10. Obviously, he can also play on either wing, and I think we are probably looking to strengthen on the left, but I don't think we will be spending enough on that position to get Rogers.

Barcola would probably be the best option available, but would also be too expensive, so I suspect we might be looking at Leao, Ndiaye, Schade, or perhaps Antonio Nusa from Leipzig.

We might consider Morgan Rogers for the left wing position, but he is probably too similar to Cunha, in that he is more comfortable drifting in more centrally rather than staying as wide as possible and offering genuine width.

It would be a bit daft to sign someone so similar to Cunha rather than someone that offers something different.

Next summer, it might be a different story. If Villa manage to keep Rogers this summer, and Bruno decides to leave in 2027, then Rogers would be a fantastic option for a replacement. Any 3 from Cunha, Rogers, Mbeumo, Amad, and perhaps Ndiaye behind Sesko would be pretty exciting.

03 Jun 2026 12:04:53
Hahaha IWOTB, pleasantly surprised.

03 Jun 2026 14:25:21
School holidays are coming up, so Shaps will be back in force.
Once he has the time, the keyboard will be overheating.

01 Jun 2026 16:31:35
I hope the club stand firm with Barcelona and I hope that Rashford also considers other options.
I don't think there would be a shortage of takers both at home and abroad at 26m if he is prepared to lower his wage demands.
With Di Silva Gordon and Alvarez going to Barcelona he is likely to get even less game time.
He has plenty to offer the right coach and team if they can get him motivated and happy in his surroundings.
I think he has made every pertains agent attempt in terms of salary sacrifice at Barcelona to make it happen but they just don't want him enough so he really needs to move on from them and decide what he wants to do.

Stand firm and risk his career or embrace a new challenge.
I saw a man this week in Gordon who had the same dream as a kid and young player to plausible for Barcelona. I saw him address the press in excellent Spanish. For me therein less the difference between the 2 in their workrate and approach to making their dream a reality.

01 Jun 2026 17:46:58
Ken, I'm just not convinced Rashford wants to make the effort to be the player he could be. Despite getting numerous chances, United and Barca fans say pretty much the same thing - he's excellent at a couple of things but well below average at most - and what he is below average at are things that are down to effort. His pressing is poor, his off the ball runs to create space for teammates is poor, the list goes on.

It's an incredible frustration because for one season (or half a season anyway) he did that, and he was genuinely brilliant.
It's not his talent that's the issue, it's his attitude. It'd be a big mistake if we take him back as the culture at the club is now so much better with proper team players. Right now, I think Villa might go back for him, but other than Serie A, I don't see another major CL club taking a chance on him.

01 Jun 2026 18:42:21
Half a season? Jesus, DonRed, that's wild considering how many goals and assists he has had in his career, particularly in the red of United.

Who knows what conversations he has or hasn't had with those at Barcelona.

All just wild guessing.

My wild guess is that they know he only really wants them and we have made it very clear that we really want rid, and have devalued an asset, well, RA really devalued the asset, so they'll come back in toward the end of a window for either a reduced fee or another loan.

01 Jun 2026 18:52:53
DonRed, what Barca fans are you talking to? Because I've talked to a few and they were extremely happy with his contributions last year. 25 G/A in his debut season, and he contributed to them winning LaLiga, starting only 18 games in the league too. Not bad to me.

01 Jun 2026 19:30:21
Barca have two weeks to make their decision. Why do it now when they can keep cash flow for a few weeks longer?

My guess is they'll buy him and sell him for 40-50m in the next 12 months.

01 Jun 2026 19:45:07
Angel, it's quite widely reported what Barca fans are saying. Just go on Reddit and you'll see that. He did fine, but his attacking contributions come at a major defensive impact. If he were such a roaring success, they'd have stumped up the money already. Your post suggests I'm in a tiny minority that has this opinion, and I'd contend you are in that minority.


The half season I mentioned is when he was truly world class. He was a game changer and got a massive contract on the assumption he would continue to have such an impact. Most obviously he hasn't done that.

01 Jun 2026 20:06:19
It's just mad to me how fans on here rate our own, half a season 😲. I think you didn't have the best view on Maguire either, another one of our own.

Sorry, mate, I don't look at Reddit, I've spoken to friends and people I know who support Barcelona, and I didn't hear any of them say what you said above, but maybe they're in the minority.

Like I said above, the club, and in particular RA at the time, really devalued assets that we had under contract, and I believe that's why we have found it difficult to shift players and get their actual worth.

And this Rashford debacle is case in point.

I just think they come in at the end with a loan, or look for money off. Good if the club dig in and try and get the money, the value they have put on Rashy. I'll be very surprised if they do, though, and they'll only have themselves to blame.

01 Jun 2026 20:31:54
Maguire is an admirable player, but very limited. Rashford has damaged himself through his own attitude. I said Rashford did fine. I also referred to half a season to a full season, where I thought he was world class.

I did not say he was crap the rest of the time. You continuously misrepresent what I've said. I like the back and forth, but I don't like that really distasteful part of our interactions - can you please stop doing it.

01 Jun 2026 20:48:06
What are you on about, DonRed?

01 Jun 2026 21:14:18
Jeez, where to start. Rashford has always been streaky, but he was an integral player for a long time, and at one point he was carrying the team. If you haven't seen that, then I wonder what you were watching.

He's lost his way, or his motivation, for whatever reason, but he was excellent for many years.

dondln

nisxwsy,.

01 Jun 2026 21:18:04
AJH, he's also been pretty good at Barcelona.

I just believe that Barca will do their utmost to get him at a much lower price. That's all I believe it is.

In fact, since writing the above posts, I believe Times Sport have come out with something saying that Barca want to buy at a much reduced price.

That's what happens when you tell the world you want a player out.

01 Jun 2026 21:23:46
He had two seasons where he had a goals to games ratio of around 1 in 2 (As I said, in one of those seasons, I thought he was superb). Other seasons were generally closer to 1 in 4. That is beyond streaky.

AJH, when did I say he wasn't integral? That was part of the problem. We built the team around him, and indulged him to a level that did not correspond to the effort he put in. What were you watching?

01 Jun 2026 21:32:16
We did the hard part in separating Rashford from the over emotional fan base. Now the club must make sure his attitude is never seen in our shirt ever again.

I suspect Barca have had a close eye on his attitude, and maybe it isn't what it should be.

It's not just about performances, it's also the mental approach.

They may take a chance. Let's hope they do, or someone else does, and we get as much as we can.

01 Jun 2026 21:58:33
Beyond streaky, DonRed? He played as a LW and has fantastic stats for us over a period where our club was not successful at all, changing managers, styles, players etc. He was one of the only constants. And, my, I don't remember our club ever building around him at any point either.



RedMan, can you point to any behaviours? Or any coaches, players, ITK people who have said anything about his attitude over in Spain? Or is it something you just think?

I believe Barcelona want him, but at a cheaper price.

01 Jun 2026 22:05:36
Angel

You mean being unable to attend training because he was partying in Ireland, and was too rough. Or perhaps watch him wander around the pitch, watching opposition players walk past him.

01 Jun 2026 22:16:34
Angel

It happened in Jan 24. He was in a nightclub on Thursday night in Belfast, hours before being due in training on Friday morning. He then reported himself as ill. I can look up the nightclub name if you want.

01 Jun 2026 23:00:49
"I suspect Barca have had a close eye on his attitude, and maybe it isn't what it should be."

What has he done since his time in Barcelona?

01 Jun 2026 23:02:43
He devalued himself as an asset for UTD when he refused to put in the necessary effort. All RA did was put him in the category of surplus to requirements.

Ridding the club of some of the toxic players is surely something you can praise RA for, Angel?

01 Jun 2026 23:27:30
There have been lots of "one of our own" players that have fallen foul of the fans, so why be surprised that some of us do not necessarily like the same players as much as others? That's just human nature.

Rashford is one such player, as is my favourite (not), Maguire.

They divide opinion, but just because they wear the shirt, it does not mean we have to universally like them, especially in the case of Rashford, when they seemingly down tools.



I like Rashford the player when he plays. I dislike the Rashford we let go. He had the opportunity to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats, but sought to believe his own press before he got there. A sad loss to the game from where we were heading to where he is now.

02 Jun 2026 06:44:49
Angel

Clearly not enough to make them snap our hands off.

You going to admit how poor his attitude was?

02 Jun 2026 07:51:04
I'll admit it, Red Man. I loved him for years, but he lost his way, had a few disciplinary issues, and did not put in the effort on the pitch. We should take what we can get for him from whoever is prepared to stump up a reasonable fee.

02 Jun 2026 08:35:45
Just tell Barcelona to pay the money, or we will sell him elsewhere. Rashford has a value of £38million on Transfermarkt. Given the rumoured EPL clubs interested in him, they could perhaps sell him for more.

02 Jun 2026 08:44:44
One of our own. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 He's a dirty little scroat who hardly tries a yard. A disgrace to the club, often. His effort was a disgrace. He might be one of yours, Angel, defo not one of mine. You believe what you believe, Angel, doesn't mean others have to believe or think the same. If Barcelona really valued him, they would pay like they do for all their other players.

I hope the club stand firm. They are targeting other players that play in his pairing, as they rate them more highly. I don't blame them. There is a lot more to playing football and being part of a team than goals and assists.

02 Jun 2026 09:20:57
Redman, I agree with you. They have had a look at him for a season, and don't think he is worth what they thought, both in fee and wages. I'm quite sure they think he would be a useful squad member, but he played less than half their games, and did well, but not well enough to buy him at fair value. As usual, a little streaky, but hard when you're not in the team a lot. They value other targets more, and prioritised them naturally. If he had been spot on, and what they wanted, they would have prioritised him.


I think someone else will offer what we're asking. If he won't go elsewhere, then we are in a pickle. 1.4m per month is a big hit on cash flow monthly.
Even if they sign him, he won't be there in 18 months' time imo. They don't value him enough.
Look at Gordon. He addressed the press in Spanish excellently. Tells you all you need to know about how he works for what they want. Rashford is a dope imo.

02 Jun 2026 09:34:33
Of course he's one of our own. He was born in Manchester. He grew up in Manchester. He came through our Academy; that is the very definition of one of our own.

The last few years, he has been a different player, whose attitude appears to have slipped.

He needs to leave, and I certainly don't want him back. But that doesn't mean he wasn't a valuable member of the team for the preceding 7 years.

02 Jun 2026 09:51:18
Being born in Manchester didn't make him one of our own, AJH.
He needs to live it, breathe it, and 'die' trying to be considered one of our own. Do all that consistently, and you can be born in Timbucktoo and be valued as one of our own.

Don't do it, or do it intermittently, or stop doing it, and then you are not United, imo, and not one of our own. Dalot is more one of our own than Rashford, because he always tries his best.

02 Jun 2026 10:22:24
"For Manchester United, "one of our own" is the ultimate badge of honor. It refers exclusively to players who graduated from the club's prestigious youth academy. It signifies intense local pride, deep loyalty to the club's values, and the belief that home-grown talent represents the true soul of the team."

Dalot will never be one of our own.

I'm not defending Rashford. His lack of effort has been awful, but whether you like it or not, he was one of our own.

02 Jun 2026 10:37:01
Maybe one of yours, not one of mine. I don't consider "one of our own" as academy graduates at all. I consider Keane, Cantona, Robson as one of our own, not a little scroat like Rashford, who does not put the team before himself consistently.
You can be one of our own without being through the academy, imo. I am aware there was a hard and fast rule. Who came up with that qualification, or is it in your head, or just your opinion? (Not being funny, I've never considered Robson, Keane, Cantona as not one of our own and never considered Rashford or Henderson, for example, to be one of our own.)
Being born and brought through somewhere doesn't automatically give you that title; it's how you conduct yourself, imo, that earns you that title.

02 Jun 2026 13:13:50
I now associate the phrase "being one of our own" with Ole, and now Carrick, to explain or justify over-promoting people.

Was Cantona one of our own? Absolutely. Robson, Keane, Rooney, totally.

Rashford disrespected the Shirt. Something that no real fan would do. The fact he did it as a player means he can't go out that door fast enough.

02 Jun 2026 13:29:19
Totally agree, Red Man.
I'm surprised, AJH, that got works consider the likes of Rashford, Garnacho and Luke Chadwick more one of our own than real stalwarts of their club and genuine players who really did their best more often than not, and players who've made more of an impact than failed graduates.

02 Jun 2026 15:03:26
One of our own is surely referring to an academy graduate. Not a hired ace from elsewhere. Maybe legends of the club can become one of our own by the end of their career when they have been through countless battles with us and are adopted by the fan base. But I always thought it was a phrase saved for players who came through the academy.

02 Jun 2026 15:23:26
Perhaps DB, I personally don't see it that way, and was not aware that was how his people felt.
I must say, id have Robson Rooney ethic as one of our own, before Rashford, Garnacho, or Luke Chadwick.
Im not sure there is a hard and fast rule on it, just personal opinion, I guess.
The academy thing even enters my head when I hear the phrase.


So, a bit like royalty, you get a title, you deserve it or not, based on where you're born or where you trained as a kid.
Wouldn't be my way of looking at it.
If that's the case, id say Rashford should have that 'one of our own' title taken from him, like ex Prince Harry or ex Prince Andrew. 🤣🤣

02 Jun 2026 19:15:08
Now that is something we can agree on, Ken. 🤣

01 Jun 2026 16:17:44
For cm it looks like Ederson +1 more.
Anderson is he set on City imo likelihood 5/10?
Tonali really good player imo likelihood 6/10.
Fernandes huge potential looks a player to ne likelihood imo 8/10.
Baleba is he too like Ederson? Imo likelihood 4/10.
Wharton bit of a dark horse down the list of options imo likelihood 2/10.


They appear in my order of preference in that list.
I still think 5 is a bit light for the 3 positions given the games Bruno, Mount, Mainoo, Ederson? Other? Unless there is somebody from the academy who can step up.

01 Jun 2026 16:46:02
Not sure there is anybody who can step up yet, Tumble. Collyer will surely be sold this summer too, as his loans have not been productive, and Kone needs a loan to develop after his injury.

Carrick may have seen enough in Tyler Fletcher to keep him in the squad for next season?

01 Jun 2026 17:20:39
Yeah, I think we need 3 mid signings. We're losing two, with Ugarte on his way out, and we have far more games next season. Would be silly to go into next season without 4 quality central mids.

01 Jun 2026 21:48:49
Hayden from Boro, quite a likely purchase. Known and rated by Carrick. Prob happy to be a squad player, and won't cost a fortune, so limited downside.

01 Jun 2026 22:00:14
I'd love Fernandes. I think he's a really good player and a good alternative to Anderson. I'd be very happy with Ederson, Fernandes and another techy CM to complement Mainoo. imo, that would be a very energetic and strong CM, and will change the game for us.

If we can add a CB and another forward, it would be fantastic.

01 Jun 2026 22:48:59
Agreed, Angel. Ederson + M Fernandes, and then maybe Hackney, or, probably too ambitiously, Alex Scott, would be great. For forward, I hope the Mateta links are true, he'd be ideal. I'd be looking at RB, and then LB before CB, but that assumes De Ligt is anticipated to make a full recovery.

02 Jun 2026 07:17:05
Mateta is not clinical enough.

02 Jun 2026 07:52:04
Hackney would be an astute signing, I'm really not convinced by Mateta.

02 Jun 2026 08:57:36
Don't like Mateta. Never seen Hackney. We need at least 1 cb badly and full backs.

02 Jun 2026 09:24:45
Utd need to spend their money well and wisely this summer. Hackney would be a very good squad signing, as he wouldn't cost a lot, as he only has a year left on his contract. I'd imagine he would cost circa £15 million.

01 Jun 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - EHL2020 has posted a new article entitled, Rangers and the Dutch-Belgian Squad Blueprint

31 May 2026 21:22:29
We are going through a period of seismic change in terms of personnel leaving the EPL Alison, Ederson, Walker, Salah, KDB, Son, Silva, VVD, Tripper, Robertson, etc. Real household EPL names.

Also a massive reshuffle managerially is occurring this summer.

It's a real opportunity for a team, a manager, players to become the next face of the EPL, to brand themselves into the mould of the aforementioned players.

Notably, of this recent group of players leaving, you'd be hard placed to throw in a UTD player, definitely no manager.

Managerial contenders have to be Iraola, Carrick, Enzo, Arteta, you could throw a few more in there, Alonso, Hurzelar, even Lampard and McKenna just coming up.



Much larger pool of players and difficult to say from all teams who is likely to be stood side by side with the EPL greats in 10+ years time.

I will say for me Lammens has started well. If he continues, he will comfortably be there.

You have heaps of others who could be there. O'Reilly, Dowman, JJ, Anderson, Wharton, etc etc.

What does everyone's starting 11 look like for the future all EPL greats for say 10-13 yrs time. Probably looking at players 22 and under.

Just a bit of fun!