Manchester United banter 6

01 Sep 2026 10:26:40
On a scale of 10, this transfer window cannot be rated more than a 4. No matter how much you hype the ones we signed, bar possibly Baleba, none of them are taking us closer to the summit. We will be doing another midfield rebuild in 2 years from now, like we will be doing a defence rebuild next year, when in fact we did one just a year prior.

Buying second grade players just for the sake of it and not strengthening positions that were required.

01 Sep 2026 10:56:23
Wow, UA.

Belgium captain and Europa League winner is second grade.

A CM that Chelsea fans are universally livid at losing for 50M is second grade.

And we'll be doing another midfield rebuild despite having those two, Baleba, who you like, and Mainoo, who appears to have taken another step forward.



Man alive. If you'd expressed disappointment that we may not sign a fullback, then ok, but that angle you took is mad.

01 Sep 2026 11:12:14
DonRed, we won the Europa League with Eric Bailly. Does that make him a good player? Tielemans is slower than Maguire. He was robbed of the ball 7-8 times in the first 2 matches against Hull and Ipswich, not considering the misplaced passes, and was nutmegged twice. Imagine what would happen when we play against quality opposition. A Chelsea reject for 50m is money wasted. He was so good that Chelsea didn't plan on keeping him, even when they knew Enzo would be leaving.

He is so good that he had to be hacked off against Hull. He was one player who should have been the fittest and most ready to play, given that he wasn't at the World Cup and played all pre season games. Mainoo did more in his cameo than Santos did in his stay.
Do you think this midfield gets us top 2-3 or a decent run in the CL, let's say semis?

01 Sep 2026 11:23:01
Tielemans is not pacey, but in the second half, against Ipswich, we saw what he can do. He's a quality player. Santos is far from a Chelsea reject. That's some spin.
I think our midfield gets us top 4 and a run to CL knockout phase. I believe the choices made complement well with each other and our forwards.

Where we're weak is fullback, and with our first choice players out at CB. But I only see Arsenal and City as clearly better than us. We're in a group, then, of maybe 3 or 4 clubs that are close.

01 Sep 2026 11:39:58
You want to see a midfield rebuild. Look out the window and see the Etihad. They lost Rodri and Bernardo, and they went and smashed it. We were once the biggest club in the world; now we aren't even the biggest in our neighborhood.

And the worst part is that it has been accepted by many that this is our level. We should have recruited to close the gap to top 2, and we went ahead and recruited to close the gap with the chasing pack below us.

01 Sep 2026 12:11:25
Does the squad have the depth to compete in four competitions? Probably not.

01 Sep 2026 12:15:57
Agreed, UA. Very poor window. Not only net spend being what it is, we have positions that needed addressing, which has not been done up to now.
For all those that believe we are in better hands with Ratcliffee mob, this has been as bad as any Glazer window. Scattergun approach, looking for a LB with hours left, no backup striker with 50+ games to play.

01 Sep 2026 12:47:12
During the entire window, we heard the phrase "if opportunity arises" from the management team. It clearly shows they were looking for the cheap options. They never even tried for the cream. Well, if that opportunity didn't arise in 2 months, I am not holding my breath for it to happen in the last few hours.



The only positive from this window could be that they have saved enough money to do a proper rebuild next year.

We are essentially standing still, and inviting teams below us to overtake.

This season will be more hope than expectations.

01 Sep 2026 13:47:47
I think you have to accept the board are happy to fight for 5th or 6th place. They are businessmen. We have spent fortunes and got nowhere. Money does not guarantee success, but to be a successful business, 5th or 6th place with less outlay is great for them.

01 Sep 2026 14:30:25
I'm with you UA, and have been banging on since they were signed. Santos and Tielemans don't take us forward. Both together are not as good as Cass, with no legs.
Tielemans looks like he's running in treacle, clutching at straws, saying he won a Europa! Whatever way you look at Santos, he has been at 5 clubs and he is only 22, which doesn't bode well.

Poppycock that Chelsea are spitting any feathers about losing him; he was a squad player at best.
Both these players will not take United where we want it to be. Waste of 85 million in my book. Might as well have kept Colyer.

{Ed077's Note - someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed ?}

01 Sep 2026 14:38:10
Chelsea getting Kone, who we apparently dithered over for weeks. I reckon that's a steal at 50m.

01 Sep 2026 15:07:32
I think we've made some good signings. Unfortunately, we haven't made nearly enough of them.

The lack of investment in seasons after we qualify for the Champions League shows a complete lack of ambition.

With the right signings, we could have challenged for the title this season. Unfortunately, the amount of revenue that winning the league would generate is less than it would cost to seriously compete, so the owners are content to do the bare minimum while all of the clubs around us strengthen, in the hopes that it will be enough to keep the fans quiet and secure another top four finish.



6/10 window.

01 Sep 2026 09:25:05
Today, last day of the window, we should remember all the staff who have suffered under Ratcliffe and the Glazers. The parasites enabled Ratcliffe so he introduced cost cutting, people lost their jobs so the club could make more money, so we could make profit. We thought it was so we could afford top players. Just a pack of lies.
Today I ask what was it for?

Unless there are several transfer shocks today were all these cost cuts to enable the club to compete? Or actually just to make more profit for dividends or even make us more attractive for a full sale next year? You should be able to see it. It doesn't look like they care at all about competing for the title or CL. It could change today, they could do something and get in a LB and a striker of real quality. The midfield bar Baleba looks a fudge but at least they did something, almost like just enough.

Here is what they did, sold to us as getting the club in order to compete, to be able to buy top players.
First wave (summer 2024): Around 250 jobs cut across departments. This was expected to deliver annualised savings of roughly £40–45m
• Second wave (announced February 2025): Further 150–200 redundancies as part of a "transformation plan." Combined with the first round, total cuts reached up to ~400–450 roles. Headcount fell substantially (from averages around 1, 100–1, 140 non-playing staff toward ~700). 
• Overall restructuring and redundancy-related exceptional costs have been reported in the tens of millions (figures cited in the £22–36m+ range across periods, including associated exits). These have reduced the wage bill notably (e.g., employee benefits and overall wages down significantly in subsequent accounts). 
Commercial and scouting teams were among areas affected; the club also reduced its London office presence and considered streamlining overseas operations.
Other Notable Cost Cuts and Changes
• High-profile ambassadorial and related roles: Sir Alex Ferguson's paid ambassador role (reported ~£2m per year) ended. Other ambassador salary reductions (e.g., involving figures like Bryan Robson, Andy Cole, Denis Irwin) were reported. 
• Staff benefits and perks: Free/staff lunches and canteen provisions ended or heavily restricted at Old Trafford (and changes planned/made at Carrington for non-players), with estimated savings around £1m annually in some reports. Christmas parties cancelled; FA Cup final travel support for staff withdrawn or reduced. Company credit cards and some bonuses tightened or eliminated. 
• Charitable and foundation contributions: Reduced funding to the Manchester United Foundation (reported ~£1m impact in some coverage); smaller payments (e.g., to certain supporter groups) adjusted or ceased in places.
• Ticket pricing: Introduction of a flat £66 match ticket rate (with removal or reduction of some senior/child concessions in the process).
• Broader operational tightening: Return-to-office mandate (ending flexible remote work); tighter spending approvals and expense controls; commercial department headcount reductions; and general "right-sizing" of non-football operations.

01 Sep 2026 10:38:40
For those interested, our Net Spend has been £88.34M.

Signed

Carlos Baleba - £65m + £5m
Andrey Santos - £48m + £2m
Youri Tielemans - £35m
Tynan Thompson - £4m + £4m
Cristian Orozco - £0.74m
Kit Margetson - Compensation
Karl Darlow - Free

Total spent: £163.74m + undisclosed fees.



Sold / Loaned / Released

Rasmus Hojlund - £38m
Radek Vitek - £6m + £8m
Toby Collyer - £3m + £4.6m
Andre Onana - Loan (£1.3m fee)
Altay Bayindir - Loan (£3.5m buy option)
Mason Greenwood - £11m (sell-on fee)

Total received: £75.4m* + undisclosed fees.

Net Spend: £88.34m* + undisclosed fees.

01 Sep 2026 10:40:34
I think you're letting emotion drive the conclusion here.

There are definitely decisions that deserve criticism. The ticket pricing changes, reductions in staff benefits, and some of the optics around the cuts have been poor, and have understandably upset supporters and staff.

That said, you're attributing motives and making claims that simply haven't been made. At no point did Ratcliffe say redundancies or cost-cutting measures were being implemented specifically to "buy top players". His argument has consistently been that United's cost base was too high, the club's finances needed fixing, and that the business needed to become sustainable.

Personally, I don't agree with every decision, but I also don't think it's unreasonable to cut costs in a business that has been posting significant losses. I work for a highly profitable financial services company, and we don't receive half the perks that some United staff had. Free meals, extensive travel perks, flexible arrangements, and other benefits are nice to have, but they're not an entitlement.

Likewise, remote working was largely introduced as a response to COVID. Somewhere along the way, a lot of people started treating it as an absolute right rather than a benefit granted by an employer.

Whether that's right or wrong, businesses are perfectly entitled to review those arrangements.

On the ambassador point, I have even less sympathy. Club legends deserve respect, but I don't think Manchester United should be indefinitely paying multimillion-pound ambassador contracts simply because someone was a great servant to the club. If the club is looking at every area of expenditure, those arrangements should be scrutinised like anything else.

The biggest issue with your argument is that you've created a test that Ratcliffe never set for himself. You've decided the cuts were made solely to fund blockbuster signings, and because that hasn't happened you're calling it a lie. But that's not actually what was promised.

Criticise the decisions, absolutely. Criticise the impact on morale, the fan experience, or whether the restructuring has been handled well. Those are fair debates. But claiming the entire exercise was fraudulent because United haven't gone on a transfer spending spree is arguing against a narrative you've invented rather than one Ratcliffe has publicly presented.

01 Sep 2026 10:54:34
Kurtis,

I never suggested anything was fraudulent, so let’s be clear.
I also understand the business decisions and rationale to cut costs.

However, let’s also be clear that, unless something changes in the coming hours, we are very right to ask why the cost cutting was done if it is not to improve the team.


Surely, as a football club, the No1 priority must be to make the team successful; that means buying the players to do it. We have not done that.

So what is the No1 priority at the club in your opinion?

01 Sep 2026 11:02:19
Net spend over last 3 seasons is over 400M. Arsenal, Liverpool, and Spurs are the only teams to spend more. Spurs, mainly due to this summer, are most at around 500M.
Over 10 years we're at 1.3B net, which is the highest, with Arsenal at 1.2B and Chelsea at 1.1B.

The numbers do not back you up, Red Man. You keep pushing this, but there are other sticks to beat the club with if that's your agenda.

01 Sep 2026 11:26:36
Don,

Yet we only have one 31 year old left back and one striker who has had injury issues. Is that agenda not sufficient?

01 Sep 2026 11:35:02
Apologies, and just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting you were accusing anyone of literal fraud.

My point was that you're measuring the outcome against a narrative that Ratcliffe never actually presented. I don't recall him ever saying the staff cuts, redundancies, or other savings were being made specifically to fund "top players" or a transfer spree.

As for your question, I think the No.1 priority is restoring financial stability and putting the right football structure in place. Under PSR, owners can't simply keep writing cheques to cover inefficiency, so the club needs a sustainable cost base and better decision-making before anything else.



That's why I don't see improving the team and cost-cutting as mutually exclusive. The cuts are justified if they help create a financially stable club that can invest more effectively in the squad over the long term. The mistake, in my view, is assuming that team improvement can only be measured by how many players arrive in a single transfer window.

I'd also point out that many of these cuts were already underway before last summer, when United still spent heavily on the squad. I don't remember people repeatedly raising these arguments then. It seems they're only being brought up now because this window hasn't met expectations.

01 Sep 2026 11:45:17
Kurtis

Per a simple search, I think that's pretty clear.

"Savings were intended to create headroom for investment in the playing squad and facilities, while helping meet Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) / financial fair play constraints.

Club statements described a "transformation plan" / cost-saving programme to put the club on a "stable financial footing," stop non-essential activities, maximise resources for football and infrastructure, and enable long-term competitiveness."

01 Sep 2026 12:08:36
The priority is to build a stadium to line their pockets further, with the illusion it's for us fans.

01 Sep 2026 12:13:41
Over the last 5 years, the club has lost £375m and no dividends have been paid. Without making profits, no dividends will be paid, but not only that, the debt will not be reduced and the ability to purchase top players will continue to be restricted. Any normal business with debts of £1.3bn, revenues 1/2 of that, making losses would be on the verge of calling in the receivers. You have no idea whether dividends will be paid in the near future if we start to make profits again. Maybe the Board wants to hold onto cash to help fund the stadium. Maybe the bankers put conditions on the new fixed term loan. But generally, if a business is making money, the owners are perfectly entitled to reward themselves. That's the way the world works. It's not just Man Utd. Investors are ultimately in it to make money.

There's no one on this site who doesn't resent the Glazers for saddling the club with so much debt while making out like banshees. Personally, I think LBOs should be banned and not just in football. But, to me, their biggest sin was appointing and retaining Woodard to run the club. Even with the remaining debt after the company went public, the amount of money we've spent net on transfers since SAF retired has been enough to have kept us consistently in the top 4.

Meanwhile, everything else about the club was left to rot, non-playing staff numbers and costs rose to be the highest by far in the EPL. Things had to change. They should never have been allowed to continue for so long. In steps Ratcliffe. There have been costly missteps, but there has been some improvement, given last year's finish. We still carry players we can't get rid of because we paid too much for them and pay them too much. We haven't had many players we can afford to lose, from whom we could make a profit, with the result that over the last 10 years we have had the highest net spend in the whole of football. This appalling level of past incompetence cannot be fixed overnight. It's going to take time. I wish the Glazers would sell out and someone would buy the club and invest some cash to wipe out the debt, but it's not going to happen.

Redman, we all agree, we need to fix the defence. We're disappointed we haven't spent more this summer, but chill out. Please stop using pejorative terms like parasites. All of us here, bar a few trolls, love the club, but in the end it's just football.

01 Sep 2026 13:08:04
You said it yourself, Redman, long term. If you believe that 10 years of bad decisions, overpaying for average (bad) players, and a debt of about 1,3 billion will all be solved in 1-2 years, and we'll be able to overspend everyone again, I don't know what to say.

01 Sep 2026 14:56:32
Newname

Parasite "An organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food or other resources from or at the expense of its host. The parasite typically benefits while the host is harmed (to varying degrees)."

It's an accurate description.

01 Sep 2026 09:14:35
Deadline day, and sadly I'm not seeing much of anything linking United to any new players.

01 Sep 2026 10:37:09
We are prepping for a huge defensive overhaul and massive signings next summer..... tomorrow's paper headlines!! Lol.

01 Sep 2026 11:08:28
Tim,

I reckon the INEOS plan was always a 3-year/summer one. Last summer was the attack, this one for the midfield and next defense.

01 Sep 2026 11:26:43
You're probably right, however, some issues I.e lb might have been better addressed earlier, but it is what it is!

01 Sep 2026 07:45:19
Not sure I had seen this info before but Louis Saha revealed that Osimhen is a fan and is 'waiting' for United to make an approach. Saha said “I know for a fact that Victor Osimhen is a Manchester United fan.”

01 Sep 2026 10:30:20
That's pretty much common knowledge, he's also on £700,000 a week!

01 Sep 2026 15:45:25
I'd love to see Osimhen in the Prem but can't ever see it.
I don't feel qualified to comment on whether he's a mercenary, arrogant, or whatever. I have no idea. Obviously, there is a financial element that has hindered a move to a top club, but he's made an awful lot of money in the process, and it seems he's happy with that rather than leaving a legacy somewhere.

01 Sep 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - OptimumShots has posted a new article entitled, Where Everton Stand Under Squad Cost Ratio

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

and he really only wants Barca.

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

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

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

31 Aug 2026 18:09:05
Salford,

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

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


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

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

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

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

31 Aug 2026 19:50:18
Redman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 Chelsea.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Midfield is weaker without Cass.

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some takeaways from the game then.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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