Manchester United banter 6

19 Mar 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - EHL2020 has posted a new article entitled, Why Preseason Conditioning Shapes Tactical Success

18 Mar 2026 22:39:20
My academy knowledge has lapsed in recent years but saw some of the U18 game tonight. Does anyone have an opinion on Godwill Kukonki? Didn't see much but very physical left back. Is that his normal position?

19 Mar 2026 09:53:37
Normally a cb.

19 Mar 2026 21:35:52
He was a CB up until this season, where he has made that LB position his own and has been fantastic.

18 Mar 2026 17:03:22
So ignoring the third team selection of youth players and focusing purely on first team and back up

We currently have the following:

GK: Lammens, Vitek or Pope style transfer
RB: Kayode, Dalot
LB: Hall, Shaw
CB: Yoro, Heaven, New, Retain one of Maguire, MdL, Licha
CM: Anderson, Tonali (they seem to be everyone's preferred pairing), Gomes, Mainoo
LW: Cunha, Dorgu
RW: Mbeumo, Amad
AM: Bruno, Lacey (?)
SK: Sesko, back up signing

That's a 300-350m outlay.


Obviously we have funds coming in for some sales.
I think it is achievable.
Thoughts.

18 Mar 2026 17:48:13
I'm not convinced that squad wins anything. An injury to Bruno, and we are back to not a lot of creation. Is it much better than the current team?

18 Mar 2026 18:08:31
My thoughts are: wait and see what happens. This is entering the realms of fantasy, and that would not be my fantasy squad at all. Too many hypotheticals for me. Ask 1000 people, you'll get 1000 different squads they want.
I'll leave it to the subject matter experts to do their work and comment afterwards. We can't affect buys and have no influence or choice.

I'm happy to debate what we all see (God knows we can't agree on that most of the time), but not what we might never see. Go on what we do know, not what we don't.
I think at some point we've all put up who we would like or don't like, but looking for a consensus on this is futile imo.

18 Mar 2026 18:54:38
You don't have to join in if you don't want to.finding a consensus has in the main been widely received as a positive approach.

JSU, you never actually offer any alternatives. You say all the time, that team isn't better than what we currently have, yet when asked for alternatives you stay silent. But your balls on a block and throw some names out there.

18 Mar 2026 19:07:35
I'm not sure who we are gonna sign this summer, but I do have a slight concern over potential injury issues next season.

We aren't blessed with a lot of quality in depth, and when I look at our squad and think who I trust to be able to play an extra 10-15 games more next season than they've managed this season, the potential fragility of this squad becomes apparent.

I have doubts over Shaw, Maguire, MdL, Martinez, Mazraoui, Mount and Mainoo's ability to potentially play 45-50 games next season if called upon. Even Mbeumo hasn't played that many games before in a season, and he often looks like he tires later in games.

It is also probably not smart to put some of our younger players, like Yoro, Heaven, Mainoo, Amad and Sesko, under pressure to play a lot of games, potentially while carrying knocks, as their bodies continue to grow and develop.

That's before we even account for those unexpected injuries that just occur, like Dorgu's current injury.



Realistically, that leaves us with the keepers (who should never have a fitness issue from playing too many games), Dalot, Ugarte, Dorgu (should he recover without issue), Bruno, Zirkzee, and Cunha, who I think we can rely on to be physically capable of playing 50+ games next season, with maybe the older "young" players like Sesko and Amad, who are in their twenties rather than teenagers, and possibly Mbeumo.

That gives us 9 outfield players who we should be able to rely on being able to play 50+ games, and 9 players who we can probably expect to be able to manage 20-30 games.

That's a really thin squad. We probably need to add at least 5 or 6 players who are capable of playing 50+ games for us next season. Otherwise, we could be at the mercy of injuries.

18 Mar 2026 19:41:37
Of the 5 names mentioned, how many games have they missed this season? Tonali has had a couple of injuries, not sure on the others.

18 Mar 2026 20:44:32
If you offered me that squad to start next season I would take it just about.

18 Mar 2026 21:06:50
It is no world beating squad, DSG, but it is a marked improvement on what we currently have!

18 Mar 2026 22:24:25
Jimbob, over the last two seasons Lewis Hall has missed 28 matches, Sandro Tonali has only ever missed a few games here and there, no major concerns (bar the ban for betting on football matches), Elliot Anderson missed 25 games with a back injury during the 23/24 season, but not much since, Michael Kayode has been fairly fine, a few knocks but nothing major, Nick Pope has missed 36 games over the past three years with injuries. João Gomes has a perfect injury record.

The real issue is that you are looking to sign 3 players from Newcastle, now I know they might need to sell a player for financial reasons, but they will also receive a hefty sell on fee when Elliot Anderson moves from Forest this summer.

Also Anderson and Tonali are probably too similar in the role that they play, especially if you are going to be spending huge fees. I'd imagine it'd be either or with Anderson and Tonali.

Then we will probably look at a more aggressive/athletic ball winner like Baleba or João Gomes.

While I'm a big fan of Lewis Hall I'd probably steer clear of him due to his injury record. We can't afford to be signing a player with a patchy injury record to challenge Luke Shaw.

I'm not sure we will sign a RB before we sign a LW either.

I'd look to sign Marcos Senesi on a free transfer as he's EPL proven, at a great age, strong in his defensive duels and an expansive passer out from the back. The ideal cheap CB to bring in to provide support for our current crop without being a long term barrier to the likes of Yoro and Heaven.

At LB Malick Diouf has really caught the eye at West Ham this season, as is Adrien Truffert. Nathaniel Brown is getting good reviews in Germany if we want to avoid the EPL tax, or Quintin Merlin in France.

LW is an interesting position to try and fix, Yan Diomande is the hot property right now. He looks phenomenal, but would be a high risk high reward type signing as he won't be cheap. Other big names could be Bradley Barcola, or Kenan Yildiz.
Malick Fofana from Lyon could be a smart signing, he's still doing well but the media attention has moved on to the next hot thing so he would be available for a more reasonable price. Or we could go for EPL proven route like we did with Mbeumo and Cunha and look to sign someone like Iliman Ndiaye from Everton.

If it was down to me maybe something like Senesi, Diouf, Anderson, Baleba as EPL proven players, with Fofana as a high reward option on the LW (which I think is an easier position/role to adapt to the EPL than in midfield or defence).

19 Mar 2026 10:01:01
Did the 4 of you come to a consensus on the imaginary make-believe squad, Jimbob?

19 Mar 2026 11:30:55
Just a thought, don't shoot me down, but what about keeping Hoijland next season to fight it out with Sesko.

19 Mar 2026 12:50:12
We won't be signing 7 or 8 players.

19 Mar 2026 14:51:49
That would not be my choice, Sim. I can't think of any reason not to sell him.
He is miles off technically for the EPL. We have a decent deal lined up with Napoli, and I expect them to take up their option. If they do, it doesn't matter if we want to keep him or not; if they activate the option clause, we are not in control.


Carrick, more often than not, has not even played Sesko, so having another striker he won't start is not a priority.
Mbeumo has been played out of position a bit to accommodate Amad.

19 Mar 2026 17:06:47
Ken,
Yes, I like Senesi.
I only chose the players selected based off post and poll outcomes.
Personally, Hall and Kayode are not my choices and I wouldn't touch Pope if we go with Vitek (plus he is on a free from Newcastle, so only really signing 2).


I don't think we need a LW personally, but if the masses think we do, then it is a big outlay, and there are other areas we need to address.

The general overview was for constructive discussion. You have stepped up. ?

19 Mar 2026 17:03:01
Ken, there have been polls and posts on individual positions for a reason.to try and gather a consensus.

Am I saying this is my preferred team, no, I have gathered opinions and outcomes from polls to generate a potential teamsheet.

Your comment of 4 people for a consensus is beyond stupid.

Again, you don't have to be part of it, equally you don't have to be a prat either.

19 Mar 2026 18:51:46
My Senesi response was for you happy. ?

18 Mar 2026 15:16:01

Manchester United: Top 5 Race Analysis & Prediction (March 2026)

Current Standings (after ~30 matches) Manchester United sit in 3rd place with 54 points, holding a solid position in the race for Champions League qualification (top 5).

• Manchester United: 54 points (3rd)
• Aston Villa: 51 points (4th)
• Liverpool: 49 points (5th)
• Chelsea: 48 points (6th)

United lead 4th place by 3 points and 6th place by 6 points, with 8 matches remaining—a meaningful cushion at this stage.

Recent Form (Last 8–9 Matches Snapshot) Manchester United boast the strongest momentum among the contenders:

• Manchester United: 6W–1D–1L (best form)
• Chelsea: 4W–2D–2L (trending upward)
• Liverpool: 4W–1D–3L (inconsistent)
• Aston Villa: 2W–2D–4L (sharp decline, including a recent 3-game losing streak)

Key Insight United combine strong current form with consistency. Villa show the most significant drop-off, Chelsea represent the rising threat, and Liverpool remain potent but unreliable.

Remaining Fixtures – Key Matches Manchester United run-in (relatively favourable):

• Bournemouth (A) – Likely win
• Leeds (H) – Likely win
• Chelsea (A) – Potential draw
• Brentford (H) – Likely win
• Liverpool (H) – Potential draw
• Sunderland (A) – Likely win
• Nottingham Forest (H) – Likely win
• Brighton (A) – Potential draw

Projected points from remaining 8 games: 17–19 (equating to a final total of ~71–73 points).

Aston Villa run-in (challenging, compounded by poor momentum): Multiple tough fixtures against stronger sides, plus ongoing defensive issues. Projected: 10–13 points.

Liverpool run-in: Tricky away games and tendency to drop points against top/mid-table opposition. Projected: 13–15 points.

Chelsea run-in: Building momentum with a strong attack; key swing games against rivals. Projected: 15–17 points.

Projected Final Table (Top 6 Focus)

(Note: Arsenal and Manchester City remain well clear at the top.)

Top 5 / Champions League Qualification Probabilities

Manchester United

• Top 5: 92%
• Top 4: 75%
• Finish 3rd: ~55% Rationale: Points advantage, best current form, and favourable fixtures.

Liverpool

• Top 5: 65%
• Top 4: 40% Rationale: High goal-scoring potential but prone to inconsistency.

Chelsea

• Top 5: 60%
• Top 4: 30% Rationale: Strong recent momentum but starting from further back.

Aston Villa

• Top 5: 35%
• Top 4: 20% Rationale: Sharp decline in form, defensive vulnerabilities, mounting pressure.

Final Assessment Realistically, Manchester United would require a major collapse (3–4 losses in the run-in) to miss a top-5 finish. Aston Villa are faltering badly, Chelsea pose the main momentum-based threat, and Liverpool should accumulate points but are unlikely to be flawless.

United remain firmly in control of their destiny.

Prediction Manchester United finish 3rd with comfortable Champions League qualification. The primary battle will be between Liverpool and Chelsea for the remaining top-5 spot(s).

18 Mar 2026 17:11:38
Cant see up going beaten our remain games. Hope lm wrong. Think it will right down the last 2 games.

18 Mar 2026 17:35:50
I think you are wildly optimistic in predicting we will likely win so many matches.

The matches against most of those teams, I would say, are very evenly balanced.

Bournemouth are no mugs.
Leeds is a derby, and they are fighting to survive.
Chelsea are good offensively, so that's no gimme.
Brentford are again having a good season, and no mugs.
Liverpool is another derby match, and it will depend which team is mentally up for it.
Sunderland should be relaxed and safe, with nothing to play for, so it's a free hit for them against us.


Forest may be down by the time we play them, or desperately clinging on to their Premier League status... again, no gimme.
Last match, Brighton away.... Not exactly easy, and a Utd old boy always seems to score against us.

So, the reality is that, yes, if we aspire to Champions League football, we should win the majority of the games, but being overconfident is not a good idea.

18 Mar 2026 17:50:48
I think you are being wildly optimistic with all those wins. Hope you're right, but I just can't see it.

18 Mar 2026 19:01:28
I think if we win 4 and draw 2 of our last 8, that will get us CL spot. I'd be delighted with that. We are in pole position, and I don't see the others all winning 6 from 8.

Stranger things have happened.
If we drop 10 points, then they can only afford to drop 5 (8 in Villa's case).
A win against Chelsea and Liverpool would all but kill them, I'd suggest.

18 Mar 2026 20:05:19
Chelsea, you never have any idea what turns up, bad as we were!
Liverpool are again not firing, but will be well up for the game.

If we win them, it'd be great, but that's a tall order. We play virtually the same 11 week in, week out, because such a poor squad. Lose Cass & Bruno, we're in big trouble. That's the problem.

18 Mar 2026 22:33:35
I fancy us to beat anyone at home. Leeds, Chelsea, no problem.

It's the away games against the likes of Bournemouth, I worry about a lot more.

19 Mar 2026 08:54:39
Points average so far is 1.8 per game. So, if that continues, we end up with 68 points.
Chelsea or Liverpool need nearly perfect run-ins to beat that.
65 points will be enough to secure a CL spot.

17 Mar 2026 22:18:46
Mazraoui now an AFCON champion! Others may disagree but I think CAF have made the right call eventually. Senegal walked off the pitch. That's a forfeit. Simple as that really.

17 Mar 2026 22:32:21
Did you watch the tournament? The number of dodgy decisions that went Morocco's way was ridiculous, the most obviously fraudulent excuse of a tournament in history.

There was absolutely no need for all the players to travel, train, and spend so much time away from their clubs, as Morocco's name was on the trophy from before the first ball was kicked.

17 Mar 2026 22:38:11
I did, Shappy. But they walked off the pitch. That's an abandonment. You are conflating that with a separate issue. One does not excuse the other. And one is the suspicion of corruption, which we cannot be sure of.

Senegal walked off due to a correctly disallowed goal, followed by a correctly allowed penalty to the opposition. At least that was my judgement of those incidents, which I did watch, fwiw. Did you?

18 Mar 2026 06:32:04
It's a joke of a tournament. It's even more corrupt than FIFA.

18 Mar 2026 06:33:58
I agree, they should be stripped of the title. It sets a dangerous precedent if they aren't. Teams can just walk off before a penalty is taken and leave the player 15 minutes before he has to take it otherwise.

Whether the decisions were correct or not (I think they were soft but not exactly the worst decisions you'll ever see), you can't just walk off. If you suspect cheating, don't play the game.

18 Mar 2026 07:21:00
Brahim Diaz for Ballon d'Or!

Make them play again, I say.

18 Mar 2026 10:04:56
They should have been stripped the day after.

18 Mar 2026 12:09:15
It was almost as corrupt as the 2022 World Cup.

18 Mar 2026 13:42:25
Wait till you see how Donald messes with the next WC.

18 Mar 2026 16:47:42
CAS will overturn this. Ridiculous decision, so many months after.

19 Mar 2026 01:17:31
The delay, whilst ridiculous, isn't relevant. Any appeal will hinge on one thing - is it discretionary for the referee to decide if Senegal abandoned the game. If it is, then clearly, as he didn't do so at the time, Senegal will win the appeal; if, on the other hand, walking off the pitch automatically means an abandoned game, then they won't.

17 Mar 2026 11:27:08
Hi Eds, poll please

Who would you prefer as first choice right back.
RB: Munoz, Ryerson, Kayode, someone else

Who would you prefer as first choice left back
LB: Livramento, Hall, Robinson, Vanderson, Di Marco, Grimaldi, someone else.

{Ed033's Note -


RB poll


LB poll

17 Mar 2026 18:44:42
Livramento is a rb, no?

17 Mar 2026 20:46:27
Yes Rwwd, that's my bad. ? ? ?

17 Mar 2026 20:52:11
I think Vanderson is a rub too.

18 Mar 2026 12:35:45
Liveramento is a rb. Why is he in the lb option?

18 Mar 2026 14:06:59
I don't see Luke Shaw as an option at LB?

18 Mar 2026 14:43:17
The results are in, Eric, like Shaw is demoted to backup....

18 Mar 2026 14:50:44
The results on here don't matter and are irrelevant to what actually happens. What that is, nobody knows.

19 Mar 2026 17:11:23
You're an absolute delight, aren't you, Ken. Didn't one of your famous Irish counterparts say something along the lines of 'You say it best when you say nothing at all'? Maybe listen to old mate, Ronan.

17 Mar 2026 04:08:01
Midfield is critical.
Just sign Anderson and Tonali on day 1 of the window and be done with it.
Drop the 200m that is required to fix the problem.

17 Mar 2026 10:33:18
So, two right-footed 8s?

17 Mar 2026 11:42:47
Literally does not matter what foot they are, what a stupid view.

17 Mar 2026 13:33:18
Agreed, WhiskeyRed. Made the same comment elsewhere. There's far too much fixation on 6/8. Two box-to-box midfielders that complement each other is what is needed. As I said then, if we analysed Keane on his Forest days, like Anderson, we'd say he was an 8, which no one would say after his career finished.

17 Mar 2026 14:01:33
Mmm, like the right-footed Keane and Scholes.
Or like the right-footed Iniesta, Xavi and Busquets. Or De Bruyne, Rodri and Silva.
How on earth did they win all those CL and league titles and trebles? If only they had left-footed 8s, they would have won the World Cup, the Grand National and Wimbledon too. ???

17 Mar 2026 15:51:06
Whilst unlikely, I think these 2 would improve the overall central midfield drastically.

Tonali has the ability to play holding midfield on his own if we try 433, and can play alongside Anderson in a 4231.

We would then have Mainoo as part of the rotation for central midfield, or Bruno, especially as we will have lots more games next year.



Not sure how real, but we are apparently looking at Casado from Barcelona as part of the Rashford deal if they can't pay the money. Still raw, but looks like a quality player for us and, like Mainoo, could form part of the rotation group.

17 Mar 2026 19:58:40
No doubt, we all have our particular favourites as to who we would like to sign, and would have to say my 1st choice would be Anderson.

It would seem the major stumbling block would be, if as being reported, City want him, then it could be difficult because of the wages we would offer.



Given the new wage structure we are operating, City could blow us out of the water, would hate to lose him that way, but on the other hand, discipline in our wage structure has to be a good thing. It's OK to pay big buck's, but they have to have justified it by performing for us.

17 Mar 2026 20:48:40
It is imperative we have a wave structure, and those who earn an elevated salary at the top end of that structure have stood the test of time and earned it.

If Anderson wants a payday, let him go to City. He would be stand out number 1 in centre mid for us.

17 Mar 2026 20:50:05
Brad, Bruno can never play midfield again. He is a 10, and a good one at that. Leave him there, no more square pegs.
Mainoo as back up, along with one more midfielder like Gomes from Wolves, who gets mentioned a lot.

17 Mar 2026 21:48:16
Jimbo, it made perfect sense to play Bruno in CM with Licha out. This stuff about round pegs isn't sensible. That isn't what was happening. People seem to be trying to argue it into fact, but ignore we're playing Mbeumo as a striker!! Bar Bruno, name one player who was out of position.

And, a full back or a winger as a wing back clearly does not count.

17 Mar 2026 21:57:13
We agree on a lot, DonRed, and especially in the RA tenure, but I have to say, Amorim's stubbornness to play Bruno in the middle, and not where he could be more influential, cost us points.

I don't think Mbeumo should be a striker when you have Sesko, who is actually contributing to outcomes on the bench.

On the other points on fullbacks/wingbacks, etc, we clearly did not have the cattle to play Amorim's preferred way.

What do you do in that situation.... find a way to get through and slowly build the team to suit the way you play, or do you stick to your guns?

I like that he stuck to his guns, and there were times when it was working, and I could see where he wanted them to get to. But the fact remains, the cattle were not appropriate for his system. The players, on the whole, were incapable of playing that way.

17 Mar 2026 21:59:03
Bruno has to play as he's been doing recently... as a proper number 10.

My concern is if he gets injured for a while. We have nobody as creative as him.

17 Mar 2026 22:12:49
I think it was a mixture, Jimbo. I think he needed to learn the league, and that he definitely needed a couple of players. We still need players, though. I find it hard to gauge where we are. I feel we've regressed in our play in general, but our results are obviously better. There are two ways to view that: either we've just been lucky, or Carrick understands the ebbs and flows better and has the team set up to punch at the right time. Or it's a mixture of the two.

But I see very little of the difference as having to do with the formation. I see as many people in the wrong positions now as I did before, and see that we continue to have to play 2 or 3 players that aren't really at the level we need to progress in every game.

I thought we were better at progressing the ball under RA, but less efficient in taking our chances. And that summarises the pros and cons of where Bruno was playing. Nothing to do with anyone else or the system being played.

But back to Bruno. I definitely prefer him in the 10. I do agree with you about that. But I understand why he was put in the middle. Against Villa we actually saw him rotated into the middle a lot. He did that in the second half because we had no tempo setter. Again, in the absence of Licha, I think it's perfectly sensible. But I'm definitely not advocating that as a long term position.

17 Mar 2026 22:35:45
While I agree that you don't need a right foot/left foot combo in midfield, I do want to call out a clear error in this thread.

Both Bernardo Silva and David Silva are, in fact, left-footed, so did give some balance when playing alongside the right-footed Rodri and KdB.

18 Mar 2026 12:31:41
Jimbo, I should have been a bit clearer in my post. I am anticipating Maionoo being part of the central midfield rotation, whilst also covering for Bruno in the 10 role. I am yet to be convinced which position best suits him, but definitely feel he will be important next year.



Will be interesting to see our summer window (hopefully with a manager in place), and what type of players they are looking for. Anderson sounds like he may be City-bound, so we need to ensure we have good options.

18 Mar 2026 16:50:21
Agreed, Brad. Mainoo to play understudy to Bruno, Anderson, and Tonali. He could learn a lot from that midfield!

18 Mar 2026 17:53:25
Mainoo will throw his toys out if he becomes an understudy again. He is much better in his own head than in reality, but it won't go back to being an understudy, that's 100%.

19 Mar 2026 17:13:24
If he isn't happy with that role, Je Suis, then he should be sold, because he isn't good enough yet. He may never be good enough. I question if he has the application to put in the effort where his skillset is lacking.

19 Mar 2026 21:35:02
Je Suis, I don't think Kobbie would mind too much playing 40 games next season behind Tonali and Anderson, each playing 50+. I think that is very different to earlier this season. Obviously, he was looking to leave for more game time, but he was barely getting any minutes at all under Amorim.

16 Mar 2026 21:08:39
Let's assume for the moment that we make top 4. Carrick certainly gets his hat in the ring. Unless there's a clear standout and available candidate, it would not surprise me if they eschewed the manager option entirely and made Carrick the head coach, not giving him anything more than an advisory role on transfers in and out.

While the new management team probably delayed too long before getting rid of ETH and made a mistake hiring Amorim, they have done extremely well in the transfer market with Sesko, Mbuemo, Cunha, Lammens and Dorgu, as well as hiring Carrick as the interim manager. And they also made the correct decision to cut their losses on Amorim.

Perhaps then they're thinking that the key to the future is more tied up in the quality of the players rather than in the experience of the manager. It's a risk, of course, but perhaps one worth taking. Roy Keane was adamant that Carrick should not get the job. He's entirely right that there is an enormous difference between taking over for half a season with only league position to play for. It's an entirely different proposition to manage a whole season with European competition, maybe some cup runs and two games a week with more pressure and injuries.

16 Mar 2026 10:55:28
Lots of talk about the manager's job, for the only good candidate would be Enrique at PSG, geat experince, won trophies, and plays attrative football. There was huge pressure at PSG, but he got rid of the big egos and built a very good young team. My fear is if Pep goes, City will go for him.

16 Mar 2026 11:30:10
Ooohh, we better be careful if there is only 1 good candidate. Absolute nonsense.

16 Mar 2026 11:30:38
100% nailed on for City.

16 Mar 2026 11:32:18
You didn't fancy joining the thread below then?

16 Mar 2026 11:44:28
We finish top 4. Carrick deserves it. Get him a couple of good mids and beef up other areas and we are good to go. Many big names have come and gone with us and elsewhere and stunk it up.

16 Mar 2026 12:28:42
Lots of candidates. None guarantee success.
Carrick has done well as interim, no doubt.
I think we still need to widen our net and take others into consideration.
Lots of good coaches out there.
There is no magic wand, no right or wrong answer at this stage.
There is no need to panic or make any knee jerk appointment.
Bide our time and wait.


Appointing Carrick may be the way to go; it's 1 option. Im very calm about it. No need to rush or panic.
Looks like we will get CL football next season, so that will help for both player and manager recruitment.
It looks like at least 1 of Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea will miss out. Ideally Liverpool, as it makes their recruitment more difficult.

16 Mar 2026 13:53:53
If Carrick gets top 4, then he deserves a shot at the full-time job.

There may be better qualified coaches out there, but nothing is guaranteed. We need someone who fits our club, and there is no obvious candidate.

16 Mar 2026 14:17:40
I don't get the Zidane love, and neither he nor Simeone speaks English well.

Enrique feels special, and his English is excellent, but I don't see him leaving PSG.

16 Mar 2026 14:20:45
Just leave Carrick as the interim, on that basis.

16 Mar 2026 20:47:43
AJH, hearing Bale talk about Zidane as a manager was interesting. He intimated that Zidane's success was primarily down to the respect for his playing career. More of a motivator than a tactician. Worked at Madrid because he had world class players capable of working things out on the pitch for themselves.

Not sure if he'd be much use at a different club, probably why he hasn't coached in 5 years. I can see him as a future France manager.

Enrique is a different class. Seems to be more interested in the character of his players than over complicating things tactically. Would be a dream manager for us.

16 Mar 2026 22:31:45
I'm with Ken on this one. Let's see how the end of the season plays out and go from there. There's pros and cons to keeping Carrick or replacing him. Do our due diligence on other candidates, and then, when the season is over, make an informed choice.

If it's Carrick, then I'd have no qualms, but the same goes for Nagelsmann etc. I'm just enjoying us atm, and as long as that continues, then I'm happy.

15 Mar 2026 18:53:13
This does feel like a poor league this year with a lot of teams being very inconsistent. Liverpool and Chelsea have been erratic, City look unconvincing, and even Arsenal have flattered to deceive.

Our teams looked good in the Champions League initial league, but are getting found out now they are facing knockout games against big teams.

That has presented an opportunity, one Carrick has seized pretty well. This weekend's results strengthen our position and we are now looking up and chasing City, instead of panicking who might be catching us.

So back to the continuing question about the new Manager. I have not heard a name that excites me, and we currently have Carrick delivering League winning form, 7 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat. I know many are not convinced, but tell me who you think would do better? I'm struggling to think of anyone.

Managing United is a unique role, and character is key. Carrick is not fazed by it and understands the club, he is an inexperienced Manager but right now he's delivering.

Glassner and Iraola, think Frank going from Brentford to Spurs, a whole different ball game. Emery, good with underdog teams but one where he is expected to win things? I'm not so sure.

De Zerbi, really? I think he would be out of his depth. And Nagelsmann, he intrigues me but brief success in one role brimgs great risk, and Bayern dumped him.

Martinez, not for me, failed with Belgium with an amazing team, and aamcelotto. Is well. Pastnhis best, in both ability and moti action.

The one manager I would get excited by is Klopp, but we all know that isn't going to happen.

Let's assume Carrick continues to deliver, so tell me, who would be a better fit than Carrick?

15 Mar 2026 19:10:32
Hoeness, Pochettino, and Nagelsmann, to name 3. Carrick has done well but there are plenty of amber flags. Those were ignored with Ole, and we cannot afford to do that again. Results are great, and I know plenty just want to focus on that, but it would be foolish to ignore the other metrics, especially those that have better long term predictive value.

15 Mar 2026 19:26:19
Ole, it's always Ole.

Poch, I used to like that idea, but again, what has he achieved?

Hoeness, never managed a big club, huge risk. I know you and I might disagree here, but I think Amorim struggled with the scale and size of our club, the same way Frank struggled going to Spurs, and, in my view, how Rosenior will be found out at Chelsea.



Nagelsmann, I think, is an option, Bayern dumped him, but he wasn't the first they've dumped, so perhaps it was them, not him.

I get the amber flags with Carrick. We have had a few lethargic games, but the 9 games overall have been, at worst, solid, and a massive step up from what we were seeing before.

15 Mar 2026 19:26:42
Not convinced by Poch at all. Hoeness is getting a lot of praise, but is it too soon for a manager who has never managed in the prem? Luis Enrique would be the obvious choice, but not sure he wants the move.

I like Iraola, and he has prem experience, but would the step up be too much?
Massive decision the club needs to get right. Not an easy one to make. Interesting months ahead.

15 Mar 2026 22:27:35
For goodness sake, are we really going down the Ole route again? I despair. A couple of games, and some are willing to throw everything up in the air.
Carrick was Boro manager, judge him on that. Stop being enticed into this dreamy nonsense.
I really can't be doing with another year of give it Carrick, he has the DNA.

16 Mar 2026 04:08:20
Enrique, Flick, Xavi, Zidane, Nagelsmann, the list is endless, but it will probably be Martinez; he is high on the list of the powers that be, the plan is with Carrick being his number 2.
Does it thrill me? No, a bit foolish to say, cos he's done nothing with Belgium.

If you're going by that route, virtually every manager everywhere fails somewhere. It's a matter of finding the right fit, same with players.

16 Mar 2026 05:54:25
By the way, in answer to Ajh, who would be better than Carrick? Quite a few. Understand the club is not a requirement. Nagelsmann, Enrique. I agree with Keane, he said it a few times. Simeone has done wonders year after year, and broken up the big two in Spain. Time for a new challenge.

16 Mar 2026 08:15:29
I'm finding it difficult to name a preference, but I'm very much with DonRed and Red Man re the amber flags and the Boro experience.

16 Mar 2026 08:25:23
I also don't have anyone I see as exciting and a strong choice. I would include Carrick in that bracket. So, in summary, I think we have a problem. The bigger question I would ask is whether we think the club has a plan, a shortlist, a timeline, and where they should be, and where they are in that process?

16 Mar 2026 09:44:03
If Martinez gets the job, I give up. Biggest fraud in football.

16 Mar 2026 10:18:31
He's thrown his name into the hat, but I think overall we need a strong manager with a proven track record. Luis Enrique is my 1st choice. I'd have Simeone over him, and possibly even Iriola, or maybe even Nagelsmann. All more experienced managers who are probably ahead of Carrick.

16 Mar 2026 14:04:03
Nagelsmann has just signed a contract till 2028 with Germany, so he isn't an option. Enrique is signing a three year extension with PSG, so expect lots of United rumours until he gets the money he wants.

Poch is going back to Spurs, hopefully.

Martinez, er, no. Iraola is in talks about extending his contract. Zidane will take over from Deschamp in the summer. Flick is at Barca, not likely to move, and Xavi is just the Spanish version of Carrick.

The pool of potentials isn't that big.

16 Mar 2026 14:33:23
Grim, that's not a new contract. His existing one runs till 28.

17 Mar 2026 06:56:50
Also Grim, there are rumours of Klopp becoming Germany manager after the summer. Suspect Nagelsmann may move on.

I would go Simeone, he definitely has the strength of personality.

17 Mar 2026 13:19:17
But he doesn't speak English, just Spanish and Italian.

17 Mar 2026 13:40:04
Being interim and permanent is a whole different thing. We don't know how Carrick can cope with pressure and setbacks, because that's what matters.
Amorim, although he had a very difficult job, many setbacks, and a lot of pressure, had the team playing good attacking football with energy and intensity.

I don't say Carrick can't cope, just we don't know.
That said, there are not many standout managers, so I would also be ok with Michael, as this is not the worst scenario. I prefer him to Anceloti, Tuchel, Martinez, De Zerbi, and, of course, Palace's manager.

17 Mar 2026 20:47:00
Ajh,
How do you know he hasn't had English lessons or is getting them before summer?