Manchester United banter 6

08 Jun 2026 07:39:01
{Ed's Note - Davey Sulls has posted a new article entitled, Iraola Expectations and Liverpool Squad Priorities

07 Jun 2026 20:15:08
Oh dear, Denmark were playing Ukraine in a friendly match today and it was cancelled after 65 mins of play.

Christian Eriksen collapsed, causing a medical emergency. Players were in tears as he was receiving treatment. Obviously, this would bring back memories of 5 years ago at Euro 2020 when he suffered his cardiac incident.



Happily, he is conscious and doing O.K. If this is cardiac related, maybe the time has come to say no more playing for me.

I wish him well.

07 Jun 2026 21:10:05
Just saw that. Thoughts with him and his family. Always came over as a very likeable guy.

07 Jun 2026 21:59:58
He's fine, pacemaker did its job.

08 Jun 2026 10:12:35
It is time for him to retire. Fortunately he appears to be ok.

09 Jun 2026 23:32:56
I expect that'll be the case even though the pacemaker did its job. Denmark aren't playing in the WC, so he's got a couple of months now to make up his mind. He's had a full career, so if he does retire he can do so without regrets.

07 Jun 2026 19:35:22
Can I wish Christian Eriksen all the best. Difficult but I suspect this may be the end of his career.

07 Jun 2026 20:26:11
Shocking to see, and, sadly, probably the incident that will call time on a great career.

The fact that he has managed to play on for another 5 years since his first incident in 2021 shows how far we have come with sports medicine.

I wish him a speedy and full recovery.

07 Jun 2026 16:37:35
Silly season is well and truly here, now that we are making Romero the cornerstone of our defence!

07 Jun 2026 16:31:53
Would everyone be happy to only get Ederson and Fernandes for midfield, around 100mill, no World Cup, can join full preseason too. Then spend on other positions? We conceded over 50 goals last season, that has to be addressed too.

I accept a stronger midfield helps, but think we need a stronger back 4. A lot will depend De Ligt after his op and if Martinez can rediscover his form at the WC. Maybe FBs need an upgrade?

07 Jun 2026 18:38:57
With European and cup football, three midfielders isn't really enough. Fernandes is young and had a decent season. Emerson has played in a mid-table Atalanta. I think these two are great squad players, Fernandes having bucket loads of potential. However, Mainoo is young. All three are right-footed.

We really need a mid 20s player who's got amazing leadership qualities and is a nailed-on starter to help Mainoo and Fernandes. Ideally two-footed and great with their left, tactically disciplined, able to cover a boat load of ground, looks to pass forward, has a great passing range, and is an astute defender.

07 Jun 2026 20:02:07
Ederson had just been called up by Brazil, I've read.

07 Jun 2026 20:02:57
Kevin Strootman fits the bill.

07 Jun 2026 21:19:43
Schneider.

07 Jun 2026 22:12:50
Emerson, did well at Boro, but unlikely we sign him.

09 Jun 2026 06:43:23
Rewz, if Ederson signs he has more CL experience than the rest of our midfielders put together.

09 Jun 2026 13:38:30
Vidal or Gaitan still available?

09 Jun 2026 18:03:38
Loved Vidal. Super player to have in your team, a 1-man wrecking ball, and he could play.

06 Jun 2026 21:27:49.
Having a little peruse through the old interweb tonight and came across a discussion about the song You'll Never Walk Alone. Obviously sung by our Scouse friends on a weekly basis. Celtic and Dortmund have also adopted it.

The article went on to suggest that the song was sung at Old Trafford in 1958 after Munich.

Which would have been before Gerry and his Pacemakers covered it.

It's all anecdotal and hard to verify. I never heard this before, any merit to it?

{Ed001's Note - it is 100% true. It is believed to be the first time the song was sung within a football ground.}

07 Jun 2026 00:45:27
Cheers ed, I did think if anyone would know it would be you.

doesn't negate the fact that it's Liverpool's anthem. Just thought it was a decent bit of trivia if true.

Funnily enough, I text a couple of mates who are Liverpool fans and they quite upset by it, said it was a load of old pony.

07 Jun 2026 07:32:28
I read a long time ago that it was something sung at Old Trafford before Liverpool took it on. It is now symbolic at Anfield and Celtic. I don't believe United hated it as much in the 70s as they do now, but when it was rammed down our throats by the press as wonderful and fantastic, sending fear through the opponents, when Liverpool had their very successful period in the 70s and 80s, it started to really rankle us, particularly around the end of the 80s. It was a popular wedding song at the time.

That's how I saw it anyway.

I said on here many years ago, when writing a piece about how to get the crowd going pre-game, that we needed a good song that got everyone going. 2, 4, 6, 8 United are great went back to the 70s, I think. Tom Robinson Band, or something like that. What's funny is that I was in Liverpool at a club a couple of months ago and they played the Country Roads song and everyone sang along. My wife told me do not dare sing the United words!

07 Jun 2026 20:17:42
Pretty sure Gerry (Marsden) did more than 'cover' it - he wrote it!!

{Ed001's Note - no he didn't. It was from the musical Carousel, written by Gilbert and Sullivan I think.}

08 Jun 2026 04:54:34
Correct Ed! I remember my musical loving, Man United supporting grandfather often shouting at the TV when they mentioned that it was adopted by the Liverpool fans after Gerry wrote it!

{Ed001's Note - no need to be offensive! If I have to edit that out again, in reference to any fanbase, it will mean a ban. Especially disrespectful to address me that way on my site.}

08 Jun 2026 09:37:38
Fair enough. I take the rollicking on the chin.

08 Jun 2026 10:19:00
Still don't like Liverpool but!

{Ed001's Note - that's fine, I wouldn't expect you to.}

08 Jun 2026 11:42:11
Hi Ed001, great site and great insight from you and all the ed's.

Just a quick heads up, it was written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, the musical certainly was Carousel, featured on Broadway 1945, quite a few years before Gerry Marsden covered it in 1963.

{Ed001's Note - yes, you are correct, sorry, musicals is not my area of expertise at all. In fact I really don't like them, but I should have remembered the writers. So many times it has come up as a quiz question, I can't believe I forgot. Can I blame old age?}

06 Jun 2026 21:26:47
Apparently our $33m target Christos Mouzakitis (who? when?) is taking Spanish lessons amid interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona (you know, the club that hasn't any money!), interest.

Silly season is upon us.

Someone should keep a tally of where all the players who are linked to us end up going.

07 Jun 2026 11:23:07
We've been loosely linked with him a couple of times, but in all honesty it was probably more a case of using our name to flush out other interested parties or as leverage in contract negotiations.

He's a talented lad, but I think it's a bit early for a move to a top European club where the pressure and expectations will be sky high. He needs a good stepping stone club where he can develop against better opposition, while also playing regularly enough to continue to develop.

That's the thing we often overlook as fans when we are linked to a "wonder kid." They need to be allowed to make mistakes and still be first choice in the next game, so they can learn from it. At top clubs, if you make a mistake you are often dropped (or taken out of the spotlight) in the next game, but the longer between the mistake and being given the opportunity to rectify it, the harder it is to do so.

They need to be given the chance to try again while the memory of the mistake is still fresh.

If you think about the wonder kids who move to top clubs and then reach their potential, they tend to play in positions where mistakes are easier to forgive or they have less impact. Forwards, wingers, full backs etc. Rarely do we see keepers, CB's or CDM's given the opportunities at top clubs when they make mistakes as it often costs the club points. These are also positions where experience is a vital part of the role.

Leny Yoro, for example, is potentially a generational talent, yet his development has been very stop-start. He has looked great at times, but has made costly errors at others. While he keeps coming in and out of the line up, it will be harder for him to develop. It'll certainly take him longer to reach his potential, while it could ultimately limit the maximum level he gets to.

06 Jun 2026 15:45:03
I think our transfer plans have changed a little. Three midfielders was always going to be a push, but we'd have done it if any of Anderson, Tchouameni or Tonali has been obtainable. As it seems that they are not, it wouldn't surprise me if we 'just' got Mateus Fernandes and Ederson.

Those two plus Kobbie and Mount, with Thwaites and Fletcher being given some opportunities as 5th and 6th choice might just enable us to go big on Lewis Hall at left-back, for example.

06 Jun 2026 17:03:07
Why have things changed?
Why would it have been more likely to be 3 midfielders if far more expensive players were available?

Not sure I can see where you are coming from, Downsie. What's your logic, pal.

06 Jun 2026 17:53:35
Wouldn't be enough depth in that for me, Downsie. Mount isn't a midfielder either, same as Bruno.

06 Jun 2026 18:47:25
Fernandes, Ederson, Mainoo, and Fletcher(s). Tyler has just been called up by Scotland. Perhaps we need to give him an opportunity. Maybe we add Hackney too to give us options, that allows us to spend money elsewhere.

06 Jun 2026 20:34:38
Hopefully Fletcher plays well at the WC. It could really kick start his career.

07 Jun 2026 07:54:29
I Want Our Trophy Back -
The logic is that we had an apparent £200m plus sales to spend this summer.

Plan A was Fernandes, Ederson and Tchouameni/Anderson/Tonali, at around £180m, and then a cheap, experienced striker.

But, seeing as though those three elite options aren't available, I think we've shifted to other positions.

By just bringing in Fernandes and Ederson for the midfield, and not a third, we can probably go and get a left-back and attacker.

So to throw names out there:
Plan A: Anderson, Ederson, Fernandes, Welbeck.
Plan B could become: Ederson, Fernandes, Hall, Barcola and Mateta.

07 Jun 2026 09:04:58
When were those plans published and made public by the club? I'm not sure they were.

07 Jun 2026 10:43:44
Fernandes is just a rumour, plenty of other teams want him, so we should stop talking as if he is confirmed.

07 Jun 2026 11:44:42
I think the club are reacting to the transfer market more so than changing their ideas.

Anderson was the top target, but with Forest staying up and with him favouring a move to to City it doesn't make sense to spend in excess of 100m on him.

Beyond him there aren't many other players who are worth close to 100m, his combination of age, being British, and his talent make him one of if not the only one worth considering paying that sort of fee for.

Carlos Baleba appears to have dropped down the list due to Brighton asking for too much for a player who has had a down season. While the club will expect young players to have peaks and dips in form, the question of why Baleba had a down season is a pertinent one. Was it just the typical tougher second season where teams know what to expect and are better placed to deal with a young player who broke out the season before. Or did he struggle due to mentally not being able to handle the pressure/disappointment of a failed moved. The former shouldn't concern the clubs but if it's the latter then it does bring into question his ability to handle the pressure at a club like ours.

Sandro Tonali was a player supposedly high on our list of options, yet after Gordon's move to Barcelona Newcastle aren't under as much pressure to sell and as such are demanding a higher price than we are prepared to pay for him. Under the new ownership the club are determined not to make the same mistakes as the previous administration and pay massively over the odds for players. We have since pivoted and signed a player with a very similar profile in Ederson for around half the price (granted he isn't proven in the EPL).

Other names we have been linked to include Adam Wharton, who the club feel is too similar to Mainoo to justify spending big on him. Which is a good sign the club are making more thoughtful decisions and planning beyond signing fancy names.

That rules out many of the bigger name, typically more expensive signings we've been linked with.

Tchouameni is the other name, but that feels more like it was a potential market opportunity at the time rather than a player the club had intended on pursuing this summer. While the current presidential situation at Madrid and new manager means that it won't be clear for some time whether Tchouameni (or any Real Madrid players) will be available, certainly not until after the World Cup now.

Mateus Fernandes is someone the club seems very keen on, but West Ham are demanding a huge fee for a club that is now in the Championship. His failure to make the Portugal squad means the club don't have to move as quickly with him as they won't have to wait until after the World cup to sign him.

Alex Scott seems to be the other name more recently linked, he's a similar profile to Fernandes and could be seen as an alternative if West Ham refused to budge on their valuation. Although as he's with the England squad (for the preparations at least if not the tournament) then the club will probably want to wait until after he's back to explore him as an alternative.

I'd imagine there are other options and I'd still expect to see us try and sign 3 midfielders this summer. However, beyond Fernandes and Scott I'd imagine our other options will be at the world cup so I wouldn't expect to see us sign any players who are playing at the World cup until their country exits the tournament.

06 Jun 2026 12:37:24
Reading an article on Lou Macari today, whilst sipping an ice cold Mythos by the pool in Greece.

Obviously there was nothing in it I didn't know already as regards his sterling work to help the homeless over the years.

But my question is, how on earth has that great man never received any official recognition for his work?

In an era where knighthoods are given out willynilly for far less, Lou hasn't even received a lowly CBE.

Unless he's indicated he wouldn't want an official state honour, and that's fair enough, how can that possibly be?

06 Jun 2026 19:20:38
Good question, Stevie. He's a saint. It's bizarre he hasn't been recognised for his work outside football. It shows what a nonsense the honours system is, an anachronism we need to move on from.

07 Jun 2026 07:35:31
I lived on the same road as Lou when I was younger, and when he came to United, I never saw him. However, his charity work is legendary. Perhaps he has the "wrong" political opinion, so he will not be considered? There can't be many explanations, because I agree, Nou, Lou deserves recognition.

06 Jun 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Seano_ has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool Squad Assessment and Summer Priorities