Manchester United banter 7

25 Jul 2026 22:44:29
I find these made up rumours amusing when the author, who has no real purpose in the world other than to make up gossip, has then to find a way to climb down:

"Danilo has been offered to Manchester United, but the deal is not advancing because at this stage United have different targets. [@FabrizioRomano] #MUFC".

26 Jul 2026 08:45:02
Fabricate Romano.

24 Jul 2026 21:49:08.
Glad to see a few of the young ones do well today.

Amass is one I've always had a soft spot for, though ironically given our previous manager, always thought he'd make a very good wing back.

Was a bit dubious about his loan to Sheffield Wednesday. A team doomed to going down wouldn't be my first choice to send a young lad to, unless you've got good character and see it as a challenge.



By all accounts he did well there, and I would have no issues with him being around the first team. Really think there's a player there.

26 Jul 2026 00:37:05
I watched the highlights of the match against Rosenborg. From the highlights, I don't think we can make many judgements about players being ready to challenge for a first team squad place. Rosenborg were so, so poor. They barely made a challenge, and gave Utds players lots of time and space to pass. Utd played some nice football, and you could see evidence of good teamwork and understanding amongst the players, but it was against very limited opposition.



One thing concerned me was Amass, who does look to have huge potential. He was knocked off the ball, or found it difficult to shield from opposing players. Physically, he is going to have to get stronger to prosper against top teams.

26 Jul 2026 10:00:56
Amass is miles off physically, as you say. He needs a good loan. He spent half of last season injured, and a good loan will help him. He did well at Wednesday for a few months last year, despite losing every week.
Only 19 people hanging their hat on these kids are crazy, imo.

26 Jul 2026 15:34:30
Who's hanging their hat on him?

Are we not allowed to say we like a player any more?

26 Jul 2026 15:54:02
Of course you are. I like him too. I think he has good potential.
There are people who feel that a few of our youngsters are ready to step up, I don't think they are yet.
Amass, JJ Thwaites, O Deavney are all very good and have a good chance, but I think it's a season too soon to see them in the squad, like some have suggested.
A few, hopefully, will get some loan moves to develop and play against men regularly as opposed to the youth league.


Lots of time for these guys.
O Deavney did a good interview the other day, and he is one of the prospects hoping for a loan move, saying he needs game time to develop. He did well for St Mirren last season.
Noucamp, you can express what you like about a player, all you want, who is stopping you? Can I not say pinning hopes on them too early is crazy if that's what I think? My, oh my, so very touchy.

26 Jul 2026 16:56:07
I'm working with someone professionally who also works with Utd youth. They mentioned a few bits that's ok to share:

Speaks highly of JJ. Unusual lad, but a nice lad. Very mature, but also can let his head drop. His family are very hands-on. It's crucial United keep them happy, to keep JJ. He will play this season. Promised.

Thwaites - good player, but not physically ready.

Devaney - top pro and player, very much in the mould of Fletcher Snr in attitude, really well thought of. One to watch.



Moorhouse - might have missed his moment, but seen as potentially better than the Fletcher twins. Could be a late bloomer or mid EPL player.

Obi - poor movement, flat-track bully at youth level, sent back to youth football as touch and ability not at the top level.

Gore - good player, probably missed his chance; injury wrecked early loans.

I also learned a lot about City and Utds' different approaches to training, as we have taken a few players from them. Nothing mad, but will share another time.

26 Jul 2026 17:22:44
Bit of a leap from liking a player, to 'pinning hopes' on them, but hey. ?

26 Jul 2026 18:57:00
Did I say you were pinning your hopes on him? But hey.
Accusations before investigation, but hey.

26 Jul 2026 19:29:20
'Only 19 people hanging their hat on these kids are crazy, imo.'

In response to a post where I stated I liked the lad.

Although, I don't know if that quote from you is referring to Amass being 19, or if there are only 19 crazy people hanging their hat on these kids?

Anyway, you can go and play your silly little games with someone else.

?

26 Jul 2026 20:16:17
Its your game. They're was a debate on shapps post the other day with many feeling amass could back shaw up for the season and he would get plenty of game time same for a few calling to get jj playing league and fa cup games.
Only 19 refers to amass age.
He still has lots of time to build strength and experience on loan.


Pinning hopes on him to be a squad player is too much at this stage imo especially considering shaws record.
I didn't refer to you once it's in your head i like him too but think its too early unlike others. So its your game but shoot 1st ask Qs later!

27 Jul 2026 00:20:55
Utd road, thanks for your post. Would be interesting to read about the City and Utd academies and how they differ.

27 Jul 2026 11:33:09
Ken, your 'angry wee man who could start a row in an empty room' schtick that you've got going on is a never-ending source of amusement to me.

And I admire your commitment to keeping it going. Must be exhausting, though!

24 Jul 2026 20:22:34
Ornstein confirming Madrid want Rodri. If Man City's policy to not stand in any player's way if they want to leave, will open the door for Tchoumeni.

It's a signing the old regime would be all over, I just wonder if Ineos will meet Madrid and the player's wages.

He's a very good player that could potentially shore up the midfield for the foreseeable future. Whether or not the funds are there to get him?

On a side note, Amass out on loan for another year and I think we definitely have a player who play a role in the squad going forward.

25 Jul 2026 06:04:13
Would rather we push for Camavinga. Apparently they'd be willing to let him leave for around £50m. Tchouemeni is slightly better suited to what we need, but I expect he'd cost us almost double that.

That said, it doesn't seem like either is particularly keen on leaving, let alone moving to Manchester United, so we might be better off targeting somebody who is.

25 Jul 2026 12:12:36
As good as they might be. None of the Madrid players want to leave. Not sure we need more players that don't really want to make the move.

25 Jul 2026 15:42:36
Ornstein saying Tchouameni is agreed. EUR80m.

25 Jul 2026 23:42:50
False rumours.

26 Jul 2026 09:37:19
Why would Madrid sell 26 year old Tchouameni, who some on here said was the best in the world, for a 30 year old Rodri, who apparently has a back issue?

If City get a massive fee, or get anywhere near funding the Anderson deal, please can our next transfer be whoever negotiates that deal.

Make it make sense.

26 Jul 2026 10:12:47
Rhodri is the best in the world at playing his position, Red Man. Miles better than anybody else imo. Tuchi is a really good player, but he is not the Spanish captain. Rhodri could do another 5 years in Spain.

I get why Madrid would swap one for the other. City will be the team worse off; they won't get anything like what Rhodri is worth, and Anderson is not fit to lace his boots, not in the same class at all.

It's an awful deal for City, as they are replacing the best with potential, and Anderson will retire with a lot less in his cabinet than Rhodri.
Whoever makes this deal for City is losing class and not close to replacing like for like. But time moves on. Rhodri only has a year left, and that's life.

26 Jul 2026 11:34:41
Rodri would be a huge loss to any team, and a huge plus to the team he joins, and makes a mockery of all the must have youngsters crap... He is a Rolls Royce of a player, and shows it every time he steps on the pitch. That experience counts more than all the headless chickens running everywhere.

26 Jul 2026 12:30:40
Redman, do you think Anderson is a better player than Rodri?
Selling Rodriguez and replacing him with Anderson is akin to selling Ronaldo and replacing him with Valencia.

24 Jul 2026 16:02:57
Confirmed team for Rosenborg;

Vitek;
Yoro, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Santos, Mount;
Lacey, Zirkzee, Dorgu;
Mbeumo.

JJ Gabriel on the bench, think it pretty certain he will come on in the second half. Looking forward to it.

24 Jul 2026 18:50:05
Big Zirkzee with an outrageous goal.

24 Jul 2026 19:32:14
JJ is a kid, no rush to see him play.

24 Jul 2026 20:39:12
Second half showing from the youngsters was fantastic.

24 Jul 2026 22:28:59
Yeah, youngsters did well.

24 Jul 2026 15:37:22
Sekou Kone has been mentioned a couple of times on here, as to his readiness for first team football.

He has today agreed to join Lausanne-Sport on loan for the 2026/27 season. Hope it goes well for him.

24 Jul 2026 17:07:55
He had an awful time there last year. He could get hardly any minutes.
Good to see him go out in loan again. Hope he does better this time.

24 Jul 2026 21:22:33
I'm sure someone was on here months ago telling us how he was ready and is one to watch.

24 Jul 2026 12:18:39
Sesko injury

I understand he has a shin injury from last season, a game in May. There doesn't seem to be any specific detail other than he is doing tailored training.

Is it Shin Splints?

Most mild cases resolve in 2 to 4 weeks, but chronic or severe cases can take 3 to 6 months to fully heal.

24 Jul 2026 13:14:31
I've seen the latest pictures of Sesko and he's absolutely filled out. He's put on a fair bit of muscle and is going to be an absolute handful for defenders.

It also wouldn't surprise me if part of his current recovery is down to his body adapting to that physique change. When players bulk up, especially at his age, muscles can get stronger quicker than tendons and ligaments can adapt.

That can lead to a few niggly strains or minor soft-tissue injuries while the body gets used to carrying the extra muscle and the increased loads from sprinting, turning and stopping. If that's the case, it's nothing unusual and should settle once he fully adapts. I think this could be quite a plausible reason.

24 Jul 2026 13:47:17
Think I'll leave that one to the medical team. They will deal with what they know, not with what we don't know.

24 Jul 2026 14:06:47
You're right, Ken. We should probably shut the forum until the medical team release a statement.

24 Jul 2026 14:41:02
Haha, Ports/TW, tbf to the medical team, they have had some tough situations to deal with Mdl and Malacia, and also there has been a big churn in that department.

24 Jul 2026 15:53:55
Or we could all debate something nobody knows anything about, Ports, to no end. We don't know what the injury is, so until we do and are told, we could summarise till the cows come home and nobody will be any the wiser.

24 Jul 2026 16:40:23
You do get the concept of football forum pages right?!

25 Jul 2026 11:33:28
Plenty of people can bulk up from gym work, but that does not translate to strength on a football pitch. Messi is about 65kg soaking wet, but he shows immense strength, ok...
Let's just see how the injury, which we hear is a shin problem, clears up first. For me, he should never be our number 1 striker anyway...

25 Jul 2026 12:25:23
And plenty of players bulk up, and that strength does translate to the football pitch, notably a lot of young footballers, so, other than just making an argumentative point for the sake of it and using 1 player as an example to support your point, it is a pointless contribution from yourself.

24 Jul 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, United's Squad Balance and the Left-Side Dilemma

23 Jul 2026 20:24:28{Ed's Note - Shappy has posted a new article entitled, United's Squad Balance and the Left-Side Dilemma

23 Jul 2026 23:13:52
Is Amass ready to take a squad place? I'm guessing, like many, he is being very closely assessed during pre-season training and friendlies?

The club may wait a few weeks longer before committing to another left back purchase.

24 Jul 2026 07:16:16
Eric, Amass was good in the game against Wrexham, and personally I think he's probably ready to be our 2nd/3rd choice LB option.

However, I have absolutely zero faith in Luke Shaw's ability to stay fit.

Historically, his most injury-free seasons have been those leading up to a World Cup. It's almost as if he's working harder to make the England team.

By contrast, his most injury-impacted seasons have typically been those after a World Cup.

How many games will he actually be available for next season (the final year of his contract)? There is also the chance that we might need him to cover at CB.

If Shaw is injured, then that leaves Dorgu and Amass in the squad as our LB options. Again, this is a personal opinion, but I feel like Dorgu is far better when played further forward as a LW, not a LB.

Amass might be ready to be our 2nd choice LB and start 10-15 games next season, but with Shaw's injury record and Dorgu playing further forward, he might have to start 30-40 games.

That's throwing him in at the deep end without armbands.

It's very risky.

I'd prefer us to sign a top LB, such as Truffert, who can be first choice, with Amass as the backup. This would give him the opportunity to bed into the first team without the pressure of having to perform as a title-challenging LB in his first season as a first-team regular. Then Dorgu can play further forward, and Shaw can be squad depth, covering LB and CB, if he's fit.

I have high hopes for Amass, but youth development means having a structure and a pathway for them, not just throwing them in and hoping they immediately step up. Youth players need to be able to be rotated in and out of the line up more than senior professionals. Their bodies are still developing, and they need more rest to ensure you don't overwork them and risk long-term injury issues. They need taking out of the firing line sometimes after sub-par performances. There are some games that just aren't suitable for them at their current stage of development.

Can we guarantee that we can do that for Amass next season if the only real option to play instead of him is Luke Shaw?

24 Jul 2026 10:40:57
The unknown here is how much Dorgu is really going to play at left wing.

In reality, he has only played 3 games there for us, I think: City, Arsenal and Brighton. 3 goals and an assist in those three starts, mind, so he was clearly productive.

But are we really going to say he's a converted forward now on the evidence of three games, two of which we clearly played in a lower block to best utilise his pace on the counter-attack? Is he still going to be a useful forward against teams that sit back and we have to make the game?

If he is now a converted forward, then we need to sign a left back.

If he can play 20-25 games as a left back, I think we can potentially not sign a left back this summer and be okay.

24 Jul 2026 10:45:14
I think we should be looking at bringing a LB in, with the intention that the secondary cover is either Shaw or Amass, with hopefully Amass growing as the season goes on to allow Shaw to be moved on. At this point, I have not seen enough to think Amass can take Shaw's current position as the 1st LB.



Hopefully, this season we will have a lot of games, so there are enough games to go around for everyone, especially as Shaw can cover CB if needed.

24 Jul 2026 12:35:30
Hopefully, Shaw not being picked for England will benefit him and us. He has had a good break, and presumably will be wanting to show Tuchel that he was wrong.

24 Jul 2026 12:37:42
Shaw is not good enough to be first choice left back.

Shaw cannot play two games a week.

Shaw is highly likely to have an extended period out injured in the year, just based on what we have seen these past 10 years.

We either need to develop Dorgu into a left back, when he looked more effective further forward, or we buy a ready-made first choice left back.

At some point, we do need to start acting like a club that is being aggressive and trying to win the league.

If we save money and make do and scrimp and save, it will be a long season ahead.

Long way to go yet. I would expect a left back to come in, and would be surprised if a left wing came in.

A second striker is probably dependant on Rashford and Zirkzee leaving.

A third CM signing is likely, but Ugarte getting injured was probably not in their plans. His wages should be covered by his international federation, so maybe it won't block something from happening.

23 Jul 2026 19:54:08
Kings of Manchester - Elliot Anderson

Best of luck buddy, you have put a target on your back. You have now entered the era where Daddy Pep is no longer here.

We will show you who the real Kings of Manchester are, you cheeky pup.

23 Jul 2026 20:40:00
He's hardly going to say, "Delighted to have joined the second biggest team in Manchester."

23 Jul 2026 20:52:02
Yeah Danny, of course, that is the only thing he could have said. ?

Kings of Manchester, give it a rest lol.

23 Jul 2026 23:09:34
What about the here and now, Angel. They have been sitting in first for nearly as long as it's been in the EPL. Still a few wins behind.
Don't want you sounding like a Liverpool fan pulling out wins from the 60s, 70s, 80s.


They are the kings of Manchester in the recent past and present. Now that Pep is gone, I'm hoping they hit a long dry spell.

23 Jul 2026 23:10:43
Citeh = Arab blood money.

24 Jul 2026 04:03:12
...King cheats!

23 Jul 2026 17:39:19
I know I'm early to the party but is anyone doing the fantasy football again this season?

23 Jul 2026 18:32:41
I'll set it up next week and post the code.