Manchester United banter 9

19 May 2026 20:10:06
Junior Kroupi, is he the forward we should consider this season?

19 May 2026 20:44:03
Yes, and Rayan, and Truffert, and Scott, and Hill, and Iraola.

19 May 2026 21:02:53
Iraola's side plays some really good football. No point in me making any further comment on the manager position.
Kroupi looks interesting, a live wire, and we need another forward.
Truffert has impressed as well.

19 May 2026 22:48:18
Re Kroupi, I think it fair to say we have been, and are, looking at him.

They would want very big money for him (£80m figure being mentioned), and indeed want him to sign a new contract.

Some very big clubs have also been monitoring him, and he is very highly regarded.



Although he is French, he could represent Portugal internationally, and they have approached him about joining their WC squad. He declined their offer, wanting to play for France.

He most certainly would not be an under-the-radar, bargain-fee player.

20 May 2026 06:34:40
Bowen rumours have resurfaced again. He would be a good addition to the squad. He works his socks off, scores goals, is a great squad player, can play across the front line, and, at 29, doesn't impact the strong youth players' chances long term.

{Ed077's Note - he is primarily a left footed RW, something we have enough of ( Mbuemo, AMAD and Lacey ). Unless Mbuemo or AMAD make way, I think the funds could be used up better elsewhere

20 May 2026 08:50:54
Feels like a good Man United signing of old though Ed. That being said, to your point, we are stocked well, so he won't want to move to a bit part role anywhere I'm guessing.

{Ed077's Note - do you mean the Woodward era signing? Signing for the sake of signing? Because they just had a bit of name value? ? Unless 1 of Mbuemo or AMAD leaves, it'd be a big waste of money in my view

20 May 2026 13:17:12
I would take Bowen in a heartbeat and let Amad go out on loan. He can play right wing or more centrally. Always puts in a good shift, scores goals and defends. Is mature now. Price though will likely be a big deterrence.

If West Ham are relegated, take him on a year's loan and they gave an option to get him back if they are promoted. Otherwise, if I were Liverpool, I would be going all out to get him to replace Salah.

20 May 2026 15:34:24
Cannot see Bowen leaving West Ham, even if they get relegated. Danny Dyer would ban him from leaving.

20 May 2026 18:11:59
Bowen to replace Salah? You are joking, right? Bowen is not fit to lace Salah's boots, and I don't even like Salah as a person, but to think Bowen could be a replacement is laughable.

19 May 2026 19:04:21
Southampton expelled from play offs. Middlesbrough reinstated. Who'd have thought?
This will probably be appealed.
Thankfully a firm stance against cheating.

19 May 2026 20:01:17
Let's hope the lads from Boro haven't been on the lines at an end of season bash......

20 May 2026 08:34:21
Ken, only issue is, was there clear punishment set out from the beginning? Not that I disagree with the judgement, but it can be made up as you go along.

20 May 2026 09:03:46
There doesn't have to be a set punishment, angel. Their actions have been banned, so any breach is cheating, and you have trampled all over the rule book, shown no respect, and, if caught, you accept whatever consequence it brings.
Standards are on the floor, and clubs need to be held accountable.


It's like going home to your Mrs, and saying, "It's OK, I only cheated a little bit." ?
Some think cheating is ok if you can pay a fine to wriggle out if it.
It's not ok at all.

20 May 2026 10:04:02
Can they appeal it Ken? The championship final is on Saturday so there's not much time. Unless the efl delay the game which I highly doubt. Such an awful situation and it's the Southampton fans who are suffering as a result. Stupid from all involved in the cheating, ruined an amazing story.

20 May 2026 13:31:20
Yes they can, Tim, im sure they will.

20 May 2026 13:33:11
Same for City fans, Tim.

19 May 2026 12:17:57
So do we think that this pep news is a pre cursor to sanctions coming down on the 115? It's hard not to assume that it might be? Case been going on for ages and the verdict has been coming for months now apparently. Maybe an agreement between all parties to allow pep his flowers and then announce the outcome when the seasons over. That's my thinking although I might be reading too much into it.

19 May 2026 13:06:48
Not thinking about it at all.
They should get a very heavy punishment, but I won't be holding my breath.

19 May 2026 13:19:42
What do we think is an acceptable punishment?

19 May 2026 13:50:35
Mumbles
If found guilty, and that is an if as things stand, then the alleged offences spanned a number of years. I think the most appropriate is to not remove any previous success and award it to someone else, but to apply a penalty of minus 25 points per season over the next three to five seasons.

19 May 2026 14:06:30
Regardless of the outcome, City will appeal and drag out the process for as many years as they can.

In fact, by levelling 115 individual charges, the league have shot themselves in the foot because it gives City so many different avenues for appeal. The league could have packaged the 115 into 5 or so broader categories. However, they wanted the headlines that the bigger figure provided.



I feel like this will only get more frustrating, as it's likely City will have been found guilty, while appealing and continuing to operate as though nothing has changed. Anything I've read about the case has said that the City strategy is to drag the process out for as long as possible, thereby making any punishment more and more complicated.

19 May 2026 15:06:54
I'd expect it to be something like a 25 point deduction and 2 years of a transfer ban. It should relate to a deduction that is severe enough to relegate them, but the precedence set with the Chelsea punishment has lowered the bar significantly. I think something like that would probably ensure less of a chance of appeal, since, on appeal, they could threaten to increase the punishment.


The failure to cooperate with the EPL investigations should be dealt with most severely, but it is there that I'd expect them to be most lenient. There are about a dozen charges related to FFP and PSR, and it is those ones that I think will carry the bulk of the punishment. It's all guesswork, of course, at this stage.

19 May 2026 15:52:34
I don't think they have much scope to appeal, Danny. I think I read a while back that as this is a Premier League defined case, their appeal route wouldn't cause any major delay, as it's quite straightforward after the verdict.

Red Man, I'd want all their titles taken away from them. Their players won't give back the medals, their fans still have their memories, but the history books shouldn't be kind to a team that decided it wasn't playing by the same rules as everyone else.



As for runners up getting awarded titles, I think United would be owed a few, but I wouldn't want anything like that. Just a little asterisk beside each year, explaining their cheats.

I do like the idea of a points deduction for many seasons to come. A transfer ban and a season docked points would be very worthwhile for a decade of falsely growing the club and dominating English football.

19 May 2026 15:54:42
I've been clear about what I think. Their utter arrogance and disregard for the league, disrespect for their competitors, and their clear pi$$ taking of the system to frustrate and prolong the process is contemptible. Nothing short of expulsion from the league is acceptable. Cheating should be punished severely.

19 May 2026 19:28:11
Well, Southampton rightly got banned and a points deduction, Fizz. Let's hope the EPL have the same cahunas.

19 May 2026 22:41:28
Yep. If they have expelled Southampton for such a minority thing, then they cannot let City get away with this.

All eyes will be upon them now.

{Ed001's Note - they are unrelated - Soton was dealt with by the EFL, Man City is the EPL.}

20 May 2026 01:30:58
Fair enough. Thanks. But, I would have thought the FA would have a vested interest.

But, I still stand by my comment. City should get screwed!

20 May 2026 10:10:18
Mumbles this is from The Lawyer Website, in which they outline the reasons why a delay has happened.

"Irrespective of the result, an appeal in some variety is almost inevitable, which will likely, but not necessarily, happen before a sanction hearing. Both sides have too much at stake and have poured too many resources into the last eight years to not bother with even the most hopeless of appeals."

City judgement


The appeals process should be simple and straightforward, under a year. However, this case has shown that nothing is simple and straightforward where City's legal team is involved. I would bet everything on City arguing that there are fundamental flaws in the league's procedures if they are found guilty. They will exhaust every possible avenue.

19 May 2026 11:47:01
“What I heard at United the weekend, honestly, I was raging with it. The whole chat about his assists, and players talking about assists," he said.

Keane also questioned Fernandes' mindset, adding: "He got interviewed after the match – and I was watching him – and everyone was talking about his assists, and even the players were. The game was about his assists.

“After the game, he got interviewed, and the captain of Manchester United said, 'Yeah, a few times I probably should have shot, but I made them passes.'
"Wow. How can a footballer's mindset be going out to a match and be talking about some individual record? If it happens, he's going to get all them stats anyway, but to become the main point about Manchester United’s performance over the weekend.

I was cringing with all of them."
Keane added: "All the players, when he got the assist, going to him. What about the guy who scored the goal?"

“He won't be winning trophies, not with that mindset of the team yesterday, where they're giving up two goals, and everyone's getting all giddy because he's equalled a record for assists," said Keane. "It's mind-boggling. It's mind-boggling. It's a circus act."

Have to admit parts of the Forest game had a “testimonial” vibe but it was entertaining tbf and we played well, but interesting comments from Keane nonetheless.

19 May 2026 12:48:55
Well, we haven't won any trophies this year, but we have secured 3rd place, and it's in large part due to Bruno's assists. Given the situation, this end-of-season game had virtually no importance other than Bruno equalling or beating the record - which he would have done except for the profligacy of our strikers. It has absolutely nothing to do with the overall mindset. And, indeed, one could take the alternative view that the celebration showed just how together the squad is, which is exactly the type of mindset we will need if we are going to win trophies in the future.



Keane was also dead-set against Carrick being appointed manager, but couldn't come up with anyone else who should get the job. He's an abject curmudgeon, one of the ex Utd player pundits who provide clickbait for us poor sucker supporters who have too much time on our hands and thirst for any news connected to our club... even if there really isn't any.

19 May 2026 12:56:29
Keane just being silly. We have nothing really to play for other than to entertain the fans while having fun, to try to get Bruno up there, and also to try not to get those going to the World Cup injured.

19 May 2026 13:10:24
I think he was spot on.
Standards are not being upheld, and if a player is thinking of an assist record during a game, that's understandable, but you can't say it out loud.
Every game for United is huge and a must win.

If that's not the mentality, then they have no chance.
Fans will give players stick at times, but imo the fans' mentality is all wrong too. They are more fickle than the players they criticise most of the time.

19 May 2026 13:15:15
Keane is becoming the old bloke standing on the corner in his slippers railing against the world. He makes a few good points, but he is Mr Grumpy nowadays. Bruno should have at least 2 more assists if Mbeumo hadn't been so profligate, and I hope we do everything to get Bruno the record on the last day.

19 May 2026 13:51:29
Tumbleweed. It's the press that have been saying it out loud and making a big deal of it.

You maybe should see if you can join Keane's Gomanc club. Grump Old Men and Negative Contrarians. He was a great player for United, but he averaged less than 1 goal or assist per game over his career with us.

He's just jealous.

That was a fun and largely meaningless second to last game of the season. Compare it to Arsenal's dour 1-0 over Burnley. Given where we were 3 months ago, we should all - including the players - be delighted. Why should they not now play for their captain's glory? What else is there?

19 May 2026 13:54:58
Keane was spot on.
We are not winning trophies, but glorifying a new made up statistic of assists. The player himself is not just thinking it and showing it out loud, but playing not to score, and instead to get assists. When he fell over when Mbeumo missed, it was appalling, quite honestly.

The 'I am so upset at not getting another assist because of you' display is poor.
Not acceptable for me. It's a team game, yes, recognise individuals for contributions, but it was a circus on Sunday.

19 May 2026 14:11:07
It's funny because Keane rages about players like Bruno when they celebrate individual records, but fawns over Mr Individual Records, Ronaldo.

Bale was telling them that Ronaldo would be fuming if players scored when they had a chance to pass to him, and there wasn't a peep from Roy.

The players were celebrating Bruno's achievement because he has been the best player this season, and deserves something to show for how good he's been for us.

19 May 2026 14:24:21
Roy is a media personality, now.

His whole schtick is being grumpy.

Take it all with a pinch of salt.

19 May 2026 14:59:09
I think it simply comes down to why he didn't shoot. If he didn't shoot because he thought someone else was in a better position, then I don't think there is much wrong with that, but if he didn't shoot most of the season because his prime goal was to break a record, then that's a different scenario altogether and should be frowned upon.

19 May 2026 15:47:26
He was actually wrong, and even got what Bruno said wrong. Bruno said, "There were times when I could have passed and I shot," so he's literally having a go for doing exactly what Keane wanted him to do.

The game was a different vibe as well.

We needed 1 point to secure our position from 2 games, and Forest had avoided the relegation they were fighting against. Both teams had what they wanted from their season at the end, so nothing to fight for.

19 May 2026 17:59:45
"I wanted Bryan to celebrate his goal. I did not want it to revolve around me, because in the end, scoring a goal is the most important thing in football. All the credit goes to Bryan, because if he hadn't put the ball in the back of the net, my record wouldn't exist.

So these records are only possible if your teammates do things just as well as you do.

The players had in their minds that I had to get at least 1 more assist. They've been trying everything they can to score from my passes. Honestly, there were times today I could've passed instead of shooting, but I shot instead, so, yeah."

19 May 2026 18:48:32
Jealous new name. ???? I don't think Roy will swap his medals for an assist record. Why would he be jealous? I think Bruno would swap his assist record for Roy's medals every day.

19 May 2026 21:12:21
I'm sure he would, but unfortunately for him he's not been in a team that had the same quality of manager or players around him, without whom Keane would probably have been an afterthought, whose principal claim to fame would have been trying to maim another player with a studs up tackle to the knee.

As far as pure footballing ability is concerned, Bruno is streets ahead of Keane, and he knows it.

19 May 2026 21:39:23
Newname

Footballing ability?

I was at the ground when Keane made his debut. Special player, one of our greats. He has the medals to show it, medals that Bruno doesn't have other than a joint assists cup.

Keane had pure footballing ability and didn't feign injuries, he won leagues. Never forget Juventus away in 99. No comparison with this footballing ability, Keane was an all-time great.

19 May 2026 22:51:09
Thankfully, just about every high profile player that played with him and against him say otherwise, Newname.
If that's how you remember Keane, that's your prerogative, but people who know a lot more about football than you remember him differently, and rate him higher than you do.
Bruno is outstanding at certain aspects of football, no doubt about it. Keane was outstanding at certain aspects of football too. Keane has many regrettable moments and a lot more fantastic moments.


An outstanding leader and serial winner. If I was in a dressing room, I know who I would want to follow down the tunnel every week, leading our team, and that would be Roy Keane.
I'm quite sure that if you ask any United player, past or present, if they had a choice of playing under Captain Keane or Captain Bruno, the vast majority, even present players, would choose Keane, as the team would have a better chance of winning.

19 May 2026 23:22:50
Honestly, guys, these are ridiculous debates.

Keane left the club over 20 years ago. Yes, he was incredible.

Bruno is currently our best player, and has been for years. He's arguably dragged the club along during one of its most difficult periods, surrounded by dross and multiple average managers.

Both are Utd legends. Both are fabulous but different players.

20 May 2026 00:04:54
Agree, Eric. But they have great attributes and are playing in different eras, so not comparable.

20 May 2026 01:59:33
As much as I love Keane, I think he has completely lost authenticity as a pundit. Bruno clearly said exactly the opposite, yet Keane is making much ado about nothing. It's a bit sad, tbh, if he is like this all the time.

20 May 2026 05:31:16
Half of these modern day sooks would never get out of the changing rooms if Keane was still captain, and most would be going home with some harsh words ringing in their ears!

What he is saying is very true, albeit a bit dated, with the preciousness of the current era players.

20 May 2026 13:12:55
Keane is nothing but a bitter ? end. The ex players treat us like dirt, and people still side with them. I personally can't stand any of them except Rio and Evra.

20 May 2026 18:18:20
Keane likes to play the angry man. He just sounds very childish moaning about an assist in a game that really meant nothing.
Bruno has been fantastic for United, Keane was fantastic for United, albeit in a totally different era, so it’s a bit childish and unprofessional of Keane to rattle on about nothing.



What did other professionals say and think about the stupid behaviour of Keane on Haaland? Did he care about leaving United down to 10 on that day, or did he put himself and his vendetta first?

I like Keane, but he rambles some stupidity at times. Just for £££s.

{Ed077's Note - 1 thing everyone has forgot to take into account is, UNITED won that game on Sunday ? And Bruno was a big part of that. ( KEANE doesn't like Carrick and it seems he doesn't like Bruno either)

19 May 2026 09:08:09
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Aston Villa v Liverpool - A Not So Quick Liverpool Perspective

19 May 2026 06:49:00
Anderson

The club need to be decisive. They let Jude Bellingham slip through, then baulked at paying for Declan Rice, now rumours suggest they don't want to spend above £80m or basically what it takes to buy Anderson. I have been saying on here for some time he is the stand out. He passed his audition superbly.
Now, are we a big club or not?

19 May 2026 08:45:50
With Pep leaving, does that increase our chance of landing Anderson?

19 May 2026 09:46:27
I'd say massively so. The pull of playing for Pep is huge. The pull of playing for City and probably Maresca is much less.

19 May 2026 10:51:14
Agree, Red Man, he is class and hasn't peaked yet. Not sure where £100M comes from though, it seems steep.

19 May 2026 11:56:10
We paid 80 for Maguire and 86 for Anthony. 100 is a snip!

19 May 2026 12:13:13
The price is the price. If we have identified him as Cas' replacement, he is worth the fee.

What impressed me most is not just his talent, but his drive and determination throughout the game. That is what you are paying for, because he can be as influential as Bruno on this team going forward.

19 May 2026 13:03:44
He's been my first choice for a good while, now.

He shone again against us, in stark contrast to Baleba. I've no doubt Baleba is a good player, but the fact that he shrank when linked with us, while Anderson shone, confirms what I already thought.

As someone already mentioned, 89 million for Antony. ?

The money's there. Go get him.

19 May 2026 23:20:48
If there is a sniff, they will throw the kitchen sink at it imo. But there are limits. Forest will not be a pushover.
But, ultimately, it will be up to the player.
I think Pep moving on will not do us any harm.
I think we will get him, but it's more wishful thinking than anything else.

18 May 2026 23:47:39
If it's true Pep is going, let's hope that as Utd supporters we have the good grace to acknowledge what a brilliant manager he has been without lowering ourselves by making snide remarks.

Like other teams supporters were delighted to see the back of Sir Alex.

I too will be delighted to wave Pep off, but there can be no doubt he has been a brilliant coach and raised standards in football in this country.

19 May 2026 11:37:18
The guy's a legend and one of the best there's ever been. Anybody who says otherwise is deluded.

19 May 2026 12:14:32
Would Pep have broken the Rangers/Celtic stranglehold at Aberdeen with the limited resources? Genuine question.

19 May 2026 12:30:06
Great manager, apparently a decent guy off the field.

Many say he is the best manager, but for me, I don't think he is. Like Sir Alex, he was imperious domestically. However, in Europe he was often found wanting on numerous occasions. With what he had at his disposal, three European Cups in 18 years asks questions, given some of the players at his disposal...



For me, he is still behind the likes of Ancelotti, Reus Michels and Sir Alex, and in the pool with Cruyff, Saachi and Shankly. Maybe if he goes off and wins the World Cup with Spain, then you could put him in that top tier.

19 May 2026 12:34:36
I've no problem lowering myself, Salford. He's an elite level coach when the odds are stacked in his favour. I also think he's the type of manager who would do anything to win, and that includes cheating.

His time in Serie A as a player was marred with positive drug tests. His Barcelona team have a big Doctor Fuentes doping cloud hanging over them, and then City cheating has been well documented.

He's clearly a different animal when it comes to actually coaching teams, and his skills are undeniable. But I always like to look at managerial achievements and think "could another manager do that" and I think, along his career, bar Barcelona, who he put on the highest pedestal, his Bayern and City achievements are nearly par for the course.



Could he break the Old Firm dominance with Aberdeen?

Could he win a Champions League with Porto/Inter?

Could he win a Bundesliga with Dortmund? Could he win Premier League/Champions League titles with Liverpool?

I don't think he could, but also he'll never have to put himself in a position where he's not at the peak, and he's probably earned that.

I'll be glad to see the back of him though!

19 May 2026 13:05:04
He's done very well for City. Kudos to him.

Unfortunately, his style of football has become endemic in the EPL, and it largely bores me to tears.

20 May 2026 00:12:12
City achievements par for the course? Mumbles, they won 4 EPL in a row, a treble, and numerous domestic cups. No other manager has won his total in England over the same time period.
The financial cheating will tarnish, and possibly erase, those on-pitch achievements, and rightly so.

18 May 2026 22:33:51
Just as Pep had the groundwork laid well before he came to City, it seems the same happening now for and when the new City manager is appointed. Is it coincidence that Maresca left Chelsea when he did?
I think not.

19 May 2026 12:31:11
Will Maresca do a slot, well, with the team built for him, then change it and completely mess it up?

18 May 2026 20:47:11.
Lots in the papers that Guardiola is leaving City at the end of the season.

Interesting to see where they turn.

18 May 2026 21:04:24
Maresca, isn't it? Don't know how he's fluked that.

18 May 2026 21:22:55
Maresca was hard done to at Chelsea. They will have a plan for sure, perhaps Paul Dickov or Keith Curle?

18 May 2026 21:32:35
Elliot Anderson might be possible then. City are a top team, but without the allure of Pep, it won't be as easy for them to cherry pick talent. Hope the story is true and not media fairytales.

18 May 2026 22:02:37
Also, rumours of the decision on the now 130 charges against City coming in June. Maybe got a heads up for the 40-60 points deduction. :)

18 May 2026 22:03:44
Tim, I'll pop my tinfoil hat on and say the allure of City is the bag of cash you get off the books.

They've somehow managed to keep their wage bill intact all these years without a peep from anyone. Mancini and Kompany admitted they were paid for some ambassador roles which supplemented their wages. Whether that's calmed or stopped these days, it's hard to tell.



As for City as a project, Anderson is 23. He was 9/10 when City won their first Premier League. The football world doesn't stand still. He may be persuaded to come to United, but the romantic aspect of playing for United has probably gone from that generation.

18 May 2026 22:15:21
I'll say it now. City won't win a PL in the next 5 years.
There have been lots of opinions here, some stating the coach is not the deciding factor.
The coach is, imo, the most important person in the squad. It's all about the manager.
Even at the biggest clubs, with the best players, it's the manager who makes the difference.
They have chosen someone who worked with Pep and has the same basic principles, but he is not Pep.

Silva will leave, and probably Rodri and Haaland, next season. Tricky times ahead for them, no doubt about it. You can't move on from the best there is seamlessly. It might be a couple of years before they feel the full damage, but I do think there are lean times ahead for them.

18 May 2026 22:31:33
I'll agree with u Mumbles, no doubt there's some creative accounting going on. ? I just think the idea of playing for Pep is a huge factor too, if he does indeed go, then they won't have that as another carrot to dangle in front of prospective signings.

19 May 2026 02:17:11
It's absolutely a huge factor, Tim. Maresca doesn't have the same pull as him.

As Ken said, I think any team losing a manager of that caliber suffers. We lost Fergie and Gill in the same summer, and still haven't got close to resembling a title-winning team. Liverpool's great work under Klopp is well and truly gone now, with Slot in charge.

If they keep him, they're in huge trouble next year.

I think the title might change hands a few times over the next few years. Hopefully our mitts are on it soon. If we get the summer acquisitions right and the upheaval at other clubs, we could surprise a few.

19 May 2026 08:12:14
I'm hoping the authorities will grow a pair and send Citeh down into non-league football to start again.

19 May 2026 11:38:53
City are a slick machine. But Pep going would be a huge blow for any club.

18 May 2026 15:33:10
I was struck by the steely hard look on Ratcliffe's face whenever the cameras were focused on him. You would think he might have cracked a smile during the post game celebrations and speeches by Cas and Carrick. But no, not as far as we could see. Maybe he's too distracted by the complete disaster unfolding in Nice. They have to beat St Etienne the 3rd place team in Ligue 2 to determine who plays Ligue 1 next season. The fans are revolting (often in more ways than one).

Total mismanagement.

Or maybe things are not improving at Ineos's core businesses, especially with the war in Iran impacting energy costs. Both Ineos and United are highly leveraged. How much more room do either have? Maybe free cash flow will be the one thing that limits our ability to splash out in the market this summer. Do we have a chance of getting Anderson? Wouldn't you rather play at a real football club with 75,000 loyal fans than at the Emptihad?

18 May 2026 17:32:42
Nnoi, having much reduced the asking price, I believe the sale of Nice is imminent to U.S. investors.

No doubt it will be a relief to Sjr and may well elicit a big beaming smile from him!

18 May 2026 21:34:36
Looks like he's going to be making a loss on that deal. He played 100m Euros.