Manchester United Rumours Archive February 13 2020

13 Feb 2020 13:11:59
Chelsea agree to sign ziyech in the summer, good move I think. Ed002 are they still interested in sancho also? Does his possible move to us hinge on UCL qualification? On a side note it goes to show that work can continue outside of the window if clubs actually have a plan and are organised 😉.

{Ed002's Note - Unless there is a very significant change in the financial demands Chelsea will drop interest in Sancho. Manchester United are keen but the budget may not stretch but they could return with an offer.}

13 Feb 2020 14:20:29
thanks ed002.

13 Feb 2020 16:37:22
In your deductions, where do you suggest Sancho may end up Ed?

{Ed002's Note - It is largely down to one person and his demands, what the player is open to and whether or not Dortmund are willing to work on the price. If you look at the clubs as options, the player has made it clear a return to London and joining Chelsea would be his preferred choice, but they are not going to pay for the total package as it is costed right now. Manchester City are in a similar place financially as Chelsea - and don't see anywhere close to the value in the player. Liverpool would need to let go of Salah and commit a lot more money to make it viable - I can't see that is the plan and it would be disruptive and rather stupid if they went down that road. Real Madrid and Barcelona both have high end targets that will soak up significant funds and will be ready to go immediately they join - they are likely unimpressed by the risk associated with the potential benefits. As for Manchester United, they remain in turmoil with no direction and the player wants to move elsewhere - they could throw money at the problem but it would then mean they don't have the funds left to fix the more significant issues. Dortmund may try and work the Euros and him excelling to try and leverage more from the English sides - but that would be a high-risk plan for all. Else he stays at Dortmund. There will be a further discussion with one of these sides in the coming days - so right now it remains up in the air.}

13 Feb 2020 20:36:59
Ed if you don’t mind me asking what areas would you suggest United need to address the most? I understand the costs behind a deal for Sancho- but I would say we are crying out for a right winger, a striker and another midfield player. Would you agree?

{Ed002's Note - DM, CM, CM/AM, W/F and S are needed over coming transfer windows but I suspect the club will prioritise CM/AM (e.g. a Jack Grealish), S (e.g. Dries Mertens) and a W/F (e.g. Wilfied Zaha) and then a couple of pricey youngsters (e.g. Joe Gelhardt (F) and Jude Bellingham) - but realistically if you look at the amounts of money involved in such changes it makes little sense and looking closely at value for money - and it is hard to see. Maybe the sale of Pogba will be tougher than the club realise and the could be forced down the road of listening to which players Real Madrid or Juventus could offer in a deal - although Isco could well be used, he is not what is needed now. James could be an option for the W/F - and although Bale fits that role, wages would be a huge issue. So sorting out Pogba is a priority.}

13 Feb 2020 22:40:11
I think we should stay clear of Sancho spending minimum 100 million plus wages on a 20 year old is ridiculous

We should sell pogba and fix the issues in other areas first before we make an stupid offer for a plauer that doesn't want to play in Manchester.

{Ed002's Note - How would Manchester United get him so cheaply?}

14 Feb 2020 08:05:15
Sancho is clearly a very talented player. That said I'm not fully convinced he is the right style of wide player we need.

With Rashford cutting in from the left and Bruno often preferring to push forward in the inside right channel we really don't want a wide right player who is looking to cut in. It will just compress the space in the final third and give all of our forwards less space to play in. Especially if we persist with AWB at RB, he doesn't push forward enough or offer a big enough threat when he does.

Although for me RW would be further down the order of priority, if I had to pick someone out as being the ideal candidate it would be Adama Traore. Something closer to a traditional wide player. Someone who can burst past the full back and either cross the ball or cut it back. Someone who'll stretch the pitch and make more space for Rashford, Martial and Bruno breaking from midfield.

14 Feb 2020 09:02:57
Shappy, if we go for Jack Grealish, then Bruno will most probably play further behind alongside a defensive midfielder.
Therefore, we definitely need a RW.

As you suggested, Adama Traore looks like an absolute power house this year. Wilfried Zaha is another option.

14 Feb 2020 10:40:01
Sancho may not come due to the reasons given by Ed002 which makes sense but potentially is better than Adama and Zaha, both like Sancho would not come cheap and on my views are prone to poor decisions and inconsistency. Sancho is a right footed RW, i think he would compliment Bissaka well.

14 Feb 2020 05:58:36
Ed, thanks for the breakdown above, great info as always.

You mentioned Mertens, is he now someone United are looking at? I think he'd be a sensible signing. Still a good player, 32 years old and can play across the front line. Much better than trying to sign someone like Callum Wilson.

{Ed002's Note - Yes, Mertens is of interest to Manchester United but he is being pushed toward another side.}

14 Feb 2020 08:42:15
Thanks as always for all the priceless inside information Ed002, really very much appreciated.

Could I possibly ask who our primary Defensive Midfield and Central Midfield targets might be please? Will understand if you reply RTP if targets are the same from previous detailed updated you’ve kindly posted.

Also, when you say MU are in turmoil and lack direction, does that allude to indecision about a manager going forward into next season and also a lack of a Sporting Director?

Thanks again for anything you have time to provide.

{Ed002's Note - (a) Boubakary Soumare is certainly of interest Marcos Llorente may still be of interest. You can scratch Eduardo Camavinga now. A change in coach would be required to attract Denis Zakaria and without Champions League you can scratch him. (b) Jack Grealish remains a very clear target for midfield.}

14 Feb 2020 09:57:00
TrueRedDevil, I feel that with Bruno now signed we should move towards a 433 type shape. Bruno needs a little more freedom to find the space and use his intelligence to break teams down.

I would go all out for a mobile holding midfielder who can shield the back four, then look at a creative attacking midfielder such as Grealish who can create chances by carrying the ball forward.

I'd then look to line up with the new DM and Bruno every week, and switch between McTominay and the new AM depending on whether we need to be more solid in midfield or have more creative ability on the pitch.

I agree we need a RW, but I also feel that we need coverage/ challenger for Martial and I'm not convinced the defence has the right balance yet.

Whereas, I do feel Greenwood and Dalot can play a role on the right hand side. While James has also done well there this season. I'd rather play Greenwood there for a year, let him develop more then sign a RW in the summer of 2021 when we could move Martial on and Greenwood could challenge the striker we sign this summer for the starting striker spot.

However, I appreciate other see things differently. I just want to see more homegrown lads make it at the club and in Greenwood we have one who could become a world class player. So for me making space for him in the side is vital for him to become a top player.

14 Feb 2020 10:01:38
Thanks Ed, always interesting to hear your thoughts.

14 Feb 2020 11:10:28
Thank you so much for your time Ed002, very much appreciated!

{Ed002's Note - You are welcome.}

14 Feb 2020 11:51:38
Shappy, your point above about Greenwood is a good one and not signing a RW this summer might be a good option as long as Greenwood gets plenty of game time.

That's why I think Mertens is a sensible signing, he wouldn't block Greenwood for years to come but is still able to contribute for the next couple of seasons. Free transfer probably means big wages but you'd hope Pogba, Sanchez, Smalling etc will all be off the wage books so should have room for a signing like that.