Manchester United rumours 2

10 Nov 2023 10:12:13
BBC reporting that the SJR minority stake is expected to be ratified in the next few weeks. Will be interesting to see what changes arrive when that happens. Talk of Dave brailsford being involved and others. A fresh set of eyes gazing over the current shambles is no bad thing and we can only hope it leads to positive changes being implemented at all levels.

10 Nov 2023 11:34:10
It feels like we need to all get our head around the Ratcliffe minority stake and the Glazers being around for a while yet. let's hope they have structured a future phasing out over the coming years whilst taking a hands on role during this period.
Personally I will be excited if he brings the right people in, talk of Jean Claude Blanc and Paul Mitchell suggest that he is looking at experienced people. If this is the case I would expect a change in direction for future transfer windows.
This along with investment in the infrastructure that is rumoured is all a good start and will offset the potential negativity from the Glazers remaining.

10 Nov 2023 14:13:52
Fantastic news. The majority will be delighted.
Not the result we all wished for but it's the best we can hope for at the moment.
Super.

10 Nov 2023 16:22:31
Interestingly Nice only started to improve when Brailsford stepped back from the club to focus on United, so I'm not convinced he should be too involved at the club.

But anything that slowly removes the Glazers from our club is a good thing, unfortunately I can see the Glazers just sitting there, creaming even more cash from the club, and expecting the SJR to put more money in.

Funny that the SJR £1.25bn purchase and £300m investment is more than the Glazers have put into the club in the last 20 odd years.

10 Nov 2023 17:55:35
Nice improved once they realised how tough it would be to run a football club so they hired people who knew how to run a club. Yes Brailsford left but it wasn’t anything to do with Utd. It was because they hired a DOF.

10 Nov 2023 19:29:24
Brailsford's role is to ensure the right structures in place for each of Ineos sporting endeavours. If the club has sustained success he has done his job.

If Nice are doing well right now then as of right now that should be a positive for Brailsford.

Nice having success is not a stick to beat Brailsford with, rather it's evidence albeit a very limited sample size with caveats that he might actually have done well by Nice.

11 Nov 2023 08:02:23
Wasn't Brailsford out buying players for Nice without Favre's approval.

If that happens at United it seems we are just going to be repeating the same mistakes the current structure have made repeatedly.

11 Nov 2023 08:27:46
In order to achieve success, seems logical to bring in expertise starting at the top, then filter downwards.

Looks like DB and SJR bring in Jean Claude Blanc as new CEO and Paul Mitchell as DoF to replace amateurish RA and JM. Will expect other changes also.

Looks likely that, once a club-wide footballing philosophy agreed, appointments will be made to suit that vision, including potentially changing the manager to more of a coach-type role, with DoF running club day to day.

Am personally very much looking forward to all if this - and jyst highlights just what awful and negligent owners the Glazers have been, aside from the greed.

11 Nov 2023 08:42:24
Had the Glazers selected a person who actually knew how to run a football club as the CEO back in 2012, rather than Woodward, we would arguably not be in the mess we are today. In the last 11 years we have spent plenty money to be a top contender. While debt servicing and FFP (which won't be helped if we don't get back in the Champions League), are not gong to get resolved in the short term under what we know of Ratcliffe's plan, the primary problem of poor club management will at least be addressed. That's the starting point whoever is the owner.

The key to a resurgence is not the ownership per se but who the owners select to manage the club. The benefit of Jassim would reportedly be debt elimination and funds for investment in infrastructure. There is no guarantee that the club would be run any better if he took over. With no experience whatsoever, nor any clear indication of where the funds are coming from, Jassim's offer may be less attractive than one might initially think. Success on and off the field, including debt and FFP issues, will not be instantaneous, but if SJR provides the management nous we need then it will come again. And if it does I don't care if the Glazers still own a significant stake in the club, but remain in the background. Unfortunately it's taken them 18 years to realize the level of there incompetence when it comes to owning a successful football club, which requires as the #1 priority the hiring of a competent management team that can install and maintain a winning footballing structure.

11 Nov 2023 14:48:07
If SJR chucks in a fiver to the club he will have put more money in than the glazers have for the last 20 years. We have an estimated borrowing after continuing transfer commitments of 800m of debt from the glazers. That wasn't there before they arrived.

The just turned down 5bn for something they paid nothing for and people wonder why the fan base hates them.

It will be a big stride forward to put some competent football people in charge. Not bankers. I am not celebrating them still surviving this though, there had better be a plan to remove them.

11 Nov 2023 19:13:19
Maybe on the flip side Brailsford sorted out the structure and helped get the right people in the right places. If sjr gets the right people in it will be a massive step forward for us, even If we can't see it immediately.

12 Nov 2023 06:08:33
Is Dougie Freedman the right person?

12 Nov 2023 10:34:19
SJR is 100% more qualified to run a football club than anyone we currently have at the club.

He's worked with Nice and while everything hasn't always gone to plan he has learned from those mistakes. Found out what works and what doesn't, made actual contacts within the sport and has sporting expertise from other sports that could be useful.

Nice are currently 2nd in Ligue 1, and are playing some very good football and punching well above their weight. Which suggests that SJR and his team have learned fairly quickly and are getting the rewards from that.

I'm excited to see what he can do with our club, I'm 100% sure it'll be better that what we would get without him.

13 Nov 2023 06:53:50
Nice wage bill is 22/ 23 mill euros. psg wage bill 270 mill euros. I think they know what they are doing even with some early set backs. Need to build a sustainable model that works to a plan and not reactive like we have been for so long now.

People who question them on their venture in nice, nice last won the French league in 1960 and never been considered in the same bracket as Marseille, lyon, lille, Monaco. Their revenues are tiny and not a case study or comparative to United.

They basically bought a midtable team and fans and their expectations is typical football fans. They made a mistake of saying they wanted to challenge PSG and have walked that back a bit now. Their biggest single sponsor is Ineos btw, go figure:)

13 Nov 2023 15:54:59
Ahmad, it's about realistic expectations and about maximising the return on the pitch.

The reality is to get a relatively small club like Nice to challenge PSG would require a similar amount of outside investment. The club cannot create the kind of income that the big clubs being in. Therefore the money has to come from elsewhere.

SJR and INEOS are not looking for a bottomless pit in which to pour all their hard earned money into.

They will want to create a club that can get the maximum on pitch return within that clubs own means.

We see clubs perform really well and succeed without billions of outside investment. Well run clubs that either have an excellent youth system that enables them to efficiently add quality to the first team. Ultimately producing players that they wouldn't be able to afford to buy. Them either keeping them as key players in the first team or selling them on for a massive profit to be reinvested elsewhere. Think of a club like Ajax, a great academy but not able to financially compete with the richest teams, but who regularly punch above their weight in terms of out performing clubs who have similar financial restraints.

Or you have clubs who have an excellent scouting system. A clear well run recruitment policy that enables them to find value for money players. Either players who are "hidden gems" or high ceiling young players who they can develop into top stars. Clubs like Benfica are famous for it, or Brighton recently in the EPL.

I think if SJR can get Nice consistently finishing in the top four in France. While the club remains spending within its own means then that would be a great success as it would mean the Nice would regularly be finishing higher than clubs with far more financial and historical significance.

At United he will have a similar job. He will need to maximise the on pitch return compared to investment. How to create the best squad available with the resources the club has available. Where this differs obviously is that the funds available to Manchester United absolutely dwarf that of Nice. Yet fundementally the task is the same, there won't be billions pouring into the club to go on a fancy shopping spree. What they need to do is make sure that the considerable funds the club has available are spent in a way that maximises the return on that investment and we see value for money out on the pitch.

The reality is that we have spent enough money over the past 10 years to have a team every bit as good as City, maybe better. But we have spent it so poorly. If that's corrected over the next 10 years then we'll have a squad capable of challenging for all the major honours.

15 Nov 2023 07:07:46
Shappy

I think the stuff written about Ineos and nice good or bad is of no relevance to what is happening at United.

Its like comparing apples to oranges and just noise. We are a much more complicated project if you want to call it that given our size and magnitude of things to deal with.

What would be very interesting is when this deal gets announced, if they also announce a change of leadership at the same time, which would speed things up.

16 Nov 2023 09:54:28
Ahmad, of course it has relevance. It's a direct example of them running a football club.

It at the very least provides some sort of blue print for what they will likely look to do. The only thing that really changes is the scale of the club.

With Nice they looked to get the club running within its own means, without the mind of massive outside investment that we have seen from Abramovic at Chelsea, or at clubs like City, PSG and now with Newcastle. They aren't sugar daddy owners. Which is something I'd expect to see carried over to United. They aren't going to come in and subsidise the club to the tune of hundreds of millions a year.

They seem to favour a director of football/ head coach model of club rather than a manager having greater control. This approach has often been looked at with skepticism in England. Manchester United fans have been accustomed to having Sir Alex Ferguson as the manager, and see that as the model to follow. Yet if you scratch beneath the surface then you'll see that SAF was a director of football in everything but name. He would control the club's football in activities and plan it's future. While he would also go through a lot of assistant managers who would in many cases be given far more control than is typically seen in assistant managers. This is reflected in just how many left Old Trafford to become managers in their own right.

The real issues at Manchester United hasn't been replacing the SAF from the training pitch, but the SAF who would direct the footballing activities from his office.

So I actually think the model that SLR and INEOS have seemed to settle on at Nice is a good fit for our club.

It seems like they have been doing a good job behind the scenes to line up all their dominos before they kick the first one over.

It sounds like they have Jean-Claude Blanc lined up as CEO. Which seems like a sensible choice, someone who knows INEOS and SJR as well as having great experience at Juventus and PSG. Knows football and knows how to run a top club.

Paul Mitchell seems in line to step into a director of football role. He's been free for a while and instead of taking up any of the offers he's had he's instead decided to buy a new house in the north west of England. It does seem like he's waiting for something. Almost like there's some kind of gentleman's agreement for a job at least, if not something more formal. Again a man with a great track record in football. Also highly likely to know SJR on a personal level. When Mitchell lived and worked in Monaco they would have practically been neighbours. Two Englishmen born and bred within a few miles of eachother living in the south of France at the same time. I'd imagine their paths will have crossed on more than a few occasions.

While Dave Brailsford seems like SJR's right hand man in terms of sporting ventures. So it's probably fairly safe to assume he'll definitely have some sort of role to play both in both an official and a personal capacity I suspect.

I'm not sure how many of his ideas from cycling can be carried over, but most elite sports learn and adopt ideas from eachother. His marginal gains concept should at the very least be something that could be adapted to football and with it bring better performance. That attention to detail to look to improve every single facet by 1% does add up and it means you easily spot the easy wins the things that can make big changes first.

It looks like those three along with SJR will have a big part to play. I'm particularly excited by JCB and Paul Mitchell as they have a proven quality and track record in football. They also seem likely to be able to work well with eachother as a team.

Either way exciting times.

10 Nov 2023 07:44:30
Good Morning ed002

Are we interested in signing Inacio from sporting Lisbon and where do you believe is the most likely destination for him if he moves.

{Ed002's Note - Goncalo Inacio (CB) Watched by scouts from a number of PL sides, including Liverpool and Manchester United, with the latter declaring an interest but they do have preferred options. The player is open to a move to Manchester United. Sporting will not be keen to do business with Liverpool although the club could potentially pay his Release Clause in a single payment and try to force the situation if the player is interested. The other sides to declare an interest are Newcastle and PSG, but PSG have a plan over another player. Real Madrid offer a wildcard option. Sporting would rather not sell and are looking to a new contract and an increased release clause. Newcastle have begun talks with Sporting in order to be able to speak directly to the player and to understand if there is flexibility in the payment schedule - but it will go nowhere. Arsenal interest departed with the signing of Timber. The player has also been offered to Chelsea by his representative but they have preferred options for a long-term Silva replacement.}

10 Nov 2023 09:50:57
Thank you edd02. Very insightful.

10 Nov 2023 23:34:12
Ed, you may not say but from a pure nosey point of view, why won’t Lisbon be keen to do business with that lot?

{Ed002's Note - Try the Liverpool page.}

11 Nov 2023 17:04:47
Ports, I think they tapped up Ugarte (something they seem to be very prolific at), turned the players head and then tried to force Sporting into taking an offer below his release clause (€52 million) . PSG eventually agreed a deal and now Liverpool aren't on Sportings Christmas Card list.

14 Nov 2023 12:10:28
They should just pay way over the top for everyone, like a certain other club have turned into master of doing. No one minds doing business with us 😭😭😭.

16 Nov 2023 20:42:13
Thanks Mumbles, I couldn’t visit that lots page 😂.

07 Nov 2023 23:52:08
Evening ed I've seen a few people saying there is Saudi Interest in both Varane and casemiro and potentially for January

I know youve said the same in the past I know your not keen on timings but do you think anything could happend in Jan? I would guess it depends on us being able to replace them?

{Ed002's Note - Casemiro (DM) Manchester United would be willing to let him leave but will take a huge loss if sold. Michael Emanalo spoke of him as one option for Saudi clubs but will pe concerned about persistant injuries.
Raphael Varane (CB) Future at Manchester United will depend on whether or not the coach is replaced. He will have options in Europe and the Middle East.}

08 Nov 2023 12:18:14
Thanks ed, both have been good players in the past I think we should move them on and look to younger players Varane has been to injury prone, and casemiro was always a mistake for the price paid.

For CB I like Antonio Silva or inacio but unsure we can get them in Jan, CM/ DM I'm not sure, you've mentioned exiquiel palacios but not sure who else we've looked at other than the obvious from last year, doesn't help amrabat isn't looking great at the moment either.

{Ed002's Note - Jean-Clair Todibo is a far more likely option.}

08 Nov 2023 12:48:36
Are we sure the people at the club will know enough about the player ed? Haha.

08 Nov 2023 13:53:45
Hi Ed. Would Sir Jim look to change the manager if he took control of the football side of the club?

{Ed002's Note - I think those he puts in charge of running the footballing side of the club may well do at some point.}

08 Nov 2023 15:39:57
I'd imagine if/ when SJR becomes a co-owner of the club that potential moves for players from Nice like Jean-Clair Todibo or Khephren Thuram would likely be easier to facilitate if the new people at the club thought they were the right targets.

08 Nov 2023 16:24:08
I imagine it wouldn't go down well with Nice fans if their best players suddenly end up at man utd though.

{Ed002's Note - There are more serious implications for Nice if he gets a controlling interest.}

08 Nov 2023 16:47:44
Uefa and competition rules, as well as us being able to buy players being off the table correct?

Is there anything new you can share on the sale ed? it seems like SJR and his 25%/ phased purchase seem to be well on the way and possibly nearing and announcement rather than a confirmation?

{Ed002's Note - The rules relate to controlling interest so should not immediately impact the club. In terms of the investment everything continues and I am told it is now a case of resolving the future roadmap.

08 Nov 2023 17:05:44
Any indication as to who they would want as manager Ed?

{Ed002's Note - Yes but it is not the time to discuss that.}

08 Nov 2023 18:00:21
Thanks Ed.

08 Nov 2023 18:51:58
I imagine Ruben amorim would be up there and may have hinted to something in the summer during a press conference and potentially Graham potter people won't like that but he's the one who got Brighton playing how they are, de zerbi has built on his base, and looks to be struggling a little with the busier schedule.

I can't think of other options and would hope we steer clear of people like Zidane.

Thanks for the update about the sale ed.

08 Nov 2023 22:50:41
Greame potter is the man they want to run the club.

09 Nov 2023 07:27:00
What happened between Varane and Ten Hag?

09 Nov 2023 08:18:16
Heard Kieran McKenna’s name mentioned.

09 Nov 2023 11:32:24
ed002

Reading what you shared further up the page am I correct to assume there is an issue between the manager and Varrane and if the manger stays he is going to get moved on?

{Ed002's Note - Why would you infer anything? Players come and go.}

09 Nov 2023 12:17:54
As united fans ed we've become accustomed to only selling players when there's an issue, rather than moving on players to improve the quality of the team.

I have always been of the opinion that you only sign players for 2 reasons 1 they are better than your current player in the first 11 for their position or 2 they are young with great potential and will push your first choice or replace them.

Recently we've signed far too many older players for large fees/ wages or "back up" players.

{Ed002's Note - I think you are far from correct about sales. Players leave for a whole host of reasons.}

09 Nov 2023 14:04:58
I agree I was oversimplifying and speaking specifically about united.

There are many reasons transfers happen like there are many reasons any of us might get a new job, and anyone thinking agents don't effect our lives, have you ever applied for or gotten a job through a recruitment agency?

The amounts of £'s may be different and the implications of the move (moving countries/ home), but at the end of the day we're all people.

10 Nov 2023 07:27:16
Dbrooks

If we excuse the Antony signing, I personally have no issues with any of our other signings. I also don't write players off until they are a season or two at the club and have had time to settle in. I know some players settle in much faster but that is also dependent on the team they join and the environment.

I think its a lot more complicated than just assuming we could have gotten this guy or that guys. So much goes into why players move or unavailable, where they move to and so many factors you can list even as far as players partner/ wives influence.

10 Nov 2023 09:50:09
Casemiro was an awful signing large amount of money and coming to the end of his career was always going to need replacing in 2/ 3 years from purchase, that's not calling him a bad player just not good squad management, I also think he was desperation after wasting too much time on de Jong and he was all that was left to save face

Eriksen, to be blunt he had a heart attack on the field how much did we really expect to get out of him? And a 3 year deal on large wage? Again silly signing,

If we had 1/ 2 younger midfielders with talent for the above we would look better now.

Main problem with the Antony signing was the messing which made the price go silly and we over spent in panic at having nothing rather than looking elsewhere

Onana, needs time looking better, bought for a different style than we are currently playing due to injuries

Mount again suffering was bought for a different style of play than we are currently playing

Martinez the best signing fit in changed the team and from the way we're playing now crucial to play the style wanted with the current squad

Hojlund also a good signing young raw but you can already see potential when we can get the play back to the desired style hopefully he will see more service.

Malacia not a terrible player bought as back up, will be sold in a year or 2 when he either doesn't play because of Shaw or we buy someone to replace shaw

Your then into the nonsense of, weghorst, sabitzer, reguilon, Evans, and to some degree amrabat who at the moment doesn't seem to be at the required level, but again we are not playing the style he was bought for.

The Evans signing was made due to the club not making it clear to Maguire he wasn't wanted so he stayed they then couldn't replace him and needed to bring someone in as they didn't feel they could rely on varane's fitness.

This has then led on to the current play where we have to play Maguire, who's playing quite well, but it means we have dropped defence deeper making too big a gap between defence and midfield and then midfield and attack, this is also why mctominay is looking better as there's more space to make late runs into the box, but we can't control the ball so our strikers/ forwards aren't being supplied or supported and are susceptible to counter as there are large spaces between the midfield lines.

Again though ten hag has had 7/ 8 main first team signings 1 was a free transfer the other under 15m stacking up with oles comments of 3 main signings a year, how do we build the squad with that?

I look at the squad this year and think we need to buy 2/ 3 main players at center back alone in the next year to replace lindelof Maguire and varane that's not factoring in right wing, right back, replacing eriksen casemiro and mctominay, support for hojlund and then any other issues that might arise.

10 Nov 2023 15:37:47
Lots of work for new recruitment people to sort out. At very least, will need in Summer:

2 x CBs (doubts over Martinez fitness) Maybe Todibo and Inacio?

1 x DM (Casameiro expected to go) Palacios from Leverkusen mentioned as well as Andre from Fluminese

Other midfielders prob needed also

1 x right wing as Antony underachieved. Would like Marcus Edwards from Sporting!

1 x striker (think Barbosa from Flamengo been mooted?! ) think another South American youngster been looked at also?

Not to mention moving on a whole host of players, such as: Casameiro, Varane, Sancho, maybe Maguire + Antony, PLUS sorting out pathways for youngsters!

Mr Blanc and Mr Mitchell (hopefully! ) going to be very busy!

10 Nov 2023 18:01:47
Wallace we need 2 CBS for Maguire and varane not Martinez's fitness, Maguire causes us to drop deep we cannot go into next season with him as on of our CBS.

One left side I'd got Inacio and one right I'd try Silva ed says todibo more likely but Silva should be first choice.

06 Nov 2023 09:53:12
Ed002, I'm reading Liverpool are favourites to sign Andre from Fluminense next Summer. He seems exactly what Utd need. Is their any interest from Utd?

{Ed002's Note - No.}

06 Nov 2023 10:11:46
Thanks Ed.

06 Nov 2023 17:51:39
From what I've read/ heard and the little I've seen he looks and sounds like the kind of smart signing we should be making. However, because we don't have a savvy and well connected DoF and we are so poorly run we will likely overlook players like Andre despite scouting him extensively no doubt, he'll then move to another club in Europe have a good 6 months to a year and we'll then sign him for ten times what his European club paid for him just 12 months earlier.

Rangnick reportedly suggested and even lined up potential deals for Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Juilan Alvarez. Three players who are now proving their quality in the EPL. We could have had three all of them for less than what we paid for Donny van de Beek.

We need a top class DoF to come in as we will need to make several signings like this if we are going to be able to quickly rebuild the squad into a coherent group of players with the quality and skillsets to play a progressive style of play. When we need to make 15-18 singings they can't all be 50m+ players, it'll cost too much and take too long to recruit them.

06 Nov 2023 20:01:50
Agreed Shappy. It's not as though Andre has been hiding away tho. He's played for Brazil already, he's a regular for one of Brazils biggest clubs and apparently was the stand out player when they won the Copa Libertadores last night. I think there was even an article in the Guardian about him.

I understand Utd is poorly run and the DoF is obviously an idiot but you would have thought Utd would at least have an interest being as he plays in the position Utd have not filled satisfactory since Carrick.

06 Nov 2023 21:35:06
We had one with Rangnick. I always thought that’s what we brought him in, then randomly let him go.

06 Nov 2023 21:51:26
MancMan, I know he's not one of those secret unknown players playing on another continent. In some respects he's the kind of player a top European side could take a calculated risk on. He's got a few years under his belt, has played regularly for a title winning side, has represented his country (no mean feat for the Brazilian national team) . He's ready for a step up, but wouldn't cost as much as a similar player in Europe. He plays a similar role/ position to Moises Caicedo. Andre though has played more games, and helped his side win something. Yet he'll be available for 50-70% LESS than Caicedo went to Chelsea for, and would command much lower wages. If he moves to Europe and has one good season his value will more than double.

There are some very good players around that the club could and should have picked up and could have done for a fraction of what we have spent on "big name" players who have gone on to flop.

A player we were linked with last summer was Orkun Kökçü who was playing (and captaining) a Feyenoord side that won the Eredivisie last season. He was excellent, showing grit and fight, but with excellent technique and real intelligence on and off the ball.

Several United fans rolled their eyes and derided the idea of signing a player most hadn't heard of. Some even said he was only being considered because he was playing in the Netherlands and we have a Dutch manager.

He went to Benfica for around 21m with a further potential 4m in add-ons. Touted as the replacement for Enzo Fernandez after his 100m+ move to Chelsea. We all know just how good Benfica's scouting tends to be. They have made a name for themselves for smart signings who they later go on to sell for massive fees. So it should come as no surprise that Kökçü is ripping it up in Portugal, more than filling the Enzo Fernandez size hole in their midfield.

He is an example of another player we could have signed for 20-30m last summer instead of spending 60m on Mason Mount. He is a similar player but has more experience of playing deeper in midfield and is probably better when playing deep than Mount.

I'm not saying Mount is a bad player, and I actually think he'll prove to be a good signing for the club. I just think there were far more savvy signings available out there.

We have been linked with making a 60-100m bid for Ivan Toney in January in some rags, a player who again I think would be a good player for us. Or a 120m for Osimhen is another player linked to the club as we look to shift Martial and add some competition and depth to Hojlund up front. But should we signing players whose fees are massively inflated. When we could look to someone like Santiago Gimenez again playing for Feyenoord with a reported fee of between 35-40m being touted. He has 18 goals from 16 games for Feyenoord across league, cup and European games this season.

Yet whenever we get linked to such players many United fans complain that they aren't the "standard" of player we should be signing. All they ever want is super star signings, big names for big fees to use to gloat at opposition fans.

That might be the hardest thing for any new footballing structure to deal with when making changes. How do you make the necessary changes when you know there will be a big backlash from a vocal section of the clubs support.

We need to be savvy if we are going to rebuild this squad in under 5 years, because that's how long it will take at least if we insist that every signing has to be a 60m+ super star or at least well known player.

07 Nov 2023 15:58:40
Because there must be at least one midfielder left in the world that Liverpool haven't bid for or been linked with.
Utd don't have a great history with South American players. There are a few for sure, Tevez is probably my favourite ever alongside King Eric, but there have been so many flops in there too.

07 Nov 2023 23:18:57
Did France used to be in South America spenno? ;)

08 Nov 2023 09:12:21
Sure Spenno but there are many South American players who have been amazing in the Premier league. Just because Utd had a bad run with players from there doesn't mean it always has to be so.

08 Nov 2023 12:28:03
You can’t put Tevez in the same sentence as Cantona surely?!

08 Nov 2023 13:05:41
You just did 2toms.

04 Nov 2023 07:33:46
Good Morning Ed002

Does united have any interest in Onana from Everton and is he available?

{Ed002's Note - Amadou Onana (DM/CB/CM) Only moved to Everton in 2022 and they are not looking to sell him. Arsenal and West Ham interest has moved on. Newcastle spoke with Everton in the summer but have now identified another player as their primary DM/CM target. Manchester United had him a long way down their list of targets but failed to sign preferred options in the summer.}

04 Nov 2023 10:16:13
He's a good player but not what we need in my opinion. I think when we lose a lot of focus is placed on physicality and work rate. People say about us being lazy, not tracking back, losing individual battles and pulling out of challenges. While that might be true to an extent all those actions are done OFF the ball.

You don't have to track back if you have the ball, you don't have to challenge for the ball if you have it.

My view is that if you are focusing on preparing your team to have to fight and work to win the ball then as a manager you've already conceded possession of it in your mind.

What we need is better technical players, players with a great touch and technique, intelligent, mobile players who can read the game and find pockets of space to keep and progress the ball.

I'm not a fan of watching my side be played off the park. While I certainly don't watch that happen and think if we kicked them, roughed them up and ran harder then things would have been different. That's not what I want to see.

Amadou Onana is a good runner, he has a great engine, works hard, is strong and throws himself into tackles. However, he isn't particularly mobile, slow on the turn and easy to run off of if he gets too tight. While on the ball he is fairly average, fine with short passes but not expansive or intelligent in his passing. His touch is okay but not great, he often gets away with a poor touch due to his strength and ability to hold a player off.

He's a fine McTominay replacement, but he isn't the sort of player who'll take the side up a level, and I don't think he has the potential to become that player.

04 Nov 2023 10:52:23
Ed002 thank you for the reply.


Shappy

He has everything our Mids don't do well. Big, fast and very athletic and technically very good. He is a tall guy so they never look as good as the 5 foot 9 guys technically.

You hardly see him lose a physical battle or pushed off the ball which happens to all our guys. He has a great engine on him and plays in a pretty poor side. I think he would do really well if he had better players around him. He also has good composure comparative to Doucure who plays like a headless chicken.

Watched Barcelona vs real last week. They have a lot of technical players but physicality is not their thing. First half there was only one team in it as real gave them space and they were knocking it around. second half real got physical and they just got bullied.

We are like that. We have good technical players but they either lack pace or too easy to push off the ball. Any team that presses and sticks tight to us gives us problems.

We lose the ball constantly and don't have the legs to get back and concede. It looks like there is no fight in them, I just think physically we are easy to push around and combine thatt with a lack of pace in midfielders and CB's it a bad look.

05 Nov 2023 13:08:26
Ahmad, He's good at winning the ball back but he can do very little with it once he has it.

He's in the bottom 28% of midfielders in Europe for progressive carries, and the bottom 26% for progressive passes. That means 75% of all midfielders are better at progressing the ball up the field.

To put that in perspective Casemiro is in the top 85% of midfielders for progressive passes, and McTominay is in the top 74% of midfielders for progressive carries.

showing that the current defensive midfielders are far superior at progressing the ball up the field, and yet our biggest problem is a lack of ball progression through midfield.

While we do lose the ball its not often because we are outmuscled for it, but because we play a poor pass or have a loose touch which enables the opposition to pinch the ball away.

If you look at the statistics of tackles in the EPL then you see that 12 teams lose more tackles than we do. However, what is fascinating is where we lose our tackles.

We lose tackles in the attacking third less often than 17 sides in the EPL. However, this might be because we spend less time with the ball in the attacking third.

In the middle third (where most midfield play happens) we actually lose tackles here less than ANY of EPL side. This really proves the point that we don't desperately need midfielders who lose tackles less often.

However, the real shocker is in our own defensive third, where we lose tackles more than 18 other EPL teams, with only Arsenal losing more tackles in their defensive third. This stat probably highlights why Andre Onana has started playing more long balls and not playing out from the back.

Seeing as typically our strongest and most combative players play in defence it's very telling that it is in that area where we lose more tackles than the majority of the league.

The problem with our team is not being outmuscled, but that we don't have the technical skills. Poor touch leading to turnovers, and poor passing leading to giving the ball away.

Simply put we are unable to keep the ball due to poor technical quality not physicality. Amadou Onana would bring us a better player at winning the ball, but he doesn't solve the issue of us not being able to play through teams, progressive the ball forward or really significantly stop us losing the ball in our defensive third.

05 Nov 2023 14:44:18
Its why Mainoo is so highly regarded by the manager and club, at youth level he has shown he has superior technical and physical qualities.

Whether he can also be superior in mens football remains to be seen.

02 Nov 2023 06:46:27
Good morning Ed I hope you're keeping well.

Do you happen to know if PSG (or anyone else for that matter) retains an interest in Marcus Rashford?

{Ed002's Note - No and he has signed a new long-term contract.}

02 Nov 2023 12:55:23
Thanks for your reply Ed, have a good day.

{Ed002's Note - And you.}

02 Nov 2023 19:45:34
That’s a shame. I’ve said it for years, he gets away with murder because he’s from Wythenshawe, and he fed kids for a little while.

He’s been in the first team squad for probably 7/ 8 years now and still sulks, still walks round with zero effort, can’t be arsed to track back, still makes wrong choices more often than not. Apart from 3 good months last season when he needed a new bumper contract he’s been useless. Vastly overrated and I’d be happy to see him sold. I’d said it time and time again.

02 Nov 2023 22:03:21
I was one of his biggest supporters but my patience ran out a while ago, he's capable of great things but rarely does them. A humble kid who now has all the bling that goes with being a young footballer, he should have been dropped months ago. It's the lack of effort that gets me.

A few years ago he was carrying the team and then he got injured against Wolves. Since then he has been awful, apart from a hot spell last year. He's an established international who should be setting an example, not moping around the pitch.

03 Nov 2023 07:49:21
Unfortunately Marcus is just too inconsistent, great for a few months, then retreats into his shell when his form dips.

At the moment he seems unable or unwilling to do the hard work to recapture that form,

The biggest issue at the moment is the lack of leadership within that squad. Nobody seems willing to stand up and drag themselves out of the mira they have got themselves into, but is not the first time we have seen this is it.

03 Nov 2023 10:57:47
I feel pretty mixed about Rashford. Clearly he's a talented player and on form one of our best players. He does tend to blow hot and cold which isn't ideal, but there are many other players that need replacing before him. I don't think his streaky form is a massive issue, the problem is that we rely far too much on him to perform as there is no one else. Rooney used to have streaky form in front of goal, wouldn't score for 3-4 weeks then score 10 goals in a month. The difference is Rooney had class players around him to score the goals when he wasn't. If Hojlund and Antony were scoring 20-25 goals each a season and Bruno and Mount chipping in with 15 goals a piece then Rashford going 4 or 5 games without a goal wouldn't be a problem.

Without knowing someone personally I prefer not to judge a persons character. He worked hard to make sure kids didn't go hungry during the C.V., that would suggest that he has some moral fibre at least.

His demeanour on the pitch this season hasn't been great and I understand people's frustrations, especially as his poor form is not helping the club pull itself out of this current funk we are in.

However, it might be a chicken/ egg situation here. Are United in poor form because Rashford is in poor form, or is Rashford in poor form because United are in poor form. We also don't know what is happening in his private life, or whether there might be legitimate reasons for his apparent apathy on the pitch. Which to be fair to him isn't how he has normally appeared on the pitch, typically he has always been a hard working player even when his form hasn't been great. That would suggest that something isn't quite right with him right now.

Either way unless he is actually a disruptive influence in the dressing room (which I doubt as all his managers right from LvG to EtH have trusted him and backed him), then he should stay at the club at least in the short to medium term. He has the talent, the question is whether he has the attitude. I'd expect the club to keep him for the next 2-3 years at least while they dramatically improve other areas of the squad. You never know by that time Garnacho may have over taken him and Rashford might be looking to leave himself.

03 Nov 2023 14:47:42
Rash is our best player in the squad, better than hoiland garnacho, sancho and whoever you want to name folks. I used to read this same page when people used to take out their frustration on Rooney. Don't confuse bad form and poor results as a team with Marcus Rashford being a problem at United. About 15 players need changing before we think Rashford is not good enough.

I am waiting for someone to tell me Wayne Rooney was overrated:)

different players but both very good.

03 Nov 2023 17:42:19
Rooney was amazing, but towards the end he stayed too long. Rashford isn’t in the same league as Rooney and never will be.

He has a good few months every few years, the last one when he wanted a new contract. He is either a player who needs to be high on confidence to show what he can do, but who also has huge confidence issues, or he just can’t be arsed half of the time. I hope it is the first, but either way it isn’t good enough.

That said his decision making and end product is very poor most of the time.

03 Nov 2023 22:15:31
Ahmad, Rashford is a problem and the reason I asked if there’s interest is because he needs to leave. He’s another with off the pitch issues which will cause fractions on the squad.

04 Nov 2023 08:31:27
Wazza

Why is he a problem. does the front 5/ 6 look like they are doing anything for everyone to Clamor on Rashford. Garnacho started by all account against NC B team. Did he do anything different.

Off the pitch stuff like having had a birthday party planned and going through with it was probably not the best idea but let's not blow things out of proportion.

Talk to any ex players, who have played at the highest level, they laugh if you bring up rash as a problem in the conversation. Can every United Manager, who seems to start him with no questions asked and all these players be wrong.

Why use a different standard for him compared to others in the squad. Good things happen when we get the ball to Rashford properly and not him looking at 3 defenders.

If we are going to get ourselves out of this funk rash and Bruno are the ones that will need to drag us out of this. Not many in this squad, who can do what these two are capable of. Its not coincidence we are struggling when you look at their numbers this year.

I personally think Bruno is a bigger issue as his influence is zip in too many games and he is suppose to be the creator hub.

I really rate Garnacho btw and its not about putting one down for the other.

04 Nov 2023 10:28:30
This site must only have nuns and monks posting on here apparently. Not a single person on here has ever gone out for a night out, been to a party, or turned up for work hungover.

This holier than thou attitude against young men doing what young men do is frankly ridiculous and so incredibly hypocritical.

There is a difference between players not working hard in training and not focusing on their careers and players blowing off a little steam and having a private life.

People regularly point to Roy Keane as having the perfect attitude as a player, people say they want someone with Keane's grit and attitude on the pitch right now. However, they conveniently forget that Keane has admitted trying to get himself sent off because he was struggling with a hangover.

04 Nov 2023 11:04:04
Shappy

If you read the stuff sharp has said over the years and what they got up to makes todays players are saints and take much better care of themselves.

Luckhurst title and hit job of an article on rash and eth regarding him being out on his birthday and reading what Eth actually said speaks volumes for how bad the reporting is atm and how things get overblown.

04 Nov 2023 11:31:10
I have no issue with any player celebrating their birthday, or having an evening out to blow off steam. However I do feel that they need to accept that if they are playing like sh*t, seeming to those outside looking in like they are uninterested, and have just been smashed at home by City again, that they will get a lot of stick for that.

If Rashford was obviously putting 100% in, and was having a positive effect on the team etc, then this is not a story, however it is the complete opposite of that, and when you are paid more in one week than most of the people in the stadium are paid in maybe 5-10 years, not seeming to be giving everything and then going out late is going to end up with you getting called out. I have no issue with that either.

04 Nov 2023 12:34:55
Ahmed and Shappy you simply do not know what has gone on and that’s fine because it’s (thankfully) not in the media. It’s not about 1 night out.

04 Nov 2023 15:15:11
Wazza

Please share happy to hear and mean it honestly if there is more to this.

04 Nov 2023 15:31:28
Ahmad, the club is a cess pit of questionable morals at the moment. Its enough for the player’s appearances to be affected and that’s why I asked the question, but an open forum is not the place.

30 Oct 2023 20:50:20
Evening Ed, lots of rumours circulating that EtH is on the verge of being sacked.

What is the situation as you understand it?

Thank you.

{Ed002's Note - My understanding remains that if a new owner were to arrive there will be cahnages.}

30 Oct 2023 21:18:40
Maybe not sacked yet but I’d say there’s a few at the club having second thoughts about eth. There were rumours a few months back about giving him a new deal and that’s all died away massively.

30 Oct 2023 21:34:23
There were rumours the other week that SJR likes Graham Potter. He could be high on the list of potential replacements if EtH is sacked.

30 Oct 2023 21:57:53
Well that's depressing. or it could work. Be an interesting international break if utd go out to Newcastle and get beat on Saturday. ten hag could be in very big trouble, but I suspect he'll get something.

30 Oct 2023 22:03:33
Sweet Jesus. Think I'd rather have a Shappy/ Ahmed job share. The dream team!

30 Oct 2023 22:13:50
I'll put my CV forward Spenno😂.

30 Oct 2023 22:47:24
Thanks Ed - daunting times.

31 Oct 2023 00:41:59
If someone comes in amd is incharge of the sporting side, then they would need to bring in people who fit their philosophy. I would naturally expect someone competent to replace anyone who didn't for that philosophy.

31 Oct 2023 08:12:15
At this point, I’d be very surprised if Ten Haag is still at the helm come the end of the season regardless of whether or not there are new owners in place. I still think he’ll by gone by Christmas.

For whatever it’s worth, I’d have liked to have seen him given a bit more time, but he really hasn’t done himself any favors with his poor team selection and his inability to instill any kind of style of play. Granted, a lot of the latter is down to the players, but it’s Ten Haag’s job to get them firing, and despite replacing half the dressing room, he continues to fail on that front.

31 Oct 2023 08:24:52
I'd be quick to defend ETH. He inherited a mess at all levels and has tried to set us up to be challengers despite probably knowing it'd require some backward steps as he uncovers those who are incapable of adapting. However more important is that we've a coherent vision at the club and if SJR and team decide he's not the man then fine. But I maintain that until that point he get the support from us all to continue to push the limits of these players. We're going nowhere if we hedge like he did last year. He could have done so this year and protected his job, but he hasn't, and to my mind that is to his credit.

31 Oct 2023 08:27:03
Graham Potter………no no no no

Supported United through thick and thin and handed over season ticket money for nearly 20 years, but the state of the club is driving me to despair……. it’s actually doing me in because it’s all I think about.

ETH has to see out his contract at least, I agree with Richard Arnold, we have made progress. Maybe not on the pitch, but in the mentality of taking the power away from the players and back into the hands of the manager. Forget the first season, it’s the honeymoon period where in more cases than not there’s kneejerk improvement. If we think about it, there was always going to be a step back before we stepped forward. Goes without saying when a manager tries to impose his philosophy on a football club. The acid test will be in the next two seasons.

If Chelsea season ticket holder Ratcliffe comes in waving a big stick and replaces ETH with Potter then I’m done I reckon.

31 Oct 2023 08:39:16
Thanks for info Ed002 - your clarity at the moment very much appreciated.

If new owners - or part owners - do come in, do you think they’ll initiate an internal audit before making changes, or do you think they’ll make changes straight away?

Thanks for any more clarity you are able to disclose.

{Ed002's Note - I don't know what you mean in respect of audit, but it is pretty clear who both potential owners will look to run the club on a day-to-day basis.}

31 Oct 2023 08:54:54
FiremanC, I do think there was that first season bounce last year. But to ignore last season completely as you suggest, if what we have now is the shape of things to come then these are extremely worrying times. I fully agree that he talks a good game in terms of structure and discipline. Maybe he should apply for the Director of Football role instead.

31 Oct 2023 09:00:51
Thanks for swift reply Ed. By audit, I mean identifying why so much has failed up to now and why were such a poorly run club, plus keeping those who’ve been doing a good job and those that haven’t.

Or maybe prospective new owners have already been doing due diligence and know exactly what changes need to be made ASAP?

By who both potential owners will look to, could you be hinting at Paul Mitchell there, or another manager? (Sorry, not aware of other managerial names being circulated)

Thanks again for your time here - appreciate that there’s only so much you can reveal.

{Ed002's Note - Paul Mitchell is someone Jim Ratcliffe would take.}

31 Oct 2023 09:12:50
Thank you for the really quick reply Ed002.

31 Oct 2023 12:22:07
I'm pretty sure Jean Claude Blanc at least initially and Paul Mitchell are the ineos/ sjr options.

Haven't read anything on Qatar but doesn't look like they will be in charge as it stands.

31 Oct 2023 13:53:43
I’ve read the same DB90.

Sooner the better to untangle the chaos at United and rebuild a better structure geared towards sporting success.

31 Oct 2023 16:43:38
Hi Ed002. I was talking with an old colleague last week and he seemed to be under the impression that Sheikh Jassim may still be interested in purchasing United and hasn’t actually withdrawn. I’d assumed that he was mistaken on this front, but notice you said “both potential owners”. Are both Sir Jim and Sheikh Jassim still in the running?

{Ed002's Note - He has not made an acceptable offer.}

01 Nov 2023 01:27:52
Thanks for the clarification. Has he withdrawn from the process or indicated that he won’t be making another offer to the Glazers / Raine Group, or was that all just paper talk?

{Ed002's Note - Things can always change.}

28 Oct 2023 07:04:15
Had an interesting chat with someone who is touch with some of the players. Supposedly not many are fans of Benny Mccarthy. watch this space. Not going into details.

28 Oct 2023 17:58:14
So after posting this rumour what would be the reason for not going into details? Surely you need to post details for the rumour to ring true or are you just speculating?

28 Oct 2023 18:27:10
These players aren't happy with any body. what, Mccarthy asked them to run and work harder. What a surprise. not.

28 Oct 2023 23:03:56
Pretty sure I saw videos at the start of preseason and they were loving him…. smells more like excuse planting to me.

29 Oct 2023 06:17:54
Tim 99

Not an excuse, I think once the season is over you might see an announcement he is gone or maybe before. He commutes to Manchester as his partner lives elsewhere. there have been times, where he is not the most punctual guy, let's leave it at that.

Nothing to do with his demands and actually the other way round.

29 Oct 2023 09:24:03
Punctuality aside. He is not there to win popularity contests!

Fergie, I suspect would have been sacked many times if it was a player popularity contest. That’s the problem with the modern game. Too much player power and pandering to these clowns.

Play for the shirt, grow up or p. off!

29 Oct 2023 10:59:07
It may have escaped attention, but Sancho's disciplinary discrepancies are related to punctuality and attitude.

McCarthy is also an employee of the club and it might just be the case that one or two of the players would expect consistency to apply - and rightly so.

29 Oct 2023 17:42:45
ork

you are in the ballpark. let's leave it at that.

29 Oct 2023 19:05:20
Won’t make a jot of difference if he’s there or not we’re embarrassing.

29 Oct 2023 19:17:48
Ahmad

That makes me rather concerned about those pesky rumours of favouritism/ preferential treatment from the coaching setup.

I suspect this could be a contributing factor to our performances so far this season.

29 Oct 2023 20:30:11
Can’t lambast Benny for turning up late when 16 players and the manager don’t even turn up to the games!

30 Oct 2023 13:58:59
@ Keefy post of the day.

31 Oct 2023 08:34:34
To come on here to disclose a rumour and not go into detail is quite arrogant Ahmad tbh. This is a forum where (hopefully) real fans can chat and be honest with each other. Why can’t you disclose what information you know? No disrespect but your nobody in relation to Manchester United and to come on here with little bits and pieces makes me think that your either full of BS or you think your a big shot (which you obviously aren’t) Sorry if this sounds abrupt, but share what you’ve ‘heard’ or don’t say anything.

31 Oct 2023 12:55:33
Fireman, I know for a fact that people connected to Manchester United come on these pages. Ex-players and current ones, as well as a few members of coaching staff. Probably admin and other people up and down the organisation as well. I'm not sure if any have an account or just read the posts.

I know they laugh at much of what is said, probably at stuff I have written no doubt. Either way it might not be prudent to talk openly about sources as that's when they tend to dry up. There is a reason this site works, anomimity. Although if you get too specific you will give yourself away.

31 Oct 2023 20:57:57
If they are reading this, please please please can someone name who the 804 RBs we scouted before deciding AWB was the best please.

26 Oct 2023 14:56:37
Rumours about us bringing degea back. surely not!

26 Oct 2023 15:52:03
Load of crap in my opinion. I think it's a case of journalists putting 2+2 together and coming up with 7 as per usual.

DDG has been pictured back in Manchester catching up with old teammates while Onana has had a difficult start.

DDG still isn't able to play out from the back and I can't imagine his form will be great having not trained with a team or played any football since June.

The idea that the club will look to sign him on a short term deal to cover Onana while he goes to the AFCON doesn't really make a great deal of sense. The club would have known it was a possibility when they signed Onana. They also bought Bayindir in the summer and blocked a move for Heaton.

In my opinion those two will have to step it up while Onana is away.

26 Oct 2023 16:19:52
Hope so as it’s makes zero sense to me.

26 Oct 2023 18:10:29
Those pre season games, I felt Heaton to be more comfortable on the ball than de gea ever was.

Heaton is also a very decent shot stopper.

Have no idea about bayindir but hoping he gets a start vs newcastle in the league cup game.

26 Oct 2023 19:35:53
Wouldn’t be the worst thing imo. As long as he was comfortable with us holding all the cards instead of the other way round, I think he’d only bring positives to the goalkeeping group.

26 Oct 2023 21:00:25
We should get Carrick and Rooney while we’re at it, with De Gea and Evans completing the spine of the team.

26 Oct 2023 22:31:01
There's a reason de gea doesn't have a club, and it's money. He doesn't need any as we were paying him massive amounts and nobody wants to pay what he thinks he's worth. He would be at Madrid otherwise. I love de gea he's one of us, but the ate old saying you never go back to you ex is for a reason. I'm excited to see what bayindir is like.

27 Oct 2023 08:28:59
Stranger things have happened. Doesn't seem beyond the realms of possibility tbf.

27 Oct 2023 13:24:09
Still like to see him back for a proper send-off.

28 Oct 2023 00:36:45
Don’t know if it’s a good idea, but has nobody noticed that the last 4 games Onana is not playing out from the back at all? Just hoofing it long like DDG did. So it wouldn’t make much of a difference except for we’d have a better shot stopper.

28 Oct 2023 11:59:42
Exactly Pat what we bought him to do, he now not doing anyway, shock horror the players we got can’t receive the ball like that! But to be honest when he was kicking his percentage is only low 70s anyway which is nothing to get excited about.
Yes his is better than DeGea with ball at his feet, but even a declining DeGea is better at saves. And last season we did not let in that many goals, certainly be more this season.
Personally I would have rather spent the money on Decent midfielder or added Goals get a decent striker or winger, would have been better, 80m wasted on Antony, 45 million Onana 60 million Mount 70 million Rasmus and hardly a goal out of the lot of them. (Rasmus ok for future, but too much to be main man for him now)
Buy better then what you got or had is my motto, and I’m struggling to see many additions that are any better loans or buys.

I don’t buy this rubbish that ETH just given Weghorst, Sabitzer, Arambat, they are clearly his choices even if loans and none of them good enough, Sabitzer may have done a better job then what we now got and he sent him back, did not want him for 20 million!

28 Oct 2023 20:40:18
That change in what the keeper is being asked to do is almost certainly linked to the injuries in defence.

Absolutely no point trying to play out from the back with Maguire in front of you. Play the ball to him when a team is pressing and you'll lose the ball.

31 Oct 2023 08:35:32
Agree with that Shappy. We don’t have the defenders for that system your right.

19 Oct 2023 13:04:37
I was reading today that Sancho has been "put up for sale". I was wondering if any of the Eds could clarify how such a thing occurs. Does a club actually create a list of those players they are looking to sell. Obviously I'd expect there to be a list of players whose contracts are expiring, but, is there a formal process that clubs undertake. I'd always assumed what happened is that the club tells the agent of the player that they should start looking for a new club and that clubs learn of availability that way, but that seems like a really poor way to do things.

{Ed002's Note - They will inform his agent or place an ad in the Manchester Evening News "Donkeys for Sale Call ...".}

19 Oct 2023 17:16:12
We'll be lucky if we get any interest at the sale cost and his salary cost. Another sterling piece of business coming back to bite us

Presumably also Ed he would be entitled to a considerable payout from us as he has not requested this transfer?

It will end up costing us money to get rid of him.

19 Oct 2023 18:21:56
We're not very good at selling, I imagine he'll go on loan for the remainder of the season and he'll spend that on his best behaviour to secure a move unless it's a commitment to buy.

20 Oct 2023 08:53:26
Strong rumours that Nice are going to be putting in a £100 million bid in!

19 Oct 2023 16:37:33
Bit harsh on the donkeys ed, they turn up everyday on time and ready to work at Blackpool beach.

19 Oct 2023 17:00:06
It’s where we buy ours players from too Ed.

21 Oct 2023 20:58:16
Going by Amrabat performance and most of the team, does Manchester evening news have a lost and found section, because can’t believe we actually spent money on this shower!

22 Oct 2023 19:50:48
Amrabat is on loan and has started pretty well considering he had to play some games at left back
to begin with.

25 Oct 2023 07:55:20
Oh yeah GDS. Arambat was so great again tonight he only lasted 44 mins, even the ref had enough by then!

He is far too slow and ponderous just 5 yard passes back and forth, just not at the level required but then of the new acquisitions who is! But your happy with mid table I forgot.

25 Oct 2023 15:00:47
The problem is fitting in Eriksen who can only do half a game. He has made an impact every times he's come in on this way all season. Amrabat was the one to give way, no biggie.
More interested in what we'll go with on Sunday, but you can bet your bottom dollar Eriksen wil come on anytime after half time. Hopefully we'll still be in it at that point.

26 Oct 2023 11:16:38
No wonder Sancho fired back so would i if my boss slated me in public how bad is Sancho when Antony 1 of the worst players iv seen at UTD plays ahead of him mind boggling you spent 160 mill on that pair no wonder youve the ffp at the door. The Glazers get slated but boy do they spend money just on some terrible players who spots them stevie wonder.

28 Oct 2023 00:57:29
I'll start the bidding at £3.50.