Two POTM awards, transformed our team/season and still looks like there is plenty more to come from him. So good to have a player worth tuning in to watch.
8
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I saw Ruben Dias linked a while back. I have seen very little of him. What is he like? Would he be a big upgrade on Lindelof?If you want one from Sporting there is not much to look at in the current state we are in. There is some talent coming through at Porto and Benfica though.
I think he’s ok. He can be a decent player but he lacks the mental concentration to make it at the top level right now. United would be a big Jump for him and he needs to learn to walk first.
I feel like Benfica players tend to usually be worse once they leave Benfica as it is rather easier to succeed there and the media does a great job at hyping there players. Besides Bernardo Silva who realistically was developed more at Monaco then Benfica and Jan Oblak who right from the jump you can see was going to be one of the best keepers in the world not many others flourish as much.
Ruben is still young so maybe he can surprise me and be a United level player but at the moment I don’t see it.
Thanks for the information. Yeah, it does seem that a lot of Benfica guys struggled to take it to the next level when they left.
A nice little vid, I thought was worth sharing.
His signing reminds me of Carrick in 2006. A much needed signing with technical attributes and great passing ability.
Hopefully he’ll be better than Carrick.
Thanks. He made huge difference, improving our (Pogba-less) dull attacks and ridiculous zombie possessions.
Disappointed the vid didn't make good highlights of Bruno's contribution when we're defending/not in possession of the ball.
I miss watching him play
If he can help us to half the honours Carrick did, we’ll be grand.
To be fair, they didn't focus on the usual, and stat based stuff.
This was more about how he changes the pattern of the team play.
But that’s a different matter, unless you’re suggesting Carrick was the main reason for the trophies and not VDS, Rio,Vidic,Evra,Scholes,Giggs,Rooney,Ronaldo,RVP plus the squad factor....players like Tevez, Nani, Berbatov, Brown, GNev etc.
Carrick was a minor factor, Bruno if we are successful I have no doubt will be a major factor, like the bolded players of that squad. Once those players had left, declined (Rooney) then Carrick really wasn’t very successful.
our squad still has a little way to go at best, before it can be compared to the successful squads Carrick was lucky enough to be part of.
Carrick was borderline world class in his pomp
Ok
You don’t agree?
“Lucky enough to be part of” = / = key central midfielder in that time
Well he can pass forward. So it'll be easy
It's obvious in your posts that you seriously underrate Carrick. The thing to remember with him was that he was both our main defensive midfielder and our second best playmaker (being second to Scholes isn't an issue there). There were other players out there who were better playmakers, but they had to play next to a more defensive midfielder. There were other players out there who were specialised defensive midfielders but they nowhere near as good at controlling their teams around. Busquets is probably the only one during his time that was better at the dual role.
I’m assuming you’re being ironic.Well he can pass forward. So it'll be easy
Nah I don’t. He was a good player. He had a season where along with RVP he was perhaps our best player. But he wasn’t a great player, we had many great players in that side and once they left we struggled. Had he been borderline world class he’d have played for England more and stood out for us in his own right once the other better players had left/retired.
He was neither an outstanding defensive midfielder or creative playmaker. But he did a job in that team that had Scholes Giggs Ronaldo Rooney Tevez Berbatov Nani RVP. So we didn’t need that. I always felt we needed a better defensive mid against top teams at the time. We often got dominated in big games in midfield.
One example sums up my feelings on Carrick, the CL final in 08 Tevez nearly scored a diving header. It falls to Carrick on the edge of the box, big moment, great players go for the corner. He had the whole side to aim at. He just side footed it on target right at the middle of the goal. That was him for me. More of a mentality thing I guess. But that’s my opinion. He was good. I’ve seen a lot better players than him at United.
From what I’ve seen so far, if Bruno only becomes the player Carrick was, forget what he won because we won jack once SAF and a host of great players left, it’ll be disappointing.Well he can pass forward. So it'll be easy
Obviously not no.
world class players in that team :-
VDS
Rio
Vidic
Scholes
Giggs
Ronaldo
Rooney
in other United teams I’ve seen :-
RVP
DeGea
Keane
Becks
Robson
Stam
Schmeichel
Cantona.
That’s fifteen player I can think of in 35 years watching United. Do I think Carrick was borderline as good as those players? Not a chance. Not even close.
Got to side with @MadDogg on this one. If that’s you image of Carrick, it’s as representative of him as Djemba-Djemba’s trstimonial debut or Welbeck’s 25 yard screamer in his first game.
Carrick was an incredibly intelligent footballer, Inremember seeing one of his first games for United twice, first being disapoointed that he was nothing special, then suddenly seeing how he read soace.
His England carreer was a reflection of diverse attempts at fitting Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes into a shoebox with Owen Hargreaves as a spiked shoehorn.
The Carrick Scholes partnership was one of the most brilliant pieces of chemistry seen in English football, I doubt anyone beforehand would have guessed that partnership would be defensively astute enough to allow for Ronaldo and Giggs on either side of a 4-4-2.
Fans part in two when it comes to Carrick, one side who saw things he did that was invisible to others, and fans who claimed that the firat group of fans just ‘saw’ things that weren’t there. I was soundly in the first category from the moment I saw his game vs Aston Villa a second time.
Carrick was around the same age as most of the other players in that great team, so it's strange to expect him to keep standing out as a brilliant player after they dropped off and either left or retired. Obviously Scholes and Giggsy were a bit older and kept at the top longer than anyone could expect, but Carrick was older than RVP and the same age as Vidic and Evra (both of whom actually started declining before him).
Carrick was the one constant in midfield throughout the years that ended up being the most successful in the clubs history (other than one brief period where Giggs and Fletcher were fantastic together). Now obviously Carrick wasn't the main reason they were the most successful years in our history, but he certainly played his part. He went through numerous partners starting with Scholes of course, then Fletcher, Giggs, Anderson and even Cleverley all taking turns. Particularly after Scholes left, Carrick stepped up as the main man controlling us around and setting the tempo while also being our defensive midfielder. As the earlier poster said, he was borderline world class. Didn't quite take the step up to that category, but he was close.
Will have to agree to disagree. I put a list of 15 world class players hat I have seen as a united fan, some of them could be questionable. I don’t rate Carrick as anywhere near close to those players on that list.
I’d class world class as a top 5 player in their position. You massively underrate Carrick if you don’t think he was borderline in this category (holding midfielder) at his peak
You class it however you like. I’d argue not every position might have 5 world class players at any one time. Their probably aren’t five world class actual centre forwards at the minute. Whilst in other positions you might have ten or more.
I judge the player on ability, and as I stated I’ve probably only seen 15 world class players in 35 years. Carrick is nowhere near them.
Really good interview. Thought it was going to be the usual 'massive club' 'the fans' etc etc etc. It was at the start but some nice insight in to how he was welcomed by the rest of the lads. Especially from 11:50 onwards where he mentioned dishing out PS4 controllers to AWB, DDG, Fred and Dalot.
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I'll admit I was skeptical of him when we were linked with him. But he's been pretty fantastic in his first bunch games. We do need to make a habit out of this and pair him with more technically brilliant players. For example just Pogba or Fernandes is one thing, but both of them at home against teams we struggle against, would be fantastic to see. So yeah, keep adding quality players like this and we'll be headed places.
Well the whole 'world class' thing is a tiresome and subjective debate, but for me, Carrick in his prime was one of the best in the world at what he was doing. I'd kill to have a prime Carrick on this team.
He's a very charismatic guy. I love him!
Theres loads of players I’d kill to have, Robson, Keane, Scholes, Giggs, Beckham, Charlton, Edwards, Whiteside, Moses, Ince.
We’ve been lucky really as most of those players hung around a long time too, Robson, Keane, Scholes,Giggs,Becks,Charlton were all ten years plus at the club. We’ve really only struggled post Sir Matt and post Sir Alex with recruitment otherwise that list could be longer.
No arguments there.
^ Not surprising.
As expected considering the zombie possession game we've been playing with no Pogba, and no McTominator either.
What are the full squad stats though?
Did checked Skysports but they don't provide the full details. Would be interesting looking at the 2nd places.
As expected considering the zombie possession game we've been playing with no Pogba, and no McTominator either.
What are the full squad stats though?
Did checked Skysports but they don't provide the full details. Would be interesting looking at the 2nd places.
I would add Van Nistelrooy (I assume you probably just forgot him) and Van der Sar too as far as the world class. I agree that Carrick is on that rung below. A fine player and a very important member in arguably our greatest side but not quite world class.
Imagine after all this, when football resumes, his magic is gone and he starts playing like Cleverley
Bruno
Yeah I forgot Ruud. I put VDS in though
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