The Deadwoods Assassinated by Babyface

RyRy11

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Our squad players are yet again cannot be relied upon and we have had to bring on our first team players to win us the game against a very poor Norwich side

Ole should start giving mins to Chong and Gomes and stop playing Mata and Lingard - let's hope we find buyers in the summer
That was Norwich’s cup final and they wanted it more than us, yet they get a goal that Romero could have done better with and would have Most likely conceded if Ighalo wasn’t brought down with that Red card. Chong is just as poor as the other two and Gomes still hasn’t signed a contract so I don’t really see the logic here.
 

-Supreme-

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That was Norwich’s cup final and they wanted it more than us, yet they get a goal that Romero could have done better with and would have Most likely conceded if Ighalo wasn’t brought down with that Red card. Chong is just as poor as the other two and Gomes still hasn’t signed a contract so I don’t really see the logic here.
Is that really justified given a lot of our so called squad players should be as motivated to impress but failed miserably.

Chong may not have shown his quality yet, but given he's only 20 and hadn't been given nowhere near the same amount of opportunities so I'd say it makes sense to give our youngsters more game time rather than the ones that we all know won't be good enough.

Whereas Gomes, we wouldn't have been in this situation if we had given him more mins earlier on the season.
 
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Devil81

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Lingard, Periera, Mata, Dalot, Jones, Sanchez and Smalling.

All still on the books and all need packing off for varying reasons.

Over the last few years they've all proven they can't be relied upon when given opportunities and that was glaringly obvious yesterday.
 

Sky1981

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Is that really justified given a lot of our so called squad players should be as motivated to impress but failed miserably.

Chong may not have shown his quality yet, but given he's only 20 and hadn't been given nowhere near the same amount of opportunities so I'd say it makes sense to give our youngsters more game time rather than the ones that we all know won't be good enough.

Whereas Gomes, we wouldn't have been in this situation if we had given him more mins earlier on the season.
Youngster gete alot of minutes behind the screen. U18, u21, reserves match, friendlies etc.

If chong doesnt get game it's because our coaching department thinks he's not ready. Giving him actual minutes in professional games doesn't help him develop if he's not ready.
 

sparx99

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I think the biggest factor yesterday was the rustiness of our squad players vs a Norwich team who had played two league games.
It would have been better to make 2-3 changes and then sub another 4-5 of the regulars once/if the game was won.
 

anant

Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020
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Sell:
Jones
Smalling
Dalot
Sanchez
Lingard
AP

Promote:
Laird
Mengi/Bernard

Buy:
Sancho
CDM
CB?

Loan:
Garner
Levitt
Chong
Gomes
 

-Supreme-

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Youngster gete alot of minutes behind the screen. U18, u21, reserves match, friendlies etc.

If chong doesnt get game it's because our coaching department thinks he's not ready. Giving him actual minutes in professional games doesn't help him develop if he's not ready.
Do you think both Lingard and Mata are ready to challenge for trophies or top 4? Chong had been given plenty of mins before and rewarded with a new contract, it's not the case of giving mins to some young kids who had not been involved in the first team before.

I think the main reason they weren't selected is due to Ole wanted to rely on the experienced players but they have yet again failed to impress
 

Keefy18

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Is that really justified given a lot of our so called squad players should be as motivated to impress but failed miserably.
It isn't just a case of lack of motivation, its a complete lack of ability.

Lingard, Dalot & Mata for example simply aren't good enough and like the rest of the deadwood that's been moved on they should follow.

Chong may not have shown his quality yet, but given he's only 20 and hadn't been given nowhere near the same amount of opportunities so I'd say it makes sense to give our youngsters more game time rather than the ones that we all know won't be good enough.

Whereas Gomes, we wouldn't have been in this situation if we had given him more mins earlier on the season.
Sorry but as much as we all love to see a youth player smash it in the senior side, many of them don't make the cut.

Chong has struggled against many of the inferior Europa sides, he hasn't impressed at all really.

As for Gomes, he's reportedly refusing to sign a new deal here so why should he be starting? Again in the games he's had he hasn't set the world alight.

Both haven't even stepped up to the level of performances Williams has.
 

RedIan

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To leave in order of must move on..
Jones
Lingard
Periera
mata
Chong

Dalot - not sure, hes decent FB cover imo.


Matic is a Def keeper for me. Looks the better of the 3 defensive midfielders accepting hes knocking on a bit now but seems to have Found a new lease of life. .
 

anant

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Do you think both Lingard and Mata are ready to challenge for trophies or top 4? Chong had been given plenty of mins before and rewarded with a new contract, it's not the case of giving mins to some young kids who had not been involved in the first team before.

I think the main reason they weren't selected is due to Ole wanted to rely on the experienced players but they have yet again failed to impress
It's for that reason that Mata and Lingard are what 6-7th choice attackers for us! They are there to make the numbers up. We will be playing potentially 65 odd games this year, and for that reason, you need a squad and you literally can't have really high quality squad players in every position. I think only City are having that and that's because they're winning titles every year and getting a chance of playing under Pep.

Look at Pool's 5th and 6th choice attackers - its that Japanese guy they bought from Salzburg and they don't have a 6th choice player(?).

Players didn't have any match fitness yesterday and Norwich, as poor as they may be, played their 1st team which is a PL side. It shouldn't come as a surprise that we struggled to break them down, like most sides would if they're playing their 2nd side
 

-Supreme-

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It isn't just a case of lack of motivation, its a complete lack of ability.

Lingard, Dalot & Mata for example simply aren't good enough and like the rest of the deadwood that's been moved on they should follow.



Sorry but as much as we all love to see a youth player smash it in the senior side, many of them don't make the cut.

Chong has struggled against many of the inferior Europa sides, he hasn't impressed at all really.

As for Gomes, he's reportedly refusing to sign a new deal here so you why should he be starting? Again in the games he's had he hasn't set the world alight.

Both haven't even stepped up to the level of performances Williams has.
You have already answered my point here...

Lingard and Mata aren't good enough and should be moved on, Chong hasn't impressed so far but at least he has room to develop unlike those deadwoods that are still getting mins ahead of him
 

Keefy18

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He's started well in my opinion at clearing out players whose time at the club had surely come to an end. There's definitely more to come and I feel like he does hold an axe and will drop it!

Below is my opinion on any summer shakeup.


Tier 1 must goes:
Pogba
Lingard

Tier 2 dependent on acquisitions/replacements: (Could retain for squad use & to keep longer serving experienced members of the squad.)
Mata
Jones - (If Smalling goes he should probably stay)
Pereira
Matic

'Deadwood' to keep in my opinion:
Smalling - I continue to be completely camp Smalling in and have been for years.
Shaw - I don't know how many chances he's got left in my book. But I'm back in the keep him for another season camp.

Tempted to jettison if adequate replacements could be acquired:
Martial
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You'd get rid of Pogba ahead of Jones?

I'm dying here.
 

RedRob

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"I believe. I believe there will be more. T
It's for that reason that Mata and Lingard are what 6-7th choice attackers for us! They are there to make the numbers up. We will be playing potentially 65 odd games this year, and for that reason, you need a squad and you literally can't have really high quality squad players in every position. I think only City are having that and that's because they're winning titles every year and getting a chance of playing under Pep.

Look at Pool's 5th and 6th choice attackers - its that Japanese guy they bought from Salzburg and they don't have a 6th choice player(?).

Players didn't have any match fitness yesterday and Norwich, as poor as they may be, played their 1st team which is a PL side. It shouldn't come as a surprise that we struggled to break them down, like most sides would if they're playing their 2nd side
Completely agree that you need a large squad, but look at the salaries. Both are in the top ten earners at the club, which shouldn't be the case for backups of backups. Their contracts come to an end next year and unless they're willing to accept reduced terms, they probably need to find clubs who will treat them as first team players.
 

-Supreme-

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The backups of backups should be players from our youth team and not those deadwoods that have failed to do an adequate job whenever they are called upon
 

RedSky

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To leave in order of must move on..
Jones
Lingard
Periera
mata
Chong

Dalot - not sure, hes decent FB cover imo.


Matic is a Def keeper for me. Looks the better of the 3 defensive midfielders accepting hes knocking on a bit now but seems to have Found a new lease of life. .
Add Rojo to the top of that list and i'd agree. We can have another season of Periera and Mata in the team imo. Dalot should probably be moved on to allow Laird to get game time next season.
 

anant

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Completely agree that you need a large squad, but look at the salaries. Both are in the top ten earners at the club, which shouldn't be the case for backups of backups. Their contracts come to an end next year and unless they're willing to accept reduced terms, they probably need to find clubs who will treat them as first team players.
Ofcourse. I think Lingard would be sold. He's in his 'peak years' and I doubt even he would be happy with being a 6th choice attacker right now. Ditto for AP. As far Juan is concerned, I think the club will either offer him a new 1 year deal with reduced wages or will trigger his 1 year extension and Mata will retire once that contract is up at 34. And, I wouldn't mind that. I think he's a good person to have around the club as he's won everything there is to win and can offer guidance to younger players as they're coming through
 

RedPed

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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You'd get rid of Pogba ahead of Jones?

I'm dying here.
This thread is quite old and there are some embarrassing posts in it for sure, though things have changed a lot over the last 18 months. I'm sure that guy would reconsider his viewpoint when he was open to keeping Smalling and Jones but selling Pogba and Martial.

That is pretty fecked up, I must admit.
 

Keefy18

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This thread is quite old and there are some embarrassing posts in it for sure, though things have changed a lot over the last 18 months. I'm sure that guy would reconsider his viewpoint when he was open to keeping Smalling and Jones but selling Pogba and Martial.

That is pretty fecked up, I must admit.
Didn't even notice the date tbh, but even 18 months ago it still shouldn't of been a consideration.
 

Rozay

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I think in addition to the obvious, if we are looking at raising funds, I think we need to make more difficult decisions regarding sales. Be more ruthless.

We of course need to get rid of the likes of Rojo, Jones and Sanchez who don’t even play for us. Smalling too, who could actually be worth something. Next we have the likes of Lingard, Pereira and Mata (who I still can’t understand why he was given another 3 years last season).

That lot will hardly raise any funds. We need to consider the likes of Dalot, who was linked to PSG and Barca a few weeks ago and our response was that he isn’t for sale. Then there are the likes of Tuanzebe who could fetch a good fee, and is not exactly close to breaking into the XI. Also, we need to man up at some point regarding out goalkeepers. We don’t get to have both De Gea and Henderson. I don’t want Henderson to be sold, but if we keep on just saying how great De Gea is and that we intend to back him, then sell Henderson for like £50m which we need here and now. If not, then we should look to shop De Gea if we can.

Just getting rid of Rojo and his ilk are easy choices that doesn’t change too much.
 

Statue of Limitations

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For all the talk about us not being a well run club, the way we have handled the deadwood, including shifting Sanchez's wages has been very impressive the past while, we have learned from our mistakes.

Ole loves the club, he won't be the wrong kind of sentimentalist and keep deadwood or overpaid underperforming players around for long I don't think.

I expect this will continue, the first name I think of asides from the obvious ones, on loan, would be Lingard. I don't hate him as a Utd player but I'm not completely convinced he has enough to merit another contract for example.

Our last few signings have been diamonds, think that will continue.
It's a very positive trend :drool:
 
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automaticflare

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Lots to be shipped out....

They are played out of position because they are not good enough to play in their best position for Man Utd so are accommodated to give others a rest where they look even worse which IMO always spirals to make things look worse than they are.

They are exposed more by being played out of position. Lingard not a left winger mata not a right winger. Both cut inside and make the team look even worse cogtesting the play. Play James wide left instead of lingard and his threat behind alone opens up the game more for us.

IMO Ole made too many changes in one go and got away with it. I’ll take it but it is easier to blame the players performance than the manager for the selection at the moment. Both were contributing factors to yesterday’s performance
 

Web of Bissaka

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Losing to Comeback Winning!
Assassinated:
  1. Fellaini
  2. Valencia
  3. Wilson
  4. *Herrera*
  5. Lukaku
  6. Darmian
  7. *Young*
  8. CBJ + other youth



Undergoing Assassination (loans):
  1. Sanchez
  2. Smalling
  3. Rojo



Next targets?
  1. Lingard?
  2. Jones?
  3. Joel Pereira?
  4. *Gomes*?
  5. Grant?
  6. TFM?
  7. Dalot?
  8. Mata?
  9. Andreas Pereira?
*not really deadwoods*
 

Shiva87

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I think in addition to the obvious, if we are looking at raising funds, I think we need to make more difficult decisions regarding sales. Be more ruthless.

We of course need to get rid of the likes of Rojo, Jones and Sanchez who don’t even play for us. Smalling too, who could actually be worth something. Next we have the likes of Lingard, Pereira and Mata (who I still can’t understand why he was given another 3 years last season).

That lot will hardly raise any funds. We need to consider the likes of Dalot, who was linked to PSG and Barca a few weeks ago and our response was that he isn’t for sale. Then there are the likes of Tuanzebe who could fetch a good fee, and is not exactly close to breaking into the XI. Also, we need to man up at some point regarding out goalkeepers. We don’t get to have both De Gea and Henderson. I don’t want Henderson to be sold, but if we keep on just saying how great De Gea is and that we intend to back him, then sell Henderson for like £50m which we need here and now. If not, then we should look to shop De Gea if we can.

Just getting rid of Rojo and his ilk are easy choices that doesn’t change too much.
Why do we need to raise funds by selling probably the best young keeper in the world?

Regardless of De Gea's form that should just not happen. If anything, De Gea will want to move back to Spain at some point and we should let him do that after another 2 seasons (one where Dean is out on loan, and the next where Dean gets to show if he is capable of handling the pressure at United by playing some games for us).

Out squad has much less deadwood now, compared to when Ole came in. The connection between the players and fans is returning - which is a great sign.

A few years ago, this was not the case. In fact the hatred of our players created by Jose was so intense that we thought our best player (Pogba) is not good for the club. Some of it still lingers, but if Bruno and Pogba can continue to build a solid creative platform for us that will also get forgotten.
 

RashyForPM

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All credit to Ole, he has been magnificent in clearing out deadwood and players who don’t fit his system. While many argued the ejections of Sanchez and Smalling and even more argued the sale of Lukaku, it is now undeniable that all 3 decisions were correct. Let’s be honest, whoever is of the opinion that Smalling, Sanchez and Lukaku would have outperformed their replacements Maguire, Rashford and Martial (who all have far more time to improve too) this season is flat-out wrong. What’s more, he has also gotten rid of players like Young, Rojo and Darmian, all of whom contributed nothing to the club whilst here (bar Young) and have been completely forgotten about now.

However, I believe he still has to get a couple more off the wage bill. Currently poor PL players like Pereira, Lingard, Jones and Mata must go permanently along with the ones he has gotten rid of on loan (Rojo, Sanchez and Smalling). Of course, we will never be able to sell 7 players in one summer, but at least 4 sales (Jones, Rojo, Pereira and Lingard primarily) will free up a lot of funds to add to our kitty for Sancho, VDB and Ndidi. I am sure Ole recognises this though and while his tactics have left a lot to be desired so far, his squad building has been immaculate.
 
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Pavl3n

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To leave in order of must move on..
Jones
Lingard
Periera
mata
Chong

Dalot - not sure, hes decent FB cover imo.


Matic is a Def keeper for me. Looks the better of the 3 defensive midfielders accepting hes knocking on a bit now but seems to have Found a new lease of life. .
Not sure if he should be in the list. He just signed a new deal and I think next season he'll get his chances to impress.
If his development goes right we will all be happy. If it's not, then I think he'll be looked at the same way Martial and Shaw were looked at a couple of seasons ago - they have to step up or we might end up selling them for low.
However Shaw and Martial stepped up their game in the last 9 months.

On the Matic topic - he's past a patch of bad form and looks like the top player he used to be. I think he's our new Carrick - not flashy, but very important for the team. Screening the back 4 and being good on the ball under pressure.
Only difference is the team back then was shit and Carrick's important role was standing out. While today we have Bruno, Pogba, Tony and Rashford in the team and they steal most of the headlines.
Nemanja is very important and he is the only true anchor we have in the team.
 

Craig Ward

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I've often said that the outgoings is the most vital bit of ole's job, and to be fair to him he's probably the only manager since Fergie who has even attempted to transition the squad entirely.

The mess Moyes, LVG and Jose left is staggering in terms of transfer dealings. All of them had a mare and signed more than left, and i dont think any of them had a clear plan for the squad. We just hoarded poor quality.

Ole has been what some people call "Ruthless" but it's just whats needed in truth. Logical steps to shape the squad for the better. And he's done a good job. Shame he's only halfway through, but its difficult to move on the amount we ideally need too over a short period.

For me, the following still has to happen:

Must leave/have no future:
Sanchez - on loan, has no future here. Need a permanent deal. The worst transfer business we have done in years
Smalling - on loan, has no future here. Need a permanent deal
Rojo - on loan, has no future here. Need a permanent deal
Jones - Featuring less and less. Has no future here. A calamity every time he plays. The club must regret that new deal.
Lingard - Clearly a fringe player now. Contract up in a season or so. Been here years, never improved, never will.

Playing for future/Sellable:
Periera - Been given a season to impress. He hasn't really. Every squad needs depth and i feel he could be used as backup only until we sign more players. Will probably keep for 1-2 seasons. Will never be a key player, but an ok option to make the numbers up until the squad is good enough for him to be sold permanently.
Pogba - Putting him here due to his contract issue. Will he sign or will there be more drama about a move from his agent? Whether you rate him as world class or not doesn't matter. We need committed players. Big question mark over Pogba's long term desire to be here for me.

Players who are squad players:
Matic - Arguably our best DM and an assured professional. He's important now, but cannot be replied upon for a high volume of games. We need to sign a DM now to phase Matic out. Planning for player departures by signing replacements in due time while enhancing squad quality and competition is vital for me. Has another good season in him, then we probably have little use for him
Mata - Brilliant professional, all round nice guy. Good on the ball, can pick a pass. He has true quality, but his legs have gone. Hard to watch him currently, needs to move on gracefully. Can be used sparingly but does not have more than 1 season left for us with sporadic performances.


So for me, the squad needs a lot of work and a minimum of 5 outgoings in one window, and thats not counting loans.

Long term i'd still have question marks over certain players, after all we are manchester united and we should always be looking to improve. Always. No player should be safe and i'd put very few players as "unsellable" if a better option came along. For example:
Shaw - has cemented the LB place and rightly so. He's played well and remained fit. I like him as a player and think he can get better, but he could be improved upon.
Lindelof - Still has shaky moments. He's pretty solid but again he could be easily upgraded upon.
Martial - When he's hot he's hot. Is he the best no.9 we could possible have? Probably not. he's replaceable. We just dont need to yet
DDG - If Henderson keeps pushing and he keeps making mistakes - its a change that could and probably will happen.


Bar the 5 in the Must leave/have no future: category the squad isnt that bad really. Im happy with how Ole is managing it
 

Rozay

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Why do we need to raise funds by selling probably the best young keeper in the world?

Regardless of De Gea's form that should just not happen. If anything, De Gea will want to move back to Spain at some point and we should let him do that after another 2 seasons (one where Dean is out on loan, and the next where Dean gets to show if he is capable of handling the pressure at United by playing some games for us).

Out squad has much less deadwood now, compared to when Ole came in. The connection between the players and fans is returning - which is a great sign.

A few years ago, this was not the case. In fact the hatred of our players created by Jose was so intense that we thought our best player (Pogba) is not good for the club. Some of it still lingers, but if Bruno and Pogba can continue to build a solid creative platform for us that will also get forgotten.
I’m not saying we ‘should’ sell Henderson. I’m just saying that it isn’t ideal to have a stance where we think we will just keep both. De Gea is like only 29. If we think ‘he’s the best goalkeeper in the world’, then we don’t need the most promising keeper in the world if we don’t intend to use him. Makes little difference to us how good Henderson is of he just stays at Sheffield United forever. As it is, I’d rather we sold De Gea. Not because I want to sell De Gea, but because I recognise we have two #1s, and I’ve actually made a decision rather than pretending it doesn’t need to be made.
 

hmchan

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Overall Ole has done a great job in terms of clearing the deadwoods. Only a bit disappointed that he extended Jones' contract.
 

AFC NimbleThumb

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That was Norwich’s cup final and they wanted it more than us, yet they get a goal that Romero could have done better with and would have Most likely conceded if Ighalo wasn’t brought down with that Red card. Chong is just as poor as the other two and Gomes still hasn’t signed a contract so I don’t really see the logic here.
Back when we were dominant defensively we used to play against teams in their cup final on a weekly basis but [generally] regardless of team selection we would see those games out comfortably in the end - the quality across the squad [not particularly the 1st 11] just isn’t there.

Yes Igahlo may have scored but he didn’t, teams will all fave situations where packed defences probe difficult against but an attack including Mata & Lingard has proven inefficient for years, we need to raise the quality & stop the excuses.
 

Walrus

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11,156
Get Rid:
Jones
Smalling
Sanchez
Pereira
Lingard

Probably Also Get Rid:
Mata
Matic
Dalot
Rojo

Could do with an upgrade:
Lindelof/Bailly
Shaw
James (dont sell him though)

Wouldnt be fussed if we sold and got an adequate replacement:
De Gea (to promote Henderson)
Pogba
 

Fosu-Mens

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Fred | 2019/20 Performances
Get Rid:
Jones
Smalling
Sanchez
Pereira
Lingard

Probably Also Get Rid:
Mata
Matic
Dalot
Rojo

Could do with an upgrade:
Lindelof/Bailly
Shaw
James (dont sell him though)

Wouldnt be fussed if we sold and got an adequate replacement:
De Gea (to promote Henderson)
Pogba
Problem is finding any takers for those players. Sure, Roma wants Smalling and Pereira could easily be sold due to his low wage, but the rest of the players does not have the ability to get clubs interested or paid similar to their current contract.
 

Havak

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Considering the amount of time Ole has been here, I think we have done incredibly well to ship out as many players as we have. Let's hope that we can sell Sanchez, Rojo, and Smalling for decent money as we are so far proving we don't need them. The amount of wages saved there alone is probably £450k+ per week and I don't think we'd get our pants pulled down in terms of transfer fees either. Incredibly realistic that we gain £50million from selling those players.

I don't particularly see a strong need to sell Andreas, Lingard, Jones, Mata or Dalot/Matic etc that seem to be the names popping up the most. At least not as early as the next transfer window. Don't get me wrong, I want Jones and at least one of Andreas/Lingard gone as much as anyone, but I don't necessarily see the immediate need for it with the rate that this squad is being purged and rebuilt. It's going to be a long process and hopefully we can get them sold and get the right players in soon, but I'm thinking due to the pandemic and Ole's words on transfer funds mean it might go a little slower in the immediate future than it has since he joined.

I just feel that unless the funds are there to sign Sancho and then start replacing other players we sell, it won't be rushed as much in this current situation. I think Ole doesn't exactly trust Andreas or Lingard, but we have 10 players ahead of them in the positions they would be most likely to play IMO. The need to use them is low.

In Midfield: Bruno, Pogba, Matic, McTominay, and Fred are ahead of them
In Attack: Rashford, Martial, James, Greenwood, and Mata are ahead of them

There's also the option to just play Ighalo as a second striker instead of resorting to playing Lingard/Andreas. Of course, this means we probably should try to be selling one of them at least, but we've always wanted a big squad at United and the players are seen as assets to bulk it out even if not entirely needed. We always have these 2-3 players who probably don't get into our first or second XI that aren't even youth players, so I do expect it to stay this way.

However, long-term planning should suggest that Lingard, Andreas, Jones, Mata, Grant* and Ighalo* would all no longer be here come June 2021/2022. I'll be happy to eat my words but it seems like a bit too much to hope for that all of these guys are gone so fast. It's good progress at the right pace IMO so far. Keep it up.

*Contracts ending that I don't expect to be renewed another time.
 

Sandikan

aka sex on the beach
Joined
Mar 14, 2011
Messages
52,710
Get Rid:
Jones
Smalling
Sanchez
Pereira
Lingard

Probably Also Get Rid:
Mata
Matic
Dalot
Rojo

Could do with an upgrade:
Lindelof/Bailly
Shaw
James (dont sell him though)

Wouldnt be fussed if we sold and got an adequate replacement:
De Gea (to promote Henderson)
Pogba
Matic shouldn't be in that company now. He's having a resurgence and is probably our only deep holding player who can pass it.

Rojo should 100% be in the top tier of get rids.
 

Maticmaker

Full Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2018
Messages
4,617
I cannot remember a game, in recent times at least even against much lesser opposition and in fact going back to SAF's time, when we have made eight changes (usually to a winning team) and still looked capable of winning a game, quite often only scrapping through with some good luck (like opposition going down to ten), or more likely going down to inglorious defeat.

Fergie did it regularly and we came unstuck on a few occasions, similarly LvG, and Jose and now Ole. Whatever possess a manager to believe he can make eight changes with perhaps two or three days preparation and get the result. Surely they must know its a gamble changing a winning team? Of course there is an argument for rotation of players but not eight changes all at once! in any case players have just had three months off.

I suppose because there was no crowd there, in this case Ole didn't have to consider the fans, but when you've spent money to travel away especially, and to have such teams put out is to my mind a disgrace and an insult to the fans.

Ole must know he's only got maybe five or six really good players, the rest are squad level only and when introduced one or maybe two at a time they can hold the line, but this wholesale introduction is a nonsense, squad players need game time we know but not eight, all at once ffs!
 

MiracleInMadrid

Full Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
780
Let’s be honest, whoever is of the opinion that Smalling, Sanchez and Lukaku would have outperformed their replacements Maguire, Rashford and Martial (who all have far more time to improve too) this season is flat-out wrong.
I don't think many people on here had that opinion. But a lot, including myself, was of the opinion that a sale of especially Lukaku was a risky move because of our lack of strikers in general. And I was no where near a fan of his. But selling him with no apparent replacement coming in was risky, because we had to rely on Rashford and Martial stepping up in a striker role none of them seemed comfortable in at the given time. Had we loaned Ighalo at the start of the season instead of midway through I would have been very happy.

Obviously everything is very much different now, when we are starting to see Martial and Rashford produce serious numbers up front, and we slowly are adjusting to a system where more players seem to contribute to goalscoring. But during the season (especially the fall) we were in desperate need of a striker that could hold up the ball and be a constant presence and noisance in the opponents penalty box. Had we kept Lukaku, I bet we could have swung a few more results our way which could have seen us closer to top 4.

Obviously, keeping Lukaku was not a guarentee of more goals and points, and maybe he wasn't too good for the dressing room. But we can't just neglect that we were crying out for more depth in the striker position, especially when Martial was out injured for about 10 games between August and October.