Can Semenyo play LWB?
Can we now safely say that our recruitment is much improved?
- Thread starter pocco
- Start date
. United fans and age of players are something else.Players are still labelled as "young" with 24 and they decline with 26.
Out front 3 are going to be fantastic. Lammens and De Ligt have been great.
The recruitment just need that cm and lwb to be spot on.
The recruitment just need that cm and lwb to be spot on.
"The money was well invested". Rare words to hear about our team in recent years.
Couldn't do everything in one window, but it feels clear why we prioritised the front 3 this window.
Mbeumo and Cunha have clearly started better than Sesko who has eased in and is finding his feet, but just watching him win the odd header and hold it occasionally is chalk and cheese with Hojlund last season.
All of what you say here, plus the keeper, who even if he just feels solid so far, rather than worldly is a step up above from both our recent keepers who could let one in at any given moment.
Only those with a stupid Ineos agenda didnt see huge inprovements since even last summer
It was pretty much impossible to not improve from Ten Hag's recruitment.
We made fairly obvious signings this summer which we haven't done for years. It's not that hard.
We made fairly obvious signings this summer which we haven't done for years. It's not that hard.
Even if he can’t, we should still sign him and have 5 players for 3 positions. I assume Zirkzee will leave in the summer if not earlier.
One of my biggest issues with Hojlund was actually how bad/unintelligent his pressing was - he was so easy for CBs to play around that it made the midfielders job twice as hard. Between Mount, Mbeumo, Cunha and Sesko I think this is massively improved
Mbeumo and Cunha looks like world class players. Sesko still has some improving to do but so far I have been impressed with him, his general play is a massive improvement on Höjlund and once he adds some physicality to his game he will be a quality striker. Lammens just looks like a really good goalkeeper. Calm and composed, a decent shotstopper and good with the ball at his feet.
If we make similar improvements to our midfield and the LWB position in the coming windows I think we can start dreaming again.
If we make similar improvements to our midfield and the LWB position in the coming windows I think we can start dreaming again.
I literally quoted a ton of research on it. It's not exactly a controversial take. If it's really hard for you to understand that the average attacking player begins to decline at age 26 or so (doesn't mean they're totally toast or something), that's on you.
Players are still labelled as "young" with 24 and they decline with 26.
I like what I see from Cunha, Mbuemo, de Ligt, Yoro, Sesko, and Lammens. I think the most impressive one is Lammens because he came from out nowhere that we never heard of his name before and played in Belgium league. Cunha and Mbuemo were much more save signings because they are PL proven signings. De Ligt, Yoro, and Sesko are well known names as talented players before they came to United.
However, players like Ugarte, Zirkzee, and Dorgu IMO have yet to perform and I have not seen enough positive signs from their performance. Ugarte is too limited on the ball, not good with his positioning (unlike Casemiro), and lacks of pace to eat ground (unlike typical PL destroyers like Kante, Gueye, and etc). Zirkzee is too slow, too clumsy, tall but aerially not very good, he doesn’t make run behind defenders (prefer to drop deeps), lacks of goals instinct, and he is not an actual no 9. Dorgu is still young so I’m hoping there will be improvement but so far he is so clumsy, not that good on the ball, doesn’t seem to be the type of intelligent player and he doesn’t look like a future leader (looks like a quiet character).
However, players like Ugarte, Zirkzee, and Dorgu IMO have yet to perform and I have not seen enough positive signs from their performance. Ugarte is too limited on the ball, not good with his positioning (unlike Casemiro), and lacks of pace to eat ground (unlike typical PL destroyers like Kante, Gueye, and etc). Zirkzee is too slow, too clumsy, tall but aerially not very good, he doesn’t make run behind defenders (prefer to drop deeps), lacks of goals instinct, and he is not an actual no 9. Dorgu is still young so I’m hoping there will be improvement but so far he is so clumsy, not that good on the ball, doesn’t seem to be the type of intelligent player and he doesn’t look like a future leader (looks like a quiet character).
I'll tell you what Im absolutely loving. I had to read so much utter bollocks in September about how Liverpool was now the more attractive destination for players and they were always going to get the real world class talent like Isak and Wirtz and that United now had to make do with mid table scrappers like Mbuemo and Cunha.
What a window we had.
What a window we had.
A couple months ago it would be been laughed at to suggest we had a better transfer window than Liverpool, but we have. Mbuemo and Cu ha fit us like a glove, and have massively improved us, as has the cheap punt on a keeper. Sesko hasn't set the world alight but he's a big step up on Hoilund.
Go back a year and the signing of De Ligt is looking like great business, I think he could eventually become captain
Go back a year and the signing of De Ligt is looking like great business, I think he could eventually become captain
Yes. And don't forget Lammens. He is a significant improvement on both Onana and Bayandir.
It is important in January if possible that we sign a decent midfielder.
Mbeumo and Cuhna have made a night and day change to our attacking play alone. Let alone the knock on effect that has defensively.
Im not a PL defender but I reckon defenders must hate playing against them.
Im not a PL defender but I reckon defenders must hate playing against them.
Another underrated positive to these two is the attitude they have. You can see that football is the prime motivation for them both, they want to play and to the best of their ability. There is no noise in any media, no agents mouthing off, no family members bemoaning the club. It’s refreshing to see and contributes to a much improved atmosphere around the club, even after the difficult start.
It depends. Rooney, Owen and Torres were washed at 26
while Drogba and Vardy just kickstarted their career at 26. and Klose and Toni as well. not to mention CR7 who scored most of his goals in 30s
Honestly think he'd be brilliant as the RWB in Amorim's system. We know he likes them on the 'wrong' side but Semenyo is capable with both feet and is taller and stronger than Amad.
Imagine a right side of Semenyo (RWB) and Mbuemo (AMRC) - would be unstoppable
I know a few players who were excellent until mid / late 30s… Ronaldo, Messi, Salah, Totti, Zlatan, Lewandowski… I think this was more true 2-3 decades ago, but with modern surgeries, healthcare, nutrition, etc, players can play at elite levels into their mid 30s and beyond.
Players are still labelled as "young" with 24 and they decline with 26.
Players are excellent, prioritization was wrong and Amorim's game model is borked. This is the hill I will die on.
Rooney scored 158 Europe / PL goals from 25, he was hardly washed. Owen, yes.
Even more frustrating is that whatever was going on during Ten Hag’s reign, so many players left that ended up being good elsewhere. Not all were his fault, but how toxic was the environment at the time? Rashford, Greenwood, Alvaro Carreras, McTominay…. Watching Carreras’ goal yesterday was sadly in the wounds given our issues with LWB
Alvaro Carreras’ departure will always haunt me. How did he not get his breakthrough with us?!?Even more frustrating is that whatever was going on during Ten Hag’s reign, so many players left that ended up being good elsewhere. Not all were his fault, but how toxic was the environment at the time? Rashford, Greenwood, Alvaro Carreras, McTominay…. Watching Carreras’ goal yesterday was sadly in the wounds given our issues with LWB
Rooney was not washed at 26.
95 goals & 61 assists for United after his 26th birthday before leaving at 31 by the way. We'd be a hell of a team if we had a few more players that "washed" now.
What I'd give for a 26 year old Rooney in this squad.
Yes it’s improved but we still need a complete midfield overhaul and much better wing backs. Big question mark over striker aswell.
We would need more time to safely make that assessment because it's just 15 months ago that we brought in Ugarte and Zirkzee. Who knows how we will view Sesko, Cunha and Mbeumo in 18 months time?
But it looks like we are on the right trajectory, after the Ten Hag/Murtough disaster class. The thing though is that we just don't have enough money, or it's impractical, to solve all our personnel problems in one summer window.
So hopefully by this time next year, the good work in recruitment will start showing on the pitch more consistently. By which time maybe the likes of Kone will be bona fide squad players pushing for more prominent roles. After so much pain, from the Woodward years to Ten Hag, we do deserve a Caicedo like successful punt as compensation.
But it looks like we are on the right trajectory, after the Ten Hag/Murtough disaster class. The thing though is that we just don't have enough money, or it's impractical, to solve all our personnel problems in one summer window.
So hopefully by this time next year, the good work in recruitment will start showing on the pitch more consistently. By which time maybe the likes of Kone will be bona fide squad players pushing for more prominent roles. After so much pain, from the Woodward years to Ten Hag, we do deserve a Caicedo like successful punt as compensation.
Exactly. There needs to be patience. Our recruitment has been so bad, for so long, that it’s not a quick fix. With Maguire, Casemiro and Sancho all out of contract, and Rashford hopefully out permanently, that’s all the excessive contracts gone. If we can ship out any remaining deadwood and have a similar hit rate next summer, we’ll be well on the way.
If we somehow get a RWB, CM and LWB next year, yeah, we can say it has improved.
This will be key but I suspect that Maguire and Casemiro will be kept on, if they will accept reduced wages and roles and both seem to love being here, we will need the squad depth, experience and aerial presence they offers. So there is a deal to be done there.
But having those four big contracts out will be a massive boost because after next summer, when we would have sorted our midfield and hopefully LWB, the summer of 2027 is the one I expect us to make a truly marquee signing. So we would need the wage space getting rid of big contracts will afford us.
Ten Hag? Looking quite absurd after the Clasico especially
Might not have been just ten hag. They (the team) might have prioritised the other young LWB in the team - Amass seems to be the longer bet. Not sure if right or wrong yet.
Agreed. Ugarte and Zirkzee were absolute duds and it usually takes us awhile to get to that conclusion on our signings.
It's criminal tbh when you consider the injuries to Shaw and the alternatives were bang average at the very best.
Wouldn't mind but he always looked a player. Frustrating
Absolutely. People are crazy
If we signed Baleba and another midfielder in the summer and were still trotting out Garnacho and Hojlund I don't think results would be much different.