You can have squad players who offer more solidarity and structure than the more gifted players but even they should be good footballers in general and add intelligence and strong buildup play to the collective. This notion that having a bang average mid table level players in a team that has the ambition of winning the PL and CL, just because they work hard, is silly.
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https://www.transfermarkt.com/hannibal-mejbri/leistungsdaten/spieler/607224/plus/0?saison=2020
Everything isn't there though, they say AM in the U23 although he often played LM and not Shoretire.
Elanga was just an example here, but we both know he wouldn't have played Elanga if he was fit. Hannibal is fit and available though.
Maybe so, but he is still the man and manager for the club who talks about how much they're giving youth a chance. He rarely does if it is a game of somewhat importance. I would like to see some risk-taking there, although I don't think it's a risk playing Hannibal before James. This will be exactly like the Pereira situation before.
I do not see James getting much game time in the PL and CL for us this season. We already had a AM playing wing in the game in Pogba, having 2 means we would have no width.
However average James is, he offers things that a AM doesnt on the wing. I am sure neither Elanga or Hannibal would start over James. James has earnt the trust of the manager and giving chance a youth doesn't mean he will risk the result for it.
Look at the way he has managed Greenwood, we have to be careful giving young players a chance, if we are fighting for top 4, then more would get a chance but going for the title, its alot harder to give youngsters a chance.
While I´m in general have been very supportive of every United player, I said already half a year after we signed James that I don´t think he´ll make it at United, and I have not seen anything making me change my mind. Alright, he can do a job defensively, but if you´re going to play on the wing for United, you actually need to contribute offensively as well. Just sell him.
I'd prefer if some of our young talented players would get game time instead of James. From the little I've seen of Elanga, Shoretire, Diallo, I don't think James is much better right now...
Would be interesting to compare him to other 3rd choice players in different top EPL clubs. Possibly 4th choice if we consider Rashford/Pogba playing right wing from time to time.
Exactly what I've been saying all along. Ole loves him and wouldn't even sell him if an offer came in. I reckon it will come back and bite us in the ass. This is also worrying from a squad perspective, we have too many players and many that we can't sell.
Stop hoarding players Ole.
James must have some serious dirt on him
That's the only thing I can ever dislike about Ole.
He's definitely a hoarder as he's too nice to get rid of them.
The likes or Jones, Lingard, Pereira, James all should have gone this summer.
Well he has tried to get rid of Andreas and Lingard looks set to join west ham this summer.
Exactly - I'm not sure you can call him a hoarder when he has managed to reshape United the way he has and slowly got rid of the worthless players bit by bit.
Ashley Young, Herrera, Sanchez, Wilson, Darmian, Smalling, Lukaku, Valencia, Rojo, Borthwick Jackson, Fosu Mensah, Joel Pereira and Sergio Romero - have left whilst he is here.
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True, we're slowly making our way through the deadwood. I think until Rashford is back fit and Sancho is up and running he'll hang onto James, which I can't blame him for really.
All sounds a bit Vishy to me
James was never going to be sold thid summer tbh. In saying that, I don't think he's anywhere near good enough and I wouldn't be surprised if we sold him next summer.
He'd be a sensational RWB in a 5 man defence touch. But he's too limited playing as a right winger. I love his work rate but unlike Park Ji Sung who also had immense work rate, he isn't as strong nor does he have the technical ability required. Once everyone is fit I doubt we'll see much of him.
The technique of shooting though looks amateurish. He isn't really good at football.
Silent domination as Gary would say.
You forgot Fellaini.
All left when their contract ran out, Ole didn't do jack and United certainly lost a lot of money in the Romero saga. He was right to sell all these players though but that would any decent manager do, so it's not like we should jump up and down for a decision to sell Ashley Young. It's common sense. He can certainly be more ruthless, it sounds like Lingard wants to stay, and then he will stay. Ole should just sell him, same with James.
He is ruthless enough for me, he has shown it by his selection decisions, of course players like Andreas & Jesse are well aware of their situation with the team and where are they in the pecking order, they know they are surplus to requirements, but Ole wouldn't treat them harshly by forcing them out or sending them to the reserves until they leave, and he can't control outings as that requires market demand and so, someone like Jones for example who didn't kick a ball in 2 years due to injury has zero demands from the market, no one would take him and Ole can't do much here, he was renewed when Ole was an interim manager.
I agree with that, it's not Ole's fault that Jones is still here. But I think he could be more ruthless regarding Lingard and James. It sounds on Ole (and The Athletic) that Jesse himself wanted to stay and fight for his place when Ole should be making that decision, not Jesse.
But don't some of the fans complain about United being a club with a history that has given new contracts to players that didn't deserve it?
That has seemed to stop to a certain extent hasn't it?
Free transfers atleast is used as a way of getting rid of our players even if it's not the best way.
I haven't checked up when they go but I would assume andreas and Lingard are more likely to leave free than get a new contract.
Wait, how should Ole be more ruthless here? How can you sell a player if he doesn't want to leave other than letting his contract expire?
Actually thought he had a decent ish game versus Leeds. He's prone to errors and his technical ability often fails him. But he does put in a good shift. I thought we looked way better as a unit with James on the field. When James was subbed off Leeds started to gnaw their way into the game and took a bit control.
Not saying James should be a starter at all, but he does serve a purpose in the team.
Not saying James should be a starter at all, but he does serve a purpose in the team.
I see no reason at all for getting rid of James. He's a great utility player, and as he gains more experience, will become a really useful tool to have when the need arises/specific scenarios etc.
If he's happy to be 4th/5th choice winger, no reason to sell.
If he's happy to be 4th/5th choice winger, no reason to sell.
He just says that he isn't in his plans and that he should leave if he wants to play? How does any club ever sell a player?
So it's all just a thinly veiled poke at ole?
His value will drop next year. Then we will hold out for 20m, when clubs will make a 10m bid. Rinse repeat.
Time is to sell now for a good fee, not hoard players that are next to useless and play 10 games a season when everyone is fit. Then complain about not being able to get rid of players or getting a good fee.
Time is to sell now for a good fee, not hoard players that are next to useless and play 10 games a season when everyone is fit. Then complain about not being able to get rid of players or getting a good fee.
It's a shame he's built like a small twig. If he had a larger frame I reckon he could have done a passable job at covering for AWB. Has a lot of the same strengths and limitations that Valencia had, minus the brick shithouse physique.
I can't see us being serious about a title challenge if we're planning on starting him regularly in the league. Impact sub against tired legs and starter against lower-league fodder in the cups is all he's good for.
I can't see us being serious about a title challenge if we're planning on starting him regularly in the league. Impact sub against tired legs and starter against lower-league fodder in the cups is all he's good for.
Intriguing then that Ole has started him in almost every big game we’ve had since signing him.
If anything it’s against the lower league teams where he isn’t getting the minutes.
Almost the opposite, Rooney's silent domination was standing still and effecting the game by doing nothing much.
James runs around a lot but doesn't effect the game. Interesting.
It seems quite clear he's seen as a Park type player to do a job in certain games. Has his limitations on the ball but brings benefits off it.
It was a problem when we were relying on him to be a main man in attack due to lack of other options but now I don't see why it's such a big deal for some.
It was a problem when we were relying on him to be a main man in attack due to lack of other options but now I don't see why it's such a big deal for some.
That's because James is relatively more effective in counter attack setup, works well against sides when they push higher up the pitch but useless when teams park the bus.
I feel mentioning Park and James in the same breath does James no favours at all and introduces a bar of expectation James cannot get close to.
Park was superb at the jobs he was deployed to do and his role could not be performed by anyone else in our squad when he was here. That is not Daniel James and he will genuinely have had an excellent career if he gets anywhere near the level of importance Park had. In fact, if he became that kind of component, his thread would be positively glowing with praise.
"Next to useless" that's mad disrepect. He's basically 4th choice and seemingly happy to play that role. He cost £15m and has lightning pace. Honestly some of the expectations for Dan James on here... he's also still very young and a full international for Wales. He definitely still has resale value.
Totally not the same situation as Jones et al.
All too easy to see him sticking around for 6 years without really offering much. By which point we will have given him a wage no one else is willing to match and as a result we wont be able to sell him
They say he can speak Malaysian language
He’s a brilliant squad option. Sancho to get 70 minutes and James to come on against the tired legs. Fill yer boots lads!
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