I think what is obvious is the club identify their first choice targets in positions they want to strengthen and pursue them. I’m happy for the first choice defensive midfielder to be Rice. There’s nothing in how we have acted over the years that indicates to me that we wouldn’t still be competitive in the market after we bought Rice. So I am more optimistic than you are!
Thats true. But is that really a good thing? Isn’t the recruitment the cause of a lot of criticism? I certainly understand your stance on the matter but to me, it looks like trying the same act over and over - seemingly not realising, that it always is a huge gamble and more often than not you end up dumbfounded.
Rice is a good player. Having him would give us many opportunities for formations and approaches. And the story wreaks of United transfer approach 2017-2021. Bring in the seemingly sure thing, a player that performs well in the league, is an Englishmen and as the icing on the cake is a leader. It is the exact same story as with Maguire. Rice looks really good for Westham, for a team setup by Moyes. The trainer who managed to make us think bringing in Fellaini would be a suitable idea for our midfield. In weeks, where Rice doesn’t impress we don’t really get to know it because it is just Westham. But for us, he would be under pressure, would be in the spotlight. And having that huge price tag will do its thing as well. Remember, if there is something like a comfort zone, Rice is in it. That will be gone at United and in my eyes it way more likely he’ll shrink when confronted with parked busses.
We made the mistake with Shaw. With AWB. With Maguire. At some point, we just have to learn the lesson. Manchester United isn’t the special animal which is only working when there is one world record fee signing after the other added to the squad. Make a plan, scout talents, pick the right players according to the needed profile. Not just his reputation. My 9 yo nephew can come up with Rice. I expect the club to be better than that.
Nobody knows how we will play next year. Making such a big outlay for one player would be exactly the kind of short-visioned mistake we criticized the club for all those years. Why would the outcome change now? For once, I’d like United to be in the headlines for good and/or brave signings instead of the biggest bucks.
No trainer will be able to play modern football with the striker department we have.
No manager will overcome the lack of output of both of our fullbacks.
Our wide forward, wide player contingent doesn’t look all too promising these days.
No formation will mitigate the effect of concentration lapses in our defense overall, they aren’t greatly equipped for a high line which is kind of one of the main ingredients for modern football...
Unquestionable - we have a huge need for upgrades in midfield. But not just for a defensive minded player. Bar this freak season we were mostly solid defensively and the big big thing that has seen our rivals Liverpool and City sprint away is chance creation. And to circumvent that by saying just bring in Rice so all our attacking players can solely focus on attack is extremely optimistic. Probably naive.
Just do the hard work please. Find players who suit the profile without excessive fees. Spare these fees for exceptional talents not for players where the biggest pro argument is, that the need is there and the chance for failure is pretty low. For once, don't try to be clever and rectify past mistakes by trying to overpay for them to disappear.
On top of that, diversifying is always a good strategy. Pogba is gone, Matic can’t be counted on. And I am sure it wouldn’t be the most reasonable strategy to just put excessive pressure on Garner and Mejbri. We need numbers in midfield. And as bad as many on here depict Fred and McTom, it shouldn’t be too difficult, to bring in more than one upgrade.
