How will seven central defenders be kept happy?

[FootballHQ]

Is that actually a record for a premier league club? Discounting youth players to have seven senior centre backs on the books at one time. I find it incredible.

Maguire and Lindelof is first choice clearly but what sort of pecking order is behind that? I'm assuming Smalling is first to come in for injury/suspension but how come you didn't send Axel out on loan again as I can't see him getting much chance apart from europa league. Then you have Jones, Bailly and Rojo.

Bailly injured so that's easy to handle and you may see him appear again over xmas. Not really sure what you do with the other two although I guess with euro window still open maybe a foreign club will bid for Rojo, amazed you didn't just loan him out to Everton to at least get him in the shop window a bit more.

Most interesting is bar Bailly they are all actually fit atm so six are available for Chelsea game. Thought you might play 3 at the back but seems OGS been sticking with back 4 in pre season, I do think that will help Maguire be more effective.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Who cares haha rojo out of contract soon.. Jones will be injured. Bailly out for ages. Tuanzebe could easily go on loan at christmas once bailly back

 

[duffer]

They won't be.

 

[dannyrhinos89]

I’m sure they’ll be kept happy looking at their bank account each week. I wouldn’t worry about them they’ll be fine.

 

[SteveW]

Bailly is out for months. Rojo will be gone in the next couple of weeks.

5 is still a lot

 

[Skills]

3 of them are permanent crocks.

 

[Water Melon]

I’m sure they’ll be kept happy looking at their bank account each week. I wouldn’t worry about them they’ll be fine.

This.

 

[Rozay]

By being paid while being too injured to play, for the most part.

 

[Damien]

Bailly's injured, Rojo will likely be loaned/sold in the next few weeks.

Pecking order for the rest will be something like:

1. Harry Maguire & Victor Lindelof (League)
   
2. Axel Tuanzebe & Phil Jones (Europa & Cups)
   
3. Chris Smalling (when Jones inevitably gets injured/injures someone else)

 

[#07]

3 of them are permanent crocks.

Yup. More than happy to sit out collecting their cheques. The problem isn't how to keep them happy but how to get shot of the deadwood.

 

[Red00012]

Bailly is a sick note.
Jones will play 1/2 games and get injured for the following 8.
Rojo will be told find a club before September 2.

Then you have your 4 of Maguire, Lindelof, Tuanzebe and Smalling.

 

[WR10]

Smalling, Jones, Rojo and Bailley will take turns at clown nights

 

[Globule]

Too many of them shouldn't be here so I'm not too fussed if they're unhappy at a lack of game time.

 

[thegregster]

Who cares haha rojo out of contract soon.. Jones will be injured. Bailly out for ages. Tuanzebe could easily go on loan at christmas once bailly back

Rojo signed a new deal.

He has 2 years left.

 

[Drainy]

Have people not figured out that Jones will be a midfielder this year?

 

[bludsucker]

Why do they need to be kept happy? They are getting paid aren’t they? This doesn’t seem to be a question asked of man city with their gazzillion midfielders.

 

[simonhch]

Bailly is out for 4 odd months. We'll be lucky if we can even ship him out in January.
Rojo will likely be gone by Sept.2nd. Much like Darmian.
Smalling is apparently available for 30M, and I wouldn't be surprised to have someone desperate for a CB to sign him in January.
The 4 will be Lindelof, Maguire, Jones, and Tuanzebe. Having a fifth isn't a terrible idea, assuming Smalling stays.

 

[SalfordRed18]

Have people not figured out that Jones will be a midfielder this year?

Would take him over matic and Fred tbf.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Jones and Bailly will be injured.

As long as we keep Maguire, Lindelof, Tuanzebe and Smalling happy then its fine.

Rojo can fill in at left back against dross to give Shaw a rest. Then he will be sold in Jan.

 

[bosnian_red]

They won't. Rojo has been pointless when it comes to actual minutes played for 2 full seasons yet is still here, same with Bailly (though now injured). Same with Darmian at fullback. 3 players picking up wages for no reason and we'll surely look to get rid asap.

When I look at our centerbacks, I see a group of 5 and nobody else:

• Maguire
• Lindelof
• Tuanzebe
• Smalling
• Jones

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Bailly is out for 4 odd months. We'll be lucky if we can even ship him out in January.
Rojo will likely be gone by Sept.2nd. Much like Darmian.
Smalling is apparently available for 30M, and I wouldn't be surprised to have someone desperate for a CB to sign him in January.
The 4 will be Lindelof, Maguire, Jones, and Tuanzebe. Having a fifth isn't a terrible idea, assuming Smalling stays.

Smalling will stay. Ole likes him and said he is important to the team, or he would have left on loan the other day.

 

[Kingantti1874]

Play them in midfield.. seriously disappointing window for Man Utd.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

They won't be happy, and they should leave but they're shite.

 

[Ian Reus]

We don't need to keep them all happy and it's probably a good idea to make 2 unhappy.

 

[MadMike]

Bailly’s also on his last year of contract. Not sure if he has a +1 year option or not. Anyways don’t worry, Woody will surely throw him a 4 year contract cause he’ll be too scared to lose him for free, like he did with Rojo.

 

[Stobzilla]

Is that actually a record for a premier league club? Discounting youth players to have seven senior centre backs on the books at one time. I find it incredible.

Maguire and Lindelof is first choice clearly but what sort of pecking order is behind that? I'm assuming Smalling is first to come in for injury/suspension but how come you didn't send Axel out on loan again as I can't see him getting much chance apart from europa league. Then you have Jones, Bailly and Rojo.

Bailly injured so that's easy to handle and you may see him appear again over xmas. Not really sure what you do with the other two although I guess with euro window still open maybe a foreign club will bid for Rojo, amazed you didn't just loan him out to Everton to at least get him in the shop window a bit more.

Most interesting is bar Bailly they are all actually fit atm so six are available for Chelsea game. Thought you might play 3 at the back but seems OGS been sticking with back 4 in pre season, I do think that will help Maguire be more effective.

Maguire
Lindelof
Tuanzebe
Jones
Bailly
Smalling
Rojo

That is seemingly the order of preference for Ole as it stands right now. Rojo will likely be sold off between now and the end of the international window, Bailly is out injured until at least Christmas so it is 5 (1 of whom is injured a lot) for 2 spots while being in 3 Cup/European competitions before Bailly's return.

There will be plenty of game time for them.

 

[Nick7]

As said Rojo will hopefully be gone soon, Bailly will probably go when he's fit in January. Jones and Smalling are only fit enough to count as one player. That's 4 centre backs.

 

[Solius]

They won't but Rojo can do one. As can Jones. I don't care if they're happy or not.

Bailly is out until Christmas anyway and we should get rid in Jan if we can.

Maguire, Lindelof, Tuanzebe and Smalling in that order for me.

 

[simonhch]

Smalling will stay. Ole likes him and said he is important to the team, or he would have left on loan the other day.

Ole speaks positively about all his players until they leave. He doesn't want a toxic environment. He tries to value everyone. The club have already shown they aren't interested in loans anymore, just permanent deals. Otherwise Rojo would've left on loan today too. But we turned down loan offers for him, trying to force a permanent deal. It was said Smalling was available for 30m for a permanent deal.

 

[Stobzilla]

Bailly’s also on his last year of contract. Not sure if he has a +1 year option or not. Anyways don’t worry, Woody will surely throw him a 4 year contract cause he’ll be too scared to lose him for free, like he did with Rojo.

We have a +2 option I believe.

 

[el3mel]

We'll use them in midfield and attack when injuries happen.

 

[MadMike]

We have a +2 option I believe.

Safe! We don’t need to offer a new contract, we just activate the clause then.

Bailly-Rojo 2022. Print your campaign stickers here.

 

[Dan_F]

As others have said, Rojo will go, at least on loan. Bailly out long term, which leaves us with five. One will obviously get injured straight away, because that’s what happens to our defence, leaving four to play. Baring in mind all the cup games we could have, there’s plenty of games for four. It just depends how much Ole will want to risk the rotation, or how hard the ties are.

I reckon there’s a big chance the likes of De Gea, Maguire, Matic, Pogba, won’t feature in the Europa League groups at all, unless we get some hard games. I personally hope we get really easy ties so the younger players get games.

 

[welshwingwizard]

Have people not figured out that Jones will be a midfielder this year?

I can see it coming to that....unfortunately

 

[Yorkeontop]

We'll only have to manage about 4 of them at a time as the other 3 will be injured.

 

[Ekeke]

Money. That can be the only reason Rojo and Bailly are happy enough with their few appearances

 

[Devil may care]

Bailly, Jones and Rojo are injured most of the time so it wont be difficult, we should have loaned Axel to Villa though, he'd benefit from playing week in and week out in the PL.

 

[Owngoalscorer]

Money. That can be the only reason Rojo and Bailly are happy enough with their few appearances

TBF Both have probably been injured 60 % of the time they've been here

 

[1988]

I'm pretty sure we can still sell players right?

 

[devilish]

We add an extra bed in the treatment room?

 

[Snafu17]

One will likely leave, one's broken and another we likely be broken soon.