If Bruno were to leave, who are the realistic replacements available? | Bruno stays

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Sassy Colin

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We really need Bruno at United next season, but the money he's been offered is crazy.

Realistically, what are the options for a replacement who could fulfill his role?

Captain and leader
Has bailed us out countless times
Goals and assists averaging 30 odd a season
Would actually be up for participating in a project to take us back to the top, but might take a few years.

Assume a big budget for a proven player.
 
You don't replace him with one player - We adopt a different model and allow others to step up and get a few players in, a DM & a striker of top quality (Along with Cunha) would replace him
 
I don’t think you can replace him with one player. I think we’ll need to strengthen in a few areas to cover what he offers to the team. Cunha is a good start but I think we’d need Mbuemo as another 10, then we’d need to sign a midfielder to replace his creativity in the team.
 
Rest assured that any replacement we enquire about gets an extra 10-20m added to the asking price.
 
We'd need actual playmaking creativity and we'd need it quickly. Before other teams get involved.
 
Sassy Colin said:
We really need Bruno at United next season, but the money he's been offered is crazy.

Realistically, what are the options for a replacement who could fulfill his role?

Captain and leader
Has bailed us out countless times
Goals and assists averaging 30 odd a season
Would actually be up for participating in a project to take us back to the top, but might take a few years.

Assume a big budget for a proven player.
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What about Pedro Goncalves maybe, he has missed a lot of this season through injury but he has been one of the top assisters in his league in recent seasons and gets a decent amount of goals as well.
 
I don't think selling Bruno changes our CF targets. If anything we might have to downgrade to less attractive options. So let's not pretend like he has any positive impact on that. We'll also get money for Antony, Rashford, Sancho and Garnacho. Is it safe to assume we'll sign a #10 anyway once those leave? Cunha is done without assuming transfers.

Honestly I think if we sell Bruno, we sign some random midfielders who we manage to attract at our current standing. Maybe have the money to do something at GK. I think that's the change the Bruno sale would have. And then whatever other financial advantage we get from it is just pocketed to "help our financial situation" rather than the billionaire owners putting some of their own money into the club to get us out of the mud.
 
Assuming money was already there for a striker and a second '10' from Garnacho, Rashford and Antony money, on top of Cunha, then we have use the Bruno to rebuild our midfield in my opinion.

Adam Wharton would be a nice start. Someone who can reliably, quickly and consistently get the ball to Cunha and our new attack.
 
He wouldn't be replaced with one average/poor player like Antony for £80m, he'd be replaced with two average/poor players like Onana and Ugarte for about the same money.
 
Sassy Colin said:
We really need Bruno at United next season, but the money he's been offered is crazy.

Realistically, what are the options for a replacement who could fulfill his role?

Captain and leader
Has bailed us out countless times
Goals and assists averaging 30 odd a season
Would actually be up for participating in a project to take us back to the top, but might take a few years.

Assume a big budget for a proven player.
Click to expand...
It's Coutinho all over again (obviously Bruno is a better player but it's a similar approach).

You replace him by improving the collective team. Could try and move for Cherki and Baleba, capturing an elite creator and a top midfield prospect who already has prem experience.
 
We would need to buy 2 competent, physically capable CMs for the first time in years.
 
Would be happy with Florian Wirtz, Lucas Paquetá, Xavi Simons. Angelo Stiller maybe, though he's less creative/attacking minded.

Chances of any of them actually wanting the move and us affording them?
Probably only Paquetá is feasible, he had a rough season but should be back to form if he's over the off-field stuff & gets a new start somewhere else. Pedro Gonçalves from Sporting could be an option, but he's not as pressy or comfortable deeper.
 
Valencia Shin Crosses said:
Genuinely don't understand the point of even following the club if your attitude is that we'll just never buy anyone that's good.
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Don't think that's true but I'd be extra wary of selling our best player after the season we just had, at least until our new recruitment team have proven themselves.
 
An underrated part of his game is how clinical he is with penalties. With the weak minded players we currently have on the roster I think we’ll be missing quite a few. This is why signing Gyokeres makes sense.
 
Still predicting Dalot will end up captain if Bruno leaves.

We won't be able to replace his leadership or contribution to the team
 
Sassy Colin said:
You can't replace 1 player with 2 players, you're only allowed to field 11 men, not 12!
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But you can improve 2/3 positions on the field with multiple signings (from the Bruno transfer money) that would net improve the team over having 1 bruno.

Unfortunately the problem here is, do we have the expertise and ability at our club to do this. We have had 11 years of one disaster transfer window after another.
 
Valencia Shin Crosses said:
Genuinely don't understand the point of even following the club if your attitude is that we'll just never buy anyone that's good.
Click to expand...

I'll continue to follow the club whether the signings are good, or, as has been the case for the last 15 years, mostly rubbish. I don't have any faith at all that United will be stronger with Bruno gone and £80m worth of whatever players our recruitment team deems good enough, replacing him. This is not an unreasonable expectation, given the appalling track record of successive recruitment teams at United and the, at best, mixed record of this current recruitment team last summer.
 
We’ll probably replace him with two 20 year olds. The forum rejoices because we’re “set for the next decade”. One of them will turn out to be shit like Hojlund, one will improve slowly over the next few years and be sold as soon as he’s actually any good.

We will remain shit, but we’ll have a lower average age than anyone else in the league, the real trophy.

Meanwhile the likes of Barca, Bayern, and Liverpool hold on to Lewandowski, Kane, Salah, and VVD because they’re not run by morons.
 
hellhunter said:
Still predicting Dalot will end up captain if Bruno leaves.

We won't be able to replace his leadership or contribution to the team
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Bruno isn't Keane, Robson, Cantona, Giggs etc we survived and won trophies after all these players, we will survive and win trophies without Bruno as well.

I love him, but he's the captain and leader of the worst United side since the Premier League began, his fee could help us develop and more balanced and better team.
 
Bring an actual midfield playmaker to partner with Ugarte. Ederson was already linked, so maybe him.

Rest of the plans don't really change much (ST, right #10 and maybe a wing back)

Maybe let's us go for Osimhen if Rashford, Sancho and Bruno are gone from the books. That's ~1M/wk gone.
 
There’s no chance this has been sprung on the club. I’m sure they knew it was a possibility if we didn’t win the final and have been planning for that eventuality. In my mind Cunha always seemed like an expensive purchase considering all the other issues, but now it makes so much sense.

We are probably looking at Cunha, Mount, Amad, Mbeumo (or Mainoo) for the attacking positions. Then the midfield needed reshaping with or without Bruno. It’s impossible to really give names without knowing how Amorim actually feels about keeping Casemiro. I suspect we will be looking for two if Bruno goes.
 
Steve Bruce said:
But you can improve 2/3 positions on the field with multiple signings (from the Bruno transfer money) that would net improve the team over having 1 bruno.

Unfortunately the problem here is, do we have the expertise and ability at our club to do this. We have had 11 years of one disaster transfer window after another.
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Read the OP again
 
Teja said:
Bring an actual midfield playmaker to partner with Ugarte. Ederson was already linked, so maybe him.

Rest of the plans don't really change much (ST, right #10 and maybe a wing back)

Maybe let's us go for Osimhen if Rashford, Sancho and Bruno are gone from the books. That's ~1M/wk gone.
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Ederson is not a midfield playmaker, I would sign him but thats not what he is, we would need him and to play a playmaker beside him
 
Cassidy said:
Ederson is not a midfield playmaker, I would sign him but thats not what he is, we would need him and to play a playmaker beside him
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I heard his passing / carrying under pressure is quite good. Let's say more Gravenberch than Rodri. Is that true? I guess that's the type of player I want more - an actual playmaker would be useful but not too hung up on it.
 
Brunos replacement would effectively be Cunha + whichever additional signings Brunos transfer fee enables us to make (an Osimhen/Sesko or similar I hope).
Unfortunately he's our most valuable and sellable player, and somewhat a "sensible" sale in terms of age and need to rebuild heavily. If the money ain't well spent though, we could find oursoulves in real trouble next season I fear.
 
Teja said:
I heard his passing / carrying under pressure is quite good. Let's say more Gravenberch than Rodri. Is that true? I guess that's the type of player I want more - an actual playmaker would be useful but not too hung up on it.
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Yes that's true, he is basically who we should have signed instead of Ugarte. He played this season as an 8 but last season as a 6 so he can do both
 
If Bruno went is a minimum of two players to strengthen our midfield. Realistically Mbuembo/Cherki and either Wharton/Baleba.

For our striker then Osimhen and see if we can do a deal with either Garnacho or Hojlund. Probably looking at 300k a week.

Be happy with that transfer window with Casemeiro/Anthony/Sancho/Rashford all leaving
 
it unlikely won’t be a one for one replacement. It will be spread across the team.

Ederson from Atalanta?
Semenyo?
Adam Wharton or Munoz from Palace?

It might allow us to go and get Gyokeres now Arsenal seem to be more interested in Sesko.
 
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