This is where the DoF / Scouting / Analysis team need to step up. Find someone on loan (if we have to, as a stop gap) who can do a job. Look at the championship or the markets Brighton and Bournemouth look at. There's bound to be a bargain somewhere out there this summer that will fit into our budget
Joao Palhinha
- Thread starter golden_blunder
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Nik (@Rood), Jamie (@Vault Dweller) and Ed (@That'sHernandez) give their end of season awards out! They celebrate the best players, goals and moments of the season (there were some, honestly) and also give out awards for the worst and most disappointing players/moments of the season.
They then discuss all the latest transfer rumours and get into the potential ins and outs this summer at Old Trafford.
I must be missing the point too but when you're short on cash, why would you go for the only position that is set? You need a CM, not a DM, you already have Casemiro and Ugarte, why would you spend anything on a DM (even if it's just wages) when you literally need players in every other position (GK/ST/CM/RB and even a CB for depth)? Also I'm sure Bayern would vaslty prefer to sell him so in order to loan him without an obligation to buy (which is kind of irrealistic by the way) it would require waiting until the end of the window.
Well fecking said. Unfortunately, there isn’t money (not at the moment) to buy this type of player. But I agree with you wholeheartedly. The day we get linked to and go after a bad ass midfielder will be the day I can finally feel the corner is at last around.
feck you FDJ
When we bought him, this place told me what a great player he was. I'm starting to think you all just messed with me. 
He was linked with us and some of us said a player that limited on the ball doesnt belong in a team that wants to compete at the top. Some people in this forum believe you just stick another player next to him to cover for his inefficiencies on the ball.When we bought him, this place told me what a great player he was. I'm starting to think you all just messed with me.
He was one of the best players in the league at what he did when at Fulham. We watch Ugarte and Casemiro have one good game in ten and people still wouldn’t take him on loan?!
Bruno is our technical midfielder, and Mainoo is his understudy. If Mainoo was more mobile I think he could play alongside Bruno but he still has a lot of work to do in that regard. He’s intelligent and well disciplined so I still think he has potential there.
My preference would have been to let Bruno leave this summer and rebuild the midfield around Mainoo but now we have to find the best partner for him. Does that mean someone defensive, physical and disciplined in the mould of Casemiro or Paulinha? Or a more mobile tenacious presser like Ugarte? Or another mobile ball player?
Bruno is our technical midfielder, and Mainoo is his understudy. If Mainoo was more mobile I think he could play alongside Bruno but he still has a lot of work to do in that regard. He’s intelligent and well disciplined so I still think he has potential there.
My preference would have been to let Bruno leave this summer and rebuild the midfield around Mainoo but now we have to find the best partner for him. Does that mean someone defensive, physical and disciplined in the mould of Casemiro or Paulinha? Or a more mobile tenacious presser like Ugarte? Or another mobile ball player?
What do even mean one of the best? Purposefully vague. He's significantly gotten worse.
Bruno is not that technical. In which way is he intelligent?
Are you drunk?
He said one of the best at what he did, which is tackling.
And he said Mainoo was intelligent, not Bruno.
Maybe read the post properly rather than being insulting.
If that's it, tackling, then he's ready for the championship.
I know it was about Mainoo, Bruno I wouldn't have a problem with, how is Mainoo intelligent?
Demanding 180k pw to stay at this shitshow is a start
180k holy shit!
Palhinha and Ugarte would be something to behold
An all-timer anti-football midfield that. Scary that Amorim needed convincing that he could improve on these two shin-kickers.
I saw us being linked with Richard Rios earlier but can’t remember if it was a credible journalist
Its strange we havent been linked with Hjmuland yet this summer
This reads like a drunk post.
Mainoo is working with a strength and conditioning coach this summer. I think we may see a different player next term. He’s only 20 and has all the makings of a top midfielder, he just lacks a little mobility and zip across the turf. You can train for strength and mobility, a lot easier than you can add the eye, touch and reading for the game he already has. In his breakthrough campaign he was phenomenal but his weaknesses have been exposed by the two man system. If we can address those we have a heck of a player on our hands. I’d build around Mainoo and Ugarte personally. 20 and 23/24. People have generally written off Mainoo way too early.
It's just a post asking basic questions from a very vague set of statements.
You cannot just write whatever vague stuff you want without questions.
In 68 premier league games Palhinha had 1.4 interceptions per game, a 64% aerial dual win percentage and a 60% duel win percentage. His tackle success was 53%, he had 407 ball recoveries and made 113 clearances.
But I was talking about how well he protected his defence and dominated games with his physicality, something that you notice when you watch games. If that comes across as vague or drunk then I do apologise.
Mainoo is intelligent in the way that he moves in and out of space, it’s one of his greatest attributes and it shows footballing intelligence beyond his years. That’s just from the eye test though, I don’t know what else you expect me to say.
And if Bruno isn’t a technical player, then how would you describe him? His biggest strength imo is his vision and ability to execute the passes to realise that vision. The technique to pick out passes as frequently as he does is a rare technical skill.
Yeah I really think he is a rough diamond but I do fear that his potential can’t be realised in a midfield two. With his age though, there is plenty of time to further develop physically. I also think Ugarte will improve, as will Zirkzee. It takes time to acclimatise to this intensity, not every player will hit the ground running.
I think with Mainoo he mostly just needs to stay fit. Of course I encourage him to do as much work as possible but I think a lot of him looking sluggish genuinely comes from just not being match fit for most of the season due to the constant flux of injuries.
I, of course referred to the difference of having a 2, but it’s also worth saying that when this system is functioning properly, it’s sometimes a three, either from one of the 10s dropping deep, one of the CBs stepping up, or one of the WBs cutting in. That said it is primarily a 2, and this experience, assuming he is able to further develop his game - which at 20 you’d say is highly likely - will only make him a more well rounded player. He looked very polished in a 3, and last year had no preseason and lots of injuries. I think with a good preseason and some luck, he can be a big player for us this season.
He had a rough go of it fitness wise last year for sure. A lot of that is natural growing pains. Just look at his physique when he first broke through to now, he’s bulked up a ton, and been playing in the PL and Euros at the same time. It’s a lot on the body. With him potentially stopping growing this year and another season in a bigger frame and working specifically with strength and conditioning coaches, having the summer off from football and a proper pre-season, hopefully he can stay fit this season. I agree that if he does, it’ll help him kick on enormously. Could be huge for us
A fully fit and firing on all cylinders Mainoo, and even Mount, really changed the complexion in the middle of the park. At the very worst it gives us serious competition for places and rotation options, and at best gives us two top class starters.
It could be huge for us. But a strength and conditioning coach isn't going to widen his range of passing. And the chances that he sharpens his positional discipline and defensive awareness in a significant way. I like the enthusiasm and optimism. I hope though, that we plan for a more probably run of things. And I don't see Mainoo being a starter in that. As long as his midfield partner would be Bruno or Casemiro. And for it to work with Ugarte, I feel that would require a level of improvement, that isn't realistic. Mainoo should be a rotational player at this point. Not a starter. He isn't going to fix the hot mess that is our midfield.
Yep our fans absolutely love that logic that you shouldn't worry about major weaknesses in players because you can just compensate for them elsewhere. If your centre back is 4ft tall, just stick a tall one next to him and it will be fine. If your centre back is the slowest moving human on earth, just stick someone a bit quicker than him beside him and it will be fine. If your midfielder is so old they can't run anymore, just stick a runner next to him.
Not without questions about your sobriety, no.
Wouldn't mind 2 Shin-kickers in our midfield if our front 3 can score lots of goals & assist.
Anyone on here think there is a chance that player we saw at Fulham is still in there or far too limited technically
If he is available on a season loan would be very interested especially with an option to buy, physically an upgrade on Case, and is generally more progressive than Ugarte, we need an alternative to Csse/Ugarte alongside Bruno, I like Collyer but not sure he is the answer.
In terms of a pure purchase depends on the price, south of £25m seems very good value north of this I would be hmmm.... need the funds elsewhere, like everything else, if we can sell our deadwood then we should strengthen, Palhinha definitely strengthens our squad, long term not sure he is the answer
In terms of a pure purchase depends on the price, south of £25m seems very good value north of this I would be hmmm.... need the funds elsewhere, like everything else, if we can sell our deadwood then we should strengthen, Palhinha definitely strengthens our squad, long term not sure he is the answer
Yeah not against it on a loan, there seems to be a feeling that he's a bit too limited on the ball though