Jude Bellingham

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golden_blunder

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2 grim options in reality.

McFred will always give us a headache as they are so similar in ability. It's like playing 2 players to get 1 good DM really. Not the worst pairing in the world, but never good enough for a club like us.

The Pogba "needs a decent DM" to partner him bile has got to stop. We signed Matic for this reason. It didnt work, Pogba just isn;t a good defensive midfield player. it literally does not matter who we play deep alongside him - we could sign anyone in the world and Pogba would still make mistakes there. Pogba's best form and traits come from him in an attacking position. You cannot rotate between being a creative wide left forward to a deep midfielder. Your one or the other and we've tried Pogba for seasons deep and despite some of his good long range passing - the fact the game drifts past him often costs us. So in short - finding a partner to Pogba for the purpose of us playing pogba deep is impossible - it'll never work.

Our two DM spots really need some work. We currently have 5 players we use there and I'm yet to be sold on a combination long term.

Pogba and anyone - the cons of being on the backfoot as pogba cant defend outweighs the pro's for me
Matic - pretty much a passenger this season
McTom - Does a decent job but isn't the best
Fred - See McTom
Donny - Cant get a run of games. Decent player, needs a run or we need to sell him. Starting to look like a pointless signing unless we actually play him.

I'd keep Pogba up LW where he doesnt have to defend personally.

I'd limit Matic unless we absolutely have no other options (rather see youth get game time)

McTom and Fred should rotate and i'd give Donny a run. Donny and Fred could be a good option. It certainly wouldnt be worse than McFred so it's worth a go.

Getting to the point of the thread - Bellingham. Already looks a good player. Probably more attacking minded than we need right now but we were in for him when he chose Dortmund. He's so good this young and will only get better. One to keep an eye on but wouldn't really fit in with us right now as our area of focus has to be a DM. We need to look long and hard and invest in a Phillip or a Barella. I put a shout out for Phillips a couple of years back, now Leeds are in the prem and he's an England regular it would be silly money.
You could argue that Pogba was at his best when Matic first joined and still had the legs
 

RUCK4444

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You could argue that Pogba was at his best when Matic first joined and still had the legs
It was. People forget this and blame Pogba for the fact Matic doesn’t have the legs he once had.

Pogba is the player he has always been, he needs ample cover, we knew that before we bought him.

It’s entirely possible to play him with a partner in a midfield two just not with the substandard no 8’s that we have. None are pure DM’s aide from an ageing Matic.
 

davidmichael

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I’d blow happily blow our entire transfer budget plus money brought in through sales on these two as our only signings.

It’s nice to want Haaland but with Ronaldo here we’re not getting Haaland too and we’ve got Greenwood, Martial, Sancho, Rashford and Diallo to fit in up top as well as Ronaldo.

In defence we’re a right back short but we’ve got Laird who will be much better after a seasons loan at Swansea to compete with AWB whilst we’re stocked at centre back and Telles is back up to Shaw.

It’s literally just midfield we struggle in so I’d go all out for Rice AND Bellingham with McTominay, Fred and Garner as back up then move on Dalot, Jones, Bailly, Matic, Mata, Lingard and Chong and Cavani will be going anyway.
 

HairyBack23

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Declan Rice won't have half the career this kid does. It's the most obvious CM signing we need to make since Roy Keane left. I pray we don't feck it up.
 

andersj

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Like most others, impressed by the game today. Will we be able to compete with Liverpool and Man City for the best players in the future if our football dont improve?
 

United in sin

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Like most others, impressed by the game today. Will we be able to compete with Liverpool and Man City for the best players in the future if our football dont improve?
I think he'll sign for Liverpool in the summer or another big club if Solskjaer is still here.
 

Nero

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I think he'll sign for Liverpool in the summer or another big club if Solskjaer is still here.
Dortmund aren't selling him the same summer they lose Haaland.

Liverpool aren't dropping £100m on anyone.
 

Bwuk

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Haaland will go 2022, Bellingham 2023. I’d love Bellingham at United.
 

United in sin

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Dortmund aren't selling him the same summer they lose Haaland.

Liverpool aren't dropping £100m on anyone.
It's unlikely he'll leave but this is football, anything can happen. Even City are now willing to spend big on individual players, and Liverpool haven't really spent much these last few windows. They're due a big signing IMO. I do hope Bellingham goes anywhere but Anfield when he eventually leaves Dortmund. It's not a foregone conclusion Haaland will leave next summer
 

Dumbstar

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It's unlikely he'll leave but this is football, anything can happen. Even City are now willing to spend big on individual players, and Liverpool haven't really spent much these last few windows. They're due a big signing IMO. I do hope Bellingham goes anywhere but Anfield when he eventually leaves Dortmund. It's not a foregone conclusion Haaland will leave next summer
We've only spent big on Konate last summer. And by big I mean miniscule in comparison to City, Utd, Chelsea, etc.

There's some Craig Hignet tweets doing the rounds that Jude is on his way either in January or summer. Would explain why we've held funds back AND refused to give Wijnaldum any more money. Please God let them be true. :drool:
 

Adam-Utd

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Thankfully by the time he wants to leave Dortmund, Guardiola will be gone and hopefully Klopp will have had enough too.
 

devilish

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Kagawa, Mkhitaryan, Sancho......we don't seem to learn don't we?
 

SilentStrike

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Kagawa, Mkhitaryan, Sancho......we don't seem to learn don't we?
Kagawa and Mkhitaryan never showed even a fraction of the talent Bellingham's showing.

Bayern bought two fine Dortmund players in Lewandowski and Hummels. Maybe it's not really Dortmund that's the problem, but United.
 

devilish

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Kagawa and Mkhitaryan never showed even a fraction of the talent Bellingham's showing.

Bayern bought two fine Dortmund players in Lewandowski and Hummels. Maybe it's not really Dortmund that's the problem, but United.
Bayern play in the same farmer's league as Dortmund.
 

Bubz27

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Kagawa and Mkhitaryan never showed even a fraction of the talent Bellingham's showing.

Bayern bought two fine Dortmund players in Lewandowski and Hummels. Maybe it's not really Dortmund that's the problem, but United.
U wot m8?!
 

thegregster

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Kagawa and Mkhitaryan never showed even a fraction of the talent Bellingham's showing.

Bayern bought two fine Dortmund players in Lewandowski and Hummels. Maybe it's not really Dortmund that's the problem, but United.
What has Dortmund done in Europe since 2013?

All these magnificent players and yet they haven't got past the CL Q/F.
 

United in sin

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We've only spent big on Konate last summer. And by big I mean miniscule in comparison to City, Utd, Chelsea, etc.

There's some Craig Hignet tweets doing the rounds that Jude is on his way either in January or summer. Would explain why we've held funds back AND refused to give Wijnaldum any more money. Please God let them be true. :drool:
He'd be unstoppable under Klopp. Scary to think really
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Kagawa and Mkhitaryan never showed even a fraction of the talent Bellingham's showing.

Bayern bought two fine Dortmund players in Lewandowski and Hummels. Maybe it's not really Dortmund that's the problem, but United.
No because they didn’t sign the same players mate. Bayern got the best players in the world in their position. United got what Bayern didn’t want.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Just like Keita was supposed to be.
Yeah but Bellingham is a kid and already better than Keita. And I never said the same about Keita so I don’t know your point.

Bellingham is exceptional because he’s technically brilliant and an absolute Cnut to boot. The difference between Petit and Vieira wasn’t talent, it was aptitude. Petit was better at almost everything but Pat was the world class player.
 

Dumbstar

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Just like Keita was supposed to be.
I really like Keita, we haven't lost a game under him yet. Or is it we've won every game he's played despite looking turd against Atletico? :lol:

Problem is he's always fecking injured, as he is again. :mad: If Jude is better than him already and won't pick up wafer biscuit injuries then I'm excited.
 

Classical Mechanic

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Kagawa, Mkhitaryan, Sancho......we don't seem to learn don't we?
Kagawa and Mkhitaryan weren't cut out for the level, the clues were there before we signed them. It's a psychological issue rather than a question of talent. A tougher field makes players without that elite mentality shrink. For Sancho it's early days but his talent level is higher than the other two Dortmund players but he is more on the introverted/shy side so will take time to adapt and gain confidence. Bellingham is the total opposite of those players. As Hummel's said he's the most mature 18 year old he's ever met and is already a team leader for Dortmund. His confidence and competitive nature is off the charts. I'd be surprised if he came to England and fell off because he's completely fearless.

Whilst the Bundesliga is a lower level than the PL the idea that there's something wrong with Dortmund players or players from that league is nonsensical. Players can come from any league and adapt if they have the ability and mentality to do so. We've signed players from them with only the ability in the past. You should look at Bellingham in isolation from those other players as he's a totally different character to all of them.
 
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Teja

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2 grim options in reality.

McFred will always give us a headache as they are so similar in ability. It's like playing 2 players to get 1 good DM really. Not the worst pairing in the world, but never good enough for a club like us.

The Pogba "needs a decent DM" to partner him bile has got to stop. We signed Matic for this reason. It didnt work, Pogba just isn;t a good defensive midfield player. it literally does not matter who we play deep alongside him - we could sign anyone in the world and Pogba would still make mistakes there. Pogba's best form and traits come from him in an attacking position. You cannot rotate between being a creative wide left forward to a deep midfielder. Your one or the other and we've tried Pogba for seasons deep and despite some of his good long range passing - the fact the game drifts past him often costs us. So in short - finding a partner to Pogba for the purpose of us playing pogba deep is impossible - it'll never work.

Our two DM spots really need some work. We currently have 5 players we use there and I'm yet to be sold on a combination long term.

Pogba and anyone - the cons of being on the backfoot as pogba cant defend outweighs the pro's for me
Matic - pretty much a passenger this season
McTom - Does a decent job but isn't the best
Fred - See McTom
Donny - Cant get a run of games. Decent player, needs a run or we need to sell him. Starting to look like a pointless signing unless we actually play him.

I'd keep Pogba up LW where he doesnt have to defend personally.

I'd limit Matic unless we absolutely have no other options (rather see youth get game time)

McTom and Fred should rotate and i'd give Donny a run. Donny and Fred could be a good option. It certainly wouldnt be worse than McFred so it's worth a go.

Getting to the point of the thread - Bellingham. Already looks a good player. Probably more attacking minded than we need right now but we were in for him when he chose Dortmund. He's so good this young and will only get better. One to keep an eye on but wouldn't really fit in with us right now as our area of focus has to be a DM. We need to look long and hard and invest in a Phillip or a Barella. I put a shout out for Phillips a couple of years back, now Leeds are in the prem and he's an England regular it would be silly money.
Think neither McTominay nor Fred want to receive the ball deep with opposition CMs closing down quickly from behind. McT specifically can't even position himself so he remains a valid passing option.

We need a Matic type player to replace Pogba both in the 3-5-2 and the 4-2-3-1.
 

sincher

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Personally I am pretty happy with McTominay. I think he has every chance to keep growing as a player and to be as good as the likes of Fletcher for us. We do need to upgrade Fred - he tries hard but lacks top quality both attacking (obviously) and defending, as well as in some more basic things like keeping possession. Rice is perfect (considerably better than Phillips IMO) but would cost a lot and there will be lots of competition. Pogba will probably leave, and although he is a class player we will probably be better for it... I recall when Coutinho left Liverpool (they didn't really need him) and Van Dijk and Alisson joined (they definitely did need them). We need a similar sort of shake up somewhere along the line... would be nice if he didn't leave with no fee though.

As for Bellingham, he looks another good option but I think he might join Liverpool unfortunately. I am less certain about him than Rice though.
 

Dave Smith

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Bellingham isn't going anywhere for a minimum of 18 months. I would even push that to more like 30 months. Germany is a good fit for him until then.
 

devilish

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Kagawa and Mkhitaryan weren't cut out for the level, the clues were there before we signed them. It's a psychological issue rather than a question of talent. A tougher field makes players without that elite mentality shrink. For Sancho it's early days but his talent level is higher than the other two Dortmund players but he is more on the introverted/shy side so will take time to adapt and gain confidence. Bellingham is the total opposite of those players. As Hummel's said he's the most mature 18 year old he's ever met and is already a team leader for Dortmund. His confidence and competitive nature is off the charts. I'd be surprised if he came to England and fell off because he's completely fearless.

Whilst the Bundesliga is a lower level than the PL the idea that there's something wrong with Dortmund players or players from that league is nonsensical. Players can come from any league and adapt if they have the ability and mentality to do so. We've signed players from them with only the ability only in the past. You should look at Bellingham in isolation from those other players as he's a totally different character to all of them.
The toughest league I've ever seen was the Serie A of the late 80s and mid 90s. It was common even for smaller Serie A to have WC players such as Dunga, Batistuta, Careca, Maradona, Klinsmann and co. The situation grew so ridiculous that at one point small teams had top players such as Taffarel and Hagi could end up playing with small clubs. Under such circumstances it wasn't uncommon for top players to go there and fail spectacularly. I am referring to talent like Denis Bergkamp and Ian Rush who failed in the Serie A big time. The EPL in particular was frowned a lot at the time as it was seen as a league that either produced vastly overrated players (ex Walker, Wilkins, Blissett) or they lacked the professionalism needed to succeed (ex Gazza). Success stories at the time were rare (ex Platt) and the Serie A would look down at the EPL up until Paul Ince showed up at Inter.

The EPL of today is not quite at that level yet, however it reminds me alot of the Serie A of the time. Similarly to that Serie A there is no easy games, talent is fount everywhere not just at top 6 clubs, each point counts and defenses tend to be quite difficult to crack. Similarly players who might be doing exceptionally well elsewhere might fail at this level.

I think that the Bundesliga is nowhere near to the EPL. Bayern are a top club but the rest would struggle playing in the EPL week in week out. I would have no issue buying players from Dortmund if its worth the punt. Unfortunately we all know that it ain't the case with them.
 

Born2Lose

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Not what we need at all at the moment, we need proven ready to go players. Much prefer we got Tielemans in.

Heard somewhere he's a huge Liverpool fan too
 

Bondi77

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Fool me once
Fool me twice
Fool me thrice
Dortmund couldn’t pull it off again.....Surely.
 

wolvored

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I read his brother Jobe is joining Dortmund from Brum as well from next season. That would indicate Jude isnt going nowhere next season, at least.
 
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