[CallyRed]

I think it’s the right time to move him on.

 

[christy87]

Sell him, he's made it glass, his passing may be elite for a CB, but we'd take a decent power
Passer who's fit

 

[Apokalips]

Was he actually having a good World Cup?

Yes he was and I find it weird how aggressively hateful people are towards players getting injured. It can be frustrating for us as fans but it is not their fault and the reactions are weird.

He was getting roasted, I got a weird hunch he didnt fancy it today and was maybe using an injury as an excuse. He walked off pitch unaided

What? When has he even shown the character of a quitter? You do know that players often walk off with injuries? I walked off the pitch with a torn ACL myself before. Fans are weird.

Everyone wants players to fight for the club and be loyal to us, but if the player has any troubles like injuries the language is "get rid" like they are a piece of trash.

 

[spiriticon]

He certainly has a habit of hobbling off injured whenever the team needs him most

 

[V.O.]

Yes he was and I find it weird how aggressively hateful people are towards players getting injured. It can be frustrating for us as fans but it is not their fault and the reactions are weird.

Agreed. I've always found this quite strange. The level of vitriol directed at Jones, Martial, Mount etc over the years is mad. As if any of them wanted to be injured.

Criticism of performance etc can get over the top too of course, but I understand people getting mad at players for being hurt even less.

 

[V.O.]

He was getting roasted, I got a weird hunch he didnt fancy it today and was maybe using an injury as an excuse. He walked off pitch unaided

Ah, so we're just straight up doing the Gary Neville thing of making up reasons to slag off our own players. Beautiful.

 

[Marcus]

I think stats will show that when he plays for us, we play better. For those wanting to sell him, who replaces his passing ability from the back?

 

[HookedOnAPhelan]

He was getting roasted, I got a weird hunch he didnt fancy it today and was maybe using an injury as an excuse. He walked off pitch unaided

What a load of shite.

 

[Bangor_Red]

Yes he was and I find it weird how aggressively hateful people are towards players getting injured. It can be frustrating for us as fans but it is not their fault and the reactions are weird.



What? When has he even shown the character of a quitter? You do know that players often walk off with injuries? I walked off the pitch with a torn ACL myself before. Fans are weird.

Everyone wants players to fight for the club and be loyal to us, but if the player has any troubles like injuries the language is "get rid" like they are a piece of trash.

Ah, so we're just straight up doing the Gary Neville thing of making up reasons to slag off our own players. Beautiful.

What a load of shite.

Weird strong reactions to a post where I said I had a weird hunch. I didnt say he definately did. Just one of those weird feelings you get. Dont recall saying get rid eithe but from the responses here youd think I said he shot be taken out the back and put down

 

[Todd]

League appearances in each of his four seasons with us:

-27
-11
-20
-18

We really need to be trying to sign a starting CB next month, especially since our other starting CB is even more unreliable.

Licha should only be viewed as a backup, it's really that simple. He just cannot remain reliable.

 

[Amir]

Weird strong reactions to a post where I said I had a weird hunch. I didnt say he definately did. Just one of those weird feelings you get. Dont recall saying get rid eithe but from the responses here youd think I said he shot be taken out the back and put down

Their goalkeeper took a look at him on the ground and quickly signalled to the bench he needs to be replaced. There's just no basis to this "hunch".

 

[Bangor_Red]

Their goalkeeper took a look at him on the ground and quickly signalled to the bench he needs to be replaced. There's just no basis to this "hunch".

The whole idea of a 'hunch' is that there is no basis

 

[fallengt]

Saw him jogging after the match. Probably won't be out for long

 

[El Jefe]

Usually I agree that the best ability is availability but this man is our best CB the moment he touches the grass. I'm not thinking about selling, as frustrating as the injuries are.

Who do you even get in return. The CB market is so scarse, even Real Madrid settled for fecking Konate. I'm not convinced by Lacroix.

I disagree. When he's in top form he's excellent but he takes a while to get in stride after returning from injuries. Because of his speed and stature, he doesn't have the physical attributes to carry him while he's getting up to speed with fitness.

His seasons are usually split into three equal phases. 1. Injured 2. Return to football but struggling to find form 3. Excellent game changer for us on and off the ball.

Is it worth having our 'best' CB only available to give us his best for a third of the season?

 

[FrankWhite]

I would sell him. Everyone's talking about his injury record. For me, the main issue is his physical limitations. I would love a tall left CB that's good in the air and can over space. All other contenders have this profile so they can play front foot football and leave their CBs on islands in transition.
Yoro and Heaven might become this eventually but they're still a couple of years away.
Maguire is too slow, Martinez is short and slow De light is injury prone and not exactly fast.
We still lack that elite physicality and athleticism in midfield and defence.

 

[VP89]

Why sell? Keep as a player for depth in squad as absolute floor and raises our level when fit.

Hes a leader, hes not on big wages either.

 

[Owen Hargo]

Without him and Uncle Case we are not able to win games and pass through lines. Don’t expect chelseas bench is the answer.

 

[FrankWhite]

Without him and Uncle Case we are not able to win games and pass through lines. Don’t expect chelseas bench is the answer.

Tielemans passes through the lines very well and yes, Santos isn't bad either. We need CBs that can play a high line and are good in the air

 

[Owen Hargo]

Tielemans passes through the lines very well and yes, Santos isn't bad either. We need CBs that can play a high line and are good in the air

Out stats without Case and Licha last season were very bad especially with Case considering Ugarte is his replacement.

I’m only going to assume Santos is as good as Fred which is not bad but not an upgrade to Casemiro, we will need to sign another midfielder while keeping Licha. We will always need him when he is fit.

 

[DarkXaero]

Guys just had to come off in a WC final. Must be gutted.

You stay classy though

Really disappointed by the reactions on a United forum for one of our players getting hurt. Not just in here but the WC final match thread too. This must be related to the England-Argentina match resentment.

 

[Don't Kill Bill]

I think stats will show that when he plays for us, we play better. For those wanting to sell him, who replaces his passing ability from the back?

That has to be checkable.

 

[Rolaholic]

Really disappointed by the reactions on a United forum for one of our players getting hurt. Not just in here but the WC final match thread too. This must be related to the England-Argentina match resentment.

Think it's just symptomatic of how much of the fanbase treat our players these days. They get talked down when they get hurt in front of everyone and their injuries get questioned and doubted when they get hurt behind the scenes.

Every single development gets taken in the most cynical and uncharitable ways possible and they never get the benefit of the doubt. It's quite toxic really and maybe emblematic of society at large, very low trust these days, but it's definitely unfortunate to see

The funny thing is that people then go on to expect players or potential players to be loyal and die for the shirt and the club when they'll be the first ones in line to tear them down when things get rocky

 

[FrankWhite]

Out stats without Case and Licha last season were very bad especially with Case considering Ugarte is his replacement.

I’m only going to assume Santos is as good as Fred which is not bad but not an upgrade to Casemiro, we will need to sign another midfielder while keeping Licha. We will always need him when he is fit.

What's with the Fred and Santos comparison? Because they're Brazilians? Fred is an 8, Santos is more of a 6. Fred is prone to giving the ball away. Santos looks after the ball extremely well.

 

[DarkXaero]

Think it's just symptomatic of how much of the fanbase treat our players these days. They get talked down when they get hurt in front of everyone and their injuries get questioned and doubted when they get hurt behind the scenes.

Every single development gets taken in the most cynical and uncharitable ways possible and they never get the benefit of the doubt. It's quite toxic really and maybe emblematic of society at large but it's definitely unfortunate to see

The funny thing is that people then go on to expect players or potential players to be loyal and die for the shirt and the club when they'll be the first ones in line to tear them down when things get rocky

I think its just what the online sports discourse has become. You can look at sports twitter and its the most toxic, negative space for sports takes and it becomes an echo chamber. And unfortunately, I've been seeing those traits creep into Caf over the years.

 

[NoPace]

League appearances in each of his four seasons with us:

-27
-11
-20
-18

We really need to be trying to sign a starting CB next month, especially since our other starting CB is even more unreliable.

Licha should only be viewed as a backup, it's really that simple. He just cannot remain reliable.

I'm okay with Heaven playing 10-20 times in the league. Feels about right for his age and talent. Also the odd Maguire start on that side isn't bad if we're playing a physical striker or sitting deep or a game where we're gonna have a ton of set pieces as the other team sits deep.

Unless we get like a 50M offer I would just keep Licha. He's the most likely defender we have to say make a PFA team of the year even with his injuries. We just don't have anyone else of that level.

 

[saik]

Why sell? Keep as a player for depth in squad as absolute floor and raises our level when fit.

Hes a leader, hes not on big wages either.

Cause it's contract renewal time. He's 28 with 1 year left on his contract with an option for additional year. So we are looking at contract negotiations this summer.

He's considered a starter for us and will look to negotiate a better pay with this probably being his last big contract. And considering how frequently he's getting injured I don't think it's worth offering him a new contract.

Same with Shaw too actually. I don't think it's worth offering him a contract even with reduced wages. Thank him for his 5 years of service in 10 years and let's just move on.

 

[Raoul]

He doesn't even look injured. Expect he will be ready to go when he returns from his time off.

 

[Ruud_Street]

I think stats will show that when he plays for us, we play better. For those wanting to sell him, who replaces his passing ability from the back?

When we play a higher line as we have faster more physical defenders, then his passing ability isn’t as required. Then there’s the whole injury issues, his passing doesn’t count when he’s on the treatment table. He’s played less than 60% of games since he joined and he’s currently injured. Club will never be able to rely on him and will never be able to replace him until he leaves.
Seems a very good time to sell him right now, if his injury isn’t bad. Played well at the World Cup. His psycho Argentina partner is up for sale, maybe moving for him would be a better alternative? Real leader, not short, decent pace, but maintains the red mist issues.

 

[VP89]

Cause it's contract renewal time. He's 28 with 1 year left on his contract with an option for additional year. So we are looking at contract negotiations this summer.

He's considered a starter for us and will look to negotiate a better pay with this probably being his last big contract. And considering how frequently he's getting injured I don't think it's worth offering him a new contract.

Same with Shaw too actually. I don't think it's worth offering him a contract even with reduced wages. Thank him for his 5 years of service in 10 years and let's just move on.

Im sure we can negotiate a wage increase that's also on par with our salary bracket. Few clubs will offer him the more surely.

 

[Dargonk]

Real shame he had to go off injured, hopefully its only minor, as we are a better team when he is fit and playing for us. Just a shame he hasn't been able to play for us as much as we would have liked.

 

[Dominos]

Pointing to his quad which isn't the worst, better than his knee or ankle ligaments, and better than his hamstring. Walked off fairly comfortably too. I usually fear the worst but my gut feeling is it won't be a long one.

 

[Mailo]

Get rid.

 

[Unlikely lad]

I think he’s a brilliant CB with obvious deficiencies, but yesterday was the first time I’ve thought that we should sell him.

The only issue is I’m not sure who’s available on the market who would be an adequate replacement at present.

 

[red_de_pologne]

I think he’s a brilliant CB with obvious deficiencies, but yesterday was the first time I’ve thought that we should sell him.

The only issue is I’m not sure who’s available on the market who would be an adequate replacement at present.

Schlotterbeck comes to mind

 

[Escobar]

I think stats will show that when he plays for us, we play better. For those wanting to sell him, who replaces his passing ability from the back?

We will not sell him and yes, he is a bit underrated here. Most likely because people are frustrated he cant stay fit

 

[Xeque_279]

Was really forward to him coming back, and alas, the eventual happens.

Based on his WC, could we move him on for a decent price?

 

[Ish]

Best ability is availability and unfortunately he’s just not been that reliable even though I rate the guy as a player. I will say that there’s a bit of an odd “hatred” towards one of our players on here (again, not from the majority but there’s a few). But yeah, sell if possible and upgrade purely based on his injury record which is a pity. Maybe a less physically demanding league will be better for him as well.

 

[Jund]

Close! De Ligt has 56 games. Martinez has 110.

Funny, but actually since De Ligt joined in 2024/2025 the stats are exactly what I thought:

De Ligt:
24/25 - 3116 minutes
25/26 - 1215 minutes
Total - 4331 minutes

Martinez:
24/25 - 2710 minutes
25/26 - 1310 minutes
Total - 4020 minutes

In terms of appearances:

De Ligt (Total) - 56
Martinez (Total) - 51

I hope they both get replaced by capable players who can actually stay fit.

 

[T00lsh3d]

League appearances in each of his four seasons with us:

-27
-11
-20
-18

We really need to be trying to sign a starting CB next month, especially since our other starting CB is even more unreliable.

Licha should only be viewed as a backup, it's really that simple. He just cannot remain reliable.

Minus 27 matches?

Get rid

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

We will not sell him and yes, he is a bit underrated here. Most likely because people are frustrated he cant stay fit

He is perhaps underrated by some. but also overrated by some. Marmite player perhaps.