Our fans will never be happy… is what I have taken from this thread…over and out!
Luckhurst: United prepared to move for a holding midfielder in January
- Thread starter Valar Morghulis
- Start date
We needed a midfielder.
We’ve had a fantastic window, I am happy, but we won’t win things with the midfield options we have this season.
It's not obvious
I don't think VDB works as a #10, because he doesn't take risks in his game, like a tricky pass or shoot when there's opportunity... he isn't very proactive at all, he actually hides himself in games. Lingard should be bruno's primary-backup.
But playing in the double pivot could work, because he doesn't have to show up all the time. His quick passes and movement could improve our build up, especially with the likes of Matic, Scott or Fred by his side. Also, with DVB playing in the pivot, Pogba could spend more time as LW, which is the best for us.
But playing in the double pivot could work, because he doesn't have to show up all the time. His quick passes and movement could improve our build up, especially with the likes of Matic, Scott or Fred by his side. Also, with DVB playing in the pivot, Pogba could spend more time as LW, which is the best for us.
DVB in a the double pivot will quickly transition the ball to Fernandes and sancho. The other player in the pivots role should be to screen the defense and let DVB be a nuisance to the opposition team
We’re missing a trick by waiting another window to get a midfielder in. Especially with Ronaldo coming to his end we need to get the missing pieces in immediately for it to all fit together and challenge the top trophies.
Whats the nonsense?
We will end up losing money on donny down the line anyway but will have kept paying his salary for however long we keep him. Its about taking a sensible decision on whats best for the team
On lingard the point is our valuation was ridiculous! Now we are very likely to lose him for free having paid his substantial salary for another year while he contributes very little
By shifting those players we could have strengthened a glaring weakness and made the squad more balanced. Its a fairly basic point but possibly to complex for you to grasp
Still waiting for that madness of deadline day. Maybe its the madness of nothingness.
There are no undroppables and certainly not a 36 year old. Both Bruno and Rashford were seriously overplayed last season. Pogba wasn't because he was dropped at the start of the season.
Were overstocked this season no argument, 7 players you'd be keen to get on the pitch but only 4 places to use them. But Cavani is gone next season, Pogba will probably be gone and Ronaldo gone the next season. At which point you're down to 4 players for 4 positions and most of them approaching their peak you'd hope.
And frankly Cavani and Ronaldo are closer to one player in terms of the appearances you can expect from them. Rashford will be out for another month and half and your probably talking January before hes hitting some form in the best case scenario. Sancho will need time to settle and I'd still be a bit wary of maxing out Greenwoods appearances, a couple of weeks away from the first team here and there can still help him a lot. Can't Pogba negotiate with other teams in January too? We might not want to be too reliant on him in the run in if it comes to that.
I dont think Ronaldo coming in is ideal for the attack in terms of getting everyone the game time they need. But then training everyday with Ronaldo cant hurt them surely? So hopefully it evens itself out and the problem will start solving itself in a years time.
Similarly McTominay and Fred cant start every game so Pogba will be playing in midfield semi often.
I dont think so. Ole already said after the Wolves game that Ronaldo isnt coming here to sit on the bench, and Ronaldo himself probably has a stipulation in his contract to play in 75% of league and Champs league games i'd guess.
So yeah Ronaldo will be playing a lot.
Shame we couldn't get a DM but in all honesty Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho is by far way better than I expected.
Happy with the window, would be nice if the board/Ole are looking at possible DM's for January
Happy with the window, would be nice if the board/Ole are looking at possible DM's for January
Will we ever play with him and Cavani against a low block side? Having the two of them with width from sancho and possibly pogba with only one holding midfielder and Bruno underneath Ronaldo and Cavani to me is the best way to break down those blocks
I'm getting the feeling that you're defo a half empty kind of guy
Total bullshit, we have 4 options at a push, it's impossible to count Van de Beek as he never plays, and Pogba is better off on the left. Of the 3 who remain we have an average box to box in McTominay, a dog chasing a car in Fred and a walking corpse in Matic. The frustration is we have a short window of opportunity to get the most out of Ronaldo and we've wasted a season straight away.
I can see both Cavani and Ronaldo, especially at home, starting games with Cavani up front and Ronaldo on the left with a free role (which is how he plays now anyway, he doesnt just stop upfront like some poeple are saying).
Of course that will expose our left side a lot but we will bulldoze a lot of teams goals wise.
All 4 transfers (those and sale of James) are excellent. But without a midfielder we don’t have a complete side, so it’s about 8/10 transfer window. A strong 8/10, maybe 8.5/10 (with Lingard or Jones sold, it would be 9/10).
I'm not sure he'll be desperate to play 90mins away getting kicked to pieces by Burnely after a champions league game. I thought Juventus had been using him more sparingly in recent years?
He played 44 games for Juve last season, and i believe 42 of them were starts.
I mean sure taking him off at the 60-70 mark when we are a couple of goals up in a game, but he will be STARTING most games for us, make no mistake about that.
Remembering a time where we were that fecked in midfield we had to play Rooney there. At least we have "options"
The good old times of Gibson and O'Shea or Rafael and Park in midfield
Why would it be wise to wait till next year?
Seems like such a wasted opportunity - we've signed 3 incredible players - but still not sorted out the middle of the park.
Seems like such a wasted opportunity - we've signed 3 incredible players - but still not sorted out the middle of the park.
Is that any worse than now to be fair?. In fact i'd probably take Gibson over Matic and Fred right now.
Good thing you're not our manager then
Well i would of bought a CM this window if i were manager so.
I totally agree. Still over the moon we have Ronaldo back. But it is a massive mistake not signing a class central midfielder like Camavinga or Bissouma in the window. We are a top heavy side. How can anyone say it is okay to be relying on Fred, McT and Matic this season. Seriously. We are soft in the middle. And have been for years
Then we probably wouldn't have Varane. Who is actually available, who wants to come here and is a tier above what we have currently?Well i would of bought a CM this window if i were manager so.
You can't just shoehorn a shithouse in. We've been there before.
I regret to inform you that Ronaldo, Bruno and Pogba are undroppable. Don't get me wrong, if Bruno has been worked into the ground Ole will eventually give him a day off. But what I'm talking about is the ordinary matchday when everyone is fit and in form. Ole is not going to drop any of those three absent a serious decline in form or obvious need for rest.
As for the future, of course Cavani will leave after this season. Perhaps Pogba as well. I'm talking about this season.
As for this season, I'm not not whinging. Having outstanding performers on the bench is part of what make a great squad a great squad. All I'm getting at is that for now we'll very likely go with one of Matic, Fred or McTominay as Pogba's "partner" in the double pivot, the obvious hope being that any of those three when called upon can manage a decent performance and that our attacking five can score enough goals to overcome the overrun in midfield that will come our way.
Fingers crossed that Varane's experience can compensate for the absence of a top CDM.
Yep, and also this was the best time to get him because we could have knocked 20M off the price by throwing Lingard the other way.
Well, if we desperately need a DM, David Luiz is a free agent.. 
I know its been mentioned before but can Lindelof be used as a DM as his LCB position seems to have been taken?
When talking about Center Midfield, the gold standard is Keane and Scholes.
Steel and Silk. In Pogba we have a player who is close to what Scholes was.
But there is no one close to Keane's level when you think of the players we have been linked with. And honestly we cannot expect anyone to come close for some time.
All we can do is improve the options we have, either by bringing in a player or converting someone who has not played there.
Lindeloff has his weaknesses but he is another option.
McT, Fred and Matic are not even going to get us Top 4 if we compare to the other top contenders.
Chelsea have the best midfielder in Jorginho.
Going into the rest of the season with the 3 we use is going to get us many lost points especially as Ole cannot think on his feet and is clueless against low block teams.
Even up front we have two ageing strikers and Rashford who blows hot and cold. Greenwood is just establishing himself and will be burnt out if overused.
Sancho is settling in and will improve.
The one area we are solid in is defence.
Varane is the best signing we have made bar none this season. Maguire should be learning from the master.
De Gea has had the kick up his backside he deserved and may be the goalkeeper he was again.
Not every team is going to play open football like Leeds.
Don't understand why if it is well apparent we need a midfielder then why not bring him in now that sold James but at the same time you are going to block a loan move to Everton for DvB? If you don't want to loan him out, which keeps you from bringing in a starting XI CM, then fuking play the lad.
Pogba needs to be more forward than Scholes ever did. Yes, Scholes had runs as a 10, but you could always trust him to drop back stay deep, and reliably bring the ball from the back 4. The issue with Pogba is that he can be lackadaisical in defence, which you can't be in a 2 man midfield, and he can take unneccssary risks trying to take it out of the defensive 3rd. Pogba is an incredibly talented player but has obvious faults. Scholes while not great defensively read the play much better and always put in a shift. If Pogba could read the game like Scholes and put as much effort in, he could play in a midfield 2 with anyone. Scholes could excel playing with someone like Fletcher who did similar things to Fred well, like press higher up the pitch to win balls, something Pogba isn't comfortable doing with Fred.
and hopefully untrue
I can understand us not bringing in a DM. For me, it was the highest-priority position what with Greenwood lessening the urgency at RW. But Sancho was a 'get him while he's going or regret it forever' kind of signing, and there just wasn't one of those available at DM. Lots of half-appropriate options, lots of 'future star' and 'slight improvement' types. A few pie-in-the-sky names floated on here who were never really available.
I'm sure if we could have got a really good square peg for that square hole, we would have.
We cannot use not getting one as an excuse not to expect a major trophy. Most teams who win major trophies do it without a perfect world-class option in every single position. Many have done it with worse attacking options than we now boast. Next year we'll get our DM but the trophy needs to come this season anyway.
I'm sure if we could have got a really good square peg for that square hole, we would have.
We cannot use not getting one as an excuse not to expect a major trophy. Most teams who win major trophies do it without a perfect world-class option in every single position. Many have done it with worse attacking options than we now boast. Next year we'll get our DM but the trophy needs to come this season anyway.
So the only player we managed to sell was James...
why the feck cant we let go of players we dont need...
Also.. where the feck is Bailly? Injured again?
why the feck cant we let go of players we dont need...
Also.. where the feck is Bailly? Injured again?
If you include the sale of James we just picked up Ronaldo, Sancho and Varane for a net spend of £90 Million pounds, that isn't too shoddy eh! Up there with the best windows we have ever had.
Being coached to play in midfield.
Him, Jones, and Mata will stay at the club until they die
This will cost a lot of points
van de beek is not even considered for the bench
matic old, mct a bit too much injury prone, fred
van de beek is not even considered for the bench
matic old, mct a bit too much injury prone, fred