Is that you Ed?
it’s been quite clear for some time that the 3 of them are not good enough. If we got 20m each for them (sold at the right time) we have 60m to sign a top midfielder.
Luckhurst: United prepared to move for a holding midfielder in January
- Thread starter Valar Morghulis
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
it’s been quite clear for some time that the 3 of them are not good enough. If we got 20m each for them (sold at the right time) we have 60m to sign a top midfielder.
When it comes to prospective selling fees, a lot of posters have lost all sense of proportion.
£15m, £10m, even £5m are still huge amounts of money to pay for players.
Those are not freebee, give away and trivial amounts, even to the bigger clubs.
The biggest joke is the repeated assertions that player X or Y are a load of rubbish, but we expect some other team to buy this load of rubbish for £10m or £20m.
Get real.
£15m, £10m, even £5m are still huge amounts of money to pay for players.
Those are not freebee, give away and trivial amounts, even to the bigger clubs.
The biggest joke is the repeated assertions that player X or Y are a load of rubbish, but we expect some other team to buy this load of rubbish for £10m or £20m.
Get real.
Almost like you've lost proportion on what posters deem as rubbish. Some of our players may not be good enough for a top tier club challenging for the title and hoping to go far in the CL. But these players are all good enough (despite what some would say) to do well at a Europa League club and those clubs can still afford to pay a semi decent fee for our lads. We shouldn't be gifting our players away for peanuts, they aren't terrible players. Lingard isn't a terrible player as demonstrated by his West Ham form, Tuanzebe isn't a terrible footballer as demonstrated by his Villa loan form and the fact several PL clubs wanted him on loan, Dan James isn't a terrible footballer as demonstrated by his international form and relatively decent numbers for us. I'd say the only player who's not really shown his ability is Pereira.
I don't see us signing another first team starter this window - even if we shift some unwanted players. I can see VDB pushed into a new position along with a new midfield approach with the players we have. We have some great CM's, we just need to find a way of playing them in a formation that suits.
I like giving youth a chance, fecking them off as soon as they aren't teenagers doesn't really mesh with that ideal and I disagree on your assessment of Axel and Williams and don't think it's worth giving up on either of them just yet. If Ben White is anything to go by, if Axel has a good loan we can get 60m for him alone.Is that you Ed?
it’s been quite clear for some time that the 3 of them are not good enough. If we got 20m each for them (sold at the right time) we have 60m to sign a top midfielder.
James, I didn't really get at the time but was one of those worth a punt signings, that everyone complains we never make. Unless he suddenly starts scoring all round him for fun again, I'd be shopping him within the next season but he currently isn't doing that much harm to the budget for the value he'd get. People like Pereira, Mata, Jones or Lingard as they aren't really gonna play that much and have a "high" value/ wages are of much bigger concern imo.
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Matic is the only midfielder we have with the positioning and technical skills to play DM for an elite team and he is done so I'd say we definitely need to sign a midfielder or its back to what we have been doing for the past two season - make do with McTominay and Fred. I don't think that's what we want to be doing in a season where the oil clubs have strengthened and Liverpool have VVD back meaning that the margin for error is now a bit finer than it was before even with what we have done so far in the window I think if we start and finish the season with Fred and McTominay as starters we could be dragged down into the top 4 dog-fight.
With Fred and Mctomminy in CM, we will still be struggling to break teams down.
Why are so many of you focusing on transfer fee when the major obstacle - and why we struggle so badly to move players on - is the wages that other clubs are reluctant to take on?
If it was as simple as £30m clean, and a moderate wage, Lingard would have had suitors lined up. When it's £30m plus £100k+ per week, there's a huge problem as the few clubs that can pay that kind of wage are better served divvying that up on two to three players rather than a 'star' who doesn't have enough of a body of work for them to take the considerable risk.
Arsenal, Spurs, Leicester and that tier would have to come in for him to match that wage and pay a sum of £30m+, which, given what they have on their books, they're not likely to do.
James is probably the most saleable asset amongst those people want to see leave, all things considered.
If it was as simple as £30m clean, and a moderate wage, Lingard would have had suitors lined up. When it's £30m plus £100k+ per week, there's a huge problem as the few clubs that can pay that kind of wage are better served divvying that up on two to three players rather than a 'star' who doesn't have enough of a body of work for them to take the considerable risk.
Arsenal, Spurs, Leicester and that tier would have to come in for him to match that wage and pay a sum of £30m+, which, given what they have on their books, they're not likely to do.
James is probably the most saleable asset amongst those people want to see leave, all things considered.
Any news? I can't stay up-to-date on the Twitter stuff and I don't know who to trust anyways.
My thoughts exactly and a major reason why we need Pogba to renew (imo) and strengthen the DM position regardless of whether the former stays or goes.
Our midfield is so basic.
Messi just appeared in front of PSG fans in a PSG shirt to announce he's signing for Manchester United.
Its up to our forwards and set pieces to break teams down. It’s up to our midfielders to win the and ball and progress it so our forwards can break teams down. It’s up to our midfield to stop opposition midfield from setting their own tempo and having us chasing them around trying to impose our will on the game at an automatic disadvantage. That’s why Pogba doesn’t play there much anymore. If midfield was primarily supposed to break teams down he’d play there a lot more and we wouldn’t be looking for another defensive midfielder surely? You have to win the midfield battle and not be so easy to play through first and foremost. The reason we didn’t win anything last year wasn’t because of our midfield. It was because our forwards never got going and weren’t creative or varied enough as a unit. Our midfield isn’t great because McT could majorly be upgraded on, statistically and the eye test. We need more composure in there as much as steel or the ability to break teams down. Bruno pretty clearly does our breaking down through the middle and he does a very good job.
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When you enter McTominay's home, you're immediately met with scented candles and a poster with the words "Live, Laugh, Love".
Matic will come back from the dead undertaker style and be our starting DM 
Exactly
With Messi off to PSG (not to mention who else they have signed) and Barca struggling financially, surely the chances of Pogba signing a new deal have increased. Can't be too many destinations for him.
Probably not much we can do to prevet him running down his contract either if he wants too.
Messi would've loved a stroll down Bury New Road to buy cheap knock off gear every Sunday. Oh well.
Yeah agree on both points. I hope he renews personally.
On the latter point of him running down his contract, I think we will have a clearer indication of this if we go all out for a midfielder this summer or not.
I’d like to see a DM brought in regardless though. Somebody like Kessie would have been a decent option but he’s declared his love for Milan.
James would fetch the same as lingard
Come on let’s get some sales done and move in for Frankie
If we put up Lingard for sale for £20 million - there would be 5 clubs wanting him. And £12 m for James is a joke. There are several clubs who would easily buy him for £20 million
So bar the odd rumours of Saul and Camavinga, is there actually anything more from this incredibly vague announcement? Or will we be doing the swift and silent signing on deadline day much like last year?
Doubt.
If we sell James for £9m, he'll go to another PL team and have interested parties willing to pay 4 times as much in a few seasons.
I don't see it at all. If Pogba was leaving, we might have seen a move for Goretzka or Saul but he's not, so we're fine at CM.
McT, Pogba, Fred, Matic, VdB and to an extent Garner will be enough cover.
Just start working on the Haaland deal and get it in place for next summer.
McT, Pogba, Fred, Matic, VdB and to an extent Garner will be enough cover.
Just start working on the Haaland deal and get it in place for next summer.
Do you honestly think that pool of Midfielders would give you a serious and sustained title challenge..?
We’ve given them a chance & they’ve been shit.
When has he ever done that?
Is it a lot worse than what Liverpool won the league with a couple of years ago?
I do. If rumours about 4-3-3 turn out true playing with two #8s in the likes of Bruno and Pogba or VDB.
Varane's presence alone will give confidence and good cover for the midfielders.
Yes, we don't have Casemiro, Kante or Jorginho. But Fred's been progressing very well. I think he'll handle well that position, albeit a few inevitable blips.
If all midfielders were in form I'd bet my house Ole's choice would be Fred, Pogba and Bruno.
Yes, they had/have one of the best CDM's in world football in Fabinho, Wijnaldum who is a very talented Midfielder and tbf to him a decent Henderson at the time .
We need a new CDM , it's vital
that’s a wild take on the job of a midfield unit.
We need a midfielder who is cable of sitting and protecting the back 4 but also capable of making forward passes which break the lines and don’t let a team get back into their shape, something which McFred have shown they are incapable of doing.
We need a midfielder who is cable of sitting and protecting the back 4 but also capable of making forward passes which break the lines and don’t let a team get back into their shape, something which McFred have shown they are incapable of doing.
No, not remotely fine.
McT and Fred we've already established aren't good enough for a title challenge. Pogba won't be here after this season, and is poor in the double pivot anyway. Matic doesn't even count to the numbers, his goose is cooked. VdB has barely played a handful of games as a deeper lying central midfielder in his career, and he didn't look good there. Garner isn't good enough.
Worrying that the club don't seem to think an actual DM is a big need
So Wijnaldum and Henderson are streets ahead of Pogba and Bruno?
Been hoping for this to happen for weeks even though it's an absolute pipedream
While I can't say we're done this summer, especially judging from last season, when we signed three players in last days of window., I definitely get why people are worried.
Last five years shows we could get marquee signings and still be far from title race ready. Conductor type player that will glue the team in more advanced formation is definitely needed.
We tried Blind & Schneiderlin there sadly with random results. Matić simply can't play 40+ games, that's for sure. Nobody wants a big revolution, but it has to be some sort of movement to upgrade clearly upgradable midfield. Whole month to make it happen, definitely not impossible with so many options on the market.
Last five years shows we could get marquee signings and still be far from title race ready. Conductor type player that will glue the team in more advanced formation is definitely needed.
We tried Blind & Schneiderlin there sadly with random results. Matić simply can't play 40+ games, that's for sure. Nobody wants a big revolution, but it has to be some sort of movement to upgrade clearly upgradable midfield. Whole month to make it happen, definitely not impossible with so many options on the market.
So good they let him back up Fred in Brazil.
I'm sure everyone at the club is well aware but we're skint and need to sell now before we can buy. Problem is our deadwood players are shit and nobody wants them.
They are as good as Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Henderson. The difference Liverpool had was TAA, VVD, Robertson, Mane and Salah.
Arguably we’ve now got a much better all around squad with Sancho, Rashford, Bruno, Varane, Maguire and Shaw all top class players.