Manchester United name John Murtough as Football Director and Darren Fletcher as Technical Director

[RkkMan]

It's not the first time that a manager wasn't able to get his no 1 target. Sir Alex wanted Shearer and he settled for Ole and Cole. He wanted Ronaldinho and he got Ronaldo instead. That's normal in football. United's mistake was that of not bringing in a viable alternative to Sancho that Ole would accept last summer. Instead we squandered the money on three players (2 of whom were basically panic buys) that the manager didn't trusted and quite possibly didn't wanted in the first place. That lead to the chain reaction mentioned before.

I very much doubt that Sancho only wanted United. The guy left to Germany at quite a young age which shows that he is quite open minded and ambitious. We just happened to be lucky enough that our main competitors are either passing from horrible time financially wise or are well stocked on the wings.

Diallo was certainly not a panic buy look at when the links started in the tweet below all the way in September. Also yes managers miss out on first choices and yes we should have gotten an alternative even short term like Bayern with Perisic or preferably strengthen in other positions luckily our season turned out alright.
If you're going to talk about VDB then please say it as it is not with your own different version that suits your negative agenda. He was to be signed ALONGSIDE Sancho not in place of him with other players. The consensus was to sign a player to provide better depth than Lingard/Pereira alongside a CB and Sancho and it was either Grealish or VDB don't get it twisted he was among the panic buys especially when his signing happened way earlier. I do agree Pellistri was a strange one
We've wanted Sancho since he was at City and he was apparently open to joining us but City only wanted to sell abroad. Pursuing a player for years as your top target and underlining to him privately that he'll be the phase of the team believe it or not can make a player want to come here. If we were such a haplessly unattractive option he'd have waited another year knowing many teams will be after him for a cut price fee. Going that extra mile helps a lot in convincing a player we're the right destination for him

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[Cassidy]

Diallo was certainly not a panic buy look at when the links started in the tweet below all the way in September. Also yes managers miss out on first choices and yes we should have gotten an alternative even short term like Bayern with Perisic or preferably strengthen in other positions luckily our season turned out alright.
If you're going to talk about VDB then please say it as it is not with your own different version that suits your negative agenda. He was to be signed ALONGSIDE Sancho not in place of him with other players. The consensus was to sign a player to provide better depth than Lingard/Pereira alongside a CB and Sancho and it was either Grealish or VDB don't get it twisted he was among the panic buys especially when his signing happened way earlier. I do agree Pellistri was a strange one
We've wanted Sancho since he was at City and he was apparently open to joining us but City only wanted to sell abroad. Pursuing a player for years as your top target and underlining to him privately that he'll be the phase of the team believe it or not can make a player want to come here. If we were such a haplessly unattractive option he'd have waited another year knowing many teams will be after him for a cut price fee. Going that extra mile helps a lot in convincing a player we're the right destination for him

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The fact Amad was signed so late when he was about to sign for Parma, I tend to agree it was a panic buy. Especially as we seemed to pay over the odds to make it happen. Yes we were obviously tracking him, but if we were serious about bringing him in that summer then we wouldnt have waited until he was about to go on loan to Parma.

 

[Ali Dia]

Maybe. However I very much doubt that Rashford would lose his first team place, unless, of course, he need an operation and a long recovery afterwards.

I meant depending on form he might be a squaddie or put on the right etc. It’s always good to have too much talent as opposed to the other way around.

 

[pratyush_utd]

One thing I struggle to understand is that we complain when some youngster go for cheap somewhere and we don't bid for him, then everyone complains that we dont plan ahead and our scouting is inept and what not.

Then when we decide to buy a youngster that we have followed for years and before his price gets inflated we act, it becomes a panic buy.

 

[hobbers]

One thing I struggle to understand is that we complain when some youngster go for cheap somewhere and we don't bid for him, then everyone complains that we dont plan ahead and our scouting is inept and what not.

Then when we decide to buy a youngster that we have followed for years and before his price gets inflated we act, it becomes a panic buy.

Pretty simple. We were following Diallo but he'd made 3 senior apps for Atalanta when we signed him and had just turned 18. Plus he didn't go for cheap, something like £20m + £20m in bonuses. That's too much to pay for someone who isn't developed enough to make an immediate impact, it's a signing that reeks of PR reasons rather than football reasons. That sort of fee for that age bracket... it's the sort of deal that a supposedly big club should only be making for an absolutely exceptional talent who is good enough and developed enough to make an immediate impact, someone like Bellingham.

Had we signed Sancho there was no way we'd have done a permanent deal for Diallo last summer. It was a PR panic reaction to failing to sign Sancho and failing to properly scout out a suitable alternative.

 

[pratyush_utd]

Pretty simple. We were following Diallo but he'd made 3 senior apps for Atalanta when we signed him and had just turned 18. Plus he didn't go for cheap, something like £20m + £20m in bonuses. That's too much to pay for someone who isn't developed enough to make an immediate impact, it's a signing that reeks of PR reasons rather than football reasons. That sort of fee for that age bracket... it's the sort of deal that a supposedly big club should only be making for an absolutely exceptional talent who is good enough and developed enough to make an immediate impact, someone like Bellingham.

Had we signed Sancho there was no way we'd have done a permanent deal for Diallo last summer. It was a PR panic reaction to failing to sign Sancho and failing to properly scout out a suitable alternative.

18-20m is cheap if we consider him a huge talent. All scouting report had given him some high rating that no other youngster we were following received ( had read in some article). Bonus 20m if we do pay, then it would mean risk we took paid off.

20m for a youngster we didn't even play last year and who joined us in January doesn't seem to me as panic buy. We got him because other teams started getting serious and we didn't want more competition.

For context we paid similar amount for James who had first team experience in championship and that too not at a high level.

Both Amad and Pellistri looked to me as strategic investment and not a panic buy.

 

[NZT-One]

Both Amad and Pellistri looked to me as strategic investment and not a panic buy.

I guess in the end of the day, truth lies somewhere inbetween. I also don't have the feeling that Amad was a panic buy, Pellistri on the other hand...? Also the actions of the club were a bit weird. Publishing we got Amad and how good he has been described by his teammates ("like Messie"), what a talent he is but at the end of the day, he wasn't even joining the team immediately after. Only half a year later wasn't it? Also, but I am not sure, if that is true, but when I remember correctly, I read around here that Pellistri wasn't an RW over the course of his short career but mostly played through the middle.

So I think, the club was well aware of how he the Sancho saga has been perceived and acted a little rash PR-wise.

I am sure, we had Amad on the cards for a while, just like a few other teams as well probably, and maybe something happened that made us move faster than initially planned (like when Reals interest in VDB made us accelerate). Don't think, there is anything wrong with that. What is wrong is not properly scouting somebody so you shell out big money but without getting something back performance wise (VDB, critique doesn't meant at the player, but the transfer team who went for him without seemingly having an idea of what to use him for). I'd consider it as also wrong to put all your eggs in one basket (Sancho last summer) and not having a plan B, C or D prepared to be executed. These things shouldn't happen, summer is the best chance to engage gaps in the squad, not using it properly will effect you. Not using it just because not being well prepared will leave you looking lazy.

 

[Adnan]

'If we had paid €120m for Jadon Sancho, we would've beaten Villarreal'.

Which is a club who don't have anywhere close to our financial resources.

How can someone come out with stuff like the above without questioning the gulf in quality/finances, both team had their disposal.. I guess next season it'll be, 'if we had paid £150m for Haaland, we would've won the league and Champions League'

 

[roseguy64]

Diallo and Pellistri. The former in particular. He was at a whisker away from signing to Parma on loan. We had to agree a relatively huge financial package deal for him because of that.

Not really. We were scouting Pellistri for a while, backed up by Andy Mitten. Also, I'm sure we were probably linked to Amad before. We just pulled the trigger then and there. Plus it's a similar up front price to what we paid for Dalot. It becomes a relatively huge fee if he proves to be good. Half the fee is addons.

 

[CG1010]

'If we had paid €120m for Jadon Sancho, we would've beaten Villarreal'.

Which is a club who don't have anywhere close to our financial resources.

How can someone come out with stuff like the above without questioning the gulf in quality/finances, both team had their disposal.. I guess next season it'll be, 'if we had paid £150m for Haaland, we would've won the league and Champions League'

We should have beaten Villareal no doubt but it's also true that given the indifferent form of Martial and lots of poor performances by Rashford and Greenwood, had we got Sancho last season and assuming he played well, it could have made a lot of difference to our season. I suspect United secretly rue not signing Sancho earlier rather than Dortmund who got top four on the back of his performances.

 

[devilish]

Diallo was certainly not a panic buy look at when the links started in the tweet below all the way in September. Also yes managers miss out on first choices and yes we should have gotten an alternative even short term like Bayern with Perisic or preferably strengthen in other positions luckily our season turned out alright.
If you're going to talk about VDB then please say it as it is not with your own different version that suits your negative agenda. He was to be signed ALONGSIDE Sancho not in place of him with other players. The consensus was to sign a player to provide better depth than Lingard/Pereira alongside a CB and Sancho and it was either Grealish or VDB don't get it twisted he was among the panic buys especially when his signing happened way earlier. I do agree Pellistri was a strange one
We've wanted Sancho since he was at City and he was apparently open to joining us but City only wanted to sell abroad. Pursuing a player for years as your top target and underlining to him privately that he'll be the phase of the team believe it or not can make a player want to come here. If we were such a haplessly unattractive option he'd have waited another year knowing many teams will be after him for a cut price fee. Going that extra mile helps a lot in convincing a player we're the right destination for him

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— Twitter API (@user) date

Not really. We were scouting Pellistri for a while, backed up by Andy Mitten. Also, I'm sure we were probably linked to Amad before. We just pulled the trigger then and there. Plus it's a similar up front price to what we paid for Dalot. It becomes a relatively huge fee if he proves to be good. Half the fee is addons.

Scouting players and discussing a move with the president mean nothing. I am sure that United scout 100s of players per year. What truly matters is the way we signed him..

Diallo was signed on deadline day. He was moments away from signing to Parma on loan. Parma is a fantastic place to send kids that need 'polishing'. Many Serie A clubs like to send their kids there. United themselves did so with Giuseppe Rossi a few years back. By pulling the boy last minute, Atalanta had damaged the relationship with the club, something that they wouldn't have accepted if we didn't offer him the financial package deal we offered. Diallo was frozen out at Atalanta till January only to come to United to play a couple of cameos at best instead. That doesn't strike me as a great plan.

Regarding VDB God knows what was the thought behind that signing. He came with United with a huge reputation and VDS recommendation and yet we rarely played him. I suspect that Ole wanted Grealish and Sancho, two first teamer level players. and he ended up with some guy from Ajax and two kids instead. That's not the first time United pulled that particular fast one. LVG, Moyes and Mourinho complained about it as well.

 

[Adnan]

We should have beaten Villareal no doubt but it's also true that given the indifferent form of Martial and lots of poor performances by Rashford and Greenwood, had we got Sancho last season and assuming he played well, it could have made a lot of difference to our season. I suspect United secretly rue not signing Sancho earlier rather than Dortmund who got top four on the back of his performances.

How do you know Sancho wouldn't have also played poorly? At Dortmund he has high technical players at fullback and in midfield providing him movement and pass options, which creates space due to the fluidity in transition.

 

[elmo]

I guess in the end of the day, truth lies somewhere inbetween. I also don't have the feeling that Amad was a panic buy, Pellistri on the other hand...? Also the actions of the club were a bit weird. Publishing we got Amad and how good he has been described by his teammates ("like Messie"), what a talent he is but at the end of the day, he wasn't even joining the team immediately after. Only half a year later wasn't it? Also, but I am not sure, if that is true, but when I remember correctly, I read around here that Pellistri wasn't an RW over the course of his short career but mostly played through the middle.

So I think, the club was well aware of how he the Sancho saga has been perceived and acted a little rash PR-wise.

I am sure, we had Amad on the cards for a while, just like a few other teams as well probably, and maybe something happened that made us move faster than initially planned (like when Reals interest in VDB made us accelerate). Don't think, there is anything wrong with that. What is wrong is not properly scouting somebody so you shell out big money but without getting something back performance wise (VDB, critique doesn't meant at the player, but the transfer team who went for him without seemingly having an idea of what to use him for). I'd consider it as also wrong to put all your eggs in one basket (Sancho last summer) and not having a plan B, C or D prepared to be executed. These things shouldn't happen, summer is the best chance to engage gaps in the squad, not using it properly will effect you. Not using it just because not being well prepared will leave you looking lazy.

Amad was definitely a panic buy.

It's dumb how we left it to the last few days which meant we couldn't get his work permit sorted out in time and wasted half his season.

 

[Adnan]

If Amad was a panic buy, then I hope we make more panic buys like it. His potential is huge and along with Hannibal Mejbri, he's someone i'm really looking forward to watching play.

 

[The Red Thinker]

Amad was definitely a panic buy.

It's dumb how we left it to the last few days which meant we couldn't get his work permit sorted out in time and wasted half his season.

It was by no means a panic buy. Where did you get that from? Twitter? United had been negotiating Amad for a year. How do I know this? Because Atalanta said so. Left it late? Yes. Panic buy? No.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ma...ews/man-utd-transfer-news-diallo-19091065.amp

 

[sglowrider]

It was by no means a panic buy. Where did you get that from? Twitter? United had been negotiating Amad for a year. How do I know this? Because Atalanta said so. Left it late? Yes. Panic buy? No.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ma...ews/man-utd-transfer-news-diallo-19091065.amp

Once people are stuck with their own internal narrative, they will fit everything they comprehend into that narrative or just ignore facts.
I had assumed everyone knew there were work permit issues, his 'guardian' in Italy. Guess not.

 

[devilish]

It was by no means a panic buy. Where did you get that from? Twitter? United had been negotiating Amad for a year. How do I know this? Because Atalanta said so. Left it late? Yes. Panic buy? No.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ma...ews/man-utd-transfer-news-diallo-19091065.amp

No one said that we didn't properly signed him or that we haven't negotiated for him.

However lets get real. We conveniently placed a bid once Sancho's deal collapsed and despite knowing that we won't sign him in time to get him a work permit. The guy wasn't allowed to join Parma which basically frozen his career progression out for a couple of months. The guy was as useful to our cause as bull tits as Ole barely ever played him. That was at a time when we were screaming for a first team RW. That's a panic signing and a rather useless one as well given the circumstances.

PS that's yet another 1 year negotiation deal. Sancho and Maguire are the other two. Do you think that this is how a properly run club runs?

 

[CG1010]

How do you know Sancho wouldn't have also played poorly? At Dortmund he has high technical players at fullback and in midfield providing him movement and pass options, which creates space due to the fluidity in transition.

I don't but hoping the club is buying expectations that he will do well. If what you are saying is true, we shouldn't buy him altogether.

 

[Adnan]

It was by no means a panic buy. Where did you get that from? Twitter? United had been negotiating Amad for a year. How do I know this? Because Atalanta said so. Left it late? Yes. Panic buy? No.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ma...ews/man-utd-transfer-news-diallo-19091065.amp

He was a young player that was earmarked as a future buy. But once Joel Glazer pulled the plug on signing Sancho, 3 weeks before the close of the window (according to The Athletic), we took the opportunity to push ahead with a move for Amad. We did something similar with Ronaldo in 2003, after missing out on Ronaldinho to Barca, we had earmarked Ronaldo as a future buy, but had to push ahead with a move earlier due to his performance against us in a friendly and we ended up signing him near the end of the window.

 

[Adnan]

I don't but hoping the club is buying expectations that he will do well. If what you are saying is true, we shouldn't buy him altogether.

I think he will do well and I've mentioned the likes of Sancho and Haaland as potential incomings from when they were playing at City and Molde. And at that time no one gave a feck about what I was saying.

In the game against Villarreal the issue was we couldn't come to terms with how well they congested their defensive half spaces and crowded the likes of Bruno and Rashford out. In that scenario you need your wide receivers to exploit the space outwide which we failed to do. And if Sancho is playing in that game with Wan Bissaka as support, then I think he will also get lost in the yellow wall situated in the half spaces because Sancho looks to cut in-field. And without adequate support its plausible to suggest he would also struggle the way we played from back to front.

 

[cyberman]

I think he will do well and I've mentioned the likes of Sancho and Haaland as potential incomings from when they were playing at City and Molde. And at that time no one gave a feck about what I was saying.

In the game against Villarreal the issue was we couldn't come to terms with how well they congested their defensive half spaces and crowded the likes of Bruno and Rashford out. In that scenario you need your wide receivers to exploit the space outwide which we failed to do. And if Sancho is playing in that game with Wan Bissaka as support, then I think he will also get lost in the yellow wall situated in the half spaces because Sancho looks to cut in-field. And without adequate support its plausible to suggest he would also struggle the way we played from back to front.

He tore it up at Dortmund with 36 year old Piszczek behind him last year? Sancho needing technical FBs behind him is a myth at this stage. He has done it either wing with various FBs behind him over multiple seasons and is able to open up defences on his own.

 

[Adnan]

He tore it up at Dortmund with 36 year old Piszczek behind him last year? Sancho needing technical FBs behind him is a myth at this stage. He has done it either wing with various FBs behind him over multiple seasons and is able to open up defences on his own.

He was a key cog in a team that plays With a clear concept, who impose their game on the opposition by playing a proactive brand of football with multiple attacking threats. All their fullbacks are also better than Wan Bissaka on the ball.

 

[The Red Thinker]

Yo

No one said that we didn't properly signed him or that we haven't negotiated for him.

However lets get real. We conveniently placed a bid once Sancho's deal collapsed and despite knowing that we won't sign him in time to get him a work permit. The guy wasn't allowed to join Parma which basically frozen his career progression out for a couple of months. The guy was as useful to our cause as bull tits as Ole barely ever played him. That was at a time when we were screaming for a first team RW. That's a panic signing and a rather useless one as well given the circumstances.

PS that's yet another 1 year negotiation deal. Sancho and Maguire are the other two. Do you think that this is how a properly run club runs?

Your idea of panic signings is amusing to me. To me, a panic signing is someone whom you had very tertiary plans of buying and because circumstances played out a certain way and public pressure built, you throw money at the problem and buy a player who doesn’t necessarily fit into plans but does a job. NOT an 18 year old kid who you’ve been scouting for a year, and had issues with his visa getting into the country.

So he wasn’t effective this season.... SO WHAT???? He’s 18 with a HUGE ceiling. I swear sometimes I feel I’m talking to teenagers with anger issues in this forum. Signing players late DOES NOT mean panic buying. There have been plenty of players bought on the last day of windows. Just because the press had their eyes on Sancho doesn’t mean the club wasn’t working Amad.

 

[cyberman]

He was a key cog in a team that plays With a clear concept, who impose their game on the opposition by playing a proactive brand of football with multiple attacking threats. All their fullbacks are also better than Wan Bissaka on the ball.

I was going through the stats. Piszczek has 3 assists in 2 seasons. Atracking FBs work behind Sancho but they arent needed. Plus AWB s forever getting to the byline, they be enough space made for Jadon.

 

[Adnan]

I was going through the stats. Piszczek has 3 assists in 2 seasons. Atracking FBs work behind Sancho but they arent needed. Plus AWB s forever getting to the byline, they be enough space made for Jadon.

Piszcek I dont believe played once behind Sancho last season. I don't even think he made 5 starts in the league.

Attacking fullbacks don't have to be a necessity if there's a concept in how one wants their team to play. But if that concept isn't identifiable after more than two years, then it's reasonable to ask questions. We've been playing reactive football for too long, especially against the better teams. Our backline is incapable of defending high up the pitch in 1v1 situations and hence we have to defend deep against teams who have fast players on the turn over. Sancho is playing in a team who have shown over the years that they can play a imposing game whereby they throw numerous players forward to create overloads and flood the opposition box playing with high intensity which really helps their attacking players due to the options it creates. This is what I want to see from us consistently, and we aren't seeing it.

And my original point was, we lost the game against Villarreal because we lost the tactical battle and not because we didn't have Sancho.

 

[cyberman]

Piszcek I dont believe played once behind Sancho last season. I don't even think he made 5 starts in the league.

Attacking fullbacks don't have to be a necessity if there's a concept in how one wants their team to play. But if that concept isn't identifiable after more than two years, then it's reasonable to ask questions. We've been playing reactive football for too long, especially against the better teams. Our backline is incapable of defending high up the pitch in 1v1 situations and hence we have to defend deep against teams who have fast players on the turn over. Sancho is playing in a team who have shown over the years that they can play a imposing game whereby they throw numerous players forward to create overloads and flood the opposition box playing with high intensity which really helps their attacking players due to the options it creates. This is what I want to see from us consistently, and we aren't seeing it.

And my original point was, we lost the game against Villarreal because we lost the tactical battle and not because we didn't have Sancho.

But we literally already use our FBs for width? I dont really understand this part of your argument. That is an undoubted aspect of our play that is up there with anything Dortmund tries to play.
AWB helps Mason find space but its not AWBs fault that Mason shoots from all angles and cant find that pass in a congested area.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/tribun...ble-creative-stat-among-pl-defenders-in-2021/
I cant see what more they can do tbh. Those 2 don't defend deep and we have Maguire stepping up in midfield everytime he has the ball. I just don't see this flat footed, low laying block you seem to. We have fallen behind too many times and had to assert ourselves on opposition for this to be true. We were almost forced to press further up if we wanted to or not.

 

[Adnan]

But we literally already use our FBs for width? I dont really understand this part of your argument. That is an undoubted aspect of our play that is up there with anything Dortmund tries to play.
AWB helps Mason find space but its not AWBs fault that Mason shoots from all angles and cant find that pass in a congested area.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/tribun...ble-creative-stat-among-pl-defenders-in-2021/
I cant see what more they can do tbh. Those 2 don't defend deep and we have Maguire stepping up in midfield everytime he has the ball. I just don't see this flat footed, low laying block you seem to. We have fallen behind too many times and had to assert ourselves on opposition for this to be true. We were almost forced to press further up if we wanted to or not.

We do use our fullbacks to provide width but the chap on the right isn't very good in the build up phase. I don't care if the fullback registers zero assists/goals, but the player has to be good in the build up phase and I don't believe Wan Bissaka is good enough in the build up phase. It's why opposition teams allow him to be the free man in the first phase of the build up, which is telling.

What I mean by low block is that teams who impose their game on the opposition can hold a high line without the ball, which makes applying pressure high up the pitch easier and more effective. When we lose the ball, both our CBs start back pedalling which makes the pressing ineffective. Rio Ferdinand has even spoke about this and pointed to us needing a CB who can help us hold a higher defensive line which would then allow us to sacrifice defensive stability for goals. Maybe Varane is that CB..

 

[sglowrider]

So he wasn’t effective this season.... SO WHAT???? He’s 18 with a HUGE ceiling. I swear sometimes I feel I’m talking to teenagers with anger issues in this forum. Signing players late DOES NOT mean panic buying. There have been plenty of players bought on the last day of windows. Just because the press had their eyes on Sancho doesn’t mean the club wasn’t working Amad.

Whats funny with a lot ofcaftards is that 99.999% of them have never been involved in a player transfer process. Another 95+% have never done any negotiations for contracts beyond £1M in size.

And yet lack the self-awareness to think that whatever they say really is 20-20 hindsight at best but they seem to think that its factual (via tweets of pundits/transfer gurus) as though they were actually part of the process.

Every summer transfer window is a moving goal post because of the budgetary constraints (and the need to shift out players who's prices are not pre-determined) -- and the impact of other player transfers. Its a lot more complex, 3D than say buy a house never mind a car which are singular purchases like checkers.

 

[UnitedSofa]

The CAF: We should buy these young superstars! Why aren't we buying these young superstars?!

Also the CAF: Look at these inept fools! Buying all these young players that cost too much money! Why aren't we buying ready made players! We could've bought 2 first team players for that price!

*Rinse and Repeat*

Also when Sancho signs and doesn't perform.

The CAF: Just pay the money for Sancho!

Also the CAF: Look at this waste of money, why didn't they negotiate for a cheaper deal! He's a waste of money we should've got someone else for that price! Way over priced, way over hyped! Not good enough!

 

[flappyjay]

If Amad was a panic buy, then I hope we make more panic buys like it. His potential is huge and along with Hannibal Mejbri, he's someone i'm really looking forward to watching play.

I personally don't think it's a panic buy, clubs sometimes monitor a player they want and hope no one makes a move on him. Had we let Amad go to Parma he would have shown his talent even more thus pushing his price up. I remember the summer we bought Phil Jones, Sir Alex later said that he had no plans to buy him that summer and only acted because other clubs were trying to get him.

 

[Adnan]

I personally don't think it's a panic buy, clubs sometimes monitor a player they want and hope no one makes a move on him. Had we let Amad go to Parma he would have shown his talent even more thus pushing his price up. I remember the summer we bought Phil Jones, Sir Alex later said that he had no plans to buy him that summer and only acted because other clubs were trying to get him.

I agree. He was likely someone that we wanted to sign but couldn't commit to, due to the Sancho deal being in the air. But it seems once we pulled out of the Sancho deal, we wasted very little time in taking up the opportunity to sign Amad. So not signing Sancho a year earlier might be looked back on as being a good thing if Amad fulfils his potential, because I doubt we could've signed both in the same window.

 

[CG1010]

I think he will do well and I've mentioned the likes of Sancho and Haaland as potential incomings from when they were playing at City and Molde. And at that time no one gave a feck about what I was saying.

In the game against Villarreal the issue was we couldn't come to terms with how well they congested their defensive half spaces and crowded the likes of Bruno and Rashford out. In that scenario you need your wide receivers to exploit the space outwide which we failed to do. And if Sancho is playing in that game with Wan Bissaka as support, then I think he will also get lost in the yellow wall situated in the half spaces because Sancho looks to cut in-field. And without adequate support its plausible to suggest he would also struggle the way we played from back to front.

Against Villareal all our key players - Bruno, Pogba and Rashford were extremely poor and out of touch. That can happen to anyone including Sancho as the team mentality, fitness and tactics were poor. But that's still a one off match. Over the season Sancho would have made a lot of difference especially as there were vast period of matches where we didn't have a single in form attacker out of Martial, Greenwood or Rashford.

 

[Adnan]

Against Villareal all our key players - Bruno, Pogba and Rashford were extremely poor and out of touch. That can happen to anyone including Sancho as the team mentality, fitness and tactics were poor. But that's still a one off match. Over the season Sancho would have made a lot of difference especially as there were vast period of matches where we didn't have a single in form attacker out of Martial, Greenwood or Rashford.

Over the season we could've had many players from rival clubs who would've likely have made a difference. But we lost key games not because we didn't have the personnel, but rather because we didn't have the tactical nous. Losing to Istanbul and then losing away to Leipzig with a back 5 cost us in the Champions League. Against Villarreal I've already explained why I believe we lost and it wasn't due to a lack of talent, but maybe due to a lack of direction from a tactical perspective.

 

[devilish]

For the record I was thrilled when we signed Amad. His story and his story makes him easy to love and to want him to succeed.

Your idea of panic signings is amusing to me. To me, a panic signing is someone whom you had very tertiary plans of buying and because circumstances played out a certain way and public pressure built, you throw money at the problem and buy a player who doesn’t necessarily fit into plans but does a job. NOT an 18 year old kid who you’ve been scouting for a year, and had issues with his visa getting into the country.

So he wasn’t effective this season.... SO WHAT???? He’s 18 with a HUGE ceiling. I swear sometimes I feel I’m talking to teenagers with anger issues in this forum. Signing players late DOES NOT mean panic buying. There have been plenty of players bought on the last day of windows. Just because the press had their eyes on Sancho doesn’t mean the club wasn’t working Amad.

Which is exactly what happened with Amad. We followed him and negotiated a pretty straight forward deal for a year. We went past the time needed to get him a work permit in the summer. Then when the Sancho deal went tits up we quickly bought him. By doing so we derailed his career progression (Amad was set to move to Parma were he would have played first team football), the guy was frozen out at Atalanta and he was basically frozen out by us as well as its already difficult for a mature player coming in January and do well let alone an 18 year old with barely any first team appearances under his name. Meanwhile Ole was left with a huge hole in the team at RW and he also had to run Rashford to the ground as well.

I have no problem with Amad's signing. I've been following him long before most United fans did and I am aware of his talent. However he wasted a year with us and that's almost criminal.

 

[Ali Dia]

For the record I was thrilled when we signed Amad. His story and his story makes him easy to love and to want him to succeed.

Which is exactly what happened with Amad. We followed him and negotiated a pretty straight forward deal for a year. We went past the time needed to get him a work permit in the summer. Then when the Sancho deal went tits up we quickly bought him. By doing so we derailed his career progression (Amad was set to move to Parma were he would have played first team football), the guy was frozen out at Atalanta and he was basically frozen out by us as well as its already difficult for a mature player coming in January and do well let alone an 18 year old with barely any first team appearances under his name. Meanwhile Ole was left with a huge hole in the team at RW and he also had to run Rashford to the ground as well.

I have no problem with Amad's signing. I've been following him long before most United fans did and I am aware of his talent. However he wasted a year with us and that's almost criminal.

Theres no denying that we aren’t the well oiled transfer machine yet. We still clearly get things wrong. It takes years for these things to fully click into place. Once the structure exists you can always tinker with and upgrade the staff. If we are really in for Camavinga Sancho and Varane in the same window I’m fully prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. We won’t get every player we want when we want them but the fact we are spotting the right players and going as direct as possible it looks like we are speeding up the deal making process. What more can we ask for really apart from unlimited funds which will never happen and cutting players a fair bit more aggressively? No point cutting players till there’s someone better coming in and the money to do that deal. These things take time. I’m fairly confident we are moving in the right direction. Time will tell if we have the correct personnel in place or if it’s always just been the glazers reluctance to lead or follow that has been holding us back.

 

[devilish]

Theres no denying that we aren’t the well oiled transfer machine yet. We still clearly get things wrong. It takes years for these things to fully click into place. Once the structure exists you can always tinker with and upgrade the staff. If we are really in for Camavinga Sancho and Varane in the same window I’m fully prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. We won’t get every player we want when we want them but the fact we are spotting the right players and going as direct as possible it looks like we are speeding up the deal making process. What more can we ask for really apart from unlimited funds which will never happen and cutting players a fair bit more aggressively? No point cutting players till there’s someone better coming in and the money to do that deal. These things take time. I’m fairly confident we are moving in the right direction. Time will tell if we have the correct personnel in place or if it’s always just been the glazers reluctance to lead or follow that has been holding us back.

If we get all three then I will be the first to admit that this was an excellent transfer window, the best we ever had since way before Sir Alex retired. They are players who are at the right age, with the right talent and at a stage of their contract were United simply has to pounce at. It would also be Ole's 'Stam, Yorke, Blomqvist moment' as well so he better seize it with at least an important trophy at the end of it.

No one is expected us to operate on an unlimited funds either. However I find losing out on a key player for just 30m only to go and sign 3 random players, the manager had refused to play as silly. That was my initial and main argument all along.

 

[Ali Dia]

If we get all three then I will be the first to admit that this was an excellent transfer window, the best we ever had since way before Sir Alex retired. They are players who are at the right age, with the right talent and at a stage of their contract were United simply has to pounce at. It would also be Ole's 'Stam, Yorke, Blomqvist moment' as well so he better seize it with at least an important trophy at the end of it.

No one is expected us to operate on an unlimited funds either. However I find losing out on a key player for just 30m only to go and sign 3 random players, the manager had refused to play as silly. That was my initial and main argument all along.

If those young players come good this season or in the future or net us a profit then it’s hard to criticise bringing in Amad and Pellistri. We need to keep doing that if we want to be a hub for world class kids. Donny, I’m as confused as you are to be honest. I get what you’re saying about Sancho, Ed and the glazers were way out of their depth trying to bluff and bully clubs into giving us cheaper deals post Fergie. Almost like a hostile takeover led by amateurs in the football world who’d just told everyone they can pay huge money to get what they want. I get it. It’s been car crash stuff. Nobody can or will deny it.

But

Missing out on Sancho for 8 months and getting him cheaper has just paid for 2 years of his wages. It might just be a fluke but sometimes it is best to just do nothing at all and keep thinking long term. Yes we may have won something with Sancho, we may also have turned out the same but the price was going way beyond what we’d ever paid for a single player before and in an unprecedented pandemic so I can understand the reluctance to a certain extent.

The squad is a year older and in a better place for Sancho to come into now. I hated the way we did that transfer and kept poking at it through the media briefings. We are still here and willing to pay £90 million or whatever. It was out of touch and the deal was over way before then.

This is starting to feel different. Less aloof and more direct and down to business. I’m giving Murtough and fletcher the benefit of the doubt. Most fans could see what we’ve needed for ages. Maybe some fresh eyes and a kick up the arse for the owners from the fans were all that was needed. I feel like it’s slowly getting better, instead of going out lashing money around on dross punts like with LVG or on certain older guys like Jose, it feels like Ole Murtough and co will actually go out and buy the best youngsters we can and keep building the quality of the squad for the long term.

Fingers crossed!

 

[CG1010]

Over the season we could've had many players from rival clubs who would've likely have made a difference. But we lost key games not because we didn't have the personnel, but rather because we didn't have the tactical nous. Losing to Istanbul and then losing away to Leipzig with a back 5 cost us in the Champions League. Against Villarreal I've already explained why I believe we lost and it wasn't due to a lack of talent, but maybe due to a lack of direction from a tactical perspective.

I think there is no one reason for outcomes over a large stretch of matches. Tactical nous is certainly an issue but the form of our front 3 is also a factor and it is obvious that better players will make our performances better. Especially in our set up which relies on individual creativity and chemistry between players across the pitch.

 

[Tom Van Persie]

I've always thought the case with Amad was we were not going to buy him last summer because we were planning on spending so much on Sancho but when that deal didn't happen we sanctioned the Amad deal. Not a panic buy. If we bought Sancho last summer we probably would've ended up with Amad in January or this summer.

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

John Murtough will be an instant legend if he manages to pull off signing Sancho, Varane and Camavinga is his first season in the role.