I’ve seen nothing to suggest they’ll shine and they couldn’t be further from world beaters, at United or somewhere else.
No midfield reinforcements
- Thread starter Ranchero
- Start date
The fan in me could take all of this shit if it meant Garner, Gomes and Chong playing regularly. The reality is we will continue to see Matic, Mata and Lingard polluting the first 11, which is the most depressing thing.
It definitely feels like our midfield has regressed a lot this year. We lose two first team players, who played plenty of games. Add to that, before they left we could argue our midfield wasn't good enough to be challenging for the league. Yet we are not likely to be going into this season without even replacing them, let alone bringing in another top quality midfielder.
Feels like we are now short bodies and quality in the middle. Not a great thought going into the season.
Feels like we are now short bodies and quality in the middle. Not a great thought going into the season.
Very good post. I was a fan when United were in the second tier of English football under the Doc. I think times have change, to be fair.
If we are to compete with Liverpool and City, we have to have a smatter of supertars mixed with potential. Liverpool are doing it right. They have brought through Robertson, Alexander Arnold and Gomes, yes, even Jordan Henderson. But they still have other stars, albeit they were not superstars before they went to Anfield (Mane and Salah).
It sickens me to say it, but Liverpool have got it right. City, have a star team, but give little room for young home grown players like Foden. It annoyed me last season that Chelsea had talented young English players like Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek and would be benched despite giving star often man-of-the-match performances.
We cannot rely on youngsters. But the likes of Greenwood and Gomes are definitely shining, so they must be given a chance. However, as with Chelsea, you have to have experience to call when, as happens to kids, they have an inconsitent spell.
Every older United fan has the 'bringing through young players' ethos in them... but we must be careful. They have to be good enough. Otherwise it is pointless.
We can't look back on the era of Scholes, Giggs and Beckham and think, hey, we have that now. We don't. In Gomes and Greenwood especially, we have two players of huge potential. Potential stars. But it is only potential. And they must have players around them to look up to who have the experience.
Ask Rooney!
He's 17 years old, don't some of you get that? He isn't going to come in and score 20 goals this season, he won't even make 20 starts, he may not even make 20 substitute appearances. Too many of you are deluded into thinking youth is the answer when we haven't produced a world class player since the 90s.
I like that midfield and I think it could be supplemented well by Fred and Pereira. The issue is Matic - he's done and needed to be replaced this window.
This is so.ething I've been fearing for a a while and something another poster mentioned about a week ago. Dreading this possibly happening as we have been dreadful
. Losing Herrera and not replacing was terrible, if we lost Pogba we would lose all our creativity and it would he even more of a struggle than I think it will be anyway
Hey just because you love Man Utd doesn't mean you are good enough to play in the Prem for the club. Otherwise, I am in the side.
I like that as well. But fancy Fred instead of McTom who I really do not rate.
Jesus could we stop acting like every big name signing is destined to fail? The last one under Fergie pretty much single-handedly won us the league.
All this sounds like some Woodward PR. Just get young and cheap players in because the big boys won't perform anyway.
Also our biggest signing in recent history is carrying our whole midfield for years.
You're right of course. I was really taking into account how much times have changed in the last 20 years. Regret to say it but I also think that Liverpool have got it right. They have developed young players but also bought wisely; no superstars but players they've been able to develop. Look at Salah, who'd have bet on him? If Ole has the vision, a coaching staff that can turn that vision into a great side and Woodward suddenly has an epiphany then we'll be good to go. However, I'd feel a lot more confident if the glimmer twins sold up and Woodward did one.
Where did I say I thought Greenwood would get 20 goals? You have written several sentences arguing a point which basically no one has disagreed with.
And there are romours that Gomes and Garner are going to be loaned out. They want first-team football.
Unless I'm missing something, that player was no mercenary, had played in the Premier league and knew who Manchester United was. Name me one foreign 'star' who would care about United more than his money.
How old was Giggs? As Ferguson always said if you're good enough you're old enough.
He is still not going to get us 20 goals.
Matic is past it.
We lost Herrera and Fellaini.
One Pogba injury leaves us with an abomination of a midfield.
We're absolutely mad to go into this season with our midfield. I don't know what the feck we are doing.
We lost Herrera and Fellaini.
One Pogba injury leaves us with an abomination of a midfield.
We're absolutely mad to go into this season with our midfield. I don't know what the feck we are doing.
Who cares. Pogba does neither and is our best midfielder by a country mile. De Gea does neither and is probably the best goalkeeper out there. You think just because someone is foreign and cares more about his own wellbeing than about Manchester United he won't perform? You think Ronaldo cared for us, Madrid or Juventus more than about himself? I couldn't give a rats about that. Just because we were unlucky with Di Maria it doesn't mean this happens all the time. Sanchez failed because he is finished not because he is a mercenary.
If we don't sign Bruno Fernandes or a replacement for Lukaku, I'm going to feel really disappointed with this transfer window
With LFC and City not going heavy in the market, this summer could have been the year we really closed the gap.
With LFC and City not going heavy in the market, this summer could have been the year we really closed the gap.
This. Absolute madness.
Spurs had a good midfield and went out and got Ndombele and Lo Celso to make it even better. We got rid of Herrera and that's it.
It's mental.
Mate, Giggs wasn't scoring 20 goals a season at 17
Sorry don't want to crap on your post but this is bordering on delusion. Pereira has not shown anywhere that he is capable of becoming world class, or even a good enough Premier League standard player.
The thing with the class of 92 was it was an organic and natural move. World class players broke into the first team and created history. This just seems like we are trying way too hard to recreate the same thing. Which is madness. No top club runs like this.
Indeed. The fact he's still here at his age is an indictment on our midfield and how far we've fallen.
wave bye bye to any chance of top four. another year of incomptenece
Nah, it is all good. I expected such responses. My post was more about our history over or under valueing players too quickly. A bit of positivity too
Really fecking hope Gomes is not going on loan. We need to give him minutes and do whatever we can get him sign new contract so he doesnt fo for free next summer. By sending him on loan, I think we may have more chance of losing him
Always agreed with that quote from Sir Alex. This works more effectively if they have a settled team to develop in. The class of 92 had strong personalities like Cantona, Ince, Schmeichel, Hughes etc to absorb the pressure if they were having a bad game. Today is hard to blood youngsters in this team as it is a sh!te show and they will be expected to perform from the off and scrutinised for every mistake. Instead they should be given time to make these mistakes and develop fully.
I don't see many strong characters in the squad to absorb the pressure off the young players if they are not playing well, I feel we could try to rely on them too much which could effect their development.
I think that is part of the problem, nobody is in the same mould as Fergie. Ole is trying to be but he is nothing like him.
I do feel a bit sorry for Pobga. He has not been the main man in his career. He has been a cog in a well oiled machine. At Juve and for France he has great lieutenants next to him, not the clowns he has at United.
Perreira and Fred will get outplayed in more than 80% of the PL starts they get. They're just not good enough. It was evident in the pre-season. Sure they're going to have the odd good game but United players need to have the odd bad game not the other way around.
Agree. When you look at the characters who were guiding those youngsters. Our kids do not have that guidance. The senior players at United wilt under any pressure.
Yep.
Imagine the scenes next summer when we sell Pogba and only sign Longstaff.
Pogba must feel sick to his stomach
Fair point. The team has been struggling to find leaders for years now.
And how long ago was that 30 years?
You said we have Lukaku’s replacement in Greenwood. Whatever you may think of Lukaku he is a 20 goal a season striker. There is very little chance Greenwood will get anywhere near those figures at this stage in his career.
I could be wrong, but I think people overrate Lukakus scoring abilities.
He went nearly a thousand minutes without a goal at old Trafford last season.