No right winger

[Rossa]

United don't have a single right winger in the squad. One might argue that Valencia is one but that was a while ago. Mata isn't a winger. Young, Depay and Lingard are all at their best on the left.

This is such a big problem in our squad. Selling Nani, our only right winger, without replacing was ridiculous at best. This should have been adressed in the summer. LVG is talking nonsense when he says the squad was unbalanced; he made it worse, in attack.

 

[Raw]

Also found it weird that we loaned out Januzaj. We could use him right now.

 

[The Man Himself]

Ya our squad is too left leaning. Without proper right wing there is never any progress. Capitalism is the only solution.

 

[Gerald G]

We shouldn't have kept Nani but we should have signed a right winger.

 

[Siorac]

Trump 2016!

 

[YouOnlyLiveTwice]

I agree, i think we need a player keeping the Width and WHO knows how to dribble a player or two.
Mane is pretty obvious.

 

[Cassidy]

I agree, i think we need a player keeping the Width and WHO knows how to dribble a player or two.
Mane is pretty obvious.

Mahrez is better

 

[Steven Seagull]

Would've been nice to have Nani. Maybe he didn't want to come back and it's easy in hindsight to say that from my armchair. But that's why I'm not a professional football manager like some people.

 

[YouOnlyLiveTwice]

Mahrez is better

Different type of players imo.

 

[goin4glory]

Amazed me that so many posters were against the signing of Mane even though he can play in all 3 positions behind the striker. We have zero depth in these areas even our first team starters are very poor.

 

[NoPace]

Amazed me that so many posters were against the signing of Mane even though he can play in all 3 positions behind the striker. We have zero depth in these areas even our first team starters are very poor.

I'm a bit ambivalent on signing him. I think it's just fear that if we sign B+ players they'll keep us from signing better ones. Mane would help but Griezmann and similar level types are more likely to get us back to being CL contenders.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

I think the season so far has shown that we could do with a couple of alternatives. A pacey winger (preferably one who can contribute with a goal or two) and a striker wouldn't go amiss. And I don't think this would be detrimental to the development of any youngsters either. If anything, some of our younger players have featured a bit too much.

As mentioned in another thread, it looks like the idea of Pedro had merit: Not necessarily Pedro, but that sort of player. If we go out and buy a pair of solid professionals in January, I doubt very much that this will influence any long term plans of bringing in a real heavyweight. Simply put, I'm seriously worried that our current options aren't sufficient, based on what we've seen so far and the way LVG insists on playing.

 

[itso 7]

I'm a bit ambivalent on signing him. I think it's just fear that if we sign B+ players they'll keep us from signing better ones. Mane would help but Griezmann and similar level types are more likely to get us back to being CL contenders.

You do know we can have both, right? And at the end of the summer we weren't in for Griezman but we could have pushed for Mane and gotten him if we wanted but us not having a right winger is testament to how radarless we have operated since Fergie went upstairs, imo. Why sell Nani when you haven't secured his replacement? Why get rid of Van Persie and Rafael (different roles I know) when you haven't seen how their replacements will settle? It's one big clusterfeck!

 

[NoPace]

You do know we can have both, right? And at the end of the summer we weren't in for Griezman but we could have pushed for Mane and gotten him if we wanted but us not having a right winger is testament to how radarless we have operated since Fergie went upstairs, imo. Why sell Nani when you haven't secured his replacement? Why get rid of Van Persie and Rafael (different roles I know) when you haven't seen how their replacements will settle? It's one big clusterfeck!

You're not wrong about all the latter stuff, but I do think spending 25-30 on Mane might impact whether or not we spend the 60-70 it might take to get Griezmann.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

We have two in Young and Depay but employ neither there.....

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

Play Memphis there.

 

[itso 7]

You're not wrong about all the latter stuff, but I do think spending 25-30 on Mane might impact whether or not we spend the 60-70 it might take to get Griezmann.

Like I said, we attempted to buy him during the summer and, if we had, it wouldn't have impacted on whether we were going to sign Griezman or not because we weren't in for him then. What he (or any other right winger be it Nani or Januzaj) would have done is help us get through this group which would, on it's own, have given us a ton of money to spend on a Rooney replacement which Griezman is, imo. Now every team and it's dog knows we need attacking reinforcements for January meaning that they will quote us an arm and a leg for very average players which would be infuriating because we let go a couple of inconsistent wingers in Di Maria and Nani - one of whom we practically gave away.
I don't think there is room, in Van Gaal's philoshit, for unpredictable but frustrating players like Nani and this why he didn't seek a replacement with vigor but now we are paying for those decisions. Van Gaal, for all his accomplishments before, is not manager material in the British sense - he may relish the absolute power the role affords him but he lacks the capacity to fulfill the role in it's entirety and the decisions which he made, like loaning out Januzaj and selling Hernandez, reflect this.

 

[Rossa]

It baffles me how LVG can go on about an unbalanced squad and then proceeds to sell his only right winger and not replacing him. Lingered is wasted there; Depay is horrible on the right, and Young is below average. Valencia would do better than all of these, but he doesn't play as a winger anymore. Our play is congested to the middle and the left of the pitch, which makes it so easy to defend. Mata drifts inwards, as does Memphis if he manages to not trip over the ball, and Lingard also prefers to drift in.

I cannot believe that LVG hasn't seen this; it should have been addressed in the summer, at the very latest.

 

[bosnian_red]

We have two in Young and Depay but employ neither there.....

Both have played as left wingers for the majority of their careers. Not sure if Memphis has ever played on the right. Young hasn't played there often at all.

 

[friendlytramp]

It's a process (how many times does lvg have to repeat this?) he is not interested in short term fixes. Nani wasn't right therefore sold, no suitable replacements available therefore promote youngsters give them experience until a suitable option becomes available.

A similar response can be levelled against all criticisms of the man.

 

[devilish]

what about Valencia?

 

[wiz4231]

Januzaj and Wilson both out on loan, both left footed, both could be used there

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Selling Nani, our only right winger, without replacing was ridiculous at best.

Keeping Nani would be even more ridiculous!

It's a process (how many times does lvg have to repeat this?) he is not interested in short term fixes.

Dude, it's been time enough!

 

[jem]

Keeping Nani would be even more ridiculous!

Why?

 

[Chesterlestreet]

It's a process (how many times does lvg have to repeat this?) he is not interested in short term fixes.

The idea itself isn't terrible. But when you're down the road a bit and see (unless you're blind) that your squad options aren't sufficient, you do something about it if you have the means to. Only a madman persists with a "process" regardless of all practical considerations.

Short term fixes may save his United career. If he loses out on top four, he's gone in all likelihood - process or no process. I'm not talking style here, but cold, hard points. We don't create enough chances, we don't score enough goals. That could very possibly come home to roost in a big way towards the business end of the season.

We have one functional striker at the moment. The very least we should do - and with very little detriment to the process, you'd think - is to buy a competent, proven goal scorer. LVG can't be against that - he keeps complaining about how wasteful we are.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Why?

The position was his for the taking after CR left. Apart from a brief period, he's been give more than enough chances and did not succeed. It's time we got a new winger. I can understand not getting a new one, but saying Nani's sale was a blunder is just weird. He's never going to fulfill his potential and that's been obvious for quite some time.

 

[jem]

The position was his for the taking after CR left. Apart from a brief period, he's been give more than enough chances and did not succeed. It's time we got a new winger. I can understand not getting a new one, but saying Nani's sale was a blunder is just weird. He's never going to fulfill his potential and that's been obvious for quite some time.

I'd say it was more than a brief period - 2 and a half very good-to-excellent seasons, followed by an injury-blighted final year with SAF and a write-off year with Moyes (hardly the only one to suffer that fate.)

 

[Devil may care]

We definitely need a left footed wide player with pace for the right wing.

 

[Sky1981]

Even in fm our squad are atrocious, lack of proper backup, and so many new players gellin in

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

Both have played as left wingers for the majority of their careers. Not sure if Memphis has ever played on the right. Young hasn't played there often at all.

Rather, Young is never employed there often enough. With his ability to cross and to beat a man, I'm willing to bet he'd be an even better right winger than left. Same as Memphis, who plays on the left due to his love of shooting and scoring.

Our biggest problem currently with our lack of pure attacking fullbacks is our love for inside out wingers.

 

[Lawman]

Why?

As he had half a good season in about 6 seasons. I know he's better than Mata but he still ain't the answer.

 

[Red_Beans]

Januzaj and Wilson both out on loan, both left footed, both could be used there

I really would of liked to see Wilson on the right wing

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

For all of Nani's frustrations he can cut in and shoot or run past a full back and cross. He has always put up numbers too even at his inconsistent worst.

age wont slow him down as much as other players. He has the perfect physique for football.

 

[wiz4231]

I really would of liked to see Wilson on the right wing

We did see a pretty good cameo of him on the right wing against Arsenal I believe (if I'm not mistaken) this season. Saw him a few times there last season, had some good games and some bad too but that's expected. Overall I do believe he could develop into a good player outwide.

 

[Red_Beans]

We did see a pretty good cameo of him on the right wing against Arsenal I believe (if I'm not mistaken) this season. Saw him a few times there last season, had some good games and some bad too but that's expected. Overall I do believe he could develop into a good player outwide.

I still have hopes of Wilson making it at United. I hope his loan spell goes well and he come back ready for the first team

 

[dcullivanio]

To be honest I'm a bit sick of the whole modern day 'inverted winger' set-up. It seems almost unheard of to play a right footed player on the right and a lefty on the left side these days. Imagine if players could actually just run up the wing and bang in a good cross without having to check back onto their other foot. Modern football is just not as as exciting as it was when it wasn't so convoluted not so long ago. How I wish for the days when teams could play 4-4-2 without terms such as False 9's and inverted wingers!

 

[wiz4231]

I still have hopes of Wilson making it at United. I hope his loan spell goes well and he come back ready for the first team

Me too, been a fan of his, Januzaj, Pereira, Pearson, loved watching them in the U18 and U21s play together. Did have high hope for Daehli too but that didn't work out. Goss is a another who I have high hopes for.

 

[RedDevilCanuck]

To be honest I'm a bit sick of the whole modern day 'inverted winger' set-up. It seems almost unheard of to play a right footed player on the right and a lefty on the left side these days. Imagine if players could actually just run up the wing and bang in a good cross without having to check back onto their other foot. Modern football is just not as as exciting as it was when it wasn't so convoluted not so long ago. How I wish for the days when teams could play 4-4-2 without terms such as False 9's and inverted wingers!

i agree. But some will argue fullbacks provide that traditional width.

i enjoyed our 2010 team. Nani and Valencia beating their man and crossing to Rooney who was making brilliant runs and not missing.

We were a Rooney injury away from the title and were unlucky not to beat Bayern.

It was post Ronaldo but we were still a force.

 

[jem]

As he had half a good season in about 6 seasons. I know he's better than Mata but he still ain't the answer.

Nani had half a good season? You're clearly remembering what you want to remember.

 

[AltiUn]

Nani had half a good season? You're clearly remembering what you want to remember.

To be honest sounds like the opposite is true, people forget that Nani wasn't very good and was regularly torn apart on the Caf and rightly so.