Our fresh batch of deadwood

Van Piorsing

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Lukaku as a player was alright, but as a dressing room character was everything what Solskjaer didn't want in order for rebuild team's morale.

James is stagnating and it's more obvious he won't resurrect the right wing, Ole's biggest decision is VdB to finally clarify if the player is good for the new system, so far he's totally not. Laird could displace both Williams and Dalot in not so distant future. Lingard looks perfect fit for West Ham and it looks like natural progress for his career.

Matić & Mata were never good for us as they were for Chelsea, very tempting to let them go, but the club needs to finally start making things happen on the market... and that's were real problems begin.
 

Jezpeza

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I rate him much higher than that and if we sell him we’ll see another Micheal Keane, Johnny Evans case on our hands.

Fitness is the only issue I see with him but he can stay fit and play we’ve seen that with Aston Villa were he was much more composed than Mings and a big reason they got promoted.
I’m not sure what thats based on, he’s made 14 starts in all comps in 2 seasons since he returned from Villa.
 

Deery

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I’m not sure what thats based on, he’s made 14 starts in all comps in 2 seasons since he returned from Villa.
Based on he was playing regularly at Villa so he’s shown he can stay fit for a long period of time and play.

I would like to see him start tonight against Liverpool because he’s not got a run of games because the manager doesn’t fancy him or whatever but I think he’s got the makings of a very good player.
 

bond19821982

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How exactly is VDB deadwood ? Giving 5 mins every month isn't exactly a definition of deadwood. Give him starts like we have given to other deadwood and see if he can perform.

He deserves another season here.
 

justsomebloke

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Managing a squad and maintaining its quality is highly important for any club to be successful. Having been critical of Oles tactics before he's manages the actual squad well.

Lukaku people can debate over as he's still a quality CF but the likes of
Young
Sanchez
Lingard
Smalling
Pereira

We've done well to move on the above lot.

Having said we still have Mata and Jones who don't seem to really have a place in this team. And personally I see the following too who need to be looked at
James (she's shit)
Williams (regressed completely)
And now VDB (Liam Miller 2.0)

Of course I see an argument that players being given time but I also think smart clubs catch these situations and nip them in the bud. Sitting here two years from now wondering what the feck to do with James/Williams/VDB will be a collosal waste time and space in the squad.

Depressing thread but which players would you act on fast to avoid the same cycle repeating itself? For me the three I mentioned are looking like red flag.s
Isn't the expectation that Mata will leave on a free this summer, to seek new pastures that are less demanding in footballing terms, and more rewarding in financial terms? But in any case, he seems a good figure to have around, for influence etc. As long as he's not used much or at all in games that mean anything.

Jones clearly has zero future on United, and I think everyone knows that. If he could be moved to get away from his onerous and ill-considered contract that would be great, if not I would assume a loan is in the cards, with a view to re-establishing some sort of reputation before being sold. He'll be great for Burnley.

I don't think James is shit, I think he's a highly useful squad player. He should not be sold, IMO. The question is whether you loan him out in the expectation that a year of development on another PL side might unlock growth, or if you just keep him for squad depth, which we need.

Williams looks like he clearly needs to get back on track. A loan or maybe sell with a buyback clause? But, he needs to be replaced for that become feasible. If it's not Laird, then someone must be brought in.

Think it's too early to give up on DvdB, and signals from the club are very clear he's not going anywhere.

You forget Dalot though. Don't know too much about how he's been doing at AC Milan, but I assume the answer is "not good enough to stay".
 

Stobzilla

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Grant
Romero
Lingard
Pereira
Jones
Williams (Loan)
Mata
Matic
James (Loan)

The above can go. No qualms about that, all have had their use but apart from the two loans. It is probably best to let the others go permanently.
 

RUCK4444

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Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Phil Jones
Thisssssssssss

Nobody should leave before this clown.

I’m really starting to become a bit angry with him and his ‘career’ here.

Somebody should total up the amount of money we’ve paid Phil in his time here.

We could have donated that money to the United charity fund and not missed one single moment of this sick notes time here (apart the moment he used his head when on the floor and his facial expressions.)
 

RashyGiggsy

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Feels like a complaining thread because there's not much on TV at the moment.

Brandon Williams is a youth player that may or may not be good enough. Who cares, he didnt cost us anything.

Daniel James even if he is shit is hardly deadwood because he is one of the fastest players in the world and can be a hard player to play against even as a sub even though he consistently makes the wrong decision. There is interest in him, yet he is has his uses as a player that doesnt complain about playing the occasional game even when he isnt on our subs bench most of the time.

VDB - not sure about him. Very specific player with his flicks and dummies at the edges of the box . Either Ole knows his plans for him (as a false 9/shadow striker) or he was a player being forced in to Ole's squad by the board.

Bailly & Tuenzebe - Will be gone soon when the next CB comes.


I dont think we have that many deadwood anymore not anymore than the other teams either.
Right On!!

I don't think Brandon Williams is the next coming of Roberto Carlos, but he is young and with a good loan spell, he might be a very serviceable sub at either LB or RB. Think Phil Neville.

Daniel James, makes the wrong decision most of the time, but not all the time. His relentlessness and his pace open up space for others, and he is an asset defensively. Someone, like James, is good for matches against bottom clubs or in cup matches against lower divisions.

I don't think that we really know about Van der Beek yet. He has often looked out of place this year. And on a few occasions, he has shown some quality. He certainly wouldn't be the first player to take a year or so to adapt to a new club and a new league. We'll have an idea after next year. He doesn't need to become a star, just an effective player who can relieve some of the load in midfield. Think Nicky Butt.

I think that both Bailly and Tuanzebe are decent subs at central defender. Both are strong defenders with good pace, but who also can make some dumb mistakes. Maybe, Tuanzebe with consistent playing time can overcome this. Bailly has shown that he won't. There seems to be some anticipation that Tenden Mengi will be the CB of the future, so Maguire, Mengi, and few newcomers are most likely the central defenders of the future. Lindelof won't stay as a backup.

Alex Telles has had some difficult matches recently, but he also played some effective ones earlier. I'm certainly not ready to call Telles "deadwood" yet. I do wonder about the effects of COVID isolation on foreign players coming into the team this year. Must be psychologically challenging.

Matic, Mata, and Martial. Juan Mata will be gone next year, though I suspect that he will make a great manager someday - maybe an assistant to Ole in few years. I think that Matic is still our most effective defensive midfielder; he just can't keep up with either pace or 90 minutes anymore. Mata and Matic represent a lot of football intelligence - more than deadwood - a young team needs that football intelligence around them. Martial is an enigma. I don't want to venture a guess as to what the problem is, as he has the talent and ability to be a very good CF, but he doesn't always perform up to his ability. I don't know why, and I don't trust amateur analysts either. He's not a kid anymore, so another year like this one and he's deadwood.

AND, hopefully, if United bring in Declan Rice or Eduardo Camavinga (a box-to-box midfielder/defensive midfielder), then Fred could become "deadwood", or expendable.

We should note one thing about the "deadwood" analogy - Mason Greenwood appeared as deadwood from about August through March, but he is certainly "on-fire-wood" now. So, we maybe should be careful about labelling young players as deadwood.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Right On!!

I don't think Brandon Williams is the next coming of Roberto Carlos, but he is young and with a good loan spell, he might be a very serviceable sub at either LB or RB. Think Phil Neville.

Daniel James, makes the wrong decision most of the time, but not all the time. His relentlessness and his pace open up space for others, and he is an asset defensively. Someone, like James, is good for matches against bottom clubs or in cup matches against lower divisions.

I don't think that we really know about Van der Beek yet. He has often looked out of place this year. And on a few occasions, he has shown some quality. He certainly wouldn't be the first player to take a year or so to adapt to a new club and a new league. We'll have an idea after next year. He doesn't need to become a star, just an effective player who can relieve some of the load in midfield. Think Nicky Butt.

I think that both Bailly and Tuanzebe are decent subs at central defender. Both are strong defenders with good pace, but who also can make some dumb mistakes. Maybe, Tuanzebe with consistent playing time can overcome this. Bailly has shown that he won't. There seems to be some anticipation that Tenden Mengi will be the CB of the future, so Maguire, Mengi, and few newcomers are most likely the central defenders of the future. Lindelof won't stay as a backup.

Alex Telles has had some difficult matches recently, but he also played some effective ones earlier. I'm certainly not ready to call Telles "deadwood" yet. I do wonder about the effects of COVID isolation on foreign players coming into the team this year. Must be psychologically challenging.

Matic, Mata, and Martial. Juan Mata will be gone next year, though I suspect that he will make a great manager someday - maybe an assistant to Ole in few years. I think that Matic is still our most effective defensive midfielder; he just can't keep up with either pace or 90 minutes anymore. Mata and Matic represent a lot of football intelligence - more than deadwood - a young team needs that football intelligence around them. Martial is an enigma. I don't want to venture a guess as to what the problem is, as he has the talent and ability to be a very good CF, but he doesn't always perform up to his ability. I don't know why, and I don't trust amateur analysts either. He's not a kid anymore, so another year like this one and he's deadwood.

AND, hopefully, if United bring in Declan Rice or Eduardo Camavinga (a box-to-box midfielder/defensive midfielder), then Fred could become "deadwood", or expendable.

We should note one thing about the "deadwood" analogy - Mason Greenwood appeared as deadwood from about August through March, but he is certainly "on-fire-wood" now. So, we maybe should be careful about labelling young players as deadwood.
:lol: Come on now

One should be able to the difference in a special talent deserving of patience. And Daniel James. That's called decision making. It's fine if you rate all these players but making these decisions are what squad management is all about. "They're all fine in some way" is as counterproductive as "they're all terrible if they're not great". Difference of opinion is fine.
 

The Purley King

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I think we need to have a think about our squad, identify areas of weakness and ensure we have correct pathways for our talented youngsters.

I think we should sell/release the following; De Gea, Romero, Joel Pereira, Phil Jones, Diogo Dalot, Mata, Lingard, Andreas Pereira, James, Martial and Chong.

This would leave us with

Goalkeepers
Henderson, Grant, Bishop

Defenders
Lindelof, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw, Telles, AWB, Williams, Tuanzebe, Mengi, Laird

Midfielders
Pogba, Fred, Bruno, Matic, VdB, Garner, McTominay, Hannibal, Levitt

Attackers
Cavani, Rashford, Greenwood, Amad, Pellistri, Shoretire, Elanga

We benefit from the fact quite a few of our players are positionally flexible. However, a lot of these players are young and could do with loans.

I would look to find loans for the following;

Brandon Williams - He needs regular game time if he's going to make it here. Another season like this season doesn't benefit him whatsoever. He's contracted to 2024, I'd look to find him a loan to a premier league side who play progressive football, such as Brighton or Norwich then reassess his situation the season after.

Ethan Laird - By all accounts he did great at MK Dons this season. We should look to get him a loan in the Championship for another progressive, attacking side.

Teden Mengi - Still young. Did ok at Derby by all accounts, but could do with a full season in the Championship to get game time. He won't play if he stays here.

Dylan Levitt - The move to Croatia was odd. Charlton wasn't a good loan. I think there's a good player there, but he needs a good loan. He'll be 21 next season so really needs a good loan if he's to make it here. Nottingham Forrest as a replacement for Garner could be a good move for him.

Facundo Pellistri - I think he needs to play in Britain to get used to the style of football here. I actually think Celtic could be a good move for him on loan, especially if Eddie Howe takes over.

Anthony Elanga - Didn't quite look ready vs Leicester. I think he could go to the Championship, but again the style of player he is I wouldn't be against him going somewhere like Celtic to play regularly. I think the key is getting game time wherever he goes.

This reduces the squad size a lot.

Goalkeepers
Henderson, Grant, Bishop

Defenders
Lindelof, Bailly, Maguire, Shaw, Telles, AWB, Tuanzebe

Midfielders
Pogba, Fred, Bruno, Matic, VdB, Garner, McTominay, Hannibal

Attackers
Cavani, Rashford, Greenwood, Amad, Shoretire.

That's a squad of 23. I think Shoretire is still too young and could probably have a similarish role to what he's had this season, some game time with the u23s, and some experience with the senior side. I wouldn't send him on loan due to his age.

I think that squad lacks an experienced and reliable backup to Henderson, a back up right back for AWB, a proper #6 (who if we signed we could look to probably move on VdB or Matic and a RW.

Sam Johnstone has been linked, I think that would be a good move for us. Knows the club, wouldn't cost much, and likely would be happy to deputise for Henderson.

Kieran Trippier would be a good right back option. Can rotate in with AWB and at 30 is at an age where he wouldn't block the progression too much of younger full backs we have either on loan or in the academy.

Jadon Sancho has been linked for years and would be the ideal option to play across the front. Get it done.

Declan Rice I think he'd be the smartest move we can make this summer. We seen how good Matic was as an actual #6. McTominay nor Fred can play that position and it's a glaring weakness in the squad.

We have too many CB options to sign a new CB unless we sold Tuanzebe, as Lindelof nor Maguire are going anywhere, and we just renewed Bailly.
Excellent post, I agree with everything apart from signing Trippier and Rice. Rice is way overrated in my opinion, would much rather Bissouma or Ndidi (but Ndidi would probably be too expensive).
 

OmarUnited4ever

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The first thing that the club should look at is the Loanees, we have two types of them

  1. Young players loaned for development, these are Pallistri, Laird, Garner, Levitt, Chong, and Mengi, we need to make sure that they are actually developing well and have a chance to be integrated into the senior squad, and by the time they are 22/23, we need to decide if they are worth keeping or not good enough and be sold for some profit.
  2. Senior players loaned for the purpose getting game time and increase the chances of finding them new clubs, these are Lingard, Pereira, and Dalot, I consider them surplus to requirements and hopefully we can sell them and get some sort of profits
The first group isnt deadwood, but we still need to make sure we don't keep them too long if they don't prove to be good enough, not every youth product makes it to the first team of Manchester United.

The second group is a deadwood and should be let go.


Now if I look at the current squad players, we have some that I think should not be retained for next season and be let go if possible.

  • Phil Jones
  • Juan Mata
  • Nemanja Matic.

I see no value in keeping them next season, Tuanzebe & Bailly can be our CB backup options unless we sign someone new who can actually compete with Maguire & Lindelof, so Jones is not needed at all. For Mata, I think his minutes should go to Amad as I can see him becoming a squad option for the RW position, for Matic, I hope this season we sign CM who can compete with the McFred duo for the CM position, and we have Pogba to cover that position against small oppositions if needed.

Then there is Brandon Williams, who's only 20 years old and didn't get much of a game time, I think he really needs to be loaned to a Championship side and get as much game time as possible so he can be assessed properly, he did a good job last year for sometime and this season didn't play much.

Daniel James and Donny van de Beek should be given another season, I know both didn't have good season this time but I still hope they can become a good squad options.

Finally Anthony Martial, despite his terrible season, I still hold some sort of hope in him to turn it around next season, Cavani will provide a strong competition and hopefully this fires up his determination to come back to the starting lineup, but I think next season is a do or die for him, he has to step up and become much better than he is now.

In conclusion, the ones I consider deadwoods are Jones, Mata, Matic, Lingard, Pereira and Dalot they all need to be let go, and we would need to sign at least 1 new CM/DM to cover/compete with McFred.

Sorry for the long write-up.
 

hobbers

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Having deadwood is a never ending fact of life at United it seems. Ole hasn't done any better or worse than other managers, it's a never ending conveyorbelt.

We permanently moved on Darmian, Valencia, Young, Sanchez, TFM, CBJ and Rojo. Smalling, Herrera and Lukaku (however good a sale it was) were obviously not deadwood.

Lingard, Pereira, Dalot and Chong are all still United players and need to be moved on permanently.

And as well as those four we've got Mata, Matic, Jones, Williams, James who clearly dont have a long term future here. Martial and VdB are both also dangerously close to being worthy of that label.
 

AjaxCunian

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Telles is looking horrible recently, thought he would be a huge hit for his price. Hope he picks up better form.
 

romufc

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I think some need to understand the term deadwood. How has Ole not done better than the rest? He has got rid of alot of deadwood who used to be near the first team squad.

Mata, Jones, Williams hardly play. Williams is a youth product who will improve and is only used like 5 times this season, hardly deadwood.

Donny has had one season at the club and he is deadwood?

I mean the deadwood that Ole got rid were regular starters at the club, the ones being mentioned hardly play.

How many of the first 11 are deadwood? or even first 15.
 

pacifictheme

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Not Good Enough
James
Williams
Van De Beek
Tuanzebe
Bailly* unecessary contract Jones all over again.
Jones

Over the Hill

Mata
Matic

Apart from above mentioned we have some players on loan excluding youngsters who should not be in United's squad next season .

Then we have conundrum of DeGea and Martial and how to deal with them .

All in all plenty of fat which needs to be trimmed once the summer window opens.
Tuanzebe isn't good enough? What? The only question mark I have over him is his injury record. He' seems good enough to be a squad player for me.
 

Jackal981

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Dan James. We signed him because of that scum wifebeater cnut giggs
 

bsCallout

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Not Good Enough
James
Williams
Van De Beek
Tuanzebe
Bailly* unecessary contract Jones all over again.
Jones

Over the Hill

Mata
Matic

Apart from above mentioned we have some players on loan excluding youngsters who should not be in United's squad next season .

Then we have conundrum of DeGea and Martial and how to deal with them .

All in all plenty of fat which needs to be trimmed once the summer window opens.
James
VdB
Tuanzabe

All perfectly fine squad players to have.

Williams just needs a loan.
Mata contracts almost up.
 

FatTails

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Dan James is young still and has enough to be a decent squad player. We will be competing on multiple fronts next year and need a deep squad. She can play on the right and left, and has tons of pace that could help affect games late on.

Mata is class and can still play at a decent level, just not at the level we want and he doesn’t really fit Ole’s idea of an attacking player. He’ll probably go to Spain or Italy.

I don’t know who in their right mind would gamble on Jones. I think he’ll be here till his contract runs out, or will be partially paid out and released as a free agent (if an agreement can be reached with him).
 

andy0

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According to a tweet I just saw, Arsenal have a longer lost of deadwood
 

redrobed

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I think we should try to be a bit more respectful of our squad even if we’re not a fan of their contributions. It’s one thing opposition fans name calling our players but let’s try and support them while they’re here.

The only reason we’re talking about Williams and James is because they’ve been good enough to break into the 1st team in the first place. That being said I don’t think James has the ability or potential to even be a bench player really. DVB doesn’t fit the system and therefore should be sold for a good fee (shouldn’t really have been bought). Williams I’d be happy to let go of on loan and re-evaluate next summer.
 

VP89

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I'm not going to rule VDB out after 1 season, but agree with the rest. I'd think we will move Williams on after considering offers from Southampton last year. James probably will stay because Ole seems to like what he offers on a counter, so it looks. I think Jones needs moving on, Romero will go, Mata & will go at the end of this season and Pereira & Dalot should be moved on. Lingard will probably make a West Ham move permanent.

So we should reasonably expect the below to be moved on, which is quite a lot of players:

Romero
Mata
Pereira
Dalot
Lingard
Williams
^ And if Jones can go it's a miracle.
 

Ace

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Telles is looking horrible recently, thought he would be a huge hit for his price. Hope he picks up better form.
He's fine as a backup for Shaw who should be starting the majority of matches, but should not be starting important matches for us.
 

rron10

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So
James - Had 2 full seasons here, started well, scored and assisted in a few games then went on being mediocre for any PL side, never mind us. - needs to be sold

Williams - Had some good games at the start but he barely plays so he cannot develop here, now. He is still young and has potential, it’s up to him - needs to be loaned

Vdb - only his first season in the PL, his play style does not seem to suit us, he plays everywhere on paper but nowhere in real life. He’s to soft to play cm but too limited and lacks the spark to play cam. If Ole does not change the way we play I do not see him being a hit

Tuanzebe - Young and he has shown potential, if he stays fit he may challenge for a starting spot - def keep

Jones - sold/released no question

Bailly - too injury prone to have a career at this level, I do not see a turnover like in Luke’s case - sell

Mata - past it for 3 years

Matic - past it - sell

Martial - I think Ole still trusts him and will give him another season

Lingard, Pereira - clearly sell

Dalot - He could be kept as backup to AWB

Telles - Decent backup for Shaw
 

AjaxCunian

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He's fine as a backup for Shaw who should be starting the majority of matches, but should not be starting important matches for us.
I dont think he really has been, think Williams last season was better for the most part of the season than Telles has been. But Williams is pretty horrible now as well.
 

phenry

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I agree, very disrespectful. As is calling players in our squad deadwood, I hate that term.
I think some players could be called deadwood like Jones, or Hargreaves when we was here. It's disrespectful to players like Mata and Matic who added value but they're at a point in their career when its time they move on.
 

Rightnr

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Anyone saying Van de Beek is not good enough after barely getting a chance this whole season is pretty clueless.

People were saying the exact same thing about Fred and although he's far from perfect, he's proven his worth. But that only happened when our manager had no choice but to play him. Similar to how he had to play Diallo against Milan and we qualified thanks to him.

Anyone saying Van de Beek is not good enough should definitely be blaming the manager ahead of the player, if anyone.

I personally think he'd play much better in the right system. And if we won't play that way, we should sell him and move on but him being in the same list as Phil Jones and these other jokers is not a serious argument.

So Telles and VdB are both being discussed in a thread about deadwood after their first season of PL football. Isn’t it Dan James’ first season at this level too?



Classic redcafe.
Dan James has been average for United for two seasons now and way longer in general in his football career
 

UTD_Since_1978

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Pereira and Lingard are still Man Utd players btw.
Also, i see Mata brought up in these conversations a lot lately, when in fact, his contract expires in like 3 weeks.

Williams will probably be loaned out and I'm fine with VDB, as long as Ole actually trusts him. Otherwise, obviously he should be moved on.

James is shit, yeah.

Edit: Also, special mention to Chong, who is hopeless and couldn't land a place in a relegation squad. Didn't we bump his wages last year?
Yeah Chong & Gomes looked very promising youngsters about 2 years ago, of course Gomes left & Chong whilst still at UTD can't even get a starting berth at crappy Club Brugge so how he'll think he will get in to UTD's first team in the EPL god knows.

As for current "deadwood", I think Pereira has to go, so does Jones & Mata, Matic maybe one last season as a back up only, it's probably better for all concerned to sell Lingard, the guy is almost 30 now.

Personally speaking I would have no qualms whatsoever in selling Lindelof, Maguire, Bailly & Fred & bring in 2 top class CBs & a top class CDM, well that's what I would do if I was Ole anyway.
 

Ace

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I dont think he really has been, think Williams last season was better for the most part of the season than Telles has been. But Williams is pretty horrible now as well.
I’m not a huge fan of his, but I definitely think Telles is a better option than Williams which is why we haven’t seen Williams on the left since Telles’ arrival.

My point is that Luke Shaw is among the best in the league, in the form of his life, and should be starting 38/38 games in the Premier League if fit (assuming we’re not scheduled to 4 games in 8 days). Telles is fine to play cup matches or maybe a few appearances in the group stages of European competitions. We’re not going to be in the market for an elite LB to backup Shaw, but we should expect more than Brandon Williams (which is why we signed Telles).

He’ll be around for another season or two as a depth guy and nothing more.
 

bosnian_red

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It's kind of dependent on incomings, but if Sancho comes in then everyone in the front 3 that isn't a youth player outside of Cavani/Rashford/Martial/Sancho/Greenwood is basically dead wood (so James, Mata and Lingard). Van de Beek is looking like he'll head down that route as he's a squad player who can't really play in a midfield 2 but is ineffective when he does play anyway, so is never trusted outside of pointless minutes. Jones/Tuanzebe/Williams/ Pereira/Chong/a few of the goalkeepers are all dead wood too.
 

Acole9

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Feb 17, 2013
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12,503
I think some players could be called deadwood like Jones, or Hargreaves when we was here. It's disrespectful to players like Mata and Matic who added value but they're at a point in their career when its time they move on.
Yeah that's fair enough.
 

Luke1995

Full Member
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Jan 4, 2016
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Brandon WIlliams shouldn't be written off after just one season. Kid's still young. Didn't Shaw had a poor first season before settling in ?
 

Inigo Montoya

Leave Wayne Rooney alone!!
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It's kind of dependent on incomings, but if Sancho comes in then everyone in the front 3 that isn't a youth player outside of Cavani/Rashford/Martial/Sancho/Greenwood is basically dead wood (so James, Mata and Lingard). Van de Beek is looking like he'll head down that route as he's a squad player who can't really play in a midfield 2 but is ineffective when he does play anyway, so is never trusted outside of pointless minutes. Jones/Tuanzebe/Williams/ Pereira/Chong/a few of the goalkeepers are all dead wood too.
Tuanzebe is far from dead wood.
 

bosnian_red

Worst scout to ever exist
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Tuanzebe is far from dead wood.
Dead wood in the sense of his age compared to the role he has and the games he is trusted to take part in. He pretty much doesn't play unless it's a completely meaningless game or there is an injury crisis. That's pretty much dead wood isn't it? He's 23, I'd love for him to become something here but I just don't see it. He needs regular football meanwhile at United he'll only play pointless games, which means he'll never develop enough to be anything more. And time is running out for him.

I'd count every player who isn't trusted to actually rotate in for a normal game to be dead wood. Tuanzebe has pretty much become that, like Mata or Williams.