Adriano, I always thought he would become the best player in the world. I was quite young at the time though. But he was an absolute beast and who would have thought he would end up being seen in the Favela’s in Brazil and up in court for charges of drug trafficking?!
Players you were right and wrong about
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Agree with all of these, though I have some doubts about Rashford.
Plus I don’t think you did overrate Anderson. He was genuinely great for us at first.
Ousmane Dembele - was right about that one, you just knew he would be great.
Anderson - so fecking wrong, thought we had a gem there.
Shaw - thought he was nailed on to be a worldie LB, could have been though if that prick didn't break his leg. Still time left mind.
Young - wrote him off time and time again.
Pastore - thought he would reach incredible heights, he was bloody amazing in Italy. Injury has played a part though.
Anderson - so fecking wrong, thought we had a gem there.
Shaw - thought he was nailed on to be a worldie LB, could have been though if that prick didn't break his leg. Still time left mind.
Young - wrote him off time and time again.
Pastore - thought he would reach incredible heights, he was bloody amazing in Italy. Injury has played a part though.
Always thought Danny Webber and Fraizer Campbell would be good squad players for us. Definitely had something about them but clearly you need a bit more than that to start up front for Man Utd.
I was massively underwhelmed when we signed him. Not because he wasn’t good enough, but because he wasn’t what we needed at the time.
He was pretty good in his first season, crap in his next two, massively improved the moment LVG arrived and I’ve liked him ever since.
I didn't realise this thread was for non United players too. One that I was right about was Shevchenko going to Chelsea, I knew he would be a flop. Funny really, I remember Abramovich was hell bent on getting him. When he joined along with Ballack everyone thought they'd walk the league.
Wrong about: Cristiano Ronaldo 
It's a bit embarrassing to admit this now, but I had doubts about him for a while. He was clearly very technically talented and would go on to be a good player, but I didn't expect him to be world class, not until midway through the 05/06 season really. Rooney sometimes looked like a better prospect before that. I remember seeing Ronaldo crying at the 2004 Euro and figured he was a bit of a softie or something. His inconsistency, lack of end product, and diving didn't help. It can be hard to predict someone's mental strength and, in Ronaldo's case utter determination to do everything to reach the top.
Wrong about: Darren Fletcher. I used to groan when he was subbed on as a young player. Didn't see anything to be excited about. Came to love him later though.
Wrong about: Dimitar Berbatov. I was very excited about Utd signing him, and expected him to be absolutely brilliant for us. While he wasn't a huge flop or anything, we only saw his brilliance in spurts.
Wrong about: Adnan Januzaj. Thought we were absolutely right to turn down the huge offer from PSG. The only regular highlight in the Moyes season. Expected him to go on and make it here.
Right about: Angel Di Maria. Didn't see how he could be the right fit for this league, or for the team. He seemed soft and lightweight. Massively overpriced too. A Woodward marquee signing, more style than substance.
Right about: Memphis Depay. A wide forward without pace, without great technique, without great football intelligence, in the PL? No thank you.
It's a bit embarrassing to admit this now, but I had doubts about him for a while. He was clearly very technically talented and would go on to be a good player, but I didn't expect him to be world class, not until midway through the 05/06 season really. Rooney sometimes looked like a better prospect before that. I remember seeing Ronaldo crying at the 2004 Euro and figured he was a bit of a softie or something. His inconsistency, lack of end product, and diving didn't help. It can be hard to predict someone's mental strength and, in Ronaldo's case utter determination to do everything to reach the top.Wrong about: Darren Fletcher. I used to groan when he was subbed on as a young player. Didn't see anything to be excited about. Came to love him later though.
Wrong about: Dimitar Berbatov. I was very excited about Utd signing him, and expected him to be absolutely brilliant for us. While he wasn't a huge flop or anything, we only saw his brilliance in spurts.
Wrong about: Adnan Januzaj. Thought we were absolutely right to turn down the huge offer from PSG. The only regular highlight in the Moyes season. Expected him to go on and make it here.
Right about: Angel Di Maria. Didn't see how he could be the right fit for this league, or for the team. He seemed soft and lightweight. Massively overpriced too. A Woodward marquee signing, more style than substance.
Right about: Memphis Depay. A wide forward without pace, without great technique, without great football intelligence, in the PL? No thank you.
Just thought....How could I forget Ole Solskjaer ?
Absolutely unheard of when we signed him so I didn't know what to expect and if not an all-time great, surely an all-time legend at OT
And if we are going with non-United players, it hurts me to say it but Silva and Aguero have to be right up there on the list of players who have massively exceeded anyone's expectations.
Absolutely unheard of when we signed him so I didn't know what to expect and if not an all-time great, surely an all-time legend at OT
And if we are going with non-United players, it hurts me to say it but Silva and Aguero have to be right up there on the list of players who have massively exceeded anyone's expectations.
Thought Cleverley would become great.
Thought Veron would rock it in the PL.
Thought Rooney was a poor buy.
Thought Beckham was a poor mans substitute for Kanchelskis.
Kinda knew Depay wasn't all that.
Same with Cruyff, Poborsky and Januzaj.
Thought Veron would rock it in the PL.
Thought Rooney was a poor buy.
Thought Beckham was a poor mans substitute for Kanchelskis.
Kinda knew Depay wasn't all that.
Same with Cruyff, Poborsky and Januzaj.
For me the biggest wrong would be VdS
I thought he was done at top level when Fergie bought him.. Boy was I wrong. Evra also thought he wasnt cut out for the PL..
Right would be Carrick and Vidic thought they were excellent signings and defended them for a long time.. Will also name Martial there but the judgement is still not quite in..
I thought he was done at top level when Fergie bought him.. Boy was I wrong. Evra also thought he wasnt cut out for the PL..
Right would be Carrick and Vidic thought they were excellent signings and defended them for a long time.. Will also name Martial there but the judgement is still not quite in..
Right about...
Samuel Eto'o - Remember reading about him in the newspapers, looking at results from various leagues around Europe. Saw him on Eurogoals an said to myself that he'll soon end up at a bigger club and make it
Ronaldo - Saw the first game he played for us and said to myself... We've got a worldie here
Cleverley - Never understood what SAF saw in him...
Wrong about...
Torres - Thought he'd have a tough time here... sadly I was wrong about him
Rebrov - Scored for fun in Kiev and thought he'd make it for Spurs...
Adriano - Guess most of us expected him to end up at a bigger club than Inter one day...
Samuel Eto'o - Remember reading about him in the newspapers, looking at results from various leagues around Europe. Saw him on Eurogoals an said to myself that he'll soon end up at a bigger club and make it
Ronaldo - Saw the first game he played for us and said to myself... We've got a worldie here
Cleverley - Never understood what SAF saw in him...
Wrong about...
Torres - Thought he'd have a tough time here... sadly I was wrong about him
Rebrov - Scored for fun in Kiev and thought he'd make it for Spurs...
Adriano - Guess most of us expected him to end up at a bigger club than Inter one day...
Mate, I honestly thought we bought next Ronaldinho.
Agree that he was very good for the first season or two.About Rashford, it depends on expectations. Have also doubts about him becoming a genuine world-class striker, but can see him being a very good and reliable striker. Will that be enough to be first striker option at United is something to be seen.
You're not far wrong about the Rooney CM thing IMO.
I always thought the closer he played to Scholesy the better. They could do anyone!
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After his debut I told my mates he’d be the BPITW
Was dead wrong about Anderson though, I thought he’d end up winning the Ballon d’Or while at United!
Wrong:
Anderson, thought he would be the perfect Scholes replacement.
Young - he hasn't succeeded Giggs or anything like that, but he has earned my trust and even became one of my favorites
Rojo - maybe too early, but knowing him from Russia I thought he would be a disaster. He isn't, even though the jury is still out, whenever he will prove that it wasn't a purple patch but his actual level
Right:
Falcao - somehow never expected much of him when he signed, so it turned out exactly as I thought it would
De Gea - wanted him from the start, even ahead of Adler (was very hyped then) and Neuer. Hated with passion those who wanted us to start Lindegaard ahead of him (there were so many, especially in Russia for whatever reason), it was so obvious for me that De Gea will turn out world beater. But even then he possibly exceeded even my generous expectations
Anderson, thought he would be the perfect Scholes replacement.
Young - he hasn't succeeded Giggs or anything like that, but he has earned my trust and even became one of my favorites
Rojo - maybe too early, but knowing him from Russia I thought he would be a disaster. He isn't, even though the jury is still out, whenever he will prove that it wasn't a purple patch but his actual level
Right:
Falcao - somehow never expected much of him when he signed, so it turned out exactly as I thought it would
De Gea - wanted him from the start, even ahead of Adler (was very hyped then) and Neuer. Hated with passion those who wanted us to start Lindegaard ahead of him (there were so many, especially in Russia for whatever reason), it was so obvious for me that De Gea will turn out world beater. But even then he possibly exceeded even my generous expectations
Antonio Valencia - I was his biggest critic at RW but when he made the move to RB I saw the potential very early.
Right:
De Gea - I said from his first day he would go on to be the best keeper in the world.
Ashley Young - Even when he was getting his worst slating from United fans I always thought he had something to offer
Pogba - Most United fans probably thought this too but I never once thought we were wrong to spend 89m on him, despite bitters saying we were ripped off.
Shaw - Still a long way to go but even at his lowest moments I thought he could still make it here and I still hope he can, he's on the right road.
Wrong:
Lingard - Never seen this form coming, thank God Jose did
Rojo - Since Mourinho arrived he's become our best defender, I thought he'd be one of the first shipped out.
Jones - He's been better the past 12 months or so but I was convinced by now we'd have a John Terry on our hands, which hasn't happened (still time)
Schneiderlin - I thought he was gonna be the perfect midfield partner for his countryman Pogba, couldn't have been more wrong.
Januzaj - Probably the one I was most wrong about, I thought this kid would go onto be the next Ronaldo, I really thought we had something special on our hands
De Gea - I said from his first day he would go on to be the best keeper in the world.
Ashley Young - Even when he was getting his worst slating from United fans I always thought he had something to offer
Pogba - Most United fans probably thought this too but I never once thought we were wrong to spend 89m on him, despite bitters saying we were ripped off.
Shaw - Still a long way to go but even at his lowest moments I thought he could still make it here and I still hope he can, he's on the right road.
Wrong:
Lingard - Never seen this form coming, thank God Jose did
Rojo - Since Mourinho arrived he's become our best defender, I thought he'd be one of the first shipped out.
Jones - He's been better the past 12 months or so but I was convinced by now we'd have a John Terry on our hands, which hasn't happened (still time)
Schneiderlin - I thought he was gonna be the perfect midfield partner for his countryman Pogba, couldn't have been more wrong.
Januzaj - Probably the one I was most wrong about, I thought this kid would go onto be the next Ronaldo, I really thought we had something special on our hands
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So you were wrong thenAfter his debut I told my mates he’d be the BPITW
Wrong about Depay and Januzaj.
Right about Cleverley.
Right about Cleverley.
Thought Beppe Rossi was going to be a superstar and was furious when he was moved to make space for Tevez. Rossi is still the best youth and reserve player I have seen in recent years, pity his knees were made of string.
Didn't think Scholes could play midfield when he first started games there. Hard to top that one.
Tim Howard, from his first pre-season I thought he would be our keeper for years.
Januzaj.
Didn't think Scholes could play midfield when he first started games there. Hard to top that one.
Tim Howard, from his first pre-season I thought he would be our keeper for years.
Januzaj.
I could never understand that myself. Lindegaard is Championship quality at best, always was.
Nicky Butt..... thought he was really average early on and out of his depth.
Matured into a solid 8/10. Not world class but once he'd settled, perfect squad player and rarely concerned if Keane was out
Matured into a solid 8/10. Not world class but once he'd settled, perfect squad player and rarely concerned if Keane was out
I didn't know Ryan Giggs has an account on redcafe
Di Maria. Had great hopes. In a way Berba, I really liked him. I was sorry to see Rafael go. Jones, never thought he would become as decent a centre half as he is.
A player I was wrong about was Suarez. Didn't think he would work out at Barca.
Biggest mistake/ disappointment: Phil Jones. At 19 in his first season with us I genuinely thought he would go on to become one of our top 3 players ever. Playing multiple positions and later constant injuries proved that was not to be the case, but Jones was a Behemoth of a talent. Remember when Varane was linked with us before going to Real he said something along the line of he wasn't sure about United since we already had Jones
Jones has been excellent for us barring injuries
I feel that SAF's comments on him skewed expectations to an unfair degree.
He's only 25(young for a CB) and has played 17 of 22 PL games for us this season, and has looked top class for the most part.
Whilst he's not going to go down as an all time great, he still has the potential to elevate himself to the status as one of Europe's top CB's if he can steer clear of major injuries (as he has done for the most part this season).
One thing Jones does have is a mental toughness and bravery that will stand us in good stead for tough European ties in the future (his performance at the Bernabeu in 2013 is a good example, he gave a great account of himself considering that he was only 20 and playing in the unfamiliar role as a defensive midfielder, yet still didn't look out of place by any means.
People underrate Jones because his perception in the general public/media has been skewed by the mockery of his face during matches (the snapshots demonstrating the unusual faces he makes) - he's much better than the majority of the country realises, hence all of his managers have always had him as 1st choice when fully fit.
Darren fletcher - his performances against Milan, Roma, Bayern, Arsenal in that 2008 -2010 period were exceptional.
I actually think that at his albeit short peak, Darren fletcher was better than Michael Carrick at his peak. He performed better in the tough, high pressure games, especially in Europe, than Carrick.
What do people think?
I still rate Carrick very highly of course, and his career is much better overall than Fletcher's - I just feel that Fletcher hit a slightly higher peak
I actually think that at his albeit short peak, Darren fletcher was better than Michael Carrick at his peak. He performed better in the tough, high pressure games, especially in Europe, than Carrick.
What do people think?
I still rate Carrick very highly of course, and his career is much better overall than Fletcher's - I just feel that Fletcher hit a slightly higher peak
Right: Knew Suarez would be world class from Ajax days. Saw enough of his early games at Liverpool to be certain of it, was on a different level in terms of pure talent to anyone else in the league even then. Rated Zlatan since his Ajax days too. Knew he'd make it. Knew Walcott was average from the start. Always knew Joe Hart was overrated. Strongly suspected de Gea would reach the levels he has (even when people were criticising him at the start here). Also knew Lingard would thrive under Mourinho. Rated Eriksen all along. Rated Vertonghen from his first game in England, also knew Pochetino would be as good as he is. Berbatov wouldn't really fit in here. Moyes.
Unsure: Van Dijk has yet to make it, but I've rated him since Celtic. Hopefully he fails now. Thought Shaw was the next Ashley Cole.
Wrong: Thought Wilshere would be the heir to Scholes. Thought Chamberlain would be the best English forward of his generation. Thought Kane hit a purple patch in his first season and was average, didn't see him becoming world class. Didn't think Cahill was good enough for a top side. Also thought Schneiderlin was an excellent midfielder. Didn't think Salah would make it at a top club (or Liverpool). Heinze was world class.
Unsure: Van Dijk has yet to make it, but I've rated him since Celtic. Hopefully he fails now. Thought Shaw was the next Ashley Cole.
Wrong: Thought Wilshere would be the heir to Scholes. Thought Chamberlain would be the best English forward of his generation. Thought Kane hit a purple patch in his first season and was average, didn't see him becoming world class. Didn't think Cahill was good enough for a top side. Also thought Schneiderlin was an excellent midfielder. Didn't think Salah would make it at a top club (or Liverpool). Heinze was world class.
That's a tricky one, but I think I'd disagree. For a good couple of seasons Carrick was easily our best midfielder and a bit of an unsung hero who I think was instrumental for Fergie's success in his latter years. Having said that, I do think Carrick's overall play depends very much on the team around him whereas Fletcher at his best always seemed to be an absolute titan irrespective of who else was in the team. For instance I'd feel much more assured with Fletcher partnering someone like Fellaini in midfield than I would Carrick. But give Carrick a midfield partner like Scholes and its day and night.
Nope.
I remember thinking Modric was destined for immense things when he was at Spurs. Gone on to be one of the best midfielders this generation.
I also remember thinking Obertan looked great on YouTube.
I also remember thinking Obertan looked great on YouTube.
I always said Fellaini would be a good player for us (and as far as I am concerned, it is now generally accepted that he is).
Was also a firm advocate for Bale and Modric before their heyday.
Wrong about? I was sure that Rafael, Fabio and Evans would go on to be three quarters of our defensive line for another decade or so.
Was also a firm advocate for Bale and Modric before their heyday.
Wrong about? I was sure that Rafael, Fabio and Evans would go on to be three quarters of our defensive line for another decade or so.
I was convinced that Di Maria would become a superstar for us,so got that horribly wrong.I also thought that Januzaj and Wilson were nailed on to become the future of the club,but unfortunately I was completely off the mark.
Another one that no one has mentioned is ........Cantona.
Remember moving house at the time, and while moving stuff to the new house, heard it on the radio while we losing in the League cup to Villa I believe, "Eric Cantana has sign for Manchester United". What the hell?
Wondered how he'd fit in with Hughes and McClair, and what the hell SAF was thinking signing a loose cannon like Cantona?
Never thought he'd go down in folklore as a legend after only 4 years.
Remember moving house at the time, and while moving stuff to the new house, heard it on the radio while we losing in the League cup to Villa I believe, "Eric Cantana has sign for Manchester United". What the hell?
Wondered how he'd fit in with Hughes and McClair, and what the hell SAF was thinking signing a loose cannon like Cantona?
Never thought he'd go down in folklore as a legend after only 4 years.
Some clueless pundit said we’d be better off signing Shay Given. Really.
Right:
Schneiderlin
Cruyf
Cleverley
Welbeck
Young
Wrong:
Depay
Lingard(?)
Smalling(?)
Falcao
For the future- i think that lindelof is mistake. Hope i will be wrong
Schneiderlin
Cruyf
Cleverley
Welbeck
Young
Wrong:
Depay
Lingard(?)
Smalling(?)
Falcao
For the future- i think that lindelof is mistake. Hope i will be wrong
Veron thought he was going kick us on massively. Keane just to good to be dropped and both wanted to play on the same blades of grass.
Young - thought he was just average and a short term stop gap. Thought he would have been gone within two years of arriving but deservedly still with us today.
Young - thought he was just average and a short term stop gap. Thought he would have been gone within two years of arriving but deservedly still with us today.
Sheringham as Cantona's replacement, I thought he would have been too old.
Carrick replacing Keane too.
Chris Eagles and Kieran Richardson I both liked and had high hopes for, sadly neither worked out.
Thought Schneiderlin would have fit in great in our midfield,
Romero I always thought of as error prone but most of the time he's been very good for us.
Carrick replacing Keane too.
Chris Eagles and Kieran Richardson I both liked and had high hopes for, sadly neither worked out.
Thought Schneiderlin would have fit in great in our midfield,
Romero I always thought of as error prone but most of the time he's been very good for us.
thought Kagawa would be a superstar here. although still conviced if we never signed RVP he would have been as would have played the 10 role.
Anderson - never heard of him before we signed him and really first time i watched him was at anfield and he was amazing still one of the best performances i have seen from any player in that derby. rest of that season he was superb after that was all down hill.
Depay i thought after seeing him at the world cup would be superb, looked explosive. then remember watching him in his 1st game for united he looked slow, he had clearly bulked up for the premiership but far to much to quick and for me the injury to shaw also had a big impact on him as they 2 were playing well at the time.
Anderson - never heard of him before we signed him and really first time i watched him was at anfield and he was amazing still one of the best performances i have seen from any player in that derby. rest of that season he was superb after that was all down hill.
Depay i thought after seeing him at the world cup would be superb, looked explosive. then remember watching him in his 1st game for united he looked slow, he had clearly bulked up for the premiership but far to much to quick and for me the injury to shaw also had a big impact on him as they 2 were playing well at the time.