This is the team.

Brightonian

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There is now a critical mass of title-winning quality in this squad. If we manage to keep Pogba and Cavani, we will be looking at:

Bruno Fernandes: one of the best and most productive #10s in the world
Paul Pogba: one of the best midfielders in the world
Luke Shaw: currently the best LB in the world
Rashford, Cavani, Maguire, Wan Bissaka: all players whose quality would not look at all out of place in a CL final
Greenwood: one of the most promising young players in world football

Like any team, we have clear areas for improvement, and if we want to have a good chance at the title or the CL next season we need to make serious purchases in two out of these three areas, at least. Players like McTominay, Fred and Lindelof would look more impressive as options off the bench replaced with top drawer/more suitable starters. But the bulk of the side is here already. We are no longer 'in transition'. The progress has already been made. We need to win the Europa League and then we need to go into next season with the unequivocal target of winning the league and competing for the Champions League.

Football teams are subject to entropy like any other system. This side will not hold together forever without success. Pogba and Cavani will only be with us for one more season if we don't win something big, and Bruno is rightly ambitious too. Others will lose form, get serious injuries, decline with age.

So yes, we absolutely have to make some quality signings, but this right here is already the team.
 

Haddock

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We know it. The Glazers don't. Or they do and don't care.
 

kouroux

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I don't know what will happen in the future but the core of the team you mentioned have produced some good football that I've enjoyed watching this season. There is good material in there
 

passing-wind

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I agree to a large extent many still regard this team as somewhat inferior but man for man easily the second or third best squad in the league. If the club can bring in players who fit the present team tactically and not an experimental signing (VDB) it will raise the players capabilities to challenge more confidently.
 

pablo__p

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There is now a critical mass of title-winning quality in this squad. If we manage to keep Pogba and Cavani, we will be looking at:

Bruno Fernandes: one of the best and most productive #10s in the world
Paul Pogba: one of the best midfielders in the world
Luke Shaw: currently the best LB in the world
Rashford, Cavani, Maguire, Wan Bissaka: all players whose quality would not look at all out of place in a CL final
Greenwood: one of the most promising young players in world football

Like any team, we have clear areas for improvement, and if we want to have a good chance at the title or the CL next season we need to make serious purchases in two out of these three areas, at least. Players like McTominay, Fred and Lindelof would look more impressive as options off the bench replaced with top drawer/more suitable starters. But the bulk of the side is here already. We are no longer 'in transition'. The progress has already been made. We need to win the Europa League and then we need to go into next season with the unequivocal target of winning the league and competing for the Champions League.

Football teams are subject to entropy like any other system. This side will not hold together forever without success. Pogba and Cavani will only be with us for one more season if we don't win something big, and Bruno is rightly ambitious too. Others will lose form, get serious injuries, decline with age.

So yes, we absolutely have to make some quality signings, but this right here is already the team.

Agreed. Am so tired of this "the squad is not good enough" narrative.
Also, as a former Ole doubter I'm have to have been proven wrong.

Agreed with @Haddock above about Glazers' perception being a massive problem, sadly.
 

Rozay

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OP is bang on. And first and foremost, all credit must go to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who has come in and done every single thing he said he would up until this point. It has all unfolded exactly as he predicted.

We need to show the right intent this summer, and we need a clear message from the beginning, not the apologetic stuff we heard once we reached the top of the league this season. We’ve beaten PSG and City convincingly this season, our players are at the right age. As @Brightonian said, transition is over. We are here.
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

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We’re the closest we’ve been post Fergie, but we still need 3 or 4 players to beat city to a title in my opinion. Their strength in depth is absurd.

question is, will we get the players we need in the summer? A CB, DM & RW are all essential. I’d like a right back to compete with AWB too. I think the striker can wait a season, Cavani, Rashford, Martial & Greenwood are all capable down the middle. Bruno could easily play false 9 if required too.

I just don’t think the glazers are going to back Ole in the summer. I could see something like Pogba out Rice in. With no further business, which in my opinion would make us weaker. I want to believe we’ll continue to bridge the gap but this board give me little reason for optimism.
 
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Water Melon

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Doubt the Glazers will give a big budget for transfers. Can see Pogba leaving, not being replaced properly with much hope put on youngsters. Will be extremely surprised summer transfer window will bring us closer to City. Hope the owners sell the club.
 

Rozay

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We’re the closest we’ve been post Fergie, but we still need one or two players. We’re in dire need of a proper DM & a proper right winger. It’s frustrating because we are so close but the Glazers won’t allow us to complete the jigsaw. We’ll probably sell Pogba & bring in Rice, which in my opinion makes us weaker next season.
We’re not in ‘dire need’ of a right winger. I feel that’s just something that people say. Over the last 12 months - Greenwood cannot be said to have been the most urgent upgrade in our team. Not even close. People have been banging on about a right winger for years, and I don’t think that will change until we sign a starting right winger. However, if we had signed Mason Greenwood last January and he had done what he has done - nobody would be saying this.

The centre of our midfield sticks out massively. After that, probably the centre of out defence. Those are the two areas where, on paper at least, we don’t have a player of either top bracket quality or top bracket potential. Maguire is top quality perhaps, but Lindelöf is upgradable, as much as I do like him.
 

Schmeichel's Cartwheel

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We’re not in ‘dire need’ of a right winger. I feel that’s just something that people say. Over the last 12 months - Greenwood cannot be said to have been the most urgent upgrade in our team. Not even close. People have been banging on about a right winger for years, and I don’t think that will change until we sign a starting right winger. However, if we had signed Mason Greenwood last January and he had done what he has done - nobody would be saying this.

The centre of our midfield sticks out massively. After that, probably the centre of out defence. Those are the two areas where, on paper at least, we don’t have a player of either top bracket quality or top bracket potential. Maguire is top quality perhaps, but Lindelöf is upgradable, as much as I do like him.
Mason isn’t really a right winger, he’s a striker who plays out there. If you look at our squad we don’t actually have any right wingers other than Amad. Rashford & James prefer the left, Greenwood is a striker & Mata prefers the 10. I think it’s definitely a position that needs looking at it’s been neglected for years.

DM is more important though I agree,
 

AaronRedDevil

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We are doing pretty amazing for a team with no freaking good replacements. No proper cdm and basically no RW.
 

Reiver

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Largely agree. Keeping Cavani for next season means we don't need to buy a striker. I'm a fan of Pogba and at this point it makes more sense to try and keep him than replace him.
If we keep them both then I think, more than anything else, a RW is the biggest missing part of a title challenging team.
 

el3mel

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I have been saying that for the majority of the season. Our team is quality and should be ready for a title challenge.
 

Robbie Boy

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Our current squad is far better than some like to admit. All this talk of having to spend £400m or whatever, is outrageous. With some added quality, some youth promoted and some shrewd cheaper signings, we will be quite the force.
 

Rozay

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Mason isn’t really a right winger, he’s a striker who plays out there. If you look at our squad we don’t actually have any right wingers other than Amad. Rashford & James prefer the left, Greenwood is a striker & Mata prefers the 10. I think it’s definitely a position that needs looking at it’s been neglected for years.

DM is more important though I agree,
Greenwood is no less a winger than Rashford is. Many people are insistent that Greenwood is a striker and not a winger, yet he has been doing a fabulous job from the right wing, and at the same time, many are insisting we need to buy a striker. Well is Greenwood not the striker then?

I also think that people are not considering the future of Diallo either. He was brought to develop into a top RW for us. Yes, he isn’t fully cooked yet, but he’s not 16 - he’ll be 19 in a couple of months. He will gradually be stepping up his involvement and by the time he is 20, he should be fully into the mix. If we are going to buy players like that, we need to trust an integration plan for them. And while Mason is at the very least serviceable on the right, Amad behind him is okay I think. James is clearly nowhere near the level and should be shipped out this summer. But I think people at the club are going to consider the Amad in 6 months and Amad in 12 months before making a similarly long term investment in that position. The Amad of today isn’t the only version to consider, just like we didn’t go and but a 20 year old RW to put in front of an 18 year old Ronaldo.

I think Greenwood may not spend his career as a winger, but he is currently good enough to play and strike fear against any team. That’s how I see it anyway, but a central midfielder and striker perhaps would elevate us up one or two more levels if we get those right. Our strongest XI at the moment has Mason RW, and I can’t say anyone would describe that as our bug weakness. In fact, it’s one of our strengths.
 

Raoul

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We're playing enjoyable football again for the first time since Fergie, which in and of itself is quite an accomplishment. The key will be whether Ole can build on this and take it to the next level, or if we simply remain where we are now (which won't be enough to win the league).
 

wolvored

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It is very cose to being the team. The goalie and defence dont do a lot wrong usually. The attack when it fires it fires well. The weakness is DM/CM and this should be rectified close season imo. Whether the glazers go into a sulk and dont back Ole is another matter. I think it wont just be City next year though who are chasing the title. Liverpool and Chelsea will come back stronger as well.
 

Jezpeza

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It is Great stuff. But if we dont get two players in the summer then this is as good as it gets. Liverpool will come back, Tuchel will get what he wants. If the Glazers go cheap then next season will be difficult.
 
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Greenwood is no less a winger than Rashford is. Many people are insistent that Greenwood is a striker and not a winger, yet he has been doing a fabulous job from the right wing, and at the same time, many are insisting we need to buy a striker. Well is Greenwood not the striker then?
He's clearly neither yet, if we're serious about winning the title.

Greenwood has scored 5 league goals and assisted 2 all season, and 5 of those 7 contributions happened in the last four games. That's not a fabulous job by any stretch of the imagination.
 

SirReginald

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It is Great stuff. But if we dont get two players in the summer then this is as good as it gets. Liverpool will come back, Tuchel will get what he wants. If the Glazers go cheap then next season will be difficult.
I really don’t think we will spend that much. We only need a striker and we will probably end up with aguero on a free if it’s true that he wants to stay in England. Gilmour will go on loan and Gallagher will take his place so midfield is fine. Defense and gk are clearly fine. Just lack of goals from front 3.

Your squad is clearly improving. My only issue with the original post is that, I’m sorry but I cannot see “quality” Wan Bissaka in a CL final. He is way too raw still. I’ll be surprised if he even makes the England squad this summer.
 

Rightnr

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We are definitely on the cusp of being very, very good or even great in the current context of European football.

It somewhat reminds of when Sir Alex built that second CL-winning team with Ronaldo after Chelsea dominated the league for two years.

We just need a bit more in 2/3 positions but the leeches that own just won't let it happen either because of greed or because of the incompetent morons in charge of our transfer business.
 

Rozay

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He's clearly neither yet, if we're serious about winning the title.

Greenwood has scored 5 league goals and assisted 2 all season, and 5 of those 7 contributions happened in the last four games. That's not a fabulous job by any stretch of the imagination.
And he is considered to have had a bad season in the main, and fallen below his expectation. An expectation set by him having demonstrated he is capable of more.

Greenwood is clearly good enough to play for us now.
 

Jezpeza

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I really don’t think we will spend that much. We only need a striker and we will probably end up with aguero on a free if it’s true that he wants to stay in England. Gilmour will go on loan and Gallagher will take his place so midfield is fine. Defense and gk are clearly fine. Just lack of goals from front 3.

Your squad is clearly improving. My only issue with the original post is that, I’m sorry but I cannot see “quality” Wan Bissaka in a CL final. He is way too raw still. I’ll be surprised if he even makes the England squad this summer.
yeah perhaps. I guess the other factor is Tuchel starting with the rest of us on 0 points, not having to recover a nosedive. England right back position is a joke - TAA, AWB, Trippier, Walker, James and then other solid options like Walker peters, lamptey, cash, justin, Aarons maitland niles, Ayling. We are stacked there for years theres gonna be a few in that list that are very good players and never get a sniff at the national team. AWB is a beast tbf just hasnt been needed in an England shirt yet.
 
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Greenwood is clearly good enough to play for us now.
That's not really the debate, though. The reason he's good enough to play for us right now is because he's literally the only player capable of playing on the right wing and not being useless. He was good (not great, when the bar is title-challenging level) last season, and he's been poor this season. And he shouldn't be played every week at this point anyway.

Greenwood is an amazing prospect and I have no doubt he'll be world class down the line, whether as a striker or winger. Right now, if we're looking at improvements in this team to get over the line and go from mid-70s to 90 points in the league, the right wing definitely stands out along with the center of midfield.
 

JB7

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Your squad is clearly improving. My only issue with the original post is that, I’m sorry but I cannot see “quality” Wan Bissaka in a CL final. He is way too raw still. I’ll be surprised if he even makes the England squad this summer.
He is raw, but I certainly wouldn't use making an England squad as a barometer for where a player is quality or not. To give you an example of this; I would be amazed if Ole, or anyone at United for that matter, would swap him for Reece James, although it is clear that James is far more likely to make the England squad at the moment.
 

Zlatattack

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We’re not in ‘dire need’ of a right winger. I feel that’s just something that people say. Over the last 12 months - Greenwood cannot be said to have been the most urgent upgrade in our team. Not even close. People have been banging on about a right winger for years, and I don’t think that will change until we sign a starting right winger. However, if we had signed Mason Greenwood last January and he had done what he has done - nobody would be saying this.

The centre of our midfield sticks out massively. After that, probably the centre of out defence. Those are the two areas where, on paper at least, we don’t have a player of either top bracket quality or top bracket potential. Maguire is top quality perhaps, but Lindelöf is upgradable, as much as I do like him.
We really are in dire need of Sancho on our RW. Right now all our real attacking threat comes along the left apart from if Greenwood gets a sight of goal. Having someone like Sancho would mean a constant creative and goal threat on the right as well. Teams would really struggle to defend against us then

It's not a case of Greenwood vs Sancho, rather the huge difference a Sancho type signing would make on our overall attack. We'd no longer be 2D.

I agree that a CDM and CB are of equal importance though.
 

CM10

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It does feel like we're on the cusp of something special with this team but all of that depends on the board showing the right level of ambition to match the quality we already have.

We're a team who are difficult to beat now. 2nd place and the Europa League would represent our best season post Ferguson and we're also playing our best football since then. Keep Pogba and Cavani, sign Sancho up and who knows what this team is capable of achieving.
 

SinNombre

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Sancho is not going to take the team to the next level but not sure who will.
 

Rozay

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That's not really the debate, though. The reason he's good enough to play for us right now is because he's literally the only player capable of playing on the right wing and not being useless. He was good (not great, when the bar is title-challenging level) last season, and he's been poor this season. And he shouldn't be played every week at this point anyway.

Greenwood is an amazing prospect and I have no doubt he'll be world class down the line, whether as a striker or winger. Right now, if we're looking at improvements in this team to get over the line and go from mid-70s to 90 points in the league, the right wing definitely stands out along with the center of midfield.
He is good enough to for no other reason than he is a special talent. I didn’t say he was currently ‘great’, I’m saying he is currently good enough, with obvious potential to be great. We are investing time on him to develop him. His journey from good to great will most likely be a short one, only elongated by him not getting to play. He is no regular 19 year old, and he is good enough to play now while he continues his journey towards being the finished article.

We have always developed players, and if Mason fooking Greenwood can’t play regularly for us, then we may as well put a big sign up at Old Trafford to all young players to forget it and come back when they are 25. He’s in the best few young forwards in the world, and has hit double figures two seasons in a row while still a teen. He’s worth the investment I think.
 

Rozay

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We really are in dire need of Sancho on our RW. Right now all our real attacking threat comes along the left apart from if Greenwood gets a sight of goal. Having someone like Sancho would mean a constant creative and goal threat on the right as well. Teams would really struggle to defend against us then

It's not a case of Greenwood vs Sancho, rather the huge difference a Sancho type signing would make on our overall attack. We'd no longer be 2D.

I agree that a CDM and CB are of equal importance though.
Sancho is not a natural right winger.
 

sglowrider

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There is now a critical mass of title-winning quality in this squad. If we manage to keep Pogba and Cavani, we will be looking at:

Bruno Fernandes: one of the best and most productive #10s in the world
Paul Pogba: one of the best midfielders in the world
Luke Shaw: currently the best LB in the world
Rashford, Cavani, Maguire, Wan Bissaka: all players whose quality would not look at all out of place in a CL final
Greenwood: one of the most promising young players in world football

Like any team, we have clear areas for improvement, and if we want to have a good chance at the title or the CL next season we need to make serious purchases in two out of these three areas, at least. Players like McTominay, Fred and Lindelof would look more impressive as options off the bench replaced with top drawer/more suitable starters. But the bulk of the side is here already. We are no longer 'in transition'. The progress has already been made. We need to win the Europa League and then we need to go into next season with the unequivocal target of winning the league and competing for the Champions League.

Football teams are subject to entropy like any other system. This side will not hold together forever without success. Pogba and Cavani will only be with us for one more season if we don't win something big, and Bruno is rightly ambitious too. Others will lose form, get serious injuries, decline with age.

So yes, we absolutely have to make some quality signings, but this right here is already the team.
We have always known we have a pretty formidable starting 11. The problem as Liverpool has shown is that we are always an injury or three away from a massive drop-off in quality and performance. Its not that we arent in transition, we need to be constantly in transition and yet be able to compete/win.

Fergie always had 3 types of players but unlike Real Madrid's 3 types ours were -- youthful/developing, about to peak and peaking players. It's a conveyor belt and he would churn them through their development cycle and rid those he thought were past it.
This way there was always experiences and winning mentality passed downstream.

So Fergie's teams had no clear demarcation of one generation to another other than if they peak by winning significant silverware ---- and that's not always a clear indicator as I still feel that his 93-95 teams were his best ever.

So Fergie's team development and management were constantly in ''transitional'' mode. Like the S curve for technology development/innovation.
 

CG1010

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This is our best chance to win the title in years and this team is entering a 2-3 year period of its peak. See this chart of the age profile:


While obviously we can upgrade players in many positions (although the job to find better players than what we have is more difficult now than it has been in 6-7 years), the main position we need to upgrade is CM. We basically need a Carrick like player that will unlock the potential of this team.
 

Dante

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It's revealing that Pogba is a world class midfielder and yet only third choice at United. Goes to show how strong we are in that part of the pitch.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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It's nice that more people have recognised the progress that Ole had done to build the squad.

GK: Dean/DDG
Back Four: Bissaka/Lindelof/Maguire/Shaw
Double Pivots: Fred/McT
Front Four: Pogba/Bruno/Rashford/Cavani
Depth: Telles/Tuanzebe/Bailly/Matic/Mata/VDB/James/Greenwood/Martial
Youth: Williams/Diallo/Pellistri/Garner (the closest ones to make it into First Team)

The squad depth is a bit of issue. I feel like James hasn't been good enough to offer similar impact/quality when we need to rest Pogba or Rashford. VDB hasn't been used properly. Matic's leg has gone. While Martial has been underperforming compare to last season.
 

vidic blood & sand

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I think winning this years europa league final is really critical for Ole. He has to have his first trophy under his belt to give him his first taste of achievement. It'll mean so much to him.
He knows that on the day, the team can beat anyone, but can also lose to anyone. He must inspire the players to dig out results when their heads have dropped. Winning a trophy will give the players assurance that Ole is no mug.
Personally I'd let Pogba go, because I don't think we're winning the champions league next season. We can't keep a player who's upset because he feels he's being wasted at United. We need players who believe in what Ole is doing, and loves the club.
 

Bobcat

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Assuming we get 25 million for Lindgard and manage to bin off Pereira as well, we should expect one big signing no?

After the whole ESL fiasco, the Glazers are on thin ice with the fans, so another summer with no big signings is going to heap the pressure on them even more.
 

dal

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Team in : Kane, Grealish, Phillips

Team out : Pogba, Martial, Lingard

Result : First League title in 9 years.

Grealish, Bruno vs De Bruyne , Gundogan.

Would be quite a match if we had the balls to do a double pivot

————————Rodri—————————
————-De Bryne—-Gundogan————
Mahrez————-Sterling————Foden

Rashford———-Kane———-Greenwood
——————Grealish—-Bruno——————-
————————Phillips——————————

We should get these players, I wouldn’t play like that all the time because it isn’t our style but we certainly can if chasing games.

We must get Kane and Grealish and finally add some proven, hit the ground talent who although are costly maintain motivation to win something.
 
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