Tom Thorpe

LazyRed-Ninja

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Let us not fall into that conditioned cycle again of feeling bad whenever a player leaves the club. Surely the club is intelligent enough to decide who has a career at the club or not. Are people still advocating that we should have not sold Welbeck for example ?
 

Acole9

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I'm not surprised, I've never been impressed by him when I've seen him play in the under 21's.
 

Acole9

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Seriously?
Seriously, I know everyone has got their own opinions on players but I could never see what all the fuss was about. The management team at the club clearly saw that too, seems like he's been playing in the U21's for a lifetime.
 

OnlyTwoDaSilvas

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Seems odd that he was named in the first team a couple of times this season, if the club knew he had no future here. Is the club releasing him, or does he not want to stay? Or a bit of both?
 

FromTheBench

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Best he leaves for his own career.

After Blackett and Mcnair leapfrogged him out of nowhere basically, he should have taken the hint in the winter only.
 

Water Melon

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Good luck to Tom. Hope he gets his chance to prove a point and has a long and successful career.
 

Brightonian

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Predictable, given how he was bypassed this season. Hopefully he'll go on to good things, he's certainly got the talent.
 

limerickcitykid

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Been linked with Leicester, could be just because of how many of our youth players are there already. Hope he doesn't go there, I fecking hate them and he'll probably never get to play.
 

m1y2

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I think he has a good chance to play premier league football one day but I feel it's right to release him, he's quite old and there are younger potentially better players in the academy I guess (Tuanzebe, Williams, TFM). McNair looking like manager's favourite and apart that if we buy another enter back nevermind letting Evans and Blackett go we are stacked with Smalling, Jones, Rojo and new experienced CB.

Thorpe doesn't have a slightest chance to make it here, he should do what Keane did, go to play first team football somewhere, good luck to him he'll come good in the end, he seems to have the right mentality..
 

Loublaze

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He's 22 and he's played 7 professional football matches. If he gets a regular game in the Championship then I'll even consider that a miracle. His handling has been outrageous, and indicative of the blasé way in which we've managed our reserve side in recent years.

One season at U21 level is enough. After that, either make the move into the first team or go on loan for the season, at a level appropriate enough to ensure the player can get a solid 30-40 professional matches under the belt.

Far too many young British footballers are failed by the system and Thorpe is one of them.
Our reserves have produced a lot of PL and Championship players in recent years. Just look at Leicester City.
 

Lash

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real shame he didn't take that step further, he's been so unlucky with injuries though. This is by no way an example of poor handling by us.
 

limerickcitykid

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real shame he didn't take that step further, he's been so unlucky with injuries though. This is by no way an example of poor handling by us.
This is a perfect example of poor handling by us. He's had 1 injury over the last 3 years which he didn't even miss that much time with.
 

Loublaze

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This is a perfect example of poor handling by us. He's had 1 injury over the last 3 years which he didn't even miss that much time with.
Why? Also, he had aa recurrence of an ankle injury suffered on his debut for Birmingham early last year and also an injury for the U21s against Blackburn last November. He was stretchered off for both and spent some time on the sidelines.
 
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Lash

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This is a perfect example of poor handling by us. He's had 1 injury over the last 3 years which he didn't even miss that much time with.
Why? Also, he had aa recurrence of an ankle injury suffered on his debut for Birmingham early last year and also an injury for the U21s against Blackburn last November. He was stretchered off for both and spent some time on the sidelines.
I thought that to be the case, plus although they may not of been will-keane-esque length injuries; it did mess with anyone wanting to take him on loan, as he had to regain his fitness each time.
 

TwoSheds

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He should have gone on loan beginning of last season at the latest though. So it was poor handling really. Still, I'm sure he'll have a good career.
 

Loublaze

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I thought that to be the case, plus although they may not of been will-keane-esque length injuries; it did mess with anyone wanting to take him on loan, as he had to regain his fitness each time.
Exactly. He was sent back to OT for treatment both times. It messed his loan up because he only managed 6 appearances.
 

Joemo

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He'll go on to be a Premiership defender. Not a great one, but if he steers clear of injuries he should be.

He should have been given a shot, but oh well. All the best to him.
 

gooDevil

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He'll go on to be a Premiership defender. Not a great one, but if he steers clear of injuries he should be.

He should have been given a shot, but oh well. All the best to him.
Yep, pretty much my opinion as well. Like him as a person and thought he was wasted in midfield.
 

Bwuk

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It still baffles me that Blackett and McNair got games ahead of him this season.

Good luck and best wishes Tom.
 

DomesticTadpole

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It still baffles me that Blackett and McNair got games ahead of him this season.

Good luck and best wishes Tom.
Don't think you are the only one who is baffled. I just wonder, was he injured when we first had to throw Blackett and McNair in?
 

Šjor Bepo

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class act, i hope he finds a decent stable club where he will play first team football....
 

In Rainbows

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It still baffles me that Blackett and McNair got games ahead of him this season.

Good luck and best wishes Tom.
That likely happened because of good fortune. Blackett was left footed and LVG wanted a left footed cb. Mcnair because in the first game LVG went to watch the u21s, Mcnair was the cb that was impressive. Thorpe in that match played as a midfielder for about half the match.
 

dr.twinny

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All the best Tom. I wonder who could be the foreign clubs that are interested in him. Maybe he could go and play abroad for a season or two before returning to play for a PL club?
 

Señor

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Very, very strange. He's much better than Blackett (not even a debate) and there's a case he's better than McNair too. You can tell he loves us and would still love to play for United. Hope he does well wherever he goes and does a Shawcross.
 

Striker10

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I hope we challenge players like him that if you prove yourself, you never know. We should also make it so that, even if they have to leave - the club will monitor their progress. Give the player confidence and motivation that perhaps it just wasn't the right time. Who knows what the future will bring and who knows how well Thorpe will develop. If he turns into a top player, we should be an obvious choice should other big clubs show an interest.
 

united_99

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Always sad to see academy players go. Good luck to him, I think being released by big clubs before making it must be one of the worst days of your life and an abrupt end to a long lived dream.
 

Antisocial

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Great message from him - pure class.

I'm another who is disappointed he didn't get a chance to progress a bit further to the senior squad, but then if I've proven nothing else in recent years, I'm useless at judging our young players - Petrucci, M. Keane, Tunnicliffe, Possebon, Eikrem and others :(