What do we still need? Aka The never ending story

Seen Arsenal linked to Guler over the past week. Personally I don’t see that as a good fit for him based on Odegaard and Saka being stone cold starters when fit.

IF we win Europa, he could be an interesting choice for the RAM position if we don’t see Cherki as being the one for whatever reason. Without CL we probably won’t be attractive enough and budgets will be tighter of course.
 
daba said:
Seen Arsenal linked to Guler over the past week. Personally I don’t see that as a good fit for him based on Odegaard and Saka being stone cold starters when fit.

IF we win Europa, he could be an interesting choice for the RAM position if we don’t see Cherki as being the one for whatever reason. Without CL we probably won’t be attractive enough and budgets will be tighter of course.
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Would love guler as one of our no10's. Fantastic player. Not sure arsenal would be the right move for him. He needs to play regularly as a no10.
 
daba said:
Seen Arsenal linked to Guler over the past week. Personally I don’t see that as a good fit for him based on Odegaard and Saka being stone cold starters when fit.

IF we win Europa, he could be an interesting choice for the RAM position if we don’t see Cherki as being the one for whatever reason. Without CL we probably won’t be attractive enough and budgets will be tighter of course.
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Yeah we would have to win Europa to have any chance of signing Osimhen/Gyokeres maybe even a Guler or Tchouameni either
 
Wharton ( if we don’t move we will regret like Rice)
Trafford
Gyokeres or Osimhen
Vanderson
Cherki or Dibling
 
A lot has been made of out lack of quality in attack but after 10 years , we still have absolutely no control in midfield, therefore we’ll always be vulnerable and a transitional, counter-attacking team until this changes IMO.

I have no confidence in any of our centre mid options as it stands.
 
The most obvious issue is recruitment.
For over a decade, Manchester United has consistently made poor recruitment decisions and often retaining overpaid & underperforming players.
In today's game, using data for effective recruitment is straightforward but either the club isn't using it at all or is using it incorrectly.

I think just basic tools like whoscore and datamdb can identify much better than Man United's recruitment team.

Recent signings:
- Expensive

Yoro - Average by Whoscore (Rating 6.75), Average by DataMB
De ligt - Average by Whoscore (Rating 6.68-6.93), Good by DataMB (But lack Defensive Action)
Hojlund - Poor by Whoscore (Rating 6.67), Poor by DataMB
Ugarte - Good by Whoscore (Rating 7.15), Poor by DataMB (Poor for progress pass, forward pass, carrying)


- Moderate & Cheap

Mazraoui - Average by Whoscore (Rating 6.86-6.90), Good by DataMB
Dorgu - Poor by Whoscore (Rating 6.48-6.57), Average by DataMB


Even an average fan using simple tools can see that most of United’s recent signings are more likely to form a below-standard team.
Yet, the club’s recruitment team despite having far more resources and access continues to fail at even the most basic level of squad building.
Ruben Amorim's success at Sporting has heavily relied on Hugo Viana’s strong recruitment work.
For sure, He's a good coach, but he won't be able to succeed or turn things around at United if the club keeps making mistakes with both incoming and outgoing players.


- Rumour for incoming players

Cunha - Good by Whoscore (Rating 7.13- 7.37), Good by DataMB It's down to price and wage.
Delap - Average by Whoscore (Rating 6.73) , Average by DataMB So, it's just average and down to luck for that price.
Sessko - Quite good by Whoscore (Rating 7) , Good by DataMB It's down to price and wage.
Osimhen - Good by Whoscore (Rating 7.64) , Average by DataMB But stats show his consistency scoring that we all know. So, It's down to price and wage.
 
G-manc said:
A lot has been made of out lack of quality in attack but after 10 years , we still have absolutely no control in midfield, therefore we’ll always be vulnerable and a transitional, counter-attacking team until this changes IMO.

I have no confidence in any of our centre mid options as it stands.
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Our best midfielder is Bruno by a country mile. Erkisen is going, Casemiro is the least mobile midfielder in the league, Collyer is often injured and seems fairly limited. Mainoo is physically sub par and Ugarte is quite limited.

We’re two players short in midfield, but we also need a new keeper, at least 3 attackers, a wingback on each side and maybe a CB.

Personally I don’t think you can ignore midfield, we rarely win the midfield battle and it will be a huge hindrance relying on the same group.
 
Attack, GK and MF in that order for me.

Badly need a top striker and a top GK. We simply cannot start next season with Rasmus and Onana.
 
On paper our first eleven bar gk and cf isnt that bad, problem is a few of them are injured all to often and we wont be able to sell them.

On the positive front, we should see several poor performers moved on. Lindelof and Eriksen out of contract...hows Lindelof lasted so long?

Malacia, Casemiro, Sancho, Rashford, Antony, Bayindir we are almost certainly likely to move on......

Names personally I want added to that list:

Onana - said at time careful what you wish for releasing DeGea, neverrated Onana personally right back to Ajax, shot stopping average and too many errors even though not atually been as awful as people making out

Dalot - So many raved about him last season, his only decent, not great, decent season here, so bang average and holds value

Garnacho - I actually like him as frustrating as he is....but £50m odd...think there are other players with higher ceilings....he will be a good player....not sure he becomes a great one worth£50m

Hoijlund - Thought he would be good, and still will be,but it isnt working out here

Zirkzee - Someof his link upplay is good,but he is a square piece, better options out there

Thats a good £200m+in sales (£250m I would guess) and leave:

GK ? ?
Rb ? ?
LB Shaw Dorgu
LCB Martinez Heaven
CB Maguire DeLigt
RCB Mazaroui Yoro
DM Ugarte ?
CM Mainoo Fernandes
LW Mount ?
RW Amad ?
ST ? ?

So thats 9 signings....which we dont actually need

GK - Chevallier £30m + £5/10m keeper

RB - Roger Fernandes £25m - Only think we need one. IFShaw is fit Dorgu starts here, Mazaroui can play here...also Mantato an option

DM- Chris Rigg £20m.....would love Wharton or Baleba but both probably crazy fees, Rigg has similar potential but isayear behind I feel

LW - Rodrigo Mora £45m

RW- Cherki £25m

CF - Delap £30m- Cunha £62.5m.....yes I actually see style of a Brazilian Ronaldo in him and want him up front

Pretty mucn zero net spend, significant wage decrease and age decrease, total rebuild ofour attack bar Amad which is needed.

It also allows a pathway to the squad for several talented youngsters we have as its a small squad witha few persistent injury ridden players.....several have already beenon the bench this season and even got minutes and are a couple of others could follow suit
 
Roboc7 said:
Our best midfielder is Bruno by a country mile. Erkisen is going, Casemiro is the least mobile midfielder in the league, Collyer is often injured and seems fairly limited. Mainoo is physically sub par and Ugarte is quite limited.

We’re two players short in midfield, but we also need a new keeper, at least 3 attackers, a wingback on each side and maybe a CB.

Personally I don’t think you can ignore midfield, we rarely win the midfield battle and it will be a huge hindrance relying on the same group.
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I don’t disagree with any of that; you can’t consistently compete with a sub par central midfield.
 
G-manc said:
A lot has been made of out lack of quality in attack but after 10 years , we still have absolutely no control in midfield, therefore we’ll always be vulnerable and a transitional, counter-attacking team until this changes IMO.

I have no confidence in any of our centre mid options as it stands.
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Yeah I’ve been pulling my hair out over this for so long, everything you said is spot on. For the love of God can we bring in some technical players that can pass and beat a press.The Spanish and Portuguese ball playing prototype would be great.

Then of course the rest: Attackers, strikers, wing backs, keepers. But that’s all.
 
G-manc said:
A lot has been made of out lack of quality in attack but after 10 years , we still have absolutely no control in midfield, therefore we’ll always be vulnerable and a transitional, counter-attacking team until this changes IMO.

I have no confidence in any of our centre mid options as it stands.
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Defence isn't looking great either, let's just say we need nearly double figures of players which is scary
 
According to Christian Falk FC Bayern are open to selling Joao Palhinha this summer, if true we should definitely be looking at him as a cheap option for one of the DM spots.
 
RedRocket9908 said:
According to Christian Falk FC Bayern are open to selling Joao Palhinha this summer, if true we should definitely be looking at him as a cheap option for one of the DM spots.
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We already have Ugarte who does the same job, is better on the ball, and 5-6 years younger.
 
V.O. said:
We already have Ugarte who does the same job, is better on the ball, and 5-6 years younger.
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We need replacements for Casemiro and Eriksen to play alongside Ugarte and given Palhinha already has Premier League expirience and would probably be cheap he is a good option.
 
We need more technical players especially in midfield. Right now, it’s basically just Bruno - and even then, is he really a midfielder? In an ideal world, we’d be signing players who’ve got both technique and athleticism. You can’t keep up in modern football without that.

Watching us get bullied every game is tiring now.
 
RedRocket9908 said:
We need replacements for Casemiro and Eriksen to play alongside Ugarte and given Palhinha already has Premier League expirience and would probably be cheap he is a good option.
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If we get a midfielder in, it has to be someone who has both physicality and some quality on the ball.

A 30 year old DM who wins the ball a lot but can't really do anything with it goes directly on the deadwood pile as soon as he's through the door.
 
V.O. said:
If we get a midfielder in, it has to be someone who has both physicality and some quality on the ball.

A 30 year old DM who wins the ball a lot but can't really do anything with it goes directly on the deadwood pile as soon as he's through the door.
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Yeah last thing we need is another limited midfielder, especially a cast off from Bayern who turns 30 this summer. As you say he would be deadwood within no time and given what Bayern paid and his wages he wouldn’t even be cheap.
 
croadyman said:
Defence isn't looking great either, let's just say we need nearly double figures of players which is scary
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Yeah, we need new blood in nearly every position, which is grim in our current financial state.

I think the defence has largely been ok when it’s been ‘first choice’ but I think some problems are exacerbated by little or no protection from midfield, just as it hinders our attacks. There’s no one who can progress the ball through midfield outside of Bruno, who in turn lacks any sort of positional or defensive discipline. We just can’t seem to get the balance right with the mids we’ve got.
 
There's no chance of us releasing and signing as many players as fans want us to. It'll have to be done in stages.

For that reason I would focus on a striker, a midfielder and a number ten.

Priorities first, extra moves if the opportunities present themselves.
 
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Pace.

Some added height, strength and fitness wouldn't go amiss. But we must have some serious pace in the attack next season or we'll continue to look completely toothless.

Hojlund gets loads of stick and while I understand it and acknowledge he's been really poor this season, I just don't see us getting anyone in who can create enough without either of the 10s threatening to run past them. Losing Amad was a huge blow, letting Rashford go may well have been the best move for the long term. But those 2 things combined to leave us one paced and it's killing any chance we have.

So a really fast 10 is the main priority for me.
 
croadyman said:
Defence isn't looking great either, let's just say we need nearly double figures of players which is scary
Click to expand...

Defence is not half bad. Our main problem above anything else is not putting our chances away. We get into good positions and it takes 3 or 4 opportunities to score. With a clinical front 3 we'd be much further up the table than we currently are so our priority absolutely has to be a quality CF and AM. We need players with an eye for goal.

I would be happy with

--------Cherki------Cunha--------
-----------------Delap-----------------

Or,

--------Bruno------Cunha---------
-----------------Delap-----------------

Perfect window for me,

--Frimpong----------------------------------------------Dorgu--
-------------------Cunha---------------Bruno---------------------
--------------------------------Delap----------------------------------
 
Waynne said:
Defence is not half bad. Our main problem above anything else is not putting our chances away. We get into good positions and it takes 3 or 4 opportunities to score. With a clinical front 3 we'd be much further up the table than we currently are so our priority absolutely has to be a quality CF and AM. We need players with an eye for goal.

I would be happy with

--------Cherki------Cunha--------
-----------------Delap-----------------

Or,

--------Bruno------Cunha---------
-----------------Delap-----------------

Perfect window for me,

--Frimpong----------------------------------------------Dorgu--
-------------------Cunha---------------Bruno---------------------
--------------------------------Delap----------------------------------
Click to expand...

what about our midfield? Ugarte Mainoo Casemiro Collyer as only options?
 
Flying high said:
Pace.

Some added height, strength and fitness wouldn't go amiss. But we must have some serious pace in the attack next season or we'll continue to look completely toothless.

Hojlund gets loads of stick and while I understand it and acknowledge he's been really poor this season, I just don't see us getting anyone in who can create enough without either of the 10s threatening to run past them. Losing Amad was a huge blow, letting Rashford go may well have been the best move for the long term. But those 2 things combined to leave us one paced and it's killing any chance we have.

So a really fast 10 is the main priority for me.
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Agree with this wholeheartedly
 
This would be the best window imo, to cover as many positions as possible, we won't do this though.

Incomings:

ST - Delap 30m
CAM - Cunha £65m
CAM - Dibling - £40m - Alternative - Cherki £30m
CM - Wharton - £80m - Alternative - Larsson £60m.
RWB - Fernandes - £30m

Total £245m - £215m

Outgoings:

Rashford - 40m
Sancho - £25m
Antony - £30m
Greenwood - £25m - £30m sell on fee
Garnacho - £50m
Lindelof - Free
Eriksen - Free
Evans - Free
Bayindir - £5m

Total £180m
 
We still really need what we've always needed, which is a press resistant midfielder who you can fire balls into from the goalkeeper, who can retain it or lay it off under pressure, or dribble past a marker before beginning a transition play. I.e. We still need Frenkie de Jong. We've never identified or got an alternative to FDJ and we can't really play until we get one.
 
TRUE NUMBER 9 said:
Yoro & Heaven both have pace and will likely occupy the outside CB roles. The central defender, i.e. de Ligt / Maguire, is not necessarily required to be as quick, whereas the outside CBs are - to cover the wider areas. Pace all over the pitch is always welcome but at the back, Yoro & Heaven going forward will be fine in that regard. It would be nice if somebody took Shaw or Martinez but realistically, United are probably stuck with them.

As for Onana, take the hit...just get rid of him as he is a major liability and cannot be trusted. Personally, I would never play him again.
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Yoro and Heaven are both reasonably quick but not rapid by any stretch.... I've seen Yoro rinsed a few times this season! Both still need a lot of development and I can't see Heaven playing more than 10 - 15 games next year.
Agree a new CB isn't top priority but it would be great to get a proper upgrade on Maguire at some point. If we don't get a solid and quality spine to the team we will continue to struggle.
Lindelof and Evans are both being released and we should look to sell Maguire to recoup some money on him while we can so makes sense to bring one more in.
 
it feels like our next signings must be have physical and fitness strength. Always in matches it feels that our team got overpowered by opponents. Of course the players must also have good technical and football IQ
 
MCDC said:
This would be the best window imo, to cover as many positions as possible, we won't do this though.

Incomings:

ST - Delap 30m
CAM - Cunha £65m
CAM - Dibling - £40m - Alternative - Cherki £30m
CM - Wharton - £80m - Alternative - Larsson £60m.
RWB - Fernandes - £30m

Total £245m - £215m

Outgoings:

Rashford - 40m
Sancho - £25m
Antony - £30m
Greenwood - £25m - £30m sell on fee
Garnacho - £50m
Lindelof - Free
Eriksen - Free
Evans - Free
Bayindir - £5m

Total £180m
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A man can dream!
 
FrankWhite said:
Dream indeed 25m on Greenwood? We'd have to go for 77m for that to happen.
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Yes, some people are under the impression that United will receive 50% of any sale but it is actually 50% of the profit of any sale, should Greenwood move on as is being reported. Some of the bigger Italian teams are reportedly interested, so chances are, United will receive a nice windfall at some stage in the summer. They will need it, along with resolutions to the Antony, Rashford, Malacia & Sancho situations. Ideally, early doors, so the club can finally get stuck into a regeneration of the squad.
 
Indigofink said:
Yoro and Heaven are both reasonably quick but not rapid by any stretch.... I've seen Yoro rinsed a few times this season! Both still need a lot of development and I can't see Heaven playing more than 10 - 15 games next year.
Agree a new CB isn't top priority but it would be great to get a proper upgrade on Maguire at some point. If we don't get a solid and quality spine to the team we will continue to struggle.
Lindelof and Evans are both being released and we should look to sell Maguire to recoup some money on him while we can so makes sense to bring one more in.
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If Maguire left I'd expect brathwaite to be the No1 target as replacement.
 
MCDC said:
This would be the best window imo, to cover as many positions as possible, we won't do this though.

Incomings:

ST - Delap 30m
CAM - Cunha £65m
CAM - Dibling - £40m - Alternative - Cherki £30m
CM - Wharton - £80m - Alternative - Larsson £60m.
RWB - Fernandes - £30m

Total £245m - £215m

Outgoings:

Rashford - 40m
Sancho - £25m
Antony - £30m
Greenwood - £25m - £30m sell on fee
Garnacho - £50m
Lindelof - Free
Eriksen - Free
Evans - Free
Bayindir - £5m

Total £180m
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I think these 2 have different functions. 1 is creating through passing (like a classic 10) and the other through dribbling and shooting (like Cunha as well). I believe Amorim prefers 1 of each roles at his double 10. Cunha & Cherki, Cunha & Bruno could work or Cunha can be replaced with Dibling (or another ball carrier).

Have not seen a lot of Dibbling so far. Is he a lot better than Garnacho?
 
dinostar77 said:
So would I, but we are constantly linked with brathwaite so there is something about the lad that they like.
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But the rumors have gone quiet recently, no? I also think he is not suited to Amorim's system with his lack of qualities in build up and possession. We also have a talented left-footer in Heaven.
 
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