What do we still need? Aka The never ending story

Devil may care

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Pretty confident the reason there has been a distinct lack of links to holding midfielder is because Utd have no intention of bringing one in until next summer
Quite possibly but it would be a huge mistake, it's like Chelsea buying Werner, Ziyech and Havertz while already having Mount, Pulisic, CHO, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Giroud and Abraham, do they really need all of those attackers when they still need to replace the world's most expensive goalkeeper and buy at least 1 CB and 1 FB? We are in the same situation, we need a DM and a CB before we look at back-up attackers.


Just been listening to the Stretford Paddock podcast and they were suggesting we could do with a couple of experienced heads in this team. What do people think to that suggestion?
Pogba, Maguire, Bruno and for now Matic are supposed to provide that.
 

croadyman

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I wish Ole would go out and buy a DM in this window,however have now accepted he is intent on giving Scott a chance to learn the role from Matic next season.

I assume if this experiment doesn't work out then next summer DM will the top priority position to address.
 

AneRu

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I wish Ole would go out and buy a DM in this window,however have now accepted he is intent on giving Scott a chance to learn the role from Matic next season.

I assume if this experiment doesn't work out then next summer DM will the top priority position to address.
I think so too, I think we will sign a CB this window and look to sign a DM and back up striker next summer. I'd imagine Ole would want a top tier or top DM prospect like Rice and it's just something we cannot do this season when we are spending a bucket load on Sancho.
 

ManRed

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Do we really need to rush this window?

Currently as most of have said we need 5 positions: RW, AM (Backup), LB (Backup), CB

Getting Sancho and Grealish won't make us title contenders but will definitely make us a top 4 team and will be quality signings in 2/5 positions. It will cost us around £170m which will be paid out from our budget and sales of some deadwood (Dalot, Andreas,Lingard, Mata, Rojo, Smalling).

After the above I doubt we have any major funds left which means we will be looking at cheap alternatives to fill out the 3 positions and I would prefer we rather play the kids than take a £20-£25m punt. Unless we sell Fred/Scott and sign a quality DM or Sell De Gea and invest in a CB/LB.

Next season we can assess the progress of Scott/Fred in DM, Tuanzebe/Mengi progress in CB and Laird as fullback. We probably wont be making any big signings next season and can work to improve these positions with better quality signings.

Squad for the season

GK - De Gea, Romero, Grant
LB - Shaw, Williams
RB - AWB, TFM, Laird
CB - Magure, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Bailly, Mengi
DM - Matic, Scott
CM - Grealish, Fred, Bruno, Pogba
RW - Sancho, Greenwood
ST - Ighalo, Martial
Lw - Rashford, Sancho*, James/Lingard
 

croadyman

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We need some new rumours on CB's and AM's because right now the Sancho stuff has reached a stalemate and need something different to talk about for a bit
 

Craig Ward

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I wish Ole would go out and buy a DM in this window,however have now accepted he is intent on giving Scott a chance to learn the role from Matic next season.

I assume if this experiment doesn't work out then next summer DM will the top priority position to address.
I agree with this.

While i dont think McTom offers us anything like Matic, that looks to be the most likely scenario.

My worry is then - that come next season. If McTom isn't trusted with the role and Matic declines further, we are again leaving it until we are desperate to act in the market.

Matic hasnt got a full season of top level performances in him. He's useful and essential to us - but even know he cant handle the intensity of the games.

It's a worry.

For next season we have: Matic/Fred/McTom/Pogba to rotate for the two deeper midfield roles. On paper its good, but not sure there's a good balance there.

Pogba does better when he's not coming deeper and he tends to drop deeper when Matic isnt there. We cant play Matic every game and Pogba is likely to start more games than not. I think playing McTom as our main DM weakens us as Pogba will suffer (it shouldn't affect pogba as he's super talented but he;s been here 3 years and he doesnt control games like he should and is poor on the ball when he's too deep).

So for me - I'd like to see s being proactive and signing a DM now rather than when we simply dont have a viable option there. Its a gamble hoping McTom grows into the role. It may work and i admire Ole's faith in the lad. We shall see
 

croadyman

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I agree with this.

While i dont think McTom offers us anything like Matic, that looks to be the most likely scenario.

My worry is then - that come next season. If McTom isn't trusted with the role and Matic declines further, we are again leaving it until we are desperate to act in the market.

Matic hasnt got a full season of top level performances in him. He's useful and essential to us - but even know he cant handle the intensity of the games.

It's a worry.

For next season we have: Matic/Fred/McTom/Pogba to rotate for the two deeper midfield roles. On paper its good, but not sure there's a good balance there.

Pogba does better when he's not coming deeper and he tends to drop deeper when Matic isnt there. We cant play Matic every game and Pogba is likely to start more games than not. I think playing McTom as our main DM weakens us as Pogba will suffer (it shouldn't affect pogba as he's super talented but he;s been here 3 years and he doesnt control games like he should and is poor on the ball when he's too deep).

So for me - I'd like to see s being proactive and signing a DM now rather than when we simply dont have a viable option there. Its a gamble hoping McTom grows into the role. It may work and i admire Ole's faith in the lad. We shall see
Yeah i would like to see that proactive approach as well but think if we were signing one would have at least heard some rumours of players by now
 

croadyman

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I appreciate what people are saying about De Gea, Pogba, Matic, Martial providing experience but still feel a Koulibaly or Thiago would be useful.

I think there is no chance we get either of them and there are valid concerns about the age of both and the pace of the league in Koulibaly's case too.
 

Yagami

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If we don't get a wide player, two cms, another cb and maybe another fb, next season isn't going to be pretty.
 

Heardy

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This game just shows how shallow our options are.

Played well For good portions of the game but no real options on the bench to come on and change things.

James and mata aren’t what we need!
 

pratyush_utd

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RB and a backup LB.

AWB is not good enough for the style we want to play.
 

MikeUpNorth

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Quite a lot. But the most urgent is some actual attacking depth. Beyond the first 11, we have nothing.
 

Delano

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We need squad depth. We've got no one to come off the bench and change the game for us at the level we need.

A RW, CDM, CB and LB is what we need in terms of priority. In reality, I can't see us getting more then 2.
 

Bwuk

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That’s so far down the list of priorities right now
For me it should be a priority.

Every top side plays through there full backs.

Navas and Regulion were miles ahead of Williams and AWB.

I think we need 2 new full backs, someone who can rotate in with Pogba and Bruno, and Sancho.
 

Agila Dathi

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CB
LB
RB
Right Winger
Striker (could be just a squad player but someone who can finish his chances).
Backup for Bruno
 

Charles Ufarley

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Accomplished striker, one of those who can actually put the ball in the net... Sancho... good CB and LB. Maybe a better GK, as in one who doesnt keep dropping clangers and making howlers.

Otherwise, we're fine.
 

golden_blunder

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Add a attacking RB that every god damn team has and we dont
I keep saying it, AWB will get better if he’s not stuck on the right flank all by himself. It’s his first season at United and only had 1 full season at palace. He will get there with patience and coaching.

Replacing the RB with Max Aarons for example will not solve the fact that we are lopsided on the right, poor at cb, a passive goalkeeper and a lwf that’s all hype but trips over his own feet
 

Nou_Camp99

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We still need about 5 or 6 players. 66pts is nowhere near good enough for a title challenge.
 

Sandikan

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A couple of players who can make a difference off the bench is essential.

Sancho would at least move one of the front 3 there, so we have options.

When you're losing a semi final, and your manager only gives you 5mins, you can see there's very little trust in the bench boys today.
 

Van Piorsing

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We need start making things happening. We all know what we lack, but 4 weeks left to next season and we're signing kids.
 

RedNed77

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I’d rather have Grealish and Maddison than Sancho if I was given a choice right now. £150m vs £120. That depth would suit us better than a prime first team.
 

pratyush_utd

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Should we haggle for Sancho and waste time when we need so many players ( atleast 3 more) for our squad. That bench today was awful
 

Godfather

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What we need is to finally get rid of all the deadwood. It's been said so many times but we take way too long for it. What are the likes of Lingard, Pereira and Mata still here? What is the point in James or Ighalo if we don't use him? Get rid. Frees up wages for players good enough.
 

MrSingh2002

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Sancho or top winger
Badishile or Upamecano at CB
Top attacking Left back
Powerful striker that scores goals

If those 4 players arent signed the summer.

Ed needs to be forced to do a GoT style SHAME walk at Old Trafford when the fans return.
 

Crashoutcassius

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I think we have at least 2 summer windows to keep adding quality. We need options at right and left back (i still think awb is our rb for most games). I think we need 2 additions to our front 4, sancho and grealish seem ideal to me if they were in any way affordable because sancho could start and grealish could rotate in and effect the game when rashford isn't able to. Lastly I think we need to upgrade lindelof and replace matic, but maybe we can get away with that for one more season given matic seems to have something left, fred can play, and lindelof and maguire were good this year just not at all elite (most clean sheets in europe with a very poor de gea is a good result).

I don't know much about left back and right back options but playmaking left and right backs + grealish, sancho, one of europes best quick centre backs & an all around centre mid and we would look terrific I think.