Manchester United Thread 25/26 - Teamtalk/Transfers/Gossip Mod Note in OP 26.09.24

keane2097

Sesko has three direct goal involvements in 615 minutes in EPL which amounts to less than 7 games, and an xGA of 4.24 which seems ok. He played 120 minutes against Grimsby when Amorim claimed he was so out of condition as to be almost physically incapable of taking a penalty at the end, which probably didn't help him hit the ground running.

Goal involvements doesn't account for his contribution to the red card which effectively won the game against Chelsea (pressing forced Sanchez to go long, won the header for Mbeumo from the return clearance). He was key to winning corner before second goal vs Liverpool, creating a nice move with Cunha which led to the shot being turned behind. He recovered possession twice in 20 seconds in front of Brighton's box, 10 seconds after which Cunha scores after Sesko's ball into the box is scrambled away ineffectively. Forced the header behind at the back post for the corner Casemiro scored from against Forest. If you're being generous you could argue his positioning pinned the CBs creating the space for Mount's goal against Sunderland.

This is against a backdrop of a team that historically doesn't really cater well to its central striker, while playing broken minutes often for large stretches where United are winning and not controlling possession.

First couple of games I thought his touch and link up play looked really ropey, but to my eye that's been improving a lot subsequent games, it could clearly do with improving further.

IDK, maybe it's just me - I think he's been pretty good.

IncognitoMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123978972#Comment_123978972

https://www.juvefc.com/balzarini-juventus-keep-dusan-vlahovic/

Seems like he is on about €12m a year or about €230/€240k per week.
Not out of reach for Utd.

Rumours Juve will offer €7/8 million per year to keep him so there is potentially something there.
I don't know if he is the right answer, that's up to the transfer team at Utd to figure out but there does look to be an opportunity there at least

ericzeking

We should have kept Hojlund to alternate with Sesko and cover injuries.

If Zirksee is seen as a number 10, he is the one who should have been loaned out as we have loads of 10s.

Likely it was a decision based on sell on value by the money men.

Is your man Obi gone off the radar now?

Caustic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979203#Comment_123979203

But who was that striker, arsenal signed Gyokeres, older striker, scoring goals for fun in a lesser league, arsenal are a very good team are top of the league he only has 4 goals and has played 2 games worth of minutes more then sesko.

Liverpool has the money to sign isak and Ekitike the perfect combination of a senior premier league proven score and a young lad (something we didn't have the money for with all our other problems) Ekitike started well but still only 3 goals in 7 (90s) isak has 0 in 3 (90s)

Chelsea went with two with premier league experience Pedro and delap Pedro has 4 goals in 10 (90s) Delap no goals but has only played 2 (90s).

Of new signings Woldemade has probably started the best with 4 goals in under 7 (90s) but he was seen as the biggest risk in terms of having very little top level football experience and doesn't even see himself as a striker.

There is no striker outside of haaland and Thiago at brentford banging in goals this season

Will all those new strikers continue to struggle probably not but the point is it's way too early to be making grand statements about anyone's goal scoring when strikers of all types all struggling at clubs in much better shapes then ours

Seattle

Guys, seriously. I don't understand the Hojlund love fest. He was useless in the specific 9 role at Utd and the PL. He was so bad, you could visibly see his teammates didn't rate him as a player. He was genuinely hopeless. It was embarrassing how easily opposition CBs dealt with him. Continuing on with him another season would have been poor from INEOS. Woodward-esque stuff.

Cotts72

I don't think we should be looking at a vlahovic type signing if we want to develop Sesko. Both would be expecting to start as the no9. It would appear to go beyond the ineos model of age profile but I think signing someone like a sorloth/el-neysri type that could come on and alternate could be beneficial.

We are also linked to that Cameroonian striker at levante Eyong who at 22 is built like a brick house but does that just nulify obi and Bayeks path to the first team? It's a shame we don't play 442 and can afford to have a wealth of strikers like back in 99!!

IncognitoMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979327#Comment_123979327

It doesn't necessarily need to be Vlahovic. I only put his name out there as his deal is up next summer so maybe Juve could be tempted by an offer in January.

It's up to our transfer team to identify the best option. All I am putting out is that I would like a more experienced head in there that can rotate with Sesko, take Sesko out of the firing line. Allow Sesko to come into a game for the last 15/20 min and have space and time to learn / adapt to the league. Let him start 1 in 3/4 etc..

I just don't think it's great having our only striker in the squad being a 22 year old in his first season in the PL. To take him out we are then moving other players from their main position also.

It's a lot to put on the shoulders of Sesko IMO. It's something I think is worth looking to see if there is a potential addition we can make there in January.

IncognitoMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979309#Comment_123979309

It's not about giving up hope on Sesko.
It's about relieving some of the pressure on a young player and making sure there is backup there.

Other strikers struggling doesn't change that.

Sesko is 22, new to the league and has no backup/competition and is expected to lead the line for Man Utd. It's not the best way to help him succeed IMO

All our best strikers had backups/competition for loss of form, injury so on.

Mitch Connor

Welbeck seems to be the name United want for such a role. Was linked summer before last, was linked last summer too. I reckon if Brighton would sell relatively cheap we'd do it in a heart beat.

Don't know that he really suits what we need from the role, but I wouldn't be against it. He's been doing well for Brighton the last 18 months.

Ivan Toney is getting linked with PL interest for a January move - will be nearing 30 at that point, but i think he'd be one worth looking at if he had interest in coming in as a rotation.

Whatsisname

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979310#Comment_123979310

He's reverted to form at Napoli in recent weeks, they're struggling for goals lately. There was a pundit on CBS the other night saying his hold up play and first touch isn't good enough. Sound familiar?

bucketybuck

Hojlund might turn into a legend, he might not.

But he absolutely needed to be gone from United. Its crazy to see people saying he should have stayed to rotate with Sesko, as if the guy with zero confidence was going to become more confident sitting on the bench behind his direct replacement.

Mitch Connor

sesko needs to up his speed of execution.

imo he is positioning well, linking well and showing good ability to compete physically.

17togo

Just watched the latest episode of the overlap fan debate. The utd fan, Adam mikola??, called out Neville for the dig he had at Sesko. Said Neville is trying so hard to be unbiased he goes too far the other way. Carragher brushed it off saying all ex players do it, but to be fair to Carragher I don't think he does, he's well able to highlight the positives about Liverpool, maybe it's just cos there were alot more of them the last few years.

Good to see him getting called out though, especially on the overlap which I assume he has a stake in??

Caustic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979638#Comment_123979638

Ya sorry I don't really disagree that competition would be good or a better more experienced striker would have been a better purchase just given the circumstances we were in, the whole squad needs work, hojund needed replacing, everyone seemingly needed a striker and the cost of players has gotten crazy that our options were just very limited, even getting sesko in himself was a lot of money and we had competition to sign him from rival premier league clubs.

I don't think there was any perfect solution to the problem and we probably did as well as we could have given those circumstances, like the only other striker whom moved we could have probably gotten was wissa and he has missed the whole season so far.

We really are paying the price for the years of mismanagement by the glazers and given where we are as a club there will be gambles needed to be taken in a market that is really competitive and we are no where near anyone's top choice

Caustic

Not exactly sure exactly what this means but Bruno does get through some work just a shame he can be so ill disciplined at times because he does do a lot of good at times

Edit: couldn't ended link had Bruno at 2nd most possession won at 67 this season behind Anderson at Forest who had a whooping 92

DellyBelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979310#Comment_123979310

100% this. He was for me one of the worst signings we've ever made especially the price we paid for him.

DrPhilG

Late Comms...

https://twitter.com/AlternativeMUFC/status/1988305741149860103?t=QtVtxIocQ1Qc8qD5MWCdig&s=19

Ninthlife

Comms with extra Fester..nearly worth not getting all 3pts

y0ssar1an22

few interesting free transfers this summer. i'd like us to be more involved in free transfers generally. 1 or 2 just to fill out the squad. eriksen was the last one of note? cavani and zlatan before that.

upamecano CB 27

guehi CB 25

vlahovic CF 25

quinten timber CM (but plays all over the place) 24

maignan GK 30

ruben neves CM 28

eric garcia CB 24

goretza CM 30

senesi CB 28

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979135#Comment_123979135

I can't imagine the club will prioritise LWB over RWB. The new guys have bought Dorgu and Leon. They'll be giving both plenty of chances imo.

Can see them going for a RWB first. Amad is good there but they need a different type of player for certain games. And Amad can be used in rotation in the 10s as well.

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123979622#Comment_123979622

Mateta would be ideal but pricey.

johnnyryan89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123980989#Comment_123980989

No way should they be looking to replace Amad when your second choice RWB is currently keeping Dorgu out of the team at LWB. Drogu can play both sides so should still get plenty of chances from the bench. Leon is young so plenty of time for him to get chances. Should be looking to loan Leon out like they did with Amass.

El Gato De Negocios

Just checking in on how Favela Tony is doing at Betis, 4 goals and 1 assist in 8 league matches. Still only 25. There's a €3m add on and a 50% sell on clause, I assume on any profit. If he keeps it up he could get a move in the next year or two to a bigger team. Greenwood with 8 goals and 3 assists in 11 matches for Marseille too.

y0ssar1an22

i thought this was initially a lot higher. full article linked below for anyone interested.

Manchester United have been accused of harming the career of a former player by failing to treat an injury "promptly" and "appropriately", leaving him with more serious long-term problems, according to a £1m lawsuit obtained by Sky News.

While defender Axel Tuanzebe is still in the Premier League at Burnley, he blames United for no longer being able to play "without restriction or impediment" - impacting his career and earnings.

The landmark case has been brought by the footballer claiming clinical negligence - shining an unprecedented spotlight on the inner workings of a leading club's medical care and alleged handling of an injury.

The case centres on stress fractures at the back of the spine, which the British Association of Spine Surgeons says footballers are vulnerable to.

It's alleged Tuanzebe sustained a left-sided pars fracture in January 2020, which became chronic by July 2022 when he also developed a right-sided pars fracture.

The lawsuit says: "Appropriate treatment plans would, on the balance of probabilities, have resulted in the claimant avoiding the pain and discomfort set out below and would have resulted in him being able to play professional football at elite level without restriction or impediment.

"As it is, although he continues to play at an elite level, this has impacted his career and earnings."

The case centres on how MRI scans in early 2020 were interpreted following a hamstring injury suffered in a League Cup match in December 2019 against Colchester.

A suspected pars fracture was detected - referencing spinal stress fractures in the lower back, which athletes can suffer from repeated movements.

The lawsuit says: "It is the claimant's case that the defendant [United] negligently failed to properly investigate the claimant's pars fractures, failed to rest the claimant and failed to refer him to a specialist sports spinal surgeon.

"As a result, the claimant's symptoms significantly progressed to bilateral grade 4 fractures, and he developed a left-sided chronic spinal fracture.

https://news.sky.com/story/axel-tuanzebe-details-of-former-manchester-united-players-1m-lawsuit-against-club-obtained-by-sky-news-13468703

y0ssar1an22

here's an interesting table. just the 2nd of games - imagine the 2nd half starts 0-0. biggest differential in the league between 1st and 2nd half performances.

assuming the 2nd half is the issue (rather than way overperming in the 1sf half), what do we think are the reasons? squad depth, mentality, lack of fitness, fluke? whatever it is, i hope amorim has a plan.

1st half table also included and vid linked below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSVY6P-RB7w&t=184s

https://www.soccerstats.com/halftime.asp?league=england

DrPhilG

I think it comes down to the lack of depth particularly in midfield. Casemiro has surprisingly been vital to us this season but he can't make it beyond an hour before needing to come off and be replaced by Ugarte who started his United career badly and has since regressed.

El Gato De Negocios

A CM is absolutely imperative in January if we are to be in with a proper chance of top 4/5. Anderson was brilliant against us and looks really good any time I've seen him (which hasn't been that often tbf) but how likely would Forest be to sell him mid-season?

AidoEirE

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123981695#Comment_123981695

Its been reported that they'd look for well and around the 100m price point. That scary money tbh.

AidoEirE

For me, its the second half subs that have cost us. Some needed but some are not. Also the timing of subs where its 2 or 3 at the same time instead if soread out. We don't have the depth for this system for the guys to come in second half and be in par with the regulars.

Jofspring

Definitely need to sign a CM in Jan if this season is going to be worth anything in the end. Stay well clear of any club looking for around 100m for one though. Just trying to take the club for a ride of you ask me. Surely you'll pick up a very good CM somewhere in Europe for 60m, maybe 70m with add ons.

A CM and Welbeck in Jan would be excellent business.