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

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122479942#Comment_122479942

I think Scholes' point was not to be getting too hyped up about De Ligt. He probably went a little extreme but at the end of the day, we are buying someone Bayern don't mind seeing gone.

The one thing I fully agree with him is on the need for a striker. We've made a young lad number 9 and we've added a guy who doesn't really score much.

Everyone seems obsessed with midfield, and it is an issue, but not having guys to score goals is a much bigger one.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122478480#Comment_122478480

Our free agents can't even get clubs. That's how bad it is!

IncognitoMan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122479994#Comment_122479994

Did Juve want to get rid of him or did he want to leave Juve?

Bayern themselves are at a strange stage of their project. Kane was meant to be the missing piece but they seemed to go backwards as a team last season. Few mangeral changes over the last few seasons as well.

Bayern are not the well run German machine they once were.

I don't know myself if De Ligt is the correct answer but I don't fear Bayern "losing" a player like I did a few years ago.

If the deal is there to be done with De Ligt and Mazraoui and it doesn't put us in a hole going forward then I'm happy to go for those players.

De Ligt is an upgrade on Maguire and Mazraoui is an upgrade on AWB.

We won't solve all our issues in the squad this summer but they are both good youngish profiles with good experience. I don't think we'll be talking about needing to replace them next summer and that will hopefully allow us to work on the next problem areas next summer.

FourFourRED

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122480828#Comment_122480828

Scholes didn’t really have a point, he just showed that he hasn’t a clue (on de Ligt) and he has rightly been called out on it. He’s a fairly poor pundit in general tbh (from what I’ve seen of him on BT Sport over the years). Fair enough about Bayern wanting him gone - raise that as a question then but to flat out make something up and say he doesn’t play was bizarre.

Re: Juventus selling him. Raiola was his agent, imagine the stunts that were going on there contract wise.

A functioning midfield should lead to more goals really so it would be my priority but of course if funds allowed for it, you’d bring Toney in. Whatever about Højlund, we will also need more goal involvements from the wide forwards. If you could get Shaw consistently fit it could be crucial to helping Rashford to go on a run like 2 seasons ago. By the sounds of things Shaw won’t play this weekend but hopefully he’s available soon. He could have come back even a week earlier to work on fitness but he didn’t choose to, he was entitled to the time off of course but I can’t help feel there’s a slight cloud over that.

Amad looks like he could make a difference too and there is definitely an excitement bubbling to see how he gets on.

SeanJ09

Does anyone actually expect Luke Shaw to ever be available for a full season ?

kyleman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122481100#Comment_122481100

Definitely not.

KH25

How is shaw not fit? Did he just go off on holiday and let himself go or did he get injured again?

Mitch Connor

I've read elsewhere that's it's not that he is injured, but just maybe not fit enough just yet, and the club don't want to take risks.

Elsewhere... Rumours Bayern are looking at selling Davies, for maybe 30m. Would be a nice lb....

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122480973#Comment_122480973

Scholes might not be a great pundit but I think he knows a thing or two about the game and De Ligt comes into that. Juve, and now Bayern are okay with selling him. Eric Dier may not have taken his place (like Scholes said) but he was competing for a spot with him. I don't think Scholes was going OTT in saying that De Ligt is "almost like a second-rate defender". He certainly doesn't have the status he once had, and I'm assuming that if we paid huge money for Yoro, that Martinez and Yoro are seen as our ideal first choice CB's.

On the goals front, I think there's too many if buts and maybes there. Our wide forwards aren't really scorers, with the exception of Rashford...sometimes, and that generally happens the odd time Shaw is fit. It'll be criminal if we don't go into the season without adding a goalscorer to take some pressure away from Hojlund. We are closer to the relegation zone than we are to Top 4 with our current set up. Luton got relegated with just 5 goals less than us.

DrPhilG

David de Gea off to Fiorentina by the sound of it. I wish him well, hell of a keeper for many years.

El Gato De Negocios

Re Bayern selling players. I'd agree to an extent that it is a little bit troubling but as mentioned above, they are in a bit of a state of flux currently plus they have installed Kompany as their manager. The whole setup there is just a bit mad at the moment.

StringerBell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122481100#Comment_122481100

Not even Luke Shaw expects this

Caustic

Deligt kinda forced a move to Bayern and Bayern were happy to pay the money for him, about 95% of bayern fans that ive read are disgusted they are selling him and that the price is way too low, there are many reasons why transfers go through and can work for all parties a club selling a player doesn't automatically mean he is a dud. If you are listening to Scholes about pretty much anything you are doing it wrong unless your plan is to be misinformed and or depressed. Genuinely one of the worst pundits out there currently imo.

Bleating Lamb

Looking like Tobido is bound for the Hammers…….at least we will get to see him up close and personal now.

y0ssar1an22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482280#Comment_122482280

and for relatively cheap fee as well (€32m) which is a kick in the stones. we should have organised the transfer before it was confirmed we would both play in the same comp.

Mitch Connor

It is infuriating that United are not allowed to match the bid and let Todibo decide. I don't understand it.

Iseedeadpixels

Makes no sense that we can't match the bid!

Ninthlife

On a side note, is there a fantasy football league this year

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482381#Comment_122482381

wasn't it a condition of allowing United and Nice play in the same competition that they don't sell players to each other? FWIW I hate this multi club ownership thing, they should just ban clubs with the same owners from playing each other

El Gato De Negocios

https://twitter.com/UtdEra_/status/1821656428089897041?t=kkICcnGHBsVUTNO-kSv_Yg&s=08

Comparison between Berge and Zubimendi. I know absolutely nowt about either and had not heard of either before the euros but it makes for some interesting reading.

The fact that Berge was also playing in a putrid Burnley team needs to be a consideration. If the option was Berge for £20m or Zubi for £50 odd, I'd be taking Berge, PL experience in that midfield battler position is invaluable.

Mitch Connor

IMO we need two CM signings, minimum over the next two summers.
and IMO it was a first choice DM and a second choice/squad player that could play instead of the first choice, or with them. With my thinking the first signing needed to be focused on physical output/tacking/blocking to be a partner for Mainoo. the second signing needed to be defensive, to patner for Mainoo and also useful on the ball to replace/rotate with mainoo on occassion.

I think Berge fills the criteria of the second signing, brilliantly. But i would question if he is good enough as a DM to be the lynchpin DM of this United side - I think Ugarte has the workrate/ground coverage, but I did worry about his lack of height.

If Berge can be got relatively cheaply, he could be a good 'stop gap' signing that would make an impact as first choice this season, if not perfect, and then (maybe, hopefully) we sign a top class DM or top class prospect (Wharton) next summer and that is our two 'number 6' signings done.

Iseedeadpixels

Antony claiming we'll see a better version of him next season….Sure Antony.

Paul MCM

Unfortunately for us to better last season he doesn’t have to do that much this season.

Mitch Connor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482965#Comment_122482965

Low bar, can't be worse.

El Gato De Negocios

Antonys minutes will be kept to early round cup games / late appearances imo, he's never going to be good enough.

DrPhilG

The best version of Antony is the one in another team's shirt. I love his work rate but he's a winger who doesn't create or score. Out te feck.

Quags

29 years old and can play centre-back or a left-back.

Mitch Connor

I imagine there is A LOT of talks with A LOT of players right now.
Hermoso as a left footed CB, on a free transfer, makes sense to check out.
I would guess we have a budget of X amount (plus any sales we could get done) and a desire for players at CB, RB (?) and CM - and if we decided to get Hermoso then we have more funds to put elsewhere. If we get De Ligt then we have less/no funds for a one other position.

Rabiot would be in the same boat imo.

Cotts72

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122482934#Comment_122482934

I like the idea of Berge and Fofana... Would cost the price of Ugarte . Fofana can do the 6 and 8 roles IMO. Would slot in well with mainoo and Bruno and can move the ball well. Depending on the opposition both can alternate.

Iseedeadpixels

I love that I cant see comments on here 🙄😂