Manchester United Thread 25/26 - Teamtalk/Transfers/Gossip Mod Note in OP 12.02.26

Yeah I definitely think Spurs will get a point so hopefully Sunday evening there gone, and gone for a while, I remember Steve Bruce when he was over Birmingham and they played West Ham the final day of the season and he said that he would love to send them down after 95, and he duly did!

Mason Mount would look lovely in claret and blue.

Fernandes talks highly of Bruno and you hear him talk about Bruno watching him play while with the Sporting academy and wanting to impress him. Would be great if playing alongside Bruno for a few years could sway him.

Though PSG are supposedly linked with him and they've their own Portuguese contingent which includes Nuno Mendes who he probably came up through the Sporting academy with. Along with being the best team in Europe.

There stacked in midfield.

Feeling the exact same way. I don’t begrudge their fans this success at all. But, it does leave me with this feeling that we have fallen further behind. As you say, another different club has now won the league since we last did. We could kind of hide behind the City thing to a point, but there’s no excuse now that Liverpool, Arsenal & Chelsea have won titles in that period.

It should fuel the club more to deliver a league title. Pep is leaving, Arsenal have won their league title, Liverpool seem to be in a weird spot and we are probably in the best place post SAF in terms of footballing structure. It feels like in the next two-three years is a prime opportunity to strike for a league title - I hope we don’t waste that window.

However - my gut feeling at the moment is that there is probably too much work needed to build a title-winning team, competing in a season with 50 odd games. I do think this third place finish, while it’s a great outcome in a bad season, isn’t something I would use as a baseline for where we’re at heading into next season.

I seem to be generally a much more optimistic poster than a lot of others here but I don't think we are that far off where we want to be.

Very solid, dependable GK

Our young CBs will be better with another season under their belts and I think if the right deal becomes a available a CB will be bought

LB definitely needs improvement

RB we have two good if not exactly exceptional options right now. Good enough to win a league IMO

CM we all know what needs to be done

LW we have Amad & Mbuemo who both have had disappointing seasons IMO but we know what they are capable of

RW we have Cunha and Dorgu and I can't see anyone being signed there this summer

CF Sesko with a PL season will be even better next season. We know we need to improve the backups and someone that can add 10-12 goals while being a backup would be the dream

Overall, yes we have work to do but honesty other than City, i don't feel we are miles off anyone else's squads IF, massive if, we get the CM and LB sorted this summer

I’m positive to a certain extent - my concern is that we will be depending on too many injury-prone players, for a lot more games.

Defence is a concern: Maz, Shaw, De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez, Yoro - would all worry me in terms of staying fit/injury-free for a full season of 54-ish games. Dalot as frustrating as he can be, is a standout in terms of availability.

Mount is a very good squad option on paper, but you simply can’t rely on availability there either. Mainoo has had his injuries.

We just don’t have the bodies to cover if we suffer an injury crisis, which will be compounded by more and more games. I think those are valid concerns.

It was a wonderful feeling, especially after what happened the season before, with Leeds snatching it from us. After that season it felt like we would never win it, so the 92/93 was made all the sweeter because of it. And well done to Arsenal, their fans deserve to celebrate!

Yeh, I'm conflicted about that. On the one hand, Arsenal are a proper football club and not a sportswashing shower of kunz. I don't want City, Newcastle, PSG or any of them lifting trophies but Arsenal won't have enough to beat PSG; they're not good enough to win the double.

Henry was a striker, his core responsibility was to find space around the box and score + assist goals.

Fernandes played CM in a midfield 2 for half the season, his core responsibilities were to provide broad offensive support from deep and cover ground defensively. Both responsibilities were equal in importance to the role he was given.

In the second half of the season he was more like a typical number 10, his core responsibilities were specifically to directly create chances and link with the midfield.

Given the context, Fernandes' numbers are outstanding and deserve praise. I'm not sure why there's a need to bring Henry (a striker and probably the best player in PL history) into the conversation as a comparison.

Also not sure why Roy Keane's opinions are being treated very seriously by others, whether you think they're good or bad takes. He was a great player but is a shock jock barstool pundit who wouldn't be considered for any serious job in modern football. His role on TV is entertainment, not analysis.

There is an argument though that if authorities crack down on set pieces it might benefit Arsenal even more. They have the best deliveries and one of the best aerial threats.