Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread - Mod Note in OP, 25/08

Your Airbag · 20-08-2014 09:09AM

Did anyone watch the Spanish Super cup last night?

The game totally changed when Di Maria came on. Madrid looked more dangerous and he looked like there best player.

So much so that Simione said Di Maria is Madrids best player to which Ancelotti replied

Di Maria the best? I think Simeone has forgotten the Golden Ball winner and Bale, who scored in Lisbon.

https://twitter.com/SocialRMadrid/statuses/501872008591073280

Thats pretty disrespectful to Di Maria I feel and poor from Ancelotti to devalue his own player like that whilst talking up Ronaldo and Bale. He could have just said "yes, he is one of our best"

He went on to say

Di Maria is a Real Madrid player and I will use him as I want in the field.

https://twitter.com/SocialRMadrid/statuses/501871723948826624

Madrid fans were praising Di Maria and calling out for him to be kept after the game but it seems Ancelotti is talking up the other players because he knows Di Maria could be on the way out.

Ladyman said a couple of days ago we are preparing a 50m + wages bid, totaling 100m to get him. 200,000 a week.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2727337/Manchester-United-prepare-100m-package-lure-Real-Madrid-star-Angel-Di-Maria-Old-Trafford.html

This could get interesting

Lucas Hood · 20-08-2014 09:11AM

ToiletFusion wrote: »

Anyone expecting World Class transfers can forget it, even a team of the likes of Barca are settling for players like Vermaelen. The players just aren't available.

That's not to say they weren't, Jose Mourinho was humming and hawing about whether to put in a bit for Cesc. Toni Kroos obviously had a much more attractive offer in the end, but I don't see why United aren't going balls out for these kind of players, you'd have had a truly world class CM pairing for under 60 million there, which is peanuts these days.

That aside, I think holes need to be plugged in the squad as both our first team and squads pale in comparison to the top 4 teams. I'd be very happy to get in Nigel de Jong, going around kicking people and roughing them up, alongside Herrera so I don't have to see Michael Carrick saunter around not quite doing anything.

Definitely still want another CB of worth, I think Smalling is shocking and Jones isn't much better. I understand they're deemed young but at 24 years of age I'd expect more from them. Whatever you say about potential they're not good enough right now to hold down a place in a team with Champions League ambitions.

That's grand Phil Jones is only 22 he's another 2 years to improve to your required standard.

Alf Veedersane · 20-08-2014 09:13AM

ToiletFusion wrote: »

Anyone expecting World Class transfers can forget it, even a team of the likes of Barca are settling for players like Vermaelen. The players just aren't available.

And the ones that are are going to go to the other big clubs that want them.

Manchester United isn't a hugely attractive proposition for a genuinely world class player anymore.

bullvine · 20-08-2014 09:13AM

It would be madness to buy another Centerback, might as well give Jones the boot so, its time for him to be allowed prove himself as first choice.

redbaron_99 · 20-08-2014 09:16AM

I think those fantasy line-ups that included Hummels, Vidal, Di Maria, etc. have warped a lot of minds on here. LVG has to build a team. He is not the man to chase a load of established players and try to shoehorn them into a solid team. He'll build a team, or even grow a team. I'm quite certain we'll land a young midfielder before the window shuts and that will be all. I'm quite content with that. It'll be shaky this season, but over time it will get better, and I believe in three years time we could be back at the top of european football. DeGae, Rafeal, Smalling, Jones, Rojo, Shaw, Herrera, Januzaj, New CM, Wilson, Mata are all fairly young. A few years together under LVG and they'll be a force.

kippy · 20-08-2014 09:18AM

Lucas Hood wrote: »

That's grand Phil Jones is only 22 he's another 2 years to improve to your required standard.

I suppose the question has to be asked are these two players (Jones and Smalling) good enough right now to get the club through the season.
Rio Ferdinand was 23 when he came to United. Slotted right in and was a great player for the club. Do you see Jones or Smalling at that level or close to it?

MD1990 · 20-08-2014 09:20AM

Di Maria will go to PSG. Do Man Utd fans ever learn lol

Robson99 · 20-08-2014 09:20AM

I'm all for giving Blackett, Lingard James etc a chance, but we also have to the the quality players in the team to get us into the top 4. As of now neither our first 11 nor our overall squad are good enough. So its not fantasy its reality. We need 2 or 3 top drawer players to help these younger players come through

homerjay2005 · 20-08-2014 09:21AM

Lord TSC wrote: »

. Sure, WC players would be nice but I also saw that as an unrealistic target this summer ( and I am fairly certain you said it was unrealistic a few months back too).

why do you keep bringing this up?

I have told you, now for the 4th time what i expect the club to deliver and what the club needs to deliver are two completely different things.

expectations are low due to clubs abject failures in recent windows, it doesnt change the need or more to the point, low expectations shouldnt mean people are happy.

people thought we would spend £150m to £200m which was unrealistic. however now, it looks like we have no choice but to do that or we risk another disaster season as it stands.

i have changed my mind on one thing however - i always was on the we shouldnt waste money side of things, but now you know what, f*ck it...if we have it, spend it - as long as we buy the right players, something however we are not capable of doing at the moment.

a vidal and a di maria would change things - thats the level we are at, but unfortunately seem incapable right now of landing. it needs to change in the next 10 days, we all hope it does.

Lucas Hood · 20-08-2014 09:22AM

kippy wrote: »

I suppose the question has to be asked are these two players (Jones and Smalling) good enough right now to get the club through the season.
Rio Ferdinand was 23 when he came to United. Slotted right in and was a great player for the club. Do you see Jones or Smalling at that level or close to it?

At Rios level? No probably not.

I don't think Rio was that great for United at the start he made a lot of mistakes in his first few seasons.

redbaron_99 · 20-08-2014 09:22AM

Robson99 wrote: »

I'm all for giving Blackett, Lingard James etc a chance, but we also have to the the quality players in the team to get us into the top 4. As of now neither our first 11 nor our overall squad are good enough. So its not fantasy its reality. We need 2 or 3 top drawer players to help these younger players come through

Those players will not get a chance this season anyway. Blackett is out of the picture as Evans is fit again and Rojo is in. Lingaard was only thrown in because of injuries to all our wing backs, and James won't get ahead of Rojo and Shaw soon.

Will I Amnt · 20-08-2014 09:23AM

I expect Di Maria to end up at PSG on loan with a commitment to buy next season to get around FFP.

redbaron_99 · 20-08-2014 09:24AM

Lucas Hood wrote: »

At Rios level? No probably not.

I don't think Rio was that great for United at the start he made a lot of mistakes in his first few seasons.

You're right. He wasn't that great at all. He made plenty of mistakes in his first couple of years. He started to settle in properly and become world class when Vidic arrived.

People need to take our the rose tinted glasses.

bullvine · 20-08-2014 09:26AM

Lucas Hood wrote: »

At Rios level? No probably not.

I don't think Rio was that great for United at the start he made a lot of mistakes in his first few seasons.

Rio was definitely not great in his first few years, it wasnt till around 2005 that he really started to justify his position.

homerjay2005 · 20-08-2014 09:28AM

Lord TSC wrote: »

This season is about top four, so next season, with CL football, lots of money from the Addidas deal and a solid core, we go after significant upgrades and top level players. I don't see it as a failure because I set out a level of expectation and it delivered.

sorry i forgot this part...answer me an honest question, no ifs, buts or maybes, just an honest yes or no answer (you can elaborate why afterwards).

do you think, as it stands that we will get top 4?

Mitch Connor · 20-08-2014 09:28AM

redbaron_99 wrote: »

You're right. He wasn't that great at all. He made plenty of mistakes in his first couple of years. He started to settle in properly and become world class when Vidic arrived.

People need to take our the rose tinted glasses.

He was brilliant alongside Silvestre for a time too, and Brown.

Spazdarn · 20-08-2014 09:32AM

Lucas Hood wrote: »

That's grand Phil Jones is only 22 he's another 2 years to improve to your required standard.

Smalling is 24.

I don't think we can afford to put all our trust in a player who may or may not come good.

redbaron_99 · 20-08-2014 09:34AM

ToiletFusion wrote: »

Smalling is 24.

I don't think we can afford to put all our trust in a player who may or may not come good.

That's why we also have Evans, Jones, Rojo, Blackett and Keane.

redbaron_99 · 20-08-2014 09:36AM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

sorry i forgot this part...answer me an honest question, no ifs, buts or maybes, just an honest yes or no answer (you can elaborate why afterwards).

do you think, as it stands that we will get top 4?

If we get a good young midfielder I would say yes, we can. But there can be no certainty. This is a sport. We could pick up five serious injuries to key players. The same could happen to Chelsea and their season could be wrecked.

Arsenal could have won the league last year. They got a injuries to key players all at the same time and they fell away. This isn't a video game.

MagicIRL · 20-08-2014 09:37AM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

sorry i forgot this part...answer me an honest question, no ifs, buts or maybes, just an honest yes or no answer (you can elaborate why afterwards).

do you think, as it stands that we will get top 4?

I don't believe you can honestly answer that after watching a single game.

Lord TSC · 20-08-2014 09:38AM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

sorry i forgot this part...answer me an honest question, no ifs, buts or maybes, just an honest yes or no answer (you can elaborate why afterwards).

do you think, as it stands that we will get top 4?

Yes.

I think we have a manager well capable of doing it, with a first team well capable of doing it, with a squad well capable of doing it.

That 4th might come in a battle for forth. It might come at an easy 3rd or 4th place. We might pull off an upset and win the whole thing. That, I can't say cause it will depend on the teams around us.

But the question was a simple "Will we get top 4". Based on the fact I'd say City and Chelsea are better than us squad wise, but that we're at least as good as Arsenal (if not maybe better), significantly stronger than Liverpool (and with less games to play) and Spurs, I do think we will get at least 4th place this year.

(And to relate to something Magic said when I was posting this....that's on the back of my opinion of the team underpreforming drastically last year, overpreforming the year before, how we looked in preseason but also taking on board how we looked against Swansea, the transfers we've made now, the ones we will possible make over the next two weeks and January, etc).

homerjay2005 · 20-08-2014 09:38AM

Fellaini suspected ligament damage in ankle.

at the way things are going, we wont have any players left.

redbaron_99 · 20-08-2014 09:40AM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

Fellaini suspected ligament damage in ankle.

at the way things are going, we wont have any players left.

What's that, 3-4 months possibly?

homerjay2005 · 20-08-2014 09:41AM

MagicIRL wrote: »

I don't believe you can honestly answer that after watching a single game.

a single game doesnt change the fact that our first 11 is now at its poorest shape in many years. if we struggle against Swansea, we are going to struggle against the top sides. Darran Fletcher is our first choice midfielder for f*ck sake. our first choice center defenders consist of reserve england internationals and a northern ireland international. we have no wingers according to our manager and our striker has fitness and injury concerns.

two things can turn this around -

top class signings.
LVG working miracles.

however, there is only certain amount you can do with Young, Jones, Fletcher and a bunch of injuries, in your team.

bullvine · 20-08-2014 09:42AM

You would want to be really negative if you don't think that the current first 11 we have and the manager that we now have isn't capable of finishing at least fourth maybe third even.

DM_7 · 20-08-2014 09:44AM

I don't think Di Maria wants to leave Madrid but Perez wants to sell him.

PSG don't want to spend the cash to pay what Real want. United have the cash but Di Maria is probably not keen in dropping from key player in Champions League Final to Key player in team that has no European football.

It's going to be another Ozil, Robben, Van Der Vaart last minute sale wherever he ends up. Money will be the key as it appears only two clubs have what Real want just PSG don't think they can spend it.

Spazdarn · 20-08-2014 09:45AM

bullvine wrote: »

You would want to be really negative if you don't think that the current first 11 we have and the manager that we now have isn't capable of finishing at least fourth maybe third even.

From the tits up our team looks quality, but from midfield back is terrible.

Our whole defence barring Shaw and Rojo (who haven't had to chance to prove one way or another if they're good enough) is only fit for a mid table team in the premiership.

Ashley Young's level again, a mid table team, Michael Carrick divides opinion, but he imo shouldn't be in a team challenging for champions league.

Compare our first team and even our squad against any of the top 4's teams and we come up short.

It's hard to be confident of anything especially when the only trick card we have (a good manager) can be nullified by the fact the other top 4 teams have good managers too.

ericzeking · 20-08-2014 09:46AM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

- as long as we buy the right players

Why do you (and others) get so upset that the club doesn't buy the players that you personnally deem to be the right players?

There are players I would like to see play for United but what's the point in getting all hot and bothered about them following my own personal opinion? Me, a nobody on a message board.....

I don't know much about Rojo and I hadn't seen much of Herrera (but he does look the part)....why not give them a chance before declaring the window a bad one, have some trust in the manager who knows more than you do.

FWIW I think we've enough to get in the top 4, plenty in fact....and next year we go again. We have plenty players, we have a few injuries at the moment too which is also clouding the issue.

Adamcp898 · 20-08-2014 09:46AM

bullvine wrote: »

You would want to be really negative if you don't think that the current first 11 we have and the manager that we now have isn't capable of finishing at least fourth maybe third even.

Do you think there are only 3 squads in the league better than ours?

Quandary · 20-08-2014 09:46AM

Our injuries list just gets worse every year. LVG demanding the training ground pitches surface be updated can only be a good thing.

As usual, the CM position is the most worrying at the moment. An injury to Herrera now and we are looking at a centre mid pairing of Fletcher and Cleverley. That is a truly frightening prospect.

Signing another quality CM is crucial.

Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread - Mod Note in OP, 25/08

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