Manchester United Teamtalk/Transfer Rumours/Gossip 2019/20

PARlance

Minime2.5 wrote: »

Would playing a diamond to accommodate both Pogba and Fernandez without having to drop Fred or Mctominay be worth trying? We probably would require very attacking full backs to make it work

Mctominay
Fred Pogba
Fernandez

Martial Rashford

Wouldn't be a fan of it at all, I think a 3-5-2 set up would be a better option IF you wanted to fit all 4 of them in... with Shaw or AWB as one of the back 3. But it still wouldn't be my preference and I don't necessarily see the need/big advantage of playing all 4.

Minime2.5

PARlance wrote: »

Wouldn't be a fan of it at all, I think a 3-5-2 set up would be a better option IF you wanted to fit all 4 of them in... with Shaw or AWB as one of the back 3. But it still wouldn't be my preference and I don't necessarily see the need/big advantage of playing all 4.

My problem with playing Pogba in a 433 is that not only will one of Fred or Mctominay be dropped but neither are good enough to do that defensive cdm role so they would both need to be dropped . Someone like Kante or Ndidi would allow us to play both Pogba and Fernandez in the same team however in saying all that I hope Pogba is sold. He is typical of a modern day player. Marketed to death and considered better than he actually is . If we could get in Niquez as his replacement it would be awesome

Minime2.5

Would signing Werner Sancho and Niquez make us title contenders?

El Gato De Negocios

Minime2.5 wrote: »

Would signing Werner Sancho and Niquez make us title contenders?

Not imo with Ole in charge. There is the bones of the good team there and Bruno has added a spark of life that's been absent but I just dont think he has what it takes. I'd love to be proven wrong and see him at the helm and lifting a major trophy but just cant see it happening with him.

PARlance

Minime2.5 wrote: »

My problem with playing Pogba in a 433 is that not only will one of Fred or Mctominay be dropped but neither are good enough to do that defensive cdm role so they would both need to be dropped . Someone like Kante or Ndidi would allow us to play both Pogba and Fernandez in the same team however in saying all that I hope Pogba is sold. He is typical of a modern day player. Marketed to death and considered better than he actually is . If we could get in Niquez as his replacement it would be awesome

Not sure if a blanket statement like McTominay (or Fred) not being good enough for a CDM role in a 433 covers everything. I think he'd be plenty good enough for the lesser teams in the PL. The teams we have most of possession against. We tend to change systems vs better teams so he would have more help/cover then.

But yes, wouldn't turn down Ndidi.

Liam O

PARlance wrote: »

Not sure if a blanket statement like McTominay (or Fred) not being good enough for a CDM role in a 433 covers everything. I think he'd be plenty good enough for the lesser teams in the PL. The teams we have most of possession against. We tend to change systems vs better teams so he would have more help/cover then.

But yes, wouldn't turn down Ndidi.

I think the Fred and McT partnership is very dynamic against the lower teams but you need a bit more structure in the big games that a dedicated DM and one of the 2 would work better. That said they've done very well as a 2 in big games so what do I know?

fatherted1969

Liam O wrote: »

I've actually both defended him and attacked him in equal parts I think.

I see the things he does well and he does have a great engine, eye for a pass and good technical attributes that are prevalent when he plays.

I think he does lack the mentality at times. He doesn't drive the team forward and will make sideways passes rather than take advantage of his abilities and almost seems nervous passing the ball through the lines at times.

This has improved immeasurably with Matic beside him and may have been to do with him being the deepest midfielder on the team. It's still not ideal but I said it earlier in the season that he has everything that a good box to box midfielder should. He just needs the mental side to catch up which I think it has and will hopefully continue to in the future.

Serious question, if you think that Fred plays best with another defensive midfielder in Matic beside him is that enough of a duo to compete right at the top of the premiership ? We see very little from these two in the final third that would lead me to believe we will

I think myself that a CM of those two players wont see Utd making inroads on City or Liverpool

Mitch Connor

fatherted1969 wrote: »

Serious question, if you think that Fred plays best with another defensive midfielder in Matic beside him is that enough of a duo to compete right at the top of the premiership ? We see very little from these two in the final third that would lead me to believe we will

I think myself that a CM of those two players wont see Utd making inroads on City or Liverpool

So we sell Fred and Matic. Who needs squad options, or depth. You don't think 2 from McT, Fred or Matic are good enough, yeah? So sell McTominay as well. Right?

No one is saying there is no argument for upgrading on Fred in the first 11.

RobbingBandit

I'm waiting to see the headlines Pogba return is like a new signing for Manchester United.

If Pogba is brought back into the fold and given a prominent place in the team we are doomed to repeat he's done as far as I'm concerned sell him and recruit someone else.

Mitch Connor

RobbingBandit wrote: »

I'm waiting to see the headlines Pogba return is like a new signing for Manchester United.

If Pogba is brought back into the fold and given a prominent place in the team we are doomed to repeat he's done as far as I'm concerned sell him and recruit someone else.

Can't see him being sold.

Juve won't pay the wages.
Madrid seemingly not signing anyone this summer.

He'll be back in the squad - just as Ole and Carrick have talked about recently.

Hopefully we can get the best out of him.

Quandary

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Hopefully we can get the best out of him.

Id say this is exactly what Ole and Co. are thinking.

I just hope that he isn't pandered to. Give him a starting position if and only if he has clearly earned it ahead of the other midfielders.

Liam O

fatherted1969 wrote: »

Serious question, if you think that Fred plays best with another defensive midfielder in Matic beside him is that enough of a duo to compete right at the top of the premiership ? We see very little from these two in the final third that would lead me to believe we will

I think myself that a CM of those two players wont see Utd making inroads on City or Liverpool

I see Fred constantly pushing forward with the ball yes.

Obviously Matic is over the hill but can be a good option in the right games. DM is the 2nd most important position to sort out after right wing this summer.

El Gato De Negocios

fatherted1969 wrote: »

Serious question, if you think that Fred plays best with another defensive midfielder in Matic beside him is that enough of a duo to compete right at the top of the premiership ? We see very little from these two in the final third that would lead me to believe we will

I think myself that a CM of those two players wont see Utd making inroads on City or Liverpool

Just replace Matic and keep Fred.

Makes more sense than selling and trying to replace both.

DARK-KNIGHT

Ndidi would be a fantastic signing

Backstreet Moyes

If we sign Sancho i would prefer not to buy a striker for two reasons

We have not had a decent winger for years and Martial has done well this year i would love to see him with Sancho in the team

Greenwood's goals to game ratio has been fantastic considering his age and not really getting a consistent run of games up front

Bruno showed in a handful of games what having a creative midfielder can bring to the team and Sancho would make another huge difference

Saul, Sancho, a top CB and keep Pogba and i think that team is enough to challenge for the title

I don't know if Ole is the man to do that but despite all my criticism he has the team on a good run

Mitch Connor

Nuts102 wrote: »

If we sign Sancho i would prefer not to buy a striker for two reasons

We have not had a decent winger for years and Martial has done well this year i would love to see him with Sancho in the team

Greenwood's goals to game ratio has been fantastic considering his age and not really getting a consistent run of games up front

Bruno showed in a handful of games what having a creative midfielder can bring to the team and Sancho would make another huge difference

Saul, Sancho, a top CB and keep Pogba and i think that team is enough to challenge for the title

I don't know if Ole is the man to do that but despite all my criticism he has the team on a good run

If we get Sancho I would certainly think we could arguably forgo signing a top level striker, but I would feel more comfortable if we sign Ighalo or similar.

I do think Martial/Rashford/Sancho as a first choice 3 could be more than good enough, especially with a creative midfield - and I think Greenwood could be a superstar, along with James as an able backup. But Ighalo or similar as a different option, would be needed. I think Ighalo was showing the benefit to the squad, and I dont think we should forget that.

damowill

Nuts102 wrote: »

If we sign Sancho i would prefer not to buy a striker for two reasons

We have not had a decent winger for years and Martial has done well this year i would love to see him with Sancho in the team

Greenwood's goals to game ratio has been fantastic considering his age and not really getting a consistent run of games up front

Bruno showed in a handful of games what having a creative midfielder can bring to the team and Sancho would make another huge difference

Saul, Sancho, a top CB and keep Pogba and i think that team is enough to challenge for the title

I don't know if Ole is the man to do that but despite all my criticism he has the team on a good run

Ighalo at 20m is being mentioned but cant see us signing him at his age for that money unfortunately. He was a good signing and we are short up front so i can see us going for Dembele if the price is right.

Id love if we signed Saul, it could really elevate us. Saul-Pogba-Fernandes would be frightening!! We'd surely be contenders with that trio!!

Sancho is surely the priority signing this summer, as RW and AMC (until Fernandes) were our weakest positions all season. Anything is better than Pereira on the right and Sancho would be perfect.

CB is an interesting one, a bit like Saul, in what it could do for the team. But our defence has been decent this season but we have a few vying to partner Maguire. Lindelof, Bailly, Tuanzebe, Jones, Smalling, Out of them id like Tuanzebe and Bailly to be given playing time ahead of Victor who is only average at best.

Minime2.5

damowill wrote: »

Ighalo at 20m is being mentioned but cant see us signing him at his age for that money unfortunately. He was a good signing and we are short up front so i can see us going for Dembele if the price is right.

Id love if we signed Saul, it could really elevate us. Saul-Pogba-Fernandes would be frightening!! We'd surely be contenders with that trio!!

Sancho is surely the priority signing this summer, as RW and AMC (until Fernandes) were our weakest positions all season. Anything is better than Pereira on the right and Sancho would be perfect.

CB is an interesting one, a bit like Saul, in what it could do for the team. But our defence has been decent this season but we have a few vying to partner Maguire. Lindelof, Bailly, Tuanzebe, Jones, Smalling, Out of them id like Tuanzebe and Bailly to be given playing time ahead of Victor who is only average at best.

Id prefer if we sold pogba and got in Saul as his replacement but also bought a specialist CDM. Saul Ndidi Fernandez would be even better and if we got Sancho too id be happy enough if we didnt get a top class striker but if Werner is willing to come and can be gotten on the cheap we should go for him too. Can you imagine this . This is definitely a title challenging midfield/forward line

Ndidi
Saul Fernandez
Sancho Rashford
Werner

Lord TSC

Duncan Castles saying us and Juventus are sniffing round Raul Jimenez.

Castle is Mendez mouthpiece so could be legs there.

Sebastian Dangerfield

I dont really see the fuss about 20m for Ighalo. Championship players move for that kind of money now. He's good cover, a good plan B, and seems to fit into exactly what Ole is trying to create within the squad. It's a no-brainer IMO.

Ordinary man

It'll be interesting to see if and how the coronavirus situation will affect transfer fees. A lot of clubs will no longer have the transfer budget that they planned to have and some clubs will be desperate to sell valuable players cheaply just to survive.

Minime2.5

Ordinary man wrote: »

It'll be interesting to see if and how the coronavirus situation will affect transfer fees. A lot of clubs will no longer have the transfer budget that they planned to have and some clubs will be desperate to sell valuable players cheaply just to survive.

I read this morning that Villa want 80m for Grealish

Ordinary man

Minime2.5 wrote: »

I read this morning that Villa want 80m for Grealish

That might be their stance now but when the financial reality of this season kicks in they might accept 40m. Transfer fees especially in england have gone crazy and it could be a buyers market. Whether united have the funds and are willing to take advantage is another question

ShaneU

Eric Cantona starring in his own netflix series

https://www.netflix.com/title/81019037?s=i&trkid=13747225&t=amsg

Sebastian Dangerfield

Minime2.5 wrote: »

I read this morning that Villa want 80m for Grealish

Id say they had their fingers crossed he'd get picked for England and do something special in the Euros.

DM_7

Minime2.5 wrote: »

I read this morning that Villa want 80m for Grealish

Did you read it in the mirror?

Sounds backwards in context of covid19.

Cantona's Collars

Here's the thing,if Pogba stays then where would we fit Grealish into the team (if he's signed)

Raiola painted himself into a corner with Pogba and now the pandemic has added and extra coat. Pogba's best bet now is to knuckle down and perform at his best for United as any move is off the table unless Madrid or Juve suddenly find £100 million down the back of the sofa and we know that's not happening for a while yet.

yabadabado

I cant see any team making a decent bid for Pogba so most likely he is here for another while.

If he stays I would think a dm would be the position after RW that would be looked at.

Brendan Flowers

If a midfielder is signed in the summer, does it need to be a DM? It is possible against weaker teams that Utd might line up in a 4-3-3 formation. In that case I think McTominay or Fred are capable of playing in the DM position. Against top teams I'd say Ole is much more likely to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation, so a specialist DM wouldn't necessarily be needed.

billyhead

I can't see us spending big this Summer and getting Sancho. The Fernandes money was part of this Summer's budget. Unless we sell Pogba which is unlikely from the vibes you get from Ole we can't afford to spend 100 or more mil on Sancho.

0gac3yjefb5sv7

billyhead wrote: »

I can't see us spending big this Summer and getting Sancho. The Fernandes money was part of this Summer's budget. Unless we sell Pogba which is unlikely from the vibes you get from Ole we can't afford to spend 100 or more mil on Sancho.

I've already assumed it's 80pc+ most likely even if we sign no one else.

DM_7

billyhead wrote: »

I can't see us spending big this Summer and getting Sancho. The Fernandes money was part of this Summer's budget. Unless we sell Pogba which is unlikely from the vibes you get from Ole we can't afford to spend 100 or more mil on Sancho.

Depends on the before or after Corona view clubs have re transfers. The club are relatively cash rich but as we know that does not mean clubs will sell like it did even 5 years ago.

The summer budget is far more fluid than we are going to spend X. Likes of The Mirror and Daily Star love to talk about transfer budgets like clubs have a bank vault of cash that will be all spent in one go.

Deals can involve many payment methods over short or longer periods, wages are a major factor in the overall cost of a player. Deals already done influence what a club can commit to in the summer ahead and also over the next couple of years on how a deal is structured.

DM_7

Interesting that Rooney felt Van Gaal should have had a third season at United.

As frustrating as the football could be under him I thought a lot of what he tried to do was right but I was not troubled by his departure a the time.

Now with benefit of hindsight I wish United got in a manager to continue on from what he was trying to do, I really don't think the results under LVG were good enough in season 2 to feel he deserved a third season but I still found Rooney's view interesting.

Mitch Connor

DM_7 wrote: »

Interesting that Rooney felt Van Gaal should have had a third season at United.

As frustrating as the football could be under him I thought a lot of what he tried to do was right but I was not troubled by his departure a the time.

Now with benefit of hindsight I wish United got in a manager to continue on from what he was trying to do, I really don't think the results under LVG were good enough in season 2 to feel he deserved a third season but I still found Rooney's view interesting.

And weird cause Rooney was apparently one of the guys briefing against LVG before and after he got sacked.

Maybe thats BS, but i've seen it from a number of people I would trust on it.

As I have said before... United's biggest problem since Fergie was going from Moyes to LVG to Jose to Ole. Absolutely no throughline or similarity from one to their successor. So the squad building suited no one.

Look at City - Mancini, Pellegrii, Pep - not exactly the same with all 3, but enough similarities that the core build was there and core strategy was there.

Liverpool going from Rodgers to Pep the same.

El Gato De Negocios

DM_7 wrote: »

Interesting that Rooney felt Van Gaal should have had a third season at United.

As frustrating as the football could be under him I thought a lot of what he tried to do was right but I was not troubled by his departure a the time.

Now with benefit of hindsight I wish United got in a manager to continue on from what he was trying to do, I really don't think the results under LVG were good enough in season 2 to feel he deserved a third season but I still found Rooney's view interesting.

Rooney was bullet proof during his reign despite stinking up the place more often than not. No surprise he thinks he should have been given more time.

The_Kew_Tour

billyhead wrote: »

I can't see us spending big this Summer and getting Sancho. The Fernandes money was part of this Summer's budget. Unless we sell Pogba which is unlikely from the vibes you get from Ole we can't afford to spend 100 or more mil on Sancho.

We will be at 2005-2010 type money transfers I say for while anyway

Let's put it this way we wont he paying £200m for Kane

Lord TSC

Statutory Ape wrote: »

Rooney was bullet proof during his reign despite stinking up the place more often than not. No surprise he thinks he should have been given more time.

Was going to say.

When Jose came in, he immediately set about lowering Rooney's importance to the team, and rightly so.

LVG's standards were significantly lower than they should have been. He was more than happy to stick in the "Battle for 4th" bracket.

Rooney is a United legend, but he should have been phased out when Moyes came in. Fergie had set that up too. Instead, LVG seemed determined to build around Rooney when he was well past his prime. So its no surprise Rooney would speak highly of him.

TheCitizen

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

We will be at 2005-2010 type money transfers I say for while anyway

Let's put it this way we wont he paying £200m for Kane

Or 80m for Jack Grealish which is what Villa insist on even if they get relegated :pac:. The mad inflation in the EPL has had unintended consequences for especially English players like Kane and Grealish who end up with such an inflated price tag that no one can afford them or players from other countries that are equal or better quality can be bought for much less of the price.

Why would Man United or anyone else pay 200m for Kane if they could get Dembele from Lyon for 40m, is Kane 5 times the player Dembele is? :pac: Madness.

Grealish valuation is hilarious. If Kane went to United he'd probably do a job for them albeit a ridiculously expensive one but Grealish he'd probably flop. Even before this Covid crisis the valuation of English players particularly was gone increasingly mad and you end up with those players being priced out of moves.

Liam O

DM_7 wrote: »

Interesting that Rooney felt Van Gaal should have had a third season at United.

As frustrating as the football could be under him I thought a lot of what he tried to do was right but I was not troubled by his departure a the time.

Now with benefit of hindsight I wish United got in a manager to continue on from what he was trying to do, I really don't think the results under LVG were good enough in season 2 to feel he deserved a third season but I still found Rooney's view interesting.

That's bollocks tbh from Rooney. It took me a long time to realise it but LVG was so far in over his head it was ridiculous.

Selling Evans, Keane, Zaha, Hernandez, Nani, Welbeck, Rafael, Kagawa and others to wind up with Paddy McNair, Donald Love and Tyler Blackett at the back for a large amount of games with Nick Powell coming on to attempt to stave off group stage CL elimination a year later is ridiculous.

This after spending 250-300m on transfers those 2 years. Set the team back a decade. Makes me angry when I really think about it.

DM_7

Liam O wrote: »

That's bollocks tbh from Rooney. It took me a long time to realise it but LVG was so far in over his head it was ridiculous.

Selling Evans, Keane, Zaha, Hernandez, Nani, Welbeck, Rafael, Kagawa and others to wind up with Paddy McNair, Donald Love and Tyler Blackett at the back for a large amount of games with Nick Powell coming on to attempt to stave off group stage CL elimination a year later is ridiculous.

This after spending 250-300m on transfers those 2 years. Set the team back a decade. Makes me angry when I really think about it.

Very unfair to suggest he wanted to rely on the McNairs and Powells.

Van Gaal cleared out the squad for sure. Some players like Kagawa and Evans would have helped short term issues but Van Gaal was sold a three year plan not a get to late stages of Champions League in year 2.

The moving of players out needed to be done as most of the players were not good enough for where United wanted to be as part of LVGs stated three year plan or not good enough at that time to play enough games to develop.

Keane could have played in McNairs spot if he was kept on but it is worth remebering that McNair played very few games in LVGs second season so Keane would not have played enough either to develop and even now is not a player United need. Zaha was in the same spot in terms of not going to get enough games at OT to recover.

Evans did play a full season under Van Gaal and could not get enough games to keep him happy - he departed for West Brom and his eventual spot with a good club like Leicester was on the back of playing first choice seasons he could never get at United. Rafael also has a full season to prove himself to Van Gaal and it didn't happen.

Van Gaal did not care about the Champions League in year two and I think he was right.

It is also reality that he was tasked with reducing costs at the club to allow for investment.

I think his 4th and then missing out on top 4 on goal differance in a time the club was losing giys like Rio, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Van Persie was decent. Not brilliant, as I said already I took no issue with his departure at the time.

Cantona's Collars

L'Equipe claim that Pogba is set for a move to Juventus.

Liam O

DM_7 wrote: »

Very unfair to suggest he wanted to rely on the McNairs and Powells.

Van Gaal cleared out the squad for sure. Some players like Kagawa and Evans would have helped short term issues but Van Gaal was sold a three year plan not a get to late stages of Champions League in year 2.

The moving of players out needed to be done as most of the players were not good enough for where United wanted to be as part of LVGs stated three year plan or not good enough at that time to play enough games to develop.

Keane could have played in McNairs spot if he was kept on but it is worth remebering that McNair played very few games in LVGs second season so Keane would not have played enough either to develop and even now is not a player United need. Zaha was in the same spot in terms of not going to get enough games at OT to recover.

Evans did play a full season under Van Gaal and could not get enough games to keep him happy - he departed for West Brom and his eventual spot with a good club like Leicester was on the back of playing first choice seasons he could never get at United. Rafael also has a full season to prove himself to Van Gaal and it didn't happen.

Van Gaal did not care about the Champions League in year two and I think he was right.

It is also reality that he was tasked with reducing costs at the club to allow for investment.

I think his 4th and then missing out on top 4 on goal differance in a time the club was losing giys like Rio, Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Van Persie was decent. Not brilliant, as I said already I took no issue with his departure at the time.

LVG's selling point was that he would develop young players and that his system was the most important thing and completely incorruptible.

Zaha and Keane went on to be more than capable PL players while the ones under his tutelage have gone on to be above average League 1- lower Championship players. I think Rafael had done enough to be kept around as a squad option at least over Donald Love or Varela no?

His system was ditched at times when it was clear that Fellaini was far better than the supposed slick passers who he was nearly pushed out for. That was the sign of a good manager I thought in the first season, willingness to adapt but the same mistake happened in season 2.

Moyes was the buffer that allowed him a blank slate. Not making it to the CL knockout stages and then top 4 with 250m odd worth of talent through the door in 2 years should have had him run out of town really.

I hold no real bitterness towards the man but he's the figurehead of the mismanagement and ultimately the soul being ripped out of the club where money became more important than results. It should be Woodward I suppose but this supposed incorruptible football man doing it is hard to fathom in hindsight. Top 4 was fine first season but 2nd season being so bad after the squad was gutted and the amount spent on crap was the disaster that has the club still toiling.

DM_7

Lord TSC wrote: »

Was going to say.

When Jose came in, he immediately set about lowering Rooney's importance to the team, and rightly so.

LVG's standards were significantly lower than they should have been. He was more than happy to stick in the "Battle for 4th" bracket.

Rooney is a United legend, but he should have been phased out when Moyes came in. Fergie had set that up too. Instead, LVG seemed determined to build around Rooney when he was well past his prime. So its no surprise Rooney would speak highly of him.

I agree that Rooney was a guy to move out as SAF had planned on that. Moyes was left in a bizarre situation then as he was new, the mam above Moyes could not get players in to offset the loss of a high profile player and the club looking for him was Chelsea who could well have won the league if they got a season from a motivated, determined Rooney. I am sure Moyes thought at that point he could have the club pushing for the league.

I had not considered Rooney's own judgement would be biased towards Van Gaal because of what happened next over what happened under Van Gaal.

United were at a very low base in LVGs second season. Possibly the lowest at any time. Yet the potential to really push on seemed to be there if players in line with what he was trying to do were brought in.

Not to start a Pogba debate but I think the scale of investment in him alone showed a lack of clear focus and planning on building a team once the new manager came in.

DM_7

Liam O wrote: »

LVG's selling point was that he would develop young players and that his system was the most important thing and completely incorruptible.

Zaha and Keane went on to be more than capable PL players while the ones under his tutelage have gone on to be above average League 1- lower Championship players. I think Rafael had done enough to be kept around as a squad option at least over Donald Love or Varela no?

His system was ditched at times when it was clear that Fellaini was far better than the supposed slick passers who he was nearly pushed out for. That was the sign of a good manager I thought in the first season, willingness to adapt but the same mistake happened in season 2.

Moyes was the buffer that allowed him a blank slate. Not making it to the CL knockout stages and then top 4 with 250m odd worth of talent through the door in 2 years should have had him run out of town really.

I hold no real bitterness towards the man but he's the figurehead of the mismanagement and ultimately the soul being ripped out of the club where money became more important than results. It should be Woodward I suppose but this supposed incorruptible football man doing it is hard to fathom in hindsight. Top 4 was fine first season but 2nd season being so bad after the squad was gutted and the amount spent on crap was the disaster that has the club still toiling.

I disagree that stripping the squad back has left them toiling. That reduction needed to happen.

It seems off to question LVGs idea of giving youth a chance when Martial, Memphis and Rashford were all part of the squad he left. Youth is not about blindly going with people who are not ready to be a key part of the first team. LVG would use young players in his squad at times to fill a space rather than a belief that they would be quality players over time. A McNair was used to fill a space not because he was judged to have a higher level than another young player but because he was suitable for a limited spot.

Keane for example was someone who another club wanted and was past the point of an 8 game season at United and was then let go.

Rafael had not done enough to be kept on, he had a season under LVG where he barely featured and that is what LVG had to go on, he was not going to put faith in him just because he was good under SAF. He was a senior player who wanted to play, LVG could not keep a player who he could not have faith in when that player wanted to play and was unhappy not playing.

I just think it is too easy to say - X should have stayed - without considering how much they were going to play, how ready they would be to play, the impact they may have on a squad if they were unhappy.

Kagawa, Van Persie, Rafael, Evans, Hernandez, Nani were all sent out but all has struggled before LVG arrived - he had no loyalty to them and if a senior player is struggling but wanting to play then what choice could he have other than to move them on? Mata or Fellaini hung in as they had qualities to adapt, contribute and an ability to work within the squad without causing disruption or looking to get out.

A major issue at United would have been lamenting over SAF. We could certainly ask why LVG could not get those players to function but the answer may be to do with the other players who left and the level a lot of those guys were capable of achieving was simply lower without the drive the club had under SAF and players like Rio, Vidic, Evra, Scholes, Giggs.

Sadly the Rafael, Nani, Kagawa, Van Persie, Evans, Hernandez, Cleverley's were not players to drive those standards, some were probably looking to the past instead of ahead. That is not to say many guys who stayed or arrived since were any better. A good few more players could and have joined the list since.

Lord TSC

Cantona's Collars wrote: »

L'Equipe claim that Pogba is set for a move to Juventus.

Saw they wanted to involve Rabiot coming the other way.

paulbok

Lord TSC wrote: »

Saw they wanted to involve Rabiot coming the other way.

Or Ramsey :eek:

yabadabado

Lord TSC wrote: »

Saw they wanted to involve Rabiot coming the other way.

Rabiot seems like a player best avoided but Juve do have a few players who would be good additions if a deal went that way.

Mitch Connor

There is talk Juve are massively restricted on wages - which essentially killed hopes of Pogba for them.

Minime2.5

yabadabado wrote: »

Rabiot seems like a player best avoided but Juve do have a few players who would be good additions if a deal went that way.

Don't want Ramsey or Rabiot, both turned us down when their profile was higher. Id be open to Pjanic though . Although hes just turned 30 so hes perhaps a couple of years too old . What do you guys think of Pjanic?

0gac3yjefb5sv7

Wouldn't take any swap deals unless it was Ronaldo + cash.

They want him but can't afford him. Tough.