Manchester United Rumours Mobile

18 Sep 2026 22:06:38
Unless we get Conte there is literally no point in getting any other manager in.
The top brass can tell Carrick to get in whatever coaches he wants and all the tacticians, scientists and support they want and tell him to be ruthless in pursuit of winning the league.
Fundamentally Carrick is a decent principled man.

Read his comments about JJ. Absolutely bang on.
He knows how to win football games . He won everything!!
Get the only guaranteed winner in and buy him whatever players he wants or stfu and give Carrick some time and stop being total anchors.

19 Sep 2026 08:35:24
There is no such thing as a guaranteed winner.

19 Sep 2026 14:37:07
De Zebri might be available soon. Didn't some people want him?

19 Sep 2026 14:48:08
Not me that's for sure, De Zerbi is a poor mans Conte but Ken likes him a lot I seem to remember.

19 Sep 2026 15:58:07
Would we be doing better if we had Fernandez and Tonali?

Things have been very poor for us. It's quite clear we have not yet adapted to the loss of Casemiro. Also, too many players have simply not been up to snuff, particularly some if the World Cup players. It will be interesting to see if things change when Baleba gets fit and adapted to the team. Right now a lot seems to be resting on him.

I also wonder whether Rashford might go on a streak once he breaks his scoring jinx. He seems to have been working hard at least, getting into good positions, but his final ball has been poor. Very much like Spurs. until the 88th minute today. They created good opportunities in the first half but failed to capitalize. Having finally put the ball in the old onion bag I think we'll see an improvement.

19 Sep 2026 20:13:44
Recruitment is the problem, not the manager. Of course we need players with ability but this has to be allied with drive, commitment, determination and passion. What we do not need is watery players who couldn't tackle a fish supper.

They say the era of ball winners and tough nuts is over and that it is all about technical ability now. I think that a few intimidating players in your team makes a fundamental difference to your approach to games.

19 Sep 2026 21:44:49
Yeah i like de zerbi i like what he did at Brighton and he did OK at marsaille.
I didn't want him at united as i think he is very emtional same as conte.
I think he is a good coach bit of a head case at times but i don't mind a but of that but i think he is a bit ott at times.


He has a brand new team it will take time. He needs results quickly. They don't look cohesive at all and lack a striker big time. Some poor buys at hugely inflated prices. Most on here had them to finish above united this season.

19 Sep 2026 21:46:52
Spot on the best teams always have dominant players who drive them forward.

20 Sep 2026 01:16:21
Do you think we could get Emry out of Villa?

Just had most of his team dismantled. If there was anyone who might be dislodged atm

Not asking for Carrick to go at all but would be one of the few people I'd be happy with as a replacement.

{Ed0666's Note - you kind of are asking for Carrick to go if you’re talking about his successor. Personally I think you guys should get steady Eddie for a couple of seasons, take a beat consolidate, get top 4, earn some money and then mount a title challenge in a couple of seasons..then go for the big name managers/coaches like Enrique’s of the world.

20 Sep 2026 06:01:26
Howe??? Decent but not good enough. He presided over a shambles at times at Newcastle. His three best players wanted out. Isak Tonali and Gordon. They obviously weren't convinced by him. Jury is out on him nice Guy that he seems to be.

Why waste more years consolidating. Try now to get a top top manager and spend the time doing a proper rebuild giving him the chance time and players he needs.

18 Sep 2026 21:57:34
Is Xabi Alonso getting sacked?

Maybe we could get pinch him from Chelsea?

He's a winner 😀.

17 Sep 2026 21:26:48
Watching Palace against Lech Posnan and Wharton is soooo good. Head an shoulders above every other player times two.

Seems to stroll but covers a lot of ground and he sees passes nobody does and delivers so accurately. If he scored more goals he would be even better. Almost a scholes and we should be signing him.

17 Sep 2026 21:21:38
As mentioned bringing in Conte and there would be carnage because he does not take prisoners. In one sense it's exactly what we need but I have two reservations

Firstly that he doesn't usually bed in younger players from the academy and secondly if he feels the club won't back him after several months he might easily walk away leaving us in an even worse mess


Would Wilcox and the others be able to put their own egos aside and do what Conte wants?

17 Sep 2026 21:39:30
Conte and Mourinho are very alike. Immediate dividends, lots of money spent to get there without much investment in youth, and it they burn their bridges in season 2-3. It doesn't seem a ride United would go on but what a ride lol :D
If anything does go pear-shaped in the next month I guess it's Eddie Howe isn't it? Just hoping perhaps in vain that those good vibes Carrick had in the tail end of the season can return. We weren't playing well, but the results were there which is a decent enough sign. It's quite staggering to see what's happened in a short space of time.

I have never felt any ill-will towards Rashford but his return has definitely mixed up the balance somehow.
I look forward to seeing how Baleba can affect this team. Seems to be a lot of resentment towards Tielemanns on here. I was excited by his signing but he's looking off the pace at the moment. Not sure what Santos brings other than potential and another body in the ranks. Should probably have kept the cash in the kitty for the January sales IMO.

17 Sep 2026 22:01:46
Howe?? Won nothing his teams played ok but not a lot more than that.

Disagree Spenno about Tielemans. He is used to playing in a well coached team where each player knew his role and took responsibility unlike this current United team who are a team of individuals who often lack fight.

17 Sep 2026 22:05:15
I really hope it's not someone like conte. He wouldn't last the season before walking out in a strop.

Eddie Howe is ok, but not great. He had Newcastle playing some high tempo football, but not sure he can lead a team to the top. But that might be ok for a few years as United are light years away from the top at the moment.

I'd prefer they went with someone who can build something. Amorim was almost right, and I think if he didn't try and play 3 at the back and say some silly things he might have done a little better.

I reckon someone like Sebastian Hoeneß would be worth looking at.

17 Sep 2026 22:51:13
If your the board/owners and your choosing Howe you know they lack ambition. I don't think he's the one imo. They will take the easy option. 1-2 years back in the same position.

18 Sep 2026 10:09:55
Oh I don't fancy Howe either Salford. But the pool is quite shallow. The days of secret meetings between Fergie and Pep regarding his successor are long gone. I think I'm probably on the shortlist!

18 Sep 2026 10:42:18
The problem many fans suffer from is allowing their emotions to rule their head. Getting frustrated with performances and allowing that frustration to cloud their judgement. Wanting a manager who'll come in and "take no prisoners" almost like it's a punishment for underperforming. Some might even feel a level of satisfaction when a player gets booted out of the team or falls foul of the new manager.

However, that rarely works in modern football, and even on the rare occasions that it does, it doesn't last long.

We might not like it, but modern footballers are pampered, and they typically don't respond well to the stick. It's the carrot that gets the best results. Going too hard on them always results in either forcing a player out (typically for a big loss, which effects your ability to replace them), or you cannot move them on and they contribute to a negative atmosphere in the dressing room bringing the rest down with them.

While I'm not happy with the current performances, I think we still need to give the management team more time to try and find a solution. Because ultimately if they can't find the solution, then it's unlikely someone will. You might get the dead cat bounce, but it'll soon slip back. In truth they probably will struggle to find a solution. We know the squad is incomplete and there are clear weaknesses in the squad that are difficult (maybe impossible) to work around and perform at the level we want/expect.

It's a process, and we are not complete yet. Which is something we need to keep in mind when judging current performances.

18 Sep 2026 11:35:13
Welcome back Shappy.

I don't want any manager to take no prisoners for the sake of it. I do want a manager who will not allow players to continually misplace passes. I want a manager who will make sure that the players fully understand the positions they are supposed to be in especially defensively and call them out when like on Wednesday our defence was all over the place.

I want a manager who decides on a way of playing that should suit the players he has available but how he wants to play and then is not afraid to ditch the biggest earners /stars if they don't perform

And at the very least I want a manager who demands fully concentrated effort with no slacking for 90+mins a game every game.

I also want a manager who stands up to the board and makes them understand what has to be done to get United back to the top table.

18 Sep 2026 13:47:36
Good post that Shappy. I am not a fan of Conte either.

19 Sep 2026 08:38:18
If we want someone to come in and kick ass then just send Keane into the dressing room.

Conte is a knee jerk reaction to a poor start to the season, but we aren't the only ones having a poor start so let's not get too excited.

19 Sep 2026 12:21:15
Salford, I've never really been away, I've read the posts daily, but with it being the first couple of weeks back to work (I'm a teacher) it's been incredibly busy and I've just not had the time to post as much.

I think what we have to try and remember is that we don't know what the manager and his coaching staff are doing behind closed doors. The comments he makes to the press and in public are almost definitely different to those he expresses behind closed doors.

You sometimes see fans wishing the manager would "speak out" in the press, whether that is against the owners or the higher ups at the club, or to publicly call out a player. But we forget that the manager isn't a fan like us, he is an employee and he has to conduct himself in a professional manner.

Employees are legally bound to act in a certain manner that doesn't negatively affect their employers.

The problem is that in football is a very emotive sport and we often get players and managers say something in the heat of the moment. Which leads us to expect them to be brutally honest all the time.

For all we know Carrick might be bring his concerns to his line manager or even to those higher up. But his job is to worry about what is happening on the pitch, it's is Wilcox's job to try and provide him with the players he needs for that, and it is Barrada's job to make sure the club is spending within our limits and not financially hamstringing ourselves.

Each man has their own area of expertise, and a different remit for their role. Just like any management chain the people below aren't privvy to the bigger picture that those above them have and are working within.

Carrick might highlight what players he needs, to Wilcox to play the way he wants/needs the team to play. Wilcox has to factor in not just what Carrick wants, but what the squad needs both short and long term. He not only needs to try and give Carrick the players he wants, but he has to think beyond this season, and how the squad will take shape in years to come.

That might mean not spending on a player that Carrick wants now because we have a youth player who can fill that role over the next couple of years, and instead considering the problems further down the line that Carrick isn't (and shouldn't be) thinking about right now. Maybe several players who play in the same position have their contracts end at the same time and to avoid a massive issue in a years time Wilcox might look to bring someone in now who Carrick doesn't think is vital for this season.

Barrada then has access to a bigger picture than Wilcox, he has to factor in what money can be made available for transfers and wages, while also considering existing commitments. For example this summer we didn't spend the reported £170m-ish on Tielemans, Balaba, Santos, Thompson, Orozco and Darlow. The payments for they will be spread out, some going out this summer, some at future dates.

But we also have large fees going out on players we have already signed, many of which were before the current management team took over. He also has to factor the other spending the club are committed to. All the incomings and outgoings. Yes spending more on the first team squad right now might bring better performances and results this season. But it could create bigger problems down the line once we are committed to that spending.

Ultimately fans tend to want revolution at their club, quick and immediate results with wholesale changes. Yet that nearly never works, and even when it does it tends to sow the seeds of its own destruction which will bloom further down the line.

Clubs need to evolve if you want to be able to get to the top and stay there. Look at the clubs who have been successful over the past decade.

Man City spent money, but they also had a plan to adapt and evolve, they hired a managers who would look to play a particular way so that when they managed to get their dream manager in the squad was built to be able to adapt to his style. Unfortunately, Pep had evolved his style quite a bit by the time they signed him and they made wholesale changes to that squad, but even then that was spread over a three year period. They also broke the rules at least 115 times to be able to do it as quickly as they did.

Liverpool hired Klopp who built on some of the principles that Rogers himself installed. Then over a 3-4 year period they rebuilt the team before they could truly succeed. There were times under Klopp in the first year or two where some questioned him and what he was trying to do. Liverpool would play with such intensity that the players were exhausted by the 70th minute and they regularly dropped points to conceding goals late in games.

Arteta at Arsenal was in some quarters considered a joke until last year, he was able to grab an FA cup with the team Emery built when he first took over, then 4 years with no trophies as the club dismantled and rebuilt the squad. They won the title last year, were strong in Europe (something they've never really been before) and they are the overwhelming favourites this year in the league and amongst the favourites for the UCL.

All three teams took 2-4 years to dismantle and rebuild the squads, and they did not become the all powerful teams they became overnight.

We are in a process, and it's a process that if done correctly shouldn't be derailled if we are forced to change manager. Which is why I'm calm about the whole thing, disappointed obviously with recent performances and results, but I'm not losing my head over them.

Last summer we brought in Sesko, Cunha and Mbeumo in attack, add to that Bruno for the shirt term, and Lacey for the long term. Along with Amad and Dorgu who should hopefully develop into top class players and we look like we won't need to make wholesale changes in our forward line over the next 3-4 years. Sesko, Lacey, Amad and Dorgu can develop, while Mbeumo, Cunha and Bruno shoulder the bulk of the goal scoring burden. Rashford and Zirkzee will probably leave and ideally we would have a more experienced head at CF to help Sesko grow into the role. But that's probably the only areas we could do with spending/upgrading/replacing.

This summer we spent in midfield, and with Baleba, Mainoo and Santos all being 22 or younger we look settled in midfield for the foreseeable future. Add Tielemans and Mount as more experienced options, and the possibility of young lads like Kone, Orozco, the Fletcher twins or Thwaites breaking through from the academy we look well stocked. The only issue is that maybe we lack a little experience in there, if Mount leaves it would be good if we could get a more experienced player in to replace them for the short term while the younger lads develop and gain come consistency.

We now have an attack and midfield that should improve over the next couple of seasons without having to spend much if anything on it.

The problem area now is defence, and they say that attack wins games, but defence wins titles.

We have a couple of young lads in Yoro and Heaven who look to have what it takes to make it to the top. But we have to remember that defenders peak later than attacker's and midfielders. Their position relies more on experience, communication, and unity/teamwork, all things that take time to develop in players. In truth they are probably 3-4 years away from really being ready to command a first team place.

What we need is top class first choice players who are available more often than not. If you could wave a magic wand and make it so Martinez and MdL wouldn't be injured for the next 2-4 years then you solve the issue instantly. But that isn't going to happen, and we probably need to replace them when we can. Martinez, Shaw and Maguire all have their contracts end next summer. So we will be forced to address defence then. We also need to sort out the fullback positions, with none of them good enough.

So when we consider that Carrick has a squad without any fullbacks who are good enough, regularly injured CB's with young players who are 3-4 years away from really being ready to be relied upon regularly at CB as the only real cover in that position.
A midfield that is entirely new and trying to find the right balance, while also in truth probably a couple of years away from being the kind of dominant midfield you would expect at a title challenging side.
And a forward line that are trying to cover for everything behind them and finding the right balance early on as some players recover from injury, and others trying to find their rhythm after a world cup interrupted summer and pre-season.

No team has had more shots than us so far this season, but we aren't quite hitting our stride yet and are not converting enough of our chances. But the underlying numbers are encouraging.

Maybe when Baleba is able to get into the team we can start to find a better balance in midfield, but I still think that will take a bit more time.

However, until/unless we are able to get MdL back fully fit and playing regularly, we will continue to struggle in defence and give up too many chances. Even when he is back and fully fit he will only be one of four defenders and the other three will continue to be inconsistent either due to not being good enough, inexperience, or due to struggling with fitness.

As the season progresses my prediction is that we will score well, and the midfield will become better as the season progresses, but that we will continue to see us give away too many goals and be too easy to score against. That won't change until we bring in 3-4 new and better defenders, regardless of who the manager is.

17 Sep 2026 03:34:15
Amazon has asked the glazers for the return of Ole to create their absolute masterpiece.

Worry not Ratcliffe, berrada and Wilcox are doing their due diligence about this before any decision is made.

17 Sep 2026 07:45:39
"Best in class."
The problem is - literally cannot see a way out of this hell hole.

17 Sep 2026 08:21:44
Maybe people may now agree that Yoro & Heaven are nowhere near level required and also what poor buys Tielemans and Santos were.

Like I said before season started this team is weaker than last season but even I am shocked just how much weaker it is and that Carrick is another who just not learning on the job . Will it be Howe or Conte, just depends on when Conte will kick them up the Howe will play better football, whichever it is the change is needed, all you who moaned at Keane and others saying Carrick was wrong choice how that look now.

17 Sep 2026 08:52:20
People are surprised we haven't kicked on when we have replaced players with the class of Casemiro with second string players in Tielemans and Santos.

Then you look at the coaching set up of, Carrick, Woodgate and Jonny Evans and wonder why we aren't competing.

17 Sep 2026 09:19:31
Disagree about Tielemans. He is an excellent player and his ex team mates and manager at Villa said so.

Until the defence is sorted out the attack and midfield cannot function properly.

Last night look at his stats and you can see how well he did. Stats don't always tell the story but he def put a shift in and tried hard.

Santos was not great but playing in front of that back four who were all over the place didn't help his cause nor did the fact that Utds front players (Lacey aside) didn't hold up the ball or work hard enough to retain or get it back when dispossesed. It meant he was constantly on the back foot trying to cover two or three players movements.

17 Sep 2026 09:29:44
Utd excel at player regression. The Fulham game may well be Carricks last game in charge.

Honestly, the United job is a thanks, but no thanks job for any serious manager.

The only guarantee is that you will get a nice payout when you are sacked!

17 Sep 2026 11:43:50
Imagine the carnage if Conte came in. It'd be superb.

17 Sep 2026 15:30:53
When have you ever heard any player bemoan another player, Tielemans is mid table player at best, nowhere near the required level to get United back to challenging, this is the most crazy way of team rebuild one year attackers one year midfielders then 3rd year defenders, by which time attackers will have left, got injured or just not good enough, surely year one you start filling where needed if it's midfield attack or defence year 2 the same and so on . This work on one area at a time is diabolically stupid

So basically what they are saying is Tielemans and santos is it for 3 years till midfield comes round again or Sesko, Cunha Mbuemo know they are ok for another 2 years ridiculous.

17 Sep 2026 18:26:15
Eric, it would be great for the Amazon doc.

17 Sep 2026 19:31:58
Je Suis, how can Tielemans be a mid table player at best when he was the best midfielder playing for Villa last season and they finished 4th?

For reference, they played 33 games with him last season, winning 22, and 21 games without him, winning just 10. He's a class player but he hasn't found his feet yet. That said, last night aside (which was probably the worst performance I've seen in many years), we have generally looked much more comfortable on the ball and under pressure than last season.

Give the new players time, it isn't their fault the board failed to strengthen our fairly poor defense in the summer.

18 Sep 2026 15:54:47
Why wouldn't we consider Emery? Villa keep destroying his squad and he just might have enough and want to go for a new challenge?

15 Sep 2026 22:36:05
The rumours are that there are people around JJ Gabriel who are very demanding and pushing for him to be involved with the first team, and United's approach to his development doesn't fit his family's timescale.

Whether he stays or leaves, I hope he doesn't become the next cautionary tale, the next reference point for why young players shouldn't be rushed. How the physical and emotional demands need to be given equal consideration to talent when it comes to deciding when a player is "ready" to step into regular senior football.



I understand the drivers for why they want him to be in the spotlight, but pushing him into that when his body and mind are still developing could have catastrophic consequences. Unfortunately, consequences that he will have to bare and not those pushing him forward.

15 Sep 2026 23:42:18
Our problems go much deeper than JJ Gabriel wanting to go. The plain fact of the matter is that we don't have the luxury of playing a 15 year old because our squad is not strong enough to carry him. He's most likely too physically immature for the EPL at this juncture. So, during the next 3-4 years, however he develops, we're not going to get back into contention on his back.

Let him leave. Wish him the best of luck. It will make no immediate difference to us.

If we ever get to the point where we can again afford to compete for top players, then we can do a Pogba and dish out £200m for him...... and then watch him fail?

16 Sep 2026 08:43:13
Sky Sports: JJ Gabriel has requested the cancellation of his registration; Man Utd are understood to be shocked by the request but believe the situation can be resolved.

16 Sep 2026 09:55:54
We don't have the luxury of playing a child. For the love of God, he is tiny right now. I just don't see him ready to step up to the first team. This is a Gabriel issue, not a United one.

16 Sep 2026 12:18:13
I think Max Dowman is a helpful comparison. He is an incredibly talented young player on a very strong team that has the "luxury" of giving him game time.

He has made a handful of appearances because that is what is best for 15/16 y/o boys. Unless they are Wayne Rooney, a teenager is not going to be able to cope with the physical demands of playing against grown men on a consistent basis.

By all accounts, the club was planning on giving Gabriel minutes tonight. It is not unreasonable to tell a really promising 15 y/o that they will get some first-team minutes, but they are too young to be put straight into the firing line.



I have plenty of criticisms of the club, but this is not one of them. This is a kid being controlled by a silly parent who does not have the basic common sense to see the forest for the trees. Daddy wants the money to be rolling in asap, and is willing to risk his son's career to get it. I do feel sorry for the poor lad. He is too young to be used like this.

16 Sep 2026 14:14:06
Play him in the PL, let him have a career changing injury and then watch him play in League 2. What do his parents actually know about the right time to play him etc. Probably want him to go to Spain and be the next Yamal.

16 Sep 2026 16:23:29
Barcelona are reigning La Liga champions and Lamal is a World Cup winner and one of the favorites for this year's Balon D'or. What parents wouldn't want that for their child?

16 Sep 2026 18:09:12
There's lots of issues behind the scenes heard loads I've not shared

Joseph O'Gabriel - promised minutes in the summer friendlies, EPL and League Cup. I need to check but I'm not sure United have delivered on all this.

Jack Fletcher - complete arse. Rude, entitled and see as average and behind other players. Only there due to family.

Tyler Fletcher- nice lad apparently but again there more on name than ability. Ie Devanny is seen as far better.

Same concerns shared by players and family regarding Rooney and Carrick kids.

Nkoto twins at least 2 years older than stated, not even brothers. One is Islamic one is Christian. Club/agents stopping x rays so it's not confirmed, against human rights apparently.

There's a young RB playing before better players perceived to be about virtue signalling over ability. The young lad is average for his age but an Eritrean migrant.

Obi - awful player and arrogant and difficult boy

Club working the backside off to keep Lacey's family happy and at a distances.

Whole strength and conditioning team are seen as poor, one club people with little experience outside uk or Utd, majority promoted from with in, an arrogant bunch.

The more I learn about the club from the inside the more I think we should play in a circus tent.

17 Sep 2026 19:39:30
JJ had 15min against Atletico and that was it. EPL is not realistic at the moment, we haven't played well enough to introduce a kid and the League Cup might have been possible if his entourage hadn't decided to pull the plug before he turned 16.

15 Sep 2026 20:32:28
I did mention Joseph O'Cearuill's parents are a problem.

There's issues with the people who advise the young man.

These are people who changed their son's name, a father who gave a way his own family name to make someone more marketable. A man who let's another man run his son's life.

It might be hard but feel for the lad. I'm told by someone who works with him he's almost autistic in personality, has no friends or relationships with people his age.

If you want to be mad with anyone it's the club for making promises they can't deliver, breaking traditions (bending over) and his dad for being a greed driven man trying to live through his child.

Sad.

15 Sep 2026 23:06:05
This is a child we are talking about, who has never played for the club properly. It’s not a big deal. Let him and his entourage go and be a problem elsewhere.

The academy won’t fix the first team issues. Sadly, it’s the other way around. A successful team attracts better, younger players. We’re a basket case, and have been for years.

16 Sep 2026 18:11:07
💯 he's a kid, the issue for me is the damage is done to club's reputation for the concessions made to him already.

All I'm saying the kid deserves little flack it's parents and his agent, who used to be United youth director.

15 Sep 2026 14:30:25
JJ Gabriel has told Man United that he wants to leave the club and wants his registration cancelled immediately.
Who can blame him.

15 Sep 2026 15:58:20
Well, based on the club's stance, we only want players who want to play for us, excluding Rashford, that is.

15 Sep 2026 16:37:33
Twenty, Brilliant!

15 Sep 2026 17:27:13
The rumour is he's going to City... lol, it just gets better.

15 Sep 2026 18:31:02
We've taken quite a few youth players from City, Arsenal, etc. recently. So, can't really complain when it goes the other way, I guess.

15 Sep 2026 19:18:55
When I said a few weeks ago, if he was not put in the squad and given some minutes, he would be off, you all told me I was crazy when I said he would be gone if not. Ken, you listening?

15 Sep 2026 19:33:33
I would be surprised if this is to do with minutes on the pitch for a 15yr old.

15 Sep 2026 19:37:18
It's indicative of how poorly managed the club is and how it is perceived by some players.

If he goes on to fulfil his potential, we will regret this, but he is only 15, and potential does not always turn into reality.

Ultimately, the club will survive his leaving, but the reputational damage to the academy will take a while to heal.



He must have been tapped up by many clubs, and if he cannot see himself performing and winning within the next few years at Utd, I understand his motivation.

15 Sep 2026 19:40:58
#freejjgabriel
Let him go. It's the same reason I was against Mainoo. You can't be calling the shots at 19, or, in JJ's case, 15 yr old. Do we want attitudes like that? Is it a good look for the club to be pandering to a 15 yr old? How many players have been the next Messi at that age, and ended nowhere.

15 Sep 2026 20:16:29
I'm with twenty in this. You can't be having a 15-year-old and his family call the shots. I think the club have shown their faith in him, by playing up the age ranges. He has made a senior appearance, albeit in a pre-season game. He was supposed to be in the squad tomorrow for a competitive game, and no doubt would have got a kick, even for the last few minutes.



I don't think this damages the club or the academy's reputation at all. It's someone who has had too much exposure too soon, and it's clearly gone to his head.

One thing players need to remember is that the badge on the front of the shirt is bigger than the name on the back.

15 Sep 2026 22:37:13
Jsu, you got it spot on, and I didn't argue with you that he would be off; I argued that at q5 it's unlikely that he will play him too early. If he wants to go, and he did try to leave a year ago, then that's his prerogative.
I think he should have been in squads, and in and around the qst team more, no doubt, and get the chance to prove himself with them more often than he has.
There are some freaks of nature. He could be one.
I hope he goes on to be great. The potential is there, by all accounts.


Massive shame to lose him, but he wanted to move last year, and he obviously has a better offer on the table. Massive loss, and it doesn't look like it's going to change. The mind boggles sometimes, looking from the outside, as to how this can happen. It's up to the club and manager to make sure they are all on the same page, but they haven't been, for some time obviously.
A 15 yo should not be refusing to train, imo. He is getting bad advice in that regard.

15 Sep 2026 23:58:38
I worry for the lad, there has been rumours circulating for the last 18 months or so around the club regarding his father specifically, and him growing ever more demanding.

The issue I see is if he will end up at City or Madrid, and won't be any closer to starting regularly for the first team, and then his development will stall as he plays less and less.

There was talk last week that, when he didn't play against Shabba, he would try to force the club to play him with an ultimatum.

I mean, it's fully 5 games into the season, and the 15-year-old has yet to play a minute. I can see why the family has thrown a wobbly..... I feel this was inevitable at some point, given the people around him.

16 Sep 2026 00:09:32
To all the people blaming the club when it's a case of this lad needs to go if that's his attitude. A 15-year-old can't look after himself for a week, never mind think he's bigger than Manchester United.

16 Sep 2026 05:29:55
We do not know the circumstances, so we should not be blaming the father, the advisors, or the club. What I do know is some of it is not about mins on the pitch for the first team, it's to do with broken promises, plus some other issues.
The kid is not trying to hold the club to ransom at all.


He could be a generational talent, he might not, but I would have rather we found that out at United, but alas that's not to be, so good luck to him.
But don't barrack his father or the kid without knowing the circumstances.

13 Sep 2026 18:49:33
Matt Donahue, VAR. He is registered with the Manchester FA. Because he is based in the Greater Manchester area, he is generally restricted from refereeing teams like Manchester United or Manchester City.

11 Sep 2026 10:13:18
Rumours about United putting in a bid in January for Adrien Truffert from Bournemouth for 60 million. David Ornstein is the source. Looks a perfect fit for us, good defender and also good going forward. Looks like he cross a ball as well and a perfect age 24.

11 Sep 2026 12:16:56
Whatever your thoughts on Luke Shaw are, he's already picked up an injury and has had a sketchy injury past. A left back is needed.

11 Sep 2026 12:48:13
It's a shame it wasn't done in the summer window...

11 Sep 2026 16:21:15
It's generally accepted that, after that horrific double fracture he suffered v PSV in the Champions League, Shaw almost lost his leg due to blood clots, and the injury has affected the muscles in his leg ever since. It's pretty amazing that he came back to the level where he became a regular LB for England, where he performed well. Last season he was one of our top performers. It shows an incredible sense of purpose and desire, and I, for one, have no doubt that there's no way he's skiving off, lazy, or lacking the desire to play. He must be very frustrated. In my opinion, the abuse he gets on this site because of his injuries is utterly unjustified.

Last weekend we began to see some of his attacking prowess when playing behind an out and out LW, performing at a high level, as was Rashford. Does he make mistakes? Of course. All LBs/players do. He got blamed for the 1st goal v Everton, but in reality the opportunity was caused by a weak clearance from the centre of the defence, direct to an Everton player, which left Shaw tucked in towards the centre.

He almost made it out in time, the angle was narrowed, but in the end Lammens was beaten by a perfect shot. Plenty of excellent players at United have been failing. Why? It's because it's a team game. If someone makes an error in build up, marking, or passing, it often leads to exposing a team mate, who then gets blamed. Shaw has been badly let down by the general management and standard of team play, both on and off the field.

That said, it should be obvious to the club by now that, however well he performs, given his age and propensity for injury, we need a quality back up, someone who can take his place immediately and in the future. I doubt Amass will ever be good enough. The fact that we didn't buy anyone over the summer is verging on criminal. It's not like the club isn't aware of his propensity for injury and the causes of it.

11 Sep 2026 21:46:06
Let's hope Dorgu learns to defend then.

12 Sep 2026 07:52:29
Good post, Newname.

12 Sep 2026 11:46:10
Very happy if we get Truffert. Hall has potential, but I'd rate Truffert much higher. Others disagree, but Antonee Robinson would be the other player I think we should look at.

13 Sep 2026 12:02:39
Leif Davis looks better every time I see him. Not a bad alternative.

13 Sep 2026 10:11:59
Truffert has always been my personal preferred choice. I like Hall, and he has huge potential, but for me Truffert ticks more boxes of what we need right now. He's more experienced (we have a lack of that throughout the side), he's currently better at defending, and he plays more as an overlapping fullback rather than a inverting fullback. Given the options we have on the left wing and the strength we now have in midfield I feel we need our left back to offer attacking width more than providing midfield solidity.

We also have two right backs in Dalot and Mazraoui who are better at inverting rather than overlapping, and you don't want both full backs inverting as it will make us too narrow.

I doubt we'll be able to get Truffert in January, Bournemouth were adamant that they weren't going to sell any of their key players in the final weeks of the transfer window, and they have no need to sell in January unless we made a silly offer (which we won't under this management thankfully). However, trying to get the deal done in January, even if unsuccessful, should hopefully help us get everything in place to get a deal done early next summer.

If we are going to continue this process of sorting different key parts of the team out in successive summers (attack last summer, midfield this summer), with defence the focus next summer. Then in my opinion it's more important next summer that we get deals done for key defenders early, as defence more than any other part of the team is about how they play as a unit rather than as individuals. So getting those players in early so they can be part of the entire pre-season and start to build that on pitch unity will be important to how successful we are in the first half of next season.

We will need a first choice LB, a first choice top level CB, and a first choice RB, as well as possibly/probably a second CB who can offer experience as a rotation option given that we will lose both Martinez and Maguire at CB and Shaw at LB all of whom are out of contract. I can see us moving on one of Dalot or Mazraoui (more likely Mazraoui).

Meaning our options before we sign anyone will likely be: Dalot, MdL, Yoro, Heaven, Amass, and Dorgu.

Ideally if we can get Truffert that solves LB, personally I'd like to see us signing Michael Kayode from Brentford for RB, then we will need a peak top level CB, ideally a left sided/footed player, and then a second "older" (over 30) CB who can bring some experience and support to the younger lads such as Yoro and Heaven, but whose happy to be a rotation option.

13 Sep 2026 14:14:41
Kayode is a good shout. Murillo, for me, at CB would be the number one target.

15 Sep 2026 15:42:08
You actually think we have sorted out midfield?

You actually think we have sorted out forwards?

So, you're saying if you put whoever you like in a completely new back 4, you seriously think we would be pushing for a title and Champions League? With what we have available in midfield and forwards....

I really don't see that at all.

16 Sep 2026 05:13:41
Looks like Zabarnyi from PSG is going to be available for 60m.