Manchester United Banter Mobile

21 Jun 2026 00:25:37
Condolences to Mark Hughes and family on the sudden death of their son.

20 Jun 2026 15:17:58
Does anyone else think that the new WC format is simply too much football in a tournament that goes on too long? I need a water break, or, since I'm generally watching free in Spanish, una pausa de hidratacion.

20 Jun 2026 23:37:15
Too much hydration = too many trips to the WC.

21 Jun 2026 00:09:02
It's been pretty entertaining so far for me. Some really good quality on show. Although I agree, there's probably too many teams; basically, winning 1 game in the groups ensures you make it to the knockouts. Doesn't feel right to me.

21 Jun 2026 00:23:53
Nicely done, Eric.

19 Jun 2026 12:20:27.
West Ham looking for a fee for Fernandez. Surprised these guys don't have clauses in their contracts if the club are relegated. Can't see us paying the £85 /€100 being quoted. Looks like we are looking at a few options. Very important we get this right, whoever we sign.

19 Jun 2026 13:00:40
He's a promising player, but nowhere near an £85m one. Ed001 made a good point when he mentioned how Fernandez has a tendency to go missing when things aren't going well. If a club is willing to pay what West Ham are looking for, good luck to them, if not they'll have to lower the valuation or deal with an unhappy player.

19 Jun 2026 15:14:01
We need to identify the right players and then get them in. Stop worrying about money. The right players are worth 3 of the wrong players. Dropping down and down the pecking order does not get us to winning the league.

Anderson for 110 plus add-ons could look a very astute deal by the end of the World Cup, BTW.

He was very good in the opening game.

Utd will negotiate, and the press will amp everything up. I want us to minimise cost, but we must get good players in. We cannot win with 6th choice players.

19 Jun 2026 15:47:54
We need to worry about money because, for most of the last decade, the club has been overpaying transfer fees and wages. The new directors know that a squad can't be built like that. £85m for a player that has been relegated in two consecutive seasons is nonsense.

Over £100m for Anderson is ridiculous.

Liverpool went for the money-is-no-object strategy last summer. How did that work out for them?

19 Jun 2026 15:57:17
So, because Liverpool went for that strategy last season and it failed, no one does that anymore? That's a bit of a ridiculous statement.
If a player is identified, and he wants to come, it's about paying what that player's price is, be it 10 million or 200 million; otherwise, don't buy.


I could not care less what we pay for a player. The club don't worry about how much I have to fork out for games, why should I worry about them....

19 Jun 2026 16:19:32
Liverpool were derailed by a tragedy right at the start. That totally threw them mentally. Then the Isaak saga, and he was out for virtually the whole season. Plus, the manager seemed incapable of changing things.

I fully expect them to have a really good season. One where last season's new signings start to come good.

19 Jun 2026 17:25:36
Winning teams spend money. You cannot cost cut your way to the title. Utd is wasting money left, right and center on stupid decisions.

One thing not up for debate is that any manager, and any formation, needs top quality center midfielders.

So we need to identify who these are (we needed 3 coming into the summer), and then we spend the money required to get our targets.

19 Jun 2026 17:52:44
Our no1 target chose City.
Nobody knows who our targets are, really.
You can't believe almost all you read or hear.
I know we won't have the ideal squad, but I know we will have a better one on paper, anyway.
None of you had us down for 3rd last season. None of you had us down for 3rd when Carrick stated.
It's been years since City, United, Liverpool and Chelsea, Spurs plus (I think nearly 50% of the teams have a new coach/manager) all started the season with a new manager.

Lots of significant player departures too.
We might buy very well, or some signings might flop.
I think they will do their best to get the best deals done. As usual, 90% on here will disapprove and will know exactly what will happen.
The same 90% who got it wrong last year. 😂
It's frustrating, but it's a waiting game. DB Ederson might come in, surprise a few and be excellent. He might be the next Kleberson. Who knows?

19 Jun 2026 17:55:13
Winning teams spend money wisely.

Since Fergie retired, United have spent a lot of money on players and wages. But they have not been a "winning" team.

Selling clubs have seen us as an easy mark. They have been inflating prices because they know we were willing to pay more.

Players have rinsed us for wages too.

The new directors have stated that they will be doing things differently. Spending £85m on Fernandez would be going back to wasting money. He is a good player, but he is nowhere near an £85m one.

19 Jun 2026 19:28:12
Says you, Danny. Rumours are that Man Utd and Real and possibly PSG are interested in him. In today's market of midfielders, many of the best go for 100-120m. So is 85 really that crazy? If the club rate him that much, let them work.

I am only commenting that our fans need to stop with the celebrating us pulling out because costs are too high. The club needs to choose the right players, and then we go get them. I would love nothing more than an unknown player from Germany becoming our new superstar midfielder. I also agree the press is full of rumours (many of which the club encourages).

The club will negotiate hard. They will release rumours of other options to apply pressure. It looks like we lost out to City on Anderson, and the club saved face by saying he is too expensive.

But we can't win by only buying second and third tier players.

First choice CM is a massive hole to fill. Casemiro was both good and bad last year. Ugarte really struggled (and hopefully goes). We have 1 agreed - he could be great, but I think most are hoping for two more first team ready players. Then 4 players will compete with each other; with 2 games a week, they will play plenty. Maybe Ugarte stays. I would be worried. Maybe Mount will be 1 of the 4CM - I would be worried because of his fitness record.

Bottom line, we can't go and spend 45m on 3 midfielders and think we will compete with everyone in the EPL, unless our scouts are geniuses beyond what we have seen so far. Cunha and Mbeumo were not exactly hidden from view, or cheap.

19 Jun 2026 20:02:41
£85m is more than double what West Ham bought him for last year.

Honestly, what has he done this season to convince anyone that he's worth twice as much?

West Ham, if the reports are accurate, are taking the piss.

They are a relegated side, trying to strong-arm prospective buyers into gifting them a huge profit.

I can guarantee that Real and PSG won't offer anything close to £85m.

At that price, he can play in the Championship for a year.

20 Jun 2026 00:49:52
By all accounts, there is potential competition for Fernandez's signature. Like any asset, that will tend to push the price up. In the end, the fair price is what the highest bidder is willing to pay. Like any auction, suitors will have drawn a line in the sand. Someone's going to buy him, though, because West Ham need to sell.

20 Jun 2026 04:38:48
Why does it matter how much he was last year, that's a crazy statement. If the club identified him and want him, and Carrick wants him, pay what it takes and move on to the next, or just moan at the end of the transfer window that we bought no one.


Someone is worth what someone else wants to pay. That's all that matters, not if he was 50 quid last year.

20 Jun 2026 09:38:32
I agree with you, Danny. One thing I'll never understand in football transfers is why some people act as if a club should simply pay whatever fee the selling club asks for.

If a club values a player at £40m and the selling club wants £70m, why would they just hand over the extra £30m? That's not ambition, that's poor negotiation.

Every transfer is a negotiation. The selling club wants the highest possible fee. The buying club wants the best possible deal. That's how every market works, whether it's football, business, or buying a house.

Fans often complain that their club is "messing around" or "haggling" when, in reality, they're trying to avoid overpaying.

If the player is worth the asking price to them, they'll pay it. If not, they'll negotiate or walk away.

Nobody walks into a car dealership and voluntarily pays £10,000 more than the sticker price, or an estate agent pays the asking price immediately. Yet somehow some football fans expect clubs to do exactly that in the transfer market.

Paying the quoted fee isn't always a sign of ambition. Sometimes it's just a sign that you've lost the negotiation.

20 Jun 2026 11:23:54
We've had our pants pulled down so many times, paying far too much for players, and then paying silly salaries, meaning it's hard to move them on.

Pogba left for free, and we paid £89M to bring him back with mixed results.

Antony was over £80M, a complete waste 9d money.



Maguire has been solid, but the fee of £80M was far too high given there were other options.

Sancho, £73M, another waste of money.

Hojlund, £64M, whatever are we thinking?

The list goes on and on. It's about time we walked away and stopped getting shafted.

20 Jun 2026 12:53:52
I wouldn't say Maguire has been solid. The last couple of seasons, maybe. Under OGS, he was poor.

20 Jun 2026 13:26:48
Well MH, he certainly splits opinion.

20 Jun 2026 16:25:04
So, we walk away from all deals cos we think everyone is too high because idiots bought Onana, Antony etc, so we base all our purchases on those going forward and think everyone is a waste! Strange attitude.
Why don't we then just work on the assumption Bruno was a great buy!

If we have identified a player, club and manager wants, we're given a price; if we like it, we buy, if not, we move on.



Car comparison is ridiculous because cars have a price on screen, yet to see a player with a price tag on his forehead.

Then there's the MU Tax. That's life.

20 Jun 2026 16:51:33
Ah, so you're under the impression that the comparison was about physically seeing a price tag. Says a lot about you.

20 Jun 2026 21:49:05
We've had poor recruitment in the past, where shirt sales drove who we went for. Now we are supposed to be focusing on winning the league by 2028. To that end, we need to add another few players that are capable of doing that this summer. Last summer was a decent start, but with a change of manager and system, we have a few square pegs in round holes.

Better to utilize some players we have, or youth, to cover gaps.

But to get high standard players to fill priority positions.

What I mean by that is stick with Cunha and Mbeumo covering Sesko. But solve the midfield for the next few years now. Live with CB or FBs, but solve the biggest hole in our team.

If we try to afford too much in one summer, we
risk having second tier players that will never get us to the destination.

Anyway, been a good debate. Long window left yet. 😄

18 Jun 2026 15:26:55
Nice goal by Rashford, but, let's fact it, he was really in his element. The spaces were wide open as Croatia chased the game. He did what we all know he can all do. But the reality of the EPL is that a contending team playing against a low block rarely if ever gets open spaces like that.

Can he beat a player to the byline? Can he put in a defensive shift? Or is he just a luxury player now? That would be my concern and I think it's why he may be more difficult to sell than we would like.

18 Jun 2026 16:00:38
Can we not just say well done to him. Over analysing everything is for the idiots in the British media.

18 Jun 2026 16:45:23
He scored a good goal. He is what he is. Excellent at some things, poor at the things that just need effort. Nothing has changed in that respect, but I'm glad for him scoring in the World Cup. Any player that played for United at any stage, I like to see do well - just not against us.

18 Jun 2026 22:07:33
Yes, we could just say well done. I did. But, what I'm interested in is what happens if we can't sell him. Another loan or do we just hold on for 2 years?

18 Jun 2026 22:34:19
We sell him. A loan isn't an option. We might well pay him off if we get 35-40M to the tune of up to 10M, I'd imagine. Then he'll accept a lower salary (because it'll be same overall) and he'll go. That's the worst case, most drawn out version of this.

19 Jun 2026 00:58:41
Rashford's due to get £16m a year in salary from us over two years. Let's say he's prepared to cut his pay to £12.5 per year somewhere else. If that club pays a £30m fee over, say, 4 years, they're committed to £20m per year.

Why would it be beneficial for them to take that deal if we think so little of him that we can't stomach a much less substantial commitment?

19 Jun 2026 12:41:31
The quicker he's out of the club, the better.
With him, it's not about ability, it's about desire. For a club he supports, that he has spent his life at, and he can't be bothered to put a shift in, it says everything about him.

If it has to be a loan, then I would take it, but honestly I would take whatever a club is willing to offer to get his wages gone and him gone. Having him hanging around pre season won't be good for the squad.

18 Jun 2026 13:36:40
Not directly United related, but just how much did CR hold back Portugal yesterday? I saw about 20 minutes in the first half and Portugal were playing with less than 10 men imo. No movement to stretch the defence, no pressing, came deep a few times to just touch the ball and play a safe 5 yard pass. Pretty sad tbh.

18 Jun 2026 14:31:51
It was a tough watch. For sure, playing with 10 men most of the match. Not sure they were playing with less than 10. 🤣
He is a box player only now in the main, and Umo should not be starting games on that basis alone.

18 Jun 2026 14:52:12
Thierry Henry was highly critical of CR7, whom he said should, on one occasion, have made his move and then let the ball run on to Bruno, who would have had a great scoring opportunity...

but no, Ronaldo isn't a team player. He just wants to score himself, so he took the low % shot and missed. Will Martinez have the balls to drop him? He's quitting Portugal. Does he go to Al-Nassr?

18 Jun 2026 17:09:44
TW

The words you are looking for are Goal Hanger!

18 Jun 2026 17:29:47
It seems to me that Ronaldo is constantly trying to show everyone that he is the best. When Messi scored the hat-trick, my initial thought before the Portugal game was Ronaldo will be shooting every chance he has. I think a lot of people would have thought this too, which says a lot about how he is viewed.

I seem to remember the last tournament, Portugal seemed to be playing for Ronaldo rather than the other way round and it does feel like it is just preventing Portugal from getting wins when they need them.

That said, it does feel mad criticising Ronaldo.

18 Jun 2026 18:44:57
There was a TV programme recently in which Ronaldo and Messi were featured and compared against each other. What came out clearly from those who spoke about Ronaldo is that he is a team player. Yes, he can, and often is a bit greedy, but overall he wants his team to win.



He was shown being interviewed after Portugal won a tournament, and he said he considered it the biggest thing in his career.

He was also shown on the touchline not playing but urging his teammates on, kicking every ball with them like a manager does.

18 Jun 2026 21:43:07
I go along with that, Salford. All his career, he has been a great team player.
Selfish and greedy at times, but all forwards are, should be, and need to be.
At this point in his career, he is chasing numbers and individual targets.


I think his coach and teammates need to help him understand where and when he can make the best impact nowadays at this level. I think that's off the bench, but I'm not picking the team. 🤣

19 Jun 2026 15:05:40
Ken's right. His current approach seems to be about records, but whatever the motivation, he is looking a shadow of his former self. There seems to be some unrest in that camp. It's not an easy situation to manage.