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03 Jan 2026 13:46:44
Rumours today about friction behind the scenes over playing style? And the rigidity of the preferred system.
Add in the latest comments about transfers and it suggests all is not well.
Of course this could be clickbait, bit I think there will be some merit in these rumours.
1.) 03 Jan 2026 15:16:51
Good Amorim should be getting a kicking from his bosses.
Playing style is awful.
2.) 03 Jan 2026 15:27:09
They’ve known this for ages now, if they expect him to change in any way then more fool them. From where I sit none of them have a clue and look way out of their depth. Maybe the blame game is about to begin!
3.) 03 Jan 2026 15:58:44
Here we go again. Might as well just wrap it all up and shut down Manchester United. As it is this hiring sacking hiring sacking cycle isn't taking us anywhere. If the patience is over then so should be this football club.
4.) 03 Jan 2026 23:35:59
The embargoed bit from the pre match press conference pretty much confirms these rumours.
Journo asks Amorim why he's changed system, is it because of lack of budget to implement the 3-4-3 or have Wilcox et al had a word because its not been working.
Amorim who hasn't yet met a journalists question that he doesn't want to respond to says he doesn't want to talk about it but that the journalist is smart to observe this.
5.) 04 Jan 2026 10:58:50
Excuses and finger pointing from all sides, in reality they are all culpable. The players, coach and those above them.
6.) 04 Jan 2026 15:38:12
It's just a typical power struggle. Wilcox and Vivell are sticking their oar in over formation and, in return, Amorim is doing so about recruitment. In reality it's fine for both to do so but it's tense right now while results aren't as good as anyone wants. We're actually in an ok position and with players coming back we should see draws turn into wins.
Too much shaudenfraude here. Utd Road the playing style is not awful. We're creating a lot of chances, and some of the play is very good. We're lacking in some positions and have serious squad deficiencies so of course we aren't fluid or as good as we want to be, but making out as if we're a shambles is very far from reality.
7.) 04 Jan 2026 17:18:15
I would say the playing style is awful but Amorim can't play against ten man Everton and show absolutely nothing and follow that up with a several brutal performances and expect unquestioned support in the transfer window. I wouldn't be on Wilcox side either, I think they should both go.
8.) 04 Jan 2026 19:24:36
Banjoe what good would that be? We keep just jumping from manager to manager. We finally are addressing the actual issues - that the players aren't good enough - and have done well in the last couple of windows. How about seeing that through for once? There is ample evidence that we're improving. Instead of complaining that we're not consistent or not challengers yet let's stand by the manager.
The question should be "are we improving, and doing so at the rate we expect". At the start of the season most here had us between 4th and 8th and we're currently 5th. Nobody had us in the top 3. We most definitely are on track.
9.) 04 Jan 2026 19:54:03
I actually hate this style of play under Amorim. It doesn't feel like United to me, so I'm very happy for him to go but it's not totally his fault. Wilcox and co hired him to implement a system and style and are now not supporting it allegedly. This appointment hasn't worked and I don't believe it ever will.
10.) 04 Jan 2026 20:55:09
There’s problems with both sides.
At a club level, they brought in Ashworth to be director of football and implement a club wide playing style. But Berrada and Wilcox are buddies, and wanted Wilcox to have Ashworth’s job. Ratcliffe’s ear was bent by Wilcox because he prefers blaggers who tell him what he wants to hear, rather than professionals who tell the truth. The net result was that Ratcliffe sided with Berrada and Wilcox, leaving the club without a director of football and giving Amorim far more control over playing style.
On Amorim’s part there seems to be an unwillingness to learn. His system worked in one set of circumstances. This does not guarantee that it will work in a completely different league. The fact that he has persisted despite the mounting evidence that it isn’t going to produce winning football for Man United, suggests that he is incapable of adapting. This has been an issue since he arrived, and he has dug in deeper and deeper.
Today’s comments were interesting to say the least. He was explicitly hired as a head coach, not a manager. Yet, claims that he took the job under the belief that he would be a manager rather than a coach. This speaks to the lack of underlying direction regarding play style - i. e. they told Amorim that he would have control over shaping the play style because the DOF resigned. Now that the club directors can no longer ignore the lack of improvement, we’re seeing tension between a coach who thinks he’s a manager, and a leadership team scrambling to rectify their initial mistakes.
The biggest losers are the players and the fans who just want to play/watch winning football.
11.) 05 Jan 2026 00:23:25
The style of play isn’t as bad as people make out, we are 2nd in the league for chances created, we are third in the league for goals. There’s been a marked improvement in the offensive output.
One thing to point out is, the club have been inept when it comes to getting the wingbacks required for Amorims system. The offensive output would be even higher if he had the players required for the wingback positions.
Defensively we ship waaaaay to many goals, and the culprit is the midfield, we get unpicked by midfield runners all the time. The midfield has been a problem for years. We need two midfielders ASAP, players with legs, tactical discipline and high energy.
Top four is there for the taking, we need midfield reinforcements to achieve it though. The fact Amorim isn’t getting any suggests to me the board no longer want to back this manager.
I feel for Amorim, he wanted to come at the end of the season but was forced to leave a team flying mid season. Wilcox er Al would have known the hybrid Van Gaal/Mourinho/Ole/Ten Haag Frankenstein squad needed tearing down but they never bought Amorim the players he needs to be a success. A lot of that squad have sacked multiple managers.
Rangnick said it best and his comments look more and more accurate every year.
02 Jul 2025 10:08:40
Today's latest rumours
Arsenal close to agreeing a deal for Gyokeres, Bayern interested in Rashford, we're looking at Watkins, Juve offering a swap for Sancho, giving us a choice of 3 players, including Vlahovic.
I think sometimes it's better not to read the rumours, there are so many and they seem to jump around all over the place.
1.) 02 Jul 2025 11:26:38
Juve have just signed Jonathan David so Vlahovic might be available. I’d take him if it meant we could shift Sancho out. Douglas Luis too if he was available.
2.) 02 Jul 2025 11:36:21
Staring to wish Gyokeres would just sign for somebody, getting sick of the stories now.
Wouldn’t surprise me if either:
1) He ends up going nowhere
Or
2) United wait until the last week of the window, come under pressure from the fans and overpay to sign him for £85m.
3.) 02 Jul 2025 12:51:12
I'm not even sure we are interested in another striker. It will probably only be if Hojland goes and both he and Amorim have said he's staying.
4.) 02 Jul 2025 13:01:26
With hoijlund up top and the slab in defence we cannot fail!
5.) 02 Jul 2025 13:27:05
Sancho for Vlahovic is a no brainer for me.
6.) 02 Jul 2025 16:21:05
What frightens me most is asking about Watkins who can be bought for £60m. yet utd again don't want to pay what's being asked . lack of resale. who gives a monkeys if for 4 seasons he scores some friggin goals. This club and the morons that run it ?♂️.
7.) 02 Jul 2025 16:35:28
I got some grief for suggesting Watkins, but he scores goals and has pace, both of which we need. Not sure I want to pay £60M, but some sort of swap would be good.
8.) 02 Jul 2025 17:14:22
Our biggest issues last season was not scoring goals, it’s the one main area we must improve, nobody can expect Cunha to cover the gaps all by himself.
9.) 02 Jul 2025 17:18:10
Watkins is a decent player, but he is overpriced.
He is 29, and had a fairly decent season. I don't think he is the answer, unless he is considerably cheaper.
10.) 02 Jul 2025 17:33:21
Watkins wouldn't be the worst signing, I just think he's uninspiring for most fans.
At 29 he isn't a long term option, and we shouldn't be paying too much for him. Ideally around 45m, but anything upto 55m seems about the right range.
He's EPL proven, and consistently gets 20-30 EPL goals and assists. He's the kind of player I can see linking up really well with Cunha and potentially Mbeumo.
Yet we will probably get 2-3 years of him as first choice with maybe another year as decent back up. He will need a replacement bought for him in the next two years. Which isn't ideal. But in a limited market he is far from the worst option.
11.) 02 Jul 2025 18:26:12
Rashford and Garnacho to villa singing
Oh brother, we'll go deeper than the ink
Beneath the skin of our tattoos
Though we don't share the same blood
You're my brother and I love you that's the truth.
We're hoping for better lives
only Emre knows
He said will bring us back with all our pictures and our clothes
Five goals twenty assists doing all we can to please
Just give me back my car keys
If I was dying on my knees, I've got a brother from another mother
Then the boos for lazy attitude start.
{Ed077's Note - KODALINE ♥️♥️♥️
12.) 02 Jul 2025 20:05:46
Vlahovic would be a terrible signing, I wouldn't touch him with a barge pole.
He has regressed every season since he joined Juventus. They are desperate to get shot of him.
He has courted controversy, has said that he prefers playing with another striker who can do the defensive work as he thinks it "impacts" his game and it's best if he doesn't have to work hard.
All this while currently being the highest paid player in Serie A on around €374k or £315k a week. You'd imagine he'd want something similar if he joined us, and to be frank he's not even worth £200k a week based on his last couple of seasons.
13.) 02 Jul 2025 21:30:28
I think his comments were actually that he isn’t asked to track back so much for Serbia as he is at juve, which suits his game more and keeps him fresher in the final 3rd.
To me that sounds like just what we need! A no.9 who is in the box not 30 yards away with his back to goal.
With regards to his regression, I’d say it hasn’t really worked at Juve but that isn’t his career over.
You were banging the drum for kolo Muani who is a year older and less impressive goal scoring record. Admittedly, he has come into the Juventus in place of Vlahovic, but had also gone through a ‘regression’ at PSG himself and seems to have found his feet in a new team.
I do agree that we shouldn’t be giving him the money he is on in Italy but I don’t think anyone coming in this summer or for the foreseeable will be given them kinds of wages.
14.) 03 Jul 2025 07:39:03
AJH, avoid the rumours?
This is a rumours site ?.
15.) 03 Jul 2025 10:38:50
I know, but it's the false hope MancMan, every day brings a different twist!
16.) 03 Jul 2025 11:33:10
For sure AJH, but that's all part of the fun.
Some rumours are credible such as the one I posted, others are obvious BS like the one I read the other day about Utd signing Ruiz from PSG ?.
17.) 04 Jul 2025 22:50:25
2toms, there is a world of difference between the situations of Vlahovic and Muani in terms of why it didn't work out with their big moves.
Muani literally signed for PSG one day and before he could even kick a ball for them they hired a new manager who wanted his strikers to play a very different way. He was never really given a chance. Even then he still scored at a respectable rate given his limited game time.
Vlahovic on the other hand has never stepped up despite repeated and consistent opportunities and chances for him to do so. Despite his significant game time he has regressed in a not too dissimilar way to Højlund. Given chance after chance after chance with every passing game him looking worse.
Vlahovic is also on massive wages, and would be our second highest earner only behind Casemiro if he was to join in his current salary.
While his comments align with the eye test of him being a lazy player off the ball. He doesn't want to have to sweat for the team.
For me he's definitely a player I'd avoid.
23 May 2025 07:36:25
I saw this earlier today.
There are unsubstantiated rumours of players not being happy with RA's methods. A couple of thoughtful trophy-winning former United players wonder how effective it can be having a coaching staff that, in some cases, is both younger and less experienced than the players they are attempting to work with.
Many will say the players are the issue here, but if you lack confidence in the coaches, or they are hugely inexperienced, then is it a surprise?
1.) 23 May 2025 08:47:10
We had the exact same leaks with Moyes, Van Gaal, Mourinho, Ole, Rangnik and most recently with Ten Haag. Six repetitions of the same thing, IT’S THE BLOODY PLAYERS!
2.) 23 May 2025 09:05:26
In one Rewz.
3.) 23 May 2025 09:31:42
Rewz,
Couldn’t have put it better myself. Also, we don’t have any players older than the manager. If they don’t like the methods they know exactly where they can go.
4.) 23 May 2025 09:54:57
What players do we have older than the manager, I know they play like there 50 but they ain’t, just more crap that comes out when losing.
Like all blame the system bandwagon that’s all tosh, can’t score goals can’t win matches, when we come up against physicality we are in trouble, everytime.
5.) 23 May 2025 10:38:03
If this is true then it’s the same crap over and over again, simply the players trying to shift the blame into someone else. Other side is that it’s utter bs and simply the media making up crap to stir the pot and create even more tension in an already volatile situation. We need a massive culture change this summer one way or another….
6.) 23 May 2025 11:44:55
The thing that worries me, is the sheer number of players we need to get out he club. We’ve got players out on loan that need to be sold and replaced (Sancho, Rashford, Antony, Malacia), players leaving on free’s (Eriksen, Lindelof, Evans, Heaton) that need replacing PLUS a large number of the team that needs selling and replacing.
Realistically the players we can probably sell are Bruno, Garnacho, Mainoo, Dalot, Amad plus with the documented interest from Italy maybe Zirkzee and Hojlund. Of the aforementioned players Mainoo and Amad are probably the least likely to be sold.
Shaw and Casemiro are finished but still have years left, approx. £600k pw in salary so we are stuck with them. Martínez is quality but can’t stay fit, Mount hasn’t be able to put a run of games together in 2 years. That’s four senior players you can’t reply upon.
The goalkeeper position needs addressing.
I can see Garnacho, Bruno, Dalot, Zirkzee and Hojlund potentially going, add in the four out on loan and the four leaving on a free, that’s potentially 13 players.
The rebuild needed on the squad is terrifyingly large.
7.) 23 May 2025 12:08:32
In my opinion I think the potentials are Bruno Fernandes potentially sold for £120m. Rashford linked with a £40m move. Garnacho, despite his talent, might be off for £50m. Sancho could go for a cut-price £20m. Add to that a list of expiring contracts — Eriksen, Lindelöf, Heaton, Evans — and you’re looking at a significant reset both on the pitch and on the wage bill.
But what does this mean in real financial terms, especially under the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR)?
Estimated Player Sales and PSR Profit Impact
Player Sale Fee (£m) Original Cost (£m) Book Value Left PSR Profit (Est. )
Bruno Fernandes £120m £47m ~£5m ~£115m
Marcus Rashford £40m Academy product £0 £40m
Garnacho £50m Academy product £0 £50m
Jadon Sancho £20m £73m ~£30m ~–£10m (loss)
Estimated PSR Profit: ~£195 million
Because Rashford and Garnacho came through the academy, 100% of their sale fees count as profit in PSR terms. Bruno, with most of his transfer cost now amortised, would also register a massive profit. Even with a Sancho loss, the total PSR profit is significant.
Wage Bill Relief
Player Weekly Wage Annual Saving
Fernandes £240k £12.5m
Rashford £300k £15.6m
Garnacho £50k £2.6m
Sancho £350k £18.2m
Eriksen £150k £7.8m
Lindelöf £120k £6.2m
Heaton £40k £2.1m
Evans £40k £2.1m
Total Estimated Wage Savings: ~£67 million annually
This creates vital breathing space under both PSR and the UEFA Squad Cost Ratio, even though United will not be in the Champions League next season.
---
So, What Can United Spend?
Under PSR, you can’t lose more than £105m over three years, but player sales and cost-cutting can offset this. With ~£195m in PSR profit and a leaner wage bill, United could reasonably reinvest around £200m–£250m, if structured smartly.
How?
Buy a player for £50m on a 5-year deal = only £10m/ year hit to PSR.
Spread your rebuild across 4–5 signings on these terms, and you stay well within your financial limits.
Other Factors:
No Champions League = a £40–60m revenue hit.
Still paying instalments for past transfers (Antony, Casemiro, etc. ) .
Need to budget for agent fees, bonuses, and future wages.
8.) 23 May 2025 14:46:08
Doesn't Sancho only have 1 year left on his contract meaning that if his original cost was £73m his book value should now be down to £15m and a £20m sale would yield a small profit?
I wonder whether there will be interest in Antony from any richer clubs than Betis. His book value is reportedly still around £32m. His salary remains an obstacle, but we can only hope. If not maybe he can stay there at Betis. They qualified for the Europa League and could maybe afford to cover all his salary.
Amorim doesn't seem to fancy Mainoo much either but if Bruno goes he maybe has to be kept for another year. Often players have a poor second year after impressing the first. Kobbie was blighted by injuries this season, maybe he'll shine next year. All profit if sold.
Dalot could also be a potential sale. He's been written down to £0 so it would yield all profit.
The commentators on the Europa final were suggesting that a place in the Champions League would be worth > £100m between guarantees, sponsorship etc.
With no European football we should be able to make do with a slightly smaller squad.
9.) 23 May 2025 15:50:46
There is no outstanding transfer fee to be amortised for Bruno.
10.) 23 May 2025 16:07:57
Rinse and bloody repeat from the players. never their fault.
So they don't like the methods of a manager with a young coaching set up. One that got success at their previous club as the players brought into it and they got players that suit.
Get rid of these players.
11.) 23 May 2025 16:18:55
Why does everyone worry about players salaries and fees etc, it’s not your money, what’s the point quoting figures you have no worry or concern about, plus. What makes you think if any quality players come in they are going to be cheaper or work for a few luncheon vouchers, I don’t get it….
Would not be so bad if you knew the inner workings of the club but your all dreaming these figures up on hear say, don’t give me the accounts tosh or media BS
Oh just sell Bruno for 120m yeah easy… and also get rid of the only player we got that’s any good….
12.) 23 May 2025 16:25:58
Sancho was bought for £73m on a 5 year deal. That’s £14.6m pa, that obviously is just the fee, I have no knowledge of how agents fees etc are accrued, they may be an exceptional line item on the balance sheet or could be wrapped up in the amortised book value. His contract is up in June ‘26 so that would leave £14.6m of book. The £20m figure banded about is about right is the other costs were included.
Bruno’s original deal (5.5yrs) ran until the end of this season I believe.
Playing football manager with the player amortised number is all god and well. However we still have significant debt owed on players, we have reductions written into contracts for not being in Europe and we will have a yr on yr revenue reduction for the league revenue due to our finish. The 25/ 26 forecast will have significantly reduced revenues, it’s not just about PSR it’s about balancing the books. Don’t be surprised to see more staff cuts, high earning players moved on with cheaper alternatives coming. Any planned capex projects will get canned.
I still don’t understand why Ineos bought in the way they did. They would have done an incredible amount of due diligence and yet still dropped over £1.3bn to buy 29.9% of a failing company. They would have had asset surveys undertaken on all the physical stuff like the stadium and training facilities, forensic accounting on the finances. They own other clubs so it’s not their first Rodeo. On the face of it, it doesn’t make sound commercial sense.
13.) 23 May 2025 17:38:55
Here we go again with the players don't like the managers methods.
I do fear for Amorim though, if United start poorly next season the media are going to whip up a storm.
United need to start getting some positivity in the news and begin changing the narrative.
14.) 23 May 2025 17:58:47
Won't happen thou, it's utd therefore only negative stories get published. utd ruined a lot of these jurnos childhoods and this in their heads in revenge. It's that simple, until utd start winning this is always going to continue.
15.) 23 May 2025 19:19:49
For f**KS sake it's the players. How stupid do we have to be to keep blaming the manager time after time after time.
Just remove the emotion for a second and think logically.
This is a league title winning manager with these coaches. He has taken a fallen giant club and made them back into a genuine force in Portugal.
While these players have never won the title and have shown themselves to be incapable time and time again under multiple managers.
If at this point you still feel its the manager that is the problem them either you have a very low IQ or you've suffered some traumatic brain injury at some point.
16.) 23 May 2025 20:33:17
Indeed Shappy.
17.) 24 May 2025 01:48:36
I am in agreement it’s not the manager, but stating people have a very low iQ because they have there opinions is a bit rich, when your opinion rates highly Martinez and the others that you done in an earlier post, some could say your iQ must be equally as low, but it’s an opinion so it’s not, but only someone with a very low iQ or traumatic brain injury would make such a crazy statement! Grow up a bit, it’s not funny or a nice thing to say don’t matter who you are addressing it to….
18.) 24 May 2025 08:06:05
From 13/ 14 - 18/ 19, sporting finished between 2nd and 3rd in the Portuguese league.
A fallen giant? You make it sound like he took them from the bottom of the league.
Shappy, what are you on about?
19.) 24 May 2025 08:13:02
Shappy
9 of the players in the squad have won league titles before.
20.) 24 May 2025 08:28:23
It’s the owners
It’s the management
It’s the coach
It’s the players
Let’s face it we have bad owners, historical mismanagement, a coach who can’t get results and a poor squad.
It’s entirely plausible the management hire the wrong managers and purchase the wrong players.
21.) 24 May 2025 09:11:30
Imagine making the initial post as a stick to beat the manager with, when every manager has had the same briefings. Every single manager post Ferguson.
Was Van Gaal a shocking manager? Mourinho? The answer is no.
22.) 24 May 2025 09:19:44
We could just do a what Chelsea did and sell ourselves the women’s team. Worth 200m apparently would make a massive difference.
23.) 24 May 2025 11:52:52
Whole squad needs ripping up and starting again. It’s crap.
24.) 24 May 2025 12:15:12
German, get off your high horse! You're guilty of posting similar insulting comments when you disagree with someone's opinion. '
25.) 24 May 2025 12:54:17
Fizz you have never seen a post of mine that’s personally derogatory
And saying about brain injury’s is beyond a joke, so I will stay on my high horse thanks, if coming off it means getting that far down in the gutter.
26.) 24 May 2025 13:21:18
Ooh, matron.
27.) 24 May 2025 19:09:19
Garnacho been told he can go.
{Ed025's Note - some good news at last Wallace...can he take Hojlund with him as well please mate?..
28.) 25 May 2025 01:26:06
I am sure they can get a bigger taxi along with Garnacho, Rasmus, Ugarte, Zirkee can sit in the back, because cutbacks and can’t afford 2 taxis best also put Onana in the boot
SJR could always send a fleet of his Grenadier vehicles which he can’t sell because are as crap as the United team and could fit most the squad in them. set the satnav to a far away land
In fact SJR could drive….
29.) 25 May 2025 19:54:25
Let's be fair German, we'd need confirmation of the previous names you've posted under to be able to check whether you've been derogatory towards other posters.
Typically I'd say if you're using a new username as your previous ones have been banned that kind of suggests that you crossed a line with what you wrote, whether it got though the editing process or not.
08 Jan 2023 17:47:43
Latest rumour I've seen is we want Weghorst and Felix, which makes more sense to me. Options, and more creativity.
1.) 08 Jan 2023 18:26:33
That would do for now. Though not sure how felix would fit in our new wage structure?!
2.) 08 Jan 2023 22:07:35
how many players are a club allowed to loan in the PL?
3.) 09 Jan 2023 07:18:06
I wouldn't want Weghorst, but you have to trust the manager if he has identified him.
Joan Felix I think could be a fantastic signing. He doesn't fit the type of football being played at Atletico but he has all the minerals.
4.) 09 Jan 2023 07:46:44
I'd take both in a heartbeat. I'd take one in a heartbeat actually.
Neither are the ideal candidate but we need bodies up front.
Garnacho is a bonus and has stood in well for sancho but he is just a kid and the Ronaldo gap needs filling too.
5.) 09 Jan 2023 20:48:33
You are only allowed 2 loan signings and we already have butland, so it was never going to be both.
We probably moved onto weghorst when Felix was no longer an option.
6.) 10 Jan 2023 19:51:59
Wouldn’t touch Felix with a barge pole. His style and physical make up won’t suit the Prem one bit.
22 Jul 2022 10:00:09
Jesse Lingard.
Could have gone to West Ham and been at the upper end of the table fighting for Europe.
Decided to go to Forest for what will likely be a relgation dog fight. Hmm, I wonder why.
1.) 22 Jul 2022 10:13:20
I'd imagine it's so he doesn't have to move his family to London.
2.) 22 Jul 2022 10:18:30
A one year contract too. His agent was talking about PSG, Milan and Juventus interested in him a couple of months ago. Maybe the teams that actually did want him didn't match his ego.
I'm sure he thinks why not get paid handsomely for a year, finish top scorer and then join Madrid next year.
3.) 22 Jul 2022 10:25:00
Surprised he’s not gone on that Love Island!
4.) 22 Jul 2022 10:32:08
And only on a one season deal in case it's straight back down to the Championship. That over the MLS or trying to nudge his way back into the England set-up with West Ham as he was starting to do when on loan there.
5.) 22 Jul 2022 10:35:58
1 year contract on £200K a week plus signing n fee. He'll be able to do the same next year. Seems like the lad has done a pretty decent deal for himself.
6.) 22 Jul 2022 11:13:33
It's all about the money money money.
At least he will get game time. So many players move for money and see their careers die, Sinclair, Drinkwater spring to mind as examples.
7.) 22 Jul 2022 12:31:04
So much on Lingard all the time. Good luck to him if he's getting more money.
So what?
8.) 22 Jul 2022 13:32:13
He's not united so I don't care.
9.) 22 Jul 2022 15:47:46
Shappy is right, he isn’t allowed out of the house without his babysitter. Last time he gave them the slip he spent all his pocket money on chocolate and fizzy sweets. Best to keep him away from that London or he’ll be onto those American Candy stores and spend his £200k weekly wage on milk duds.
10.) 22 Jul 2022 16:28:28
Danny, I think you'll find that he has had to assume the care of his two school aged children while his mum was unable to care for them. On top of having a daughter of his own who lives with her mother after they split up.
Living in Nottingham means he is still close to his family.
While a big wage packet certainly won't do him any harm.
I'd imagine he will see it as an opportunity to stay close to his family earn a big wage and potentially put himself in the shop window for a club like Everton, Leicester or Newcastle.
11.) 22 Jul 2022 17:24:31
Shappy, trains to Nottingham from Manchester take 2 hours, the same time it takes to drive. 2 hours also for Leicester, 3 hours for Newcastle.
Trains to London take 2 hours, and are far more regular. Nottingham is not close to his family, but its a lot more lucrative.
same as driving,
12.) 22 Jul 2022 17:26:17
That should be school aged siblings.
13.) 22 Jul 2022 18:23:06
Poor babysitter has their work cut out. Get two kids to school and then back to cut the crusts off Jessie’s sandwich and get him down for a quick nap before training.
14.) 22 Jul 2022 19:52:32
This is some mad post about why an ex United player has signed for a football team ?
Has anybody here spoke with him? How would any of ye know and who cares why or why he didn't sign for a club.
Got get that money Jesse, enjoy yourself and keep being you.
15.) 22 Jul 2022 21:04:28
Couldn’t give a damn about what Jesse Lingard is doing. When he was coming through I liked the lad, but the past 2 seasons at least I’ve thought he was a git.
Forget him.
16.) 22 Jul 2022 21:08:05
Indeed. It’s his business and his alone. He’ll play every week, it’s a great traditional club, and he’ll be handsomely paid.
As for logistics, I’m sure he’ll work it out by himself ???.
17.) 22 Jul 2022 18:59:50
Despite all this, Lingard’s going straight into my FPL Team!
18.) 23 Jul 2022 13:57:49
Shappy is so busy now googling travel times to uphold the most ridiculous argument of the day?? nice one ajh. Lots to be said b
For knowing your geography??.
AJH's banter posts with other poster's replies to AJH's banter posts
04 May 2026 10:12:39
At the end of March, and despite being a huge fan of Mainoo, I posted the following about him.
'Watching the England hame and it pains me to say it, but Mainoo is not the player he was'.
'I've been a huge fan and so want him to do well but there is something missing'.
'Can he pick it up? I really don't know'.
I'm glad to say I didn't need to worry. He has really stepped it up this last month and is starting to look like the player who broke through.
Yesterday he ranked 1st for completed passes, posssession won, and ground covered, and of course, he scored the winner.
I know Cas has been great, but he doesn't cover the ground which sometimes exposes us in the middle as we only play 2. If we can buy legs this summer we may see Mainoo shine even more.
1.) 04 May 2026 12:05:57
I've always said it. An exceptional talent that was almost discarded by previous management. 21, doing what he is doing in centre midfield, it's incredible.
The questions over his athleticism and the things that were perceived he couldn't/didn't do stemmed from a manager's answers in a press conference and insistence on not picking him. Baffling.
His ability to pick the ball from deep, play out in intricate places, and his athleticism on and off the ball result in him driving with the ball, intercepting the ball, and making vital tackles.
A lot of people were made to believe something that just didn't exist, and, thankfully, Carrick is there now because he wanted a loan and the club were ready to sell him at one point.
Crazy!!!!
2.) 04 May 2026 12:32:20
I agree, Angel, although he has taken some time to reach this level, hopefully he can push on even further.
3.) 04 May 2026 12:35:31
Agreed, he has been quality on and off the ball since he has come back into the team.
If we can get an Anderson/Tonali/Tchouameni as our 1st choice midfielder, in combination with Mainoo, we could definitely level up the team.
4.) 04 May 2026 13:18:42
Angel, he was puffed after 60 minutes in multiple games. It wasn't a fiction. It's great to see he has addressed it, but this constant changing of history to suit whatever agenda a few of you have doesn't alter what we all could see.
And the numbers showed this. Mainoo dropped off in sprints, recoveries, and several other aspects in those games. That's why he wasn't trusted to start games.
Ajh said it right. It took him time to get to where he is now. And it's great to see.
5.) 04 May 2026 13:54:11
Mainoo is doing terrific. Mbeumo has had his form decline, along with Amad, as the season has gone on. Cunha has improved, lots of fluctuations. Players gel with certain managers quicker than others, and perform better for some managers than others.
Mainoo and Amorim did not see eye to eye, hairband, all the time. Fergie rvn Fergie Stam Pep Ibra Klopp Coutinho all seemed crazy decisions, but life goes on. If your face doesn't fit, that's ok, but it doesn't mean they are bad players.
6.) 04 May 2026 14:32:25
I had my doubts too. He has thankfully rammed my doubts down my throat. The moustachioed hipster told us he couldn't play in the same side as Bruno. Bloody hell, we were gaslit for 18 months.
7.) 04 May 2026 15:00:43
DonRed, changing of history? The irony. ?
I think being called out publicly, not being trusted had a lot to do with his "drop-off". He is trusted now and it is showing in his performances.
8.) 04 May 2026 15:05:59
Irony, really?! Crack a book and look up the definition.
9.) 04 May 2026 15:11:36
Angel, you seem to just evaluate without context. Mainoo has a couple of injuries that hampered him. There were reasons he may not have been able to perform. Several noises came out of the club that suggested that was the case.
I've said before that I felt he should have been trusted more, but to just deny flat out that Kobbie wasn't at full power and deny that he was struggling after 60 minutes of games is just getting silly.
10.) 04 May 2026 15:35:57
He picked up so much, it's been great, can't have been easy knowing the manager clearly did not like him... Saying that, he still needs to work on strength and pace, that's all he is lacking, atm... Hopefully that will come over the summer.
Still need an experienced cb with pace and an experienced striker with pace...
along with the midfield as we know...
Sesko still got lots to learn, and it would be ridiculous going into next season with just him; Mbeumo is not the answer centrally. So, get an experienced striker in, and Sesko can learn from him too, because Sesko will struggle against CL defenders.
11.) 04 May 2026 15:37:34
He wasn't at full power, but that doesn't excuse his treatment. Whatever Amorim may have got right, he got this one wrong.
12.) 04 May 2026 15:51:21
DonRed, he was close to leaving the club. It was an incredible mistake by RA.
13.) 04 May 2026 16:01:54
Maybe RA will help to make Mainoo's career. He had everything very quick and easy, and certainly was not the same player that burst into the scene.
Yesterday, on 86 minutes, Mainoo was caught upfield (after supporting an attack) as Liverpool broke on us. He sprinted back like he was on double speed to everyone else, and got back into dcm position to cover Casemiro, who was out at rightback, making a tackle covering Dalot.
He was not doing that before.
He was floating around the pitch, covering ground, but not max sprints in last 90 mins. Maybe he grew into his body, became stronger? But he was far more physical and influential yesterday than he was a year ago. He can be a top player, he needs to keep these standards up and I think he will.
We still need 2 starting midfielders as a minimum this summer, and another first team player to make 4 genuine rotation CMs.
14.) 04 May 2026 17:12:30
Angel, he was close but that was a mistake by his agent. He clearly has learned a lot over the past year. Ok, you don't like Amorim. Fine. But not everything is this black or white. Context agnostic, no hindsight required reasoning you seem to attribute. I would've been extremely disappointed if Kobbie had left, but more in him listening to poor advice than anything else.
I don't feel I need to repeat it, but I will. Amorim made a mistake in not playing him more. But that does not mean it was a mistake to start Bruno in the middle, given Kobbie's physical issues and Martinez injury. I believed, as soon as Licha returned, RA should've pushed Bruno further up and started Mainoo in the middle. But that wasn't for very many games.
15.) 04 May 2026 19:07:50
DonRed, I'm not sure what you're not getting. RA didn't like him.
We get it, you loved him.
It wasn't a mistake to start Bruno in CM. I mean, come on, man, it clearly was. What are you on about? ? Kobbie's physical issues. ?
16.) 04 May 2026 19:47:21
Nope, I didn't. I saw what he was doing, and I saw the pros and the cons. I also see those now, but I've articulated the issues with setting up as a counter-attacking side and the limitations that presents, and with struggling to evaluate Carrick, as several of the results have not corresponded to the underlying performance.
That isn't loving RA by any stretch. What I intensely dislike is the constant pushing of things as facts when they are nothing of the sort.
I won't even respond to that last part. As you just look silly with that sort of complete discounting of the actual context at the time.
17.) 05 May 2026 01:27:16
I always believed in Mainoo and never had second thoughts. At the same time, I knew it would take some time, because, let's be honest, he was half the player he is now off the ball. He is (and always has been) excellent with the ball and in tight space, but off the ball his body language wasn't good, and he didn't try really hard; he was like a luxury player who didn't do the dirty job, similar to Martial, Ozil, etc. I don't mean he did it on purpose, maybe he just couldn't run so much.
Now he runs like a mad dog sometimes, the urgency in his movements is X2, and the difference from the Amorim era is crystal clear.
So I would say he didn't play for Amorim because he wasn't good enough, especially for his system. And as much as I like Kobe (and I really like him, from his days at the academy), if he wanted to leave it's up to him. To play for our club is not a given because you have talent; talent is not enough. You must earn it. Thankfully he earned it and plays. No one knows if he would have stayed with Amorim, only guessing, but I think RA rated him; I just think that he must improve some aspects of his game.
18.) 05 May 2026 17:24:24
How the hell can you say RA rated Mainoo... Jeez, I would hate to be the person that RA don't like!!!
19.) 05 May 2026 20:41:42
I am sure he did. He just thought that Mainoo was not ready and must improve, and he did improve.
03 May 2026 13:19:20
Any predictions for today, Tris, are you confident?
{Ed001's Note - no, not with Slot in charge. We play awful football and somehow scrape the odd result.}
26 Apr 2026 12:05:20
I see we're rewriting the Amorim narrative, I saw someone say that he would have got us to 3rd, yet Carrick is achieving pretty much 1 more point per game than Amorim did.
More importantly he has played a back 4, played Bruno as a 10 and restored Mainoo to the team, none of which was rocket science, all of which has had an impact.
Let's be clear, I don't think Carrick is the answer, but an inexperienced coach tweaked formation and selection and now we are third. RA seems like a lovely guy, but he was obstinate in his refusal to see what was in front of him, particularly Mainoo, who has yet to hit the heights but is light years ahead of Ugarte.
He shipped out some problem players but he refused to budge on his style or formation, although rumours are he had agreed to change it before he was sacked, we will never know.
It is possible to think RA and Carrick are both the wrong guys, it doesn't have to be an either or.
If you are still banging the RA drum then I respect your opinion, but I just don't see it.
Carrick has moved us up the table and pretty much guaranteed ECL for next season, even Bruno has expressed surprise at our position, but he is uninspiring and inexperienced, and the football is not great.
When Moyes got the job we talked about him not ticking any of the boxes such as actually having won something, European competition experience, track record of success, the 'right' kind of football, developing young players, Carrick misses most of those as a Manager, as do many others, and other than Enrique, I really do struggle to think of someone who would excite me.
Simeone speaks no English, Nagelsmann was laughed at by the Bayern players, Iraola looks great, but it's a big step up, Poch was once the next big thing but not any more. Mourinho anyone? ?.
1.) 26 Apr 2026 12:57:05
It's just such a disingenuous framing. We had an entirely new forward division. The back 4 stuff is just your preference. It is immaterial. There are positives and negatives about every formation. You don't call Carrick stubborn for sticking to the same formation and style. The main problem under RA was that Licha wasn't fit. So Bruno was in the middle. We see the same issues with Carrick when Licha is out, and we can't progress the ball. I agree that he should have played Mainoo in CM earlier, but it is not blazingly clear to me that Mainoo was ready to start regularly.
Under Amorim, we created more chances and had a higher xG per game. We had a lot of luck go against us. Under Carrick, it has been the opposite. We've benefitted from a lot of luck, and it's undeniable our style of play has become far less open.
We moved up 1 or 2 places. That's it. And we could still finish 5th, so that'd be no change in position than under Amorim.
I can point out numerous flaws under Amorim. Mainly, he should've tried Mainoo more; his subs needed to be more proactive, etc. But I thought he was adapting. But I'm disinclined to discuss that way because you, (and a few more), are putting forward a narrative that ignores all the positives that were so obvious to the rest of us.
Maybe it's best to leave RA out of it and focus on the future, but that means not constantly making out like RA was incompetent, etc. I think we are in a much better position because of the decisions he made (loaning out Sancho, Antony, Rashford last year, leaving him with pretty much no attack in order to rebuild last summer, etc).
2.) 26 Apr 2026 12:59:45
Anybody saying RA would have done this, that, or the other is as daft as saying he wouldn't.
Neither can be proven, so it's just people trying to defend their previous opinions of when he was here.
I think he did some good things, put us in a much better position before he left in many ways, and made some silly mistakes, and now he is gone.
As for the next choice, Carrick has done well in terms of results as an interim.
I don't think it's enough to give him the job without serious consideration to several other candidates.
I've no preference at this point, but I'm hopeful that other candidates will be strongly considered.
I'm sure that the way things went and ended with RA will have shaken their confidence, but imo it's a time to be patient and brave for our management.
I hope they don't make a knee jerk decision.
Time for cool heads.
3.) 26 Apr 2026 13:11:15
I think Poch could be a really good fit for us. He's a nice balance of tactical adaptability and motivation. Seems like he's very good at managing players' egos, and has a non-abrasive personality. I liked what he did with Spurs, despite not being able to keep key players.
With the right coaching team around him, he could work.
Carrick has some of his personable traits. The big difference is that he has a coaching team that is more suited to a defence-first approach. Poch brings something more balanced.
4.) 26 Apr 2026 13:27:53
I like Poch, Danny, but he seems to have taken a strange direction.
Don, I know we disagree on this, which is fair enough, but I have no issue with someone being stubborn if they are returning 2 points per game. I'm not fully down on Ra, I absolutely do not think he is incompetent. I pointed out he was rejigging the personnel; I just didn't see where he was taking the team. And, as a lifelong United fan, the formation didn't sit well with me, but that's personnel preference.
And the Carrick-lucky, Amorim-unlucky framing, I'm not sure that stands up to scrutiny given some of the bizarre decisions we have seen lately.
As Ken says, it's done now so we have to look forward, still lots to be decided. It will be interesting to see where Ra goes next and how he does.
5.) 26 Apr 2026 13:54:15
Fair enough, AJH. On the lucky vs unlucky, I should point out that this is a more statistical view I'm taking. In that area, if a team constantly underperforms xG, a sizeable amount of that can be attributed to luck, and vice versa. It's obviously not all of it, but it's something that can be modelled to get a fair proportion. It's why I harp back (probably too much) to xG, as it gives a reasonable way to try to understand what is genuine improvement and what is luck. And it tells the clear story that Carrick has done better than performances warranted, and Amorim the opposite. In almost all cases, we see regression to the mean, i.e. in the long term, results correspond to average performances. So I'd expect Carrick to do worse than he is now, and expected results to upturn under Amorim.
What the actual true contribution from either, like Ken said, is not clear, since we don't have enough of a sample for either.
No doubt I'm inclined to give more leeway to Ra because of the change up in the forward division. And don't forget we started the season with Onana in goals, and then Bayindir. We've seen a clear improvement from having a competent keeper, but Lammens also needed time to settle.
I appreciate you saying the formation stuff is personal preference. Like yourself, I really hope we take the right decision with the next manager. I don't think Carrick is the right choice, but I'll back him if he is chosen.
6.) 26 Apr 2026 15:42:33
The football world has gotten a lot bigger over the last two decades. With money pouring in and billionaires and literal countries buying clubs, we now have a new wave of clubs with huge ambitions who want to get a seat at the top table.
The flip side is that the pool of elite managers simply can't keep pace with a growing list of rich clubs. Also, the competitiveness of top European football means time isn't a luxury managers are afforded.
Onto our own situation, I don't think we're at the level for an elite manager (like Enrique) to come in and succeed.
We probably need a Carrick to grow the team for another couple of years before we can challenge against the best clubs in Europe.
I'm not a fan of the board and the directors, but they have done well transfer-wise. Probably the 60th time writing this sentence on here over the years, but we're probably 2 or 3 decent windows away from getting close.
I'd let Carrick keep going, slow and steady, to hopefully improve. If he can't win trophies, hopefully he leaves the squad in a better place than he found it, then we push for a coach that has experience of getting over the line.
7.) 26 Apr 2026 16:59:21
Mumbles, I think there are signs he won't take the tough decisions we need to progress. Maguire's contract extension, for example. He's 3rd or 4th in our CB pecking order, but plays more often due to injuries to others. We don't win a league with him starting regularly. Another example is his comments about possibly reintegrating Rashford.
The Maguire one I partly understand, especially if he signed on the understanding he'll be backup and on a very reduced salary. But the Rashford comments are the type of player-first approach we've suffered from for years.
8.) 26 Apr 2026 18:13:55
I get some of that, Don, but I see the Maguire extension as smart business. I wouldn't want him starting 38 games a season, but he's done well stepping in when needed. If you do a list of positions that are needed, centre back can probably wait till next year, and keeping Harry for a year is OK with me.
The Rashford spiel is just trying to get Barcelona to pony up the agreed price.
I don't think they'll buy him, but by comparison, Amorim told the world Garnacho would never play for him again, and that affected his price.
I'm not too hung up on the manager, to be honest. What will be will be. Carrick has improved us, and we'll get Champions League football back at Old Trafford next year. That's good enough to let him have a crack at it.
9.) 26 Apr 2026 20:40:24
Lucky we didn't miss the part where RA actually managed the team. We did see what he could and couldn't do. ?
He overachieved for some of the know-it-alls.
10.) 26 Apr 2026 20:52:45
That's unnecessary, Angel.
11.) 27 Apr 2026 07:23:15
But to be expected, DonRed.
12.) 27 Apr 2026 08:27:12
What was DonRed? I mean we have over a year worth of data to actually see how he performed.
Mr. Triggered below you again too I see.
13.) 27 Apr 2026 10:58:29
Have a read of this. You might learn something.
bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cgqen0lvywyo
14.) 27 Apr 2026 12:20:43
That's crystal clear, DonRed. We did improve under Ra, and stats back it up. I would be interested to see a similar grammar (?) about Carrick's time.
15.) 27 Apr 2026 13:27:24
Ah, the good old Xg. ? I mean, it's a shame he couldn't actually get the points on the board then; he might still be in the job. If you're happy to judge a manager on a spreadsheet and what we could have scored, fine, but the reality was so much different.
I see the figure of 32% win rate in that article though.
I learned enough from his time as United manager.
16.) 27 Apr 2026 13:47:44
Angelred, expected goals difference is about how the team performs. Actual goals and points are about how effective the team is. In the short term, these two, often enough, are not on par. But in time, more often than not, they are. That's why xg difference can predict results.
You can't be unlucky (or ineffective, call it whatever) forever. That's why, if Amorim was in charge, probably he would get results too; the improvement was there, and the results usually follow.
I have one good example: Pep's first year at City. Although most people think that it took him a year to acclimatize in the Premier League, the truth is that his team was by far the best in his first season (2016-2017). The difference was that City were ineffective, and Conte's Chelsea were super effective. And, as we saw the next year, that was the case.
17.) 27 Apr 2026 15:21:36
Heaven, I know what XG means. It's all one big guessing game. Fact of the matter is, results weren't good enough in real time.
18.) 27 Apr 2026 17:35:42
Angel, the type of reasoning you put in is typical of those that resist change. It's to your detriment, because you are talking in binaries and absolutes. There are swathes of evidence that the most successful teams now are those that embrace the additional context this data gives.
19.) 27 Apr 2026 19:26:00
You say the data is there, when what you mean is the 32%.
All other data suggested that those who could see the improvement and direction he was taking were not blind.
We will never agree, and that is fine. But please don't lower your standards to accepting the football that is on offer now. It is anti United.
20.) 27 Apr 2026 22:18:13
Good healthy debate. It's what this site is about, and why we love football, as it's open to many different perspectives and interpretations.
Personally, I liked Amorim, but I didn't understand his stubbornness and football. Carrick is doing a super job under the circumstances.
For that, he deserves ultimate praise. I'm not sure if he should be given the gig, but then again, I'm also not sure why he shouldn't, given what he's doing.
For me, I'd give it to Poch and give him time. Great coach, plays great football.
24 Apr 2026 08:01:12
I watched the U18 Premier League Cup final on Wednesday night. We lost on penalties to Palace.
We were ahead 1-0 and had so many chances to finish the game. JJ and Chido were both very wasteful, and as so often happens, we were sucker-punched in added time, made worse by it being a dodgy decision. Albert Mills was sent off for a last man foul, which started a long way from the area but carried on into the box.
The ref gave a penalty. The sending off was correct, but with 2 mins left we would have likely held out but for the ref giving a penalty.
A disappointing night, we should have been out of sight, onwards and upwards to the FA Youth Cup final.
1.) 24 Apr 2026 10:02:26
Ajh, as we know, Jj is considered the most talented, but I'm always impressed a lot by Thwaites, Healfu and, more recently, Ajayi. It's a very good bunch of players in that group, and I'm hopeful a handful might make it here.
2.) 24 Apr 2026 10:41:16
Thwaites is absolute class.
3.) 24 Apr 2026 13:23:32
Agree, Jimbo. He looks a very good player. Now he is a few years younger than Kobbie. ?
4.) 25 Apr 2026 06:20:07
Love it, angel. ?
I see Thwaites as having the potential to sit in the 10 spot quite nicely. He should be sat in the first team next year, learning from the best in the business.
5.) 25 Apr 2026 12:25:18
He does look a good player, I must admit, but it is very hard to tell how they might fit in the senior team.
Most importantly, we need 2 excellent CMs for next season. It means we can bed the younger players in nicely for cup games, cameo appearances in the league, etc.
That way, it will help players like Thwaites succeed.
This summer's window is so bloody important, I know I keep banging on about it, but 3/4 signings of quality are really going to push us on and help whoever the manager is succeed.
31 Mar 2026 20:41:41
Watching the England hame and it pains me to say it, but Mainoo is not the player he was.
He does the simple things well, but he just does the simple things. No penetration, no drive, no pace, no urgency. When Japan scored, he was struggling to get back, their players ran away from him. He's in a 2 with Anderson who has shown much more pace and urgency.
I've been a huge fan and so want him to do well but there is something missing. Yes, it's an England friendly, but his performance reflects the majority of his games for United, neat and tidy but nothing more.
Can he pick it up? I really don't know.
1.) 31 Mar 2026 21:49:50
Yh, agree. Think there are some levels in his game he needs to unlock to become a regular starter for club and country. But, overall, think his return to the team has been a huge positive, especially defensively. His running stats are actually quite impressive.
Ideally in summer, we get a marquee signing as CM1 to replace Casemiro, who can start 50-60 games, and then a younger midfielder who's happy to start 20-30 games as the second midfield signing, who can swap with Mainoo.
2.) 31 Mar 2026 22:45:38
100% He is not first team starter next year. He needs to show signs of improvement in many areas to make the jump up.
{Ed025's Note - i have not seen that much of him Jimbo but he looked like a championship player at best tonight mate..
3.) 01 Apr 2026 04:52:16
Squad player for a mid-table team at best. Not his fault, as he was brought into the first team too early because of how crap we were.
Under-developed and lacks the physical traits to be a central midfielder. At least he can now improve his long-range passing considerably to be considered in a three-man midfield.
Having said this, I hope he proves us wrong, as it looks like an improved long-term contract is on the way because of recent results.
4.) 01 Apr 2026 07:18:19
I'm unconvinced that he's good enough. He also shows a distinct lack of desire to become good enough.
5.) 01 Apr 2026 08:48:57
He was a standout when he hit the scene, but he just looks lethargic now; as Fizz says, we're not seeing huge desire or energy. Being told you're crap for 18 months can't help, but he now has the manager's backing, and yet he is not grasping his chance.
There's a player in there, just not sure where he's gone.
6.) 01 Apr 2026 10:56:46
Think people are being a bit harsh on Mainoo, if I'm honest. He has only played 90 minutes 9 times this season, with long breaks between each game, and this has only been since January. I don't think it can be any surprise he's a bit off the pace. I don't buy into this good amount of rest time either. Players need and want to be playing regular games for match fitness and sharpness.
I think he's a great player and it's no surprise he's been a regular in the United team during this good run we've had. He brings balance and composure to the teams and keeps the game ticking over. Be a shame for people to be writing him off already.
7.) 01 Apr 2026 13:23:20
He's not the player he was, but are we really going to get rid of him? Cas defo leaving, and Ugarte seems to be a goner. What I've seen of Collyer doesn't instill confidence either. I can't see us buying three new mids, and with a new contract supposedly about to be signed, he'll be in the mix for a while, surely.
8.) 01 Apr 2026 13:56:21
Mainoo will be in the squad next season and will play plenty, is my prediction. Looks like a60 game season next year, so he will get plenty of football.
If we sign 2 players to replace Cas and Ugarte, that's 3 inc Mainoo plus youth for those 2 cm positions, it's still a bit light for a60 game season imo.
2 from Tonali, Baleba and Anderson would be ideal imo.
9.) 01 Apr 2026 14:15:04
AJH, Didn't I bring this up in Feb? To which you responded, 'I must have been watching something else.'
10.) 01 Apr 2026 14:38:50
Flip flop master dio.
Black one day white the next. Not happy when he is not in the team not happy when he is not the team.
11.) 01 Apr 2026 15:33:10
He started well, but has dropped off. I've supported him, and as a player, I loved him, but recently he's been underwhelming. But hey, all bow to you for seeing it early eh?
12.) 01 Apr 2026 15:59:25
I think the previous manager saw it early, and never called him crap at all.
He said he was a very good player, but needed to improve aspects of his game, and, like a lot of us, expects more from him.
Maybe he doesn't have more to give.
Maybe he does and hasn't quite got his rhythm yet, but he is not hitting the heights he did when he 1st broke into the team. Very common for young players. So I think we all agree he must do better.
13.) 01 Apr 2026 18:00:11
AJH, didn't we all support him as a player and still do. Being honest about a player's ability, and not being clouded by rose tinted glasses because players come through the academy, doesn't mean you're not supporting them.
It's just plain old honesty. If you didn't make sarcastic remarks because someone has a different view than your own, you wouldn't be called out less than 8 weeks later for aligning with that same view.
14.) 01 Apr 2026 18:19:03
At some point the player has to take responsibility for where they are. Right now I would say Amorim was wrong for picking Bruno in a midfield 2, but was right to expect more from Mainoo as a starting player.
He needs to look back to how he played when he first came into the team. He would take the ball past the first 1 or 2 players and open up space for his team mates. Starting attacks from deep by penetrating the first line of defense.
He rarely dribbles now when I watch him, and his passing can have woeful lapses of concentration. He has missed some great chances for assists, threading balls through.
We need 2 starting CMs, even if Mainoo is another one. A team cannot compete in Europe and league without a minimum of 3 top class CMs and 2 younger/back ups. Ugarte could be a back up, but really needs to go. So we need 2 top, and 1 backup signing for CM imo.
15.) 01 Apr 2026 18:50:49
AJH, you changed your tune? I said about Mainoo the other week, and you ripped into me.
We all want him to do well, but he's not good enough to be starting 11. Squad player in a 60 game campaign, sure, but that's it.
16.) 01 Apr 2026 19:53:39
Well Pspence, I am happy to change my view based on changing evidence. If I ripped into you, I apologise. Senor Malbec may have been involved.
Too many people have entrenched views and will not waver from them. I am happy to be proved wrong, and will hold my hands up.
I love Mainoo, I think he has great attributes, I just don't think we are seeing them right now. As someone has already said, maybe it's all the games, having not played for so long.
17.) 02 Apr 2026 00:36:54
He's just played a 1/4 of the season back to back how long do you think he needs? Maybe half a season a third of a season maybe?
Having a stable view is better than flip flopping every few weeks and reacting to every little nuance.
Countless times on live chat you chime in after 10/15 mins saying we are not playing well today.
crikey the players are hardly warmed up.i would say without doubt you are probably the biggest knee jerk reactor of all posters on here. Certainly in the top 3. More fickle than Mr fickle from fickle land.
18.) 02 Apr 2026 05:16:46
He simply didn't and still doesn't have the stamina and athleticism to either play in an Amorim-style setup, or, as we are seeing recently, Carrick's ETH 2.0 setup.
If he cannot be bothered to work on stamina and athleticism, then he will never make it in the EPL at a top 4 team.
If we signed, say, Tonali and Anderson, as is my wish, Mainoo is back on the bench.
This is simply because he does not have the attributes to play at the same speed as these two. He will actually become a weak link in the setup.
It is on him. I support him when he wears the shirt, and if he can improve on these issues, he can become a first-team starter, 100%.
23 Feb 2026 14:32:44
Do you read the site? We did this to death a couple of weeks ago.
16 Jan 2026 21:31:19
I read it was Sneijder.
10 Jan 2026 11:45:02
Ugarte has been a massive disappointment, when you think we signed him and let McT go, albeit slightly different positions. I get why we want Rashford to leave, lack of effort, questionable commitment, but losing Scott seemed mad at the time. And this is how I now feel about Mainoo
I can't think of on evanescence when I thought I see why qe signed Ugarte. Maybe the cub is too big for him, who knows, but I would absolutely play others in front of him, including some of our youngsters.
10 Jan 2026 09:10:23
I'd rather play him than Ugarte.
27 Aug 2025 17:54:17
Time for Ken I think ?.
06 May 2026 06:20:26
So, we can buy five £100m players? Hmm, I suspect not.
04 May 2026 15:37:34
He wasn't at full power, but that doesn't excuse his treatment. Whatever Amorim may have got right, he got this one wrong.
04 May 2026 12:32:20
I agree, Angel, although he has taken some time to reach this level, hopefully he can push on even further.
04 May 2026 08:21:41
Jesus, Amad has been great for us, but is having a bad spell. He needs love and support to return him to his best form. Talking of last chances seems a tad dramatic.
03 May 2026 11:39:34
If he could have just found a way to accommodate Bruno in a more favourable position, you say. Hmm, let me think. There was an answer staring him in the face, but for whatever reason, he had a major downer on Kobe.
Water under the bridge now, we will be in the Champions League next year, but despite the better points per game we have seen, we are generally unconvincing.
As for the men making the decisions, I worry they are not the best we could have appointed. Wilcox's post playing career has not been stellar, and I'm also not convinced by Berrada, who was a marketing man at Barca, and initially at City. I have no knowledge here, just my perception from a distance. The latest transfers have been solid, so maybe I am being harsh.