Current Avatar:
No Avatar image uploaded
No Avatar image uploaded
Manchester United Rumours Member Posts
DonRed's Profile
DonRed's Posts and Other Poster's Replies To DonRed's Posts
To DonRed's last 5 rumours posts
To DonRed's last 5 banter posts
To DonRed's last 5 rumour replies
To DonRed's last 5 banter replies
DonRed's rumours posts with other poster's replies to DonRed's rumours posts
31 Oct 2026 14:38:51
Say it with me. Replacing Amorim with Carrick was a colossal mistake and we should have stuck with the process undertaken. Wilcox undermining him was the beginning in a series of unbelievably damaging decisions. All the signals were there last year but too many just focussed on results over the underlying performance metrics which all pointed towards what we are seeing now.
This is not due to form, this is a continuation.
Sack Carrick and Wilcox now and appoint reasonably competent people instead and we can still get into European positions. Sign at least one FB in January. Don't do that and we are getting relegated. It's as stark as that.
1.) 31 Oct 2026 15:00:16
I couldn't agree more!
2.) 31 Oct 2026 15:07:13
Neither amorim or Carrick are good enough donred but you are right about what happened.
3.) 31 Oct 2026 15:13:45
Johnreese I disagree about Amorim not being good enough but understand the frustration with what seemed like stubbornness. I think it's very clear now that this stubbornness may have come due to not having trust in or from Wilcox. But it is perfectly fine to want a different style or think Amorim didn't adapt to the league quickly enough.
Lumping him in with Carrick though is completely unjust.
My annoyance isn't about Amorim going, it is the ineptitude of replacing him with someone who clearly isn't at the level required. We need a competent coach in quickly.
4.) 31 Oct 2026 15:25:22
About right..this club is ran by absolutely morons.
5.) 31 Oct 2026 15:23:53
Why live in yesteryear plus what proof is there that RA was even good enough the football was terrible the results were poor and he pulling up no trees at Milan .
Delusion if anyone thinks RA was good enough or even what United wanted or need.
6.) 31 Oct 2026 16:19:05
We were 5th when he left. And finished 3rd with carrick. He changed the culture we had a clear pattern of play, physically fitter and most importantly the players liked and bought into what he was doing.
7.) 31 Oct 2026 16:36:15
Amorim and Carrick are both just part of a long line of shambolic recruitment and decision making. Carrick tanking it isn't proof Amorim was doing a good job.
8.) 31 Oct 2026 17:07:29
It is of you pay attention to the trends before and after. This is mind numbing. We only progress if we understand the flaws we've made. For everyone criticising the board now, if you see Carrick and Amorim situations as similar in any way, you have no rights to criticise when it's obvious you'd have made the same flawed decisions.
9.) 31 Oct 2026 17:11:31
I realise that comes across as curt but there was such a level of antagonism here when these points were made 10 months ago by a bunch of us. This whole situation was completely avoidable.
10.) 31 Oct 2026 20:07:25
Agreed DonRed, hence I will persevere with the updated % like the usual suspects did until Amorim was driven from the club.
In the summer, some of us called for the club to at the very least reset the principles and recycle the squad, to finally rid it of all the worthless crap we have accumulated. We chose not to.
We actually chose to drive the club backwards with out recruitment this summer.
I was told, you can't make that many changes in one window. What that translates to is that Glineos won't make that many changes. The spreadsheet wouldn't allow it.
It has to happen this next window and in the summer. Start the clearout now. To stand a chance of turning this around.
11.) 31 Oct 2026 20:13:01
JSU, The numbers all said one thing but you and others seem to know better. How about show a bit of humility and recognise when you were incorrect?
Milan for what it's worth are 5th in Series A with one loss in 9.
There was ample evidence that we had improved massively under him for anyone who paid attention. But yet again the issue is how he was undermined and how he was replaced.
12.) 31 Oct 2026 23:43:17
Again, well said DonRed.
Some will argue until they are blue in the face that Amorim was not providing positive outcomes.
The best part!
Carrick comes in, finds a way to win with the squad at his disposal, playing a totally different way, but in reality, that was the worst thing we could have done. The board lapped that up, and we are set back even further.
The fanbase and club just thought Amorim didn't know what he was doing, but he was changing the club, one bad recruitment decision at a time.
13.) 01 Nov 2026 01:52:57
Its a pattern with analytics. Stats showed we were a team on the up with Amorim with mixed results, some of us said that results usually comes when your metrics are so good. And results came, although with Carrick.
Then same people said that with Carrick every metric (including run stats) went down and results will follow. It was no suprise that results followed bad performances.
Metrics are the best way to predict future results, yet some people insist that "the result matters". And look at us woth Carrick who did had great results last year. All of this ofcourse was avoidable. And ofcourse it was not about Amorim and Carrick, there are a lot of good, surely better, coaches than Carrick over there.
14.) 01 Nov 2026 10:43:41
I am fully aligned with DonRed in this thread re Amorin.
15.) 01 Nov 2026 11:15:57
I'm not sure Amorim was the answer, but I liked him. And he's a far more competent coach than Carrick as team are.
16.) 01 Nov 2026 13:37:35
Eric maybe Amorim was not the answer long term, who knows. Not me, not anyone defending Amorim said he is the second coming or the new SAF. But i think he was a very good solution for at least 2-3 years to make the team athletic, oust the bad apples etc.
I didn't like Amorim at first place because of his system, but over time he won me and i became a fan.
And i think this is the apropriate sequence, because people make the opposite. They make their mind for a manager, only for him to come and fail misserable, only for him to become permanent and fail i would say.
17.) 01 Nov 2026 13:21:43
You seem to have selective memory about RA and the awful football and stats on the way up, Yes if your taking the disaster of the last bit of ETH they may have been
Milan are already thinking of sacking him plus 90% supporters want him gone already
Now he started the same waffle saying it will take a long time to get Milan back, man is a joke just tries to get more time everywhere he goes and actually not ever won a lot apart from in Portugal league which is not that difficult when club had the best players
To keep harping on about RA is crazy like keep harping back to Sir Alex but least he won things
Yesteryear merchants and dreamers try to make out as if RA was something special he was a laughing stock in reality who had one way of playing and that's it and Huge ego would not let him change, great he got rid of a few bad apples and replaced them with poor players great.
18.) 01 Nov 2026 15:12:47
JSU you are just making things up. This notion about the football under Amorim being terrible is hogwash. Like any change process it had peaks and troughs but the trend was abundantly clear. We were one of the top sides in almost every metric. And you have to consider what a low ebb we were in, how many players needed to be replaced. He inherited a shocking set of circumstances.
You are full of crap about Milan supporters too. They beat Inter 3-1 yesterday and are 5 points off the top now. Unless you think it's a good idea that they replace a manager taking them on an upward curve while 5th in the table because a handful of fans would like 4 at the back. Now where have I seen that before.
08 Oct 2025 22:35:14
It seems the club are in talks with Maguire for a new deal. He did better last year but he isn't good enough I'm afraid. We need to be improving on him if we're to get anywhere. Just on monetary grounds I'm perplexed by this as surely he'd have to accept well under 50% of his current contract for this to even be a discussion.
1.) 09 Oct 2025 08:57:38
Good squad player, experienced head and leader in the dressing room. What’s the problem?
2.) 09 Oct 2025 09:20:25
I imagine a wage cut will be part of it as his on field time will likely drop but a solid professional to have around.
3.) 09 Oct 2025 09:24:26
He is a squad player, not a good one. Too old, slow, ponderous and he will sit on bench with little or no return for the investment.
Time to move on and not end up with another old player taking up space.
But then it ain’t no secret what I think about slabhead.
4.) 09 Oct 2025 10:44:32
Culpable for many goals conceded. He has never been at the required level for a top CB.
As per Keefy T, he is slow and ponderous. Utd need to continue to add quality and not mediocre players to challenge for the top 4, even top 6.
I think it was down to Southgate picking him for England that has kept Maguire at Utd for so long.
5.) 09 Oct 2025 11:02:37
Eric79 I listed the problems! I don't get the idea of having someone in the dressing room that is unlikely to play. That either blocks a young kid coming through or it means we don't get in a replacement. And paying someone at least 100k/ week to have the privilege of having them sit beside the players that are on the pitch definitely doesn't make sense to me.
6.) 09 Oct 2025 11:15:13
Get rid, he is beyond crap and has been one of the constants over the last few years as we have slowly descended into the abyss we currently find ourselves trying to pull ourselves out from.
19 Oct 2023 13:04:37
I was reading today that Sancho has been "put up for sale". I was wondering if any of the Eds could clarify how such a thing occurs. Does a club actually create a list of those players they are looking to sell. Obviously I'd expect there to be a list of players whose contracts are expiring, but, is there a formal process that clubs undertake. I'd always assumed what happened is that the club tells the agent of the player that they should start looking for a new club and that clubs learn of availability that way, but that seems like a really poor way to do things.
{Ed002's Note - They will inform his agent or place an ad in the Manchester Evening News "Donkeys for Sale Call ...".}
1.) 19 Oct 2023 17:16:12
We'll be lucky if we get any interest at the sale cost and his salary cost. Another sterling piece of business coming back to bite us
Presumably also Ed he would be entitled to a considerable payout from us as he has not requested this transfer?
It will end up costing us money to get rid of him.
2.) 19 Oct 2023 18:21:56
We're not very good at selling, I imagine he'll go on loan for the remainder of the season and he'll spend that on his best behaviour to secure a move unless it's a commitment to buy.
3.) 20 Oct 2023 08:53:26
Strong rumours that Nice are going to be putting in a £100 million bid in!
4.) 19 Oct 2023 16:37:33
Bit harsh on the donkeys ed, they turn up everyday on time and ready to work at Blackpool beach.
5.) 19 Oct 2023 17:00:06
It’s where we buy ours players from too Ed.
6.) 21 Oct 2023 20:58:16
Going by Amrabat performance and most of the team, does Manchester evening news have a lost and found section, because can’t believe we actually spent money on this shower!
7.) 22 Oct 2023 19:50:48
Amrabat is on loan and has started pretty well considering he had to play some games at left back
to begin with.
8.) 25 Oct 2023 07:55:20
Oh yeah GDS. Arambat was so great again tonight he only lasted 44 mins, even the ref had enough by then!
He is far too slow and ponderous just 5 yard passes back and forth, just not at the level required but then of the new acquisitions who is! But your happy with mid table I forgot.
9.) 25 Oct 2023 15:00:47
The problem is fitting in Eriksen who can only do half a game. He has made an impact every times he's come in on this way all season. Amrabat was the one to give way, no biggie.
More interested in what we'll go with on Sunday, but you can bet your bottom dollar Eriksen wil come on anytime after half time. Hopefully we'll still be in it at that point.
10.) 26 Oct 2023 11:16:38
No wonder Sancho fired back so would i if my boss slated me in public how bad is Sancho when Antony 1 of the worst players iv seen at UTD plays ahead of him mind boggling you spent 160 mill on that pair no wonder youve the ffp at the door. The Glazers get slated but boy do they spend money just on some terrible players who spots them stevie wonder.
11.) 28 Oct 2023 00:57:29
I'll start the bidding at £3.50.
04 Dec 2018 16:54:34
Ed002 if you're not doing a sharkopod then can I ask if there looks to be several ins-and-outs (2 or 3, say) this winter. I know it's usually not a time for major movements but there are serious leaks to plug - mainly in central defence and midfield - that left alone could leave us well out of the top 6, nevermind top 4 very soon.
{Ed002's Note - I really don'tr want to get involved too much on this page for a while. Too much grief.}
1.) 04 Dec 2018 23:38:31
Ed 02
Sorry to see your voice of insight and sanity disappear yet again.
I understand and respect your decision but am disappointed - not in you but in the fact you will be greatly missed.
I will say thanks and Au revoir in the hope you will return.
2.) 05 Dec 2018 00:02:13
Ed will return just let the situation with Mourinho clear up.
14 Apr 2016 12:30:51
Ed001, I saw you mentioning that we're looking at loads of players and that centre backs are being prioritised along with a marquee/ vanity signing. Which positions do you think we should be looking at.
From my perspective, I think there are lots of deadwood in the squad but for the first team picture we could have
de Gea/ suitable replacement; Fosu-Mensah, Smalling, New Signing 1, Shaw; New Signing 2, Schneiderlin/ Herrera; New Signing 3, Mata/ Herrera, Martial; New Signing 4
with Romero, CBJ, Darmian, Varela, Blind, Pereira, Lingard, Rashford being the key squad players to rotate in and out to this side. Most of the rest of the squad could be sold to fund the new signings. Is there any solid rumours on which players are being moved on?
{Ed001's Note - thinking about it, I have not heard anything regarding outs, other than De Gea. I will have to ask, as there must be at least one or two on the move, other than him.}
1.) 15 Apr 2016 01:02:40
Ed001 is de gea off from what you hear? I think we need to keep him. how many other keepers make the saves as consistently as save? He's our best player week in week out we need to build a decent defence for him.
{Ed001's Note - it is the most likely scenario. Not 100%, well nothing is, but they are not expected to make a mere token gesture this summer.}
DonRed's banter posts with other poster's replies to DonRed's banter posts
17 Sep 2026 15:57:07
I have pushed back against too much negativity here. I disagreed about the transfers being poor (and still do) and have pushed back against general labelling of our players being substandard (beyond a select few). I argued it was unfair to sack ETH the summer before he was sacked because he had no support around him, despite acknowledging his purchases were well over market rates.
I felt RA should have been backed better because the conditions in which he took over management were a team that for over a year had the metrics of a team tracking for relegation trouble, and who then moved on several forwards in order to make the adjustments needed. And while results weren't as good as I'd have wanted there was lots of other evidence to suggest that in the long run our underlying performances would lead to a solid top 4 side we could build on.
I didn't like how slow he was to give Mainoo more chances and he made several mistakes, and was clearly very emotional. I argued it was unclear that Wilcox needed to go because even though he messed up with RA and undermined him, that wasn't enough to remove him. I argued that (once given the permanent job) Carrick deserved a proper crack at the job.
I say all that because I do think there is enough evidence now to sack Wilcox and Carrick. Wilcox has made too many mistakes on the big decisions. Carrick has just overseen a regression in our play and we have lost all the improvements in structure built over 12 months. It is too painful to watch. I think I'll step away from it for a while because I simply don't believe or identify with what they're doing. Hope to return soon but it's a negative feedback loop right now and that does no one any good.
1.) 17 Sep 2026 16:07:22
Good and fair post Don.
2.) 17 Sep 2026 18:25:02
Don I would say, that maybe give me your predictions for anything I back the complete opposite and I be quids in.
3.) 17 Sep 2026 19:52:26
Bang on DonRed.
Cast your minds back, we could have got an uninjured Baleba for 85m when Amorim was still here in the month that he said enough is enough.
I don't know the money we paid to release Amorim and his team, but I bet it was more than the 15m we saved on Baleba.
Let that sink in.
4.) 17 Sep 2026 19:55:48
Carrick's Start (2026/27): With only 4 points from Manchester United's opening 4 Premier League games, Carrick is taking 1.00 PPG and losing half of his fixtures early in the campaign.
Amorim's Final Run (2025/26): While Amorim was ultimately dismissed following friction with the board and inconsistency, his side maintained a 1.55 PPG clip and only lost 5 of 20 league matches.
Even taking Amorim's final 4-game stretch before his dismissal into account, his performance metrics remained superior to Carrick's present slump.
5.) 17 Sep 2026 21:39:16
It's not Carrick who is the issue, it is the leadership.
We have gone through a raft of Managers, some of whom were clearly not qualified for the job, Moyes, Ole, and now Carrick, all of whom never managed 'big' stars, never won 'big' trophies, tand that's always a risk. Chelsea appointed Rosenior with terrible results, and Liverpool are trying Iraola. At some point a promising Manager will deliver, but doing that at the madhouse that is United is probably twice as hard.
ETH and Amorim had potential but hadn't managed in the 'big' leagues. Both tried to implement discipline, with mixed results, ETH fined and dropped Rashford, Amorim froze him out, yet here he is as first choice again. That tells us a lot about what is wrong with this club. Ralph called it but was ignored.
The same applies to Wilcox, not sure what qualified him to be DoF at United, he doesn't seem to have a track record yet here he is, making the major decisions.
Carrick has been appointed based on a very good run last year, but so far, he isn't showing he has the cojonas to make the tough decisions, and clearly his coaching and management experience is limited. I would be ok with that given his knowledge of the club and his achievements as a player if we had a structure that was robust.
That brings us to the players, good players come here and seem to regress, last night's display was odd, 2 up in no time and then pretty much crap for the rest of the game. We sign promising young players who do not develop in the way we would expect, Heaven and Yoro are not getting any better, and there is clearly a reluctance to play youngsters.
Friends who support other clubs are laughing at us, they think we are amateurs and can no longer be considered an elite club, and I find it hard to disagree with them.
6.) 17 Sep 2026 22:23:38
How is Carrick not part of the problem..he is picking the teams. This is the same Carrick that got us to third, with now a slightly better team than last year, you could argue that both ways.
We went into this season, an unprecedented one, as one of the clubs with the least disruption (stable squad and manager compared to an unprecedented amount of managerial and players changes in the league).
We had the easiest start of all the top 6 clubs.
The writing was on the wall for Carrick to deliver on the false promises of last year.
Some of us called this last year and we were told Carrick is the one, he deserves a chance, etc etc etc. This is what you get.
Mediocrity across all levels.
We a pathetic and going backwards, fast.
You will defend Carrick AJH because you were so anti Amorim. Not backing him when we at least had the effort levels showing signs is criminally inept from glineos.
Carrick is beyond useless if he can't get a tune out of a very similar squad to what he did last season.
You have to ask why can't he? What has changed?
Let's focus the discussion on that point?
What is so vastly different this season to last season for Carrick to be returning such dismal results?
7.) 18 Sep 2026 05:38:33
Did you read my post JBR? I said he lacks cojones and isn't qualified for the job, which is a key part of the problem. Perhaps I should have said Carrick isn't the only issue. But his appointment, and that of other Managers, as well as the club's inability to strengthen key positions is a bigger issue.
It's groundhog day. Appoint a Manager, do well initially, have a dip, get sacked, rinse and repeat, see Jose, Ole, ETH, and now possibly Carrick. All the while not addressing root cause problems.
8.) 18 Sep 2026 13:17:13
You were pro Carrick though AJH.
So my questions remain.
You have to ask why can't he? What has changed?
Let's focus the discussion on that point?
What is so vastly different this season to last season for Carrick to be returning such dismal results?
9.) 18 Sep 2026 13:34:13
I have no idea, amd it is a fair question. I wasn't a Carrick fanboy but didn't see outstanding candidates elsewhere. I posted a few days ago about the Arsenal and City games last year, where has that spirit gone?
09 Aug 2026 18:43:11.
Really great to read that De Ligt is joining up with the rest of the squad in Dublin. Licha apparently isn't far from a return so we're in good shape. We're a little short of depth in CM and CB, and I've posted before about being most anxious about our fullback positions, but if we get our first choice CBs on the pitch I'll feel much more confident regardless.
1.) 09 Aug 2026 21:20:07
The big thing is whether DonRed can stay fit or not.
2.) 09 Aug 2026 22:15:35
Angel, DonRed hasn't been fit for years. God bless him, little tubby around the waist. ?? And we are in deep trouble if we need to play DonRed.
3.) 09 Aug 2026 22:51:47
Unfortunately you are far too on point there, Ken!!
4.) 09 Aug 2026 22:51:57
It would be nice, DonRed, if they could both stay fit for a sustained period. That said, I believe we should be easing in both Yoro and Heaven as the longer term preferred pairing.
5.) 09 Aug 2026 23:37:29
I reread that, what was I writing ? in my defence I'm having a few pints in Belfast.
6.) 10 Aug 2026 00:02:36
Enjoy the Fleadh.
7.) 10 Aug 2026 05:59:56
Cheers Ken.
8.) 10 Aug 2026 07:36:57
A solid defense wins you a league. The Fb and Cb options wouldn't be too bad if they all could stay fit. I think, next summer, one of Maz or Dalot will be moved on to upgrade the Rb.
We definitely need to develop Heaven and Yoro, but if somehow all our Cbs stay fit, then one of those two might need a loan to get game time to aid their development.
Although Martinez's contract expires next season, along with Maguire's, Utd may end up needing to buy 2 Cbs next summer.
Time will tell.
9.) 10 Aug 2026 11:04:38
Lots of fans (myself included) have stated over recent months that we probably need a new CB due to the injury issues, particularly with MdL and Martinez.
Yet at no point has the club seriously been linked with any CB's this summer. Maybe that's down to the new tight lipped way the club is being run (we've not really known about any of United's serious interest this summer), or maybe that is because the club just haven't seriously considered signing a CB this summer.
I suppose extending Maguire's deal was done with the intention of delaying the need to sign a CB. The problem the club has is when everyone is fit we have a good selection of CB's (MdL, Martinez, Maguire, Yoro, and Heaven). While we have two very gifted young CB's in Yoro and Heaven that needs to play regularly this season to continue to develop, meaning there is probably a reluctance to sign a 4th senior CB who'd probably play ahead of them, potentially blocking their pathway.
While I appreciate the benefit of a young defender having a senior pro alongside them to guide them through games, ultimately if you are in the first team squad then it should be because you are good enough to play in the first team on your own merit, not only if someone is available to hold your hand through games.
We have seen Carrick play Yoro at RB during pre-season, it will be interesting to see if that was just because neither Dalot or Mazraoui were available in the earlier games, or whether he is trying to get him ready to play a bit more in that position this season to help him develop and get more minutes on the pitch.
The club also would have had a better idea on the timeline and potentially recovery of MdL. Maybe they are confident that he will be fit and available for the majority of the season due to having a better understanding of his injury and recovery.
If MdL is fit and available for 60-70% of our games then he will play in those games more often than not.
Meaning that the other options will be fighting it out to play alongside in those games or in the 30-40% of games that he isn't available for.
If we think of it that there are two CB positions, meaning there is 200% of game time available, with MdL likely to play in 60-70% of those games at least then that leaves 130-140% of game time to be shared out between Maguire, Martinez, Yoro, and Heaven.
Ideally you'd want young players like Yoro and Heaven to play 40-50% of those minutes each in order for them to develop, leaving between 30-60% left to be picked up by Martinez and Maguire.
If MdL stays fairly fit and available (typically throughout his career he has been available for an average of 75-80% of games). Then even if that dips a little this season then we probably have enough to see us though the season, while also giving plenty of minutes to our young CB's to hopefully accelerate their development ahead of next season. Then next summer when Maguire leaves the club can possibly look at moving Martinez on (he'll have one year left on his deal) and then looking to sign a new top class CB to compete with MdL, Yoro and Heaven.
10.) 10 Aug 2026 13:14:59
But we should also aim to have a standard CB partnership, id argue it's not that good to rotate the CB pairing that much.
11.) 10 Aug 2026 13:25:57
Trololo, I agree that it helps to have a settled back line, particularly in the centre back partnership. But who's to say we won't.
If MdL is fit for around 75% of our games, it might be a case of who takes the spot next to him. Will it be Martinez (if he can stay fit), Yoro, Heaven or Maguire? It'll probably depend on who can stay fit and put a run of form together.
Maybe Heaven steps up and is the guy to play more often than not with MdL, with Yoro getting games at RB and Martinez and Maguire playing as cover for MdL and Heaven.
12.) 10 Aug 2026 17:32:54
I would also like to see Heaven getting the most minutes, but I just don't see it. It seems like Carrick wants a more experienced back line.
My guess is De Ligt and Martinez will be the first choice, but let's see.
13.) 10 Aug 2026 18:19:50
Heaven looks a good prospect.
Did you see his interview? He says he is only 19 and getting more game time than he expected. He understands his shortcomings, and lack of experience counts against him. He is very level headed, and feels he knows his position in the squad. He will be a very good player in time, I think, and maybe this season he will be more back up, but that can change if injuries occur, and there is no doubt he will play quite a bit.
Yoro is another I'm hoping improves a lot this season. He is a season ahead of Heaven, but you wouldn't have thought that watching them.
In my opinion, the defence is the weakest part of our squad when it comes to high quality.
Lots of average Joes, with nobody to hang your hat on, being fairly sure they will be 8/10 ten weeks in a row.
Shaw and Dalot were both available and consistent last season, but were 5 or 6/10 more often than not, imo.
Hopefully we will see 2 or 3 more come in before the window closes.
Lb looks like the one they are going to go for, which I think everybody advocates. It will be interesting to see who they get.
02 Aug 2026 13:22:35
Thinking of where we now stand facing into the season and what our best XI is with everyone fit:
Lammens, Shaw, Licha, De Ligt, Yoro/Maz, Santos, Tielemans, Cunha, Bruno, Mbeumo, Sesko with Mainoo, Mount, Amad, Heaven, Maz/Yoro, Dorgu, Lacey all likely to start a significant number of games and maybe become the regular starter.
Yoro could step up and be a strong option but RB and LB is where I think we're weakest. I do think we need another CM as depending the whole season on Santos seems a lot for a 22 year old.
I also think we lack physicality in the team. We're probably good enough for CL positions again and that'll put us in good stead. I think our negotiating team have done really well considering the constraints of years of mismanagement. But my hope for the rest of this transfer window is that we do business in the fullback positions. I think we can cope without another CM or striker.
1.) 02 Aug 2026 14:24:02
I like the Arsenal idea of a CB at RB. Yoro, Shaw, and Maz can do that.
Yoro at RB would be good for his development too.
2.) 02 Aug 2026 17:08:49
I'm concerned about Yoro at RB. He was skinned alive by Rogers last season, when he was forced to go wide to deal with him in the 3 at the back system. I think he lacks the pace.
3.) 02 Aug 2026 20:32:08
Have we sold Dalot?
4.) 02 Aug 2026 20:53:20
Yes, but he was returned. Faulty, apparently.
5.) 02 Aug 2026 21:25:11
Dalot is crap. I'm not even counting on him. I deliberately left him out.
6.) 03 Aug 2026 09:16:43
Dalot is a 6 or 7/10 week in, week out. He needs upgrading, but Utd don't have the funds to do this, unless they sell a few players. Next summer will likely be when a Dalot upgrade is bought, unless a youth player can step up.
7.) 03 Aug 2026 09:45:36
MH, he's a 4 or 5 each week with occasional 7s and occasional 1s and 2s. He's a catastrophic mistake in every game.
20 Jul 2026 13:23:53
Good to see Tynan Thompson's transfer go through. Seems a promising player. The personal circumstances for why he's leaving Spurs are sad but hopefully he can develop and push on at United.
04 Jun 2026 15:01:47
I messaged some time ago saying that I thought Van Hecke of Brighton would be worth looking at this summer. Others disagreed. But if Spurs bid of 70M is true, that is certainly way too high. The rationale is that he's the centre of a lot of their progressive plays like Lisandro Martinez is for us.
But either way if Spurs are setting the bar that high, I hope we do our business quickly before it goes any higher!
1.) 04 Jun 2026 16:55:56
Don't think Spurs have bid £70m for Van Hecke; that is the supposed valuation Brighton have put on him.
One thing we have seen over recent seasons is that, when it comes to negotiations, Brighton are very hard to deal with.
They still want a lot for Baleba, despite his form this season.
Mind you, Van Hecke is a very good player. We shall see what happens there.
2.) 04 Jun 2026 17:27:34
Absolutely crazy money, if it turns out to be true. He is a quality player, but 70 million for a centre back is crazy.
3.) 04 Jun 2026 17:41:21
Would you not pay £70m for another Rio or Vidic? I would.
4.) 04 Jun 2026 17:54:43
I believe he has one year left, so the price is ridiculous, as he could leave on a free in a year.
5.) 04 Jun 2026 18:25:12
Vidic and Rio are hard to find. Salford, look what we paid for Maguire and how that worked out, but definitely, if we could find one, it'd be a no brainer.
6.) 04 Jun 2026 19:17:56
I've said before on here that I would love to sign Nico Schlotterbeck, think he is that type of player, tall, strong, athletic, very quick, very strong in the air, good tackler and good on the ball.
I would happily pay £80m for him. He has recently signed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund, but there is a release clause of approx.
EUR60m for certain clubs. Don't think we are on the list of 'chosen ones' though.
Worth trying a big bid and see what happens, although don't expect anything to come of it. What the hell!
7.) 04 Jun 2026 19:19:27
The BBC article has since been edited. It erroneously said the initial bid was 70m, and now just states that Brighton value him at 70m. I think he's good enough, even if only one year on his contract, to pay up to 40-50m on, but that 70m figure floored me!
8.) 04 Jun 2026 23:31:30
Maguire has actually proved to be a good buy. Went through a difficult time, but worked his way back into the team, and overall has been pretty solid. Scored lots of important goals too. Overpriced at £80m, but that's not his fault.
{Ed077's Note - he's not a good buy because as you said, he was overpriced ( massively in my view ). But, he's dealt with the situation really well in the past couple of years.
9.) 06 Jun 2026 09:52:30
Awful buy.
07 Nov 2026 13:29:53
JSU i honestly despair with some of what you say. Poch is very obviously miles ahead of Carrick, is less risky than Nagelsman and has a better body of work than Howe. Just cause you don't like RA doesn't make you correct. Listening to opinions like yours got us into this mess
05 Nov 2026 08:48:35
Why is the option of keeping Carrick on even discussed. We'll be relegated if he stays. We are on a constant downward trend of performances since he came in. Howe is a good choice. Emery is probably first choice but will cost. Hurzeler is risky.
01 Nov 2026 15:12:47
JSU you are just making things up. This notion about the football under Amorim being terrible is hogwash. Like any change process it had peaks and troughs but the trend was abundantly clear. We were one of the top sides in almost every metric. And you have to consider what a low ebb we were in, how many players needed to be replaced. He inherited a shocking set of circumstances.
You are full of crap about Milan supporters too. They beat Inter 3-1 yesterday and are 5 points off the top now. Unless you think it's a good idea that they replace a manager taking them on an upward curve while 5th in the table because a handful of fans would like 4 at the back. Now where have I seen that before.
31 Oct 2026 20:13:01
JSU, The numbers all said one thing but you and others seem to know better. How about show a bit of humility and recognise when you were incorrect?
Milan for what it's worth are 5th in Series A with one loss in 9.
There was ample evidence that we had improved massively under him for anyone who paid attention. But yet again the issue is how he was undermined and how he was replaced.
31 Oct 2026 17:11:31
I realise that comes across as curt but there was such a level of antagonism here when these points were made 10 months ago by a bunch of us. This whole situation was completely avoidable.
04 Nov 2026 20:17:17
From. what I believe will be available for Villa
Lammens
Yoro De Ligt Heaven Dorgu
Baleba Mainoo
Lacey Bruno Cunha
Mbeumo.
25 Oct 2026 17:01:35
I've been on the match chats but off here for a while because I have no faith in Carrick and Wilcox. Whilst the players in the past have shown issues, this is largely a different set of players. I've worked in excellent working environments and in toxic ones. In a toxic environment people cannot complain through the correct channels so they complain outside it, in a way that appears unprofessional to those outside. I believe that's the situation we are in.
Carrick seems a good man but rode the coattails of the good coaching before he arrived and we've seen a very clear degradation in standards since he came in. The current form is not a blip, it is a continuation. And Wilcox above him has gotten too many of the big decisions wrong and appears to have undermined both Amorim and Carrick now. It is blatantly obvious that the first and most immediate steps are to remove both. There are plenty of good alternatives to both.
17 Sep 2026 13:09:11
Tielemans is a properly good player. Our structural issue is that instead of the fluid formation with our wide players coming into midfield, Carrick has Rashford and Mbeumo sticking wide at all times and not really needing to come back. Cunha on the left came in to create an overload in the middle and we are way stronger for it. Carrick has sacrificed team cohesion for one player. Maybe when Baleba is back we'll have the athleticism needed for the midfielders to cover the ground to allow whatever Carrick is trying.
But the gaps in our structure are painfully large. Under RA we transitioned from 3-4-3 to 3-2-5 in attack and 5-4-1 in defence but now our structure looks like 4-2-3-1 in all phases. When Carrick came in first some of the transitions still happened but now we're extremely static. We look uncoached.
17 Sep 2026 13:02:35
Right back was the priority defensive position this summer imo. I stated that before the transfer window and was told I was being foolish. Shaw has flaws but he's an infinitely better player than Dalot who commits a catastrophic error in almost every game.
17 Sep 2026 13:00:18
Vivell.