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04 Sep 2026 14:47:53
Well, well, another Welshman from the Academy is on his way.
Louie Bradbury has signed for Stoke City on a permanent deal. Another striker who did O.K. last season.
Interestingly, he only signed his first professional contract on 12th August!
It seems pretty clear there is quite some culling of the Academy going on, giving the number of exits through sales, loans and releases.
It seems to be the right thing to do if they do not see these lads as likely to succeed. No point in keeping them, as it benefits nobody. Let them try elsewhere.
Again, no details of the deal.
Wish him well.
1.) 04 Sep 2026 17:53:06
As far as producing great talent that later benefits the club's first team is concerned, the record over the last decade and a half is quite patchy. Rashford is probably the most successful. Pogba had his moment in the sun, elsewhere. McT has done incredibly well at Napoli. Garner's looked decent at Everton. Cleverley never remotely lived up to the next Paul Scholes hype. Lingard was a flash in the pan. Greenwood sabotaged himself, as did Ravel Morrison. Mainoo looks like he could truly make it. Maybe Lacey, of the more recent grads, will come through.
One of the things that's struck me is, all too often, the players coming through the academy look quite small and physically ill suited to the rigours of the EPL.
Not only have we not developed too many real stars useful to us, we really haven't been able to generate much serious cash from the academy either. Maybe, like the bloated payroll that was allowed to develop under the Woodward regime, the academy needed an overhaul. There's no point in keeping players who are not going to make it. The earlier you can recognize it, the better.
2.) 04 Sep 2026 21:37:02
I think it is precisely that. The realisation that they are not going to reach the hoped for level has instigated a significant clear out.
I agree about the physicality. Indeed, watching the recent FA Youth Cup final against City, I thought that exact same thing. We were very much secondary in that respect.
I also think the same when we play Chelsea, both U18s and U21s. They are successful both on the pitch and also when it comes to the selling of players to raise funds. Their players all seem to be that much bigger.
City and Chelsea are clearly the front runners when it comes to obtaining significant fees for their academy players.
Remember that many of them have had a fair amount of first team opportunity. It would be interesting to see how much Chelsea have actually raised over the last 10 years.
Also needs to be remembered that Jason Wilcox is widely recognised as playing a significant role in building City's academy.
It is pleasing that changes have already started, with all the new youth signings of the last 18mths or so, and this clearing the decks should further augment the hoped for renewal.
Time will tell!
3.) 06 Sep 2026 08:22:39
IWOTB
Some good points. I often felt the club were looking for ball players and didn't consider or even discounted the physical side. We seemed to emphasise youth changing positions to learn other areas, and ended up with jacks of all trades rather than master of one. I think on youth recruitment we have not actually looked and coordinated the positions we need for the first team. For example, it is many years since a true centre forward broke through.
I am interested in the two lads we picked up from City, one being a CM. But where is the CF? Generally there is a dearth of CF except maybe that lad at Villa. Fundamental change for the youth is needed. I read years back what City were doing locally and we were sitting back thinking we are United, if we are not going to spend big, they need to do far better with the youth.
03 Sep 2026 23:38:32
Gabriele Biancheri has joined FC Wacker Innsbruck on a permanent deal.
They are an Austrian second tier club who have had a number of promotions over recent years. An ambitious club who apparently have some money behind them. A bit like Como in Italy.
Slightly surprised as no talk whatsoever of this move, but perhaps for the best. He did very well for U18s but struggled a bit last season. Always thought he lacked a bit of physicality for first team. He was a fox in the box type.
As a fellow Welshman I wish him well in his future career.
No info on terms of deal.
30 Aug 2026 13:21:10
Toby Collyer deal to West Brom all agreed.
£3m fixed with £4.3m in extras. 40% sell on clause.
When we signed him from Brighton, there were very high expectations for him. He was pretty well regarded as the best young defensive midfielder in the country, so such a shame for him.
Injuries have had a significant effect on him. Really hope he can overcome those issues and find the level that was expected of him.
Wish him well.
1.) 30 Aug 2026 15:44:28
Good luck to him, but, like many of ours, he is just not up to the standard of what is required. But then again, I don't think what we are buying is up to what is required either, so 4m is paltry money really. Is there a 50 mil gulf between him and Santos!
2.) 31 Aug 2026 09:13:57
I think he was a little unlucky with us. He picked up an injury just as he was really starting to break through, and by the time he was back again, Mainoo had overtaken him.
Hopefully he'll be able to kick on at West Brom. If he can achieve his full potential there, then I expect him to end up back in the EPL soon.
3.) 01 Sep 2026 00:19:35
Probably would have been sold for 43 million if it was Chelsea or City selling him. ??
27 Aug 2026 12:37:44
Seemingly we are in talks with Fiorentina after they submitted an official bid for Zirkzee.
They want a loan, and have offered a loan fee of €5m. They also want a buy clause and negotiations are underway for this.
Suspect this may well get done as best for all parties. Could well open a space for a replacement. Wonder if there are any surprises behind the scenes. Hope so.
1.) 27 Aug 2026 13:26:00
A guaranteed loan to buy is needed, then it will be classed as a sale under SCR.
2.) 27 Aug 2026 13:41:00
Italian clubs drive me mad.... It's always a bloody loan.
3.) 27 Aug 2026 14:48:28
Hope they have a striker lined up. Going into the season with just Sesko is mad. Especially as he seems to pick up injuries quite a bit.
I know others can play there, but it's not their natural position, and it shows when they play there.
The team and squad need another option for out and out striker.
4.) 27 Aug 2026 16:15:43
Watkins/Mateta.
5.) 27 Aug 2026 16:32:24
Cunha/Mateta.
6.) 27 Aug 2026 17:29:00
Watkins off to Saudi. It's road Mateta, most likely too expensive and honestly not good enough. Ivan Toney maybe.
7.) 27 Aug 2026 18:07:55
Ivan Toney won't come back because tax implications. Mateta would be best we can hope for.
8.) 27 Aug 2026 19:37:29
I've no objection to Zirkzee moving, and I'm delighted it frees up space to get a cf in to help Sesko and challenge him for a starting spot.
I've not seen us really linked with anybody all summer with any credibility to it.
Whomever it is can't do any worse than Zirkzee, it's hard to know what profile they will go for.
I've no idea at all who they will target.
9.) 27 Aug 2026 22:08:47
Hasn't Tony earned enough? If he comes back to the Premier League, it would help him in terms of his England place. Watkins has probably harmed his own chances by going.
I would welcome a motivated Tony.
10.) 28 Aug 2026 10:21:38
I love the idea that there is a queue of clubs fighting over signing Zirkzee. What an underwhelming player he's been. I don't even know what position to tag him with.
11.) 28 Aug 2026 10:52:20
Mateta looks like the most likely, and he wants out of Palace, and would be a good second option to Sesko. Seems to be some noise around the lad at Freiburg, but don't know anything about him.
However, the way we have moved this summer, it could be we are working on someone that is not being discussed, so we will have to see going into the window close.
12.) 28 Aug 2026 10:41:08
It's a tricky one, in an ideal world we'd sign a more experienced striker to rotate/challenge Sesko up front.
The problem is that it's pretty slim pickings.
Oli Watkins would probably have been the best option, but is going to Saudi for a large fee.
Ivan Toney could be an interesting option, but much like Henderson he would be forced to pay a large tax bill on his return to the UK. I believe Henderson spent a season with Ajax in the Netherlands to avoid that. Even if we could get him for a reasonable price, his wages would be excessive, especially for the role we need.
Jean-Phillpe Mateta on paper looks like a sensible choice, EPL proven, in his final year and Palace would accept a reasonable fee for him. However, his move to AC Milan broke down due to concerns that came up in his medical. Given that we pulled the plug in the Ederson deal for similar reasons, I wonder whether he is someone the club would seriously look at.
Viktor Osimhen is probably the premier option, but will cost a fortune both in fee and wages, has had injury concerns in the past, and would demand to be first choice. Which would limit Sesko's game time.
A name we haven't been linked with but who I personally think could be a good option is Marcus Thuram from Inter Milan. Strong, and quick, I don't think he'd have a issue adapting to the EPL. Has a history of also playing out wide, and can be a centre forward who creates for his teammates. At 29, is a great age to come in and challenge Sesko for a few years, but isn't necessarily going to expect to be first choice (more accepting of fighting for his place, as he has at Inter). Inter have also just brought back Pio Esposito who will push Thuram for a starting spot.
However, as we can see if we are looking for a striker who is 26-30 years old, the options are pretty slim, and certainly not ideal.
I wonder if the club might look at signing a younger, hungry, up and coming player to push/compete with Sesko. Someone who hasn't yet quite had a breakout season, and as such could be available for a reasonable fee. The kind of player who if he doesn't quite make it to the level we need that we could sell them in a couple of years for a similar fee or even a profit.
Some options could be:
Samu Aghehowa maybe from Porto (although I doubt he'd be cheap enough), Matias Fernandez-Pardo from Lille, Igor Matanovic from Freiberg, Marc Guiu from Chelsea, or Nicolo Tresoldi from Club Brugge.
I wonder if the club might go down that route to replace Zirkzee.
13.) 28 Aug 2026 13:12:34
Am I alone in being absolutely mystified, along with being massively annoyed, at how terrible, and I do mean utterly incompetent and terrible, Man Utd are at player sales.
Delap gets sold by Chelsea for £50m despite being utterly s**** and scoring only two goals all season, including only one in the league in 28 games, and yet we are selling for half that amount for Zirkzee who is absolutely proven in Italy and scored twice as many league goals in 4 fewer games. And yet again, a bloody loan. Unbelievably s*** negotiators and terrible comms to agents, media, and rumour mills. We are absolutely atrocious at sales, the worst selling club across Europe by a country mile. Ineos have done a good, not great but good job of resetting the expectations of selling clubs, but wow, when it comes to getting rid of the players we don't want, we are useless.
Rijjnders was a crap purchase by City and yet they get £55m for him, Newcastle just blapped £55m on Njco Gonzales who has done nothing whilst at City and yet leaves for a £5m profit. Nicolas Jackson gets sold for £65m despite bombing in the Premier League and being out on three loans. What the hell is wrong with these people? And don't even start with wages because Zirkzee is on peanuts compared to Delap, Jackson or Gonzales — 50k less than Delap, same money as Gonzales and 25k less than Jackson. We cannot keep selling assets so badly just because we don't want to keep them. It doesn't cause issues for anyone else, so why do we accept this inept approach to sales?
14.) 28 Aug 2026 14:05:50
Either way we need a striker and left back as minimum.
15.) 28 Aug 2026 18:32:39
The Delap one I would give a little bit of a pass on. The only reason he was so cheap last summer was due to a clause in his contract, otherwise he'd have been a 50m player last summer.
He's young, homegrown, and English to boot. I can see why he went for how much he did this summer. He's certainly worth more than what Chelsea paid for him, even with his poor season last time out.
16.) 28 Aug 2026 23:28:36
But what do you put the rest of it down to, Shappy? It's just farcical how we don't get good value, and to be fair it goes back to Fergie's days. Madrid couldn't believe how cheap we were, happy to sell Beckham for.
Stam was sold for peanuts, so were Ince and Hughes, and also van Nistelrooy. We just seek to cause our own headaches when players become unwanted.
17.) 30 Aug 2026 11:06:53
Captain, from our perspective we tend to buy players on the way up or at their peak. Which tends to mean we spend large fees and we pay big wages.
Whereas, we typically sell players when they are on the way down, or when they've fallen out with the club/manager.
Buying and selling football players is heavily impacted by perspective and opinion. While they also have factor in the total cost and the potential reward/value of the deal.
Signing a player who is potentially on a downward trajectory, and will cost a lot in terms of wages is a bigger risk, to offset that risk you can't be paying big transfer fees as well.
As a club we have also had a tendency (more so over the last decade) of holding on to players for too long hoping they will come good. One of the things I really liked about Omar Barrada when he was first linked to the CEO role was one of his quotes from his time at City. Where he basically says that new signings should be given no more than two seasons to prove themselves. One year to settle, but if you aren't doing what the club want/expect in your second season then it's time for the club to move you on before you lose too much value; while also opening up space in the squad for the club to bring in a new player who will offer more on the pitch.
Clubs like Chelsea are an anomaly compared to other clubs of a similar size. They have a transfer model that includes buying up a lot of high potential young players, keeping some at the club who could provide value that season and loaning out the others to continue their development. They also tend to sign these players at the 10-30m price bracket. Then the ones that fill a need at the club are kept, and the others are sold. It's a fairly unique strategy, which so far has had mixed success in terms of money made, and even less success on the pitch.
If you look at the majority of the players we have sold, we have sold them because we wanted them gone. Whether that is Ince, Beckham or Stam who had all rubbed up Sir Alex the wrong way, or RvN who the club felt was likely to start to decline and he had fallen out with Ronaldo.
Speaking of which, we didn't want to sell Ronaldo and he went for 80m. Which proves the point.
All that said, I'm not entirely sure that all of the deals we are seeing currently are 100% genuine. I feel like there are some shady under the table agreements in place to help clubs manipulate their club finances to circumvent all the new FFP type rules.
I think their was some questions raised when Newcastle sold Elliott Anderson to Nottingham Forest for what seemed like an inflated fee at the time given his age and experience, while Newcastle also paid a similarly high fee for Vlachodimos as a back up keeper. I think the idea was that Anderson's high fee would count entirely as profit, while the fee paid for Vlachodimos would be spread over several years. Or something like that anyway.
So there does seem to be some odd business happening, and some questionable fees being paid.
That said there is also an element of the EPL clubs becoming much wealthier than most European clubs, and as such the EPL market is becoming inflated. Clubs from the continent are charging more because they know EPL clubs have more money, which increases the risk of signing non-EPL proven players, leading to clubs preferring to make key signings from within the EPL, but of course those players fees are increasing because those EPL clubs have less need to sell than their European counterparts.
21 Aug 2026 21:07:14
We've had a 'here we go' from you know who, for Baleba.
Delighted if true. No detail as to terms yet, but expected to be a total package of approx £70m. If we can get the player of 2 seasons ago it should prove to be a bargain.
1.) 21 Aug 2026 21:34:20
65+5 and a sell-on clause, I read.
2.) 21 Aug 2026 21:39:52
I do feel that he had his head turned last season. I agree with you that he will return to the player he was 2 years ago.
Next summer, the focus will be on sorting the defence out. Utd may sign another defender before the transfer window closes, with the lb position the likely area that the club will strengthen.
Ultimately, had Utd sold Rashford, Onana and Ugarte, then I would have expected a further 3 signings on top of the current and provisional Baleba signing.
Perhaps we could see a loan with an obligation to buy for Mount go through. Even if he was fit, he would be well down the pecking order.
3.) 22 Aug 2026 08:25:46
He's been a highly rated player for several years, even before his move to Brighton. Last season is the odd one out in his career, and, to be fair, there were a lot of mitigating circumstances. Firstly, he was under more scrutiny than previously after a breakout year, which also means teams are better prepared for him. He also picked up an injury that kept him out for the whole pre-season, and he was rushed back.
The failed move probably affected him, and it may have affected his teammates. You then have the AFCON halfway through the season. All of those things make it very hard for a young player to get any sort of consistency across the season.
Baleba actually played well at the AFCON, and started to get back into form during the run in at the end of the season.
4.) 22 Aug 2026 11:28:03
Agree with the general consensus - he was incredible a few seasons back, possibly one of the best in the league. Extremely average last season bar a few games (co-incidentally, one might assume...) towards the end of the season. Seems overpriced based on the current player, but potentially a great deal if he can recover his best form.
Strange, it had to wait until a few days before the season started, considering we appear to be the only club with any interest. This club does things in such a cack-handed manner.
5.) 22 Aug 2026 16:10:30
After that performance, he may be having 2nd thoughts.
I Want Our Trophy Back's banter posts with other poster's replies to I Want Our Trophy Back's banter posts
20 Sep 2026 16:18:08
Ben Sesko, not in squad. He has a shin injury.
That was what kept him injured all summer. Really hope not as serious.
1.) 20 Sep 2026 16:26:02
I think there's more to it. Putting Rashford back in the lineup has disrupted the front 4. Cunha is not a 9 and being forced to play there to include Rashford. That obviously has forced Sesko out. His body language in the last game definitely showed signs.
2.) 20 Sep 2026 16:35:38
Cunha is not a LW or a RW either. He is a 10, so whether he plays as the 9 or LW, he is playing out of position. Cunha plays as a 9 for Brazil, so he is capable of doing it. Like it or not, Cunha has been poor and Sesko has done nothing when given the chance. Rashford has looked better than both.
3.) 20 Sep 2026 16:43:54
Looked better? Doing exactly what? Running with his head down and either running the ball out of play or running into players or not finding anyone in the box? Sesko scored when given a chance. that's his job.
4.) 20 Sep 2026 16:54:33
As if it couldn't be any worse, Vicki Sparks is commentating. Great.
11 Sep 2026 17:22:23
Seems like common sense, methinks!
I do post about Academy issues sometimes and this seems to be worthy of comment.
As we know, we mainly play a 4-2-3-1. There will no doubt be occasions when this is altered, but it is the default set up.
As of now, both the U18s and U21s will be moving to this system, changing from the usual 4-3-3.
This seems a perfectly sensible thing to do, instigating uniformity throughout the club.
It is part of the plan to increase the chances of Academy players succeeding in the transition to first-team player, clearly knowing what is expected of you should significantly smooth the path.
Would not be surprised to see J. J. making a first-team cameo before 24th October! That is the final day for him to be our youngest ever player in a competitive match.
He cannot appear (as yet) in ECL.
1.) 12 Sep 2026 00:29:50
He really does look special iwotb.
I don't think he is training with the 1st team regularly, but maybe a League Cup tie if we get past Brighton. If it happens, it happens. It's not a big deal. 5 min cameo and not seen again for months is not how the record was set, and I don't think it should be broken that way.
There is no rush with him, which I'm sure you agree with.
Hopefully we can tie him down with a contract and see him flourish over the next few years. Without doubt the best prospect I've seen at youth level since Ravel Morrison, and id say JJ is even streets ahead of him. He has the world at his feet.
2.) 12 Sep 2026 10:05:14
Is there any danger that he will sign for someone else?
3.) 12 Sep 2026 11:36:36
There is always that gamer, Patrick. He could decide to do that.
Fingers crossed he stays.
4.) 12 Sep 2026 17:51:05
Ken, yes I totally agree, there is no rush. It does seem to matter to some though!
I was told that it is more a case of appearance's sake, and showing JJ how valued he is.
He has been training with the 1st team a fair bit, again, much about making him comfortable in that environment.
Patrick, yes, he could sign for someone else, every big club in Europe is watching him, including Liverpool!! Barcelona in particular are trying very hard.
There is concern at the club that it could happen, indeed the summer before last was his first opportunity to do so and there was genuine worry it would happen. It was down, mainly, to Wilcox and Vivell that he was persuaded to stay.
There will be another opportunity next summer for him to leave on a free transfer.
Clearly we are doing our best to convince him where his future lies and that, in the future, the 1st team could be built around him. Obviously, subject to him achieving expected levels.
I believe his father, obviously, a massive influence on him, has been offered a couple of private boxes, free for life, in the new stadium.
There is also significant effort being put into keeping his feet well and truly on the ground. Imagine being 15 yrs old and having all the talk and expectation he is enduring and not succumbing to some of the pressure.
Remember what happened to Ravel Morrison! Although I do not expect him to go anywhere near that road.
I just hope, for his sake, he manages to navigate a safe passage through it all, and ends up being a Man Utd true great.
10 Sep 2026 22:50:29.
Clearly we will face tougher games, but you can only beat what is in front of you. That was emphatically achieved, without having to put huge effort in and considering the upcoming game on Sunday, that was a pleasing aspect.
Some decent performers, Kobbie was excellent and I thought Yoro had a good game, some of his anticipation of danger was good.
Think this could be an important season for him, he needs to step up. He seems to be stronger, both he and Sesko (who also had a good game) have worked hard in the gym over the summer.
A clean sheet, yay!
Atleti away next up, a good result there will certainly put us in good stead for the tournament.
1.) 11 Sep 2026 07:21:33
My only comment would be that perhaps Bruno should have been given an early bath. Always a risk of injury when the tackles start flying.
2.) 11 Sep 2026 07:59:47
I thought Zirkzee looked very good when he came on. He always looks really good playing against weaker opposition. The problem is he goes missing in games against tougher opposition, but I think he is arguably the best player in the squad for link-up play.
He reminds me of Nani; he either plays really well and is a nightmare for the opposition, or does nothing for the whole game. There is no in-between.
3.) 11 Sep 2026 11:12:19
Kurtis, at one point I thought Zirkzee could do the job with Cunha and Mbeumo that Firmino did with Salah and Mane. But for some reason he just isn't up to it in the Premier League, or certainly hasn't shown this yet. He showed his class last night, and I mentioned a while ago, when the discussion was around him, that I think he is a great player, just better suited to Italian football! If we can get that performance last night into the Premier League, he's a great addition to the squad.
It's strange, because he has a good physical presence also.
4.) 11 Sep 2026 17:26:49
Silky, but imo, he needs a slower tempo than he gets in the EPL to make the most of his skills.
05 Sep 2026 21:07:40
It seems Louie Bradbury got his Stoke career off to an interesting beginning (see below).
He made his debut for Stoke's U18s this morning against Man City, a very strong start for him by scoring a debut hat trick.
Only problem was City scored eight! Stoke lost the game 3-8. What a way to start!
31 Aug 2026 16:29:42.
Just watched U21s play Leicester in league match. We won 4-1.
A player I really like, Shea Lacy, scored 2 goals. The first a typical receive ball on right wing, beat player cut in and shoot from outside box, score a terrific goal.
He was replaced on 60 mins by JJ. That makes it fun for the defenders! He scored a super goal late on.
Anyone not really seen JJ play, go on MUFC website later on. There will be highlights, and watch his goal. That boy has a future!!
Talking of Leicester, there has been much talk of us and Arsenal going after their young midfielder, Louis Page, this summer.
He is a big Utd fan, and he was at O. T. yesterday for the match. Will be surprised if we do not announce his signing before close of transfer window.
Finally, it was good to hear a golden oldie on co-commentary. Sammy McIlroy, the last Busby Babe, is fit and well. Remember he scored on his debut at age 17, against City at Maine Road, from a George Best assist.
How the hell was that 1971? Call the police! Somebody has stolen 40 years.
1.) 31 Aug 2026 17:52:40
The question is, where will J J play, replace Bruno at 10?
IWOTB,
Yes, I remember 1971 and Sammy Mac being introduced. And, it is 55 years, not 40!
2.) 31 Aug 2026 19:25:54
Red Man, yes, I realise that was 55 years ago.
My figure of 40 years was not meant to encapsulate the whole period, but to suggest it seems like 15 years ago the event happened, and to highlight the apparent speed of the passing of time.
As to JJ, when he starts playing on a regular basis, I suspect he will be playing on the wing, to acclimatise to first team football.
His main position is striker/No10. It will be some years before he will be able to fill either of those slots.
It could well be a case that, by the time he is ready to move into a central position, it could well coincide with the departure of Bruno. Remember, this is all some years away.
3.) 31 Aug 2026 19:35:47
Lacey should be going out on loan imo. He might get some minutes here, but him playing week in, week out, will improve him more. He's too good for u21 football and it won't teach him much. He's not ready to be starting games here at the minute, but with a good season away to help his development, he could be ready next season.
4.) 31 Aug 2026 22:15:23
Yeah, it's a tough one, Danny. In all probability, he is 3rd choice for rw, and probably 4th choice for the no10 role for a starting role.
However, he can be a good impact option off the bench. Being a full squad member and training every day will improve him.
It's possibly one to revise in Jan if he is not getting the minutes he needs in match play.
He is, as you say, a bit of an in-betweener.
If Mbeamo covers for Sesko a lot, it will promote him to 2nd choice on the right, so game time may not be too rare.
If Zirkzee goes and is replaced with a striker, it will not help him at all. I've seen him play left wing too, so he could push Dorgu there, too, as 2nd choice.
5.) 01 Sep 2026 00:48:17
I would keep Lacy, and alternate his playing time with the U21s. Give him game time in short bursts to build up his exposure and reduce pressure. The lad is really talented, and showed glimpses of his potential in preseason. If the kids are good enough, play them, but in a controlled, measured way.
6.) 01 Sep 2026 04:38:06
Call the police, alright, and report someone stealing Manchester United too, and also a load of fraudsters trying to impersonate elite footballers...
I Want Our Trophy Back's rumour replies
04 Sep 2026 21:37:02
I think it is precisely that. The realisation that they are not going to reach the hoped for level has instigated a significant clear out.
I agree about the physicality. Indeed, watching the recent FA Youth Cup final against City, I thought that exact same thing. We were very much secondary in that respect.
I also think the same when we play Chelsea, both U18s and U21s. They are successful both on the pitch and also when it comes to the selling of players to raise funds. Their players all seem to be that much bigger.
City and Chelsea are clearly the front runners when it comes to obtaining significant fees for their academy players.
Remember that many of them have had a fair amount of first team opportunity. It would be interesting to see how much Chelsea have actually raised over the last 10 years.
Also needs to be remembered that Jason Wilcox is widely recognised as playing a significant role in building City's academy.
It is pleasing that changes have already started, with all the new youth signings of the last 18mths or so, and this clearing the decks should further augment the hoped for renewal.
Time will tell!
28 Jul 2026 16:41:16
I'm not sure we are selling him. The £6m figure quoted is what clubs believe he would be available for. Don't think we have received any bids yet!
Would be a shame as there was high expectation for him. The problem has never been ability, but physicality.
He was a big part of why Alvaro Carreras was sold.
Still, things do not always go to plan. Might be best for all parties if we get the right offer for us and him. As Ken says, make sure we have a good sell on clause, buy back and matching rights.
23 Jul 2026 17:20:58
Ports, sorry, yeh my bad. Wrong info.
23 Jul 2026 14:17:33
We have not signed Cassim and Eze yet. We are hoping to do so, but it is yet to happen.
As for Orozco, I posted last week that he had signed. The intention with him is to play him in the U21s and watch how he adapts. A decision will then be made as to possibly sending him on loan.
There is clear intent from the club to continue investing in the academy, and, obviously, a couple of major successes now could potentially save many millions given how transfer fees are going.
14 Jul 2026 16:44:20
I believe there has also been enquiries from Inter Milan, Napoli and RB Leipzig, all of which have been rebuffed.
The club have made it clear that Mount will be with us for season 26/27. He is still highly rated, if only he could stay healthy, I am sure we would see a top player.
I Want Our Trophy Back's banter replies
20 Sep 2026 15:37:01
That would be an utter shambles, look at the arguments on this page!
Imagine there being millions and millions who all know best.
Clearly there would have to be elections to create management structures, who? how? where?
You can only win elections through making outlandish promises, look at our governments, but that is most certainly what you would get.
Democracy is all well and good, but it does give votes to an awful lot of stupid people.
Remember, you always end up with what you deserve after an election. Sadly, it is never what people really need or actually want.
14 Sep 2026 17:23:56
£85m on Santos? What are you talking about, we paid £48m for him.
He is a player of great promise. He was pretty much the best player in pre-season. He needs a bit of patience and obviously more playing time.
It's not easy, as a youngster coming straight into the 1st team. Remember Senne last year. Let's let him settle.
12 Sep 2026 17:51:05
Ken, yes I totally agree, there is no rush. It does seem to matter to some though!
I was told that it is more a case of appearance's sake, and showing JJ how valued he is.
He has been training with the 1st team a fair bit, again, much about making him comfortable in that environment.
Patrick, yes, he could sign for someone else, every big club in Europe is watching him, including Liverpool!! Barcelona in particular are trying very hard.
There is concern at the club that it could happen, indeed the summer before last was his first opportunity to do so and there was genuine worry it would happen. It was down, mainly, to Wilcox and Vivell that he was persuaded to stay.
There will be another opportunity next summer for him to leave on a free transfer.
Clearly we are doing our best to convince him where his future lies and that, in the future, the 1st team could be built around him. Obviously, subject to him achieving expected levels.
I believe his father, obviously, a massive influence on him, has been offered a couple of private boxes, free for life, in the new stadium.
There is also significant effort being put into keeping his feet well and truly on the ground. Imagine being 15 yrs old and having all the talk and expectation he is enduring and not succumbing to some of the pressure.
Remember what happened to Ravel Morrison! Although I do not expect him to go anywhere near that road.
I just hope, for his sake, he manages to navigate a safe passage through it all, and ends up being a Man Utd true great.
11 Sep 2026 14:47:37
Ports, Sparky was one of my all time favourites also. It was tragic what happened to his son recently.
Talking of thighs, see if you can find an old picture of the inimitable and true great that was Duncan Edwards. He had thighs to match Sparky.
Don't forget that was the 1950s when training was endlessly running around the pitch, eating steak and chips, yum yum, going to the pub and smoking 20 a day!
Although, I have to say, Duncan did not smoke or drink.
He was a clean living boy. Besty certainly did not use him as an example!
11 Sep 2026 10:32:15
You could drive a bus through the legs of McDonald.
The thighs of Mark Hughes were pretty impressive.
The weirdest of all had to be the comb over of Sir Bobby Charlton.