This.
A lot on here blame Moyes for passing on Strootman. I challenged one poster by saying a lot of the Caf didn't rate Strootman either, which he rejected. This thread shows differently.
Some just didn't listen.
Neither.
Hindsight is a beautiful thing. Of course very few will know about Strootman as he wasn't in the spotlight while playing in Holland.
Completely wrong.
I disagree.
Strootman can play that role and allow Herrera the freedom to burst back and fourth. Don't get me wrong, I'd love Vidal over any midfielder, but Strootman would fit this team perfectly IMO and I've felt that way for quite a while now. If we don't sign a top midfielder in this market then there's a strong chance we might actually find out how well Strootman could fit us in the future.
What I had in mind is that with Moyes philosophy Strootman I think wouldn't have been more efficient than Herrera for example. I'm not comparing him with Fellaini as in the topic but rather than with Herrera who seemed our first choice. It would've meant sense to get them both sure, but I think Herrera/Vidal/Mata or Herrera/Martinez/Mata will be a much better fit for us at the moment than Strootman. Yes he will bode very well in LvG team but at the moment his price is way over the top and is currently long term injured, you never know how fast he will be back in top form.
Where did I say all of the sop scouts haven't got a clue? You're just making shit up for the sake of it. I'm not some know it all, my opinion back then was that Strootman was performing at a good level and would only get better when he took the step up to a bigger club. That happened. I'm not bragging, I couldn't give a shit about being right. To me though it was clear he would of fitted us and it wasn't even a big gamble when you consider he went for 12-13 million while we were panicking all over the shop and throwing 27 at Fellaini on deadline day.
It is debatable if we take into consideration last season.
at the first page of this thread.He hasn't played for United as an out and out defensive midfielder, we haven't seen that yet, so the jury is still out on whether he could improve us there. With Carrick out he may get a chance if he stays on after pre-season. He also did have the highest ground duel success for United over the course of last season despite not playing a purely defensive role for the majority. He played most of his career at Everton as a defensive midfielder as well so 'saying things like he's a defensive midfielder' is true, I am not sure why this would be called into question.
I am not sure why this keeps being said. He won a lot of praise prior to his last season for Everton playing as the deeper and more defensive of a two for Everton in arguably a purely defensive midfield role. He only had one season up the park for Everton and suddenly 'this is his best and only role.. He must play this role for United and we don't need that'. If you ask me he is probably better used in central midfield than up the park, it seems a more logical place to use him if we are surplus in the no10 department. Deeper midfield is an area that needs numbers with the age and injury of Carrick and I think it would be silly to bank on Fletcher making 38+ appearances this season.
He did play as an out and out defensive midfielder for us. Moyes was using 2 dm every week last season. There was the odd game he played as a cm.
He played as a box to box midfielder. Nearly identical to in Wilmots system, he played as the 'dish off and break up field' player. There was less emphasis on discipline and more on goal threat. Changing this role back to a limited ground duel midfielder would be a role he has not played for United.
Because he did. That is probably why people keep saying it. His entire five year stint at Everton wasn't just behind the main striker. He started off as the deeper limited defensive midfielder and then progressed to a more all-round role in a two. Then when Moyes ran out of options up front he played as a second striker in the style that we see today. Dish off and get forward into the box and try and score. I mean he probably has more credibility as a defensive midfielder for Everton but everybody chooses to remember the one season he played up forward for them and nothing beyond it.
He played for United last season. I am comfortable if you want to shell users for claiming he didn't play for United last season.
Assuming you mean his final season at Everton under Moyes? Nobody is disputing that.
You're shooting your own credibility in the foot here. Clumsy I can handle, lousy positioning I can argue came from the role he was asked to play for Moyes at United (then mirrored by Wilmots for Belgium). Nobody is really immune from criticism by having players waltz by them last season. It happened far to often in midfield and defense. If you tar Fellaini with that brush you tar the entire defensive unit as a whole.
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Come on, watch the argentina belgium match again. Its an extreme example because he was particularly crap that day but its pretty standard fare.
I agree. We needed both even just for numbers, and let's be honest, what's £17m to us really?
