A. Young | Guardian: Medical today

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Looks like it's happening. I'm a bit disappointed with it, we have a settled front line now, with a delightful set of wingers who I wouldn't swap for anyone.

Why Young? He's not good enough to displace any of them straight off, he's 25 and can't have that much room for improvement and how can we know he'll be happy to sit on the bench more often than not for the superior Valencia and Nani?

I'd prefer to see a younger one for the future type of player signed or one of the youth players promoted instead if we do need cover for any generic attacking position. Oh and he's not a central midfielder.

I will be excited to see a corner get past the first defender though..
 
Would be a very good signing indeed, the depth of talent we'll have will be such that we can send players who still need some experience out on loan without having to worry at all.
 
Can someone please explain to me why we need him?

This seems the exact same situation as when everyone was willing Valencia back in the team even though it was blindingly obvious his return would result in a dip in form from up till that point our best player Nani. Surely if Young signs it will just further limit Nani's chances sending him back to the Nani that everyone wanted sold

That's without mentioning in the big games Fergie will still pick Park to play wide left so where would that leave Young then let alone Nani?
 
he's 25 and can't have that much room for improvement

Why not, Dwight Yorke was 27 when we signed him from Villa and he improved in his time with us. Playing with better players, and in better competitions like the Champions league is bound to bring his game on.
 
Can someone please explain to me why we need him?

This seems the exact same situation as when everyone was willing Valencia back in the team even though it was blindingly obvious his return would result in a dip in form from up till that point our best player Nani. Surely if Young signs it will just further limit Nani's chances sending him back to the Nani that everyone wanted sold

That's without mentioning in the big games Fergie will still pick Park to play wide left so where would that leave Young then let alone Nani?

That's a strange line of reasoning. If Nani can't hack competition he's at the wrong club. He's considerably better than Young and it ought to motivate him to improve further.

My issue with signing him, if we are, is the money. We look to be spending 17 mil on a keeper, and what we're really crying out for is at least one quality CM. I just hope buying a third right-footed winger who's not as good as the other two won't limit our ability to fill the only real hole in the squad.
 
Park can no longer play two games a week, Giggs either for that matter. People are forgetting how stretched we were when we had some injuries,
 
That's a strange line of reasoning. If Nani can't hack competition he's at the wrong club. He's considerably better than Young and it ought to motivate him to improve further.

My issue with signing him, if we are, is the money. We look to be spending 17 mil on a keeper, and what we're really crying out for is at least one quality CM. I just hope buying a third right-footed winger who's not as good as the other two won't limit our ability to fill the only real hole in the squad.

But the money is partly the argument for Young. He offers good value and therefore frees more money for the CM.

We obviously need more depth in midfield and this addresses some of that at a relatively low cost.
 
Can someone please explain to me why we need him?

This seems the exact same situation as when everyone was willing Valencia back in the team even though it was blindingly obvious his return would result in a dip in form from up till that point our best player Nani. Surely if Young signs it will just further limit Nani's chances sending him back to the Nani that everyone wanted sold

That's without mentioning in the big games Fergie will still pick Park to play wide left so where would that leave Young then let alone Nani?

Aye, the return of Valencia really weakened us, didn't it?
 
Park will perhaps play more centrally the next season or two with Giggsy and leaving Nani, Valenica and Young (if we do sign him) as our wingers next season? There could be plans to send Obertan out on loan as well
 
Park can no longer play two games a week, Giggs either for that matter. People are forgetting how stretched we were when we had some injuries,

Of course he can, you don't just hit 30 and lose your entire stamina.

Plus, as mentioned, he's closer to his peak then his decline anyway.
 
Of course he can, you don't just hit 30 and lose your entire stamina.

Plus, as mentioned, he's closer to his peak then his decline anyway.

I disagree. If you look closely at his performances, he struggles to put two good shifts in the same week. He was effective against Chelsea but poor against City, he was then great against Schalke and poor against Arsenal. His style needs proper rest and I think there is a huge drop-off when he plays twice in a week against good opposition.
 
Where have these Young-rumours come from? Any quotes from agents, one of the two clubs, or the player himself?
 
It's not just that he's closer to his peak, he's at his peak. Most footballers have tended to peak between about 27 and 31, but I think with the training and diet nowadays it's more like 33, especially for midfielders and defenders.
 
Yeah, I've noticed that too.

Used to be that players peaked in their late 20s and went downhill the moment they passed 30. This seems to have been pushed out by at least 2 or 3 years now.

Park's been playing the best football of his United career this season IMO.

The one big cloud hanging over him is his injury record. He's picked up a lot of serious, long-term injuries over the years. We're unlikely to get a full season out of him.
 
Yeah, I've noticed that too.

Used to be that players peaked in their late 20s and went downhill the moment they passed 30. This seems to have been pushed out by at least 2 or 3 years now.

Park's been playing the best football of his United career this season IMO.

The one big cloud hanging over him is his injury record. He's picked up a lot of serious, long-term injuries over the years. We're unlikely to get a full season out of him.

Maybe thats the reason he cannot play twice a week at the same level. Bolstering the squad with Young will be a good move imo.
 
I disagree. If you look closely at his performances, he struggles to put two good shifts in the same week. He was effective against Chelsea but poor against City, he was then great against Schalke and poor against Arsenal. His style needs proper rest and I think there is a huge drop-off when he plays twice in a week against good opposition.

He missed 7 games with United in the Asian Cup, was then injured and returned on the 2nd of April. He played Chelsea and City in succession 10 days later, a bit of perspective is needed.
 
Really? He covers an insane amount of ground, but also looks like he could do another 30 comfortably. I think fully fit, and with a season consisting of more then 15 games, he is fine to handle two big games in a week.
 
Now yes yes…i know! Nani plays left wing. Especially when Valencia is in top form. But no one can hide the simple fact. Nani is not a great left winger. Two footed he may be. But you would have to be blind not to see the difference in his form since he switched from the right where he played pre-Valencia injury. On the left he is ineffective for long periods of the game and has tactical problems. Whereas on the right he is much more dangerous and ultimately decisive. Looking at other left wing options…Giggs is no longer the flying wide man. Park, though employed left sided, is hardly your classic touchline winger. And Gabby Obertan…..no comment. This leaves us with a bit of a hole that may not be obvious to many on first glance. And this is where Young comes in.

I think that pretty much sums it up.
 
Really? He covers an insane amount of ground, but also looks like he could do another 30 comfortably. I think fully fit, and with a season consisting of more then 15 games, he is fine to handle two big games in a week.

It may be that quitting the international scene helps him a lot but I think his style of play is such that two high intensity games a week is pushing it and unless he is able to fire on all cylinders he is nowhere the player he can be.

I don't think I'm being too controversial to say that given Giggs' age and Park's style, the addition of Young could be very useful.
 
I think there's still a question mark over Nani on the left wing rather than him without doubt not being good enough there. Since coming back from injury he's played on the right multiple times and not looked very good either, his best games coming from the left v Fulham and Bolton. I mean we saw him just this weekend look poor from the right. It's hard to know whether him playing on the left is a factor, never mind the defining factor.

Also think Giggs' ability to play there is hugely downplayed, he's still had some excellent games there for us. Against Birmingham he was brilliant, for example.
 
We have always had four quality strikers, so why not four quality wingers?

This club has a tradition of great wingers, so have a fourth one makes sense to me. I don't think he is better than Nani or Valencia, but then very very few wingers are. Over the course of a season, he would play lots of games.
 
I think there's still a question mark over Nani on the left wing rather than him without doubt not being good enough there. Since coming back from injury he's played on the right multiple times and not looked very good either, his best game coming from the left v Fulham. I mean we saw him just this weekend look poor from the right. It's hard to know whether him playing on the left is a factor, never mind the defining factor.

Also think Giggs' ability to play there is hugely downplayed, he's still had some excellent games there for us. Against Birmingham he was brilliant, for example.

I keep saying it but the idea that Nani is worse on the left is a myth, he's put some fantastic performances in on that side, and even when he plays on the right he drifts and swaps wings.
 
I'd rather give Cleverly more opportunities on the wing than sign Young tbh. He does look a good player but I really don't think we're lacking in wingers.

Valencia
Nani
Cleverly
Welbeck (has played there quite effectively for Sunderland)
Obertan
Bebe
 
I think there's still a question mark over Nani on the left wing rather than him without doubt not being good enough there. Since coming back from injury he's played on the right multiple times and not looked very good either, his best game coming from the left v Fulham. I mean we saw him just this weekend look poor from the right. It's hard to know whether him playing on the left is a factor, never mind the defining factor.

Also think Giggs' ability to play there is hugely downplayed, he's still had some excellent games there for us. Against Birmingham he was brilliant, for example.

Agreed.

Also worth remembering that Young is right-footed (and his left is arguably weaker than Nani's) so it does seem strange to automatically assume he is better equipped to play left wing than Nani is.

Granted, that's been his primary position at Villa but who's to say that Nani can't get just as good, if not better, once he's given a run of games in that position? Nani's improved a lot in the last year or two, in every aspect of his game. People are far too quick to assume that this improvement is purely down to the side he plays on.
 
I'd rather give Cleverly more opportunities on the wing than sign Young tbh. He does look a good player but I really don't think we're lacking in wingers.

Valencia
Nani
Cleverly
Welbeck (has played there quite effectively for Sunderland)
Obertan
Bebe

Using Fabio and Rafael on the wings against Arsenal in the FA Cup spoke volumes about Fergie's current view on Bebe and Obertan. We may view Welbeck as a striker rather than a wing man. We may view Cleverly as a midfielder rather than a winger...
 
Using Fabio and Rafael on the wings against Arsenal in the FA Cup spoke volumes about Fergie's current view on Bebe and Obertan. We may view Welbeck as a striker rather than a wing man. We may view Cleverly as a midfielder rather than a winger...

I think that was a defensive move rather than a slight on our more conventional wingers. We wanted to double up on their wide players and force them to play through the centre and in front of us, great tactics.
 
I'd rather give Cleverly more opportunities on the wing than sign Young tbh. He does look a good player but I really don't think we're lacking in wingers.

Valencia
Nani
Cleverly
Welbeck (has played there quite effectively for Sunderland)
Obertan
Bebe
Cleverly is a prospect but he has been merely quite impressive for Wigan lately, rather than a player that is tearing it up and standing out. Same with Welbeck really, though he had a good spell mid-season. Cleverly wasn't selected for Wigans most important game of the season.

I think both players are looking at another season on loan. It will serve them better than playing 10 games a season at United.
 
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