Are Bebe and Macheda holding back others?

[Successful]

This is not a social organisation. We're not gonna give players time just because they are in the squad. We play the best team every day unless it's not needed. To play Bebe just to see if he developed is just stupid. The club is not here for their careers.

To answer your question - We don't need to bring in other forwards for some time now so we might as well keep these players to fill up. They were chances we took and when the time is right we will probably bring somebody else. But you also need to find a buyer to get rid of a player unless you just let them go.

 

[jb8521]

To be fair to Macheda he has scored 6 and got 2 assists in 8 games so deserves his place and Bebe has only played 4 games all season and played the last couple of games after Lingard and Brady went out on loan, Keane, Petrucci, King and Barmby are injured and Lawrence is only coming back to full fitness and Henriquez has been on international duty. From what Warren Joyce has said were also playing a lot of behind closed doors friendlies so that everyone is getting enough football. While I dont think Bebe or Macheda have a future with us and I'd like to see some of the younger players in the televised games I dont think anyones growth is being stunted by having them playing reserves games.

 

[pocco]

I'm not saying he's good enough to play for us, but Bebe has come on a heck of a lot. In all fairness he has actually shown some footballing skill since his promising preseason cameos. As jb8521 said though, he's not featured a lot for the reserves, so why make this thread? There's youngsters such a Januzaj that have seemingly moved ahead of him. If they're good enough and they're ready, they will get a chance.

 

[Antisocial]

I would like Macheda to start the two remaining Champions Leagues games - if he's leaving in January (has that been confirmed as a sale, or another loan?) then we may as well put him in the shop window. These are games that no longer matter, so I don't want a single "first 11" player (whomever they are given the squad game) anywhere near those games, certainly not going to Turkey.

Best case scenario: he excels and pushes himself back into the first team picture and never looks back. Worst case? He does nothing and leaves for nothing, which seems likely to happen anyway.

I don't know what to make of Bebe tbh - some of the times I've seen him recently he has managed to look promising, but the rest of time I don't see where he fits in.

Maybe it is better for both to leave.

 

[Vooon]

I think you have to be careful with this though. It's not as if he came in and had a stunning half season or anything. He scored two very timely goals, one of which was very good. That is pretty much the sum of everything impressive he's done for us. I'm sure there are some very shit players who have done the same.

Agree with that, even though Macheda's goal against Villa was quite an achievement for any footballer, it doesn't hide the fact that he's hardly done anything else for the first team. I'm a little baffled we haven't found him a decent Championship or a lower table PL club where he can play regular football, he seems too good for the reserves.

Bebe I have no idea, he should probably be loaned out as well.

I can see both leaving after this season.

 

[Rowem]

Agree with that, even though Macheda's goal against Villa was quite an achievement for any footballer, it doesn't hide the fact that he's hardly done anything else for the first team. I'm a little baffled we haven't found him a decent Championship or a lower table PL club where he can play regular football, he seems too good for the reserves.

Bebe I have no idea, he should probably be loaned out as well.

I can see both leaving after this season.

With hindsight he should have gone to the Championship rather than Sampdoria or QPR. We'd certainly have a better indication of his ability, and for his career progression the games would have helped him. Perhaps because of that goal the club thought he would get himself a nice PL club and do well at this level immediately.

However Macheda has to take responsibility as well. He simply hasn't made the progress we hoped - as a player, training day in and day out at United - he should have made more progress. Perhaps he hasn't applied himself well enough, or perhaps he simply isn't a good enough player.

 

[mo0]

great question gooDevil - i think it comes down to a catch-22. if a player is on his way, he needs to be proven fit and capable of fitting into that next side. if they're not playing in the 1st team, then U21 level is where they are going to have to fill-in. saying that, it does have the unfortunate knock on of holding back some of the prospects. football's a business though, so you'd want to ensure you get some of that investment back...especially as they are both imports from abroad.

 

[gooDevil]

I think the fact that Bebe and Macheda have played almost no football for the last two years (up until this reserve season) is part of the coaches thinking. Bebe had a long term injury at Besiktas and Macheda had loans with Sampdoria and QPR where he saw almost no game time, perhaps the coaches want to guarantee they gets the sort of game time they need this season.

Someone posted that the reserve team are playing a lot of matches behind closed doors beside their normal schedule and that everyone is getting all the games they need. Hopefully this is happening, and these games are just as competitive as the ones that count.