Better than his countryman Fellaini
Axel Witsel reveals Manchester United ambition
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Better than his countryman Fellaini
He's at Valência. They bought him for 25 millions and already a starter like i predicted
We could do with extra fullback.
Typical click bait article. What's happened with Telegraph?!
Where did he play for Benfica? Was he a DM?
CM played in front of Javi Garcia
Always remember that when I think of him. Have no idea what he's like now at Zenit, can't be worse than Fletcher if we're shipping him out.
Is he really that good? Can't say that I rate him.
I was reading a Dutch football forum and saw some people from Belgium claiming he is 'world class', 'far better than Fellaini', 'he is just as good as Matic' and 'Real Madrid and Barcelona wanted him before he signed for Zenith'.
I dont know the player that good because Russia is a bit off radar but is there any truth in comments made by the Belgium people?
I dont know the player that good because Russia is a bit off radar but is there any truth in comments made by the Belgium people?
He said he always liked man utd and suddenly we are signing him in the tabloids..a good player but can't see us signing him really....not sure how much of an upgrade he would be on Fellaini
Worse than Fellaini, even more costly, even more dirty. Do not want.
Dunno if i'd rate him as world class but at Benfica he was on level/ slightly better than Matic. Matic spent a year on the bench and Witsel was always a clear starter. From what i've seen from him in the Champions League, i'd rate him higher than Fellaini.
We can get him for less than £10m then maybe.
Average player, no thanks.
We should've signed him last summer, he's better than Blind imo.
Was on his way to be a star but his transfer to Russia slowed down his progress. Still a quality player though.
Was on his way to be a star but his transfer to Russia slowed down his progress. Still a quality player though.
What are Blind, Fellaini and Herrera then?
I'd prefer the other Belgian CM we were linked with today.
Only eight games actually, but okay..
I'm surprised he's so underrated here. You would do well with a guy like him in midfield.
De Bruyne is more of an attacking mid tbh, good player but not actually a CM.
It's because hes been playing in Russia, you're right he is a good player, very good one at Benfica, but haven't really tracked his progress since that move to Russia so would be a gamble.
Yeah but you can't say 'meh, average player' like a lot of people here just because he plays in Russia, I doubt many of you have seen him play for Zenit. Neither have I but he's been class and very consistent for our national team.
Herrera and Fellaini are ok midfielder with performances ranging from average to good, Blind is better than all of them despite being a much different player. I've seen many games from Witsel at Zenit, Benfica and Belgium so I don't think I am judging him too harshly. Well average with some good performances is more accurate.
At Zenit, he's been pretty average, I'll give you that but no worse than Fellaini has been for us so far. Russia is also a wasteland when it comes to football talent. Wasn't Willian at Anzhi before signing for Chelsea? And for Belgium, all of their players bar a select few underperform so you can forgive him for doing the same.
At Benfica though, he was as good as Matic was, perhaps even better. He's a very good player and to call him average after admitting to watching him there is a bit strange. He's a talent, that's for sure and is better than Fellaini and perhaps even Carrick.
I really like Blind but he really isn't that great a player compared to Witsel. If Witsel is average, then so is Blind.
That's a fair point, I was thinking of how him, Blind and Strootman would compliment each other as a midfield 3.
It is my opinion, if it's strange to you then so be it. When I judge Blind in comparison to him, I take into account his important versatility too.
That could also be a 'problem' though. Is he better than Shaw at left (wing) back? No. Is he good enough to be a central defender in a 3-5-2? Meh. Is he better than say Carrick or Witsel at DM? Not for me. Versatility is important in a squad that had to deal with as many injuries as United but I'd rather have a player that excels in one position.
He's a more skillful and agile version of Fellaini, and minus the flailing arms. I think he'd add further quality to our midfield.
Blind is the best DM on the books. Carrick should be a CB full time in the 3-5-2 and on the bench when it's 4 at the back. There's every chance he's better than Shaw at wing back as well because he's a better passer. He was very good there at the World Cup.
I'd say he's better LWB than Shaw despite the lack of pace and definitely better than Witsel in midfield.
Okay then, I don't rate him that highly, probably because I've seen him play a lot for Ajax and he never stood out in their team for me. His WC performances surprised me but I still think he's not good enough to be a starter for United.
Can he play DM?
He's always played consistently well whenever I've seen him play. I think he'd establish himself as our best central midfielder if we got him.
We could play a very physically imposing midfield if we signed him..
He's not going to be a flashy player so I can see why people might be not that enthused. He plays a role similar to Matic in cleaning up the midfield especially on the defensive end. He's got excellent fitness and can run for days. He has offensive skill but he's not someone a team would rely on for scoring. He would bring steel to the midfield and no he's not dirty, he just was rash in that moment a long time ago when playing for Standard Liege when he made his infamous leg breaker tackle. He allows the other CMs to be able to move forward. He's not someone you'd be apt to notice except when you see him making tackles and interceptions. Other than the average fan probably wouldn't think much of his impact unless he played for your club.
He's not worth 40 million (release clause), but I think 20-25 million Euros would be a reasonable fee.
It's unfortunate that he choose to go to Russia as I feel that screwed up the chances of him moving to a big club in the PL, La Liga or Germany.
He's not worth 40 million (release clause), but I think 20-25 million Euros would be a reasonable fee.
It's unfortunate that he choose to go to Russia as I feel that screwed up the chances of him moving to a big club in the PL, La Liga or Germany.
I think we can do with his presence and tactical awareness if we are back in Europe next season.
We definetely can. Either him or Schneiderlin would be great additions to our midfield.
I think Willian was at Shaktar wasn't he?
Yes.
Anzhi. He was there for 6 months before being sold to Chelsea after their owner stopped bankrolling them.