Lukaku would be the true loss. Davy Klaasen of Ajax looks set to replace Barkley....
Michael Keane| signed to Everton.
- Thread starter Classical Mechanic
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Definitely. Puts a little spanner into the argument that all young emerging talents in England are massively overpriced. Did Burnley even drop a million quid on him? We have to find these gems and cultivate them.
Think he's a solid young CB that I'd rather have back than continue with Jones and Smalling.
It is not a very good collection of CBs.
Bailly is totally unproven. He has been quite good this season, but still is very unexperienced and makes basic mistakes.
Rojo has been grand this season, no doubt. But is that his level, or he has been just in a purple patch? He was shit for the previous 2 seasons.
Smalling oscillates between totally awful and average. Keane is average. Tuanzabe has played 2 games.
I believe this would be a shrewd Mourinho move. We are the second strongest defense in the PL this season (and that after recurring injuries to our CBs), so instead of going into the market for a class defender which would cost United upwards of £40million, he might be choosing to bring back a local lad who will also count as a homegrown player. I will be happy with this move.
But £25m is a bit too high especially when you consider he's got a little more than 1yr left on his contract. I'm guessing we'll end up buying him for £10-£15m.
But £25m is a bit too high especially when you consider he's got a little more than 1yr left on his contract. I'm guessing we'll end up buying him for £10-£15m.
Superb post.
United have signed more 'world-class' players in the past 4 years post-Ferguson than during his entire reign, and fallen out of the top 4.
This is the YouTube generation though; the highlights compilation never revealed Pogba's flaws. That's why Rashford is undervalued by many; they only see Mbappe or Dembele's carefully selected best bits, yet see the inevitable flaws of Rashford's age/inexperience manifest itself in full games.
It's that moronic mentality that sees many on here prefer Donnarumma to Pickford or Butland. Small minds require exotic names to stimulate them.
Keane is a superior natural defender than Jones, and a far better distributor of the ball than Smalling, so therefore is in upgrade on both.
Wait untill he gets here.And he's not constantly on the injury list like Smalling and Jones
I would not have had a problem with 4 CB options of:
Bailly Rojo Smalling Jones
With Jones being injured so oftern, I feel he should be replaced. Hence, I don't mind the following four options for our 2 CB starting roles:
Bailly Rojo Smalling Keane.
I also like the idea of having players who were with United when growing up. Once(and if) we start playing well and challenging for the "real" trophies, having the likes of Rashford, Perreira, Pogba, Lingard, Keane as an active part of the playing team will be a bonus and do wonders for the team morale.
Bailly Rojo Smalling Jones
With Jones being injured so oftern, I feel he should be replaced. Hence, I don't mind the following four options for our 2 CB starting roles:
Bailly Rojo Smalling Keane.
I also like the idea of having players who were with United when growing up. Once(and if) we start playing well and challenging for the "real" trophies, having the likes of Rashford, Perreira, Pogba, Lingard, Keane as an active part of the playing team will be a bonus and do wonders for the team morale.
I think we need more quality in CB TBH. I don't mind Keane but if he's bought then both Smalling/Rojo and Jones must go and we add someone who can make a difference in defense.
Dailymail say we're set to resign him for 25m
I really hope we don't pursue this. After Smalling, Jones even Shaw. Please, no more English CB's on training wheels. Just sign an experienced CB and put him next to Bailly.
Tuanzebe has just broken into the first team. Why go for another young English CB that totally kills him.
I dont agree.. We should sign him he is better than both of the Chuckle brothers and more reliable.
Is he really better? I'm sure Jones and Smalling would look like world beaters in Sean Dyches set up.
I would like to see that...
When it comes to Mourinho and center backs I'm more than happy to go with his judgement.
I'm more worried about Smalling and Jones not leaving in the summer than I am any CB brought in.
I'm more worried about Smalling and Jones not leaving in the summer than I am any CB brought in.
Experienced CB like who? There's only 4 world class CB I would say. We can't get any of them so I don't care who we get as long as they are more reliable and as good as Jones and Smalling.. improvement can be done by working with Mourinho, he's made Cahill believe he's a class CB.
Definitely don't want! Bailly, Rojo, Tuanzebe and a new first choice CB (not someone at Keane's level) next season
I'd place a bet right now that 3 at the back will be our preferred formation next season
Out of him and Maguire I would take Maguire.
Think he is the better prospect.
Think he is the better prospect.
Keane is just as experienced now as Bailly was when we signed him. If a player is good enough why get hung up on experience?
If he's good we should sign him back, but it really bothers me to the point how having one good season in the PL will get him 100k a week. I feel like this is what is wrong with modern football, players get paid based on their future potential rather than their merits and performances. We do not know how he'll turn out for us YET. This may be the same case as Stones who was good in Everton but struggled in City. We should offer him 60k per week, right now he's getting 25k at Burnley and if his performances improve for us then we can have him as one of the highest wage earners. It's too much money thrown around very quickly at these young players and then they lose their focus and don't stay grounded. I feel like 100k a week has become a standard salary for a player signing for United these days. SAF was a good negotiator and he kept a lot of the young players grounded.
£25m for an average CB that has a year left on his contract? Wouldn't it be better if we waited 6 months and signed him on a free atleast?
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I didn't think we even got £2m for him did we?
I like him, would be happy to have him back, but it would be yet another indication of how badly mismanaged we have been in recent years.
David Gill, surely?
I doubt any manager has a say in a players wage as that would be conducted via the employer, might be wrong.
Makes my eyes bleed, reading something like that...we should start paying teams for loaning out our talents and developing them. Would be cheaper then our current tactics. I can see something similar happen to Januzaj if we sell him (to the right club where he can fullfil his potential). But seriously, he didn't show anything to be picked in front of Smalling or Jones when he was at the club, apart from some new experience he got nothing new.
We should rather go all in for Manolas..
I wouldn't say he's average, there's a reason pretty much all the top clubs in the country are showing an interest. Burnley are a distinctly unfashionable club but he's definitely got something about him. He reminds me of a slightly better Gary Cahill when he was back at Bolton when it was obvious he was going on for better things (although Chelsea got something of a steal there with his contract running out).
good solid premiership defender who is pretty decent on the ball, would be an upgrade on Smalling and Jones, plus so far has been a lot less injury prone in his career (i no with our record that could change very quick) plus would help the home grown quota, 25m i see as a decent price overall.
Would be a good signing and one that is needed. I actually think our Defence would be pretty good with Bailey, Rojo and Keane battling for the 2 spots with only one of the softies (Smalling/jones) left to a squad option.
Of all the rumours I've read so far (the press don't have a clue) I reckon this is the most likely.
In general I agree. Imagine Michael Keane coming from Monaco, Porto or similar being named Dembele. Some of his biggest critiques would be far more interested, I am sure.
In addition to being a better distributor of the ball and Smalling (and Jones), he brings more stability than both of them. He is more calm. More focused. In general a "smarter" footballer. He don't goes "ball watching" every second match (Smalling) or jumping in to tackles like an idiot (Jones).
I would say its easier comparing him to the Rojo we have seen the last six months. But Keane is better on the ball, and less likely to do something stupid (shooting from 40 yards when we need a goal or exposing himself for a red card).
Average how? He plays for an average club, but it isn't until he plays with better players that you can define him.
He looked far more accomplished than Smalling vs Germany; his comfort on the ball and ability play accurate passes forward were glaringly superior to the player who's effectively been a regular fixture of United's defence for the past 3 years.
He will be an upgrade on Smalling IMO, and he's having a better season this year than Rojo did last; factor in the Mourinho management that's straightened out Marcos, and there's a good chance Keane will flourish.
Is Keane significantly better than the defenders we have? That would be my one concern.
If we did sign him I'd expect another centre half to come in too and I'd suspect it would mean the end for 2 of our defenders.
As for what he will cost I agree £25m is too much for a lad who's got a year left on his contract. £20m max would mean £15m for us given we have a 25% sell on.
As for what he will cost I agree £25m is too much for a lad who's got a year left on his contract. £20m max would mean £15m for us given we have a 25% sell on.
He's definitely not. Jones and Smalling are good defenders, much as people would like to believe contrary. Keane hasn't been tested at this level, and even where he has bad games, his errors are typically glossed over because nobody is bothered to watch Burnley. He may well go on to be a better defender, but at the moment he's nothing more than a respectable PL CB for a lower side team. It'd be of far more benefit to go Saints or Everton for a year or two.
It's a bit strange and funny to think that Jones is only a year older too.
He was given a few starts on early during LVGs reign and he made a handful of errors. I remember there was an own goal and some general naive passing. Just because he's doing well for an ultra defensive bottom half team, doesn't mean he's good enough to play for United.
I agree on him being an upgrade on Smalling though. I wouldn't be against signing him in Jan for free or for a much less money than being quoted.
I might be letting the fact that he's from our academy cloud my judgement but I do think he's quite a good player, if there's anything Mourinho can do it's identify a good CB. We may look stupid resigning another ex-player but I feel like we need players who understand and have a connection with the club (who are actually good at football, like Pogba/Rashford) who will take us forward. I think he'd be a good signing for us.
It says we have a 25% sell-on clause on him. Does that mean that we'd be effectively paying 19 million or the official price is actually 34 million?
He's bang average. This is why English clubs are shit in Europe. The English talent at the moment is awful yet they still spunk huge sums on English players. 15 years ago you got Rio Ferdinand, now it's John Stones and Michael fecking Keane. He's a half decent player but nothing special at all. The only 2 English players really worth going for: we already have one of them in Rashford, the other is Dele Alli. Even Kane is far too Bambi-on-Ice for my liking. All this talk of Dier and Keane is doing my head in.
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