Michael Keane

Correct decision to let him go and his career will benefit from leaving and playing regular first team football rather than coming back to play in the reserves.

I think a lot of the academy products aged 19-21 will be moved on in the summer, Wilson and Januzaj are only ones I see getting any significant game time (Blackett & McNair might if injuries continue) and I don’t see much of a future here for any of the others because there will be too much competition once new signings are made.
 
Looks like a good player, shame he didn't do himself any favours in pre-season and at the season start, else he may have got a look in. I think he'll be a good player but not quite United level just like Shawcross.
 
Good luck to him - I reckon he will be a solid PL defender for years to come but Im not suprised to see him go, was pretty clear that LvG didnt rate him after preseason.

Personally I think he is a better player than either McNair or Blackett but hopefully we are going to bring in someone of a much higher level than that anyway.
 
He's better than McNair and Blackett, and dare I say it, even better than Evans. I'd rather have kept him in the squad as fifth choice centre back while bringing two in this summer and selling Evans but Keane is no huge loss. He'll be a solid Premier League centre back to come though, I'm sure of it.
 
Cassidy said:
Looks like a good player, shame he didn't do himself any favours in pre-season and at the season start, else he may have got a look in. I think he'll be a good player but not quite United level just like Shawcross.
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Rood said:
Good luck to him - I reckon he will be a solid PL defender for years to come but Im not suprised to see him go, was pretty clear that LvG didnt rate him after preseason.

Personally I think he is a better player than either McNair or Blackett but hopefully we are going to bring in someone of a much higher level than that anyway.
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This and this. He'll end up a solid player. Good luck to him.
 
Bit surprised and a little disappointed. Ah well, he needs to be playing regularly at this age. Good luck Michael.
 
The fee is 2 million supposedly.
 
Not the first highly rated youngster to end up not making it, and certainly won't be the last.

Best of luck to him, I hope he has a good career ahead of him, but if he was better than our other options he'd be playing ahead of them.
 
Señor said:
He's better than McNair and Blackett, and dare I say it, even better than Evans. I'd rather have kept him in the squad as fifth choice centre back while bringing two in this summer and selling Evans but Keane is no huge loss. He'll be a solid Premier League centre back to come though, I'm sure of it.
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I think many posters here forget how good Evans has actually been for us, aside from his poor form this season obviously.
 
Rood said:
Bargain for Burnley if true - even at the £4m talked about yesterday it would have been a good deal for them.
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Their transfer record is below £3m, isn't it?
 
Before this season, I was under the impression that Keane and Thorpe were our two best CB prospects, with Blackett having had a poor loan spell, and McNair not being on the radar at all.

Now we're about to sell Keane, Thorpe hasn't had a look in, Blackett's getting a fair few games, and McNair has played ten this season. The world's turned upside down!

Hope we have a buyback clause on Keane. I know they rarely ever get used, but just in case.
 
Currently he may be better than Blackett and McNair and potentially even better than Evans (at his best) but he needs consistent game time to reach that level (he's almost 22). We cannot provide that and also we'll be looking to sign new senior CBs which could mean even Smailing and Jones could turn out to be just squad players. Moving is best for his current and future career. (Sighs) Another one bites the dust!
 
I think It's quite possible that Blackett would be allowed to leave as well if we had a good offer and he wanted first team football regularly. Especially at a PL club.
 
If he was a Burnley player and United wanted to sign him as an upgrade to Blackett and McNair I expect we'd be asked to pay around £7 million
 
Disappointed we're letting him go (and of course for so little money) but I wish him the best for the future; I rate him and expect he'll do well for Burnley.
 
Good luck to him, I remember he played a couple of Carling cup games and I thought he looked like he had huge potential, plus I recall Rio rating him.
 
Ekeke said:
If he was a Burnley player and United wanted to sign him as an upgrade to Blackett and McNair I expect we'd be asked to pay around £7 million
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But that would be a totally different scenario, wouldn't it? It would suggest that he was an important player for Burnley that we wanted to take, and thus there'd be a premium to convince them with a player they're rather keep. In this case, it seems we don't want to keep him - we're perfectly willing to let him go, so the deal is cheaper.
 
Shawcross mk2. Good player and perhaps should have got more money for us but never quite good enough for United. We have about 6 CB's better than him so the right move for him personally as well.
 
iBoss said:
Won't last.
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It seems you hope it doesn't, you're not even considering that he might. The way you talk about Blackett one would think he's the worst player to don the red of United in ages. Fair enough thats your opinion, only time will tell. He can easily cover for Rojo and Shaw at LCB and LB respectively, he'll be an asset.
 
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Not really a fan of that slogan, if I'm honest.
 
Count Orduck said:
But that would be a totally different scenario, wouldn't it? It would suggest that he was an important player for Burnley that we wanted to take, and thus there'd be a premium to convince them with a player they're rather keep. In this case, it seems we don't want to keep him - we're perfectly willing to let him go, so the deal is cheaper.
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I'm saying we should want to keep him unless they want to pay a competitive price for a player who is better than 2 CBs who have played games for us this season. And he is an important player for Burnley. It might not quite be the same price we'd pay for him, but we shouldnt be getting half or less. If they sell him in a season it'll be for a big price hike
 
J-Stander said:
The fee is 2 million supposedly.
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A bargain if ever there was one. I fully expect Keane to play for his country and go on to have a long, successful career as a Premier League defender.

With that said, the timing is right for all parties. We need better and Keane needs game time. Good move.
 
Cooksen said:
I would assume that we have first dibs on him if he becomes a great cb?
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You mean like Shawcross and Rossi? Those buy back clauses never happen with us.

Good luck to Keane, but he's in the same level of players like Bardsley, McShane, Richardson, Shawcross etc, decent PL player but not top four quality
 
Good player who'll hopefully go on to have a fine career but letting him go is probably the right move. He's looked like falling short of making the grade at United for a while now and I'm not sure what those of you who say he'll forever be a better player and/or defender than McNair are basing that on, given McNair's exceptional development as a footballer and an athlete over the past 18-24 months. The only time Keane struck me as a potential United player was during his Championship loan-spell at Leicester (when he was a touch older than McNair is now btw, and a much more experienced defender) but he hasn't really kicked on and eradicated his weaknesses.
 
Ekeke said:
I'm saying we should want to keep him unless they want to pay a competitive price for a player who is better than 2 CBs who have played games for us this season. And he is an important player for Burnley. It might not quite be the same price we'd pay for him, but we shouldnt be getting half or less. If they sell him in a season it'll be for a big price hike
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I do see what you mean, but it's a matter of convenience. If we don't see a future for him, we won't hold out for a more competitive price if that scuppers the deal. £4million is better than nothing, after all. Besides which, he seems settled and happy in that team and we do try and do right by our youngsters in terms of giving them a good move even if we don't get full value for it.
 
All the best to the lad. Any ideas on whether a buy back clause has been inserted?
 
Count Orduck said:
I do see what you mean, but it's a matter of convenience. If we don't see a future for him, we won't hold out for a more competitive price if that scuppers the deal. £4million is better than nothing, after all. Besides which, he seems settled and happy in that team and we do try and do right by our youngsters in terms of giving them a good move even if we don't get full value for it.
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Indeed. Playing hard ball over every last million is a bit of a dick move when you're talking about (relatively) small sums of money and you've got a young player who cost us nothing and is happy at his current club. I'd much rather United behaved like that than indulge in the Football Manager bean-counting so beloved of many on here.

Plus it must make our academy more appealing to young kids (and their parents) who might be torn between joining United or a different club.
 
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Strange that we are letting him go, okay he may not be good enough for the ambitions we have but surely if LGV insists playing 3 at the back rest of the season and we fail to bring in 1/2 cbs this January he'd be useful right now, i mean he isn't no worse than Blackett/McNair right?
 
Mister_Stubbs said:
Strange that we are letting him go, okay he may not be good enough for the ambitions we have but surely if LGV insists playing 3 at the back rest of the season and we fail to bring in 1/2 cbs this January he'd be useful right now, i mean he isn't no worse than Blackett/McNair right?
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Well i dont think so but obviousley LVG does or he would probably still be here.
As for Cb's we have jones, Rojo, Smalling, Evans, Mcnair, Blackett and Carrick all capable of playing in a back three (Blind could probably do a job on the left of a 3 if needed as well)
So we should be well stocked in that area if we play 3 at the back or two - (if our injury luck changes a bit)
 
Count Orduck said:
I do see what you mean, but it's a matter of convenience. If we don't see a future for him, we won't hold out for a more competitive price if that scuppers the deal. £4million is better than nothing, after all. Besides which, he seems settled and happy in that team and we do try and do right by our youngsters in terms of giving them a good move even if we don't get full value for it.
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All true.

It just seems a bit of a con where we can have a player who is in demand and he's worth x, but if another club had the same player in demand he's worth 2x.
 
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