But still a bit mad all the same. Won't matter if he gives us 3-4 great years. It will if he fails and shows a decline in a year or two.
Nemanja Matic| BBC says deal agreed
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I fear that is a very apt comparison. I think he'll end up being more or less a dud.
Hopefully I'm dead wrong, though.
He's also 29 which makes it a little bit "not right". Either way, he has to deliver from the get go given his age.
Rooney's game was reliant on his athleticism. Matic's isn't. The nature of their declines will be totally different.
I didn't say signing a defensive midfielder or defender for 40 million was weird. Any other 29 year old defensive midfielder been signed for 40 million of late? I'd be surprised if so.
Either way none of this will matter if he has a cracking season. It certainly will if he doesn't produce the goods for us.
Left foot like a traction engine...
Some of you guys don't get that Mourinho is signing him because he KNOWS him and what he will give out team in an important second season in charge and the challenges we face. Fabinho, Verratti or any other midfielder won't give us - guaranteed, predictable performances. He'll cost us over the odds. Whether we like it or not that's the reality so let just get on with it. If our owners don't pay the price then they'll only weaken their company, our club. If they can't handle the prices then they should sell the club and get a good price while it still has a good reputation.
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Pogba is easily the most talented midfielder in the league. Herrera was excellent last season. And Matic is defensively very strong.
Why? Is Matic the only midfielder capable of consistency? I agree that Mourinho knows him well so hopefully he's the right fit and has an excellent season.
Good. A capable, experienced, and solid body in midfield. An upgrade on Carrick as a DM, and a totally different player to Pogba, Fellaini, and Herrera. He knows Mourinho and the PL which will be massive in terms of him hitting the ground running.
And ffs, he's not old.
And ffs, he's not old.
Exactly. If anything, we might be getting him in his best years. People are reading too much into his 'decline' in the last two years.
Do feel though that with an extra midfielder playing, we might need a more prolific winger than Perisic.
Hes been asked to play a different system last season and had Kante beside him, which probably hampered him. Mourinho will have him protecting the back 4 on his own and this will allow him to get back playing to his best.
Thats ok we can sell him to Italy in 2 years time he can go on for another 5 years there.
Must be the weather.
Honestly have to say if I were a United fan I wouldn't care about the fee, he is probably the most important signing you will make this season. It's not his individual skill as a player it's what he brings to the team and the freedom he will slow your other players.
It's the FM/FIFA syndrome. As soon as a player hits 23 he's shipped off to the glue factory.
We desperately needed a new defensive midfielder. Carrick has been rubbish in this preseason and generally quite average.
Relatively pleased with this. Hoping it's the case that the system Conte used exposed Matic's weaknesses more than the one we're likely to and added to the sense that he's in decline.
So has Lindelof, if we want to extrapolate player performances from preseason
Lindelof isn't in his 35s and isn't new to the team so it's a pointless comparison.
His brainfarts in the preseason fixtures have little to do with age or chemistry.
Yay...Welcome to the biggest club in the world
To be honest I hope Herrera's playing time is cut. Matic and Pogba for standard games with a no.10 or two up front and then bring in Herrera for bigger games/ when Matic is unavailable.
Not too sure I'd like to see that midfield trio on a regular basis.
Not too sure I'd like to see that midfield trio on a regular basis.
Without Herrera there's no urgency in the side, strange anyone would want less Herrera
Chelsea friend of mine gave me this assessment:
"There will be times this season where you're going to be pleasantly surprised by how much Matic adds to the team from an offensive perspective, and other times where you're quietly dismayed by how little he does in terms of defensive play."
"There will be times this season where you're going to be pleasantly surprised by how much Matic adds to the team from an offensive perspective, and other times where you're quietly dismayed by how little he does in terms of defensive play."
I think Matic is a player that will go straight into the side giving 7/10 performances or above. Of course I'd prefer a player of greater potential for the future but would for example Dier definitely reach that? No guarantee. Matic is strong that's true but players generally keep their strength well past them losing pace, and Matic relies much more on positioning, reading of the game and intelligent distribution. Can see him playing top level for 4 years under Mourinho with very little 'bedding in'. Not a 'spectacular' signing but I'd say a really sensible one. If it was football manager I wouldn't sign him (as pointed out above we all strive for a team of under 25's) but in real life I'd say he's one of the world's best.
I would, it's excites me, a lot. Matic hold g and distributing (his passing isn't nearly as bad as is made out on here), Herrera balance between defensive work rate and technical ability and Pogba pulling the strings. It's about as balanced of a midfield as you'll see.
It rather looks to me that we broke the impasse on signing players by having to put Fellaini up for sale to fund the purchases.
Glad we got this important position sorted with proven quality who knows his tactical role in Jose's system already. Should be minimal settling in required. Defensively we should be very sound. Just need to sort out the offensive.
Glad we got this important position sorted with proven quality who knows his tactical role in Jose's system already. Should be minimal settling in required. Defensively we should be very sound. Just need to sort out the offensive.
feck me. What an underwhelming transfer window.
Yep, it's that max of £10m we'll get for Fellaini that has freed up....£40m transfers
It hasnt been that bad, we are buying what's required. Not every year can be Pogba etc.
Via Shed End.
Carricks not very good nowadays.
Good player, but not really the future. We will have a really strong central midfield next season though. Will hardly get bullied, but we will probably still struggle for goals. The price is big and too much, but well that is the market these days. Probably worth it if he can perform well and help us in the big games.
He will do a job and do it well.
It is well known that Rooney peaked early due to him not looking after himself.
Had he looked after himself, he'd probably still be at the peak of his powers, today.
Bastian - I am not sure why he declined so early. Pep said that Bastian had not been fit for 2 years before he joined us. So perhaps Bayern fans could explain better, why Bastian was "done" at such an early age.
The 2 best players in the World are currently around the 30 yr mark.
He's a definite upgrade on current Carrick and fellaini. He will be a good signing, so will perisic and while I don't think we will win the league this year we will comfortably make top 4 and keep building. Experienced players are needed to guide the younger lads. There is no real middle on the squad anymore. The players are either young or old. We need a few late 20s players.
Not an exciting transfer, but probably one that was required to get the best out of Pogba and Herrera. If this allows Pogba to become the player he is capable of being (which is a top 3 cm in the world, and a guy who can challenge for best player in the league) than it is 40 million well spent.
He will be important for us, though I'm concerned that we will soon need to seek his replacement.
Nzonzi is going for more or less 40m and he is almost the same age too.
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