Sean Longstaff

[tob]

And what if these sort of players don't turn out to be successful? Then they will hang around like a bad smell too, as they know they won't get a bigger or better gig than United. Please see exhibit A and B for evidence: Jones and Smalling

Buying young hungry players is fine, but you have to have a blend with more established foreign and domestic players. A good team is always about a blend of players.

The reason players like Pogba et al want to move on after a few years is because the football is dire, we have no style of play, managers who don't know how to get the best out of their players and we simply are not winning things. If that was the case do you think players would want to move on?

Buying a player, any player, is always a risk. If wan Bissaka or James don’t turn out to be successful, then you don’t hand them a new contract or you sell them. They’re not on a big salary contract so they won’t be too hard to sell. The only thing is you might lose some money from what you’ve invested in them - but that’s a risk with any player.

The difference when buying a more proven, establish, player is that the salary will go up way higher and if that player don’t get to the standards you’re looking for you’d find it harder to get rid of him because of the salary. Those players then become the “bad smell” or “dead wood” - not Jones or Smalling as both was offered new contracts. You may not agree with giving them new contracts, but those in charge obviously don’t mind having them around.

My point on players becoming successful, and not wanting to leave, was based on the club becoming successful as well. My own thoughts on Pogba is that he’d always leave at some point. Even if United would become successful. And that’s what the concern might be in someone like Ndombélé as well. But not so much of a concern if signing Longstaff.

I’m not saying that we should only look for these kinds of players, but it’s should be the blue-print to get the stability going towards a long successful road.

 

[mitchmouse]

Let me know what world class midfielders are out there for United to go and buy without spending insanity level transfer fees and wages to get, and that want to come here right now. We tried the superstar thing, it hasn’t really worked. I am fine with the new approach.

there's nothing new with the approach - look at who we have at the moment! the market is what the market is: you really think we can't afford a toptop midfield player with the money we are getting for Lukaku and (presumably) Pogba. and if there isn't anyone out there, let's not waste money

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Maybe it's about what style of midfielder you prefer? I personally would place Carrick among the best midfielders we ever had. Absolutely loved his composure and calmness out there. It was a big change from the all guns blazing midfielders we had previously and it took a while to fully appreciate.

Carrick continues to be underrated by some it seems. I think he's definitely up there with only Robson, Scholes and Keane really ahead of him in the time I've been supporting United (since about the early to mid 80s) and he's not that far off them three - as you say a different type of player so difficult to compare but we've missed him so much since he's gone.

 

[luke511]

At 22, Michael Carrick had 4 seasons of PL football. Racking in over 100 PL football appearances for West Ham. At the same age, Longstaff has 9.

People comparing Longstaff to Carrick baffles me, also. Because the comparison is totally disgraceful to one of the best central midfielders we’ve ever had.

Disgraceful has it ran through your mind that it actually might be Carrick who tipped us to sign this guy? I imagine he has a lot of Newcastle fans as mates seeing as he's from there, that have probably made the comparison themselves and let him know about it.

 

[Rozay]

We have had a long period of poor high profile transfers, Longstaff and James are players that excite me and won’t be desperate to join Madrid after a couple of seasons!

Both look hardworking too, something we currently lack.

We also want players Madrid are desperate to sign tbh.

 

[matherto]

So Sean Longstaff then...

 

[DJ Jeff]

Disgraceful has it ran through your mind that it actually might be Carrick who tipped us to sign this guy? I imagine he has a lot of Newcastle fans as mates seeing as he's from there, that have probably made the comparison themselves and let him know about it.

And no matter how average the player I wouldn't say it's a disgrace to compare him to Carrick, who amid his great seasons with us also had terrible ones

 

[RussellWilson]

Can a mod clear this thread up. Longstaff conversation stopped long ago.

 

[Hughes35]

I like him but not sure he’s attainable at the mo. Ashley would be foolish to sell before a new manager is appointed. This could take a while to both appoint, and new manager to then assess. Think we need to move on or else it could be too late.

Maybe there is some truth to Newcastle being sold in the near future. That could mean they are open to selling players at reasonable money so Ashley can pocket the cash before doing a runner?

 

[Red_toad]

Thread is turning into a train crash. Try sticking to Sean Longstaff not reminiscing over previous United midfielders!

Seems a lot are upset we’re supposed to be bidding for him. I’m with the toon fans, he looks a fantastic player in the making. Hope we get him.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Thread is turning into a train crash. Try sticking to Sean Longstaff not reminiscing over previous United midfielders!

Seems a lot are upset we’re supposed to be bidding for him. I’m with the toon fans, he looks a fantastic player in the making. Hope we get him.

Yes can we please stick to Longstaff.

Based on very little, I like the look of the player. Hope it's a good representation of his qualities which would make him a solid addition.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Is this not exactly what we wanted our scouts to be doing ? Or did we want them only buying 15 year old French strikers with surnames starting in M

 

[KM]

Deleted around 40 posts in this thread. Stick to Sean Longstaff.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Is Longstaff recovered from his injury and ready for pre season?

 

[SambaBoy]

We seem to be bidding for a lot of these young English players based upon one good season. Daniel James was very good at Swansea last year albeit inconsistent which is what you would expect from a young kid but was only a few years back that he was on the bench and couldn't get a game for Shrewsbury. He isn't likely to come straight into the team where we are relying on him but if he lives upto his potential then great. If not, I'm sure he can be a decent option of the bench or we can sell him on and make our money back.

Wan Bissaka on the other hand is coming to be first choice. We have invested heavily and obviously expect a return in performances from him. But similarly, a lot of the interviews with former coaches etc state how he was steady coming through the ranks and then this year just seemed to explode into the RB position. I hope he can fulfill his potential and carry on last year's form but he wouldn't be the first young player to have one brilliant season before being mediocre for the rest of his career.

Longstaff was never tipped as one of the young stars breaking through in the UK or even Newcastle. He came out of nowhere really and has had six months or so of good form and now we are in for him if rumours are to be believed.

With the way the market is going, we have to take a risk. If we are waiting to see if these players can produce for another season, then the price will double in the likes of James and Longstaff or other clubs will bid on them.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

If reports of 20m are true then relatively no risk.

 

[Ikon]

Seen this morning that Rondon is hotly tipped to sign for West Ham and that United are in negotiations for Longstaff, at the same time Rafa has released a statement saying the club didn't share his vision of the future, so it makes me wonder if the potential sale of Longstaff was the straw that broke the camel's back...?

 

[Wednesday at Stoke]

Seen this morning that Rondon is hotly tipped to sign for West Ham and that United are in negotiations for Longstaff, at the same time Rafa has released a statement saying the club didn't share his vision of the future, so it makes me wonder if the potential sale of Longstaff was the straw that broke the camel's back...?

I doubt that, he probably wanted money and Ashley didn't want to spend with a takeover in the works.

 

[Ibrahimorich]

No issue with signing him (never heard of him before mind) but 70k per week? WTF?

 

[slir32]

I have no issues with signing him if he has potential as long as it doesn't hamper our signings of first team players.

 

[LLMU]

In the Grand scheme of things, this seems to be the safe option to find a long term replacement for Matic. I have not heard of him before too and that is probably i never paid attention to Newcastle at all last season.

 

[AJ10]

Him plus a first team quality Mid.

 

[izec]

He is quite cheap and if he really played as well as people say (i have no clue outside of youtube), then i dont see the downside. The injury isnt the issue, he is young. If he is fit for the tour, that would be great. Another, more experienced or bigger name midfield addition would be great though.

 

[charlenefan]

Still feels like tabloid talk this, we're getting on for 2 months since this story first surfaced and unlike the James and AWB stories we've still yet to actually make contact with Newcastle and put a bid in (that we know of)

I expect he's a player we're keeping an eye on but for a future window which makes sense given the lack of PL games he's got under his belt

 

[Irrational.]

Is this happening? I think this will be an indication of how good our scouting system is as no other clubs are even sniffing at him.

 

[Ikon]

It's a tricky one to call as he has so little experience in the Premier League, but if his YouTube clips are anything to judge by, he does seem to be a real talent.
He has played over 70 senior games on loan for Kilmarnock & at Blackpool last season, scoring 12 goals in the process, and some of those were screamers.

I suppose one way of looking at it, would you sign a 21 year old Carrick/Scholes/Beckham before they were established and became a household name with a huge price tag to match?

This could be a stroke of genius, but we shall just have to wait and see.....

 

[Adam-Utd]

Is this happening? I think this will be an indication of how good our scouting system is as no other clubs are even sniffing at him.

It seems fairly clear we are interested, but he's only just returned from an ACL injury. He literally just started running and kicking a ball again last month, so perhaps we are waiting to see if he is "OK" again.

I think if this does get done it'll be 1 for the future.

 

[Thisistheone]

Happy with this but still want to add another midfielder like Bruno. Encouraging in a way to see us trying to identify UK talent early the way Liverpool snapped up Robertson and Leicester with Maguire and Maddison.

 

[buckooo1978]

if you are good enough you are old/experienced enough

if our scouts and management team have identified the guy you have to trust them - the only other option is to moan - we dont have the ideal structures in place but that isnt going to change anytime soon...

we all know all the crying in this thread will change nothing anyway

 

[Rozay]

if you are good enough you are old/experienced enough

if our scouts and management team have identified the guy you have to trust them - the only other option is to moan - we dont have the ideal structures in place but that isnt going to change anytime soon...

we all know all the crying in this thread will change nothing anyway

Indeed.

Tbh, if this signing doesn’t work it, the caf consensus would be that we don’t even have scouts and Woodward was the one who watched and selected him!

 

[LonelyFire]

It seems fairly clear we are interested, but he's only just returned from an ACL injury. He literally just started running and kicking a ball again last month, so perhaps we are waiting to see if he is "OK" again.

I think if this does get done it'll be 1 for the future.

Granted, I don’t know the specifics but pretty sure it wasn’t an ACL injury - that’s a 9-12 month layoff. Most likely medial ligament.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

Buying a player, any player, is always a risk. If wan Bissaka or James don’t turn out to be successful, then you don’t hand them a new contract or you sell them. They’re not on a big salary contract so they won’t be too hard to sell. The only thing is you might lose some money from what you’ve invested in them - but that’s a risk with any player.

The difference when buying a more proven, establish, player is that the salary will go up way higher and if that player don’t get to the standards you’re looking for you’d find it harder to get rid of him because of the salary. Those players then become the “bad smell” or “dead wood” - not Jones or Smalling as both was offered new contracts. You may not agree with giving them new contracts, but those in charge obviously don’t mind having them around.

My point on players becoming successful, and not wanting to leave, was based on the club becoming successful as well. My own thoughts on Pogba is that he’d always leave at some point. Even if United would become successful. And that’s what the concern might be in someone like Ndombélé as well. But not so much of a concern if signing Longstaff.

I’m not saying that we should only look for these kinds of players, but it’s should be the blue-print to get the stability going towards a long successful road.

I agree. Having Smalling and Jones in the first XI concerns me because I'd like something better, more reliable, more conducive to modern passing football at the back but as squadies I don't actually mind them (certainly not Smalling who is a good defender). Having the likes of Sanchez concerns me because not only is he not providing the goods on the field but his signing has blown our wage structure apart and adding his age into the mix means it's almost impossible to move him on. No doubt we could have better players than all three of them, but rating the transfers in terms of what has done more harm now and to our preparations for the future it's the Sanchez deal that has been worse for us.

 

[BlueHaze]

Not a fan about the prospect of signing him. I don't see how he'd improve us in any way. Actually I even rate Scott higher.

 

[Nickosaur]

Not a fan about the prospect of signing him. I don't see how he'd improve us in any way. Actually I even rate Scott higher.

But they would play entirely different roles...

 

[NJM78]

But they would play entirely different roles...

So do you see our midfield once Pogba leaves and Matic is done consisting of McTominay and Longstaff.
Not a dig at you, I just wonder what fans are seeing because for me that wins us nothing. For me as back ups, they would be fine. But I would expect us to have a midfield the caliber of the likes of the top teams in our league and Europe.

 

[BlueHaze]

But they would play entirely different roles...

There's not much difference between the two. We need players who will be big improvements. Would rather pay a higher fee and get Rice.

 

[RedRover]

Not a fan about the prospect of signing him. I don't see how he'd improve us in any way. Actually I even rate Scott higher.

That's a decent call for a player who's played a handful of first team games, most of which I suspect you haven't seen. If it happens I guess the scouts and the top brass feel otherwise.

If this is legitimate interest then I'm all for it. Clearly he's a player they've watched and given the turmoil at Newcastle, I suspect they think he's a viable option for a decent fee.

I'm excited about United looking to bring in young British players, rather than see them go to other clubs and do well. Whilst the past counts for nothing, that approach brought success in the past. It'll be nice, as a fan to be able to watch these players develop. Watching overpaid stars who don't perform is hard work.

I also think that if this lad was a Spanish or Brazilian Under-21 international, some fans would be a lot more excited. And if he went to Spurs for £20 million and did well, everyone'd be moaning about how useless our scouts are. The club seem to find themselves in a no win situation at times.

 

[mitchmouse]

the more I think about this, the more I see 6th place looming...

 

[mitchmouse]

That's a decent call for a player who's played a handful of first team games, most of which I suspect you haven't seen. If it happens I guess the scouts and the top brass feel otherwise.

If this is legitimate interest then I'm all for it. Clearly he's a player they've watched and given the turmoil at Newcastle, I suspect they think he's a viable option for a decent fee.

I'm excited about United looking to bring in young British players, rather than see them go to other clubs and do well. Whilst the past counts for nothing, that approach brought success in the past. It'll be nice, as a fan to be able to watch these players develop. Watching overpaid stars who don't perform is hard work.

I also think that if this lad was a Spanish or Brazilian Under-21 international, some fans would be a lot more excited. And if he went to Spurs for £20 million and did well, everyone'd be moaning about how useless our scouts are. The club seem to find themselves in a no win situation at times.

why the hell does them being British make them a plus? This seems to be thing with Ole. I just want us to sign the best players we can (and we should be attractive to most) even if they come from the Moon

 

[BlueHaze]

That's a decent call for a player who's played a handful of first team games, most of which I suspect you haven't seen. If it happens I guess the scouts and the top brass feel otherwise.

If this is legitimate interest then I'm all for it. Clearly he's a player they've watched and given the turmoil at Newcastle, I suspect they think he's a viable option for a decent fee.

I'm excited about United looking to bring in young British players, rather than see them go to other clubs and do well. Whilst the past counts for nothing, that approach brought success in the past. It'll be nice, as a fan to be able to watch these players develop. Watching overpaid stars who don't perform is hard work.

I also think that if this lad was a Spanish or Brazilian Under-21 international, some fans would be a lot more excited. And if he went to Spurs for £20 million and did well, everyone'd be moaning about how useless our scouts are. The club seem to find themselves in a no win situation at times.

I'm also a fan of bringing in young and brittish but there are better options out there like Rice for example. Those are the types I want us to sign.