Solskjaer target 5 signings; 6 players could leave [BBC, Telegraph, Guardian]

How about this for a realistic (I hope!) yet ambitious summer:

In: Sancho/Pepe, Milenkovic/Skriniar, Meunier, Barella/Pellegrini/Fernando's, Ascacibar.

Out: Rojo, Herrera, Bailly, Valencia, Wilson, CBJ, Darmian, Sanchez, Grant, Mitchell, TFM, Pereira (?)

Promoted / Emergency cover: Garner, Greenwood, Chong, Laird, O'connor, Gomes, Tuanzebe.

I know it's a lot of movement however I think it represents a great future investment, balanced with a substantial immediate improvement.

Depending on sale/purchase prices & which balance of options we go for I feel like that'd be doable for a 250-300m net spend.

When factoring in the age profile of the squad at that point, going forward we'd be looking at the usual 2/3 player summers as being suitable for many years to come.

Maybe I've been playing too much football manager.
 
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OleGunnar20 said:
How about this for a realistic (I hope!) yet ambitious summer:

In: Sancho/Pepe, Milenkovic/Skriniar, Meunier, Barella/Pellegrini/Fernando's, Ascacibar.

Out: Rojo, Herrera, Bailly, Valencia, Wilson, CBJ, Darmian, Sanchez, Grant, Mitchell, TFM, Pereira (?)

Promoted / Emergency cover: Garner, Greenwood, Chong, Laird, O'connor, Gomes, Tuanzebe.

I know it's a lot of movement however I think it represents a great future investment, balanced with a substantial immediate improvement.

Depending on sale/purchase prices & which balance of options we go for I feel like that'd be doable for a 250-300m net spend.

When factoring in the age profile of the squad at that point, going forward we'd be looking at the usual 2/3 player summers as being suitable for many years to come.

Maybe I've been playing too much football manager.
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Why would we need Milenkovic unless Pogba was leaving?
 
Didn't know about Bruno until I watched a YouTube compilation just now. Damn, we've been crying out for a threat outside the box when we fail to break teams down.
 
ravi2 said:
Why would we need Milenkovic unless Pogba was leaving?
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You're getting two players mixed up mate.

Sergej Milinković-Savić is the midfielder
Nikola Milenković is a defender.
 
Looking more and more like the Director of football isn't going to happen, personally think thats a huge error that is gonna cost us in the long term.
Hopefully though we have learnt our lesson on the Sanchez signing, don't sign players-on big wages and long contracts when they are nearing 30.
 
Josep Dowling said:
Sarri will he sacked at the end of the season and there is absolutely no way Kanté is leaving Chelsea. This isn’t FM. We need realistic target. Any players from top Champions League rivals aren’t coming here.

We need to be looking at top British talent and players from the likes of Napoli, Dortmund and maybe Atletico.
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Yeah, because buying players from Chelsea is totally unrealistic for Manchester United

United-AP_4.jpg
 
Is it just me or is there anyone who feels dalot would be a better fit at RW over RB? That would give an open slot to someone like AWB?
 
Dwazza Gunnar Solskjær said:
Dalot would be our only right back and he's a bit undertook so AWB is a great buy. We need competition for places to make players improve.
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Like I've said, I have no problem with competition for a place in the team, but I would prefer that came from players in difference stages in their career. Why buy a young up and coming RB one year only to buy another up and coming RB the next year?
 
Ian Reus said:
They were looking rid, not this time though.
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Sure, but I doubt Kante is happy playing out of position. I don't think it is as hard to imagine as some would think. The big issue (that I forgot about) is Chelsea's transfer ban. They may not be too keen to let players go if they can't replace them, even if they wanted to leave...
 
SungSam7 said:
Is it just me or is there anyone who feels dalot would be a better fit at RW over RB? That would give an open slot to someone like AWB?
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He's shown some nice flashes of skill there, but I'd massively worry about him being our actual right winger, as I don't think he's got anywhere near enough threat. It's one thing coming in occasionally, but once you expect things of him it'd a totally different scenario.

Bit like the McTom position. I expect nothing of him, so beyond that meagre standard I'm surprised when he betters it.
Whereas Pogba, I expect the world, so am therefore disappointed, even if he produces way above McTom's output.
 
Sandikan said:
He's shown some nice flashes of skill there, but I'd massively worry about him being our actual right winger, as I don't think he's got anywhere near enough threat. It's one thing coming in occasionally, but once you expect things of him it'd a totally different scenario.

Bit like the McTom position. I expect nothing of him, so beyond that meagre standard I'm surprised when he betters it.
Whereas Pogba, I expect the world, so am therefore disappointed, even if he produces way above McTom's output.
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What I noticed from him, if he's given space he can punish, with time he can only get better. The fact that Valencia was one of a our star performers at RW once upon a time literally opens the door to someone like dalot.

I've not been convinced by his defensive performances but his slight bit of trickery could give us something in a position we are crying out for!
 
Not going to make a wish-list of signings because I haven't a clue who we're actually after, but in terms of departures, these would be my definites:

Alexis Sanchez - Wonderful idea at the time, but it's just not worked out. Looks a shadow of the player he was, and I can't see him ever coming close to justifying his wages.

Marcos Rojo - Don't really get the point of him anymore. Would much rather see an academy player take over the reserve central defender role that Rojo has been filling.

Ashley Young - Understood the idea behind retaining someone with experience, but he's simply not good enough anymore, and is just a huge liability whenever he plays.

Antonio Valencia - Think it's been clear for a while that his time at United is over. Been a good player for us, but it's time for him to move on.

Matteo Darmian - Been clear for a while that he's not good enough. Wasting a space in the squad on him.

On top of the above, I'd look at moving on one of the following:

Chris Smalling - Flashes of brilliance undone by moments of calamity. Not too composed on the ball, but if he's happy with it, not a bad squad option while newer players settle in.

Phil Jones - We've long given up on him reaching that early, promised potential, and he's still just as injury prone as ever. Would probably be the one I'd be looking to shift.


After that, you're looking at the potential departures of the likes of Mata and Herrera, who ideally you'd like to keep hold of at least for a while longer, but if wage demands are unreasonable and better replacements are available, I wouldn't be heartbroken with their departures.

Finally, we've got the current crop of players away on loan. It's seeming fairly evident now that Willock, Borthwick-Jackson, Mitchell and Wilson are just not going to make it, and probably need to move away permanently for the sake of their own careers.

On the topic of players out on loan, given the listed departures, I'd like to see Fosu-Mensah and Tuanzebe brought into the senior squad. Both have received a fair amount of hype, and I think it's about time that we see what they can do in a United shirt, because I'm not sure how much more they've got to gain from loans to Championship level sides. In addition to these two, Bailly and Fred have a lot to prove next season, because there are still big question marks hanging over both.
 
Have a feeling Bale will finally sign. This place will meltdown and a minority will be in glee.
 
If we believe all the paper gossip, we could be losing De Gea, Herrera and Pogba.

I'm not sure Ole is that keen on Valencia, Darmian, Rojo, Bailly and Sanchez.

Both Mata and Matic are looking well past their best, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see either/both leave.

In the completely hypothetical scenario where all of the above left, and we signed no replacements, the team could look something like this: -

................................. Romero ..........................

Dalot..........Smalling............Lindelof...........Shaw

..............................Jones..................................

.........McTominay...................Perreira.................

Lingard....................................................Martial

................................Rashford...........................

Subs:
Grant
Young
Tuanzebe
Fred
Lukaku
Chong
Greenwood

Obviously, different line ups are possible, but the purpose really is to highlight the main area of weakness - which would clearly be the midfield. That should be our main focus for new signings.
 
I believe the club when they say they have abandoned Sancho pursuit for now. I seriously doubt we're getting Hudson-Odoi.

Possible Ins - Tanguy Ndombele, Rice, David Brooks, Wan-Bissaka, Koulibaly
 
Offside said:
Smalling and Jones need to go. Young as well. Herrera and Mata is fair enough. Darmian, Valencia, Rojo, Sanchez are obvious.

The first 3 will end up remaining and we won’t buy the 5-6 players we need though. Haven’t got any trust in that utter baffoon Woodward.
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Smalling is our best defender. The rest are fair enough, though it’s very likely Young and Jones stay.
Steerpike said:
If we believe all the paper gossip, we could be losing De Gea, Herrera and Pogba.

I'm not sure Ole is that keen on Valencia, Darmian, Rojo, Bailly and Sanchez.

Both Mata and Matic are looking well past their best, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see either/both leave.

In the completely hypothetical scenario where all of the above left, and we signed no replacements, the team could look something like this: -

................................. Romero ..........................

Dalot..........Smalling............Lindelof...........Shaw

..............................Jones..................................

.........McTominay...................Perreira.................

Lingard....................................................Martial

................................Rashford...........................

Subs:
Grant
Young
Tuanzebe
Fred
Lukaku
Chong
Greenwood

Obviously, different line ups are possible, but the purpose really is to highlight the main area of weakness - which would clearly be the midfield. That should be our main focus for new signings.
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Clearly the midfield? That’s because you have removed the three first choice players for the three positions there.

And still have Fred on the bench. Hah.
 
Bisakka, De Ligt, Partey, Rabiot, Fernandes - Would be an exciting line up for sure

De Gea
Bisakka - Lindelof - De Ligt - Shaw
Partey
Rabiot - Pogba
Fernandes
Rashford - Martial
​
How much would this cost? No idea :lol:
 
Why is everyone in this thread so certain that Garner, Greenwood, and Chong are going to break through? I remember seeing similar predictions over the years for Tunnicliffe, Drinkwater, Petrucci, King, Eikrem, Daehli, James, etc. The list goes on and on.

If even one of those three manages to break through I'll be thrilled.
 
sherrinford said:
Smalling is our best defender. The rest are fair enough, though it’s very likely Young and Jones stay.


Clearly the midfield? That’s because you have removed the three first choice players for the three positions there.

And still have Fred on the bench. Hah.
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Did you miss the bit saying "In the completely hypothetical scenario where all of the above left"?

I was just contemplating the possibility of the players linked with a move leaving (including Pogba and Herrera from midfield), and some players who are past their best being moved on (Mata and Matic from midfield). Should that happen, and it could, our midfield options would look sparse. Indeed, unless Herrera stays, and Pogba finds something vaguely resembling commitment, our midfield would still look a bit light.

I could see Fred coming into the XI instead of Jones, and McTominay being moved into the DM role, but we'd still be talking about the midfield as the weakest component.
 
Alex99 said:
In addition to these two, Bailly and Fred have a lot to prove next season, because there are still big question marks hanging over both.
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The only thing Bailly can prove is how stupid our board is if they don't sell him. He is just as useless as Jones so we will probably give him a 4 year contract though.
 
Fergie has been gone 6 years now and only Kompany, Aguero and David Silva from the current City squad were there during Fergie's last title winning season.

Guardiola got rid of Zabaleta, Kolarov, Sagna and Clichy in his first year and went through GKs like they were going out of fashion.

Meanwhile we've seen the likes of Depay, Schweinsteiger, Falcao, Di Maria, Blind, Schneiderlin etc. come and go, players like Sanchez, Fred, Darmian, Rojo and Bailly fade into obscurity and extended contracts for Jones, Smalling and Young.

Question marks hang over DDG, Pogba, Herrera and Mata whilst Lukaku and Matic continues to frustrate.

If anybody is expecting miracles next season then they are just kidding themselves. OGS is going to need at least a couple of windows to make any major inroads into where we should be.

I just hope he is given a good start come next season.
 
Joao Felix for sanchez, Sancho for mata, Fernándes for herrera, wan bissaka for Darmian+valencia and a centre back with good distribution. Probably Koulibaly although someone younger would give us more years.
 
RW: Sancho
RB: Wan-Bissaka
DMC: Kante (or Thomas)
MCR: Ndombele (or Saul/Neves, alternatively Fernandes if 4231)
DC: Koulibaly (or de Ligt/Varane, but we need a DC that is best as DCL. All our DCs bar Rojo are best as DCR.)

De Gea
Wan-Bissaka - Lindelöf - Koulibaly - Shaw
Ndombele - Kante - Pogba
Sancho - Rashford - Martial


De Gea
Wan-Bissaka - Lindelöf - Koulibaly - Shaw
Kante - Pogba
Sancho - Fernandes - Martial
Rashford​
 
We are the only club in the world right now that makes sense to get Sancho. We're the only PL club that can either afford him/need him.
 
Rozay said:
Predictably, this was not the reaction when ‘perfectly run’ Bayern Munich said the same thing just a week ago.
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Don't know, didn't check German forums. But them -and Madrid- both being in the market for numerous players this window is only going to inflate the Manchester United premium even more.
 
Can't see five/six in.... out maybe.

If we got Skriniar, Sancho and Rabiot, I'd take that .... £150m? Outs would drop that a bit and cover wages. Barella too if being greedy and depending on MF outs (or if Rabiot/Madrid rumours true).

If we only get one or two average ins and/or retain a load of dross, we're in trouble.

Go big Ed
 
We need a big summer. 5 players in, none of this it will imbalance the squad nonsense, we need quality injected into the starting lineup in multiple areas.
 
Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber said:
To be honest we don't need our defensive midfielder to be a better passer than a Matic. We'd be better off having on with legs, yet superb both tactically and positioning wise. Our actual priority should be to get a superior playmaker to Pogba to support him in midfield. Preferably a two way type of the Benardo Silva or Modric ilk. To upgrade on the likely to depart Hererra
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Yeah that's how I see it as well. We need somebody in midfield who can run a game. , who has that calmness on the ball, who you can always trust to keep possession even under pressure. I hope Ole identified this as one of the key areas to improve on.

May as well go for somebody on the rise as there's no obvious player out there (I think).
 
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