Full back is far far from a priority in my opinion.
Shaw, Williams, Dalot, Wan Bissaka, Laird..
Spend the money elsewhere.
Shaw, Williams, Dalot, Wan Bissaka, Laird..
Spend the money elsewhere.
The search for a left back...
- Thread starter Rozay
- Start date
Listing them doesn’t take into consideration how good they are. I could list 6 or 7 United midfielders too.
I would settle for Shaw if we could keep him fit and get him playing well going forward, like he did before the leg break.
I also think Wan Bissaka gets a lot of stick for not getting forward, I feel he's better than people give him credit for at least. Defensively he is world class, made so many outstanding tackles and last ditch blocks against City on Saturday.
I also think Wan Bissaka gets a lot of stick for not getting forward, I feel he's better than people give him credit for at least. Defensively he is world class, made so many outstanding tackles and last ditch blocks against City on Saturday.
Caio Henrique(22), Atletico Madrid - loan at Fluminense.
Dalot is not ready, and is injury prone same as Shaw. We need a reliable fullback, not as a first priority since we first need new midfielders a striker and right winger but LB is the next position.
The ideal candidate would be Chilwell, good defensively and decent on attack and adapted to the league but since he's english his value would be around 50-60 million, I'd say we should aim for Marcos Alonso who can be cheaper and he's currently out of favor by Lampard.
I'd be more excited if we got a left footed Daniel James to play on the left hand side as a defensive wide midfielder.
As Ole said - he is a defensive RM and in his eyes one of the best performing in the world at the moment. Get one on each side. Let Daniel James play like a RWB & finish it up with partnering 2 strikers upfront out of a collection Martial, Rashford, Greenwood & hopefully Haaland.
As Ole said - he is a defensive RM and in his eyes one of the best performing in the world at the moment. Get one on each side. Let Daniel James play like a RWB & finish it up with partnering 2 strikers upfront out of a collection Martial, Rashford, Greenwood & hopefully Haaland.
Shaw - injury prone, he´s missed 17 games this season so far and we are only in december. Last year he only missed 2 games, but a year before he missed 25 games. This is all after the broken tibia injury. He's not reliable enough.
Williams- not ready to be starting
Dalot- not ready and injury prone, missed 17 games this season as well and 8 games last season.
Wan bissaka - Solid.
Laird - not even nearly ready for first team minutes.
So basically we have one solid right back, 1 injury prone left back and 3 youngsters I think its pretty clear that we need to strenghten that area.
With Wan Bissaka being an excellent defensive fullback, and with the likes of Rashford and Martial preferring to play as an inside forward on the left, it'd make sense to invest in a left back who is more effective in the final third.
Shaw's not good enough in attack at the moment, sad to say.
Shaw's not good enough in attack at the moment, sad to say.
AWB is world-class defensively and I think he will develop offensively eventually. Between Maguire (who needs some polishing), Lindelof (who needs consistency) and Tuanzebe clearly developing we are good in the center. On the left, a competition between Luke Shaw (when fit) and Brandon Williams developing seems good enough.
Granted, our defensive record has been poor, but that does not mean we need to buy more defenders, it means:
1. We need to finish developing the ones we have
2. Ole needs to stop trusting fecking Ashley Young, when others are fit
3. We need better midfield and especially a good defensive midfielder, to have a better defensive record. No defense can make-up for an abysmal midfield.
I genuinely think we have OK players in defense, for now. There is not an immediate need to buy anybody. If anything we should get rid of couple more useless players like Phil Jones. The defenders we have just need to reach their best fitness and potential, but buying new players there is not a priority. We have way bigger problems in the midfield, and that's who we need to buy ASAP. After we fix midfield - we need more depth in the attack, as well.
Granted, our defensive record has been poor, but that does not mean we need to buy more defenders, it means:
1. We need to finish developing the ones we have
2. Ole needs to stop trusting fecking Ashley Young, when others are fit
3. We need better midfield and especially a good defensive midfielder, to have a better defensive record. No defense can make-up for an abysmal midfield.
I genuinely think we have OK players in defense, for now. There is not an immediate need to buy anybody. If anything we should get rid of couple more useless players like Phil Jones. The defenders we have just need to reach their best fitness and potential, but buying new players there is not a priority. We have way bigger problems in the midfield, and that's who we need to buy ASAP. After we fix midfield - we need more depth in the attack, as well.
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Maybe a controversial opinion but I disagree with the OP, the bolded bit which feels like an exaggeration to me.
AWB has massively improved his transition play from defence to attack and he is young so his offensive play will definitely improve, I dont think he's registered an assist this season, but his crossing and through balls are definitely improving.
I think also think Shaw is underated on this forum, he has struggled under different managers and the leg break was a huge setback, but he is quick to get forward and can play some very neat football in and around the area. He desperately needs a run of games though.
I think if your looking to improve the team Left back should be quite low down the list, your midfield and attack could do with a bit more depth first.
EDIT - forgot to say for the moment with Dalot, Young and Williams as back ups and Laird (who looks like he could be a very tidy player) coming through, full backs is the one place where you have depth in the squad.
Problem with Shaw is his inability to stay fit , Wan-Bissaka is young and maybe could improve with experience as an attacking force but we thought similar of Shaw as well who honestly was arguably better footballer than Wan-Bissaka when he came to United ,Young is finished and others are simply haven't played enough to make judgement either way.
It’s far from enough. Since Pogba has been injured, we get no assists from the middle three and no assists from the full backs. Our front line have to create all their goals for each other, it’s far from ideal, is everyone behind them just there to stop the opposition scoring or something?
We need some quality delivery from wide I think, other than James, otherwise he will continue being a 5 goal a season forward himself.
100% need to concentrate on midfield over left back.
I don't know if someone mentioned him but I "scouted" two very promising LB recently and last season.
- Greg Taylor from Celtic, he replaced Tierney (which we should've went for) on the left flank, not the fastest player but I like his profile.
- Jamal Lewis from Norwich, much on the speed, different style of playing and had a very good season in Championship last year just like 2 of his teammates (Godfrey and Aarons).
Chilwell is interesting but I'm not sure he is big upgrade on a fit Luke Shaw, yes he is maybe better but not that much, and I think we want more Maddison than Chilwell, Leicester won't sell us like Soton did with Liverpool.
Talking about Southampton, Targett is coming back very well I thought, a profil to follow.
I saw Grimaldo in the thread, of course I agree but I don't think it's realistic to plan on this kind of players, already on big clubs shortlist for a while now. We are looking for Daniel James profiles, who fits the culture and will know what it means to play for the badge. Time to recruit wisely and cleverly.
- Greg Taylor from Celtic, he replaced Tierney (which we should've went for) on the left flank, not the fastest player but I like his profile.
- Jamal Lewis from Norwich, much on the speed, different style of playing and had a very good season in Championship last year just like 2 of his teammates (Godfrey and Aarons).
Chilwell is interesting but I'm not sure he is big upgrade on a fit Luke Shaw, yes he is maybe better but not that much, and I think we want more Maddison than Chilwell, Leicester won't sell us like Soton did with Liverpool.
Talking about Southampton, Targett is coming back very well I thought, a profil to follow.
I saw Grimaldo in the thread, of course I agree but I don't think it's realistic to plan on this kind of players, already on big clubs shortlist for a while now. We are looking for Daniel James profiles, who fits the culture and will know what it means to play for the badge. Time to recruit wisely and cleverly.
Jamal Lewis is shocking defensively from what I’ve seen, pretty much like the rest of the Norwich back line to be fair.
Ideally I'd love a new attacking full back, but I'd imagine this is one area they will not look to be strengthening anytime soon. I think midfield and a striker will be the immediate priorties for now
When fit, Shaw is plenty good enough. When not fit, Young/Williams/Dalot/Rojo are good enough cover for now. There are much bigger priorities in the squad currently. Give Shaw another season or two to prove he can stay fit while we address midfield, striker, winger, etc. If Shaw is still a problem after those areas have been fixed then we can think about replacing him.
Brazilian with an Italian passport. Brazilian season ended at the weekend and his loan expires end of December.
Robertson cost us £8m 
Hasn't Pep and City spent something like £300m on fullbacks? Goes to show you.
Hasn't Pep and City spent something like £300m on fullbacks? Goes to show you.
I dont know which one is good enough LB for MANUTD, maybe Chilwell. But what i am sure is that Shaw isn't UTD level and never will be. Williams is good enough for back up and maybe in future he will good enough for regular starting spot.
One quality player in there, one guy with it all to prove 6 years in, and some vague promise.
Hardly a position of strength, the fact Young has started most of our games says it all.
Robertson cost us £8m
Hasn't Pep and City spent something like £300m on fullbacks? Goes to show you.
You also got very lucky on the other side.
That won't happen that often.
All boils down to Shaw.
If we can stay fit, he is out first choice LB by absolute miles.
Young's playing out of necessity, he offers so little. Williams has been ok when called upon, but is nowhere near what we need there. Dalot is better suited to the right, and again has injury issue's.
Full back is now a vital part of the modern game, it's essential we get Shaw fit and playing consistently or look to recruit.
We've seen the difference having AWB has compared to say Valencia has had. We are so much better with a competent performer.
People saying Williams/Young are acceptable options are a bit naive, they're bang average at best.
If we can stay fit, he is out first choice LB by absolute miles.
Young's playing out of necessity, he offers so little. Williams has been ok when called upon, but is nowhere near what we need there. Dalot is better suited to the right, and again has injury issue's.
Full back is now a vital part of the modern game, it's essential we get Shaw fit and playing consistently or look to recruit.
We've seen the difference having AWB has compared to say Valencia has had. We are so much better with a competent performer.
People saying Williams/Young are acceptable options are a bit naive, they're bang average at best.
Ismaly from Shaktar. Expierenced high quality full back who can mix it up with the best of them. Id honestly get him and Coleman to complete our fullback set(Shaw, Ismaly, Bissaka, Coleman) and sell the others who aren't good enough, old or simply dont like they'll eventually be good enough. Loan Williams to someone so we can see what he can do.
Is there another Coleman I’ve missed? Seamus hasn’t been a player for a long time.
Like Shaw with another demonstration of his pure averageness today.
Shaw does get up and down the wing pretty well but has little end product and is a liability defensively. So many goals come from down that side with him often way out of position or daydreaming.
Give Williams a summer to bulk up and 10-15 games until the end of the season in league and cup and he could be the left back we're after. He's got such raw potential for his age.
I'll be honest, I fail to see what Shaw brings that a ancient, past his prime Ashley Young doesnt. They're about the same quality, which is sad considering Young isnt supposed to even be a left back and is 10 years older than him.
I'll be honest, I fail to see what Shaw brings that a ancient, past his prime Ashley Young doesnt. They're about the same quality, which is sad considering Young isnt supposed to even be a left back and is 10 years older than him.
I agree. He doesn’t get anywhere near stopping most crosses from his side either.
If we are looking for another fullback I want him to be a terror offensively. We should be looking for the next roberson
Williams should be given a run in the team. Of the 3 options we have available, he is by far the best option. Young and shaw are limited defensively and in attack. Williams can improve defensively but he is very good going forward.
Ollie needs to be braver, the fans will support him if they see progress. Playing shaw and young are the not the future, both had their chance and have been proven not to be up the task.
Ollie needs to be braver, the fans will support him if they see progress. Playing shaw and young are the not the future, both had their chance and have been proven not to be up the task.
I don’t think he does, he doesn’t show enough urgency. Not sure how he does it but he makes everything he does look like it’s a chore. He struggles to even make throw ins without taking 30 seconds.
Well, all I meant is that he sometimes carries the ball a fair distance, thus relieving pressure on the defence but then, invariably stops and passes back to a cb. I think there’s a fair amount of residual sympathy for his injury but really, if we watched him playing objectively, he is pretty lacking. The club have been patient with him to a fault. Not unique when you think Jones and Lingard (soon) are entitled to testimonials, though.
carrying too much weight makes it a chore.
Young offers more in an attacking sense than Shaw ever has, which is pretty sad to say.
I wouldn't be surprised if Shaw is one of those being kept around whilst more important parts of the team are improved first, and/or a top target becomes available.
His situation is very similar to Ando's from back in the good days.
His situation is very similar to Ando's from back in the good days.
Well he doesn't ?
It won’t be a priority in the near future I think. It should be though. Although AWB isn’t great going forward, his quickness and good close control often invites pressure which he dribbles past or passes through giving us opportunities in the middle. Shaw is just so ponderous.
An attacking left back would seem to balance us out.
Rashford------Greenwood/Martial--------------
-----------------------Pogba-----------------------James
LWB---------Fred-------McTominay-----------------
--------Maguire------Lindelof------WanBissaka-
And we also need a #10 so that against weaker teams or later in games we can drop Pogba into the midfield 2 and get another creative type on, or for when of that midfield 3 is suspended or injured.
We won't do it but 2 signings like that really should be doable in January.
Obviously this is far easier said that done, but a signing Madrid made in getting Marcelo and a proper creative #10 who's not past it like Mata and we'd actually have a pretty interesting XI if France Pogba shows up?
If Pogba does go to Madrid, we really should demand Reguilon (on loan at Sevilla, where Whoscored has him as their 3rd best player) as part of the deal in exchange, I think he'd be a very useful addition and is only 22.
Rashford------Greenwood/Martial--------------
-----------------------Pogba-----------------------James
LWB---------Fred-------McTominay-----------------
--------Maguire------Lindelof------WanBissaka-
And we also need a #10 so that against weaker teams or later in games we can drop Pogba into the midfield 2 and get another creative type on, or for when of that midfield 3 is suspended or injured.
We won't do it but 2 signings like that really should be doable in January.
Obviously this is far easier said that done, but a signing Madrid made in getting Marcelo and a proper creative #10 who's not past it like Mata and we'd actually have a pretty interesting XI if France Pogba shows up?
If Pogba does go to Madrid, we really should demand Reguilon (on loan at Sevilla, where Whoscored has him as their 3rd best player) as part of the deal in exchange, I think he'd be a very useful addition and is only 22.
Lodi at ath Madrid has looked good in the few highlights I've seen.
Although I think the issue with Shaw is related to team play, if the team are playing well I think Shaw's output wouldn't be so bad. Mistakes aside, he lacked support from Rashford against Everton.
Although I think the issue with Shaw is related to team play, if the team are playing well I think Shaw's output wouldn't be so bad. Mistakes aside, he lacked support from Rashford against Everton.
Although I sort of agree with the idea I think that would be a mistake.
Shaw is the fullback we often leave exposed because Rashford doesn’t come back. Fred is the one who has to scurry across to come try and help out, where on the opposite side the better one on one defensive Fullback has James and McT that come back and help him.
If anything we need Bissaka to be left footed and an offensive RB. If we had a really offensive LB I think we would find ourselves in serious trouble. Even now when Shaw does push forward there are times when moves break down and we are exposed on that side.
Fred covers so much ground he’s not always in position to cover, Rashford doesn’t trek back and Shaw can’t afford to be so cavalier in pushing forward.