What do we still need? Aka The never ending story

Our fans seem to be more worried about developing players rather then winning a title. Our first focus should be on quality, then age, then we should worry about how it might impact hit or miss players in our squad. People dont want Sancho because of 'Chong'. Or we shouldnt sign Alex Telles because we have 'Shaw'. There is a thing called strength in depth that people seem to have forgotten about.

Neville is 100% spot on when he talks about United needing 3 defenders, a midfielder and a striker. In fact, I would go one further and say we need a right winger. How many United players get into Barcelona or City's squad? That is the level we need. Hopefully, like Neville, Ole isn't disillusioned with the level of the squad. Because it is nowhere near a title winning team. Far too reliant on Pogba for creativity, no character apart from Herrera, no clinical finishers apart from Martial, an absolutely timid defence, and a GK who would've left it wasnt for a fax machine and is still prancing about not signing his contract. Would this have stood under Sir Alex? No. He would either sign or leave, its that simple. Instead we are pandering to players, no player is bigger then the club. Fans were quick to jump on Pogbas back but support DDG holding the club to ransom.

We need a GK (If De Gea leaves), a CB, RW, LB, RB and Striker. In order of priority. Ole is a miracle worker so far, but it can only last so long. I hope he gets the backing he needs to build a team that is an actual representation of Man Utd.
 
sam147 said:
Neville is 100% spot on when he talks about United needing 3 defenders, a midfielder and a striker.
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So Neville wants 3 CB's? Or is one of these defenders a FB? If he wants us to sign a striker is he expecting us to move one on to make room? It's easy to spout off a bunch of positions but he's not the one that has to make room in the squad, we can't just buy players indefinitely.
 
I'm coming round to the idea of just going all out for De Ligt and Sancho and running the risk of trusting academy youngsters in other positions of need (RB especially). 200M or so spent on these two elite young players who are pretty much can't miss prospects. I think it'd be hard to sign them this Summer while going for other players. I would much rather we sign those 2 rather than 4 or 5 weaker, more affordable players.

GK: De Gea, Romero, Grant
RB: Dalot, Laird, O'Connor
LB: Shaw, Young, Williams
CD: De Ligt, Lindelöf, Smalling, Jones
CMR: Herrera, Fred
CML: Matic, McTominay, Garner
AM: Pogba, Gomes
RW: Sancho, Greenwood, Chong
LW: Martial, Lingard
ST: Rashford, Lukaku
 
We need to strengthen many positions at once so we can't afford blowing our entire budget on 1 position or 1 player.

2 CBs is overkill. What type of message would we give to Smalling and Lindelof if we got 2 CBs to basically replace them? Not to forget that CBs are expensive and we'll risk blowing our entire budget on CBs when in reality we have many roles that need TLC. Its really the type of kneejerk/punditry Gaz is renowned for.

Id say what we need is

- cover/competition for Dalot. Its time we start slowly phasing Young out. Milenkovic would be great as he can move as CB if needed as well.
- a top CB who can provide genuine competition for Lindelof & Smalling without automatically relegate them on the bench. I'd go for De Ligt tbh.
- cover/competition for Shaw. Id go for Tierney as he can cover the RB as well if needed
- Matic is a great DM but his workrate is meah and he offers nothing going forward. I'd move Herrera as DM and bring Pellegrini (30m minimum clause) in midfield.
- RW: Pepe would be a great signing for us as RW.

If we can get rid of Sanchez then lets bring Lozano from PSV. He is comfortable on both flanks and wouldn't cost us ridiculous money

My team

GK: DDG, Romero, Grant
RB: Dalot, Milenkovic
LB: Shaw, Tierney
CB: De Ligt, Lindelof, Smalling, Jones, Tuanzebe
DM: Matic, Herrera
MC: Fred, Pellegrini
AM: Pogba, Periera
RW: Pepe, Lingard
LW: Martial, Sanchez/Lozano
Stk: Rashford, Lukaku
 
SparkedIntoLife said:
I'm coming round to the idea of just going all out for De Ligt and Sancho and running the risk of trusting academy youngsters in other positions of need (RB especially). 200M or so spent on these two elite young players who are pretty much can't miss prospects. I think it'd be hard to sign them this Summer while going for other players. I would much rather we sign those 2 rather than 4 or 5 weaker, more affordable players.

GK: De Gea, Romero, Grant
RB: Dalot, Laird, O'Connor
LB: Shaw, Young, Williams
CD: De Ligt, Lindelöf, Smalling, Jones
CMR: Herrera, Fred
CML: Matic, McTominay, Garner
AM: Pogba, Gomes
RW: Sancho, Greenwood, Chong
LW: Martial, Lingard
ST: Rashford, Lukaku
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That's been my idea at least in regards to RB. Have Dalot and Shaw as the fullbacks with Young as the back up for both sides. Have O'Connor, Williams, and Laird as potential back ups in case of injury or Young just being crap. Klopp trusted Alexander Arnold. We should put our faith in our young talents.

If next season proves it's not good enough, then that is when we go out and buy a fullback no matter what.
 
Unfortunately it's very obvious that we need a striker who puts the ball in the net.

Rashford is still not doing the job and Lukaku has his good patches but then disappoints as he did yesterday.

IMHO They're both not the finished article.
 
devilish said:
We need to strengthen many positions at once so we can't afford blowing our entire budget on 1 position or 1 player.

2 CBs is overkill. What type of message would we give to Smalling and Lindelof if we got 2 CBs to basically replace them? Not to forget that CBs are expensive and we'll risk blowing our entire budget on CBs when in reality we have many roles that need TLC. Its really the type of kneejerk/punditry Gaz is renowned for.

Id say what we need is

- cover/competition for Dalot. Its time we start slowly phasing Young out. Milenkovic would be great as he can move as CB if needed as well.
- a top CB who can provide genuine competition for Lindelof & Smalling without automatically relegate them on the bench. I'd go for De Ligt tbh.
- cover/competition for Shaw. Id go for Tierney as he can cover the RB as well if needed
- Matic is a great DM but his workrate is meah and he offers nothing going forward. I'd move Herrera as DM and bring Pellegrini (30m minimum clause) in midfield.
- RW: Pepe would be a great signing for us as RW.

If we can get rid of Sanchez then lets bring Lozano from PSV. He is comfortable on both flanks and wouldn't cost us ridiculous money

My team

GK: DDG, Romero, Grant
RB: Dalot, Milenkovic
LB: Shaw, Tierney
CB: De Ligt, Lindelof, Smalling, Jones, Tuanzebe
DM: Matic, Herrera
MC: Fred, Pellegrini
AM: Pogba, Periera
RW: Pepe, Lingard
LW: Martial, Sanchez/Lozano
Stk: Rashford, Lukaku
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That’s about 200 - 250 mill spent on some very average players that wouldn’t look out of place at west ham (except de ligt)
 
christinaa said:
Unfortunately it's very obvious that we need a striker who puts the ball in the net.

Rashford is still not doing the job and Lukaku has his good patches but then disappoints as he did yesterday.

IMHO They're both not the finished article.
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Rashford has time on his hands, Lukaku not so much.
 
Dolf said:
That’s about 200 - 250 mill spent on some very average players that wouldn’t look out of place at west ham (except de ligt)
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We're talking here about the most promising available players in their respective leagues, all of which playing at way bigger clubs then West Ham are. Some have better stats than the legendary Jadon Sancho, the latter having worse stats then Mkhitaryan and Kagawa when they played for Dortmund. We all know how good the latter were for us.

We can't expect that we can bring established WC players for every role. Instead we should do what we've always done ie buy top young talent and help them develop.
 
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sam147 said:
Our fans seem to be more worried about developing players rather then winning a title. Our first focus should be on quality, then age, then we should worry about how it might impact hit or miss players in our squad. People dont want Sancho because of 'Chong'. Or we shouldnt sign Alex Telles because we have 'Shaw'. There is a thing called strength in depth that people seem to have forgotten about.

Neville is 100% spot on when he talks about United needing 3 defenders, a midfielder and a striker. In fact, I would go one further and say we need a right winger. How many United players get into Barcelona or City's squad? That is the level we need. Hopefully, like Neville, Ole isn't disillusioned with the level of the squad. Because it is nowhere near a title winning team. Far too reliant on Pogba for creativity, no character apart from Herrera, no clinical finishers apart from Martial, an absolutely timid defence, and a GK who would've left it wasnt for a fax machine and is still prancing about not signing his contract. Would this have stood under Sir Alex? No. He would either sign or leave, its that simple. Instead we are pandering to players, no player is bigger then the club. Fans were quick to jump on Pogbas back but support DDG holding the club to ransom.

We need a GK (If De Gea leaves), a CB, RW, LB, RB and Striker. In order of priority. Ole is a miracle worker so far, but it can only last so long. I hope he gets the backing he needs to build a team that is an actual representation of Man Utd.
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A thing that Man United have always done and how we've always achieved success is also giving the promising youngsters time and space to grow and develop. What would have happened if Fergie had that mentality in the 90s and bought players to block the development of the likes of Scholes, giggs, butt, the nevilles or beckham? What about in 2005 or 2006 if we bought players to block the development of Rooney and Ronaldo because they were far from consistent yet?

You say we need a striker, yet what then happens to someone like Rashford? Same with Shaw at left back, who has been terrific since Ole took over yet you think someone like Telles would be a massive improvement?

Dont even get me started on your opinion of de Gea. Get a fecking grip. The guy has been here for 8 years, he has stuck with us through 5 years of trash managers and trash performances where he was the stand out player in every season. Every year Real Madrid wanted to buy him yet he never pushed for an exit, not even the year where it almost actually happened because Van Gaal basically said he didnt care if he stayed or left. De Gea could have 3 or 4 champions league titles to his name. Yet he stayed. Now you talk about him supposedly prancing around over his contract? Ffs. The guy wants to get rewarded for the past 5 years of loyalty and brilliantly performances while the rest get massive pay rises for trash.

Your post reads like you're a spoilt teenager who hardly remembers Sir Alex's time here, so dont go referencing it when it's so blatantly wrong.
 
Forward line - Need a forward who can play anywhere along both wings, allowing Lukaku another season, I do believe he offers something & a 2nd season under Ole will give a better idea of whether he is worth keeping or not. Sancho would be best fit.

Midfield - A destroyer is needed, Milinkovic Savic won't come cheap but he is my 1st choice. If Chelsea don't make champs league, we could grab Kante for £50mil maybe? I don't like guessing transfer fees to be honest as can be way off; but if he pushes for a move out as can imagine their stars to do this summer I think he could be grabbed for a decent price

Defence - 2 signings needed, Wan Bissaka & De Lijt 1st choice; 2nd choice Wan Bissaka (listed again because I don't think landing him will be a problem) & Kostos Manolas
 
Neville is close in saying 5 players are needed. I would say definitely 4.

CB ,RB, DM, and a RW
 
We are in a tricky situation because we have quite a few players who MAY come good. Fred, Pereira, Dalot, McTominay, Lukaku all have question marks over quality and whether they will fit into an Ole team. Rashford and Martial too are inconsistent. Matic is declining. We have no right wing and no cover at CB.
I've been critical in the past of posters saying it would take 2 summer transfer windows to get the right squad, but I'm starting to think they were right.

Will be interesting to see if Ole agrees or is ready for a sizeable turnover this summer.
 
A very interesting summer ahead, I think to challenge with City / Liverpool we do need the following in order of priority:

CM (to replace Matic so he can be a squad player - don't think Matic has the legs to be a regular in a PL title challenging team any longer)
CB (to build a partnership with Lindelof / Smalling and give us some depth)
RW (to replace Sanchez in our squad, who I think we should sell and whose best position is wide right)
RB/LB (potentially both - depending on who is available) - Tierney, could give Shaw a challenge for a first team spot, and we should also not forget Shaw is susceptible to injuries)

In terms of who we could go for:

CM - Milinkovic Savic would be brilliant, sneaky feeling Kante could be available, although not sure how the transfer ban affects this, Weigl at Dortumund looks to be a very good player, I would also be really happy if we were able to get Declan Rice.

CB - De Ligt is the name on everyones lips, and I would be worried if Liverpool got him. Otherwise, Koulibaly (napoli), Militao (Porto) or a dark horse could be Ramos (with Madrid in a mess). I also don't think Skriniar or Manolas are bad shouts.

RW - If we can get Sancho, it would be brilliant. English, and looks to have a lot about him. If not, I think there are a number of players out in Europe i.e. Lozano, Pepe, Bailey who could all enhance our squad.

RB - Wann Bissaka, is english and I have watched him live a few times, looks to have the pace, strength and energy we need in a full back, plus now has decent PL experience. Attacking is still not proven, but I expect at a club like Utd you have more opportunity to attack and this hones your skills.
 
AfroBuffalo said:
Forward line - Need a forward who can play anywhere along both wings, allowing Lukaku another season, I do believe he offers something & a 2nd season under Ole will give a better idea of whether he is worth keeping or not. Sancho would be best fit.

Midfield - A destroyer is needed, Milinkovic Savic won't come cheap but he is my 1st choice. If Chelsea don't make champs league, we could grab Kante for £50mil maybe? I don't like guessing transfer fees to be honest as can be way off; but if he pushes for a move out as can imagine their stars to do this summer I think he could be grabbed for a decent price

Defence - 2 signings needed, Wan Bissaka & De Lijt 1st choice; 2nd choice Wan Bissaka (listed again because I don't think landing him will be a problem) & Kostos Manolas
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Confused. Savic isn’t a destroyer
 
Bestietom said:
Neville is close in saying 5 players are needed. I would say definitely 4.

CB ,RB, DM, and a RW
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Agree apart from RB. Dalot has shown enough to be starting next season, with Young as back up. Tuanzebe can fill in there if needed too.
 
I think we should be buying the best of British players supplemented by outstanding foreign players

So the likes of wan-Bissaka, rice, Sancho, grealish and Tierney. All players ready for a step up

Supplemented by DeLigt and maybe Kante
 
2 man midfield said:
Agree apart from RB. Dalot has shown enough to be starting next season, with Young as back up. Tuanzebe can fill in there if needed too.
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Has he? He has played a total of 1 game as a RB under Ole. And that was when Young was unavailable. All his other appearances were at RW/RM.

What makes you think he's shown enough in that 1 game? Or that Ole would sees him as a fullback rather than winger? Never mind starting the season with him as our main RB.
 
christinaa said:
Unfortunately it's very obvious that we need a striker who puts the ball in the net.

Rashford is still not doing the job and Lukaku has his good patches but then disappoints as he did yesterday.

IMHO They're both not the finished article.
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yeah if we look at the top goalscorer charts our strikers are well behind the others. both of them are too hot and cold. I still believe martial is our best finisher but he doesn't get played centrally anymore.
 
My ideal United squad next season:

GK: David De Gea,Romero,Grant

CB: Smalling,Lindelof,Koulibaly,Jones,Axel

FB: Young,Shaw,Dalot,Sandro,Bissaka

MC: Herrera,Pogba,Matic,Fred,Ndombele,Modric,McTomminay

ATT: Martial,Rashford,Lukaku,Sancho,Greenwood,Chong
 
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No way we're getting a striker before RW , RB and CB , DM. Our strike force is good enough from what i'm looking at.
 
RB, RF/AM cover, CM, CB. these 4 signings should do the trick.

DDG
?? Lindelof ?? Shaw
Fred/Herrera ??
?? Pogba
Rashford Martial​
 
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MadMike said:
Has he? He has played a total of 1 game as a RB under Ole. And that was when Young was unavailable. All his other appearances were at RW/RM.

What makes you think he's shown enough in that 1 game? Or that Ole would sees him as a fullback rather than winger? Never mind starting the season with him as our main RB.
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My own belief that he’s a good player. Of course I could be wrong, but I’d rather give Dalot a chance to prove himself than go off and buy Wan Bissaka for another huge fee. We only bought him last summer, after all.
 
Gary Neville believes we need two CBs and a RB at a bare minimum. He doesn't believe any of our current CBs are good enough for the top level. He also thinks we need a midfielder and a striker.


 
This idea of buying a lot, goes against giving our promising youth a chance. We've seen great promise in a lot of our players, so lets instead buy 2 or 3 players of real quality. Sancho, De Ligt for example.. Get the best, and develop the rest
 
We should also think long-term in our signings. Too many players bought around age 27, which means low resale value later on. Bad business + these type of players usually declines within years and are then on heavy wages, making tough decisions for both Ed and the manager
 
Does anyone feels relief that we lost against Arsenal? I think it opened the eyes of some people, due to Ole's fantastic work I fear that the board thinks we have a great squad and that not much investment is needed, considering Ole doesn't have the weight or authority to ask for big players just yet.

I don't want to miss top 4, but everyone know that the current form is not sustainable on the long run we need better players and a deeper squad.

Critical: RB, RW
Needed: CDM, CM, CAM
Cherry on the cake: CB, ST
 
ROFLUTION said:
This idea of buying a lot, goes against giving our promising youth a chance. We've seen great promise in a lot of our players, so lets instead buy 2 or 3 players of real quality. Sancho, De Ligt for example.. Get the best, and develop the rest
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The idea that buying players stops youth players from developing doesnt make sense to me, the purpose is to develop GREAT players, not just have regular players from the academy, and the great players always shine. If they're good enough they will play, simple as that.

I don't think we can or should stop from buying talent just because we need to develop our academy players, the goal of this team should be to win everything and its been quite some time since we don't even challenge for the big titles.
 
Have to agree with @SparkedIntoLife, what’s the point in banging on about how Ole has created this great mood in the camp and togetherness, only to ship out 4-5 players and bring 5-6 players in. It would totally change the dynamic.

Fred is starting to prove his worth and I’d feel harsh on Scott if we didn’t give him a go. With the prospects we have at RB I’d be happy to have young as the cover for both sides, as well as laird/O’Connor/Williams.

Therefore, I can only really see CB and RW as a must.

Sancho & De ligt, dream signings but not entirely likely

Chiesa + Koulibaly feasible and next best signings.
 
I'm still going off the feeling we'll stick with the 4-4-2 diamond no matter how many fans want a RW, now in this formation I still feel we are lacking a RB and you want 4 strikers for it, we only have 3 as surely Sanchez has to bounce, however if Ole is really only going to do minimal business I guess it'll be more Young week in and week out but I hope we play Dalot and just let him work his way through his mistakes, and even though I'd like to bring in Werner or Jovic to complete the striker quartet I imagine Greenwood will get the 4th spot.

So cutting corners with 2 big gambles being taken I hope it's a quality over quantity summer in 3 key positions.


 
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