Where are the United incomings?

United Hobbit said:
I see various other clubs have managed to sign midfielders - what about this guy Tottenham have got for 15 million is he any good?

We haven't signed a Jota type in years even Amad was expensive. What about the Robertsons of this world, cheap and been a fantastic signing for them.

I was actually excited by VDB and Sancho.

Wonder where we'd be if we actually appointed a director of football a few years ago...
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Bentancur is the players that Spurs have signed. He was very highly regarded but has fallen off over the last 2 seasons along with a number of other players at Juve. I think there is a good player there but needs some confidence back. It’s a good punt for Spurs as even if it doesn’t work out, they didn’t pay much for him.
 
VivaRonaldo85 said:
Mata hasn’t kicked a ball all season. Lingard is almost certainly leaving. Cavani is made of glass. Ronaldo is 37. Elanga is a kid just starting out. Sancho and Rashford have been very poor this season….. Whilst our two greatest rivals have both considerably strengthened their forward positions in this window. FFS.
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It makes for grim reading when you break it down like that..
 
TheGame said:
Haidara.
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Possibly but we don’t know even if he wants to come. I get it and agree but these players aren’t easy to sign, I wouldn’t leave to sign under for an interim manager without knowing who I’m working for in a few months. I know for certain the wife would have something to say about it, and joking apart these things also come into play.
 
Litch said:
Only spurs have strengthened in this window to date. To be honest, most signings (apart from Bruno) can take months and some even a season to come to terms with a new country, manager and players. We also know this league is notoriously difficult to come to terms with and we might not even see them this season. I’m guessing a fit Pogs gives us another option too…
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Some other teams such as Everton have strengthened as well. I understand it can take time but we are short in midfield and in a battle for top 4. We need to give ourselves every chance.
 
Litch said:
Possibly but we don’t know even if he wants to come. I get it and agree but these players aren’t easy to sign, I wouldn’t leave to sign under for an interim manager without knowing who I’m working for in a few months. I know for certain the wife would have something to say about it, and joking apart these things also come into play.
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Yeah I appreciate that but there are stories that Rangnick wanted him and the Board wouldn’t sanction any moves under an interim manager. How true that is, I don’t know. The midfield is an area we need to be strengthening.
 
Aside from on pitch issues, I think the hierarchy has missed a trick not signing a player this window from a PR perspective. A new player would have excited and lifted the fan base, and lifted the clouds that feel like they have gathered since OGS sacking and the matches before. Good news would have been well received I feel, especially after yesterday.
 
There's no way to dress this one up, its been a shocking window that has weakened our chances of top four.
 
Frank Grimes said:
So we'll have to "write off" the season, except for the fact we are still in the CL and we'll want to finish top 4 so we're in it again next season. We'll just forget we're in the FA Cup too as who wants to win trophies. Ok then.
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You can't honestly believe we have a shot at anything other than the FA Cup?? My point is, we rebuild starting from now. The likes of Elanga and perhaps a couple of other youngsters can be fully blooded - look further than this season, which, let's face it, is not going to be one that brings us anything more than the FA Cup.
 
Joking aside, not sure what people expected. We can all through names out but many of them contacts end in the summer. Take your fan specs off, who would sign for Utd knowing in 6 months they could wait and earn millions?
Who would sign a player knowing he could be gone in 6 months?
Who would sign a player to a league that could take him 6 months to adjust to?
Who would spend 40m for the new manager to come in, and potentially say - don’t fancy them? We talk about players like they are parked up at OT begging to come in?

Bruno‘s of this world don’t happen very often for any club in this league.

All this aside, given the well documented stuff around the club and players unrest, wouldn’t you wait till the summer to see how it pans out. You don’t even know if Pogs or Ronaldo will still be here…
 
TheGame said:
Some other teams such as Everton have strengthened as well. I understand it can take time but we are short in midfield and in a battle for top 4. We need to give ourselves every chance.
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Strengthened? Two players that couldn’t get much football for Man Utd or Spurs?
Said it already, how many players do teams sign that they don’t see till the following season. This league is hard enough to come to terms with than expecting players at the business end of the season to hit the ground running….
 
Litch said:
Joking aside, not sure what people expected. We can all through names out but many of them contacts end in the summer. Take your fan specs off, who would sign for Utd knowing in 6 months they could wait and earn millions?
Who would sign a player knowing he could be gone in 6 months?
Who would sign a player to a league that could take him 6 months to adjust to?
Who would spend 40m for the new manager to come in, and potentially say - don’t fancy them? We talk about players like they are parked up at OT begging to come in?

Bruno‘s of this world don’t happen very often for any club in this league.

All this aside, given the well documented stuff around the club and players unrest, wouldn’t you wait till the summer to see how it pans out. You don’t even know if Pogs or Ronaldo will still be here…
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True. There is no need to sign anyone, because we are content. Our tummies are full.
 
Plant0x84 said:
Aside from on pitch issues, I think the hierarchy has missed a trick not signing a player this window from a PR perspective. A new player would have excited and lifted the fan base, and lifted the clouds that feel like they have gathered since OGS sacking and the matches before. Good news would have been well received I feel, especially after yesterday.
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Honestly, having a transfer strategy that doesn't revolve around PR moves is refreshing. Obviously terrible that we aren't getting anyone at all in, but the last thing we need is to keep signing players to sell shirts and make PR statements - and then have absolutely no clue how we ought to utilise them.
 
TheGame said:
Yeah I appreciate that but there are stories that Rangnick wanted him and the Board wouldn’t sanction any moves under an interim manager. How true that is, I don’t know. The midfield is an area we need to be strengthening.
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Agree, the midfield needs strengthening but I don’t believe everything I read in the media, most of it is BS. I just think unless a top draw player becomes available, don’t need anymore bench warmers, those places are for Scott and Fred.
 
To be honest I don't really see the point of signing in January.

We already have a big enough squad, the games won't be coming thick and fast anymore.

Why sign players when the new manager in 6 months may have completely other ideas?
 
Litch said:
Strengthened? Two players that couldn’t get much football for Man Utd or Spurs?
Said it already, how many players do teams sign that they don’t see till the following season. This league is hard enough to come to terms with than expecting players at the business end of the season to hit the ground running….
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Strengthened when the season depends on it and they realise they are in a fight as are we but we haven’t done anything.
 
Litch said:
Agree, the midfield needs strengthening but I don’t believe everything I read in the media, most of it is BS. I just think unless a top draw player becomes available, don’t need anymore bench warmers, those places are for Scott and Fred.
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Haidara would not be a benchwarmer. Has been a consistent performer for a while and physically would suit the PL as well.
 
TheGame said:
Strengthened when the season depends on it and they realise they are in a fight as are we but we haven’t done anything.
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Def need to strengthen but who? You can’t pin your transfer strategy on one target?
 
TheGame said:
Haidara would not be a benchwarmer. Has been a consistent performer for a while and physically would suit the PL as well.
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Maybe but we don’t know that for certain. He's a good player but if we are honest, there are better teams in the PL that players have struggled to come to terms with immediately. My point is not about signing players, it’s about signing players at this point in the season.
 
Adam-Utd said:
To be honest I don't really see the point of signing in January.

We already have a big enough squad, the games won't be coming thick and fast anymore.

Why sign players when the new manager in 6 months may have completely other ideas?
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Agree. Who would leave their place of work, move your wife, kids and family to a new country, culture, language etc for 6 months without knowing who you are working for after it. Also then moving to a company where these lots of movement of who you are working with (or not), discontent, potential fractions and toxcity in the workplace where the best employees are probably gonna be leaving anyway…..sign me up.
 
If anything shows how clueless we are it is the lack of incomings. Even on loan. When we are so so short in midfield. The Glazers dont seem to be bothered if we make top 4 because we are acting and playing like a midtable club.
We will not progress under the Glazers, simple as that.
 
Unpopular opinion: thinning the squad may very well what we need at the moment.
(thinks again)
Oh wait if Fred or McTominay or Bruno get hurt where the heck are we in midfield.
But really if we want to move these players on in the summer only way is if they go elsewhere and show what they can do.
I’m so surprised we didn’t get a dm but are United dead set on Declan rice? Even if then we would need a backup to him, so why not sign a backup now. It’s strange. I get the stop gap signings aren’t smart but could even be signing the newer squad players now
 
Having had some time to think about it... we may be doing the absolute best thing for the club at the moment.

Loaning VDB, Henderson, Diallo and and one to two other players will get them some playing time and also give the incoming manager some tools to work with once this season is over. Why should we splash cash on someone unless we are/ were confident the incoming manager would have a use for them.

We can assume that Cavani and Ronaldo will both be leaving this off season. So that leaves us with the following core squad next year:

GK's - DeGea and Henderson (back from loan)
Defenders - Telles, Shaw, Mcguire, Varane, AWB, Bailly, Lindelof and Jones
Midfield - Rashford, McTominay, Bruno, Sancho, Fred, Matic, Mata, Elanga, VDB
Strikers - ???
I look for United to spend big this off season to give the incoming manager what he needs to fill the gaps.. The next couple of months are huge for us. If we can manage top 4 after clearing the cabinets, we might be in decent shape!
 
Laurencio said:
Honestly, having a transfer strategy that doesn't revolve around PR moves is refreshing. Obviously terrible that we aren't getting anyone at all in, but the last thing we need is to keep signing players to sell shirts and make PR statements - and then have absolutely no clue how we ought to utilise them.
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That’s not quite what I referenced was it? I’d hope Ralf would have an idea of what he needs until May.
 
Adam-Utd said:
To be honest I don't really see the point of signing in January.

We already have a big enough squad, the games won't be coming thick and fast anymore.

Why sign players when the new manager in 6 months may have completely other ideas?
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We literally have no midfield.

And I am not sure I ever understood the "January is not a good period to buy", especially for a team that has all sorts of problems in basically every position. Just because some player won't improve us until end of this season, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't be buying for next season and planning for the future if some players are available.

We will have no competitive striker in just 6 months, our RB position is one injury away from relying on Dalot who no one thought is actually a PL quality just few weeks ago(even our first choice AWB is still highly questionable quality). We have no defensive midfielder in our squad except Matic who is dead man walking, and Fred and Scott are average PL midfielders. Our right and left winger positions look very weak after the Greenwood fiasco too, and Martial might leave anyway.
 
Amar__ said:
We literally have no midfield.

And I am not sure I ever understood the "January is not a good period to buy", especially for a team that has all sorts of problems in basically every position. Just because some player won't improve us until end of this season, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't be buying for next season and planning for the future if some players are available.

We will have no competitive striker in just 6 months, our RB position is one injury away from relying on Dalot who no one thought is actually a PL quality just few weeks ago(even our first choice AWB is still highly questionable quality). We have no defensive midfielder in our squad except Matic who is dead man walking, and Fred and Scott are average PL midfielders. Our right and left winger positions look very weak after the Greenwood fiasco too, and Martial might leave anyway.
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Bruno, Fred, Mctominay, Pogba, Matic, Mejbri.

We are playing 1 game a week now on.

Do we need quality? yes, but that'll have to wait until the summer
 
Adam-Utd said:
Fred, Mctominay, Pogba, Matic, Mejbri.

We are playing 1 game a week now on.
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Fred and Scott are midtable quality, and you are seriously counting Matic as good option against any decent team?

Mejbri? Seriously?

Pogba is the only one who can save us, but between his poor form and injuries and contract shenanigans I can bet with anyone he will not play more than 15 games (probably not more than half of those will be good performances) until end of the season anyway.
 
Dans said:
You can't honestly believe we have a shot at anything other than the FA Cup?? My point is, we rebuild starting from now. The likes of Elanga and perhaps a couple of other youngsters can be fully blooded - look further than this season, which, let's face it, is not going to be one that brings us anything more than the FA Cup.
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It's a fair point you make, but, by going this route, we're probably going to miss out on top 4 which, in the long run, could hamper us in terms of being able to attract certain players.
Adam-Utd said:
To be honest I don't really see the point of signing in January.

We already have a big enough squad, the games won't be coming thick and fast anymore.

Why sign players when the new manager in 6 months may have completely other ideas?
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I always think it's worth a shot. Especially when we're doing as poorly as we are. Who knows? We could've found someone like Evra, Vidic or Bruno.
 
Yagami said:
I always think it's worth a shot. Especially when we're doing as poorly as we are. Who knows? We could've found someone like Evra, Vidic or Bruno.
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Just because players won't improve us in the first 6 months it doesn't mean they won't become good players for us. I think Fergie tricked many fans into believing this, and when you look at our luck with summer signings it's pretty much pure bullshit. We end up overpaying for many players, bringing them late which makes them slow starters anyway, they are too tired from summer cups, etc.

There is basically no valid argument against signing available players in January.
 
Why sign players when the new manager is coming? Sure, ok. How about we loan some then. Best of both worlds - We get players to boost our chances of top 4 which is essential if we want to bring in our big summer targets, but the new manager isn't stuck with anyone he doesn't want. I'm sure there were loan deals there to be done. Im sure Zakaria was worth a punt at 3m. We are a shambles. And anyone who thinks games aren't coming thick and fast, take a look at March.
 
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