Muniain gives DDG no chance in the Europa
With the league title all but assured to be heading somewhere other than Old Trafford for only the second time in the last six years, it’s not time to panic but nor is it time for complacency.
United’s reliance on the ageing Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs highlight the need for strengthening the midfield Then there’s the imminent departure of Dimitar Berbatov, the startling loss of form of Chicharito, plus the obvious need for some form of competition/understudy for Patrice Evra which cannot be ignored. Oh and did I mention the uncertainty surrounding Darren Fletcher’s future, or Tom Cleverley’s ability to play a full season?
United may finish this season with a points total nine higher than 2010/11 when we actually lifted the title, but let’s face facts, trophyless seasons and ones in which we see our ‘noisy neighbours’ lift their first ever Premier League crown are hardly a success.
There’s work to be done this Summer and as Roy Keane noted recently its the ‘team not the squad’ United need to strengthen.
Here’s five players that Sir Alex Ferguson should pursue with vigour as soon as the season ends to help deliver title number 20 before the Bluenoses reach number three.
Leighton Baines. The Everton left back can offer Patrice Evra a much-needed understudy as it’s obvious United are in serious trouble should our skipper get injured especially with Fabio off on a season long loan. The former Wigan man has excelled at Goodison and is more than adept at getting forward in the way most United full back’s are expected to. With Everton seemingly having a constant garage sale, it shouldn’t take a King’s ransom to prize Baines away from the blue half of Merseyside. Price £7 million.
Iker Muniain. Dubbed the ‘Spanish Messi’ due to his diminutive size and willingness to run at defenders, the Athletico Bilbao winger was part of the side that quite frankly tore United a new one in the Europa League. With a full Spanish cap under his belt it wont be long before the nineteen year old starts adding a few zeros to his price should he make more appearances for the national side. With Paul Pogba’s boyhood heroes Juventus sniffing around, United may need to move quickly although a £29.5 million price tag may put the Glazers off, if we want to challenge on more than one front next season, it’s time to pay up. Price £29.5 million.
Cheick Tiote. Cue lots of “I stopped reading at Tiote” comments as most people will no doubt think I’m off my tiny little mind with this suggestion but let’s ask ourselves one simple question: “who is United’s ball winner in the middle of the park?” Darren Fletcher? Ji Sung Park? Anderson?! Exactly, United’s midfield is comprised of pass master, quarerback types rather than grafters willing to go and get hold of the ball. Tiote is just the type of no nonsense nasty little bugger who can get in people’s faces and do the old fashioned “get hold of the ball and give it to a more skillful player” job that used to exist at Old Trafford. Newcastle have benefitted enormously from having the Ivorian doing the donkey work in the middle of the park and so could United. Price £11 million.
Raúl. When I first heard the suggestion that a 34 year-old striker could come to Old Trafford and make a difference I scoffed with the same arrogance that made me doubt Henrik Larrsson was a good idea at the time. United woud like to win the Champions League yes? Then why not sign the competitions greatest ever goal scorer? Oh but he’s past it. Well someone should tell the Real Madrid legend that then as he’s scored over twenty goals this season for Schalke. I’m not suggesting playing him week in week out against the likes of Stoke and Fulham, but why not use his talents in the cup competitions and as another option in some of the bigger league games? Price Free transfer.
Stéphane Sessegnon. I realise he may not exactly fill the hearts of many Reds with inspiration but let’s face some facts, if as I’m suggesting United buy all the other players on this list, then we aren’t going to be able to spend £40-50 million on an attacking midfielder, there simply isn’t the money available. Therefore it’s time to look at what we can afford and who can do a job and Sessegnon fits the bill. He’s been one of the few bright spots in a pretty poor season for the Mackems, has an eye for goal – one in three ratio this season- and plays with the sort of energy that is needed at Old Trafford. Should Scholes and Giggs’s appearances be limited next season, then we simply cannot rely on Tom Cleverley to be our main attacking midfield option, such is the nature of his injury record. Sessegnon may not be Luka Modric but that may not be such a bad thing as he’s actually more consistent than his overpriced North London counterpart. Price £10 million.
There you have it for £57 million United can have an Evra understudy, a proven European goalscorer, a superstar youngster, and two midfielders capable of playing against the Premiership’s best. I may be oversimplifying the issue but at a time when it’s obvious we haven’t got the billions others have, less than £60 million for five players who would improve our side, hardly seems like a bad investment.
Am I spouting the usual dribble I’m more than renowned for or is there a semblance of sanity in my musings? Answers on a brick through the usual window please.
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How much is Falcao? I think he should be the first buy for United.
Followed by Javi Martinez,Baines or Alba, and Subotic
Falcao was 40m EUROS when they bought him last Summer, and after having an even better season, will only be even more expensive. Utd don’t have the money for his fee or wages.
Owen is going where ,He is pay as you play an emergancy striker if you like .Good financial sense .Next season will see using the lone striker more .Real money will go into mid field .
i think i would personally go for witsel in MD Alba as a replacement for Evra and player like Hazard that can be able to slot or help the attack all wil cost £60m
I hate the thought of baines when there is a brilliant prospect in alba and I wouldn’t go for a winger we have to replace scholes so I’d sign Sneijder and a proper target man in llorente
My contribution to all of you is that.we need pep guardiola.sure fergie has done alot but his tactics have let us down…1..the team put up against city was just pathetic,valencia is our best player(yes 4 get rooney) yet he benched him for park!!.(2).. You can never play park and giggs in the same team and hope to get away with it.giggs has lost his pace and usualy comes into central midfield leaving the left wing crippled.(3)park is no david silva maybe coz he is always falling down.he cant cross at all..the reason evras defending has suffered is cos he is our left winger most of the time..so u would wonder why fergie would leave one wing weak yet our wings are our main source of goals…since carlos querez(dnt knw hw its spelt) left we hav lacked tactics.(he was there when we beat barca in 2008) i mean how do u play giggs and park against xavi and iniesta?!then leave out berbatov for micheal friking owen!..barca never change their formation they always play to win..so man utd need a spanish pep talk not a scottish hair-dryer
Friends
Great Work Jay..
I’d like u boys to put out ur views on the following additions:
Left backs..
1. Christian Fuchs (Schalke) 6 Million
2. Oliver Sorg (Freiburg) 21 yrs old
3. Mapou Yanga-M’Biwa (Montpellier) (Loves United)
4. Nicolai Boilesen (Ajax)
5. Jetro Williems (PSV)… He s my choice..18 yrs old..
For a ball winning midfielder, we already have one : Phil Jones …. CDM is his best position..
Midfield:
1. Gylfi Sigurðsson (Swansea – Hoffenheim Loan) (just look at the way he sprayed the ball around for Swans at Old Trafford)
2. Younes Belhanda (Montpellier) Better than Hazard. End of Story. Price : 12 million
3. Adel Taraabt (QPR) Look at the way he plays forward passes.. A player waiting to be moulded by Sir Alex.. Feints, Free kicks, Tricks.. He has the lot..
4. Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa) Reminds me of a young Scholes.. Good Left Foot
5. Alan Dzagoev.. (CSKA Moscow) He scored a cracker against us in the Champs League..
Forwards:
Remember the time we had Rooney Tevez upfront.. Two mobile finishers who can run, pass and score from outside the box but are also venerable threats in the air..
We dont need another Llorente.. We need a quick silver combo for Wazza.
1. Ezequel Lavezzi … Napoli..(Aguero v2.0)
2. Stevan Jovetic … Fiorentina.. (14 goals from 27 apps)
3. Alex del Piero… Juventus… Still a goalscorer at 38 yrs old.. On a Free Transfer..
4. Ola Toivonen.. PSV Eindhoven.. 35 goals from 76 starts
Hang on. In the Europa final, Munain was very central and hardly on the wing guys. Also, watch Hazard and you will see him centrally alot too, so they can both play as attacking mids. (This also goes for Kagawa who would be the cheapest and scores A LOT)
IF we do get one of these guys we will definitely need a kick-@ass box-to-box midfielder to compliment them. Someone like Martinez, Witsel, Biglia, M’Vila etc.
All the BIG euro teams have one! Barca = busquets, Madrid = Kheidra/alonso, Bayern = Schweinsteiger, Man city = yaya / barry / de jong, even chelsea with Essien / mikel. We need to move with the times as we are stuck in the past and simply get over-run.
Left back, use fryers if he stays as back-up. Evra has a few years left in him.
So to sum up:
Martinez and Kagawa would be fine in my book and not massively over 35 mil. So if we have some pennies left, get Hazard or Munain too as they can play off strkers as well!
hazard would be total idiot if he went to utd.how much winger do u people need?i know he can also play as atk midfielder but buying him would make you weaker as the money should be spent on holding midfielder.a very solid one.if saf keep playing the young ones and not buy the talents out there soon united will full of players that are average and it would be much harder to rebuild the club,take chelsea for example,they buy lukaku,raul meireles,romeu and they gonna stay there for at least another 2 years making it a heartache for the club to buy talents in the same position.in 4 years time,you guys would be just like chelsea now if saf refuse to buy star-players.time has changes,unless you barcelona..you need to buy.
Any of these £30m+ players are a pipe dream. Utd’s days of making those signings are OVER! Fergie doesn’t have a good record with those signings anyway.
Muniain is too small for Prem and too pricey for Utd
Martinez will be at Barca next season as a CB
Hazard at City, Chelsea or Real
Neymar is staying put till he goes to Barca or Real
Llorente will stay put or go to City
M’Vila will go to the Gooners
Napoli trio will all be too pricey for Utd
Utd’s deals will be small fry, with maybe one exception of a £25m+ signing depending who we sell… My guess is…
Kagawa – £7m-10m
Baines – £15m-£20m (he will be at least that)
Gaitan – £25m+ (not sure about him, havent seen enough of him but dont think he is that exciting)
One other fairly unknown young player for between £5m-£10m (maybe that target man striker from Holland that plays for Steve McClaren)
Your forgetting one important fact – The Glazers won’t spend 57Million!!
Do you people not find that being Manchester United fans is, well… embarrassing?
Whenever I meet a supposed ‘fan’ of Manchester united they all seem to be the least knowledgeable most ignorant in the world? And being a fan of MAnchester United must be detrimental too any football-orientated argument you engage in. None of the comments on this post are the insightful kind that are typical in other clubs and npower championship club fans. Is it just that every fan is a prawn sandwich brigadier? Or is it something passed at the main fan bases in London/ Beijing ect. ?