21 Aug 2024 07:33:49
Ugarte likely to come in very soon, possibly even today.

Pellistri, Mejbri, Oyedele all out by the weekend. Eriksen to follow next week.

I think McTominay will stay, but expect Sancho to leave next week, probably on another loan deal.

I just have a sneaky feeling we are going to do something big and unexpected in the last week, too. I think INEOS will want to make an absolute statement signing on deadline day to really hammer home their arrival.

1.) 21 Aug 2024
21 Aug 2024 08:06:30
I wouldn't be surprised if we tried again for branthwaite, he was obviously a top target but i think that depends if Lindelof goes.

2.) 21 Aug 2024
21 Aug 2024 09:59:42
I'd be delighted to keep Scott McTominay - he always gives 100% and never let's you down. He isn't a technical midfielder the way e. g. Eriksen is, but he offers other things. I'd happily say goodbye to Eriksen and Casemiro - both have been fantastic players but their age is catching up and slowing them down. At their peak they would have graced any team but their best days are behind them. I think both still have a lot to offer going forward, but defensively they are too exposed and that makes it very hard to Mainoo etc. However, it's not their fault that Utd paid too much, and both deserve respect for their achievements in the game - at his peak Casemiro was world class in his role, and Eriksen has always been a joy to watch and a model pro.
Sancho I am not convinced has the heart to be a Utd player - wonderful skill but also not a fighter for the cause: if we can get a good price I would sell and move on just to clear the decks.

So, my ideal purchases in last days of window would be Ugarte, a young and hungry left back (Shaw and Malacia just too unreliable with injury: the Turkish guy looks good but I think the Hungarian guy at Bournemouth is more PL proven - but what do I know? ) and if possible another effort for Branthwaite. Unlikely to get them all, but it would be a truly fantastic window if we could achieve this.

3.) 21 Aug 2024
21 Aug 2024 10:58:38
We need a player like Ugarte in midfield, if that means moving McTominay I'd be fine with that. Ugarte's energy and ball winning ability is something we lack in the squad.

McTominay is the 2024 version of Fellaini in my eyes. Gives his all, limited on the ball, can't trust him defensively but if you put him in the opposition box, he's going to cause problems.

As for other departures and signings, I'd say Sancho, Hannibal and Pellistri need to go as they're clearly not at the forefront of Ten Hag's thinking.

If we are to bring in another with Ugarte, I'd target a wide player rather than a left back. When fit, Shaw will start so why sign a short term fix again? We saw how that worked with Weghorst, Reguilon, Amrabat and Sabitzer in recent years. In our wide areas we have youth in Amad and Garnacho and two horribly out of form players in Rashford and Antony. I'd say that is just as big a concern as the likely fitness issues at left back.

4.) 21 Aug 2024
21 Aug 2024 11:39:29
RJmanutd interested you would stick with Shaw and Malacia - I agree Shaw when fit is still quality, but he's not been consistently fit for a log while now, so my sense is that we need to look to the future with a young player who can develop. Amass looks a good prospect but we can't expect him never to lose form or fitness as he develops physically and tactically in next few years, so another young player (like Kerkez at Bournemouth) would be a sensible way to balance risk. If Shaw gets fit consistently he can take his place back, if not he hs to work for it same as everyone should. Last season I think LB was a major weakness for us (although lack of left sided CB with Lisandro injured did not help) and we were targeted. Amrabat is not a bad player, but chopping and changing where he played didn't help him or the team - trying to use him at LB was insanity! I agree that Reguilon and Weghorst weren't great, but I actually thought Sabitzer was a good player and he's looked good for Austria, and in the upper levels of German league (Bayern, RBL and Dortmund - although I can agree their levels are a little lower than EPL overall, Bayern don't buy too many complete mugs) . Biggest problem has been we have brought in some players who look good in other teams and systems, but we haven't coached them well and we haven't had a consistent style of play, so each match we have lurched from system to system. Hopefully this is something Wilcox and Ashforth will address together with Ten Hag but it's not an instant fix and I suspect it will take at least 2 seasons to sort properly. But if we can settle on a style of play, buy players who fit that system and coach players to work in that way, we should see progress. although some players are not very adaptable (either too thick or too ego driven to do so) . Even a team like City - with a huge amount of money and some serious talent available to them, and a well defined system of play by now - buy players and then it takes months for them to really fit the system and settle in - and some (e. g. Phillips, Grealish) don't ever really convince. This season I expect progress, but breaking top 4 will be a big achievement and we shouldn't expect a lasting challenge at top end of the table. I am pretty sure most of us don't expect that, even if we would love to see it.

5.) 21 Aug 2024
21 Aug 2024 12:21:07
I'm not sure we will move for LB now. It's a bizarre situation we find ourselves in, looking for a player who technically could only be 5th choice in that position behind Shaw, Malacia, Mazraoui, Dalot. Last resort should be Martinez, then Amass. Better solution is to find a long-term starter in this position next summer. I think at least one of Shaw/ Malacia will be offski.

6.) 21 Aug 2024
21 Aug 2024 12:27:34
Phil, I totally agree that Shaw and Malacia as LB options is risky. Shaw when fully fit is a very good left back, hence why he is first choice. It's just I don't see the club buying a new 1st choice left back this window, and ultimately, they'd need to be a pretty good player to justify not playing Shaw when he is fully fit. Some of the players linked like Alonso are very short term signings, then players like Chilwell who are good but just as injury prone, if not more so, than Shaw. Others such as Kerkez could be good signings but with limited funds don't seem too feasible this window.

I'd rather see us spend the limited funds we apparently have available on a replacement for Sancho this window. That'd give us sufficient depth in wide areas and still allows for Amad to continue to develop or maybe Rashford / Antony to regain some form. Then next summer sign a top left back to takeover from Shaw.

7.) 21 Aug 2024
21 Aug 2024 19:11:59
Or keep Sancho in the wide areas and see what he can do?

8.) 21 Aug 2024
21 Aug 2024 22:34:42
Eric,

We’ve seen what he can do, nothing.