29 Jul 2025 07:42:39
Looks like a couple of our good prospects that will have less opportunities this season might go on loan.
Amass and Collyer if they do go out on loan will learn more playing elsewhere. Both are highly rated and can't afford to stagnate in reserves.
From their point of view picking the right club where they will get weekly minutes is key.
Amass looks physically weaker than collyer but he is s few years younger. If they flourish we can either sell for better money or integrate them into the squad when there is more games to go around.
You never know they may come back and become stalwarts for the club when they have matured and improved.

1.) 29 Jul 2025
29 Jul 2025 08:05:12
Good loans is ideal, out of the 2 collyer looks the one that might have a good career at utd. Preston Blackburn maybe in championship would be good or Sunderland in premier league? Be disappointed to sell him.

2.) 29 Jul 2025
29 Jul 2025 08:52:58
Agree nick. He looks a bit one paced to me but has good technical ability. Playing weekly will help determine if he can make it at united. I think there are doubts about that hence the loan talk i'd imagine.

3.) 29 Jul 2025
29 Jul 2025 10:21:27
One of the things that has gone slightly under the radar is Jonny Evans staying at the club in a new role as Head of loans and pathways at United.

Effectively his role is to help academy players make the massive jump from academy football to the senior game. Working with the coaches in the academy and the first team to plan a route for our academy players to be ready to play for the first team (or determine whether they won't make it at the required level) .

It sounds like he's been getting to work already with Radek Vitek heading to Bristol City on loan. Hopefully he can get regular football in the Championship and come back ready to challenge for a first team place. Which given that all three of Onana, Bayindir and Heaton look likely to leave either this summer or next means there could be at least 2 maybe even three Goalkeeper spots available in the first team next summer.

Amass looks like he still needs to fill out a little and learn how to use his body in senior football. A loan to the championship or abroad to somewhere like Portugal could be really good for him.

I think one of Collyer or Sekou Kone should head out on loan with the other staying as a squad option in the first team.

Kone looks to have the higher ceiling, but Collyer looks more ready to play for the first team. Personally I'd loan out Kone and give him a year of regular football, and keep Collyer who I think could have a bit of a breakout season this year. He has quietly impressed every time he's played in the first team. He never stands out, while that doesn't sound like a compliment, it is. When playing in midfield as a kid against EPL level players he could easily be shown up. But he doesn't get shown up. He quietly and effectively does his job with no fuss. Which is kind of what you want from a defensive midfielder. He works hard, but he also works smart. He's one of the few midfielders we have that doesn't chase the ball, but understands space on the pitch.

The players who chase the ball and smash in to tackles over and over get far more attention. You notice them. But you also notice them when they don't make the tackle or the opposition play a quick one two pass to bypass them, taking them out of the game.

Collyer is fully capable of stepping up and making the tackle, but he also reads the game well. He won't step out if that will leave a massive space unprotected, he also knows when to drop in to cover for a midfield teammate who has stepped out to challenge for the ball.

I think this slightly different profile of player that he is compared to the other options might be the thing that enables him to have a break out season. He is the guy who could literally be paired with any of our midfielders and he adds a nice balance to the midfield as he can complement all of the others.

4.) 29 Jul 2025
29 Jul 2025 15:05:18
The players who chase the ball and smash in to tackles over and over get far more attention. You notice them. But you also notice them when they don't make the tackle or the opposition play a quick one two pass to bypass them, taking them out of the game.
Are you describing Martinez above then? Or is it ok when he does exactly that, then injures himself?

5.) 29 Jul 2025
29 Jul 2025 17:41:52
German, it's about balance. If you have all of your central defenders or all of your central midfielders be front foot defensive players whose natural instinct is to jump out of the team shape to try and win the ball then you're team will regularly completely lose their shape and be easy enough to play through.

Likewise, if all your CB's or CM's are stand off and keep the shape style defensive players then you invite pressure onto the team and you struggle to ever get on the ball.

In an ideal world you have pairs of players all over the pitch, with one whose natural instinct is to chase the ball and try and win it, paired with someone slightly more reserved in their approach who'll drop in and cover the space that their teammate has vacated when they stepped out to win the ball.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the style of play that Martinez has. I can't remember too many people complaining about Vidic who played in the same style.

It's massively unfair to say Martinez injures himself, both of his major injuries at United were from opposing players making dangerous/ out of control tackles on him.

Maybe his style puts him in danger of being on the end of those tackles or maybe it incites more aggression from the opposition. But then the alternative is that he isn't in the way and allows the opposition a clean run through. Which I'm sure you'd complain about far more.

Maybe his body cannot handle the pace and power of the league and he will always be injury prone, or maybe he's just been unlucky a couple of times. Until he's back fit and playing regularly again it's all hearsay.

To be honest the way Martinez plays isn't too dissimilar to how Fabio Cannavaro used to play. He was a short centre back who made up for his lack of height by being more aggressive. He won a Balon d'Or, which proves it can be a very successful way of playing and compensating for a lack height.

There is nothing wrong with Martinez playing that way, or Ugarte, or Bruno. As long as there are others in the team to cover for them and add balance.

6.) 30 Jul 2025
30 Jul 2025 06:53:19
Mentioning Martinez in the same breath as Vidic or Fabio is ridicolous they were both excellent top notch defenders, Martinez is nowhere near that level.
Martinez is his own worst enemy, why do you seriously think players go in on him with what you call out of control tackles, he does exactly the same to them that’s why, he is just not suited to the EPL, I have never thought he was great even before the injuries, yes he was determined yes he gives 100% but quality sadly lacking and suited to EPL certainly not, every opposing manager just targets him and the area he occupies now, again like our MDL they are good enough for mid table teams who want to sit back and try defend but nowhere near good enough for teams that need to actually play and dictate games and try get back up with the big boys. If we are happy with MDL and Martinez we will just stay mid table, lucky enough RA wants improvement in that area too and I guess he knows.

7.) 30 Jul 2025
30 Jul 2025 09:25:07
German - you have regularly stated that we WILL sign a CB, and Amorim wants a new CB. CB is the one position that I can't remember seeing a player linked with this summer. Where does your assertion come from? Apart from 'because I think we should'. Every fan knows we could upgrade every position, but I don't know of any fan who's actually had a 1-1 conversation with Amorim about it or knows for certain which position we'll prioritise.