01 Jun 2025 16:38:54
Ork, this is in response to you post down below in reference to where team was pre Bruno vis a vis now.
I am sure you are kidding. You have been a regular here and don't come across as naive to be posting that. Current Manchester United squad has just one player capable of making a difference. Mark Bruno out of the game and you know the other 10 are hopeless. If i know that then i am certain the other teams know it too. That is the reason you need to have better players to supplement Bruno not remove Bruno. Look at City, Liverpool or any other top team, they have talent to support if one of them isn't working. Who do United turn to if Bruno has a poor game? We brought on Zirkzee and that Messi wannabe in the final and that's the reason we are here. Where are the Rooney, RvP, Zlatan, Pogba etc who have that skill or the mindset to turn it around? If we are thinking of replacing Bruno with Cunha then its a just like for like and the opponents can just mark Cunha out and that's it. Is it the 100m that's talking? If we were getting 20m for Bruno would anyone be open to selling?
01 Jun 2025 16:46:36
Great post. Find it really wierd that many here think letting our best player (and that by a mile) leave is a good idea.
01 Jun 2025 16:48:14
Pogba?!
01 Jun 2025 17:15:24
I don't think anyone actually thinks that from a pure footballing perspective that letting Bruno leave is the best option.
However, we don't live in a world where decisions are made purely on the football perspective.
The reality is that we don't have a bottomless pit to rebuild this squad. In fact we have to be very financially astute to be able to complete a rebuild.
Not only do we not have a lot of cash, we also owe 300m still on the current squad. Add to that there are very few players we can sell who actually raise money rather than lose it.
Bruno is one of the few who actually bring in a decent fee that could actually raise money towards rebuilding the squad.
Add to that he is 31 soon, and we will lose him at some point over the next 3-4 years either as he leaves or he declines. That means he isn't a long term solution. While it's arguable that he isn't an ideal fit for Amorim's team and he might well be throwing the balance off.
Ultimately the options are:
A. Keep Bruno and hope that he maintain his level over the next 2-3 years and maybe only be able to bring in 3 first choice players this summer.
B. Sell Bruno, not have to worry about when his decline will happen, and be able to bring in 5 maybe 6 first choice signings.
Selling Bruno isn't about it being the best thing to do, but it might be the best thing to do given the context of where we are.
01 Jun 2025 17:19:03
For me, the RA system demands a couple of vital attributes that Fernandes lacks.
In the previous system of 4-3-3 he could sit at the apex of the midfield three and link play with the attack without the need to be particularly quick or positionally diligent.
The RA system with two CMs and two wide 10s, for me, presents an issue regarding Fernandes.
He does not possess the positional discipline or the battle mentality for the role of No8 in RA's system.
Also, he does not possess the pace and gusto required for a wide 10 role in the system.
He can score, he can create, but I think the temptation to accommodate a player of his type in this system is problematic.
Honestly, if the system was 4-3-3, or even 3-5-2, I wouldn't entertain the idea of selling him, but, imo, he makes the RA system vulnerable through the middle as a No8 and slows things down when out wide.
Cunha isn't a replacement for Fernandes, he's a different type of player more suited to the specific role he's been signed for.
But tell me, where would you put Fernandes and explain where you think I'm wrong?
01 Jun 2025 18:04:50
So essentially what Shappy you are saying is that it is a financial decision. Fair point. But to your options, i feel Bruno isn't slowing down, he is hardly ever injured so no history of a recurring long time injury. With the conditioning these days and how Bruno looks after himself i don't see him slowing down. Remember how Scholes reinvented himself and i see Bruno doing that. His game is more in the mind rather than the speed.
Ork, i get your point and i am not saying you are wrong. I just have a different view point. I see Bruno excelling in the deeper play maker role alongside a Casemiro replacement, a ball winner. In the later half of Amorim's first season i have seen Bruno being more balanced in his approach and positioning. He hasn't been "all over the place" and has actually complemented Casemiro in the 2 man midfield. I believe someone like a Bruno orchestrating the MF with Cunha and Amad/ Mount in the 2 #10s can really work well. that's a lot of creativity and flair there and perhaps a genuine striker could excel with all these folks assisting. As i said above, somewhat of a Scholes role and he was never the fastest or the best tackler.
2toms - yes Pogba. No one actually wuestioned his talent. Whether he turned up for United post that bust up with Mourinho is another matter.
01 Jun 2025 18:04:59
I don't think it's unreasonable to think that selling your best player could leave the team stronger if you can recruit well to replace them. In the case of Bruno I don't think we'll be able to attract enough high quality players to do that this year. So I'm definitely on the side of keeping him. We already have a lot to do this summer without thinking about replacing Bruno.
01 Jun 2025 18:44:42
UA, Bruno has played nearly every minute of every available game for nearly 5 years for both club and country. He has a lot of miles on the clock, normally that catches up with a player at some point.
Maybe he keeps going as he is for the next 3-4 years, or maybe he starts to pick up injuries and declines over the next couple of seasons. It's a gamble either way, although we know for sure that he will decline at some point, it's just a gamble of when.
Maybe Bruno can like Scholes reinvent himself if his body starts to slow down, although I'd have a few concerns as he presses relentless but not often intelligently. Likewise he always goes for the killer pass rather than the intelligent one. Which raises the question of whether the has the intellect do adapt his game, not all players do. Again whether he can or not is a gamble.
Maybe another way to look at this is if Bruno was playing for another club at the level he is now and at the age of 31 would you want United to spend 100m on signing him?
If not then you don't believe he is worth 100m to our club, in which case if someone offers 100m for him then they are paying more than we value him at. At which point surely it would be foolish to turn that offer down?
01 Jun 2025 18:59:31
UA
Scholes was a strong player with a low centre of gravity who was very difficult to push around - he could hold on to the ball in a battle far better than Fernandes. He also had far greater positional sense and read the game better than almost every other player I've ever seen.
Additionally, he had proper defensive midfielders behind him during a period where the sport was nowhere near as athletic and bombastic as it is now.
Scholes was a completely different class of player in a different system in a different period of professional football.
In terms of Fernandes being a deep-lying playmaker, that would only have a real chance of working if he was supported by a proper physical presence with pace at No6. He has only worked well in a 2 with Casemiro against teams with similar systems and/ or less physical midfielders - mostly in European games.
Where that pairing generally fails is against PL teams who set up with two 6/ 8s and a 10 through the middle. I've seen our midfield look like custard in the PL with the axis of Fernandes and Casemiro - no thank you, I don't want to see more of that.
Imo, none of Fernandes, Casemiro, Ugarte, Collyer or Mount have the required standard of all the attributes that would be absolutely essential for the 6 or 8 roles in RA's system against teams with 3-man midfields.
I wouldn't mind seeing a 3-5-2 with Casemiro/ Ugarte/ Kone, Mainoo and Fernandes in the middle, but would that ever happen? The signing of Cunha might well suggest not.
If we are to keep Fernandes, and I would like that, then I hope RA has learnt that the 3-4-3 can be, and frequently is, dominated through the middle in the PL and needs to be somehow tweaked.
01 Jun 2025 19:49:52
Bruno doesn't suit FA system, end of story. Take the 100m.
Love the guy and have never been in the camp that hated on him regularly, but it is time.
01 Jun 2025 20:14:27
Sentiment, Bruno staying would be down to sentiment. At nearly 31 we are one injury away from disaster or people screaming disaster. At £100m it is an amount you take and rebuild the team. We can argue all day, but Liverpool sold Coutinho and rebuilt. Sentiment at United is something we deal with all the time. It’s time to let him go.
01 Jun 2025 21:23:47
Sorry couldn't be bothered reading all the posts but in answer to a post early in the thread, can you tell me who is the star player in the current European champions is? They are the prime examples of getting rid of the so called star players and recruit players thatvwork for each other.
01 Jun 2025 21:31:12
We won't get an offer unless he tells them he will sign.
It's not about letting him go it's about if he wants to stay.
If he says no to them then we get no offer. Simple as that.
01 Jun 2025 23:06:47
I think Amorim could talk him into staying if he really wants him too. I think what Amorim wants will be important here.
I would not blame Bruno for taking the money, neither would I have problem if he decided to go to one of the big Euro powerhouses to win now.
I just have this nagging feeling with Bruno that he has genuine love for United and his ideal scenario would be stay and win something big here and that if he can be a part of that he would.
02 Jun 2025 06:09:58
For me, he has to play as the R10, with Amad at RWB flying past him.
Those wanting to sell him so that we can reinvest, who on earth comes to OT of an elite level with no European football? The likes of Baleba, Wharton etc. (the ideal midfield two in a 3-4-3 in my opinion) have got no chance of arriving this summer, whether we have Bruno money in the bank or not.
02 Jun 2025 08:02:27
I'm with Ork and Shappy on this. If an offer of c £100m were to come in, in my view, with all things considered, it has to be accepted. Then move on with our rebuild.
02 Jun 2025 09:38:00
The club don't want to sell
For those arguing he doesn't fit into RA system, well then why is RA so desperate to keep him?
Sentiment? Being 30 years old, being our only world class player. In the past 3 seasons he has created more chances than any other player in the league. And all at this terribly bad united side, is not sentiment. He has proven time and time again he is top class.
They can offer whatever they want, there is no guarantee that this club, will be able to replace and even if they do, who do they replace him with? Who is a viable option for the club that returns the same as Bruno, who leads like Bruno? I'm still waiting for the names.
There is absolutely no guarantee that this club can replace him. I don't trust them to.
I'm hoping he turns it down and stays with us. The building can begin within the team. He is far too valuable a player.
02 Jun 2025 11:49:35
Shappy posted a loss of 34 names with a greater output than bruno in the epl last season. He is not irreplaceable just like kdb isn't just like messing wasn't just like ronaldo wasn't just like no player isn't.
Bruno has done well in bis individual numbers since he signed but for all that time the team has not performed well as a unit. None of the world's best teams in that period have ever tried to sign him.
Bruno is not irreplaceable.
I don't think any player is.
02 Jun 2025 12:35:54
No player is irreplaceable, but you don’t do it when that one player is simply the best you got or likely to get to replace him, KDB is 4 years older had had lots of injuries and never nowhere near as fit as Bruno, so a silly comparison really, plus City got far better back ups then us and bigger attraction for new players than us.
Strange that those on here, say Bruno don’t fit RA system, but RA clearly put on record he don’t want to lose him at all…… maybe some on here know RA thinking more than RA
100 mil buys nothing these days and TBF it’s not my money so I don’t care, I just want the best team available and Bruno makes us a better team, so why would you sell.
02 Jun 2025 12:37:08
angelred
Names?
Mainoo with either Ederson or Samuele Ricci would work far better as a disciplined midfield 2 than Fernandes with anyone.
Fernandes could never reach the role-specific levels put out by players far more suited to the wide R10 role, attainable players like:
Mbeumo, Dibling, Minteh and Kudus.
Fernandes is a very gifted footballer, but the things he lacks - disciplined mentality when under tight pressure and close ball-control at speed - render him, imo, unsuitable for the 8 role and R10 role in RA's system.
The reason RA hasn't said anything about being prepared to let Fernandes leave is because he's not stupid.
Just imagine for a moment what the fallout would be if he went there. There'd be a media meltdown and everybody on here knows that very well. You could smell the narrative now - new coach, worst-ever PL season, unstable club, unpopular owners old and new, redundancies, fan unrest, then quotes from the new coach regarding preparedness to sell the club's captain and talisman would be misconstrued massively. Oh, they'd have a field day.
RA's never said he's desperate to keep Fernandes at the club, he said 'We want Bruno here. ' He's not an idiot, of course he wants Fernandes to stay, but wants are frequently overcome by needs in every aspect of life.
Put simply, if RA said he's happy for Fernandes to leave, there'd be an explosion of negativity directed at him which would likely lead to his own exit, he's perfectly wise enough to let, the already unpopular, SJR make that decision instead. Needs over wants, that's where the club is unfortunately.
02 Jun 2025 13:12:15
German that's the best time to do it imo. Its when Liverpool did it when Barcelona dod it when to l united have done it.
He is our best player in many regards but the team is not functioning with him in it and we need money to invest.
If we didn't need money then I'd keep him and try get better around him but it's a bit chicken and egg.
If I had the choice now it would be sell him buy 3 or 4 players that would improve the team as a whole.
02 Jun 2025 13:15:11
I'm not sure He can't fit in RA system . I don't think he should play deeper but he can easily play as one of the am if he stays. But he needs to decide if he wants to stay. If he does we won't get any offers for him from a big club in Europe.
02 Jun 2025 14:52:02
Ork that is your interpretation of what you believe the situation is.
What we have is RA stating that he hopes and wants Bruno to stay.
So you can interpret it how you want, the fact is, he has stated that he wants to keep him.
In terms of the names above, none come close to Brunos output and I'm still waiting for names that match him for minutes, contributions and overall influence. I don't believe those players exist and it's a mistake to let our only player of this caliber go.
02 Jun 2025 15:54:46
Angel. Once again shappy posted a list of names yesterday with better or same output in epl as bruno. 34 players that had better same or similar goals and assists as bruno in epl last season. You may missed it. You might choose to believe they don't exist but they do. Only an idiot would say they don't. We have actually signed one of them already.
{Ed001's Note - but how many of them were feeding the two worst strikers in the Prem? Imagine if he got decent forwards to set up. You can't replace Bruno, it is idiocy to suggest there are 34 players who were able to create as well as him last season.}
02 Jun 2025 16:49:17
List of 34 players…. so the Saudis must also be stupid they want to pay 100 million plus for the 35th best player……! Wow
Like to see the other 34 players supply our 2 strikers so they score, or the other 34 players who play in such a poor team, hardly miss a minute of the season get moved from pillar to post in there positions and still finish the season with the highest level of stats over seasons and seasons!
Plus the person who says RA is just playing lip service saying he wants Bruno to stay, why he not take that stance with Rashford, with Garnacho, if he wants to play lip service, even with saying the worst ever team, I think RA says it as it is, in his mind, so I very much doubt he is playing any kind of lip service….
Even if there is a replacement out there for Bruno in those mysterious 34 players, why on earth would they come to us, because surely they are doing fantastic where they are!
02 Jun 2025 17:29:41
Ed001 of course he can be replaced.
{Ed001's Note - with who? To do so will cost more than you will get from selling him. The sensible thing is to add to quality, not offload it.}
02 Jun 2025 17:42:15
Ed001. My point exactly. He has created more opportunities than anyone else in the premier League over the last 3 seasons. He's a gem is Bruno. I don't enjoy the petulant stuff, but from a footballing standpoint there are very few that can stand up to his contributions.
34 players with similar or better stats, love it ken ?
Ed001 calls it idiocy. You'd say it's an educated football fan, right Ken? ?.
{Ed001's Note - it is not just that angel, for all the petulance outbursts of emotion on the pitch, off it he is a genuine good guy. He is very much the leader of the club and you have to replace that too.}
02 Jun 2025 18:42:07
It's was just a list of players that had 18 plus or just under in the epl this season. Of course some were cf and he made that point.
Bruno is a really good player nobody is disputing that at all. But he has been our playmaker for 5 or so seasons and despite his great personal stats effort and commitment we have not functiond as a team.
Not his fault. Ideally we can keep him and buy what we need to function as a team. Given where we are financially selling him if he wants to go makes sense imo. Keeping him if he accepts their offer would be a bad move again in my opinion.
It's entirely up to him. I see it as a win win situation.
He is not irreplaceable but the success rate on signings needs to be high.
It's this point that unnerves a lot of people and understandably so. The clubs track record on transfers has been shameful. But this is a new team so we can only hope they have much better success.
Bruno could easily play in this system I'm sure the manager would like him to stay. But he needs different players around him.
With the right partner he can play in the deeper role I'm sure.
I think the club would be happy not to get an offer. It will only come if Bruno has said yes to them.
At that point if you think he is irreplaceable then you might as well give up supporting because there is no hope. That is a phrase you are least likely to ever hear me say when it comes to united. Every single player that has ever lived has been replaceable. Time moves on players come players go. It's often because they want and choose to go. That will be the eventuality in this case.
02 Jun 2025 19:45:27
You're right ed. He's a leader both on and off the pitch. To try and replace that is a massive ask in itself, not to mention what he does on the pitch.
I think a person that says he can be replaced, take the 100m or whatever they offer, We can build with it, replace him, really doesn't know his or her football very well. Or they just don't like Bruno, which there seems to be a few of on here.
There aren't many players out there like Bruno, and we are very lucky to have him. Even more lucky to have a player of his quality considering how crap we have been.
Ed001, interested to know your take on Amorim? Nearly everyone I have spoken to can not believe that he is still in the job given his horrendous record last year.
{Ed001's Note - it is hard to believe, but I think it is the right thing to do. Sometimes you have to take a period of pain to get things sorted out. There were flashes of what he was trying to do but just a lack of quality finishers to get the results to go with it.}
02 Jun 2025 20:09:23
Overall, no one can do anything about it apart from Bruno himself
If he says he wants to go, he goes, and we use the money to try to find the right players and rebuild, and vice versa.
Obviously the club want him to stay and will try to convince him, but we can do nothing if he wants to leave.
02 Jun 2025 20:56:22
Well with Cunha in, mbeumo on the way ed001. It's a good start.
I wouldn't be looking at our defence this window either. Get the right attackers in and possible a CM we will be okay.
{Ed001's Note - that defence looks a real weakness to me. Lacks a good, experienced leader to play between Yoro and Heaven and control the line. Mbeumo and Cunha are excellent players though and should help move you into European places next season.}
02 Jun 2025 21:33:13
Exactly rkc and it's not the end of the world if he goes.
I suppose if it happens we can only wait and see.
Negative goal difference 2 seasons in a row. That has to stop.
03 Jun 2025 07:14:44
I have been banging the drum for a decent CB for ages, I know it’s needed RA knows it’s needed and Ed001 knows it’s needed, but I get shot down every time I say it, some even say Martinez is quality…LOL De light is too slow and always injured.
We need an experienced commanding CB with pace, who can lead Yoro and Heaven and also with the pace and brain to cover those two when they make mistakes which they will.
If we could get the lad from Brentford to go with Cunha and say Mateta that would be good front 3, Bruno supply the amo new GK CB as above, just need some steel in midfield and we’re good to go……. but anyone thinking that what we already got is the answer is seriously in need of Specsavers more than Bev is.