04 May 2026 01:02:03
Now that we have secured cl football as a fan from a football perspective turns to 3 key questions.
1. Who will the coach be? No idea and I've no strong opinion on it yet. i'd like to see who they will talk to.
2. Who will they sell?
Definite squad members next year imo will be lammens shaw maguire yoro heaven mainoo amad cunha mbeuno sesko.
Cas ugarte zirkzee rasmus bayindir rashford vitek I think will all be sold /released /loaned.
I think we would be open to break even offers on others like mount dalot maz martinez de ligt if offers came in that made sense i think the club would consider them strongly.
Obviously not all will be sold but perhaps 1 or 2 from that list.
3. Who will we buy? Taking into consideration the proposed definite leavers above.
2xcm 1lw 1cf. 1gk would be required at a minimum. Plus maybe 1 or 2 coming through from the academy to play some meaningful game time. Amass lacey even JJ.
Plus replacing any of the possible exits at rb for example if either maz or dalot were to leave.
Or cb if martinez were to leave.
The answers to the questions are very Co dependent so can't be answered in isolation.
Very interesting summer ahead.
04 May 2026 07:51:36
As you say, a very interesting summer ahead.
04 May 2026 09:32:07
With the absence of any obvious replacement manager, I expect Carrick to be confirmed once the season is over.
Ultimately, this rebuild is not about individual names, it is about building a balanced, functional system, starting with replacing Casemiro.
The usual suspects are obvious: Anderson, Baleba, Wharton and Tonali. With Mainoo now central, the focus must be on balance.
Anderson and Wharton both overlap too closely with Mainoo stylistically, while interest from City will inflate Anderson's price, and I cannot see us getting involved in a bidding war.
That leaves Baleba and Tonali, and of the two, Baleba offers the intensity and ball-winning that Mainoo lacks. He is the more natural fit, and likely the simpler deal.
Replacing Manuel Ugarte is more about depth. A Mateus Fernandes profile offers long-term development, while Joao Gomes brings immediate Premier League reliability. I wouldn't be surprised if either of those become targets.
Further forward, United did well last summer, and the forwards look effective now. A player like Mateus Mane, who is younger and can provide options off the bench, would be a great addition.
Up front, the priority would be a striker who stretches defences, but they are expensive, and I don't see an urgent need if both Mbeumo and Cunha can play in that role.
In defence, consistent injuries to Licha and MdL may force another signing. If an offer arrives for Yoro, I think United would consider it, especially with Heaven clear ahead in progression. A Premier League-proven option like Marcos Senesi would add immediate reliability.
The academy remains a question. While talents exist, how many are ready now to make the step up to men's football? Carrick's reliance on established players this season might not be viable next season with the number of games we hope to play.
04 May 2026 11:20:12
The manager question is the one that seems to dominate the discussion right now.
I'm neither for nor against Carrick. I think, from the outside looking in, he has done a good job. If the club decides to stick with him, then I'll back that decision. Like many fans, I also have a few reservations or unanswered questions about him as a manager (which, to be fair, I'd have over any manager we hire).
Where most fans differ on the manager front tends to come from the basic fact that we are all basing our opinions off of less than 20% of the information needed to make that decision.
Firstly, there is a subtle difference between the best manager available and the right manager for the job.
Ultimately, we are best off hiring the right manager for the job, even if others on the surface look like "better" managers.
Again, some of us are basing our opinion on who is the right manager on who we feel is the best manager, often on things like what they've won, who they have managed previously, or their perceived style of play, etc.
Yet all of those things need to be taken in context.
For example, would Pep have won all the titles and accolades he has at City if the people running the recruitment hadn't managed to get him the players he has ultimately had? How much of his success should also be attributed to those who gave him the conditions he had to be successful?
Finding the right manager is about finding the right piece of the puzzle; it might not be the biggest piece, or the fanciest piece, but it will be the piece that brings the rest of the image together.
As fans, it's fine to have an opinion on things like who the manager should be or who we should sign. But ultimately, there is so much we don't know about the whole process, or what is actually required, that our opinions carry very little weight. The important thing is, regardless of who we hire as fans, our job is to get behind the new manager even if he isn't our preferred choice.
Personally, I think player recruitment this summer is far more important as to our long term success than who we hire as the manager. But like I say, that's just an opinion.