26 May 2025 10:11:52
It’s amazing how a few little things can regenerate your enthusiasm. Dropping Onana, Shaw and Garnacho from the squad yesterday, telling Garnacho he can leave, signing Cunha and giving him Rashford’s number and then Amorim’s speech after the game.
I was all doom and gloom for days after the Tottenham game and just wanted yesterday done. Now, I am buzzing for the summer ? still lots to do and still have to get the Glazers out but some statements from Amorim. I’ll put it out there now, we’ll be top 6 next season!
26 May 2025 10:47:43
I think we'll see a massively different United team next season.
For one thing Amorim will have the summer to prepare the squad and get them ready.
Secondly it looks like the club have actually sat up and taken notice that this squad will not do.
I do not think we will be signing loads of expensive big name players, but I do think there will be a load of changes to this squad.
Giving Heaton a new one year deal to me suggests that at least one of not both of Onana and Bayindir will leave this summer with a new keeper coming in. With so much change in the keeper department it makes sense to keep Heaton for another year. Bayindir I think is almost certain to leave, Onana might depend on what offers we get.
Evans, Lindelof and Eriksen have been confirmed to be leaving.
I doubt we'll see any other defenders leave as the most likely candidates will be difficult to shift either due to the amount we would need or due to their injury history.
As for incomings in defence I think that is the lowest priority area, and we will only likely see a signing there if we get all the other areas sorted first.
In midfield we could see Casemiro, Collyer and Bruno potentially leave. Casemiro will depend on offers, Collyer I suspect will be sold. He can raise a reasonable amount as he's an academy player, while I can see him being sold to make way for Kone to step up from the academy I to the first team next season. Bruno could be sacrificed to raise funds. We will sign at least one midfielder, maybe two. If we sign a second I suspect it'll be a cheaper young player who has potential.
The biggest changes I think will come in attack. Amad and Mount are the only ones I think are safe. Mount might surprise a few people but Amorim has praised him and several occasions and he is perfectly suited to how Amorim likes to play. If he can stay fit then I expect him to have a very good season for us next year. Zirkzee will also likely stay as a squad option as we'd need a big offer for it to make sense to sell.
Antony, Sancho, Rashford and Garnacho all looking for the chopping block. While I'm sure if the club can find a solution to move Højlund on they will do. The issue is that we need a significant fee for him, probably bigger than anyone is willing to pay. I could see a loan deal to Italy with an obligation to buy next summer. At which point he will be three years into his deal with over half of his fee mortised, meaning we can accept a reasonable fee for him without losing money.
Cunha looks locked in now. While Delap also looks likely, both could be agreed and signed within the next couple of weeks. Gyökeres looks less likely now it's confirmed we don't have UCL football. I suspect he'll end up at Chelsea. We are also reportedly looking at players like Mbeumo and Cherki either of which looks like good signings. I still think we will need another striker and wouldn't be against signing Jonathan David on a free.
If our options for the front three positions next season are Cunha, Delap, Amad, Mount, Zirkzee, David, and one of Mbeumo or Cherki then I don't think we will suffer with a lack of goals like we have this season. That alone I think transforms our squad.
Then when you consider a more energetic and defensively solid midfield and a keeper who doesn't keep throwing the ball into his net then we will have massively improved the team. Give them a full summer to prepare under Amorim and I think we will have a vastly different team next season.
I can see us selling/ releasing 10-12 players this summer, with us signing between 6-8 players (a couple of those I expect to be signings like Heaven, Obi, Leon and Kone, youth players who could fill in at times but still have some developing to do) .