Topic: Harry Maguire considering his options thread

[Schmidt]

Another £57m on a defender.

Looking forward to the protests when we play them in a few weeks.

So many transfers have felt extremely protracted this summer, I thought they had signed this guy weeks ago.

[BigCDump]

Can't wait to see him and Maguire together. It will be unforgettable.

[JackWard33]

That fee is just mental …. They get mugged off by every club they deal with

[thaddeus]

That fee is just mental …. They get mugged off by every club they deal with

Apparently they're going to recoup much of it as Bailly, Tuanzebe and Jones are all now available...

Did I dream it or did they spend £40m on Varane last summer and he was the final piece of the defensive puzzle?  I guess now they can't unlock Pogba anymore they may as well burn money on trying to unlock Maguire instead.

[CraigDS]

Apparently they're going to recoup much of it as Bailly, Tuanzebe and Jones are all now available...

I'd be amazed if they got £15m for that lot.

[JackWard33]

Apparently they're going to recoup much of it as Bailly, Tuanzebe and Jones are all now available...

Ah fair enough that takes the net spend on this one from 57 million to 53.5 million

[JovaJova]

I'd be amazed if they got £15m for that lot.

Just going off transfermarkt
Bailly: 6million
Turnzebe: 7million (although that must be a stretch, who is he ?)
Jones: has to be a net negative. Nobody would be able to buy him given the wage so net negative it is

Add to the fact that this club are possibly the worst club in the world at selling players for any sort of value and you can probably deduct another 5-10m. All in all it means these players are pretty much worthless.

[Musketeer Gripweed]

Is that Varane finished with them now then?

Must be great to have such disposable income I guess.

[Dim Glas]

Is that Varane finished with them now then?

Must be great to have such disposable income I guess.

Why would he be finished with them? Unless he wants out?

I’d guess they are going with this guy, Maguire, Varane and Lindeloff as their 4, and trying to bin the others.

And that 4 will have cost them around £200 mill to buy 

[Musketeer Gripweed]

They could play three at the back I guess, but you don't pay £57M for a defender and not have him first choice, and Slabhead is their captain, so he's not getting dropped.

What kind of full back did they just buy, a wing back or a more defensive player? That will probably tell out what kind of shape they will play.

[PaulF]

Add to the fact that this club are possibly the worst club in the world at selling players for any sort of value and you can probably deduct another 5-10m. All in all it means these players are pretty much worthless.

And Everton can't afford to buy their rejects now.

[Dim Glas]

They could play three at the back I guess, but you don't pay £57M for a defender and not have him first choice, and Slabhead is their captain, so he's not getting dropped.

What kind of full back did they just buy, a wing back or a more defensive player? That will probably tell out what kind of shape they will play.

No idea if ten Hag uses 3 at the back?

But it’s a long season, any team playing in Europe needs that depth. Of course none of their central defenders covered themselves in glory last season, and Maguire being club captains should not mean automatic starting 11 place regardless. And up to the new boy to show he’s ready!

[Drinks Sangria]

No idea if ten Hag uses 3 at the back?

But it’s a long season, any team playing in Europe needs that depth. Of course none of their central defenders covered themselves in glory last season, and Maguire being club captains should not mean automatic starting 11 place regardless. And up to the new boy to show he’s ready!

Without wanting to quote myself (exactly what I am doing), based on a lot of viewing of Ajax this is my take on Ten Hag's tactics in relation to his new role.

He used to bounce between a 4-3-3 with Alvarez holding and Gravenberch more advanced and a 4-2-3-1 with Gravenberch sitting deeper with Alvarez in a double pivot. The issue with that is asking either VDB or Eriksen - neither mobile - to play wide to accommodate Bruno, or in the 4-3-3 can Rashford, Elanga and Sancho be trusted to do the defensive work needed to protect the midfield?

If Ten Hag is pragmatic, he needs to sign a tall, physical midfielder with greater technical quality than McTominay to sit alongside Martinez, then use only one of Eriksen, VDB or Bruno. That’s going to be difficult, especially after putting Eriksen on such a wedge. Bruno is paid massively too based on his new contract so he’s in. Ten Hag and his coaching staff can’t make the mistake that because Bruno offers good pressures, of thinking that he has good defensive output. He doesn’t. He runs a lot but presses fairly aimlessly and is easy to take out of the defensive set up through simple passing triangles. This means he’s essentially absent from the defensive phase of play as the ball transitions into the middle third, so you need at least two midfielders who are adept at both pressing and reading which passing lanes to close. The issue with that, is as simple as it sounds, very, very few midfielders are great at both. We have one, in Fabinho, Man City have Rodri. Even Leicester have Ndidi. Utd don’t have anyone of that profile at present and absolutely, essentially need it if they don’t want their midfield to be bypassed on every transition.

In Ten Hag’s Ajax system, Gravenberch would press the ball, Alvarez would drop between Martinez and Timber to create a back three and the full backs would step up into the half space to compress the opposition’s area to pass in. Wide forwards would stay static on the touch line as high up as the opposition’s defensive line would allow. Klaassen would then press in tandem with the 8 with the express intention of forcing the ball into the congested wide areas and create a turnover whereby the full backs have an easy outball to a wide forward who now is as close to the opposition’s goal as possible. It’s a great system - in the isolation of the Dutch league. Man Utd could play like this, but you need to be aggressive and have such quality that you can leave all of your forwards out of any defensive plans to allow them to be positioned for where you need when you have the ball - 68% of the time in Ajax’s case.

It’s possible for Utd to play like this, but they don’t have the quality advantage over most of the league and if they just alleviate their forwards of all defensive duties, they will get compressed backwards into a mid block they’re not set up to execute and it will go to shit with a midfield coming forward and leaving space in behind for opposition forwards who are happy to drop deeper to get the ball. Ten Hag needs to realise he can’t go straight for the end goal otherwise they will concede silly goals and look amateurish even if the attack starts to click. They do not have the personnel at present to play the clear Ten Hag way, but good managers know when to be pragmatic and slowly introduce their philosophy as the playing staff start to fit it better. It’s what marks Eriksen as so strange because there’s no version of Ten Hag’s football that employs more than a single 10. Against some of the shite of Eredivisie he’d play a 6 with two 8s but they now have over half a million pound a week’s worth of No.10s on the books. If Ronaldo leaves don’t be surprised to see VDB as a false nine.

[Ray K]

Just going off transfermarkt

Jones: has to be a net negative. Nobody would be able to buy him given the wage so net negative it is

How on earth is Phil Jones still under contract? He's started 4 PL games in the last 3 seasons.

[grenny158]

Anyone else wondering why no-one else is (seemingly ) in for Frenkie De Jong? It is obvious that Barca want him gone and, as such, why are no other big clubs in for him? Strange that only United seem fixated on getting him and it seems pretty clear he doesn't really want to go there .. no interest from another club who actually have more to offer then United?

[tubby]

Anyone else wondering why no-one else is (seemingly ) in for Frenkie De Jong? It is obvious that Barca want him gone and, as such, why are no other big clubs in for him? Strange that only United seem fixated on getting him and it seems pretty clear he doesn't really want to go there .. no interest from another club who actually have more to offer then United?

His wages are probably the big stumbling block, and Barca want enough money for the transfer that they can pay off what they owe him in deferred wages (on top of the legit transfer fee).

[thaddeus]

Anyone else wondering why no-one else is (seemingly ) in for Frenkie De Jong? It is obvious that Barca want him gone and, as such, why are no other big clubs in for him? Strange that only United seem fixated on getting him and it seems pretty clear he doesn't really want to go there .. no interest from another club who actually have more to offer then United?

I'd guess it's wages.  On his current salary he would be the highest paid player at all but about five clubs in the world.  As talented as he is he's not the marquee superstar that most clubs could justify making their top earner.

de Jong seems to determined to remain a CL player but he would likely need to take a pay cut.  Or he can keep earning the same money and go to Man U.

[Schmidt]

Anyone else wondering why no-one else is (seemingly ) in for Frenkie De Jong? It is obvious that Barca want him gone and, as such, why are no other big clubs in for him? Strange that only United seem fixated on getting him and it seems pretty clear he doesn't really want to go there .. no interest from another club who actually have more to offer then United?

Maybe other clubs have shown an interest, been told no and moved on with their dignity intact. Meanwhile over at disneyland...

[Hazell]

So many transfers have felt extremely protracted this summer, I thought they had signed this guy weeks ago.

Ha I genuinely thought the same when I saw the headline on the BBC Sport website

[elsewhere]

I hope De Jong says the only team he'd play for England would be Liverpool, just to piss them more

[jepovic]

No idea if ten Hag uses 3 at the back?

But it’s a long season, any team playing in Europe needs that depth. Of course none of their central defenders covered themselves in glory last season, and Maguire being club captains should not mean automatic starting 11 place regardless. And up to the new boy to show he’s ready!

Always thought Ajax coaches were genetically engineered to play 433?

[Max_powers]

Always thought Ajax coaches were genetically engineered to always play 433?

Yet they played 3-4-3 during their most successful period in past 40 years.

[BigCDump]

I still can't get over the misuse of the plural in the manager's name. I will just use Ten Hags as it should be.

[The North Bank]

So Ajax were prepared to sell us this lad for less than 40m and they get 57m from
United when no one else was in for him...

[lamonti]

So Ajax were prepared to sell us this lad for less than 40m and they get 57m from
United when no one else was in for him...

£17m quid difference! They could be giving that to Frenkie de Jong's lawyer Gary Neville for his date at the European Court of Human Rights.

[fredfrop]

https://twitter.com/utdreport/status/1552387671158394887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1552387671158394887%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=

he who fannies about and dives around wants them to release him

[JackWard33]

https://twitter.com/utdreport/status/1552387671158394887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1552387671158394887%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=

he who fannies about and dives around wants them to release him

Apart from the obvious humour its a mad situation ... where does he think he's going to go???
Is it possible he plays in Portugal for someone, plays the World Cup then turns it in?

[Linudden]

I could see him play in Sporting a few years. He's way too big of a fish in a small pond to turn out for the Madeiran sides but I think it would mean a lot to Ronaldo to win the Portuguese league before he calls it quits. Not sure whether he would be willing to go now though. Massive paycut obviously required.

[Schmidt]

Apart from the obvious humour its a mad situation ... where does he think he's going to go???
Is it possible he plays in Portugal for someone, plays the World Cup then turns it in?

He's made a big deal before about wanting to play somewhere that can compete, but I wonder if actually it's more about the hit his ego and image has taken at united, with all of the fuss over whether he has helped or hindered them. He might be looking to go somewhere he'll be adored and allowed to do whatever he wants.

[Dave McCoy]

https://twitter.com/utdreport/status/1552387671158394887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1552387671158394887%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=

he who fannies about and dives around wants them to release him

There's no way that's 100% accurate. More than likely he wants his money as well otherwise why wouldn't ManU just show him the door? There's no way it's this cut and dry.

[The North Bank]

I am a slave, says Ronaldo as he pushes for Madrid move - 2008

He went back to them, and they enslaved him again- Its a fucking outrage!!

Free Ronaldo.

[rafathegaffa83]

Surely if he wanted to go back to Sporting, he'd already been on his way there. I get the sense his ego still thinks he is wanted at a higher level than the Portuguese league

[Dazzer23]

Doesn’t look like they are going to let him go (sorry, free him)

You can only imagine what effect an unhappy Ronaldo is going to have on that dressing room next season

[rob1966]

Doesn’t look like they are going to let him go (sorry, free him)

You can only imagine what effect an unhappy Ronaldo is going to have on that dressing room next season

Been denied an early release due to poor behaviour?

[rossipersempre]

I see dignity-free utter desperation remains a massive part of the “United DNA”.

[El Lobo]

Genuinely incredible stuff, maybe the cherry on top of their utter shitness of the last decade. Since he fucked them over to go to Real, they've still treated him like some goddess that they once dated. Watching from afar as they stay living with their mum, having a pot noodle and a wank. Like bizarrely arrogant that one of the best players in the world once played for them (even though he fucked them over to leave). And then they get him back to much fanfare, he absolutely knackered any shred of team spirit that they had, any remotely successful system that was working for them...and now he's fucking them over again.

They've had a fuckload of funny shit happening on the pitch and in the boardroom, and on the sidelines. But this and Pogback might be the best of everything. The only way to make it better is if they re-sign Pogba in a few years for megabucks, and then re-sign Ronaldo as manager or something once he's finally fucked off as a player.

[thaddeus]

Genuinely incredible stuff, maybe the cherry on top of their utter shitness of the last decade. Since he fucked them over to go to Real, they've still treated him like some goddess that they once dated. Watching from afar as they stay living with their mum, having a pot noodle and a wank. Like bizarrely arrogant that one of the best players in the world once played for them (even though he fucked them over to leave). And then they get him back to much fanfare, he absolutely knackered any shred of team spirit that they had, any remotely successful system that was working for them...and now he's fucking them over again.

Parallels can be drawn with Suarez.  He's still loved by lots of us for what he did during his time here but can you imagine Klopp or FSG moving for him when his Barca and Atletico contracts ended?!

Their transfer decisions have just repeatedly been terrible.  That they're now hoovering up Ajax players, former Ajax players or players Ajax previously wanted to sign under ten Hag suggests they've not really improved anything behind the scenes.  Long may it continue.

[El Lobo]

Parallels can be drawn with Suarez.  He's still loved by lots of us for what he did during his time here but can you imagine Klopp or FSG moving for him when his Barca and Atletico contracts ended?!

Their transfer decisions have just repeatedly been terrible.  That they're now hoovering up Ajax players, former Ajax players or players Ajax previously wanted to sign under ten Hag suggests they've not really improved anything behind the scenes.  Long may it continue.

The new 'they're what we were in the 90's'?

Exactly right, he is still loved for what he did here. Same as a few others who left in questionable circumstances (Torres, Masch, Xabi etc). At no point was anyone staring lovingly at him doing well at Barca, as if his success was somehow a source of pride for us. They've spent the last decade bigging Ronaldo up as he wins Ballon D'ors and CL and La Ligas for another club and they've won fuck all, as if he's some home grown talent who went on to conquer the world. At least the first time he fucked them over he was actually good. This time he's fucking shit, which is why no-one wants him, and he's still doing it

[rob1966]

Parallels can be drawn with Suarez.  He's still loved by lots of us for what he did during his time here but can you imagine Klopp or FSG moving for him when his Barca and Atletico contracts ended?!

Their transfer decisions have just repeatedly been terrible.  That they're now hoovering up Ajax players, former Ajax players or players Ajax previously wanted to sign under ten Hag suggests they've not really improved anything behind the scenes.  Long may it continue.

Yeah, Klopp would only have ever gone for him if he felt there was a role in the team that needed filling and he'd have been the right player to fill it for him, whereas those loons bought Ronaldo just for the hype. Its great isn't it

[Son of Spion]

Doesn’t look like they are going to let him go (sorry, free him)

You can only imagine what effect an unhappy Ronaldo is going to have on that dressing room next season

If you love him, set him free.