Manchester United

[Doc_Piptorious]

Just saw a stat on X about Ugarte, apparently he was the most dribbled past player in the UCL last season.

https://twitter.com/WhoScored/status/1831627079550693571

Maybe there is a reason why PSG wanted to upgrade and no other big team was around for him?

That very selective use of stats though as it ignores the fact he was the player that made the most successful tackles in both the CL and French league last season, the highest or second highest number of interceptions and one of the highest pass completition rates.


He also made the highest number of successful tackles in the French league despite only playing in 25 games.


Not sure being dribbled past in the PSG midfield last season is a great stat to go by though as last season who ever they used as a DM was being left on his own as often as whoever we used as a DM was and, like us, their DM was having to cover for defenders going forward too.


PSG were basically one team trying to play two very different styles at the same time last year. Half their team seemed to be playing as a high line high pressing team and then at the same time the other half was being tasked to sit deeper and be a counter attacking team.


The mancs under Tugs Hard (and hopefully Southgate) will play a much deeper line and he will get to act as a shield in front of the CBs

[The_weatherman]

Nah, sorry, I'm gonna use this.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Oh if he flops, I will be right there with you using the same stat and ignoring the fact I have really rated him to this point

[Deano]

Oh if he flops, I will be right there with you using the same stat and ignoring the fact I have really rated him to this point

Apart from United nobody else wanted him, even Chelsea swerved him and United waited until the minute ?

For such a "great" player something doesn't sit quite right

[Deano]

From Jamie Jackson who defo has in ears in the club


Erik ten Hag’s game model has to start impressing Manchester United’s Ineos-led football department or he is in danger of being removed, with the style of play this season viewed as underwhelming. United entered the international break having won once and lost twice in the Premier League in a disappointing start.

There is recognition inside the club that Ten Hag has been undermined by injuries and needs time to integrate his five summer signings, but also serious concern regarding how he sets up the side. The Dutchman’s game model is being scrutinised by United’s football department, which is overseen by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and led by Dan Ashworth, the sporting director, and Jason Wilcox, the technical director. A major part of Wilcox’s role is to monitor how the first team play.

Three games into the new season, Manchester United are 14th in the Premier League.
No individual player is the answer to Manchester United’s problems
Read more
United’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday came in a display when they were vulnerable in midfield and defence, as they were in a 2-1 defeat at Brighton. The 1-0 victory over Fulham in the opening game also failed to convince and derived from a late Joshua Zirzkee goal, United again lacking control.

Ten Hag has been strongly backed by Ashworth and Omar Berrada, the chief executive, in recent days and this support remains for the immediate futurethough Ten Hag, who signed a contract extension in the summer after United considered other candidates, has to show his team can dominate games and opponents.

In the summer United signed Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte. Yoro will be unavailable for at least another month owing to a foot injury sustained in pre-season and Ten Hag has said Ugarte requires time to attain match fitness after not featuring for Paris Saint-Germain before his £42m transfer.

Rasmus Højlund, Ten Hag’s first-choice No 9, has also yet to play. The Dane is back training after a hamstring injury so may return after the international break when Luke Shaw, the senior left-back, is expected back after a calf problem that has ruled him out this term.

[Deano]

Tyrell Malacia, Shaw’s deputy, has not played for United for more than a year because of a knee problem but is due to return in the next month.

Victor Lindelöf has an unspecified issue that has made him unavailable all season

[Deano]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/sep/05/erik-ten-hag-job-at-risk-manchester-united-game-model-style-play

[Doc_Piptorious]

Apart from United nobody else wanted him, even Chelsea swerved him and United waited until the minute ?

For such a "great" player something doesn't sit quite right

To be fair we could say that about quite a few players that we bought over the years that turned out great for us but nobody else seemed, at least publically, to be overly interested in.


And the last minute thing we did ourselves for Chiesa this summer and we called it smart business.


Not sure he deserves the "great" player diss as of yet as he is only about the same age as Curtis Jones so still at the age where his peak/prime is a few years off, but think it is fair to say that he has looked very good at times in his career to date and one season at PSG, where he was not wanted by the manager but still bought by the club, during which he still put up some elite passing and defensive numbers is enough to write him off with given his good numbers have gone up season on season.


Now as he plays for Manu I hope he flops in a big way, but I still think he is a player that, within a system that wants a Masch style destroyer/ball winner, could become one of the best in the game at what he excels at.

He might not be an archetypal Slotball type of DM, but I could see him fitting very easily into a number of Klopp's team in a Fab with us or a Sven Bender at Dortmund manner (though closer in role and style to the latter of those examples).

[Kenneth]

He’s a strange guy

https://www.reddit.com/r/ManchesterUnited/s/HoWFeLZUbF

[The_weatherman]

Oh if he flops, I will be right there with you using the same stat and ignoring the fact I have really rated him to this point

I think I wanted him on a couple of occasions so he'll flop, I'm a terrible scout.

[Scratch]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15gjpg98y0o

100,000 seater? Sheesh.

[S-RED]

THat smells of loads of tax money being used......

[Deano]

THat smells of loads of tax money being used......

No taxpayer cash goes to the stadium build or renovation - Infrastructure around the stadium will be Trafford/MC councils with a few quid tucked in from central gov-

[ChesterDave]

I mean, if local and central Government take on all the financial responsibility for the wider community improvement aspects of the area surrounding the stadium where other clubs have had to cover that cost themselves it feels like they are benefiting there.

Obviously as this stage it is a fanciful idea and not saying it will be the case but if they get away without having to contribute to costs other teams have then it does feel like taxpayer support.

Still, won't ever be as much of a freebie that West Ham got.

[dom9]

Or City