The ageing of important players is a problem for all clubs including Manchester City. We felt that keenly last season with the departure of KDB, Gundogan, and Walker. Their time was up and everyone knew this. City dealt with it quite well imo. Some said we should have replaced them earlier but that would have been really difficult to do.
Last season, Liverpool made a major mistake in extending the contracts of Van Dijk and Salah. I made that point at the time when most of the football media was claiming this to be a football triumph for LFC. This season, the consequences of their error of judgement are there for all to see.
Man Utd have a similar problem looming in the age and contract of Bruno Fernandes. He is 31 and will be 32 next season. Man Utd are a famously unsuccessful club, but to they rely hugely on Fernandes. Take him out, and they will be in the relegation mire. In the last week, it has become clear that Fernandes is looking at moving away from Utd at the end of this season, and that this might also suit Man Utd because of the player's age. He might still command a transfer fee this Summer, but after that, probably not unless something aphysical happens.
I am not expecting anything to happen in the January window but this is a looming problem for Man Utd. They may treat it as an opportunity but their past record suggests that they are very poor operators in the transfer market.
The other problem the rags have us the buck tooth cheat is the only half decent player they have.The ageing of important players is a problem for all clubs including Manchester City. We felt that keenly last season with the departure of KDB, Gundogan, and Walker. Their time was up and everyone knew this. City dealt with it quite well imo. Some said we should have replaced them earlier but that would have been really difficult to do.
Last season, Liverpool made a major mistake in extending the contracts of Van Dijk and Salah. I made that point at the time when most of the football media was claiming this to be a football triumph for LFC. This season, the consequences of their error of judgement are there for all to see.
Man Utd have a similar problem looming in the age and contract of Bruno Fernandes. He is 31 and will be 32 next season. Man Utd are a famously unsuccessful club, but to they rely hugely on Fernandes. Take him out, and they will be in the relegation mire. In the last week, it has become clear that Fernandes is looking at moving away from Utd at the end of this season, and that this might also suit Man Utd because of the player's age. He might still command a transfer fee this Summer, but after that, probably not unless something aphysical happens.
I am not expecting anything to happen in the January window but this is a looming problem for Man Utd. They may treat it as an opportunity but their past record suggests that they are very poor operators in the transfer market.
It does!Grangemouth probably smells more pleasant than the swamp!
Biting the hand that fed them.To be fair, we should be doing the same
FFS, they'd have been relegated last season if it wasn't for refs and var making 'mistakes'.To be fair, we should be doing the same
Signing Howard Webb up was an investment that reaps more points than the rags players will ever achieve if reliant upon their actual abilities
instead, they're overpaying mediocre ones.It's starting to feel like players have stopped joining United because they are united. This was still happening through a lot of their struggles in the 10's, but for past 5 years or so they've been shopping at the same store as spurs.
Them not even having a sniff at semenyo feels really telling to me. They can't even overpay top players to get them to come anymore.
Great business model