No point in wasting time. Let's get this thing going.

Reports pre FA Cup victory that ETH would be axed after the final contradicted an interview he gave with a Dutch outlet in which he insisted Ineos told him that they want him to stay. Are both true? Neither true? Who knows?

What we do know is that we got into Europe through the back door but it still counts. Still, lots and lots of work to be done this summer and hopefully it starts quickly.

I'm here. Lets do this. Ten Hag in.

It's amazing to me how people just crap on Lisandro. Pundits laughed at him in his first season and literally said he was too short. Ended up being one of the best center backs in the league. Then in his second season his slow start was amplified by United's slow start and then he got hurt. And yet no one mentioned that United actually looked pretty decent when he come back until he got hurt again. United gets 10 more points in 23-24 if he's healthy.

I have no idea what to expect tomorrow much less next season so charge on!

MUTV and United's social media are plastering ETH everywhere. Doesn't mean anything of of course but if Ineos really are assessing his work before making a decision this week, it's going to look really weird if they fire him after posting all his videos, interviews, and clips. If they are truly assessing him, I would keep a much more limited media profile until the decision was made.

His interaction with the players on the pitch after the game gave me I'm gone vibes, but who knows.

You can see what the future would look like with a healthy defense, Mainoo, Garnacho, Hojlund and Diallo, but not sure if he is the man to lead them.

The reactions were kind of interesting I thought. You could see Sir Alex in the row behind and he was practically ebullient. I haven't seen enough of Sir Jim to know if he's naturally reserved, but the reaction was pretty staid. But, then again, I'm also paying extra attention because of the reports, so there's a bit of confirmation bias inherent. So we will see.

I'll say this: if I were Chelsea I might tread water a bit. McKenna may become a good manager, but it's a little early to hand him a job as big as Chelsea (or certainly United). It wasn't that long ago that Frank Lampard was the next big thing. How did that go? I think I'd pick ten Hag over their rumored top choices.

Ratcliffe was quite complimentary in his official post game response. He complimented the "players and staff" which some saw as a snub to ETH but it's not like he named a specific player either. But I also don't think it means he's keeping ETH or anything. I'm on record as saying that manager is pretty far down the list of things I would fix at United. Far enough down that I wouldn't bother with it this summer. Also, firing ETH would be antithetical to everything that Ratcliffe has preached thus far. It would reek a bit of a Glazer decision, IMO.

Would be VERY interesting if United and Chelsea swapped managers though if ETH wanted to go to a team that knew what they were doing after living for 2 years in the United circus, I'm not sure Chelsea would be the place for him to go.

🚨 Lisandro Martinez is trying to tell Garnacho to keep his cool and get on with the game.

LEADERSHIP 🔴💯#FACUP24 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/inxyLUkhOJ

— Manchester United Forever (@Utd_Forever7) May 26, 2024

Unclear what it means, but David Ornstein reporting that McKenna has gone from being on the shortlist for the Chelsea job to no longer being considered for the Chelsea job.

I didn't realize that United have an option to extend ETH by a year on his current deal. If they do decide to keep him, I think you also have to pick up that option. Keeping him but not picking up that option is worse than just letting him go now. Not picking up the option recreates the environment from Feb this year on where there's intense media scrutiny and every game is a do or die proposition to keep the job...because everyone knows it will cost next to nothing to fire you. No player has any faith that you'll actually be around in the coming weeks/months. No manager can operate in that environment.

Worst case scenario if you extend him is that the team sucks and you pay a little more compensation in January (or end of season) then you otherwise would have. Worst case if you don't extend him is that you sabotage the 24-25 season from day 1.

Sounds like McKenna is staying at Ipswich.

Yeah. This is just one of those jobs that being manager is a 24/7 beat down if you aren't winning. Same with Barca, Bayern, PSG. I can't imagine living like that.

Either extend him and give the guy a little breathing room this summer or cut him loose and let him get out of the meat grinder.

Not exactly a surprise, but Anthony Martial has confirmed his exit in a post on his Instagram.

Showstopper said:

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Not exactly a surprise, but Anthony Martial has confirmed his exit in a post on his Instagram.

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He will injure himself going out the door. Bank on it. He will literally pull a hamstring walking over the threshold.

At this point, I've come around to Dre and others opinion. Might as well keep EtH another year. Given the largely underwhelming hires of Liverpool, Barca, Bayern, and now Chelsea, I do not see anyone available that is a definitive upgrade.

Focus on upgrading the roster especially the defensive spine.

Bringing my wish list over from last year's thread:


Stays and Gos:

Erik Ten Hag-I understand he has been working in difficult circumstances this year, given the ownership changes and the absolute disaster of a roster with all the injuries. But, he also wanted many of the players who have underperformed this season, and his insistence on throwing out the 4-3-3 formation no matter the squad or opponent is very, very frustrating. If we had a full healthy roster I don't see his style of play and this roster doing any better than 4th or 5th in the league. So I have no confidence going forward that next season would be any better. Even after the FA Cup victory, my recommendation would be to say goodbye to ETH and many of his roster additions. If ETH's style is their desired style of play then I am going to just turn off Manchester United football for the next five years until a new style of play is settled on. My choice for a replacement would be Mauricio Pochettino.

Stay:
Mainoo, Garnacho, Diallo, and other young players are obvious stays, and perhaps loan outs (not Mainoo, Garnacho or Diallo) depending on who comes in next season.

Hojlund-first year hasn't yielded the goals hoped for, but I think that has a lot to do with style of play and those that surround him. He does appear to be very talented and something to build off of, but 36 shots in 28 league appearances is not good enough for a striker.

Fernandez- For better or worse, he has been our best player this season and really for the last several, leading the team this season in goals and assists. He has opened up the offense for us and I think with the right pieces around him can be a great player.

Rashford- This one I went back and forth on, but he has shown his ability in the past and it is a matter of using him properly and putting him in a good place. A bit of a fresh start might do him well, but I am willing to let a new manager have a year with him.

McTominay- He has a definite role on the squad, I am not sure if it is a full time starter or just a regular off the bench and spot starter. His goals have been invaluable this season.

Amrabat- Given all the other changes we need to make, I think he is a fine back up midfielder. The FA Cup final was arguably his best game in Red. I think he also has a role on the bench and as a spot starter. I know he is on a loan from Fiorentina, but, depending on the money, I wouldn't mind them purchasing him as he still is relatively young (27).

Mount- With the amount spent to bring him in and the drop in performance, we aren't going to get a return on him this summer, so all for letting him have a season without injuries next year and let's see how he can contribute.

Wan-Bissaka- I am not convinced he should be your starter at right back, but if we have learned anything this season it is that an abundance of depth is needed in defense. AWB is serviceable but his ability to put in crosses needs work and he is occasionally a defensive liability. He does rely on his athleticism to save his poor decision making, and that might cause issues as he gets older. Good depth, so no reason to let him go right now.

Dalot- He has probably had the best season of any player on the roster, certainly the most dependable. Unlike Wan-Bissaka, Dalot does have good crossing and finishing skills and his defense is much improved. He is a definite to hold onto.

Shaw- When healthy, Shaw is a very dependable left back. Can he regain his health and form? Hard to believe Shaw is still only 28 years old, but if the club believes he can regain his fitness then I would be all for holding onto him, but we definitely need a new left back as well for depth if Malacia is not to return.

Martinez- Of all of ETH's signings, Lisandro is probably my favorite. He is still just 26 years old, so he has a lot of soccer ahead of him, and I am hopeful this rash of injuries can be overcome. His effort level, maturity and game understanding have all been very much missed in his absence.

Lindelof- Victor has been a consistent presence and a solid contributor. I don't know that I want him as one of the two starters, but he provides good, solid depth. He is a good, consistent defender and can play multiple positions on the back line, especially if a new manager has the ability the scheme a back 3 or a back 4.

Maguire- Like Rashford, I went back and forth on Maguire, but concluded that, given the number of dismissals I think need to happen it is probably best to hold onto him. When he has been healthy this year it has been arguably his best season in Red. I think he can be a good player to start as needed, but not an every game type defender at this level anymore.

Malacia- I really hope he can come back and find his form and offer the club some depth on the wings.

Onana- Of all of ETH's signings this has probably been a top 2-3 least favorite for me. I appreciate a keeper who can play the ball with his feet, but he has to be a keeper first, and the positional awareness has not been good this season. I don't think you could get anywhere near on the market what was spent on him, so I am inclined to hold onto him with the understanding that a second keeper will be purchased who can provide depth at the position and maybe push him. Onana has played every moment of every game except one FA Cup game this season, which is just crazy. The team needs depth and he needs a competent back up.

Departures:

Martial- He needs a new start and I need to never watch his indifference on the field again. Confirmed.

Varane- I think he is ready to retire, he just does not seem interested in high level football any more, which is fine, we just do not need to rely on him. I see him making big money in a Saudi League and sharing his disinterest for playing football throughout the Middle East. Confirmed.

Antony- Maybe wherever ETH lands they will pay more than a bag of balls for him and we can get him off the books. 29 league appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist, from a front three player. Just completely unacceptable and he just isn't good enough to play for high level EPL teams. For the record, my least favorite signing of the ETH era.

Casemiro- It is time for Casemiro to go back to Brazil and be an icon in the middle of the pitch, and hopefully play a position where he does not need to track back and keep up with a forward. He is obviously too slow for this level of play anymore. For the record, he is my second least favorite signing of the ETH era, not because of him, but the price tag that it took to get a player for one good season. His drop off has been remarkable.

Eriksen- I love Eriksen's game and his tenacious efforts to recover from his heart issues. I wish we had Eriksen of 22 and not Eriksen of 32. I really hope he comes to the MLS and can drop dimes all around the US, but he is not at a top level EPL team ability wise any longer.

Greenwood- Mason needs to stay in Spain or somewhere else, so would not bring him back to the club. We can sell or loan out again, whatever will make sure he is not back in Manchester.

Sancho- Like Greenwood, Jadon needs to stay away from Manchester. He seems to excel in Dortmund, so a permanent deal back to Borussia Dortmund would be best for all.

Heaton, Bayindir- If they aren't good enough to sub Onana for a League Cup game then we probably need a different #2 keeper.


Needs
As far as needs, we need to add
1. A new manager named Pochettino and not named Teuchel
2. More depth to the spine of the club, bringing in another forward
3. A central midfielder
4. A defensive midfielder
5. at least one central defender
6. a back up keeper
7. one more wing to replace Antony, depending on the formation(s) a new manager would like to run
8. another left back.

So a lot. Time for Ineos to get busy.

And it only took a dozen 500 word posts to convince you

Amrabat's buy clause is over 20 million GBP. I think under different circumstances he could have a good season but hard to justify spending that kind of money on the back of 2-3 good performances at the end of the season.

He only has one year left on his contract at Fiorintina. If United let his loan elapse and then renegotiated the transfer to something like 5-10, then maybe (Fred was sold for 8 and he is only slightly older).

Yeah, I don't think they should pay 20M for him, but I don't think anyone else is either. Hopefully they can get him for south of 10M, or just loan him for another year.

Yeah if they want 20M still, we ship him back and find an alternative. Good luck finding another buyer at that price. He's a bench option, and we need to buy a Casemiro starting replacement (I.e. expensive), which Amrabat is clearly not that.

Btw: the following players are out of contract this summer:
Heaton
Evans
Varane (announced leaving)
Martial (announced leaving)
Amrabat (loan ending)

And the following are out of contract next summer:
Erikson
Maguire
Lindeloff
Mctominay
AWB
Amad
Kambwala

Now you can extend most by a year, I believe, but Erikson, Maguire, and Lindeloff are on fairly pricey contracts. Basically, you should really be extending anyone on the above list that you aren't selling (or allowing to leave free). I think we should extend Amad and Kambwala, but the rest… probably wouldn't, except I don't think you can replace 3-4 CBs. So that's a mess. (Edit: maybe Mctominay, also, but not for 100k+ per week,)

I think AWB will be going this summer. I don't see us giving him a new contract.

Could argue that Amad and Kambwala both need new contracts but failing that, an extension for both is definitely on the cards. Of the other 5, I'd say the order you have them in from top to bottom is pretty spot on in regards to how likely they are to move on. I don't think Eriksen makes it through this summer. Maguire, Lindelof, and McTominay each might move on (though likely not all) if a good offer comes in. And given the seasons that Maguire and McTominay had, there's a reasonable chance that United get some decent offers for them. I fully expect AWB to be a United player next season which is fine if we get some LBs that can stay fit so that he can be a situational RB and not a starter. Also I think it's far less likely United get a decent offer for him than the other 3 mentioned. Whether he gets extended will depend on how successful United are this summer. If they can adequately address striker, center mid, and center backs, then they could easily use next summer to upgrade RB and thus let AWB go on a free. Otherwise, they might extend him by a season and kick the can down the road.

I meant new contracts for Kambwala and Amad; they may not even have one year extensions available since they were youth.

Edit: I seem to be in the minority, but I think AWB goes. He was practically gone at winter 2023-2024, had a great turn of form, managed to stay, but hasn't been nearly as good this year. He has a good value for mid to lower mid table clubs that won't be in possession, and you severely hurt that value if you exercise an extension because then next year he will be a non-extendable year away from leaving free.

It's time to either give him a new contract or sell. I think they should sell AWB.

ESPN story indicated quite a few teams have shown an interest in Greenwood, including Borussia Dortmund and Juventus. Hopefully we can get a little bit of a bidding war for him and make some money to allow for increased purchases.

Was thinking about Kobbie Mainoo today...as one does.

According to transfermarkt, his value on June 30th last year was 800k. As of yesterday, it's 50 million (and that still seems too low).

He scored 5 goals this season...3 in the league and 2 in the FA Cup. 3 of the 5 were...

1) The ridiculous 97th minute game winner against Wolves after United had blown a 2 goal lead late where he nutmegged a defender before carrying the ball to the edge of the penalty area and curling it far corner.

2) The ridiculous 2nd goal against Liverpool where he once again curled it far corner. It should have been the game winner but a late penalty messed that up.

3) The game winner in the FA Cup final which capped off the best team goal United has scored in years. His presence to make the run from midfield completely caught City off guard.

The point is that not only is he supremely talented but he shows up in big games. And he just turned 19.

This would not be optimal. Here's hoping they find a solution.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manutd-ratcliffe-nice-europa-league-32911078

It's a pen-whipping that shouldn't be hard.

Salzburg and Leipzig have been in UCL at the same time and managed to meet requirements … yet they both still bend the knee to Red Bull's global football operations.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. City Group owns Girona, which finished third in Spain and qualified for Champions League as well as *checks notes* ah yes Manchester City. No one seems overly worried about that.

Btw, while we are on the subject of Europa… it's unfortunately quite a bit less interesting next year because teams dropping from Champions League down to Europa isn't a thing starting next year. Which kind of stinks as a fan because that's when Europa would become less boring. I think the favorites to win would be between us, Spurs, and Roma, with Porto, Frankfurt, and Lazio also being Pot 1. So kind of boring, but we do have a good chance to win it.

Always good to occasionally spread a transfer rumor that is based on...who knows what.

Atletico Madrid are supposedly interested in Greenwood and are "leading the race". United want 40 million for him. Madrid might try and offer Joao Felix in a player swap (How is Joao still only 24? Feels like he's been playing for 10 years.)

Alright Ineos, let's not drag this out any further. Really shouldn't take you much longer to make a decision on your manager. Just...make a decision so we can move on one way or another.