Transfer Rumours Let's ignore the big ****ing elephant and blame the latest manager, again. Are we nearly there yet?

I can never understand why they had not considered this.

 

Sadly, de Jong or his agent signed the contract that states under what conditions and over what period of continued service at the club the deferred wages would be paid. If payment of those deferred wages were contingent on him remaining at the club - well the lad has to stay and get what he is owed.

Barca are clearly trying to shaft him but at the same time is says a lot about the player that they don't want to keep him. If he was an integral part of the squad he wouldn't be in this mess. He must realise that he is unlikely to play for them again if he stays to collect his wages. The fans love the blub more than the players so they will turn on him too. An unpleasant situation all round but I suspect he will do a bale and stay put for the money.

 

How must players like DeJong feel when they are being arm twisted to accept lower wages whilst they can see others being brought in on high wages? The player has got a contract and he can stay put and refuse to take a lower wage. The only leverage that the club has got is to threaten to leave him on the bench (like Madrid and Bale). Unlike with Bale though, Barcelona have got Utd willing to give them 75m and take him off their wage books. Either they keep him and pay him 70m over 4 years or sell him for 75m (minus the 17m owed). No brainer to most but then Barcelona are a greedy ****ty club with aspirations beyond their means.

 

On another note - I really don't want to see CR back in a United shirt, I want him out of the club. He has become a destabilising influence and right now, with the new manager and a squad that seem to be gelling, he could undo a lot of that effort in next to no time.

As things stand, if he returns we have to put Martial back on the bench which means he throws a hissy fit have played so well in pre-season. Lets use CR's massive wage bill to fund another striker to complement/rotate with Martial instead (although I still reserve judgement on martial to see if pre-season was just a flash in the pan). Thoughts?

Good news - Eriksen and Martinez look set to be revealed today

 

I second that notion on CR. He should never play for the club again. Not even because of the mess that he’s created for himself, but overall, the club will be better off not trying to play to his tune. He is the last super ego standing and we would do well to let him go.

 

i reluctantly agree

 

I accept your reluctance!

 

Completely agree, if he comes back and is first choice striker Martial will just see his arse again and the whole cycle restarts.

There was some daft suggestion he'd be allowed to go on loan to Atletico if he signs a contract extension! **** sake, just take a small fee and get his wages off the books.

If he stays, it is a sponsorship exercise, nothing more.


I wonder if our de Jong alternatives are warming up?!?!

Milinkovic-Savic sounds a good idea.

 

No serious offers are coming in for Ronaldo. Those that are toying with the idea of buying him are thinking more about the sideshow that he will provide than for footballing reasons. The wages and the age are not compatible with any top club that isn’t Manchester United.

Ronaldo’s ego got the better of him on this one. Even if he somehow leaves for a Champion’s League club, he won’t be getting more money at this point and I think he knows that. We most likely may end up putting up with him for the next season unfortunately.

If he stays, he should not be an automatic starter but that’s harder said than done.

 

Ronaldo’s asking to leave but then forced to stay because of lack of offers has diminished his influence considerably. I hope that Ten Hag will see this opportunity to strengthen his own hand and treat him like any other player. No one fans or exec will bat an eyelid and will in fact welcome it. The influence he had over the previous two managers was huge and unhealthy. If he does find himself being treated like any other player, he’s got no one else but himself to blame.

 

There's probably more to this than what has been reported.

Bear in mind, he and his wife lost a child mid season last year. He carried on playing throughout, it's not to be underestimated the effect this could have on them. Does she even live in Manchester, I don't know? It could well be that she wanted out, to somewhere a bit more nice on the eye and climate wise, to bring up the kid that was born alive.

The press won't report any of this (and I admit I'm guessing, but I'm also a parent so this stuff can not be understimated), the press will just say he wants out, and spin it which ever way they can have social media clicking away.

He may well realise there's nowhere to go, but it doesn't also mean he will be 'toxic', or a disruption, as some would have us believe.

 

Given the wages he's earned he can afford to take a sabbatical and deal with his family issues. If he stays he has to give 100% like everyone else - no special treatment, no diva behaviour on or off the pitch. We have him under contract so he either plays or we don't pay him

 

Exactly! If his wife wants to live in Lisbon, he can absolutely afford it and still be with them adequately enough. He has one year left on his contract, and I don’t see how honouring that should be in question at the time that he chose to make it a problem.

Only footballers can earn so much and still bi***h about how much they hate a major city. Living in Manchester ain’t exactly living in Pudsey.

 

That's not the point through is it, I don't think he minds Manchester at all. He's certainly himself never moaned about it, and he's lived there long enough.

His grieving wife might though.

You ever been? I love the place but it's not Madrid, it's not sunny and it's not coastal. I no longer live there myself as I prefer the coast and beaches, so that's where I choose to live. I get it, from her point of view.

Who are we to say he should live in an entirely different country to his family?

I think if he stays, he'll be professional about it and get on with it. There is nothing I've ever seen from the bloke suggests otherwise.

 

Didn't he just buy a zillion pound house somewhere in football land?
I get the grief thing, I get the family thing but he wouldn't be the first footballer to go through a family tragedy of some kind. Bottom line, you've earned zillions in your career - if you don't want to play (which isn't the case here as he'd happily play for anyone in the CL) then you don't get paid. You either sit on the bench - which we don't want, you **** off and mope somewhere or you buy yourself out of your United contract.

The guy cant decide to be grieving or whatever with us yet turn it on for a side in the CL. His legacy is well and truly tainted - let's get rid to the highest bidder and move swiftly on..

 

Problem is the last line.

Doesn't look there will be a highest bidder, so if we're stuck with him it's better he's on side and playing than 'punished' and a problem.

A fit and willing Ronaldo is still an asset.

In my opinion of course.

 

Of course I’ve been! I spent over half of the year in Pudsey/Leeds just several years ago working there with several trips to Manchester. For the money that footballers earn, they really should never cry about the City. Yes, it isn’t sunny Lisbon, but it’s certainly not the worst place in earth.

And every time I read about what the wife of an overpaid footballer wants as an excuse why they can’t play somewhere, it makes me cringe. Those reports make the women out to be complete unreasonable monsters. Who would force their husband to leave a club that they claim to love when they have less than a year on their contract? I don’t buy it!

 

Happy wife = happy life. Good life lesson.

 

The way I see it the club and manager shouldn’t be able to **** up the CR situation.

If he goes it’s not a disaster. As many positives as downsides if not more. If he stays, manage him properly like any other player. No special dispensation. Take into account his ability but also his age. Reject and punish any shows of dissent or petulance like any other player.

I’m relaxed about it. I can see no issues as long the situation is managed properly.

 

The reality is that if you have Ronaldo in the team, you almost have to make him an automatic starter and I see more negatives than positives to having him around, especially for the new manager that is trying to set the tone for the team going forward. I can already see the headlines from choosing to not play Ronaldo in certain matches only for the team to not struggle to get goals. Then again you can’t depend on a 37 year old leading the line.

Cup half full but it is closer to reality that could pan out.