It is just bewildering to me how Man United continuously sign the same flavor of player over and over again, the experienced player who’s “good enough to hold up the Man United name”, they produce 1-2 seasons of good performances and then something happens and they’re out. Happens over and over again - here with Varane and Casemiro, then there’s Eriksen, Ronaldo, Cavani, Lukaku, Matic, Mkhitaryan, Ibra, Sanchez, Di Maria, Schweinsteiger.
Note, this isn’t a list of United transfer flops, of which there are a whole lot more, but a list of the same archetype not working over and over again. You could argue that some on these list recouped some money, or that they brought value for a couple of seasons in a certain way, but that’s not the point - for a team to rise back to the top, you need a concrete plan, and repeatedly signing players without the means to succeed long-term is the opposite of the stability that’s needed for a project. You can’t build a team up if your marquee signings all get crocked/fall out/become surplus/want to leave after 1-2 seasons - there’s just no project then, no concrete plan to get back to the top, and it’s back to square one with next manager.
It’s because united has been a purely commercial club since Fergie left. Glazers didn’t care about the football. they didn’t care enough to appoint competent people for the different important roles at the club like CEO, sporting director, scouting team etc. they let fucking ed Woodward, a business man to make football decisions like signing players. Then they appointed a fucking accountant as the CEO. What do you expect? 🤷🏻
As if they haven’t signed upcoming young players like Sancho, Anthony, Pellistri, Lukaku, Pogba … to name a few. Those haven’t exactly worked out well either have they?
It is just bewildering to me how Man United continuously sign the same flavor of player over and over again, the experienced player who’s “good enough to hold up the Man United name”, they produce 1-2 seasons of good performances and then something happens and they’re out. Happens over and over again - here with Varane and Casemiro, then there’s Eriksen, Ronaldo, Cavani, Lukaku, Matic, Mkhitaryan, Ibra, Sanchez, Di Maria, Schweinsteiger.
Note, this isn’t a list of United transfer flops, of which there are a whole lot more, but a list of the same archetype not working over and over again. You could argue that some on these list recouped some money, or that they brought value for a couple of seasons in a certain way, but that’s not the point - for a team to rise back to the top, you need a concrete plan, and repeatedly signing players without the means to succeed long-term is the opposite of the stability that’s needed for a project. You can’t build a team up if your marquee signings all get crocked/fall out/become surplus/want to leave after 1-2 seasons - there’s just no project then, no concrete plan to get back to the top, and it’s back to square one with next manager.
He was signed at 26, right after his best season for Real Madrid…
Eriksen, Cavani and Ibra were free transfers at least. Di Maria was 26 when he signed for United.
And Lukaku was like 24 when he signed for United, and had two very good seasons at Inter afterwards.
RVP to a lesser extent
It’s because united has been a purely commercial club since Fergie left. Glazers didn’t care about the football. they didn’t care enough to appoint competent people for the different important roles at the club like CEO, sporting director, scouting team etc. they let fucking ed Woodward, a business man to make football decisions like signing players. Then they appointed a fucking accountant as the CEO. What do you expect? 🤷🏻
Maybe because it has to do something with the club itself then???
You don’t go from decade of world class to shit in a season or two.
You might not, but Manchester United do
As if they haven’t signed upcoming young players like Sancho, Anthony, Pellistri, Lukaku, Pogba … to name a few. Those haven’t exactly worked out well either have they?
Were any of them upcoming?