United have been linked with Nico Gaitan of Benfica for some time but today Portuguese sport paper, O Jogo report that any signing may see players leave the club.
Author: Doron
Whilst O Jogo acknowledge that the deal is not yet finalised, they confirm that United would part with €25m for the Argentinian attacking midfielder/winger. Gaitan has a release clause of €45m which has put United off doing any deal but the paper says Benfica would be keen to take players from United either permanently or on loan.
O Jogo suggest that any two from Macheda, Petrucci or Bebe could well be offered as a part-exchange to Benfica but that is purely speculation on their part.
Jorge Mendes, as ever, is at the centre of any negotiations and United have been trying to move quickly after a series of good reports from Toninho Cruz, United’s scout in the region.
Don’t expect to hear anything official on a deal should it be done… no transfer would be announced until the middle of May at the earliest but the continued links to attacking midfielders has to be an encouraging sign for United fans.
gaitan is not good enough for united, we will get rid of bebe and Macheda, but we will keep Petrucci as he has shown great form since coming back from his injury layoff.
Morning Reds fans, what goes around comes around eh?
@Kevin qpr – as any football fans know… you get some decisions and some you don’t. That’s football. Although, to have three key decisions go against us in one game is extremely bad luck.
@ Kevin Qpr I guess your right since Mackie was offside. Quid pro quo
U don’t get any decisions at OT pal!
@Kevin qpr – of course this is a season where that’s proved not to be true.
Eg Danny Murphy should have had a penalty; Newcastle were wrongly awarded a penalty.
So are you guys gonna be depending on us to get a result at City on the last day?
@Kevin qpr – I’d be surprised. That’ll only be the case if they go back ahead of us in the league, not sure such a drastic points swing will happen.
Phil Jones has cost us too many times this season and its starting to get ridiculous now! He is a bloody liability in defense no matter where he plays. He proper gash! I really do hate slating our players and I never do but there is something that really grills me when it comes to Jones. I still can’t quite figure out why we bought the lad. We can’t settle on a solid back 4. There’s no continuity and we can’t get into a rhythm. Fergie is always choppibg and changing and I believe that if Jones was not bought, we’d still be in the champions League and have won the league already. He’s messed around with our team. Rafael should have made the right back his own this season. Smalling would have been competing for a place and been on the fringes to rio and nemanja and jonny for a place in central defense and we would have had a solid back 4 week in and out. Why Fergie had to get greedy and buy Jones is beyond me. What’s even more beyond me is the way the manager and pundits like Gaz Nevile etc have come out and said that this lad is the next Edwards, next enhland and MUFC captain. Its an absolute piss take and I simply don’t see why there’s so much of a fuss surrounding this lad. He’s an average footballer and has cost us this season a number of times. He’s simply not good enough and I’ve had enough already. Imagine what Roy Keane must have been thinking to himself when Jones was crying and complaining for the last 10 mminuted of a small niggle?? Bloody hell its a disgrace!! We needed all our players to stand up and be counted to nick a point and it was like we were olaying with 10 men for the last few minutes. I don’t believe he’s good enough and eveb though he’s young(he looks 25 though) I still don’t believe he’ll ever be good enough for a club like MIFC. Its just my opinion.
JONES OUT! Smalling IN! Rafael IN! SIMPLES.
This is a quality blog and has the potential to be pretty big. But why does nobody ever visit? You get around +- 4, 5 comments per rant. Its a joke. Its all ROM ROM ROM…………
@Max – hmm, well, people do visit it (I can see exactly how many on our Analytics!) but you’re right we do get fewer comments than other blogs. Maybe it’s because of the content, I don’t know! I must admit, we’re not too fussed how many people read the blogs as long as we think we’re writing good stuff that we’re happy with! Maybe you should encourage more people to be as active as you 😉
The stuff others and mainly u right on here is quality. U speak a lot of sense. + this blog has a genuine interest in youth football unlike ROM. Its strange hey. This blog really should get more attention.
Twitter has given blogs a real good kick up the backside. Nowadays every1 well most rant about football and share their opinions on Twitter etc. All about social media…and blogs have taken a real hit it seems.
@Max – not necessarily – Twitter’s a good place to seed new blog entries. A decent % of people who visit this blog get referred to it by Twitter or Facebook
i think its because this blog takes too long to post articles and articles are mature hence less comments
y no match previews??
Decent read re your rooney post. I think he’s been unbelievable for us this season. He get my vote for the matt busby award ahead of carrick. He’s scored a lot of crucial goals for us and I just hope he can fire us to the title starting tomorrow vs villa. He’s a legend! I love the lad to bits and even though there was that whole drama about him wanting out etc I’ve forgiven him. He’s become our leader on the pitch…our main man ever since ronaldo left and in a way he’s become a bit like ronaldo in a way that he is underappreciated by the fans. A lot of fans take it for granted having a player like wazza playing for their team. He’s world class and could play in any starting 11 in the world hands down.
You pointed out in your article about his passion for the club and commitment at times. Imo you simply can’t question the lads commitment. He gives his all on the pitch every game no matter what! Even though he is such a massive everton fan there’s no doubt he shares a passion for MUFC in his heart. Hed die for the club! He knows he’s at the right club and I back him all the way to break Sir Bobby Charltons record of goals scored. He’s already in the 170’s which itself is an unbelievable achievement!
Even though he is getting paid a masiive salary each week I have to say that he’s worth every penny and to be honest with u I wouldn’t sell him for any player in the world!!!
Rooney is a KING and when I see his name on that teamsheet he gives me the confidence I need when I feel a bit edgy or nervous before a game etc. He’s already a United legend in my eyes and I hope he stays @ the club for the rest of his career. He still has at least another 6, 7 years right at the top.
Legend!!!!
its quite sad that Berbatovs career at United looks like its coming to an end. Top top player and he’s given us some unbelievable moments over the years he’s been at the club. True professional, top man and all round class act. Who knows, maybe he might make the bench one of these games and grab a vital winner for us. Good Luck Berba if u move on the summer. Legend
One player that also might just have a part to play in these last 5 games could just be Michael Owen and I have a funny feeling he may just be on the bench tomorrow. He’s been training for a while now and hopefully he has recovered and is fit + ready to go again. He’s a quality finisher and I still think he’s a top player despite all the abuse and criticism he has received during the last few years. Come on u scouse bastard. Get your shit together and get back onto the bench mate.
Massive game tomorrow!!! 3 points please lads. Not going to predict s a scoreline because football’s football and anything can happen. Let’s hope its a good day for us reds.
Go on lads! Let’s kick on and bring #20 home.
I rate Evans or Rio may be rested tomorrow. Here’s my starting 11. Ddg, rafael, rio, smalling, patrice, valencia, carrick, scholes, nani, wazza, super dan.
Morning reds fans, how was the weather in Exeter this weekend? Ashley Young, what an embarassment!
@Kevin QPR – London was a mixed bag, the odd shower with some sun. Not warm though.
Hmm odd one, he dives but he’s also definitely caught. Personally I’d have booked him as well as awarding the penalty. That said, think Fergie got it quite spot-on post-match: he said that Young was definitely caught but without a doubt over-dramaticised his fall.
Meanwhile, I notice that the clear Villa hand-ball in the area and the Given handball outside the area are overlooked… one decision in favour of us, two in favour of them. But, ya know, we get all the decisions 😉
fair comment onehandonthetrophy.
Our last 2 CL finals against Barcelona that we lost…having looked at both team sheets again I’m honestly amazed that Paul Scholes didn’t start in any of these games? I simply can’t understand why Fergie would leave him out. Ok it can be said that his form over the last couple years has been nothing special but in my opinion Paul Scholes has been the same player during those years that he is today. Nothings changed in my opinion! I remember watching games last season and the season before and thinking to my self if I was Fergie I’d start Scholesey in every BIG game no question about it! He used to still boss games like the way he is bossing games at the minute. Imagine if we were playing a CL final tomorrow…the first person fans would want on the team sheet would be the ginger prince. That carrick giggs combo really doesn’t gel at all and it showed last week against wigan. Those 2 players started @ wembley and I’m also pretty amazed that Park also started in both these finals. Would we have played Park in a CL final this season? I don’t think so. Nani was our best player last season and even got the players player of the season. Sow hy didn’t he start? Its quite amazing it has to be said. No wonder we got a hiding on both occasions. This is just my opinion though. What do u think @Doron?
at this moment in time… i don’t think it’s too difficult to be good enough to play for united.
we lack so much quality you’d have to be a little delirious to deny it. without fergie where would be in the league?? we don’t have the quality to bring it in cup competitions at all this season.
we’ve barely had any consistently good run ins.
gaitan would be a great addition to the squad.
berbatov’s got some great skills and technique. he can pass the ball well and hold onto it. would it be insane to try him out in midfield or something?
he’s got so many good qualities and they’re unfortunately all going to waste.
his first touch and technique are incomparable to chicharito’s and welbeck’s.
he just hasn’t got the pace and doesn’t move around enough when he’s off the ball.
hence putting him somewhere else on the pitch?