Maguire elevation and the incredible United trio

Harry Maguire is confirmed by Solskjaer to be the new Club Captain after the proposed departure of Ashley Young to Inter Milan. Ashley has been a model professional, played at number of different positions admirably and given his best. It's unusual for a Captain to leave mid-season but fair play to Solskjaer to reduce the average age of the squad with Williams and Shaw ready to share the burden. Manchester United have had a history of great Captains from WW2 in Johnny Carey, to Roger Byrne, Noel Cantwell, Martin Buchan, Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney. Jose Mourinho destroyed his lineage by making his Captain be a bench warmer in Rooney, Carrick and Valencia who could not even speak English properly. Solskjaer is resetting another flaw to properly reflect the clubs DNA. Not a fan of Sir Bobby Charlton as a Captain especially during the post Busby years. 

Rashford, Martial and Greenwood have scored 26 league goals this season just two shy of the famed LFC trio of Salah, Firmino and Mane! This without a decent midfield to create quality passes and Pogba being injured for most of the season. Solskjaer being a striker himself must be filled with pride of his young strike force.

MUFC are the only team to have taken points off runaway league leaders LFC back in Oct with a 1-1 draw. Last seasons below par performance triggered MUFC board to sack Mourinho else the record at Anfield has spread out evenly in three's for loss, draws and wins from last nine fixtures there. Form goes out of the window in the biggest derby of English Football League like LFC's defensive solidity and MUFC's lack of goals away from home both of which point to only one result. Without the industrious McTominay and replaced by slow Matic the task will only become onerous. Rashford remains a doubt after his cameo lifted the spirits to have the only goal scored by Mata from a Martial pass in the FA Cup 3rd round replay against Wolves and was injured soon after for a sub to be substituted. Greenwood is still too young to command a regular starting berth.

Before the reverse fixture MUFC chief executive stepped in to speak in favour of Solskjaer and now has reportedly kept Bruno Fernandes on standby. Not getting the player which the club targeted in time for their biggest match of the season is not following Ferguson's template. This away match is the ultimate yardstick to measure the individuals in the squad and how well they combine to thwart the opposition. In the 80's when MUFC went eight games unbeaten including Ferguson's first match while LFC lifted trophies the present form is representative of the gulf in class between the two sides. With Chelsea losing yesterday United have the opportunity to reduce the gap to two points from the fourth spot. Maguire can seal the unlikely result by opening his goal tally for his new club to claim a legendary status.

United should honour Docherty now as they realize the task Solskjaer has

Tommy Docherty was sacked as Manchester United manager after winning the 1977 FA Cup as reports of his affair with club physio's wife was made public. More details emerged about the way he conducted deals out of advertisements, tour games, tickets for FA Cup matches, belittling the senior players etc during the libel he threw at Willie Morgan who called him "about the worst manager there had ever been." The impulsive Docherty retorted "Any manager who says he has not cheated or lied is not being honest." Based on Sir Matt Busby's high standards he should have sent Docherty off much before winning the first major trophy for MUFC after he won the European Cup in 1968.

Docherty was managing Scotland with Jimmy Johnstone, Kenny Dalglish, Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer, Denis Law, Lou Macari, Martin Buchan calling them "the most talented squad the national team has ever been able to call upon" who were well on their way to qualify for 1974 World Cup. Sir Matt Busby poached him after consulting seniors in the team from Scotland. With the retirement of Sir Bobby Charlton at the end of the season MUFC board had a huge outlay for transfers and Doc brought four Scottish players in Alex Forsyth, George Graham, Lou Macari and Jim Holton to being dubbed the first million dollar team. Drew 1-1 with Leeds United in his first match and once played eight Scottish players in a league match against West Ham. Incidentally MUFC lost to Arsenal in the first match of '73 and went out of the FA Cup to Wolves 0-1. MUFC avoided relegation by finishing 18th but the next season they succumbed.

Docherty' reign preceded with the sacking of George Best simultaneously with that of previous manager Frank O'Farrell and the Ulsterman was persuaded to re-join briefly between Oct '73 to Jan '74 [Won 2, Drew 4, Lost 7, scored twice]. Charlton ended his career in his first season and then Doc transfer listed Denis Law who joined local rivals City to send MUFC infamously into the second division with his back heel. End of the United Trinity of Ballon d'Or winners with 287 most amazing matches between them starting with 4-1 win over West Brom when all three scored on 18, Jan 1964 to 28, Oct 1972 in a 1-4 loss to Tottenham!

To call the rebuild task as monumental might also be an understatement: Tommy Cavanagh as his assistant to instill discipline in the squad, appointed Brentford manager Frank Blunstone as youth coach: Arthur Albiston, Gerry Daly, Brian Greenhoff, David McCreery, Jimmy Nicholl came to the fore; moved Sammy McIlroy to midfield, gave MUFC their identity back in Steve Coppell and Gordon Hill on the wings, shrewd purchase of Stan Pearson and Jimmy Greenhoff who reserved his special for Liverpool, won promotion immediately finishing 3rd in the league and reached the FA Cup final in '76, Stopped LFC from winning the treble with that '77 FA Cup win. MUFC became the 1st English team to win the European treble under Ferguson in 1999. Led MUFC back in Europe for the first time since Busby with UEFA Cup beating Ajax but lost to Juventus in the next round despite winning the 1st leg 1-0 with a Gordon Hill masterclass while the absence of skipper Marin Buchan cost the 2nd leg.

Doc was last at Old Trafford in 2014 the experience apparently that left him sore "I won’t be back at United after them charging me for my tickets about three years ago. I got an invoice for £88 for two seats so that was it for me. If I fancy a game locally I’ll phone up Mike Summerbee at City and they always look after me. But I’m done with United." Dave Sexton who did the double over MUFC with modest Coventry might have been at Old Trafford assisting numerous England coaches. While Ron Atkinson upset MUFC with Sheffield Wednesday in League Cup final and appears on MUTV quite regularly. Doc never managed to be at a club for more than 2 seasons after his MUFC tenure and later confessed to be regretful about leaving Scotland for MUFC.

Clearly the reasons are not football related but the rebuild that has lasted till Ferguson's appointment does not justify the impertinence shown towards Tommy Docherty now in his 90's. He should have been invited for the opening game of this season which was against Doc's Chelsea for whom he played, managed and changed their colours from White to Blue. Wolves the last major club he managed whom MUFC face in the FA Cup 3rd round replay at Old Trafford this Wednesday offers the club another chance.

On this day: 14-Jan-1969 Sir Matt Busby announced his decision to retire at the end of the season and become general manager at MUFC.

Woodward steps in after drubbing by City to make a transfer to overshadow match against Liverpool

Ed Woodward intervened to get Manchester United linked with Donny Van de Beek immediately after the drubbing by Man City in the League Cup semi-final first leg. City players were claiming to have slowed down after scoring 3 goals inside 38 minutes to avoid exertion in a midst of a busy schedule and David de Gea made a few superb saves to keep the score down. In the second half MUFC scored via captain Marcus Rashford that started with Angel Gomes' tackle and a through ball by Mason Greenwood - all three Mancunian's involved a special goal indeed. Solskjaer reaction was "From 15 minutes to half-time was the worst we have played this season. We couldn't cope with the setback. Now we have a steep mountain to climb." but prided on winning the second half 1-0.

Reaction from Netherlands about the interest in Donny Van de Beek was muted that made MUFC to rekindle their interest in Bruno Fernandes whom they courted all summer only to reject stating he took too many risks from midfield. Rio Ferdinand's tweet sent MUFC fans into meltdown on Friday.

Brunoooooooooooo ⏳⌚️

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) January 10, 2020

Sporting's directors concluded the meeting with MUFC and flew back for Saturday's game against Vitoria Setubal. Its claimed the fee is around #60 million plus #10 million in add-ons and if agreed Fernandes can travel next week for the medical and conclude the deal. Sporting play Benfica in crucial League Cup semi-final on 21st January while MUFC travel to play Liverpool on 19th. Credit to Woodward for coming out in defense of Solskjaer ahead of the visit of Liverpool to Old Trafford earlier in the season which ended in a 1-1 draw. This transfer might shadow the outcome of the game against our biggest rivals in England and perhaps act as a cushion to persist with Solskjaer. This is one of those on-off deals that most trusted MUFC journalists can't be sure of until its done.

Start to 2020 has been disastrous with no wins in three matches against Arsenal, Wolves and Man City. Harry Maguire returned to lead the side after missing the derby as MUFC won 4-0 at home to Norwich the bottom side in the Premier League. MUFC thankfully did not repeat losing to bottom team as they did against Watford last month. Rashford scored two goals in his 200th appearance being the 3rd youngest behind George Best and Ryan Giggs to reach that milestone. After being 3-0 ahead the fans chanted slogans against the Glazers and Woodward despite Solskjaer stating earlier that he is forthright in his opinions with them "looking at how we are going to look in one month's time, five months' time, in the longer period" but ended saying "I am happy with these players"!! MUFC are yet to win three consecutive games in the Premier League this season. MUFC midfield is short staffed which apparent to everyone and yet the club waited for the poor result against Man City to try to bolster the personnel in that area of the pitch that once again raises questions about the veracity of planning for this whole season.

🎶 Build a bonfire build a bonfire, put the glazers on the top, put ed woodward in the middle and you burn the F***ING lot.#MUFC #woodwardout #glazersout pic.twitter.com/38y4A84D8k

— Geoffroy Fisher (@MarvelManUtd) January 11, 2020

Bruno Fernandes though would be most welcome addition to the squad. He should have been signed after excelling in the inaugural UEFA Nations League last summer. He is a two time Portuguese player of the season and scored 31 goals in all competitions in 2018-19 season. MUFC can finally have a specialist free-kick taker and expect goals from midfield especially in the absence of Paul Pogba. It does not make James Maddison's purchase redundant as the duo can play as a pivot on either side of a holding defensive midfielder. Will Mark Goldbridge from the United Stand be present at his unveiling like fan Joe Ruane was at Wayne Rooney's remains to be seen.

Options for MUFC in a difficult January window

Harry Maguire pulled out of League Cup semi-final first leg at Old Trafford with a hip injury that can rule him out for at least a month. The England international has played in 11 straight games in 5 weeks since the seniors were made to skip the away tie at Astana and bizarrely Solskjaer even played him against the minnows Colchester United. Its a huge blow to MUFC as both Cup tie's coming up before the end of the month. Maguire joins McTominay and Pogba on the injury list and all three form the spine of the thread bare team that's why MUFC season can crumble in January if reinforcement's are not added in this transfer window. Note the team are also short of two midfielders since the departure of Fellaini and Herrera. Best option would be to recall Chris Smalling from Roma where he's had a great season but off late errors have again crept in.

After the disastrous 1-3 drubbing to Man City sources from the club immediately claimed to be considering a move for Donny Van de Beek from Ajax who might cost #50 million. His teammate Hakim Ziyech is a tenacious winger who excelled in a 4-4 draw against Chelsea and can fill the right wing slot. While Rio Ferdinand suggested another midfielder Fabian Ruiz from Napoli who unjustly fired coach Carlo Ancelotti for player revolt. Donny Van de Beek would be a marquee signing that will also help to attract creative or attacking midfielders in the summer who might be assured of protection that will enable to express themselves better. Real Madrid tried to sign him in the summer and might get back again thus if MUFC cannot get him they can consider either of Kerem Demirbay of Leverkusen, Daniel Parejo from Valencia, Teji Savanier from Montpellier, Alejandro Gomez of Atalanta who have all excelled for at least one whole season playing consistently and are from clubs outside the traditional top three of their respective leagues. These four are no match to the Dutchman in terms of Champions' League experience thus are not marquee but have elevated their game to earn a move to a new club or moved into the top midfielders category in their respective leagues.

MUFC can look at other elite clubs in Europe like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter, Paris St Germain who frequently loan players to each other. Mauro Icardi between Inter and PSG, Philippe Coutinho between Barca and Bayern, Perisic between Inter and Bayern. Even Arsenal got Dani Ceballos from Real! MUFC have let out Alexis Sanchez who they could not handle to Inter and Chris Smalling to Roma but failed to negotiate any incoming players despite being one of the founding members of the disbanded G-14 that has now become European Club Association. Historically MUFC have shunned this type of deal since the Ferguson years and there could be an opportunity for the present management to reassess this route until then any transfers seem unlikely. Example: Arturo Vidal, Samuel Umtiti from Barca, Emre Can, Adrien Rabiot, Daniele Rugani from Juventus, Edinson Cavani from PSG.

Championship has always been a great reserve to scout for future prospects. Brian Glanville used to frequently tell of how Chelsea's first League winning team in 1955 was made up of players from lower division. Kalvin Phillips of Leeds, Matt Grimes of Swansea, Matheus Pereira of West Brom, Jarrod Bowen of Hull, Matthew Cash of Nottingham, John Swift of Reading, Jed Wallace of Milwall. Last season's standout player was Jack Grealish who MUFC might sign in the summer for a hefty fee from Aston Villa while MUFC did sign Daniel James, Neal Maupay is now excelling at Brighton and Reece James at Chelsea.

MUFC can take this window to sign up players in the summer and do the homework in advance like Chelsea signed Christian Pulisic in last January only to be available in the summer. James Maddison is the prime candidate to do such a deal now for #70 million else once he signs a new deal with Leicester then he would cost more than #100 million in the summer. Such a deal would be smart and reduce the cost of acquisition later.

Or look to sign free transfers like Thomas Meunier to add the experience and backup to Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Ashley Young seeking his last contract and in talks with Inter where he can perhaps even extend his playing years in the slow Italian league. Meunier can add the experience at the full back positions that now will have Shaw, Wan-Bissaka, Dalot and Williams all below 25 years of age.

Options are available if search is focused in the right direction. Ed Woodward can overturn his image with the fans and slowly gain acceptance. This season he has been proactive unlike in the past. Being 5th in the table and still in contention for all three Cup competitions, unless the club acts to protect its performance by adding quality players they might collapse like at the end of last season. #GlazersOut movement on social media from fans will definitely re-start towards the end of January if no one is signed.