Is it sensible to carry on with Bruno as the focal point of our team next season?

Murder on Zidane's Floor said:
Erm no :wenger:

RVN was too much of a focal point, the manager rightly recognised the team would be better with a fluid front three of Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez.

Stam, while annoying the manager also had an Achilles injury was in his late twenties.
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Tevez came after RVN had left no? Saha initially replaced RVN and we looked a lot better due to that change, just a shame he had his fitness issues.
 
He really has dropped off this season. With the problems in our squad, i feel like by default will be not be high on the replace urgently list. Games like yesterday, he looks like a problem. He gives the ball away so easily and so often.

I think he will still be here, and will be a starter next year and i hope he can turn it around. I know he will never be the odegaard type player who never loses the ball and keeps in ticking, but in previous seasons he was producing so much. If he can get that back, it would be a huge plus to our attack.
 
To keep him means to build a team around him and continue to allow him this free role, he's not good enough for this, we can't justify it, maybe in a different league but the Premier League requires more versatility and physicality. It's pointless keeping him in a lesser role as a squad player like McTominay, there's no middle ground for him. Time for a change, yes there's worse players at the club but constantly reshuffling the players on the peripheries isn't enough, either be brave or accept mediocrity.
 
The lad is class and has been one of the very few bright spots in a very fallow period for the club. I still think he has a lot to offer but it's obvious he is completely knackered this season. He needs a break.
 
It's an interesting thing to consider as I think we're reaching an age for the player and a time in the clubs history where maybe a big change like this makes a ton of sense because losing Bruno would have a huge impact on this football team and it's direction of travel. Partly because he IS a fantastic player, and partly because he's somebody that has a certain risk profile in his game that can upset the performance of a team far more than any other player when he plays poorly. Historically he does a lot and he also messes up a lot. All that means that if you take him out and put in other players from the market you have a huge ability to influence tactics and ultimately performance, more than you do by removing 2 or 3 other individuals.

I don't think Mainoo should be a consideration though. I think that's a mistake to even look at. As mature as he is, sneaking him into the team every week in whatever position is required according to those around him is quite enough for his development. I don't really want to see us considering him as stepping up into a squad role where he's absolutely fundamental to our success. He might BE fundamental to our success but that's different to accounting for the fact that he must be. I think he needs a season or two playing consistent football and just leave him be, he will be getting all kinds of attention and calls for international recognition as it is and I think that's enough. I want us to play him but I don't want a reliance on him - there's a difference in terms of squad planning.
 
MayfieldsFinest said:
The lad is class and has been one of the very few bright spots in a very fallow period for the club. I still think he has a lot to offer but it's obvious he is completely knackered this season. He needs a break.
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He’s been poor all season . Blaming it on been knackered won’t wash. We are literally playing a game a week for the last few weeks
 
We should at least have an alternative in the squad who comes in as a rotation option and puts a bit of pressure on.

I think Ten Hag has got a bit more discipline out of him in terms of his decision making but there will always be times when Bruno wants to be Bruno and play with a lot of risk and abandon. In fairness that is the best version of Bruno when he plays with that freedom but there always going to be certain games and certain opponents when he frustrates.

Maybe we already have that ideal alternative in Mason Mount if he ever becomes available.
 
For such a smart player, I don't understand why he treats the ball like a hot potato.

Games like yesterday - Keep. the. fecking. ball.
 
Modern teams don't build around one player unless they're incredible. They buy players to fit a system. So no, I don't think we should but we probably will.
 
Absolutely not.

We need players who are press resistant, can keep hold of the ball and circulate possession.

If we're ever going to challenge, we need to evolve into a team that values possession, to gain control of matches. You can never get that by building the team around Bruno. He is the antithesis to that.

If we're going to keep on being a transitional team that almost only creates on the counter, then we should just keep him. That's his wheel house. That would also mean we will just keep on challenging for top 4.
 
This is undoubtedly Bruno's worst season for us so far - that captains armband is definitely cursed

He's always been wasteful in posession when compared to the best in his position but usually made up for it with decent G+A stats but this season it's not happening - his lack of link with Hojlund is especially concerning

He's still delivering decent numbers on key passes but playing the full 90 every game doesnt help - surely worth throwing in Eriksen (or Mount if he's alive) for the odd 20mins cameo to freshen things up
 
I'm pretty critical of Bruno and think he has flaws in his game.

Having that that, he's quite a way down the list in terms of problems. I'd rather we strengthened at GK, CB, CM, Wingers and Strikers before the number 10 position.
 
Hmm. Depends on him. I feel that it's almost the end of an era here... Bruno played very well when we were at our most chaotic and I will always be grateful for that. I think since he has become Captain (bad move in my opinion...) his game has regressed, it's more restricted and he doesn't have the freedom and sense of expression we once saw. Man Utd are not better because Bruno is Captain, and Bruno is not better since he became Captain. Is he taking us forward, as a player and Captain? Have we seen that? Is he what a Man Utd Captain looks like now?

He's a polarising, rather thana stablising figure on the pitch and I just think we need to cash in if he has suitiors. I can't see him getting better and I am not sure whether he really, really wants to drive this team and club onwards.

As I stated elsewhere, if we can get good cash for Bruno and Rashford we should take it (certainly if they both have good Euro's) . If they leave it will not affect our season that much and they are certainly not irreplaceable. Things will balance out and we can get new energy in. That's what I think.
 
I think we need to move on, or at least have a plan in place that replaces him in a years time. His goal and assists have really dried up in the past couple of years and performances like yesterday are becoming the norm.
 
Plant0x84 said:
If he wanted rid of Bruno he would have killed all the media/fan chat and got behind Maguire as captain.
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Maguire was meant to sold, we accepted a bid from West Ham. He said no.

Was he not paper captain last season?

Do you think EtH gives two fecks about twitter or media he doesn't even have twitter.
 
Red00012 said:
He’s been poor all season . Blaming it on been knackered won’t wash. We are literally playing a game a week for the last few weeks
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Yeah I hate when people excuse this away. You can’t applaud a player that is always available and wants to play every game and then excuse his whiteness by saying he’s just knackered and needs a rest when we are playing once a week.
 
Been a top player for us - saved us in fact a fair few times.

If we get the chance to move him on in the summer then I think we should take it.

I don't believe you compete for the big pots with him playing this role in your team.
 
The things is, Bruno is never injured. That's a lot of minutes to replace, if we sold him. Realistically, it would need two signings to replace Bruno in the squad.
 
I don’t think that we will sell him because he’s one of our best players

however I am concerned that his age is sneaking up and before we know it, the team built will be on the verge of major trophies and it will have bypassed the Bruno era. We will look back on him fondly but he won’t lead us to the promised land
 
golden_blunder said:
I don’t think that we will sell him because he’s one of our best players

however I am concerned that his age is sneaking up and before we know it, the team built will be on the verge of major trophies and it will have bypassed the Bruno era. We will look back on him fondly but he won’t lead us to the promised land
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When his legs go, he can still hang around as a squad player, unless of course he wants to leave and become a starter elsewhere. The smart thing to do for Ineos is to keep an eye out for a young promising talent to learn from him, with a view to eventually taking over. A shrewd signing around or under 30m would be ideal.
 
I would not be surprised in the least if PSG came knocking for him post-Mbappe. I’d imagine the bid would have to be £80m+ to justify giving up the well regarded (but ill-fitting) captain of United with time left on his contract.

Turning around and spending that much (and likely more) on Wirtz as a replacement would be a move I would support.
 
I don’t think it’s sensible to persist with him and Casemiro in the same beyond this season and they are way too expensive to keep unless they are key players.

I’d offload Casemiro this summer and Bruno in another year probably but if a team did make big offer for Bruno this summer it would be tempting. This squad needs to be dismantled, can’t do it all at once of course but also can’t allow all these players to run down their contracts whilst declining and being paid extortionate wages.
 
He is getting up there in years so we should look ahead at replacing him. His replacement should have more composure. Maybe break in a young player next year gradually with Bruno still here?

Casemiro should be sold asap, his legs are done imo. Bruno can go another year.
 
seegoblu said:
I would not be surprised in the least if PSG came knocking for him post-Mbappe. I’d imagine the bid would have to be £80m+ to justify giving up the well regarded (but ill-fitting) captain of United with time left on his contract.

Turning around and spending that much (and likely more) on Wirtz as a replacement would be a move I would support.
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Outside of United's fans with all due respect to Bruno is kind of nobody in terms of profile and reputation so I very much doubt PSG would even be interested in him let alone offer £80m+ .
 
Yes, I’d love it. But ETH clearly loves him, so there’s zero chance if he stays. Mount was also bought as a Fred replacement and not Bruno’s.
 
Donut said:
Yes, I’d love it. But ETH clearly loves him, so there’s zero chance if he stays. Mount was also bought as a Fred replacement and not Bruno’s.
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How does he clearly love him? There are no options in the squad to replace him
 
Plant0x84 said:
He is still top chance creator in the PL, though I’ll concede he needs to be more clinical when he has a chance himself.
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I would love to see a video of these chances he has created this season in the league. Right now, I cant remember him creating a single chance for Hojlund for example.
 
We have far bigger problems than Bruno. Upgrading on him would be the kind of icing on the cake moment. Defence and holding midfield are priorities then Back up striker and another Winger would be my preference. Rashford i would sell no issue if anything over £75m came in. Bruno realistically £100m and above i guess. But who replaces. Really football manager stuff. We have Mount and McTom for Brunos position but neither are better and wont be better even Mount at his Chelsea best was not Bruno. Every player will have a price though but unless crazy Saudi Money comes in for Bruno then leave well alone.
 
IrishRedDevil said:
For such a smart player, I don't understand why he treats the ball like a hot potato.

Games like yesterday - Keep. the. fecking. ball.
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I dont think he is smart. He thinks about goals way too much to be considered smart.

Look at this from yesterday, The Manchester Evening News pointed out SEVEN different/safer options he could have taken at this moment and yet he thought he could shoot from here.

0_BrunoLuton.png
 
mu4c_20le said:
:lol:
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We've built the team around this guy for years and played football on the counter/transition. The sooner we replace him with someone who can play on the half turn and also know when and when not to recycle the ball the better.

Team game and all that.
 
Plant0x84 said:
Cherry picked example. Nice.
Chances created is not the same as assists. The chances have to be scored to become assists.
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Did you misread? I said chance not assist.

Also, How is it a cherry picking example by asking to see how the league's top creator has provided for the team's main striker?
 
No, obviously not.

I would happily bin him in the summer or, at worst, the following summer.
 
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