United Rant

Pogba departure leaves Reds pondering youth future

So there it is, confirmation bar wet ink on a contract, that Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba will move to Italian champions Juventus this summer. United will receive compensation in the region of £300,000, while Pogba will enjoy a huge salary bump to more than €1 million per season on a four-year contract with the [...]

If Pogba is the symptom, what is the cause?

There was much gnashing of collective Tweets on social media channels Tuesday night as news filtered through that vaunted teenage midfielder Paul Pogba has agreed to join Juventus next season. Pogba will reportedly sign a four-year contract worth €1 million per season, with the Frenchman’s agent picking up some €2 million for brokering the deal. [...]

Scholes’ return points to end for young Reds

The news of Paul Scholes’ return to Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad shortly before the FA Cup Third Round tie against Manchester City seemingly provoked a wave of optimism among Manchester United fans, with polls across the web supporting the Salford-born midfielder’s re-integration. Manager, players, pundits and former Reds were all universally upbeat about the 36-year-old’s [...]

The kids are… on the bench

When Sir Alex Ferguson transplanted the ‘class of 92′ from the FA Youth Cup to a third round League Cup tie against Port Vale in 1994 the Scot pioneered the concept of blooding youngsters in the competition. Ferguson was subject to severe criticism for the move, accused, effectively, of devaluing the tournament. Today, few leading [...]

Time to take a chance

In the past few weeks, despite Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s assertions to the contrary, it has become obvious that the club simply does not posses a central midfield pairing worth talking about. Despite the early pace set by youngsters Tom Cleverley and Anderson, United has few central midfield options that can challenge domestic [...]

United: the next next generation

Amid all the talk of Manchester United’s youth this season it is easy to be drawn into the hyperbole. Phil Jones cast as Duncan Edwards; Chris Smalling the new Rio Ferdinand; Tom Cleverley as Paul Scholes’ protegé. Yet below the layer of hype and over-expectation those cast into Sir Alex Ferguson’s first team have consistently [...]

Fergie lauds teen Pogba as Reds future but what of the present?

Manchester United’s failure to land a central midfielder this summer is with scepticism in many quarters, with the club’s inability to meet the wage demands of Wesley Sneijder and Samir Nasri pointing many critics towards a charge of Glazernomics. Yet, while United’s poor record the road last season was almost entirely down to a paucity of options in [...]

VIDEO: Pogba scores on reserve debut

United vindicated over Pogba transfer

Paul Pogba, the French teenager who United signed from Le Harve this summer, is clear to play for the club after FIFA ruled on the case last night. The transfer of Pogba caused controversy when Le Harve president Jean-Pierre Louvel accused United of illegally poaching the player. The FIFA judgement means that Pogba is free to [...]

Le Harve has no case – agent

Manchester United has no case to answer in the transfer of Paul Pogba from Le Harve, according the player’s agent. Speaking to The Times Pogba’s agent, Gaël Mahé, claimed that no wrongdoing had taken place and that the French Ligue 2 side has several pieces of crucial documentation missing. “No money had changed hands up front, [...]