Would you have Benayoun at United, Mark?

Definitely, I never used to rate him to be honest but the back end of last season and the beginning of tis hes been great from what Ive seen, probably due to him starting more. I think our midfield lacks eneger at the minute, would liked to have had Fletch and Anderson sunday but can see why Fergie wanted the experience. Hopefully come January we can go with Valencia, Fletch, Scholes, Ljajic(may not be ready yet though).

No chance imo, you only have to look at Tosic who is still nowhere near the starting line up and from the little I have seen I don't think ever will be.

Hearing good reports about Ljajic but I don't see him featuring much until next season.

On Sunday I would have gone with Park, Anderson, Carrick and Valencia. Lots of energy from Park and Anderson with Carrick's vision and Valencia's pace.

Thing with Fergie is, in the past, he's always been a kind of "if you're good enough, you're old enough" kinda manager. Ljajic has the potential and he won't fulfill it in the reserves, Fergie will know this and I think he might just throw him in there. Obviously, he won't play every week, but I don't think Fergie will be afraid to give him a shot.

Will be interesting to see where Fergie plays him, I think he'll end up playing centrally like Kaka, only problem with that is Rooney also likes to play just off the frontman, too. He might be used outwide, but I feel United lack the control in the big games in the middle, maybe he can bring that over the next few years.

I agree with your comment about the 'if you're good enough you're old enough' but that only applies if indeed they are THAT good. On that basis he does not seem to rate Tosic as we have hardly seen him feature and since Ronaldo left we have gone and signed Obertan and Valencia who are both wide players.

Do you really rate Ljajic that highly? Not seen hardly anything of him but we need a player to replace Scholes in centre midfield so maybe it will be him. We have lots of holding options in Anderson, Fletcher, Hargreaves (when fit) but we only really have Carrick to open up defences and that needs to improve. Anderson could have been that player but we seem to have changed him from an attacking player to a more defensive and destructive one.

Ljajic plays out wide and cuts in alot, he can play left or right, I think Sir Alex will use him ina similar way to Ronaldo.

Well he's a good player with undoubted potential. He reminds me of Kaka when I've seen him, he runs similar, does similar kinds of touches, pivots and he looks to have the ability.

I don't think he'll be an instant hit, but the potential is there and, like Ronaldo, the team could be built around him and he could be a big star over the years. I think that in today's game, too many quality players are shifted out wide in order to maintain 'balance' in a side, but for me, I'd like to see some of these players play centrally, where they can affect a game more. Ljajic, for me, looks like he'll play centrally in the future, Fergie may decide to shift him out wide or he may decide to play him deeper but centrally, who knows, but he does look a very good young player.

Two years ago on this forum, I said Benayoun was as good as Tevez. I said that he certainly provides better VFM. Not one single poster agreed with me. I still hold that view.

A dodgy Vidic or a dodgy, unfit Ferdinand are still many times better than Evans.

Was funny to see Evans embarrassed by a City reserve player when playing for Northern Ireland. Weiss turned him inside-out for about 30 yards.

Why United allowed Pique to go, I will never know

The same Piqué who is part of the best central defensive partnership in the Spanish league. The same Piqué who is arguably the best defender in La Liga at the moment.

I remember a Liverpool reserve player, Nemeth, made Pique look distinctly average. He shown very little in his time at United IMO.

Can't agree with you there Robbie. Ask the Barça fans if they'd be happy for him to go back to United


By the way, there was a piece in El Mundo Deportivo about that Nemeth lad. Didn't he play in some international tournament recently? I'm sure it was saying he was one of the top performers.

Pique's done well at Barca, but he wasn't good over here.

Nemeth played for Hungary in the world U-20's, scored a few goals. Scored two against Italy, he's a little like Fowler but I think he's better playing off the front man.

Bit harsh considering he only made 12 league appearances, don't you think?

Not really, you have to ask why he made so little appearances if he was so good. He struggled in the reserve games I watched him in as well. Considering he had a loan out to Zaragoza getting senior football as well, it was obvious Fergie wasn't keen.

Fergie hasn't always got it right as you well know


To be honest having seen him in interviews over here, he seems like a really nice lad who loves FC Barcelona. There's a story Van der Sar told of the players being greeted every Monday morning at the training ground with the question 'Did you see the Barça game this weekend?'.

Looked good when i saw him in the FA Youth Cup last season @ Leeds, seemed to have what it took in probably the worst conditions of last season.

I didn't think he played in the youth cup. Are you talking about Dalla Valle or Pacheco?

He wanted regular first team football, and wanted to go back to Barca. He was never gunna get first team football at United whilst Vidic and Rio are here, when he played in Europe he did OK and got a few goals, but looked average in our Reserves at times.

There is no doubt IMO that Park would've played mate, but he was injured. We missed Fletcher hugely, just like in the CL final.

I think he was on the team sheet actually, but never played/travelled. My bad.

I know all about the circumstances. I'm just saying I wish he'd have stayed. I get to see him week in week out over here and he looks superb.

To be fair Weiss was apparently the new Ronaldo until you suddenly came into some money.

Premier League > La Liga.





How awful are Barnsley? Their best chance came from their fan that ran on the field. Macheda and Welbeck looked pretty good, and Anderson got some decent balls in, proof of why he should've played on Sunday.

Owen's goal was class, great build up play and good finish. At least now that Neville got sent off, he can't be selected for the next three games! Good to see Obertan and Rafael get a game and come through unscathed.

Roll on the next round of football's biggest competition...

I've used that one on my students for a couple of years now. Hasn't had quite the same effect since May though...