u/RedDevilPlay

I still think Harry Kane would have been an unbelievable signing for United, especially when he was leaving Spurs. Seeing the numbers he’s putting up at Bayern only makes that decision feel more frustrating. Obviously, he seems genuinely happy in Munich now, so getting him back to England would be a completely different situation. But imagining Kane leading the line at Old Trafford is still pretty tempting. I really wanted United to go all out for him back then.

That 2011/12 season still hurts, especially remembering how United threw away such a big lead towards the end. I can understand Rooney’s point that we didn’t actually finish the season as champions on the pitch. It’s interesting seeing him take a different view from Rio and some of the other former players who would happily claim the medal. If City do end up being stripped of titles, this whole debate over who should receive them is going to get very interesting.

Sitting 12th in the Premier League is embarrassing. I’m tired of trying to find excuses for it. There was a time when United were the club everyone wanted to beat because we were the standard. Now we’re at the point where even talking about finishing in the top five feels like a struggle. That alone says everything about how far we’ve fallen. The football is just so frustrating to watch. No real consistency, midfield gets overrun far too easily, and half the time it feels like we only wake up when we’re already behind and there’s 10 minutes left. And Old Trafford just doesn’t feel like the place it used to be. Teams used to come here knowing they were in for a horrible afternoon. Now it feels like some teams actually fancy their chances before the game has even started. I’ll always love this club, but pretending this is anywhere near good enough isn't helping anyone. We shouldn’t be celebrating scraping into the top five. United should be competing at the other end of the table.

I know comparing any young midfielder to Scholes is a massive thing, but Giggs' comments about Mainoo caught my attention. He thinks Mainoo already has the acceleration, strength and ability on the ball, and could add that Scholes-like passing range to his game. The derby result obviously wasn't what we wanted, but I thought Mainoo showed some good things despite the loss. He's still learning and probably needs more consistency before we start making those comparisons. Still, if he can develop that forward passing and vision, there could be a really good player in there.

United suddenly have a lot more options in midfield compared with last season, and I’m honestly not sure what the best combination is yet. Mainoo looked really good against Ipswich, which makes the situation even more interesting with Baleba, Santos and Tielemans all competing for places. Baleba comes in with a huge price tag and feels like someone who will be expected to play regularly. Santos has looked promising too, while Tielemans brings a completely different type of quality to the midfield. With the Champions League adding so many more games, rotation is obviously going to be important. But when everyone is fit, who would you actually pick as United’s strongest midfield three?

With the transfer window closing, the left back position still looks like something United could improve. Lewis Hall has been one of the names mentioned most strongly and seems to be a player the club really likes. At 21, he also has plenty of room to develop and could potentially be a long term option. The big question is whether he would actually be worth the huge fee Newcastle are reportedly looking for. Would Hall be the right choice for United, or would the money be better spent elsewhere?

You had the reliable updates, the supposed deadline, people tracking flights and suddenly it felt like it was only a matter of time.

Then either nothing happened or the whole thing fell apart.

Which transfer had you fully muppeting the hardest?

I feel like we're taking a pretty big gamble by going into another season without properly sorting the left back position. Shaw had a good season overall, but relying on him to play almost every game again feels unrealistic. With Champions League football and a much bigger fixture list, we're going to need more depth there. Dalot and Mazraoui don't really feel like natural solutions on the left either. I'd be worried if we reach the end of the window and still haven't brought anyone in. Are we making the same mistake again by leaving this position short?

I’ve always found it interesting how quickly a club’s fanbase can seem to change after a few successful seasons. Which club do you think has had the most obvious influx of “lifelong” supporters since the trophies started coming in?

Winning on penalties always makes the post-match mood lighter, but taking a step back, the performance was a real mixed bag. A few fringe players and youngsters got minutes in Dublin, with Dermot Mee having a great moment in the shootout and Mazraoui showing calm under pressure. Looking across the full 90 minutes, who impressed you enough to warrant a starting spot in our Premier League opener, and who still looks off the pace? Which positions do you feel still lack proper depth based on what we saw?