Mike

Harry

Ryan Morgan, Sheffield

Rory Smith
Chief Soccer Correspondent for The New York Times, on Monday Night Club

Erik ten Hag said Manchester United needed legs and Scott McTominay has that. He has a pure engine on him, but he was sold for pure profit.

Clubs are wasting so much money on shiny new players and are using homegrown players as sacrificial victims for them.

They could just stop spending money. McTominay probably isn't vastly different to Manuel Ugarte in terms of quality.

Could McTominay have been coached better to do what Ugarte does?

Anon

Steph Houghton
Former Manchester City defender on Monday Night Club

Why have they let Scott McTominay go? We have discussed the physicality of Casemiro. For all the times I have seen McTominay play he has got a presence about him.

He can get from box to box, put tackles in and score a few goals. The game against Liverpool was a game for McTominay as it needed someone to get stuck in.

Image source, Getty Images

A key issue, of course, has not been the lack of profit Manchester United have made in transfer dealings, but the amount of money spent on signings that, for one reason or another, have not worked out.

Casemiro, who was signed from Real Madrid for £70m in August 2022, is a case in point.

He was substituted at half-time by Erik ten Hag during Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool after making mistakes that led to the visitors' two first-half goals.

While the Brazilian midfielder enjoyed a decent first season at Old Trafford, his performances tailed off in the last campaign and, after being left out of United's starting XI for the FA Cup final win against Manchester City, the 32-year-old was expected to leave in the summer before a positive pre-season saw him return to first-team reckoning.

Harry, Manchester: @Rich 09:13 BST, you asked to name a time when United have ever sold a player on for profit? Only Ronaldo comes to mind. United aren’t a selling club.

Image source, Getty Images

Dan Ashworth on whether he is confident in the depth and quality of the Manchester squad following the end of his first transfer window as sporting director: "I've probably done 25 [transfer] windows now. I don't think there’s ever been one where we've gone 'it's gone absolutely perfectly, we've done every single in and every single out'.

"But in the main, with the target positions we wanted to strengthen, the players we've brought in and the depth and options Erik [ten Hag] has when everybody is fully fit, I'm pleased yes."

On whether United have adopted a different approach to selling players since his arrival during the summer, Ashworth said: "The schedule, especially with the new Europa League format, is pretty punishing. So we want to make sure we've got enough depth while keeping the players motivated, and with the thought that they've got a chance of playing.

"If you run with too big a squad, it can cause problems. The rules and regulations mean you have to churn. You have to generate money to be able to spend that money back out as well. So the number of one-club players is probably changing.

"That's an unintended consequence of the rules and regulations."

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea winger Angelo Gabriel has joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr for a fee understood to be £19.1m.

The 19-year-old joined the west London club from Santos in 2023 and spent time out on loan at Strasbourg.

He featured for Chelsea during their pre-season tour of the United States but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club during his time at Stamford Bridge.

BBC Sport understands that Chelsea have a sell-on clause.

Anon

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves have confirmed that winger Daniel Podence has completed a permanent move to Al-Shabab in the Saudi Pro League.

He leaves after four-and-a-half years at the West Midlands club.

Sporting director Matt Hobbs said: "This is a life-changing opportunity for Danny and his family and one he leaves for with our best wishes. He’s a great guy and will always receive a warm welcome back to Molineux. Now, we wish him the best of luck."

Steph Houghton
Former Manchester City defender on Monday Night Club

As players, you get a lot of information. It is what you do with it in the game and it will change during the game, so it is what you do with it.

Against Liverpool, there was zero control. Sometimes I look at Manchester United and I think - is the thoughts of what the manager wants there?

You can't doubt them as technical footballers as they wouldn't be at United. I think the board will give him time. Watching them, it is chaotic and the players are not making the right decisions in those moments.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United are still paying a small portion of England forward Jadon Sancho's salary following his move to Chelsea, but with the deal containing an obligation to make the switch permanent in 12 months, sporting director Dan Ashworth feels it was the best outcome for both parties.

"We are not kicking players out of the club, but when they have a preference to move and it is right for them and us, you have to explore it, whether it's Jadon, Scott [McTominay] or Aaron [Wan-Bissaka].

"We've got four really good wide players, so we felt we had enough depth in that particular position to cover it, which enabled us to make the decision."

Rich, Ireland

Rory Smith
Football writer on Monday Night Club

Manchester United do not have any bad footballers. The structure of the team is still, two-and-a-half to three years in [to Ten Hag's tenure], really chaotic.

I think that was the worst thing for Ten Hag [on Sunday]. It wasn't just the scoreline - it will hurt obviously to lose 3-0 to Liverpool, although Manchester United fans should be getting used to it - but it's the fact that Arne Slot has been there for three games and Liverpool seem to have a much clearer idea about who they are and what they want to be than a Man Utd team that now has six of Ten Hag's signings in, half the Ajax 2019 team, loads of youth players that he has had chance to work with, a whole club that he has been in charge of going into his third season and it is still not clear what he is trying to do.

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Sutton
Former Premier League and Golden Boot winner on Monday Night Club

We're into the third season and we still don't know what Manchester United are. That's their biggest problem.

An improvement for them this season would be to control games like top sides do. There wasn't much evidence of that last season. Not much has changed.

A lot of people thought the should have parted ways [with Erik ten Hag] last season. They won't sack him now because with the show of faith they gave him it would be daft to sack him. But he's under massive pressure and scrutiny.

It's interesting to note that Dan Ashworth aims to support Erik ten Hag "to allow him to fully focus on the training pitch and match tactical plan, to deliver success for Manchester United".

Both Chris Sutton and Rory Smith, speaking on the Monday Night Club, made the point that United still do not have a clear identity or style of play under Ten Hag, in what is now his third season at Old Trafford...

Simon Stone
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter

Speaking to reporters before the Liverpool game, both Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth confirmed that although neither was involved in the post-season review that determined Erik ten Hag would keep his job, even in the event of a heavy defeat to Liverpool - which turned into reality - the Dutchman still had their backing.

"It was a decision taken prior to both of our arrivals, but we are very happy with it," said Berrada.

"Erik has our full backing. We think he is the right coach for us.

"We have worked very closely together in this transfer window and we are going to continue working very closely with him to help get the best results out of the team."

Although Brighton sacked Chris Hughton as manager three months after Ashworth began work as the Seagulls technical director in 2019, Eddie Howe remained as Newcastle manager throughout the 53-year-old's 19 months at St James' Park.

Ashworth said it was not unusual for a sporting director to link up with a manager already in place.

"Very rarely do you go into a job as a sporting director and there is no manager in place," he added.

"All I can do is reiterate that I've really enjoyed working with Erik for the last eight weeks.

"My job is to support him in every way I possible can, whether that's operationally, with recruitment, medical, psychology, [and] the training ground flow to allow him to fully focus on the training pitch and match tactical plan, to deliver success for Manchester United."

Image source, Getty Images

So what did Manchester United's chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth actually say - and what can we read into it?

Well, a potentially important point to note is that their comments were made to reporters BEFORE United's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday...

Martin

Image source, Getty Images

Right, you should be up to speed now with the main football news.

We will switch focus to international football soon, we promise, but before that let's return to that debate on Erik ten Hag and the backing he has received from the new Manchester United hierarchy.

A little earlier, we asked you whether you support that move - at present the unscientific poll is about two-to-one against.

At the last count, 768 gave a thumbs up to the club's backing of Ten Hag, with 1454 giving it the thumbs down. Those numbers are rising all the time, but at roughly the same ratio.