David Ornstein had a lot to say about United whilst talking to Sky Sports ahead of Arsenal's game against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night.
Some of the more eye opeing topics were about the futures of Garnacho, Mainoo and Hojlund, a trio that not so long ago, gave us one of the most iconic images in recent times. People felt that this could be the start of something special.
Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case as all three (or at least one or two of them) may not be here next season.
In his interview, Ornstein said that Garnacho's departure is still highly possible but that the right offer has to come in and be accepted by both the club and player.
Similarly to the Argentine, Danish forward Hojlund also has the possibility of leaving in the summer according to Ornstein. There is news being reported that there could be a return to Italy for the forward.
On Mainoo he says that the feeling is the 20 year old will stay at United even though his contract situation isn't resolved.
There were more updates on Cunha, Osimhen and Delap as well.
Wolves' forward Cunha is a player that I believe would suit what we need right now perfectly and is the feeling amongst majority of the fan base too. And there is good news on the Cunha front as United are in a strong position to sign him says Ornstein.
On why Osimhen is not a target for the club, Ornstein explains that "The feeling among most Premier League clubs that have looked into the possibility seems to be that the salary expectations are difficult to meet and he is perhaps not the player/character they are looking for at present."
Discussing Ipswich's young striker, The Athletic journalist said that there are no favorites at the moment for his signature and that Delap will make a decision ahead of the U21 Euros. We should be expecting his decision to be made in the next month. This all comes after Ornstein said that Delap was United's no 1 striker target.
Final Thoughts
A lot came out of this Ornstein interview and as we know, he doesn't say things unless he's absolutely certain of it. This is why he's my personal favorite when it comes to transfers.
Getting into all he said then, Garnacho is a player that over the course of the season, has caused many to be open to a potential departure. Last season, if you told us that in a year's time it would be highly possible for Garnacho to leave, we'd ask you 'what are you smoking and can we have some of that.'
Letting go of our star boy?! That was absurd 🥴.
Yet even I am open to this now.
Garnacho has been more frustrating this season than in previous campaigns. I know he's young and there is still room for development, but given the quality he possesses, you would expect a more refined player yet he plays as if he's just burst onto the seen.
His selfishness and poor decision-making are his worst attributes on top of times when he can be careless and sloppy. Sometimes, the 20 year old displays his immaturity when looking at responses to comments online and walking down the tunnel after being substituted.
He was even left out of the squad for the Manchester Derby. There was no injury, illness or family emergency. That should tell you something.
Not really what you want to see from a player who happens to be quite popular among the younger fans.
I almost feel like Garnacho thinks he's better than he is when looking at his attitude at times. I don't mind arrogance but you have to back it up.
In 51 appearances so far, he has 10 goals and 9 assists and did go on a run of 20+ games without scoring before he netted one against Leicester last month.
It's because of all of this that letting him go won't make people cry as it would've done a year ago especially if it helps fund deals like the one for Cunha.
Garnacho did seemingly hit back at these reports by captioning this emoji "🗣" on his latest Instagram post but that could mean anything. The timing of it just makes one put 2 and 2 together.
Hojlund is another one that is in a similar boat to Garnacho. While he may not be from the academy, he was only 20 when signed meaning that he was a youngster of sorts.
His first season didn't go too badly but having seen how this has gone, I think a lot of supporters would be happy to see him go.
Admittedly, even as a fan of Hojlund's and one who can see that there is a good striker in there, even amid the lack of service for the no 9 which there still is, one has to acknowledge that he simply isn't doing enough in terms of his all round game.
It's not just about scoring as the centre-forward although that is what you'll ultimately be judged for as a striker, it's about holding the ball up, linking the play, running the channels and more of which Hojlund isn't good at any of them.
This is where my issue lies with him. I believe that given the chances, he will score more often than not. At this moment in his career however, we can see that his confidence is at an all-time low resulting in there being an inability to hit the target.
The fact that he isn't doing anything needed of a striker is what's caused us all to doubt him and most of the supporters wanting him gone. We do try to be patient with new and young players in particular, but Hojlund really is pushing the buttons with his current performances.
With Zirkzee out for the rest of the season and Chido Obi being a teenager, we have just Hojlund as that striker option. This for me is the period where he makes of breaks his name at United. He HAS to deliver now otherwise I fear he never will.
Mainoo is the most mature out of these three. We can see it when he plays and even with who he is off the field. Hojlund isn't someone with a lot of noise around him as well but with Garnacho, we know he can be quite loud shall we say with his off-field activites as we see on social media.
Mainoo is more humble and grounded and looks to keep to himself which are great qualities to have especially in the world of football.
I also think that while he may be closer to his ceiling in terms of reaching his absolute best compared to Hojlund and Garnacho, he is the best footballer out of the three.
He has dropped off a bit this campaign but there's no doubting there is one hell of a baller in Mainoo. The equalizer for 4-4 in last week's epic against Lyon is a great example of the composure he displays in tight and crucial situations. Not many have this ability and for him to do so at such a young age, makes it all the more impressive.
His biggest problem has been injuries as he has picked up three injuries in these two seasons which have kept him out for 171 days and 38 games. That isn't the worst you'll see but nor is it the best. He is also 20 years old so to be having these injuries so soon in your career isn't a good thing. We have to be careful with him since it looks like he'll stay.
I'm pretty happy with that because I really do like Mainoo. He does obviously have to improve his performances and try to get rid of these injuries (we don't want another Luke Shaw) but he's such a quality player with a bright future. We can risk keeping him at the club.
I'm also really happy that we are in a strong position to sign Cunha because he too is an incredible player that will definitely improve us. He is exactly what we're looking for and with the way things are going, who knows, maybe in the next week or two we will have our first signing of the new season?
As for Ornstein saying that salary is difficult to meet and that Osimhen may not be the character we want, that is all shite imo. I think he is exactly what we need as like Cunha, Osimhen ticks all the boxes. Unless he's asking for an outrageously high wage, then this shouldn't be a problem. It's not as if we don't give out ridiculous wages anyway but with the Nigerian, at least we know we're giving it to a player who's worth it. After all, we pay Mount £250k-a-week 😐.
Having a bad attitude and character is also not something we would associate with Osimhen. We don't hear much about it and even if he is a bit of a hothead, we need players like that. Cunha again, is another example as he can also be a little crazy. Ain't nothing wrong with that. Not at all.
I'm also not sure that all the PL clubs who want to sign him had these same feelings as United. Given the choice, I don't think Chelsea and Arsenal would hesistate to sign Osimhen.
He is definitely better than Delap with all due respect. Why is he the no 1 target ahead of Osimhen? Do the club not know that we're crying out for experience more than anything? It's like signing the English Hojlund.
Very interesting updates and I don't doubt there will be more in the coming days and weeks. Should be quite the window.
Rasmus Hojlund | Creator: MB Media | Credit: Getty Images via SuperSport
Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)