Sir Landon Of Donovan

[Nordecke]

Time to move on lad's and lass's.

Donovan is a tired 30 year old with little ambition to play at the highest level..

He chose to run circles around an inferior league during his best playing years and now he must accept that.

I'm sure he regrets signing that contract extension for LA just before his first loan here. Hindsight's a bitch.

 

[Allezfan]

My opinion on Donovan hasn't changed really, he's an excellent player who did well for us, is still near the top of his game and would be a good addition to our squad.

But, while last year he was my number one priority and the fact he didn't get him derailed our season this year, we no longer have to suffer watching the likes coleman, osman, gueye, anichebe, mcfadden, cahill, rodwell and barkley play as our wingers.

Of the seven players we bought in this summer, six can play on the wing. And while McLaughin and Kennedy aren't remotely ready and Oviedo and Naismith prefer other positions, Mirallas and Pienaar are excellent wingers. Probably the best pair we've had since Limpar and Kanchelskis. And because of their form and the form of Fellaini, Donovan probably would only get a game due to injuries and suspensions.

That doesn't mean Donovan still wouldn't be useful, we'd have likely won the derby if it had been him rather than gueye on the bench, for example but it does mean he's no longer the priority he was. It would be nice if we could have a quality squad and a quality bench and it's a big failing that we don't but when we're still playing Neville, Osman and Howard as first teamers, the squad is a secondary concern.

But our finances are limited and Donovan will be on big wages, probably a half decent fee and is near the end of his career so we'll make no profit on him. He's a player I'd love us to get, once we have central midfield and goalkeeper sorted, but if he's our sole signing you've got to think there's other areas of the pitch we need new bodies in more.

And I would hate it if his purchase meant an exciting young player like Mirallas gets dropped.

 

[Neiler]

I think people are doing him a disservice earmarking him as just a winger, people have been saying on here for beards we need another central midfielder and a play maker. TBH the best games i have seen him play have all been in central or advanced midfield as a playmaker. In some ways us sticking him out on the wing was utilising one of his strengths - there is far more to Donovans game then we saw at Everton due to where he played and the role we handed him in the team.

An absolute no brainer for me.

P.S. Playing grammer police - just isnt cool!

 

[Steve0]

I think we should get him tbh. Obviously fatigue shouldn't be an issue this season even for an ever present but he would just give us many more options.

Can you imagine a United fan saying, 'we don't need Evans we've got Rio and Vidic, we don't need Nani we've got Valencia and Young, we don't need Hernandez as we've got Rooney and RVP'.

We need him just to give our squad some needed depth. Aside from the fact that I really rate him as player anyway.

 

[Allezfan]

I think we should get him tbh. Obviously fatigue shouldn't be an issue this season even for an ever present but he would just give us many more options.

Can you imagine a United fan saying, 'we don't need Evans we've got Rio and Vidic, we don't need Nani we've got Valencia and Young, we don't need Hernandez as we've got Rooney and RVP'.

We need him just to give our squad some needed depth. Aside from the fact that I really rate him as player anyway.

I would love him, like you said squad death is great and also frankly needed. If we can buy cover for Gibson, a replacement for Howard and also Donovan then great, but if the choice is one or two of those three, Landon is the least needed, in my eyes.

 

[muddy mudguard]

For me, I'd play him where Fellaini is right now and drop Fellaini back to defensive midfield.

It's Landon's versatility that would make him an attractive option. Winger, Attacking Midfielder, you could even play him upfront with Jelavic...

Yeah, ok, he's knocking on, but that would mean a lower asking price - surely?!

I appreciate we have other areas that need strengthening before getting some cover in other positions - but - I'd still go for him (if we have any money)....

 

[Walken]

Much like Pienaar for me, yeah hes 30, but we know that they play well for us, theres very few transfers were you can say with such certainty that they will be a success, Landon and Pienaar you can pretty much say they will, hes better than Naismith in both positions, if its financially do able, I say go for it

 

[Allezfan]

For me, I'd play him where Fellaini is right now and drop Fellaini back to defensive midfield.

Would be a popular move to a lot on here but I prefer Fellaini where he is, to be honest.

 

[Garbaggio]

It must be said that Donovan is not nearly as dynamic as he was just a year or two ago, and he is quite a long way off where he was in his mid-twenties. Some might say this goes without saying at his age but what is not being stressed is the steepness of his decline. He seems to have lost a lot of pace this year- particularly in the latter half of the current MLS season. He has struggled with injuries this year- and perhaps it is simply down to that- but combined with the apathy he has been displaying in interviews, it seems tied to something more endemic to his feelings of the game and diminishing physical skills.

Some may argue that his stats are as good as ever, but these are somewhat deceiving- he is not a player who can take over a match anymore.

While he has other tools in his locker it was really the combination of those- vision/awareness, passing range, combination play- with his pace that truly made him stand out. Those things are still there but he rarely, if ever, attempts to take players on anymore. While this reluctance is ok in MLS where his other intangibles make up for it, I can't see it working if he's played on the wing in the Premiership.

The key really is if it is all down to injuries this year. If so then he may get back that quickness he used to have in abundance, and with it some motivation to play, but the odds of that seem slim to nil.

That being said, he has always been underrated for not playing in a better league, but those in the know appreciate how much natural ability and talent he had (and may still have). By far the best U.S. player of all time and tbh Everton only got a taste of what he was capable of.

 

[Kurt.]

He's no Marco Gabbiadini .

 

[MartSlinger]

Mirallas went off injured against Liverpool and with Pienaar out we brought Gueye on. So, Donovan or Gueye?

 

[Allezfan]

Mirallas went off injured against Liverpool and with Pienaar out we brought Gueye on. So, Donovan or Gueye?

Yeah, said that above. With Donovan on the bench we'd have won that game.

Of course with better players than Howard and Neville in the first team we'd have beaten Newcastle, Wigan and Fulham, too.

 

[steken1]

It must be said that Donovan is not nearly as dynamic as he was just a year or two ago, and he is quite a long way off where he was in his mid-twenties. Some might say this goes without saying at his age but what is not being stressed is the steepness of his decline. He seems to have lost a lot of pace this year- particularly in the latter half of the current MLS season. He has struggled with injuries this year- and perhaps it is simply down to that- but combined with the apathy he has been displaying in interviews, it seems tied to something more endemic to his feelings of the game and diminishing physical skills.

Some may argue that his stats are as good as ever, but these are somewhat deceiving- he is not a player who can take over a match anymore.

While he has other tools in his locker it was really the combination of those- vision/awareness, passing range, combination play- with his pace that truly made him stand out. Those things are still there but he rarely, if ever, attempts to take players on anymore. While this reluctance is ok in MLS where his other intangibles make up for it, I can't see it working if he's played on the wing in the Premiership.

The key really is if it is all down to injuries this year. If so then he may get back that quickness he used to have in abundance, and with it some motivation to play, but the odds of that seem slim to nil.

That being said, he has always been underrated for not playing in a better league, but those in the know appreciate how much natural ability and talent he had (and may still have). By far the best U.S. player of all time and tbh Everton only got a taste of what he was capable of.

I would personally rate someone like Dempsey over him due to the fact Dempsey has spent a large portion of his time in a tougher league. I'd obviously take an Americans view over my own though as I've never really watched your national side play.

 

[Allezfan]

There's not exactly a huge history of american players making it in the european leagues, to be fair. They've never had a Hugo Sanchez or a Rafael Marquez playing with one of the best teams in europe.

 

[steken1]

There's not exactly a huge history of american players making it in the european leagues, to be fair. They've never had a Hugo Sanchez or a Rafael Marquez playing with one of the best teams in europe.

That's why I'd go for Dempsey myself.

I reckon we'll see a massive jump over the next ten years. Think we're well positioned to take advantage of it too.