Harvey Elliott (signed on loan)

[PaulWinch again]

I think you answered your own question; Liverpool wanted a sale rather than loan. We needed to delay paying and they didn't want to strengthen us without being paid. Hence 10 appearances.

But if we're deliberately not playing him, meaning he has no time to impress, and in the meantime other players make their own case for that role - we could decide that we're not going to get to ten matches.

So Liverpool don't get paid, and they have an unhappy player who is probably worth a lot less than he was if they had just sold him to someone last summer.

Yes and if that is the case it’s hardly going to paint us in a positive light with other clubs or players. At the very least it’ll make them think twice.

[brontebilly]

I've said for a while if I was a player now I'd never sign on one of these kind of deals, you're such a hostage to it, I do feel for him a bit.

Yeah, I realise professional football is a brutal business but he is being treated really badly here. At the other end of the scale Dobbin and the PSR pawns, we aren't doing right by them either.

[Drummond]

I think you answered your own question; Liverpool wanted a sale rather than loan. We needed to delay paying and they didn't want to strengthen us without being paid. Hence 10 appearances.

But if we're deliberately not playing him, meaning he has no time to impress, and in the meantime other players make their own case for that role - we could decide that we're not going to get to ten matches.

So Liverpool don't get paid, and they have an unhappy player who is probably worth a lot less than he was if they had just sold him to someone last summer.

Yes and if that is the case it’s hardly going to paint us in a positive light with other clubs or players. At the very least it’ll make them think twice.

But the plan is to keep him and for him to be ouir player. He doesn't need to impress on the pitch, he's done that and all he needs to do is continue working hard in training, adapting and we'll be fine financially when we trigger it in January.

[PaulWinch again]

That would seem slightly more plausible if he had played even a bit more.

[PhilVill]

Time will tell but with Guessand getting plenty of game time and looking clueless, it's telling that Elliott is not getting a sniff.

[Mellin]

I don't want him at 35m. That isn't a reflection on the player, but where we are financially. We need to make a profit again next summer don't we? We have McGinn, we have Buendia. Save the money and find a bloody good centre forward and two bloody good wingers on the cheap.

[Dave]

I don't want him at 35m. That isn't a reflection on the player, but where we are financially. We need to make a profit again next summer don't we?

I don't think so - I think the judgement was that future penalties were suspended as long as we were good this summer.

And we were so goody two-shoes this summer that we should be fine as long as the books are alright, and given last years Champions League income, they should be.

The issue next summer is if we choose to spend big, it could cause us future problems without the extra European income to keep parity with that future spending.

[Mellin]

Thanks for clarifying. I was on an Old Trafford rage induced sabbatical this summer, so completely out of the loop on it.