The Transfer Window is open so what better time to look at room for improvement in the United squad. We’re top of and unbeaten in the league this season, through to the last 16 of the Champions League and into the 4th round of the FA Cup. There is still plenty of room for improvement though and a few signings although unlikely to come about this month, are crucial if we are to keep moving forward.
Goalkeepers:
Edwin Van Der Sar, Tomasz Kuszczak, Anders Lindegaard.
With rumours circulating that this could be Big Ed’s final season at Old Trafford, Fergie could well have his cheque book out this summer. The one big question though is whether he decides to replace Van Der Sar with a new Goalkeeper or whether he promotes from within. Personally I would rather he brings in a fresh face. Kuszczak is a good solid back-up keeper but I would have reservations about him taking over as United’s number 1. I feel it’s of paramount importance that we have a world-class keeper, we don’t want to go back to the days of Carroll, Howard and Barthez where panic set in everytime a defender played the ball back to the keeper. We need a big name and a big personality to come in and take over. The signing of Van Der Sar in 2005 shows that we don’t necessarily have to go for an up and coming star. The likes of Buffon or Given could potentially still have 5 years left at the top level. It would also be very nice to get Reina just to see the reaction of the scousers.
Defenders:
RB: Rafael, John O’Shea, Gary Neville
LB: Patrice Evra, Fabio
CB: Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, Johnny Evans, Wes Brown,
Defence has to be considered the strongest part of the United squad. The pairing of Vida and Rio at centre-half is truly world class and I for one cannot think of a better partnership in world football. Evra out on the left is another world class defender and over the last 3 years only Ashley Cole can claim to have matched the standards Evra has reached. Rafael is coming along well at right back and will hopefully be bombing up and down United’s right flank for many years to come. The likes of O’Shea, Evans, Smalling, Brown and Fabio would get into most Premiership sides and provide strength in depth in a crucial part of the pitch. It is no wonder United have had such a good defensive record in recent times. As the saying goes, strikers win you matches, defenders win you titles. No need for investment here.
Midfielders:
Wingers: Nani, Luis Antonio Valencia, Park Ji Sung, Ryan Giggs, Gabriel Obertan
Central Midfielders: Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Anderson, Darron Gibson, Owen Hargreaves
Midfield seems to be the area where we are weakest and where we are in need of a bit of an over-haul. This season could be the end for Giggs, Scholes and Hargreaves. Hopefully we can move on Michael Carrick or Darron Gibson to make room for some new faces in the centre of the park. We missed out on Van Der Vaart and Ozil last year and we can’t afford to let another season pass without investing in a creative midfield player. We need a marquee signing in midfield, to keep the fans happy and also to give the squad a lift, to freshen things up and keep people on their toes. I would love to see Fergie go for a Wesley Sneijder type player it’s been too long since we’ve had someone of that class in the middle of the park. We’ve also got Tom Cleverley to come back from Wigan who looks like a serious talent. In all honestly I think Valencia’s injury this season shows that we could do with another winger too. We have been fairly limited out wide this season with Nani the only man with blistering pace that can beat players at ease. Gareth Bale would be an ideal replacement for Giggsy but unfortunately I can’t see that one happening!
Forwards:
Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Chicharito, Michael Owen
We are quite well covered in the forward department. Rooney seems to be coming back into a bit of form and will hopefully be leading the line for many years to come. Opinion as always is divided on Berba and Chicharito looks to be settling in well. I fear time may be up for Michael Owen. We have lots of talent out on loan with Welbeck finding the back of the net regularly for Sunderland, Kiko Macheda will hopefully get plenty of game time at Sampdoria and Mame Biram Diouf is doing well at Blackburn. I think we’re ok for strikers at the moment and would like to see the likes of Macheda and Welbeck given a chance next season.
Submitted by Glory Glory Man Utd
