Sneijder “Not Available” – But United Will Find Someone

Manchester United have been linked to a good number of game changing central midfielder’s and exciting play makers this summer, with names from Ganso to Sneijder placed alongside United’s in the gossip columns.

It isn’t a rare thing for players to be linked to a big club like United, but once again, Sir Alex Ferguson has calmly played down the rumours, and insisted that if his main targeted replacement for Paul Scholes is unavailable, it would be useless to bring in someone who is a second choice and not up to the standard set by Scholes.

While some United fans frantically tell of the terrible doom the club will find themselves in if United don’t spend a load of cash on a big player like Sneijder to work the midfield, pulling their hair out and bashing their fists against the nearest hard platform, the United manager does what he has always done. He has been shrewd, steady and very patient in the market – not rushing for big money deals without any value.

He is simply being realistic. His main target has clearly been Wesley Sneijder. He has admitted the interest himself, along with well placed sources insisting that despite the United managers recent denial, negotiations have taken place. For all we know, they still may be, and Ferguson is only trying to keep the attention away from it.

But if he really does mean it when he says: “At this moment, I can’t see another addition. The type of player we might have been looking for is not available,” then United will have to accept it and fill in the space left by Scholes until the “type of player” that United are looking for becomes available.

We can’t kid ourselves into thinking that Ferguson is oblivious to the fact that a hole has been left by his long serving midfielder. He knows very well, and he also knows the importance of a player of his calibre – he wouldn’t be United manager of over 25 years otherwise.

The United boss will find a replacement. It may not be this summer, but next summer is when there is likely to be an injection of new blood into the centre of the United midfield. Next summer will be when Yann M’Vila becomes available to bigger clubs as he looks to fulfil his ambitions, and it is also the time when Samir Nasri will most likely become available on a free. United have been interested in both this summer, but their “availability” is not guaranteed right now.

The favourite among Manchester United fans to replace Scholes is Sneijder – naturally. He is a big player, world renowned, has won as many trophies as possible, and impressed for his country in a World Cup, helping them to the final. He is the obviously already talented player who could be an Old Trafford fan favourite even before he joins.

However, if Sir Alex is unable to persuade Inter to let Sneijder go, he won’t waste much time on it – he will move on, and he will ineviatbly find a player, either from the market or from the youth at the club, who is capable of filling Scholes’s shoes:

“Scholes was such a great, consistent player for us. I don’t think we will find another Paul Scholes. But hopefully we can replace him. Maybe we will find a different type of player. Manchester United do that.”

“Time and time again we have faced this problem. But eventually something turns up, either through our youth system or we will identify someone.”

Submitted by dbs-football.blogspot.com