By Guest Writer Simon Sparrowhawk.
No signings Fergie? Really? It’s officially time for concern if you support Manchester United. With Sir Alex Ferguson’s announcement that he may not add any further players to his squad ahead of next season went the recently deposed Champions hopes of regaining their crown.
Of course, Fergie has already added Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez to his ranks but both are ‘for the future’ and the Old Trafford crowd have concerns about the present. Ask any United fan what the side needs to challenge for big honours next season and they will say a goalscoring striker or at the very least a creative midfield playmaker. So why does it seem Fergie cannot see the same problem with a side who relied too heavily on Wayne Rooney this season?
It seems that the wily Scot trusts the players already at his disposal and believes the younger generation will show greater progression in the coming months. The last time United lost the league, they added just Michael Carrick to their squad over the summer and many predicted a season of mediocrity. However, these ‘pundits’ had not counted on the emergence of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo and the now irrepressible Wayne Rooney. Two young stars were about to be well and truly born and United regained the Premier League title in some style. Without wishing to blow my own trumpet, I predicted this during the summer having seen Ronaldo’s performances at the World Cup (when he wasn’t winking). However, I cannot see lightning striking twice.
Despite the emergence of Nani as a true match winner, his improvement alone will not be enough. Unless Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck (most likely going out on loan) or even the likes of Tom Cleverley (who looks a cracking prospect by the way) can become first team regulars then this side does not have enough in the tank. I know it’s mildly insane to question the greatest manager the game has ever seen but, at the moment, I have to.
If the Ronaldo money is there to spend then the chequebook needs to be out. There is a dearth of world class strikers around to partner Rooney but if Karim Benzema is available then he is a must because Fergie can re-ignite his fires. I have not seen enough of Luis Suarez to suggest whether or not he would justify the alleged £35million fee to prize him away from Ajax so it would be unfair to comment on him. If a striker who fits the bill cannot be found then Macheda needs more game time next term to prove himself on the biggest stage.
If Fergie can work his magic and bring in Valencia superstar David Silva then I would personally be delighted. This guy is true class. How do you think David Villa scored all those goals for Valencia? Silva can make them and score them in the blink of an eye, if he is available, he must end up at Old Trafford. Two other players I would really like to see at the Theatre of Dreams next season are Angel Di Maria of Benfica and Aston Villa’s James Milner. Both have been linked to the club lately, but I sadly see neither coming in this summer. Di Maria is a fabulous little player with a trick up his sleeve and pace to burn and what impressed me most was his performance in Portugal against Liverpool in the Europa League. He gave Jamie Carragher a torrid time and if Oscar Cardozo had finished half his chances then Di Maria would have had two hat-tricks worth of assists. The boy is very, very good.
Milner has crept up on me this season since being moved into a central role but he reminds me of a young Frank Lampard with his ability to drive forward and unleash thunderbolts with his right foot. The England midfielder is swiftly turning into a regular goalscorer and his price is only going to go up and up and up in the coming months. As nice as this all is to say, it’s all just a pipedream at the end of the day. Although, could Fergie just be kidding everyone on? He usually is!
Are United fans concerned by Fergie’s comments? Who would you like to see arrive at Old Trafford this summer? Please leave your comments below…
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