Such is the faith in Sir Alex Ferguson and his former teammates that recently retired Scholes himself doesn’t think United need a replacement for him. The Master says the current crop of United midfielders can raise their levels and cope with his loss. He also believes that the young midfielders from the FA Youth Cup winning team have it in them to break into the senior team, just like he did in 1994. He defends his words by pointing out that he wasn’t playing in each and every game from the past 3-4 years and was also absent from a handful of big matches. But his contribution to the team when he played was immense, which is acknowledged by his teammates and the manager.
The general feeling among the fans and experts is that United need a replacement, and I am certainly one of them. Yes, no one can replace Paul Scholes and even if United sign a quality midfielder, they are big shoes to fill in. There cannot be an exact replacement for Scholes just like there was never an exact replacement for Roy Keane. Sir Alex is aware of the fact that his current midfield lack creativity, which prompted many to criticize United for lack of flair. The goal contribution from the midfield was a worrying factor last season and it added pressure on the strikers to score goals. Michael Carrick went goalless last season and there were very few goals from the other midfielders, stressing the urgent need for a world class midfielder who can have a significant contribution in terms of scoring goals. United players site the example of how they coped after Ronaldo’s departure, but Ferguson knows he has to sign a quality midfielder to match the incredible standards set by Barcelona.
After swiftly signing 3 players, Phil Jones, David De Gea and Ashley Young, United have remained silent in the transfer market. The much speculated signing of Wesley Sniejder has not gone through and with Ferguson recently denying he made an approach for Sniejder, it appears that the Dutch midfielder will not be coming to Old Trafford. It is also unlikely that United will table a bid for Luka Modric, who is said to be Ferguson’s preferred choice with Paul Scholes himself endorsing the player. But the Croatian has stated his desire to join Chelsea. A host of other midfielders continue to be linked with United and considering Ferguson’s reputation of occassionally ‘lying’ on transfer matters, United fans are still hopeful that Ferguson will spring a surprise and sign a world class midfielder.
But the larger question still looms: Do United need a replacement for Paul Scholes?
