Sir Alex Ferguson claims that Manchester United’s business in the transfer market is concluded for another summer. Having overseen a busy transfer window, Ferguson insists that United will now focus on youth, with bids for Arsenal’s Samir Nasri and Internazionale midfielder Wesley Sneijder shelved. Indeed, the 69-year-old Scot says that United’s central midfield future lies in Tom Cleverley and Paul Pogba’s hands.
“When you take that roll call of players, I’m certainly not looking to add to that. I’ve been saying that for weeks but you [the media] have all been writing differently – that I’m going to buy this one or that one. But we’ve said nothing, we just carry on with our business. You can forget [Sneijder] I’m happy with the young players I’ve got.
“We’re quite positive about [Pogba]. If we hold Paul Pogba back, what’s going to happen? He’s going to leave in a couple of years’ time when his contract is finished. We have to give him opportunities to see how he can do in the first team. He’s got the ability, the physique and the athleticism.”
Ferguson’s faith in youth comes despite bids for both Nasri and Sneijder this summer; the former having agreed to join Manchester City, and the latter unwilling to take a pay cut to join United. Meanwhile, Ferguson left 18-year-old Pogba with the reserves while United toured the States this summer.
The question, with Ferguson now declaring business finished for the summer and no central midfielder signed, is whether United is ‘net better’ than last season?
[poll id=”66″]
INS
David de Gea
Phil Jones
Ashley Young
(Tom Cleverley from loan)
(Danny Welbeck from loan)
OUTS
Edwin van der Sar
Paul Scholes
Owen Hargreaves
John O’Shea
Wes Brown
Darron Gibson (probable)
Thomas Kuszazck (probable)
Can’t at this moment see how the squad is better than last season. We have brought in only one proven PL player. The rest are unproven at the highest level. I think most people are ‘hoping’ that the squad is better.
I think we are better, even a fair amount better but that is not the issue. We could have been definitively better with just one additional signing: that of a proven central midfielder either to orchestrate the play or to dominate midfield possession, preferable both.
Something is clearly wrong: liverpool has so many central midfielders, they could prably put out a team of eleven of them, we have Cleverley, who has great potential but is unproven, Anderson, who can be good but is far too inconsistent, and Carrick, who is as strong and forceful as an arthritic mouse. This is forgetting about Fletcher whose mystery illnesses have him dropping of the radar (given the fate of Hargreaves has somone put a curse on our central midfield? And could that person be Patrick Viera’s grandmum.)
We may win one trophy, max two: but we are not goinbg to sweep all before us and we are not going to set the world alight with our play.
Thing is, I think if we had got the right guy in central midfield, we may well be about to enter the season where we could have done just that.
Now what I read on the Guardian online football news website is that Blackburn are asking for Macheda and Wellbeck on loan. It will be insanity if either of them are loaned out.
I don’t mind them taking Macheda as he’s surely 6th choice at the mo. Wellbeck will seize his chances this season and be #3 this time next year.
come to think of it..the curse really might exist..veron dint make it somehow..smudge broke his leg..scholes had the eye problem..hargreaves had terrible luck..and we were blessed with darron gibson.
Squads better, first choice starting XI isnt.
Loan out Macheda.
Surely it’s only VDS who we’ll miss? Scholesy still played a few blinders last season but that was it (and I mean no disrespect to the ginger prince here!)
No, we’ve got rid of some surplus (why the fuck haven’t we GIVEN Gibson away?). We’ve brought in good youth. Young is proven, Jones looks nails.
In fact fuck it, yeah this season is all about youth as you all know. And moaning that we’re lacking a world class CM of course :o)
Prem: 1st
CL: Win (if we avoid Real and Barca)
u people are complicated ……u say the youth should be gived a chance to prove themselves nd when fergie gives them a chance u complain that a star has not been signed..wat do u want …..and personally i am hapi that we r done in the transfer window…cleverly,pogba and ando will do the job for us
We shouldn’t be looking to avoid RM or Barca. We should have bought two CM’s and be rubbing our hands at the thought of taking on both Barca and RM and then lifting the trophy.
I think the side is slightly stronger this year: Rooney knows that he owes the fans and Sir Alex a great year and he looks ready to deliver; Wellbeck will be pressing to become the third choice up front, and his ability to play on the left – should either Young or Nani be unavailable – means that there will be less temptation to play Park Ji-Sung in that position, which would make a big improvement over the first third of last season; Young is at least as good as Nani on the left, allowing Nani to play more on his favored right side – the two have already shown that they can interchange during the match as well; Cleverley looks to be an improvement on Carrick; Anderson looks to be an improvement on himself (please, let it continue); there have been little signs that Evans might be returning to form, but may still be third choice to sub for Rio or Vidic behind Smalling, who has also shown some attacking flair when played at right back, and Jones, who I think will get some time as a defensive midfielder this season. Goalkeeping is the one spot where improvement would have been extremely difficult to make; hopefully, the gulf in quality between De Gea/Lindegard and van der Sar won’t prove to be too big.
Rooney had a great year last season.
This. A million times this.
Young on the left improves our 11 surely?
Cleverly looks like he’ll improve our 11 as well.
I’m not sure why all the pundits are putting us as clear favourites to win the PL. The most important change in personal is GK: VDS won us a lot of points (or saved us a lot of points to be more accurate), and replacing him adequately or not I think will make more of a difference than any marginal improvement Jones and Young bring to the squad. Jones and Young look handy, but not massive game-changers in terms of how competitive we are.
I think the biggest factor to whether we’ve improved is not to do with personnel changes, but intangibles like fitness, tactical cohesiveness etc. If Rooney’s fit and in form all season that’s much more important than the addition of Young or Jones. Players like Anderson and Hernandez continuing to improve is more important than the new faces, and players like Evra and Fletcher finding their form again is too.
No World Cup, a smooth and uninterrupted pre-season — these could be a big help I think.
It’s still too early to say but if United has indeed improved from last season,then I am presuming that Cleverley and Anderson are capable of delivering the goods on the big occassions and our midfield problem is solved.
no scholes and no replacement overrides everything, our best cm by miles
weaker
We’ll be weaker in goal too as De Gea is going to need time
But we’re stronger in defence with Jones plus another year’s experience on Smallng, Evans and the Da Silva’s. And stronger up front too as Welbeck gives us someting different
But aye, without a strong midfield that can dominate the ball technicall and physically I think we’ll be weaker overall. But it’s not like our rivals have improved massively
no scholes and no replacement overrides everything, our best cm by miles
weaker
LKHF
faffing
well that was weird
how do you delete
We’ll buy Sneijder though
He’ll cave eventually and sign the deal, so this debate is redundant
This^^
its alright saying the kids this and the kids that, but if he doesn’t play them, then again the glazers and fergie have fucked us over
personally…i’d say we need 3 world class midfielders….2 if cleverly makes it
If our manager is genuinely going to give youth a chance then am all for it. I will rather he played Cleverly, Pogba, Anderson than throw Giggs into that central midfield. They will have the legs and athleticism and the enthusiasm for the game. It will serve us better in the long run. We have nothing to gain in the long run by allowing Giggs so much game time. Nor Berbatov. We have won the title FOUR times in the last Five seasons so we might as well let youth flow and show if they are up to the challenge of playing for Manchester United.
THIS is not a pop at any player in the way some people might think it is. If you however think it is and want to have a go please go right ahead.
Cant argue with this
kudos on throwing in the ‘nor berbatov’
Completely agree Cal, but with Fergie the proof of the pudding is in the eating. He talks up our youngsters every summer and then fails to play them in the first team.
I genuinely think this season will be different and Cleverley (and hopefully my favourite kid Pogba) get their chance.
I can’t see us signing anyone either.
If we’re not going to sign anyone, let’s see what these youngsters are made of.
Rubbish, Giggs was great in central midfield in the closing stages of last season. He played a huge part in us winning the PL by outclassing Chelsea on numerous occasions, among other teams. If the young lads are good enough to displace him, I’ll be delighted. If they’re not, they shouldn’t play. Long term my arse, this club should always be about winning the next match. Long term is an expression losers like Wenger use to justify failure.
He was anonymous plenty of matches too. At his age, consistency is hard to maintain.
Fixed…
Now can we be friends again?
we are better because our young team i a year older. nani twins rooney valencia smalling hernandez anderson will all have improved
Rooney looks two years younger this season. Maybe it’s the hair, but he looks leaner, quicker, sharper. Whatever was affecting him this time last year seems well and truly in the past. I have a feeling he is going to be immense this season. This, coupled with the signings of Young and Jones and the fact that Hernandez, Tony V, Nani et al *should* all have improved will just negate the loss of the players that have departed. But only just.