Charlie Klein
With only four games remaining in the 2009/2010 Premier League season, Manchester United appears to be on the verge of doing something it has not done since 2006: watch another team lift the Barclays Premier League Trophy. While the sight of John Terry, famed adulterer and son of a drug dealer, lifting the trophy will be disgusting in and of itself, it will also serve to motivate the United board in the summer transfer window.
Let's face facts, Manchester United are on the precipice of another retooling phase. The current squad as it presently stands did not have what was required to advance to the semifinal stage of the Champions League and a team that appears to be a few players short for the League honors.
Having won the Premier League three years in a row and made the semifinal stage in the last three Champions Leagues, Manchester United has experienced high levels of success. But, having watched some of its better players from those teams in Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo leave Old Trafford, it is about time that Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill sought to replace them.
United have concerns in each third of the pitch. I shall begin by covering their needs in the defensive third. Chris Smalling was brought in from Fulham during the January window as a long-term replacement for either Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic. Smalling, 20, is a 6'4" central defender who has played for the England Under-20 and Under-21 sides and has shown some potential, drawing comparisons to Rio Ferdinand from the English press. Assuming that Ferdinand is fit for next season and that Vidic does not opt for sunnier skies and warmer temperatures this summer, Smalling's importance within the side remains minute.
The true areas of concern for United lie at goalkeeper and right back. While Edwin Van Der Sar has demonstrated time after time that he has been the best United keeper since Peter Schmeichel, Van Der Sar is getting up there in years and figures to play a more limited role between the sticks at Old Trafford next season. With that thought in mind, here are a few names of possible successors to Van Der Sar as the United number one.
There have been numerous rumblings about Hugo Lloris of Olympique Lyonnais coming to Old Trafford in the summer. Llloris, 23, impressed in the second leg of Lyonnais' quarterfinal tie with Bordeaux, making save after save to put his side in the semifinals versus Bayern Munich. Lloris fits Fergie's age requirement and his cost could not be overly prohibitive. United could also throw in a player like Anderson to sweeten the deal, should it be required.
Igor Akinfeev, the CSKA and Russian National Team keeper, has also been rumored to be heading towards the northwest of England. Akinfeev, 24, has had a fantastic season for CSKA Moscow, who made it to the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League this season. Akinfeev fulfills the age requirement and is not going to break the bank either.
Sir Alex also faces questions about the state of his right backs. While Gary Neville has drawn praise from the press for not being as completely washed up as many believed him to be at the end of last season, he remains a far cry from the player he used to be. Moreover, if United harbor serious ambitions of winning the league next season, they will need to add an experienced right back to hold the position until Rafael is ready to take on the role.
There are two players who I would hold as uniquely qualified to fill that position: Douglas Maicon of Inter Milan and Phillipp Lahm of Bayern Munich. While both will be expensive buys, both are worth every penny. Each of them are exceptional in both ends of the pitch. Maicon, 28, might be a bit old for Sir Alex, but for the right bid, perhaps in the region of 20 million euro, Maicon could be in United red next season. Lahm, 26, is a bit younger than Maicon and posseses almost as much attacking nous. While Lahm's natural position is on the left side of defense, he has had a great season on the right for Louis Van Gaal's team.
In the midfield, there is a glaring need for an attacking midfielder. All of the other "top four" teams have one, and it is time that United found one of their own. Rooney cannot be the only goal threat coming down the middle of the pitch, and Sir Alex ought to explore his options this summer. Mesut Ozil, 21, of Werder Bremen would be an excellent option. Still incredibly young, Ozil has displayed a great knack for finding the back of the net. Ozil has scored seven goals for Bremen this season and helped lead them to the UEFA Cup finals last term. He will come with a price, rumored to be in the neigborhood of 17 million euro, but I would love to see what Sir Alex could do with a talent like his. United will face competition for his signature from sides like Bayern Munich and Barcelona among others, but they might be able to guarantee minutes that the other teams cannot.
Outside of Ozil, United do have other options. David Silva, 24, of the Spanish side Valencia, would also be an excellent option as an attacking midfielder for Sir Alex's men. Known as the other David, Silva has excelled for Valencia in La Liga this term, scoring five goals in 25 appearances for the club. At United, his strike rate could definitely improve with the level of talent around him being much better. Valencia will have to at least listen to any offer this summer for their man as their finances remain in an almost Portsmouth-like state of affairs.
They could also seek to fill the role internally by offering Darron Gibson more minutes in an attacking capacity. Gibson, 22, has proven this season that when called upon, he has the ability to fire in goals from anywhere on the pitch. He has scored five goals in all competitions this season, amazing the Stretford End faithful with blazing shots into the top corner.
Aside from an attacking midfielder, Untited will need to look elsewhere for a defensive midfielder if Owen Hargreaves fails to return from his almost two year absence. Players like Miguel Veloso, Yaya Toure, and the like will have their names linked with the Old Trafford outfit this summer. I am willing to be that Fergie will be content with his options and not feel the need to splash the cash in this particular area.
And finally, the final third is an area in which United must improve. While Wayne Rooney is having the time of his life in front of goal this season to the tune of 26 league goals and Own Goal has chipped in with 13 (he's rumored to be leaving for Madrid in the summer), United's other options in front of goal have foundered. Dimitar Berbatov has failed to live up to his 30 million pound price tag and Michael Owen found himself on an operating table for the umpteenth time in his career.
Having been a public defender of Berbatov for most of his time at United, I have grown tired of waiting for his immense talent to come to fruition at Old Trafford. It seems as though every time a ball is played into him he stumbles and falls in his excitement to get on the ball. In the few games he has played up front on his own he constantly drifts into the midfield or out onto the wings, and is unable to get a good position inside the box when a ball is ready to be crossed in.
Berbatov is still immensely talented and at another club he is still capable of scoring 20-25 goals a season. But not at United. Sir Alex ought to listen to all offers United may receive for the Bulgarian, and must consider selling him in order to sign a better player to fill in for Berbatov's absence.
Assuming that United get a decent offer for Berbatov, that fee in addition to their reserves of cash following the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, should leave them with enough to bid on the best striking talent in this summer's transfer window. Scoring delights such as Karim Benzema, David Villa and Edin Dzeko all appear to be available for the right amount of money.
My bet is on United pursuing Benzema. Sir Alex has noted his displeasure with not being able to lure Benzema to Old Trafford last summer, and Benzema's underwhelming season at the Santiago Bernabeu may be the right combination that unlocks Real Madrid's safe. The emergence of Gonzalo Higuain in tandem with Kaka and Ronaldo means that Real are less needy than they thought they were at the striker position. If United offer them a convincing enough bid, they may be tempted to allow the 22 year-old Frenchman to leave the club this summer.
Many United fans are craving David Villa in United Red next year. While his talent is undeniable, I highly doubt that United will pay what has been rumored in order to sign him. Villa is 28 years old and I cannot imagine that Sir Alex will pay over 25 million pounds for a player that only has three or four years of peak performance left in the tank. If United do sign Villa I will not be mad, I will be just as excited as the rest, I just personally doubt that United will go the distance to get Villa, especially considering the other teams that are also interested in securing his services.
Aside from Berbatov, another player that could be on his way out of Old Trafford is Michael Carrick. The 28 year-old England international has witnessed many ups and downs over the course of his United career. Given his more recent performances, Fergie may look to sell Carrick this summer to raise funds.
My Starting XI for Manchester United in 2010/2011 looks something like this:
Van Der Sar/Lloris
Lahm Ferdinand Vidic Evra
Hargreaves Fletcher
Valencia Nani
Ozil/Benzema
Rooney
Should United make these changes, I would venture to guesst that they would be amongst the favorites in the Champions League and the favorite in the Premier League. Glory Glory Man United.
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