Hello Mr C
Thank goodness Sir Alex Ferguson was kidding when he suggested earlier this week that he wouldn’t be ‘bothered a bit’ if United’s squad remained the same for the new season. United have now splashed £15 million on the proven Premiership quality of Michael Carrick and recouped less than £11 million reportedly through the sale of Ruud Van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid. The midfield will be strongetr thanks to Carrick’s fluency and vision but the attack will be poorer given RVN’s potency in front of goal.
Carrick, who is expected to be unveiled as a United player on Monday after a medical, is surely the first stage of Sir Alex’s midfield refurbishment. The 25 year old will be the link man between defence and midfield and will instantly inject greater creativity into a United team which last season sometimes had the look of a 1990’s Wimbledon about it.
Though he is cursed with the label of ‘the new Roy Keane’ the former West Ham and Spurs player is nothing of the kind. Carrick has a good range of passing but his career statistics show no form at all in front of goal and he is not an athlete to be compared with the Irish warrior in his prime.
For that reason, it is expected that Fergie will launch another sortie into the transfer market and emerge hopefully with a ballwinner of genuine reputation.
AC Milan’s Gattuso, the natural choice, is beyond United’s grip. Patrick Vieira seems to have eluded Fergie again for the umpteenth time. There has been total radio silence on the the Swiss star Johann Vogel of AC Milan who nearly came to United during the winter transfer window and nothing has been heard for two months about the Argentine Esteban Cambiasso, scorer of that goal against Serbia in the 2006 World Cup. The Times reports today however, the delicious news that United have revived talks with the representatives of Javier Mascherano.
No doubt Fergie will encourage a torrent of crtiticism through a steadfast refusal to tell the truth about United’s intentions. For all his doublespeak, Sir Alex and United have been wrongfooted entirely in their transfer negotiations. It must be remembered that United got less than they wanted for RVN and paid much more than expected for Carrick. For all his ability, Carrick is not worth even half the £18 million United will have to pay Spurs reputedly if the midfielder is the success United hope him to be.
The club has been hit by the double whammy of the United tax - a top-up premium imposed by selling clubs on any player signing for United - and the British surcharge - extra cash demanded because the player is British. Clearly, in their negotiations with Spurs and Real, United blinked first and have been singed.
Now that Carrick is a United player, debate will begin as to United’s likely formation next season. the back five of VDS, a fit Neville, Rio, Vidic / Brown and Heinze picks itself. The midfield should be Ronaldo, Carrick, Park and hopefully the new ball winner with Rooney and Saha up front. With Giggss, O’Shea, Scholes and Rossi in reserve, this team on paper would have the measure of every side but Chelsea in the Premiership.
Alas, professional football is not decided on a piece of A4. AU
© Copyright: Absolutely United 2006
