Mr Lucky …
Reports suggest United are closing in on the signature of highly-rated teenager Gareth Bale.
The clubs are haggling over the final fee but according to the Guardian newspaper, the lure of United and the reach of Wales team mate Ryan Giggs, make the deal “90%” certain before the month’s end.
United have no plans to plunge the defender into a title or Champions League charge and will instead loan him back to Southampton immediately until the new season begins.
If Bale progresses as expected, he will lower still further the average age of United’s player pool and make good sir Alex’s commitment to fashion a team which can dominate for years to come.
United will be happy to get their hands on a top teen talent. Southampton will cry tears of joy all the way to the bank and Bale will be the newest member of football’s Bentley jet set.
Perhaps, the biggest winner of all could be Mikael Silvestre. It seems scarecely possible that Heinze could leave United before the Frenchman, who has proved a liability as a central defender and too prone to lapses at leftback. Yet, Bale’s arrival could mean that Heinze becomes this summer’s biggest Bosman catch, with a host of clubs likely to compete for the signature of a rugged defender, who before his cruciate injury was of proven Premiership class.
Wes Brown is another sqaud player who might finally get fed up with being a bridesmaid and never the bride and seek pastures new in a bid to ressurect his career. There will be no shortage of clubs interested in a defender of genuine ability.
That would leave United lacking in experienced rearguard cover for the established central pairing of Rio and Vidic. Pique and Evans promise much and may return in the summer to bolster the sqaud but they remain untested at the highest level. Patrice Evra has stunned one and all with his displays this term but there are still question marks over the strength of his defending. That could consolidate Silvestre’s position given his versatility and Premiership mettle.
The player, though in the shadows, seems content with his lot. “Do I see my future here?” he questioned. “Yes, as long as the manager wants me in his team. In the past I’ve been linked with a move away from United, but what I have said has often been taken out of context. Once I was asked whether I would return to play in France when my contract expires here. I said that, having played in France, Italy and England, if I were to move it would be to Spain. That was turned into something else.
“It’s normal for people to talk when a player is not playing. Wes Brown had the same thing recently, but we just have a laugh about it when we read the papers. I’m used to it. And if you’re not in the team or on the television doing an interview people somehow think you’re dead. Anyway, I’m not, and I’m looking forward to getting plenty more opportunities in this team, at left-back or centre-back - wherever the manager needs me.”
Of course, Sir Alex could allow the player to test his skills in Spain. Heinze could sign another contract and the manager could jettison Silvestre in favour of less fallible defenders. But equally, the Frenchman could find that there are more reasons for him to be retained than sold. Football has delieverd stranger twists in fate. AU
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