Manchester United fans have been calling for midfield
reinforcements for a long time & finally it seems Fergie is acquiescing to
public demand. Of course, he doesn’t actually take notice of who the fans want
but the signings of Kagawa & Powell show recognition that the midfield area
requires strengthening.
Clearly it isn’t simply a case of Fergie being blind to the
problem as he has invested significantly in the past with the signings of
Hargreaves & Anderson reportedly costing a combined £37m or maybe more.
Hargreaves was an instant success but his injury problems have been well
documented & he is now considering retiring from the game. As a player
there was no doubting his ability but unfortunately injuries took their toll.
Anderson is yet to fulfil his potential with a combination
of poor attitude & injury problems hindering his progress at the club. Once
again, the talent is there for all to see but irregular appearances in the
first team & an apparently lax attitude have meant he has not progressed in
the manner we had all hoped. I for one actually think Fergie has a soft spot
for the lad & he will most likely remain at the club for one last chance.
Last season he looked leaner & was instrumental in our excellent early
season form. However, injuries once again interrupted his season and he was
uable to regain his place in the side.
If we look at our central midfield options as they stand we have
the following:
Carrick
Scholes
Anderson
Cleverley
Kagawa
Powell
Giggs
Park
Fletcher (I have written in the past that I don’t think he
will return so for argument’s sake I won’t include him in the discussion).
That leaves us with 6 recognised central midfield players
with Giggs & Park also being able to play there (with varying degrees of
success) vying for 2 or 3 central midfield spots depending on the formation we
are playing. Realistically speaking Powell will not be involved in first team
affairs that much this season and there is even talk of him being loaned out,
although personally I don’t think that will happen immediately.
So 5 players who consider themselves 1st team
players will be competing for 2 spots in central midfield. The numbers don’t
add up especially when you consider Tom Cleverley is yet to have a proper run
in the side and deserves his chance. Another thing to take into consideration
is that Paul Scholes has signed a 1 year contract extension. It doesn’t mean he’ll
start every game but he will certainly get his fair share. Carrick is a
definite starter & Kagawa will start more than most. Taking all that into
account there simply isn’t any room in the squad for a 6th 1st
team midfielder. And that is all without considering that Fletcher MIGHT JUST make a full recovery (although very doubtful).
Unless we are genuinely trying to offload Anderson I would
be pleasantly surprised if we signed another midfielder. Fergie has a history
of trusting his players and won’t be forced into panic buying. That doesn’t
mean I don’t think we need a CM just that the way things are looking (as they
stand) I don’t think Fergie will see it as good sense. Personally I want a hard
tackling, box to box midfielder in there but it seems this may not be on Fergie’s
wish list.
I think that the gaffer has something up his sleeve &
will make a surprise signing that nobody is expecting! Just for the record I
want a player like Essien at his best. I’m not sure if anyone fits that
description and I don’t want to speculate about specific players but someone
like that would bring something that we’re lacking at the moment in midfield.
Physicality, drive, power dominance & aggression are not words you would
use to describe any of the players listed above!
Of course, I could be completely wrong and United will sign
Modric AND Strootman AND Thiago! Either way I think we should be patient as the
European Championships will no doubt play a part in the timing of transfers.
Until then I’m happy to speculate & chat on twitter!
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