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The last two seasons for United fans have been largely unsuccessful, with a League Cup and a Community Shield the only “spoils” to take away from the time period. Sir Alex Ferguson vehemently denies needing a new world-class player, however, the evidence is starting pile up for the Red Devils to be extremely active in the transfer periods ahead. The only players of notable interest the club has brought in since the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo are Antonio Valencia, Javier Hernandez, and Gabriel Obertan. Not exactly the cream of the crop, but they all certainly possess some promise and potential (sound like Arsenal, anyone?)
The addition of non-world class players over the past two years is not the reason we will all see a new Manchester United team in just a couple years. Club captains and veterans are starting to age quite quickly and will have to hang up their boots here soon. Ryan Giggs is 36, Gary Neville is 35, Edwin Van Der Sar is 39, and Paul Scholes is 35. It is not just about age either. Wayne Rooney’s sex scandal that has taken up every newspaper’s front page in England does not exactly bode well for his spot in the squad. Sir Alex is known not to tolerate player controversy and celebrity scandals and Rooney’s situation could likely be no different from previous United players with issues (David Beckham or Dwight Yorke clearly felt the wrath of Ferguson).
Wayne Rooney jersey sales are down, and that maybe a better indication than anything else of his fortunes. If all these players leave within the next two years, which is a distinct possibility, Ferguson will be left with little veteran leadership, no reliable goalkeeper, and no consistent goal-scorer on hand. In addition, the 31 year-old center back Rio Ferdinand has been quickly falling out of favor, making only 13 appearances last season. Where is Ferguson to turn? He must turn to the transfer market and he must go soon.
The impediment Ferguson supposedly faces is in the Glazer family ownership of Manchester United. Only a small percentage of the money that was received for the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer to Real Madrid has been reinvested into bringing in a high profile player. The highest transfer fee United has paid out in recent years has been for the acquisition of Dimitar Berbatov in 2008, a relative flop thus far for his time at Old Trafford. United have failed to win an EPL title in the past two years with the current squad and the addition of players with merely potential will help in the end but fans are looking for wins now.
Big-name players for goalkeeper and striker are true necessities now. Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Amos may be reliable backups but surely, they cannot take the reign between the posts for good. The bottom line is that United have to spend money to make money, especially since the team will have a relatively young squad with the departures of Giggs, Van Der Sar, Scholes, and Neville. Bringing a young shot-stopper who has some experience behind him in a big league needs to happen. Some viable options include Hugo Lloris, Rene Adler, or Manuel Neuer all have proven experience and are relatively trustworthy. A proven goal-scorer is also a requirement for the future in case the man in the Chicharito jersey or Federico Macheda don’t pan out.
