There are all sorts of reports in the press this morning of potential moves and transfers that we could see at Old Trafford in both January and next summer. It’s something we haven’t seen in a while, and talks of a ‘crisis’ are now everywhere since the 6-1 loss to Manchester City.
Many are saying that there could be an exodus over the next couple of transfer windows in order to trim back the deadwood, slash the wage bill and give Sir Alex an opportunity to revitalise and reignite the squad. Anderson, Owen, Rio Ferdinand, Macheda, Diouf, Gibson and Kuszczak could all be shown the door, with Eden Hazard linked to join the club in a £22m deal next summer to spearhead the new-look midfield. There’s also talk of Milos Krasic joining from Juventus, or even a big-money move for Napoli playmaker Marek Hamsik – linked to the club since he burst onto the scene in Serie A in 2008.
We haven’t even mentioned whispers of a move for Philipp Lahm to plug the hole at right-back, or talk of triggering the buy-back clause in Ryan Shawcross’ contract at Stoke. It could be a big summer in order to play catch-up with City.
We’ve seen from the last few games that an off-form Rooney can be pivotal in the team, and affects everyone. A big hole in midfield is there for all to see, with there being a large void where Paul Scholes used to be. We can’t blame everything on a lack of midfield, and we can’t moan that the poor performances have nothing to do with it, but at the end of the day, we still have absolutely no chance of filling that midfield with the current crop we have in our squad.
There was also a report this afternoon that Ferguson is ‘past it’. The man who has been in charge for 25 years, overseen several transformations in his time, won 37 trophies and titles, and he still isn’t good enough anymore… Funnily enough, this report has been utterly ripped into and destroyed by not only United fans, but football fans too. It’s ridiculous that it was even written about and considered.
We’ve seen a great start of the season surpassed by a dominant City side, and a few injuries and egos causing issues in the dressing room. We need to sort this as soon as possible, before this season is remembered as the one City became the dominant side.