Greatest Player under Alex Ferguson's Manchester United management in 25 years

SunSports saluting Alex Ferguson this week as he celebrates 25 years in charge of Manchester United although his team just lost triumph to the Toon recently.

Many of the game's great and good have congratulated the United boss on his outstanding achievement, including Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish.

SunSport's TOM BARCLAY puts together what he thinks is Fergie's greatest XI from all the players he has managed during his tenure, plus a seven-man bench.  Here are 6 of top world-class players ever under Sir Alex Ferguson.

• SUB WINGER: David Beckham (1993-2003)

BECKS may still be going strong at 36, but his glory years were undoubtedly spent at United.

He emerged from teenage obscurity to global mega stardom under the watchful gaze of Alex Ferguson — and some suggest the latter had a part to play with his exit to Real Madrid in 2003.

In pure footballing terms, Beckham was the master of set-pieces and crossing, but his tenacity and commitment can never be called into question as his numerous comebacks demonstrate.

Graduated from the academy 

Appearances: 399 Goals: 87

Trophies: Six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, Champions League, Intercontinental Cup

• STRIKER: Eric Cantona (1992-1997)

CANTONA only spent five seasons at United but such was his impact on English football, he simply has to make Ferguson's greatest XI.

Pinched from Leeds for £1.2million, the Frenchman became an instant hit with the Old Trafford faithful, leading the team to the first ever Premier League and United's first league title since 1967.

The lasting image of Cantona was his brilliant (bordering on arrogant), collar-up celebration after scoring a wonder goal against Sunderland — you wonder if he regrets calling it a day aged 30.

Signed from: Leeds for £1.2m

Appearances: 185 Goals: 82

Trophies: Four Premier League titles, two FA Cups

• LEFT-WING: Ryan Giggs (1990-present)

GIGGS is on 885 United appearances at present, what's the betting he'll make 1,000?

The Welshman's longevity at the highest level is unprecedented in the Premier League and his equalising goal against Benfica in the Champions League this season shows he's still got it.

He has had to adapt his game over the years, but as his Player of the Year award in 2009 demonstrated, he just seems to get better with age.

Graduated from the academy

Appearances: 885 Goals: 161

Trophies: 12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, four League Cups, two Champions League, Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup

• CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Paul Scholes (1994-2011)

THE sheer fact that Alex Ferguson has deployed Wayne Rooney in midfield recently highlights the chasm left by Scholes' retirement.

One of the most decorated players in English football history, Scholes pulled the strings in United's midfield for 17 seasons, weighing in with 150 goals including some spectacular strikes that will be cherished for years to come.

When it came to England, though, perhaps he was ahead of his time, as you feel his tiki-taka style of play was never fully utilised by his various managers on the international stage.

Graduated from the academy

Appearances: 676 Goals: 150

Trophies: 10 Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups, two Champions League titles, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup

• SUB GOALKEEPER: Edwin van der Sar (2005-2011)

THE biggest compliment you can pay Van der Sar is that he makes you think twice about Peter Schmeichel's inclusion in Alex Ferguson greatest XI.

Dutchman Ed was surprisingly overlooked by Fergie after Schmeichel's retirement but the Scot eventually got it right, picking him up from Fulham in 2005.

His calmness and vast experience played a vital role in the Champions League success of 2008, not to mention his penalty save from Nicolas Anelka's decisive spot-kick in the final against Chelsea.

Signed from: Fulham for £2m

Appearances: 266 Goals: 0

Trophies: Four Premier League titles, League Cup, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup

• CENTRE-BACK: Rio Ferdinand (2002-present)

FERDINAND may no longer be first choice at Old Trafford, but for the last nine years he's been arguably the finest centre-back in English football.

He became the most expensive defender in the world when he signed for Leeds from West Ham for £18million in 2000, only to go and blow that fee out of the water when signing for United for £30m two years later.

Combining a grace on the ball with a unwavering physical approach, not to mention his raw pace, Ferdinand has been a key member of a side that has picked up five league titles and a Champions League trophy since the turn of the Millennium.

Signed from: Leeds for £30m

Appearances: 369 Goals: 7

Trophies: Five Premier League titles, two League Cups, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup

source: www.thesun.co.uk
Picture, www.telegraph.co.uk, www.gloryglorymanu.com

Man U calm over Euro reprieve bid

MANCHESTER UNITED are keeping calm about their chances of a return to the Champions League.

Alex Ferguson's side went out at the group stage after losing 2-1 in Basel this month.

But the Red Devils were given a glimmer of hope because of a long-running row between Sion — Basel's Swiss rivals — and football chiefs.

FIFA announced they will suspend the Switzerland FA unless the country's league deducts points from Sion for registering six players signed during a transfer ban.

When a national association is suspended, none of its teams are allowed to play foreign opponents and that would stop Basel meeting Bayern Munich in Champions League's last 16.
But sources believe a compromise will be met by the January 13 deadline.

An insider said: "United can't see it coming to anything."
While the word within FIFA was that any reprieve was "a long shot".

source: www.thesung.co.uk

David De Gea's troubled beginnings

Edwin van der Sar couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was new and it was not necessarily better.

Rather, it was the 18-yard box on his very first game for Juventus in 1999. In good faith, Van der Sar attempted one of his routine Ajax passes to the centre-half. He had, after all, been told in negotiations that Juventus would adapt the Dutch style in order to integrate their new  goalkeeper.

However, on receiving the ball, defender Paolo Montero panicked, pummelled it away and then proceeded to berate Van der Sar. On the line, manager Carlo Ancelotti was doing the same.

The Dutchman was soon nicknamed 'Van der Gol' and routinely mocked by Italian media. As David Winner tells the story, "within a year he was consulting a therapist and telling his agent he no longer trusted himself even to catch a ball."

Given Van der Sar's unflappable image at Manchester United, the anecdote should put a different perspective on David De Gea's anxious first two games for the club. The Spaniard has, admittedly, made at least two awful errors. But, like Van der Sar back then, he's also had to get used to a new country and a new culture.


De Gea, of course, is only 20. At Juventus in the summer of 1999, Van der Sar was 28. But the Dutchman still had to go to the less demanding surrounds of Fulham to effectively remember how to be a goalkeeper and rebuild his confidence.

The issue raises a wider point about young goalkeepers and world-class level - either in terms of club or quality  goalkeepers. Unlike in almost every other position, the two don't come together that often. 

With foreign goalkeepers such as De Gea, there are a number of external factors like the language barrier and basic acclimatisation. But, essentially, the problem is experience. At a big club where every error is exaggerated because of the importance of each result and isolation of the position, goalkeepers need an awful lot of experience to complement their existing talent.


Even then, though, both Casillas and Van der Sar were already at big clubs who had invested a lot of time in nurturing them. And Casillas was also at Real Madrid at a unique time in their history.


With the Galactico project gradually leaving the first XI increasingly unbalanced, Casillas was often "overexposed and under-protected". Many goalkeeping coaches argue, however, that this is better for a young goalkeeper as it keeps them busy without thinking while simultaneously building their confidence. Buffon certainly reckons so. He claims picking Parma first was the most important decision of his career.

But the deeper question in all of this, then, is why Sir Alex Ferguson opted for promise  instead of proven experience? Might it yet be an unnecessary risk to United's season? While any further De Gea errors are clearly forgivable in that context, Ferguson's in actually buying him wouldn't quite be the same.

But the reason he has is because all at Old Trafford are convinced that the recent slips have been no more than aberrations. De Gea is considered to be another Casillas, to have both the talent and mentality to overcome any shortfall in experience. And many of the most learned voices in Spain echo this.

There was one caveat though: "If nothing odd happens, he will succeed. He is only 20; he will reach his peak at 30. There is loads of time."

Except when it comes to the exaggerated expectations of a very top club, time is rarely afforded.


source: www.soccernet.com

How do you replace Scholes???

For first time since 1994, Paul Scholes will not be roaming in Manchester United’s midfield, providing the accurate pass or clutch goal, for a club clearly in a transition phase.

Despite his obvious decline physically, Scholes’ steady foot and soccer IQ were held in high regard by coach Sir Alex Ferguson, who admits that he doesn’t know how he will be able to replace those assets as he rebuilds the team. 

“The big problem for us is, of course, how do you replace someone like Paul Scholes? It is very difficult,” said Ferguson. “I think that he is certainly one of the top four players in the world.”


The Red Devils, who recently lost goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar and defender Gary Neville to retirement, have been unusually aggressive in attracting new players to fit their blueprint for next season. While the club won the English Premier League title, its 3-1 loss in the Champions League final displayed the divide between itself and champions Barcelona.

After that result, United signed Aston Villa’s Ashley Young, Blackburn’s Phil Jones and Atletico Madrid’s David de Gea, leaving returning players, fans and management excited about the upcoming season.   


The team still needs a playmaker to distribute the ball to attacking players Wayne Rooney, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov and others. It is rumored that the veteran manager is looking to add Inter’s midfielder Wesley Sneijder to pull the strings in the midfield. 

“I think it is impossible to get another Paul Scholes, but if we get another player in similar lines in terms of the quality of his passing and vision, we would have to do something,” Ferguson said.

If Ferguson is unsuccessful in capturing Sneijder or any other top player, there might be some options on his team that warrant a second look. It was only four years ago when the Scot invested a reported 30 million pounds in a Brazilian midfielder with some promise named Anderson, who recently signed a four and a half year contract extension. 


Ferguson acknowledged that rebuilding United wasn’t a process that was decided over this summer but from three years of planning. 

“With Gary Neville , Paul Scholes, and Edwin Van Der Sar, we were well aware that we were going to have to replace them at some point,” said Ferguson. “So the work in the last two or three years has been about that, trying to make sure we still have the quality in the squad to succeed.”

It might be exciting for Red Devils fans to continue to see marquee names being added to the team but sometimes a familiar face can provide similar results if given the chance. 


source: Goal.com

Facebook Challenge Goal Manchester United

Facebook challenge Manchester United strikers and others : Rooney, Nani, Chicharito, Van de saar and their fitness coach.  And the winner is Chicharito!

Jones deal nears completion

Phil Jones will finally become a Manchester United player next week with lawyers from the two warring clubs working out the details of the player's transfer valuation, according to ESPNsoccernet sources. 

ESPNsoccernet has been informed that once Manchester United reach the magic mark of £20 million that Blackburn Rovers want then Jones will become a United player.

The 'compromise' being thrashed out at the moment between the two sets of lawyers revolves around United winning trophies and Jones' appearances, which could make the transfer worth in excess of £20 million depending on United's capacity to continue to win silverware on a regular basis, and the player's ability to hold down a place in the team.

A figure of £20 million, though, will be reasonably attainable, and that will be the generally-accepted figure of Jones' value.

An insider suggested that it was pointless for Liverpool to bid £22 million, as widely reported, as the player has signed a contract for Manchester United made up his mind to go to Old Trafford.

Blackburn were incensed that they have to sell at the price being quoted when the player was valued at £25 million, while United are annoyed that they should pay anything more, as that £16 million was the price stipulated in the get-out clause.

"The two sets of lawyers are sorting it out, and there is sure to be a compromise by the middle of next week," said the well-connected Ewood Park source.

source: ESPN (www.soccernet.com)

Berba set to quit Utd after final axe

 

DIMITAR BERBATOV is set to quit Manchester United after being axed from their Champions League final squad. 

Berba - joint top Premier League scorer with 20 goals - did not take his seat in the stands for the game.

And at the end he failed to join the other omitted players on the Wembley pitch. Instead he is understood to have gone straight on to the team bus at the final whistle.

His Champions League record might explain Alex Ferguson's decision. Berba last scored in the competition in October 2008. 

He started just five of United's last 20 games, largely due to the emergence of the Wayne Rooney-Javier Hernandez partnership.  But Berbatov, 30, did expect to be on the bench and will have been all the more bewildered that Michael Owen was chosen.

Now he is set to look for a club where he can be considered first choice.  United pal Nani admitted: "It's a very difficult moment for him. It's very hard but the manager has to make a decision and it's very hard for him too."

Source: The sun.co.uk

UNITED completed an £18.3million deal to sign keeper David De Gea

MANCHESTER UNITED have completed an £18.3million deal to sign keeper David De Gea from Atletico Madrid.

De Gea, 20, is set be United's new No 1 stopper.  Boss Alex Ferguson said: "We identified him quite a while back as one we should go for. He is very quick with good presence and is an outstanding replacement for Edwin van der Sar.

"One great quality Edwin has is his composure and David has that to." 

Ferguson said last weekend the club were in the middle of concluding a deal for a keeper, with Van der Sar, 40, retiring after Saturday's Champions League final.

Fergie checked out De Gea when he and United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele went to watch him in action against Valencia back in September. They have been monitoring him ever since.
United have scouted far and wide to land the right man to succeed Van der Sar.

They looked at Schalke's Manuel Neuer, who faced them in the Champions League semi-final. But Neuer, 25, opted for a move to Bayern Munich.

Ajax keeper Maarten Stekelenburg was also heavily scouted, as was Sporting Lisbon's Rui Patricio.

The move for De Gea is considered as a gamble by some as he has been playing regular first-team football for only 18 months.  But Fergie clearly sees something special in the Spain Under-21 star, who has told his Atletico team-mates he is on his way.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Sir Ferguson confirms he is targeting three summer signings for Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that he wants to make three summer signings to bolster his Manchester United squad.

The Premier League champions have been linked with a host of players over the last few months and are expected to bring in a replacement for retiring Edwin van der Sar, but the veteran boss did not give any names to reporters at United's end-of-season award ceremony.

"We have some ideas in mind," said Ferguson.

"Hopefully we can get them put in place. I am looking at maybe three signings which would boost our overall quality in our team.”


Ferguson also revealed that he wished he could have been involved in a prank at Anfield on Sunday which saw United fans goad Liverpool supporters with a banner celebrating their record-breaking 19th title.

The banner was hung from the Anfield Road end prior to kick-off, and the offending group of supporters made their getaway in a car waiting outside the ground.

"I wish I had taken that banner to Liverpool on Sunday," added Ferguson.

"I bet there were 76,000 fans wishing they had thought of that."


source: Goal.com

I’m saving Roo to destroy Chelsea

ALEX FERGUSON is ready to rest Wayne Rooney tonight - so he will be fresh to face Chelsea. 

Rooney has a tight hamstring and Manchester United boss Fergie does not want to risk him in tonight's Champions League semi-final second leg against Schalke with his side already 2-0 up.

Instead he wants to save Rooney for Sunday's Premier League showdown against Chelsea - which could decide the title.

The England striker is likely to be a sub tonight - alongside Mexican hitman Javier Hernandez - with Dimitar Berbatov starting up front on his own.

Ferguson, chasing a record 19th league crown, said: "We're in a great position and, although we didn't play as well as we know we can when we lost at Arsenal on Sunday, we still have players in good form all over the field.

"Wayne Rooney's performances have been fantastic again in the past couple of months and he is back with a freshness that is invigorating for the whole team.

source: Thesun.co.uk

Are Manchester United on the verge of bottling the title race?

Arsenal's victory over Manchester United has not only thrown open the title race but ignited a whole new debate.


Will United be written off as bottlers like their rivals would have been should they fail to wrap up the title that has been within their grasp for weeks?

It may seem a ludicrous suggestion for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team of serial winners, who are a 90-minute Old Trafford stroll away from a third Champions League final in four years, but there is a modicum of validity to the claim.

Consider the Premier League table on February 26. United stood top on 60 points, four ahead of second-placed Arsenal. Down in fifth place, with a game in hand on the top two, were Chelsea on 45 points and yet to emerge from a winter hibernation that had nearly ruined their season.

Since then, Chelsea have swatted away Premier League opposition, accumulating 25 points out of a possible 27 to give themselves an unlikely sniff of the title.

By contrast, United have spluttered against their major rivals. They began March with consecutive away defeats at Chelsea and Liverpool, and have now come unstuck against Arsenal, too.

Of the last 24 points available to them, they have claimed 13, which is far from championship-winning form.

Ferguson’s team drew 0-0 at Newcastle United and Everton (Javier Hernandez in the 84th minute). Only when defeating Fulham 2-0 at home have United won with plenty still in the locker over the last two months.


Ferguson could reasonably point to the match officials contributing to the Chelsea defeat (David Luiz should have been sent off and the decisive late penalty was on the soft side) but his side were beaten comprehensively at Anfield and it was a similar tale at the Emirates Stadium.

Without the pressure of staying in the title hunt, Arsenal were dominant and good value for their victory, courtesy of a fluent move clinically finished by Aaron Ramsey. By contrast, their opponents were lacklustre. Inevitably, United rallied in the last 20 minutes but Arsene Wenger’s team displayed the resilience that has been so lacking over a disastrous spring and held off with few scares.


Sadly for Arsenal fans it will all be too little too late. Had they managed to take care of Bolton, Sunderland, Blackburn and West Brom in the same manner in recent weeks then a six-year trophy drought would be coming to an end - instead, they crumbled when the pressure was on, and played with their customary verve when it was off again.

It should not be ignored that United had travelled to Germany in midweek, and that Arsenal had the luxury of a full week’s preparation. All four of the Champions League semi-finalists failed to win at the weekend.

However, the fixture list had provided a five-day break between the two competitions for Britain’s biggest club and Ferguson has few injuries to contend with, just the mystery of Darren Fletcher’s virus.
Perhaps United have simply found their level. They may well become a dominant force in English football again but they are not at the moment. There have been too many hiccups, too much mediocrity this season for that.

Should Chelsea win at Old Trafford next Sunday, the Premier League champions will end the season with less than 80 points for the first time since United’s 98-99 treble winners. History remembers the team of Eric Cantona, Peter Schmeichel et al as a great one but it is unlikely that the current vintage will be seen in the same light if they do not stand atop the Premier League podium in mid-May.

It is too early to apply the ‘chokers’ tag to United. If anything, they have exceeded the sum of their parts this season. But should Chelsea overtake them over the coming weeks, the critiques will be scathing.

source:  Wayne Veysey, www.goal.com

Premier League's 6 best transfers of the 2010-11 season

Goal.com UK picks the top signings of the current campaign based on impact, adjustment, price and contribution to their new sides since their arrivals in the past year.

The transfer window produces its fair share of flop signings as clubs aim to boost their chances of a highest possible finish in the Premier League, but it cannot be denied that some real gems are also unearthed in the process too.

Goal.com judges the best transfers for 2010-11 based on:

• The player's overall contribution (this being the most important factor)
• How the player fitted into his new line-up
• How quickly the player adapted to his new surroundings, and vice-versa
• The transfer fee paid, if any, and any other financial details known. (Transfer fees unconfirmed by either club or otherwise unknown are given as approximations. 

 

1. Javier Hernandez: to Manchester United from Guadalajara - £8m (€9m) 

Potentially one of the best buys in Premier League history, Chicharito had been monitored by the club for a couple of years before they finally got their man in the summer of 2010.

Hernandez has scored some vital goals for United in his debut season at the club, few more important than his double in the Champions League last 16 second leg against Marseille at Old Trafford. 

2. Rafael VAN DER VAART : to Tottenham from Real Madrid - £8m (€9m)

His performances may have slightly tailed off towards the end of the season, but the Dutchman certainly played a crucial part in keeping Spurs in the race for fourth place, while scoring some crucial goals in the Champions League before Redknapp's side were beaten in the quarterfinals by his old club. 

3. William Gallas: to Tottenham from Unattached - Free 

Spurs fans had their reservations regarding the signing of the former Arsenal defender, but manager Harry Redknapp described the move as a no-brainer, and the Frenchman has repaid his boss's faith in him.

Two performances stick out as the ones that could yet endear Gallas to the Tottenham faithful; his stellar display against former club Arsenal in which Spurs won 3-2, and the Champions League home leg against AC Milan in which the centre-back cleared a certain goal off the line.

4. David Luiz: to Chelsea from Benfica - £21m (€24m)

David Luiz has wasted no time in establishing himself as a fan favorite at Stamford Bridge following two decisive goals against Manchester United and City.

At just 23, Luiz has demanded a relatively high transfer fee but has shown all the signs of justifying his £21m price tag with the Blues, while drastic changes could be happening around him.

5. Chris Smalling: to Manchester United from Fulham - £10m (€11.5m)

Smalling has excelled for United this season, largely in the absence of the vastly experienced Rio Ferdinand, and at 21 years of age the former Fulham man looks like he could be the figurehead of the United defense for many years to come.

6. Luis Suarez: to Liverpool from Ajax- £22.8m (€26m)  

A January signing during what Kenny Dalglish was probably hoping would be a relatively quiet winter transfer window, which ultimately saw him lose £50m striker Fernando Torres.

Suarez wasted no time in scoring, netting with a fine strike against Sunderland towards the end of March. The Uruguayan also endeared himself to Liverpool fans by turning in a performance of the highest calibre against bitter rivals Manchester United as the Reds ran out 3-1 winners. 

source: Goal.com