Red Rants |
- Five players United should sell this summer
- United open talks with £40m midfielder’s agent
- Van Gaal to set United ambitious target
| Five players United should sell this summer Posted: 18 Jul 2014 03:46 AM PDT
In his first press conference as United manager, Van Gaal indicated that he wants to assess his players and that he’s determined to add a couple of signings to his current squad but the Dutchman is also likely to carry out the long overdue clearout United fans have been crying out for over the last couple of years. Here’s five players who should leave United this summer.
Anderson Lazy, overweight, injury prone and, mercifully, out of contract in 12 months. If there’s one positive about Anderson returning to United after a typically uninspiring loan spell with Fiorentina, where he managed a grand total of eight appearances in all competitions over five months, is that he can now be filed among the players who have less than a year left on their contracts. The drum according to which the Brazilian could prove to be the answer to United’s travails in midfield has long gone silent once it became apparent that his performances in his first season at the club were the exception rather than the rule and the sooner Anderson is offloaded, the better for the club and the fans. Anderson won’t be traveling to the USA for United’s pre-season tour, leading many to believe he might finally be ushered out of the door this summer but it’s going to be complicated to find a buyer who’s managed to play 90 minutes only 51 times in seven seasons at the club.
Bebe Fraud, lottery winner, proof that just about anyone has got a chance at playing for United. Whatever one’s take on Bebe, he’ll always be remembered as one of the most bizarre signings in the United’s history, one that will only be explained in Fergie’s next biography, perhaps, given that many a brown envelope must have been passed around. Truth be told, Bebe did reasonably well during his two loan spells in Portugal at Rio Ave and, particularly, last season for Pacos de Ferreira, scoring a more than respectable 14 goals in 39 games in all competitions which look to have earned him a move to Benfica this summer. Ironically though it might sound, Bebe has developed a sort of cult out of being blatantly not good enough to play for United and some claimed he should be given another chance. That would, of course, be sheer folly. He’s done well in Portugal and good luck to him, but he’s not Manchester United material. Nani Yes, he’s talented. Yes, he can occasionally turn a game on its head but he’s also petulant, inconsistent and, whisper it, nowhere as good as some seem to believe. Unfortunately, courtesy of David Moyes’ superb decision-making, Nani is also set to be at Old Trafford for another four years, unless United can somehow lure a club – AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus have all shown interest – into taking the Portuguese off their hands. Wingers capable of beating their man and delivering crosses are paramount to Louis Van Gaal’s football philosophy and there is, of course, the remote possibility that the new United manager might indeed be the fresh start Nani’s advocates claim he’s been desperate for over the last couple of seasons. Nani’s talent was there for all to see during the 2010-11 season when he notched double digits in both goals and assists and was a pivotal figure as United clinched their 19th title, but the Portuguese has since failed to hit the same heights and there won’t be many tears shed if he was sold this summer. Tom Cleverley
The growing disappointment aimed at Cleverley is heightened by the fact he arrived at Old Trafford surrounded by genuine hope and expectations after impressive spells at Watford and Wigan. A game changing cameo against Manchester City did nothing to curb the enthusiasm surrounding him but it proved to be the falsest of false dawns, as Cleverley went from big hope of United’s midfield to pantomime villain in the space of three seasons and looks unable to cope with the pressure of playing for such a big club. The problem with the 24-year-old is that while not spectacularly bad a particular aspect of the game, he rarely excels at others. His passing is largely indifferent, his goal return almost non existent for a midfielder – five goals in 78 appearances for United pain a sorry picture – and the less said about his tackling the better. Some have argued that Cleverley suffers from the lack of a world class midfielder alongside him, but in fact the opposite is true: had Cleverley had to contend with world class midfielders in training every day he would have either raised his game or, at the very least, he wouldn’t have found himself parachuted into the starting XI because of a lack of alternatives, rather than on merit. Like Anderson, Cleverley is out of contract at the end of the season and, hopefully, will follow him out of the club. Ashley Young Throughout the 1990s, choosing the best United winger was a complicated task. These days, picking the worst is just as difficult, but Young is surely a strong candidate for the role. Unlike Nani, Young at least occasionally looks to be interested in the cause, not as if commitment shouldn’t be the bare minimum for a professional footballer, but that alone is not enough to justify Young’s theatrical diving antics, his shockingly poor performances and his astonishing £120,000-a-week wages. Van Gaal loves a hardworking winger in his squad, but that role looks set to be occupied by Valencia and it’d be extremely surprising if Young was to play a major role this season but finding a club willing to take Young on their books could too difficult a task even for Van Gaal. |
| United open talks with £40m midfielder’s agent Posted: 18 Jul 2014 12:50 AM PDT
Pedulla’, who is normally rather reliable in terms of transfer rumours, had already mentioned Vidal twice earlier this week, firstly claiming that United had made a €50m bid and that the Chilean international, who claimed he’d be “relaxed if a move to United fell through” was holding out for net wages of €10m – £8m – per season.
The British press have obviously been told by United that the club is not pursuing Vidal and Juventus’ General Manager, Giuseppe Marotta, insisted the Serie A champions have no intentions of selling Vidal who, he claimed, is happy at the club. On his website, however, Pedulla’ claims that United have already been in touch with Vidal’s agent and that while an offer isn’t imminent as yet, they could test Juventus’ resolve sooner rather than later and are prepared to play a waiting game, as the deal is likely to take longer to go through due to Antonio Conte’s departure from Juventus. Pedulla’ adds that Juventus will dig their heels in over Vidal as the Bianconeri can’t afford to be seen as willing to sell arguably their best player, as they’ve already angered their fans by replacing Conte with former AC Milan manager, Massimiliano Allegri and while Marotta had claimed Vidal would not be sold, he’s also indicated that if the Chilean decided to leave, Juventus would be left with no choice. Therein, according to Pedulla’, lies the ending to one of the summer’s saga: will Vidal dismiss the rumours by committing his future to Juventus or will he try and engineer a move away from the club with whom he’s won three consecutive Serie A titles? |
| Van Gaal to set United ambitious target Posted: 17 Jul 2014 05:02 AM PDT
The 62-year-old took charge of his first training session yesterday and will be officially unveiled today as Manchester United manager and Kuivert, who was Van Gaal’s assistant with Holland, believes the Dutchman has set his sights firmly on finishing top of the league at the end of the season.
"He's a great coach and I know he's looking forward to taking over at Manchester United," Kluivert told talkSPORT this morning. "It will be a difficult year but I know he can do it. He can work well with the squad. "He's absolutely going for the Premier League title. A club like Manchester United always has to go for the title and that's what he wants in his first year. "They also need to get back into the Champions League. "Van Gaal is a great tactician and he wants to win matches,” Kluivert continued. “He likes to play offensive and attractive football as well though. He won't disappoint the Manchester United fans." Ryan Giggs will be Van Gaal’s assistant this season but Kluivert admitted he’d not hesitate to work again with the 62-year-old if the opportunity arose. "I talked with Van Gaal and he said he would have loved to have given me the opportunity at Manchester United, but there was somebody already in my position," he said. "I'm fine with it. I would have loved to come to Manchester United. I hope it can happen in the future, you never know."
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