With the English Premiership just around the corner, serial champions Manchester United, have had a successfull pre season thus far.
RICHARD MCFARLAND tries to give us a explanation of why Sir Alex is the best in the business.
Many fair-weather Manchester United fans bemoan the lack of activity in the transfer market for their club, they aren't satisfied unless the club are snapping up the latest player to reach their peak.
They instead, tend to jump on the ‘Love United Hate Glazer’ bandwagon to channel this fury at not having taking a Galacticos approach to forming a squad and by doing so, they are missing out on something very special that is happening on the pitch.
Sir Alex has a different approach to youngsters compared to Arsene Wenger who regularly gives his more competent youths the chance to play ahead of more experienced players and they quickly develop into world class players. At United Sir Alex farms his players out, letting them learn their trade until they are ready to hit the big time. He assembles a collection of youths to get the balance just right and when the time is right, together they become the first choice players for their position and unless you pay careful attention even pundits are confused by this approach. Just ask Alan Hansen at the start of the 1995-96 campaign he said “you’ll never win anything with kids”. Choice words that I’m sure he’ll make sure to never repeat.
This is far from making an early claim that these young boys will have the same impact as the group that could boast Scholes, Butt, Beckham and the Neville brothers, for that is a massive amount of pressure that I’ll allow other sections of the media to delight in doing. However, you’ll have to admit there are a few shared characteristics both within the squad and with United’s main rivals this season. This transfer window has seen rivals like Man City and Liverpool strengthen for a tilt at the title by splashing the cash, while United have been confined to securing Chris Smalling, the vastly inexperienced central defender and Mexican international striker Javier Hernandez. Neither grabbed the headlines when signed but both could go about their job with quiet success that surprises many.
Within the squad itself, players such as van der Sar, Giggs and Scholes will be used more sparingly than ever before. The new batch of players such as Darron Gibson, Gabriel Obertan, the da Silva brothers and a choice of exciting strikers to choose from including Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck and Mame Biram Diouf stepping up to the plate this season. Before the 1995-96 season Ferguson made few moves in the transfer market, moving only for goalkeepers and loan signing William Prunier (remember him?)
United will still have star quality and experience for this upcoming season, but it is likely to be interspersed (is that a word?) with youth. Fans can expect Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra, Darren Fletcher, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand to play central roles to the season, but as you can see this experienced group of fit and injury-free players is decreasing and the onus will be on youth to make their mark.
