Sir Alex Ferguson faces potentially one the most testing seasons of his Old Trafford reign.
Against the backdrop of fan unrest, growing financial concerns and mega-rich rivals in the form of Chelsea and City, he must try to return United to pre-eminence at home and in Europe.
Does he have the players to win a record 19th title or must he accept another period of transition where United will have to watch on as their noisy neighbours battle it out with Chelsea’s Roman Empire for a place at the top table?
MEN Sport assesses 10 issues that will be foremost in Ferguson’s mind as the new season approaches.
1. Golden Oldies
Despite watching United relinquish their hold on the Premier League, Ferguson still saw fit to convince Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville to sign one-year contract extensions. But their ageing legs can only go on for so long and it is hard to imagine either Giggs or Scholes repeating their evergreen displays of the past two years. But as Ferguson knows only too well – replacement for that kind of talent is hard to find.
2. The wonder of Roo
The single biggest reason why United pushed Chelsea so hard last season looked a shadow of himself following his ankle injury at the end of March. He looked woefully out of sorts at the World Cup and is yet to score for club or country since that night at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Fabio Capello suggested his problems in South Africa were psychological and
Ferguson will need all his legendary man-management skills to coax Rooney back into the kind of form that last season saw him challenge Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best players on the planet.
3. Berba-flop
There is still no sign of the Bulgarian finding the kind of consistency to suggest he can be anything other than a £30m flop. Were funds not so tight at Old Trafford and had United received a reasonable offer for their record signing then it is hard to imagine he would still be at the club as the new season approaches. Berbatov looks destined to be Ferguson’s most costly blunder, but that won’t stop the Scot from trying to make him work. With Javier Hernandez looking impressive during pre-season, it could be another frustrating campaign for the former Tottenham striker.
4. Treatment table
Ferguson has spent the past two years juggling with a crippling injury list. Owen Hargreaves, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Edwin van der Sar, John O’Shea, Anderson, Wes Brown, Gary Neville and Michael Owen have all been out for long periods during that time and it is a credit to United’s resolve that they have been able to compete on all fronts even despite those problems. They will start the new campaign without Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Anderson and Owen, and Ferguson will hope that is not a sign of things to come.
5. Fan power
United’s already disillusioned supporters were infuriated by their manager’s public backing of the Glazers while on tour in the US. Fergie insisted he had “no complaints” about the Americans’ controversial rule, which has landed the club in debt to the tune of £700m. While fans understand the manager cannot be seen to be attacking his employers, in a season when discord on the terraces is only set to intensify, perhaps he would be wise not to be so vocal in his praise of Malcolm et al.
6. Oh Rio
Having missed a huge chunk of last season, Ferdinand will miss the start of the new campaign, albeit with an unrelated injury to the back problems that have haunted him.
The accidental training ground clash with Emile Heskey just before the World Cup played havoc with Capello’s plans and he is every bit as vital to United’s cause. With Vidic having signed a new long-term deal, Ferguson will be desperate to reunite the defensive partnership that was the envy of Europe and steered United towards a hat-trick of titles. But he will be aware that his captain’s injury record has made depressing reading of late. At the age of 31, are the years catching up with him?
7. Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Neither Ferguson nor Scholes could ever have expected the Ginger Magician to still be pulling the strings in United’s engine room – but heading into the new season, that is exactly the case. The 35-year-old thought he’d have hung up his boots by now – but the matter is his club simply can’t afford to put him out to pasture. Finding Scholes’ successor could be more treacherous than replacing Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane combined. How many other players have been his equal when it comes to long and short range passing and goals from midfield? In his pomp he was peerless. In his dotage Carrick and Anderson have both failed to fill his boots. Fergie clearly didn’t think Joe Cole would be up to the task, could Mesut Ozil be?
8. Spend, spend, spend
That’s what United’s fans want – but as yet Fergie has kept his chequebook in his pocket. Chris Smalling and Hernandez were bought for a combined £17m before the end of last season, and despite looking at a host of names like Ozil, Karim Benzema, Frank Ribery, Jack Rodwell and Luis Suarez, the United manager has yet to swoop this summer. Does he even have the money to spend? The fans think not, but chief executive David Gill insists the cash is there for a top class player. Before the start of the season, he is expected to hit the transfer market, with a number of options still being considered – Ozil, Benzema and Lassana Diarra all among them.
9. Are the Kids All Right?
If the man who brought us Giggs, David Beckham, Scholes and the Nevilles is to be believed, United have their latest batch of stars in Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, the Da Silvas, Smalling and Darron Gibson. But it remains to be seen if Ferguson’s faith in his young guns is well-placed. The truth is that when the chips were down last season, they were found wanting. A year on, will they be ready to step up to the plate or will Fergie be forced to try to get one more ride out of his old warhorses, Giggs and Scholes?
10. Neighbourhood Watch
Scholes doubts whether United’s mega-rich rivals across the other side of Manchester will mount a concerted title challenge, but Ferguson knows the danger is clear and present from Old Trafford’s “noisy neighbours”. Having knocked Liverpool off their perch since arriving at Old Trafford, the Scot would hate to see City do the same to United in his final years in management.
Source of : menmedia.co.uk
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