Date: 8th June 2011 at 1:27am
Written by:

Ashley Young

Is the Villa winger one of a few players on their way to Old Trafford?

It’s that time of year… Players are spotted coming out of a Greggs in the Manchester city centre and so journalists pen their imminent move to United.

This results in, potentially, about five new starting elevens being signed every transfer window.

However with a slight transition period at Old Trafford it’s actually seeming likely this time maybe there is substance to the odd rumour.

Firstly it is almost definite a new goalkeeper will arrive at United this summer and it seems almost pointless speculating over the name. It appears Atletico Madrid’s stopper David De Gea will be packing his bags for Manchester once he has completed his international duty with Spain in the European Under-21 Championship. The deal looked almost done but has been delayed presumably due to De Gea wanting to focus on the tournament in hand.

Ashley Young pops up in the speculation every transfer window and has done for seasons now. This time though it looks likely the England international will leave Aston Villa, who despite looking likely to break in to the Champions League at one point have very much regressed  in the past couple of seasons. This time around United have been one of the clubs strongly linked to the winger along with rivals Liverpool. When the rumours first started to circulate I thought Liverpool would be the preference with a higher probability of first team football. However Young has expressed his wish to compete at the highest level and particularly the Champions League. Will United respond to Young’s hint dropping?

One thing which is strange about the Ashley Young rumour is that United already have Nani, Valencia and Park all already competing for the wide midfield roles in the first team, not to forget Obertan and Bebe also play this role. This and the fact in the past SAF has not usually had more players than needed in one position, often relying on the reserves or changing a player’s position rather than having mass back-up, made me think rumours of Young moving to United will fade away. Instead, as the days go on, the rumours seem to be stronger and the move more likely. Therefore I cannot help wonder whether this is  paving the way for a departure.

Nani has been linked with a move away. Despite being voted the Player’s Player Of The Year at the club he did not start in the Champions League final which was not surprising. Valencia when available appears to be SAF’s first choice for the right flank with Park and Nani sharing the left. Whilst Nani still gets regular first team football in this system he may decide he fancies a guaranteed starting place and a bit more sun than Manchester offers. After an impressive season it may also be an opportune time for United to cash in.

Park Ji-Sung’s contract is coming to an end in a year and he does not seem to have been offered a new one, he will be 31 when it ends. However it is unlikely Young will be targeted now to replace Park in a year, and it is also possible Park will be offered the one year rolling contract which seems popular among the older players at United.

One player who I do not expect to see in a United shirt in the new season is Samir Nasri. The Arsenal attacker has not signed a new contract with the Gunners with his ending in a year. Somewhere down the line this has resulted in the Frenchman being linked to a move to United, fuelled by untidy journalism which has seen old statements by Rio Ferdinand praising the player. Ferdinand has confirmed via his Twitter page that they are old statements which he made before any speculation arose. If Nasri’s contract was to run out next season then an Old Trafford move may well be likely and to sign him on a free would be a great bit of business. However new deal or not I can’t see Arsenal allowing him to move to Premier League title rivals United this season and will probably allow his contract to run down first.

Charlie Adam’s name is being bouncing around the Premier League more than Ian Holloway would care to imagine. Of course Manchester United have been linked. Adam, very much a big, trophy fish in a small, tangerine pond last season, would have a lot to prove to join a club like United. However that said, with Scholes’ retirement, Adam could slot into the midfield nicely at United. He would presumably only be a squad player, but a useful one at that with the ability to pick out an attacking move with his vision for a good pass. He could just be the compensation for the world class passing ability the team will be missing from Scholes.

The name most linked to United is, if you haven’t heard this story then come out of your cave, Wesley Sneijder. Whilst this at one point seemed to be a deal United would do anything to secure, proceedings seemed to have gone hazy at late. Everything has been said about this move; United want him, Sneijder wants to leave, Sneijder doesn’t want to leave, Inter won’t let him leave, City want to hijack any move United make for him, and now even Guus Hiddink wants him if he goes to Chelsea. It seems to be too difficult to call whether the Dutch midfield maestro will leave and if so where to, however it does seem certain United have a patch or two they want to cover in the midfield.

Luka Modric of Tottenham has also been linked after impressing since his move to London from Dinamo Zagreb. I imagine any move for him would be under the condition of either/or with Sneijder Sniejder being the probable first choice of the two.

The rumours of moves for Sneijder and Modric suggests United are in the market for a midfield playmaker. This takes us to Germany and Borussia Dortmund where Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa is reported to have shown an interest in talking to United if they were to make an offer. However it is more likely that United will have scouts monitor the player further and contemplate a move for him in the future.

Ferguson is also likely to miss out on a couple of his rumoured targets. Youngsters Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have both been linked to moves to bigger clubs this summer. Moves for the two are unlikely as Ferguson prioritises building his squad for next year and filling spaces in the midfield with players more guaranteed to come in and perform instantly.

With three or four new players promised to United fans let’s hope some of the exciting names mentioned do have substance to them, rather than having to disappointedly greet the next Djemba-Djemba and Kleberson at Old Trafford.

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16 responses to “Who’s In, Who’s Out? Trying to Make Sense of The United Transfer Twaddle”

  1. Dor Arie says:

    So it seems you’ve added nothing to the transfer talk except a quick summmary of what everyone else has been reading. What’s the point? United need a goalkeeper and midfielders, big news. Modric and Sneijder top wish list, big news. You and the rest of us will know nothing until it happens (or doesn’t).

  2. Jay says:

    it would be a dream come true if Fergie could spend on De Gea,Sneijder,Bale and Aguero……..Starting eleven……De Gea,Rafael, Rio. F, Vidic,Bale, Valencia/Nani,Sneijder,Fletcher/Anderson,Rooney,Aguero & Chicarito!

    • Tom Daniel says:

      How would you arrange the three of Rooney, Aguero and Chicarito? Whilst I would love to see Aguero at United I just can’t see how him, Rooney and Chicarito would all fit in as Rooney on the wing doesn’t tend to work

  3. Andre says:

    I for one would not mind the next Djemba Djemba. In all reality if you see, he was brought to replace keane which was a distinct impossibility. However, he was quite decent while on the other hand, kleberson was bad and it was quite unfortunate we picked him up just based on his world cup performance. Rather than looking at players like that, i would certainly like to find another fortune (park does that now). it would never be bad to find squad players but the more important aspect is to buy players who would want to play for us and will do a decent job than the ones on hand. Henderson is not really the kind we would want as we have many young midfielders, certainly rodwell can be moulded into a certain role that would suit our needs at the moment. Promoting youngsters would be another key element for this season.

    • Tom Daniel says:

      It looks like Henderson is on his way to Liverpool anyway, I also don’t think he has proven to be worth the amount it looks like they’re going to pay.
      I agree we should be promoting youngsters, I certainly want to see Cleverley get some games next season.

  4. LemZee says:

    i thnk ths time arnd Fergie wil gt his men. In the centre, i see hm getin one of sneijder or modric, n if he plays his cards ryt he myt even gt both which wud b a plus for United.

    Ash is a done deal bt hvn 2 lose Nani in the proces wud b a blow but hey tht is futbol, u win some, u lose some.

    In btwn the stix its also another done deal though i’d hv prefered Lloris to De Gea.

    Kagawa hs xprsed hs desire to join United n i say gv hm one more season at Dortmund then snap hm up in January or nex summer and in the meantime giv Park another contract.

    As for Samir, well, i’d say lets b realistic ’bout it, i dn c hm cumin 2 United ths summa or any other summa 4 that matter. But hey, ths is futbol neva say neva.

    Rodwell n Adam ar excellent players bt i thnk if United get Modric or Sneijder thn there wud bn logic in get them on board, besides there is Carrick, Ando, Fletch, Giggsey, Cleveley n Park in the midfld.

    Another striker wud be an added advantage n i’d luv 2 c Benzema team up with Chico, Rooney, Wellbeck, Owen n Kiko upfront n as 4 Berbatov i thnk its time to cash in on him.

    So in short ths is hw things wud stand (if i were fergie)
    In: De gea, Varane, Modric, Sneijder, Young, Benzema.
    Out: Kusczack, Brown, De Laet, Hargreaves, Diouf, Berbatov, Obertan.
    Loan: Bebe, Gibson.

    • Tom Daniel says:

      Yeah I can see him going for one of the bigger players this time. Nani would be a loss but if we were to lose him Young would be a good replacement.

  5. Hidayat says:

    A boring article……

  6. Ray says:

    Park has signed a contract extention!

  7. RoyB says:

    Everyone is hoping United will buy big – but we all know they won’t. Fergie’s comments in the past of “value for money” and the tight-fisted Glazers I fear means we will get “minimal recruits” and no big spend. I hope I am wrong!

    • Tom Daniel says:

      Yeah he does always say he won’t move unless theres value in the market which is why I think he takes punts with players like Bebe and Chicarito (Chicarito has obviously paid off). However there is a bit of transition at United with the leaving of Scholes, Neville, Van Der Sar and such so who knows maybe he will spend big for some bigger names this year.

  8. Jay says:

    Why is there always a bit of negativity when reporting about United players and players coming to us. I know everyone hates the guy at the top of the pile but come on! Check this out lads and this is why anyone associated with United should be wary of journalists and the media:

    http://footballneutral.blogspot.com/2011/06/media-reporting-in-football.html

  9. Jay says:

    This is what I’m talking about. A legend at the club. Sir Alex Ferguson. If he decides Charlie Adam is what we needs in his wisdom then I’ll back him. He’s done more than enough for a few lifetimes to earn my trust!

    I’m wary of journos spoiling some good feeling around the club. We’ve got Jones (dunno what the sang is), Young’s coming and Sir Alex is moving fast and furious.