If I have to witness any more coverage from the final day of the 2011/12 season, I think suicide might be on the agenda. I guess Sky’s inability to change any of its content for months on end is the fundamental problem – none the less, off of the pitch, there has been much to discuss for the United faithful.
Arrivals, departures, rumours, squad fitness and tour dates have all been of interest over the past couple of weeks, but the stand out story coming from Old Trafford is the departure of fans’ favourite, Ji Sung Park.
To say I didn’t see it coming is somewhat of an understatement. Big game player, model professional, versatile, and with an engine only rivalled by the great Orient Express; Park’s work ethic and industry will most certainly be missed. Thanks for the memories.
Park follows Michael Owen out of the Old Trafford exit door, which sees Antonio Valencia take charge of the iconic number 7 shirt. Did Owen ever deserve the shirt famously worn by United legends, or was it given to him simply as a dig at our rivals on Merseyside? Nobody will ever know the truth, but with Valencia now fashioning the jersey, I think we have a unanimous decision that the Ecuadorian wing wizard is well deserving of it. A feeling shared amongst fans and his fellow professionals.
A press conference with Sir Alex Ferguson saw the arrival of two new players at Old Trafford. 23-year-old Shinji Kagawa signs from German doubler winners, Borussia Dortmund, for a reported £17m fee. Lesser known, Nick Powell arrives from Crewe Alexandra for £4m. Powell, at the tender age of 18, is seen as one for the future by many fans, however will be training with the first team for the moment.
The best news of the week has to be the return to full fitness of our club captain, Nemanja Vidic. This in itself is like signing a £30m defender, and something I envisage being as effective as the return to fitness of Roy Keane in time for the 1998/99 campaign. Any team would miss such an inspirational leader. On hearing this news, I have been told Chuck Norris has gone into hiding…
At the opposite end of the fitness scale, we see poor Darren Fletcher suffering from a bowel condition which many of us know very little about. Will Fletcher play at the top level again? Tragic, whenever the career of a footballer is cut short, for any reason. We all wish Darren our best and sincerely hope he makes a full recovery. 76,000 reds eagerly anticipate seeing the Scotland captain running out of the tunnel ready to do battle.
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