2 key players for Manchester United to consider
Beginning of the current season (2006-2007), I wrote a detailed, 5-piece preview of Manchester United’s chances and the main issues involving them this year.
The reason I’m bringing this up again is because it’s always good to go back and take a look at what you said and thought in the past - of course, it’s more fun when you’re right (heh) but even if you’re not you learn a lot.
In this case, I was read the piece on Manchester United’s future stars and with this recent news (that Dong Fangzhou had been given his work permit to play in the Premiership) and with several loan players returning to Manchester United in January as well, this is a good time to see which of these players have a future for Manchester United.
In total, 7 players are returning from loan in January (with two - Ben Foster (Watford, Premiership) and Gerard Pique (Real Zaragoza, La Liga), coming back in summer): Lee Martin and Phil Bardsley from Rangers, Chris Eagles from NEC Nijmegen, Giuseppe Rossi from Newcastle and plus Jonny Evans, Danny Simpson, and Dong Fangzhou from Royal Antwerp.
Of these 7, it’s tough to imagine that all of them have a bright future at Manchester United. Chris Eagles in particular has been around for a while, and seeing the way David Jones was let go I’m thinking that several of these players will be eventually sold off (or loaned out to Sunderland or Newcastle).
Chris Eagles is a certain departure, and I don’t think Danny Simpson will have much of a future either. Lee Martin ‘could’ stick around, but that’s assuming that he turns into a very good winger, and I doubt he’ll be good enough to displace Richardson, let alone Ronaldo.
That leaves us with Dong, Rossi, Evans and Bardsley. Bardsley is ear-marked as Neville’s replacement, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares (when he returns, he’s sure to play some part in the second-half of the season). We’ve not seen too much of Dong, but he should be the long term replacement of Alan Smith, if nothing else.
THAT leaves us with 2 - Rossi and Evans. Along with Foster and Pique, these two are the most talented of the bunch and the only two players that I think will be guaranteed a place in the Manchester United squad next year.
Rossi is lightweight but is quiet effective as a supporting striker and a clinical finisher as well. Evans is, along with Pique, one of the most talented young centre-backs we’ve seen at Manchester United since the world was gushing over Wes Brown and O’Shea (who is 27 now, by the way).
Then again, I thought David Jones was a sure starter but he’s been sold, so who knows?
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hi ahmed - great website by the way.
i agree with some of what you say, here’s my look on things.
also i have rated their chances of becoming 1st team regulars.
rossi: great touch and finishing, small in height but all we have to do is look at paul scholes and i think we have a very similar player. remember scholes was a striker in the youth team and struggled to dislodge the 1st team strikers at the time, but bc he was such a talent room was made for him in midfield.
i think we should use rossi as a sub in games for scholes, he definitely has the intelligence and technique to adapt just as scholes did, and could solve our problem for replacing scholes.let him learn from the master over the next 2 seasons and then at the age of just 21 he will be ready to replace him.
his other natural position would be where rooney plays and given rooney’s age there is no point in restricting him to that position. 9/10
lee martin:i really have i hopes for him, i remember when he joined from wimbledon and was very highly rated then.
he is already better than richardson and should be given a chance to come on as a sub for giggs late on in games.
he has all the right attributes, pace 2 good feet and a good shot on him, i know he has not had a good time at rangers, but neither did beckham at preston and we know what happened next…
he deserves the chance to stake his claim just as richardson has had(and failed to impress by the way) 7.5/10
bardsley: i would say he is as good as neville was at his age, which means he is solid but not great, but if he improves as neville did, he can make it. 8/10
evans/pique: both promising, but need to go out on loan for at least a season, say at sunderland, in order to get more experience while they get stronger. 8/10- but only 1 of them to make it -probably evans.
simpson: - saw him in preseason - no chance. 1/10
chris eagles: has no outstanding attribute: 0/10
fangzhaou: send him out on loan to championship side- ?/10 - too early to say.
Simpson, Evans and Lee Martin are all good players and I think they have a chance to make it. Bardsley will play a part this season but I don’t know if he will last at Old Trafford.
I don’t think it will be difficult for Lee Martin to be any worse than Richardson. Let’s face it, Kieran is no world beater by any means.
To Say Danny Simpson doesn’t have a future is absolutely ridiculous.
Has the person that wrote this article even seen the boy play? I think not, as Simpson excelled on this years pre-season, and in my opinion is a far better player than Phil Bardsley.
Simpson is in the mould of Ashley Cole, a good attacking fullback, who scores quite a few goals.
The manager was gleaming with his performances on pre-season, and I myself was extremely impressed with what I saw on those occasions, plus what I have seen of the lad in the reserves.
I’ll put my reputation on the line and say he is dead cert to make the first team.
Trust me, he is one of the best young right backs I have ever seen, and along with Seppe Rossi and Pique, is one of the favourites to be at United for a very long time.
Good players have been sold by United before (David Jones being the most recent one).
Has the person that wrote this article even seen the boy play? I think not, as Simpson excelled on this years pre-season, and in my opinion is a far better player than Phil Bardsley.
Yes I have. I rate Bardsley above Simpson, but it’s too soon to tel, although I’ve seen bits n pieces of both players.
Simpson is in the mould of Ashley Cole, a good attacking fullback, who scores quite a few goals.
Ashley Cole scoring goals?
The manager was gleaming with his performances on pre-season, and I myself was extremely impressed with what I saw on those occasions, plus what I have seen of the lad in the reserves.
Have you seen how the manager has praised Rossi, Pique and Evans? More than he’s praised any of the other lads.
I’ll put my reputation on the line and say he is dead cert to make the first team.
Your reputations as ‘what’, exactly?
Spot on Ahmed,
I think by now we all know how SAF loves to keep the boys hangin around if he thinks theres a certain quality in them…Eagles has been around for a long while,even touted as replacement when Becks left…Richardson in & out,as was Chadwick and Greening,two players who as we’ve seen,had an impact for the clubs they were sold to…
For the current batch,they all have the qualities to walk into any lower end club or even Div 1 starting line-up;Pique plays for Zaragoza regularly too;speaks volumes of their talent…
But alas,if were to choose,i’d go with Rossi & Pique…
Has to have doubts over their stay though,its typical for those outside of the UK system to not hang around for long;they usually get home sick or when famous decides to go back to play for one of their childhood supported big clubs;Inter Milan,Real Madrid etc
Quite simply,players comin through our youth ranks are all pretty much good,has to be greatly impressive to play in the first team though…
Much like Pennant,he was touted,then sold,and played well, then bought,and played like shiite…
It shows that player of his qualities are in abundance;they can play in the premiership,but not for the Big 4…
Lucky for us though Pools bought em…
Lee Martin has a future at OT. Richardson is not good enough by any stetch of the imagination………….
Hi all.
worst of this all for some youngsters is the fact that we are one of the biggest club of the world and young talented boys don´t survive to get along to the first team,except they are perfect in all things. We remember 91-96 the young guys,Beck´s,Scholes,Giggsy,The Neville´s,and many more. How long time did our boss build that squad up,,many yrs.I´m sorry but those guys you named here in first,don´t survive this pressure of today football in firstclass team. We have Ronaldo,Rooney,our new talented boy´s. Rossi is not strong enugh,Bardsley is talented and i´m very positive to his future in our club.The Andwerpen´s maybe one of them. Of cource they have hunger to play first team football,they are getting older and getting tired of reserve so they will transfer.But in the end of the day.We get 2 excelent youngsters in our first team pr7 yrs then you have to buy players,youngsters and professional to still be
MAN UTD THE BIGGEST AND GREATEST FOOTBALL CLUB IN THE WORLD!
Forget Dong Rossi & Martin Fraizer Campbell home grown local lad the next best thing humble honest loves the club & hardworking @ Royal Antwerp now top goalscorer in team and league. remember this.
oh my god, to say that about simpson is an absolute joke!
he is obviously the best lad to come back to united this year
he will definalty be around for a long time. believe me!