If you’re not a Manchester United fan, ignore this

Laurent Blanc’s signing is not considered to be Ferguson’s smartest hour. However, a player’s impact is felt as much behind the scenes and on the training ground as it is on the playing field, and Blanc, like Larsson this season, was a model professional who would have greatly helped the kids at the time.

Rossi’s off to Parma, but Manchester United still have Rooney, Saha, Ole, Dong and Smith apart from Larsson, and you’d imagine that Rooney, Dong and Smith (and even Saha) would learn from Larsson.

Add that to the handful of goals he’s going to score (allowing Rooney / Saha to rest) and the fact that he’s here for free (apart from his salary),

Silvestre (in a recent interview) talked about how much he’d learned from Blanc. Now I know Silvestre is not the best example but what’s important here is to understand that players aren’t just there to play every weekend - they’re there in training every day and they’re part of a large family and they undoubtedly have an impact on everyone else.

Larsson (on his future at Man Utd):

“I will continue to work hard and try to get my fitness and sharpness up to the best possible levels. I haven’t a lot of time to achieve that, but I am determined to be in the best shape to try to help Manchester United as much as I can.”

And if you’re interested in reading more about (and from) Larsson, see his website (Henrik Larsson).