Senna’s Future At Manchester United

Despite Ferguson’s statements that Manchester United are looking at other options apart from Marcos Senna, there is little doubt in my mind that we will end signing the defensive midfielder from Villareal.

As such, it’s time to prepare for life with the hard-tackling Senna, so here’s a brief look at what Manchester United are getting themselves into.

The Good

• For starters, the man will be on a 3-year deal in which Villareal will be paid 4 mil while Senna will be paid 30K per week. Not exactly the makings of a first-team player, but at least we’re not throwing too much money at him (that is, if he stays fit and doesn’t do a Djemba-Djemba on us).
• The transfer, once Manchester United actually table a bid, should be completed within a day and Senna could be part of the squad that takes on Seville on Saturday.
• Senna’s deep-lying style makes him ideal for the Champions League, and his presence would (hypothetically speaking) allow the rest of the midfield to attack and get the goals we so badly lacked last year.
• His work ethic and desire to win are very strong, as evidenced by his ‘bloody shorts’ incident against Inter last year (read The Sun’s account of it).

The Bad

• His age (30) means that he is at best a squad buy and a temporary solution.
• His style of play is not really ball-winning - it’s disruption. That might work in some situations but in most others if Senna gets his positioning wrong he would be getting cautioned more than he gets starts in the team.
• He lacks pace, which makes him even more reliant on his positioning (which is not great to begin with).
• Where will he fit into the team? His inclusion will invariably mean a change in strategy, even if United are playing 4-4-2.

The Really Ugly

Quite frankly, I think Senna is good, solid player - but not the right one for Manchester United. We’ve been down this road before though - doubting Ferguson, telling him how to run the club, etc. The point is, Senna is not our first choice recruit, and that bites. Diarra’s heart is set on Real Madrid and Lyon’s asking price would be too high, while United have not bid for either Mascherano or Hargreaves - both extremely talented players and suitable for filling that holding midfielder gap.

Carrick’s signing makes things even stranger - because we will now need to play him, any holding midfielder that comes in will be a squad player (unless we play 4-3-3). The money we had to shell out for Carrick has also meant that we might not have the spare cash to splash on a second good player.

When all’s said and done though, I’m sure that if and when Senna joins Manchester United he will be able to have a positive influence on the team and on our results.

As far as him being the right choice - hell no.

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1. August 9, 2006Tauren

   Just a quick comment on what you have said regarding money. Unless the Glazer’s are about to prove everyone of their haters right, we should have plenty of money to spend on another player, even after signing Senna and Carrick. We have secured £22million in transfer fees this summer, with the sales of Ruud and Mikel, and we have spent less then that.

2. August 9, 2006Billy Bob

   I am assuming having read this that you have not seen Senna play much ? There are a number of positives as to why this is a good signing indeed. He is a very good tackler and ball player , his distribution is very good, and his energy levels good , he is very hard working. He is able to do the dirty work which will allow Scholes and Carrick to create , which has been missing from UTDs midfield. Senna is also comfortable with the ball at his feet and technically a good player (more so than Makelele in my opinion) As for his age it should not be a concern , he is getting better as he gets older. In addition we have the best buch of youth players coming through in a decade and in Darren Gibson a readdy madereplacement who will be challenging for the first team in 1 or 2 seasons. Therefore Senna at his age and price will be ideal in getting a good solid player for very little money and not hampering the youth development. In my opinion I also think that UTD will be playing a 4-3-3 formation next year and in Carrick and Senna we have bought well for this system. I think you will be surprised and Senna will impress.

3. August 9, 2006Ahmed Bilal
   Tauren - I sure hope so.

   Billy Bob - I think that Senna can flourish in a 4-3-3 formation and that yes, at this point he’s a smart buy but the reason this rubs me the wrong way is because:

   1) We’ll be in the same situation 2 years down the line - David Jones and Lee Martin are excellent midfielders but I wouldn’t want to bet United’s future on unfulfilled potential. Age is a serious problem, and Senna I fear will slow us down. He would work great for the Champions League, no doubt, but where the Premiership is concerned I’m a bit skeptical.

   2) Will United change their playing style to accomodate Senna? We’re used to playing 4-4-2 and 4-4-1-1 - playing 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 will require some practice and with Fulham up in less than 2 weeks, can we take such a drastic risk right before the start of the season?

   I’m usually very optimistic, but considering that Senna is not Ferguson’s first choice (he had Diarra, Gattuso and Vieira higher on his list than Senna) is worrying.

   I hope to be surprised, but I’m not betting on it.

4. August 9, 2006Jace

   I honestly believe that Man United needs as much reinforcement as it can get and Senna is not a bad choice even thoug he was not SAF first choice.
   - Chelsea! as good as they are, are still recruiting players like crazy.

5. August 29, 2006Max Kamarake

   Marcos Senna can play in a 4-4-2 formation with him as the holding midfielder and scholes/carrick creating the flair in midfield.We should NOT play both Scholes and Carrick as the latter couldn’t win a ball if his life depended on it!