-Ferguson always gets his man.
First, it was an 18-month wait for one Ruud Van Nistelrooy from PSV in 2001.
Then came a long tug-of-war with Bayern Munich for the services of midfielder Owen Hargreaves in the summer of 2007.
And now, after having spent close to 2 seasons without a recognized (and fit) target man in his armory, Ferguson may have well produced another masterstroke in the 11th hour of the summer transfer window.
Bulgarian hitman Dimitar Berbatov’s £30.75m move to United was finally completed after much drama on transfer deadline day. The deal sees academy starlet Frazer Campbell moving the other direction on a season-long loan at White Hart Lane. The price tag may be hefty to some, but the signing is a clear signal of intent from the Theatre of Dreams that the Red Devils are not done conquering Europe and England yet.
The Berba Effect
So what does the inclusion of the lanky Sofia-born striker mean to the dynamics of the squad and the season ahead? For one, some of the goal-scoring duties will now be expected to lighten off the broad shoulders of last season’s 42-goal hero Cristiano Ronaldo. European Forward of the Year he may be but it would probably still be too much to ask for a repeat of another massive goal haul from a player who primarily operates on the right wing. Also, the arrival of “Berba” – as he is affectionately known as – could also mean the resurgence of another individual who is capable of nothing short of phenomenal.
He goes by the name of Wayne Rooney
The post-Ruud era has seen Wazza having to shift the focus of his game considerable in the past couple of seasons to make up for the shortage of a target-man upfront. Gone were his free-spirited runs across the final third of the park and also those long range crackers that were a regular highlight on television stations across the country. From Ferguson to Capello, everyone knows that Rooney is at his devastating best only when he has a stable target-man to play off from. Expect a magical season from Wayne.
It also looks as though the team will significantly see a slight change in system as well. Over the years, Ferguson has morphed the team from a more traditional wing-heavy style of play to the much more fluid and fast-paced style that we see today. What’s been missing for a long while has been a focal point to the quick movements and long minutes of possession that United typically have during matches, that someone to deliver a final ball to. Berbatov has made a name throughout his career as a striker – while not known to be speedy – who is blessed with an exquisite touch and is rarely beaten off the ball. Something which must surely bring more balance to our attacks and the team as a whole. And to add to that, with a whole string of brilliant passers in the team in the form of players such as Scholes, Carrick and Anderson, they now have the option of manufacturing that defence-splitting pass during matches as Berba usually plays off the shoulders of defenders as well.
“Over the odds” and “hefty” the price tag may be to some but in Dimitar, its seems ominous that Ferguson may have found the pivot which could bring the Old Trafford faithful back-to-back UCL titles for the first time in history. And, if his goal-scoring record is anything to come by, it’s that we may have finally landed the man who could truly strengthen United’s claim for another Treble-winning campaign.
Defenders be wary. Berbatov’s in town.
The revelation begins against Liverpool.
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