There is no doubt that the most experienced club in Premier League history is Manchester United, but there is no hiding that they are currently in a process of transition. Last season saw two experienced and vital players leave in Van der Sar and Neville, they were replaced with De Gea and Smalling and there is no doubt that the lack of experience has been evident in some performances this season. As a United fan, we have to face the fact that we will lose two of the most influential players we have seen in a generation in the next 18 months, no matter how much yoga it is inevitable that Ferguson cannot carry on relying on the ‘golden oldies’. The lack of investment that has taken place in the last two seasons has seen United building for the future, but with experience still coming from the likes of Giggs, Scholes and Ferdinand it has enabled them to still be a title contender.
With the loss of Giggs and Scholes impending, the only players left with notable experience will be Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand and Rooney. United need to get the balance of experience and potential just right in order to keep up with the ‘noisy neighbours’ who will no doubt spend big again this summer. If you take the example of the Norwich game last weekend Giggs and Scholes won that game for United, United can’t continue to rely on them to pull them out of a sticky situation.
Not only may United be looking at life without Giggs and Scholes, but the master himself, Sir Alex Ferguson may have also moved on. When United look for a new manager there will be much speculation, but they will have to look for one with experience at a top European or international level, a charismatic leader who can lead another generation to the same heights that the Scot has.
This summer Manchester United will have to spend big in order to get that player who will gel with the style but also has the experience at a top level. The inconsistency cannot afford to continue in the youth of the Manchester United squad, this has been distinct in performances throughout the season, for example Crystal Palace and Ajax both home games where United should have comfortably won, however the lack of experience in sides with an average age of 21 was clear-cut for all to see.
The naivety and lack of experience is something that cannot afford to happen to United on the big stage, everyone knows that Ferguson is the expert when it comes to getting the best out of players, no matter how long it may take, take Berbatov for example, two seasons it took for Berbatov to finally find his feet in the Manchester United starting line up and he finally scored 21 goals in the 2010-11 season, again proving that Ferguson will stick with anyone until they come good. Now he may have taken him out of the starting line up this season, but my point is that Ferguson can make any inexperienced player good.
Should Manchester United win the league this season, it will certainly be one of Ferguson’s greatest achievements at the club, United’s domination of the league is under threat and Ferguson will want to prove that United can still compete with the best in England and Europe. This summer should see United bring in players to steady the ship with the inevitable loss of either Scholes or Giggs, maybe even both. It has been 18 months that the fans have been crying out for a technical minded midfielder to be bought, this will help them suit to Europe better than they did this season, Cleverley will get there eventually but again its about experience. With Manchester City threatening the existence of ‘Manchester is Red’, United cannot afford to sit back and watch Manchester turn from red to blue.
