Alan Hansen claims Dimitar Berbatov still has to improve
Former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen says that Dimitar Berbatov still has a lot of improvement to make despite scoring five goals in Manchester United's 7-1 thrashing of Blackburn Rovers on Saturday 27 November.
The Bulgarian netted his first goals since his hat-trick in the 3-2 win over Hansen's old club in September when he put five past Rovers to help United ascend to the top of the English Premier League.
Berbatov had struggled to justify the £30.75m transfer fee paid to Tottenham Hotspur for his services in 2008 prior to the start of this season.
The 29-year-old now has 12 goals to his name from 17 appearances across all competitions and is beginning to live up to his billing as a top striker, but Hansen ― now a respected pundit ― claims that the forward still has to show that he can perform well
against the EPL's bigger clubs on a regular basis.
Hansen told The Telegraph: "Dimitar Berbatov’s five-goal performance against Blackburn Rovers was nothing short of sensational, but despite his undoubted ability, Manchester United really need him to be delivering when it is tense and tight and when he is
not playing well. It has to be remembered that his five goals against Blackburn Rovers were his first in 10 games. The jury is still out on Berbatov as a Manchester United player, but he is quite clearly capable of turning that around.
"For all of his class, Berbatov simply does not deliver as often as he should and the fact that United have yet to come up with a new contract to replace the final 18 months of his present deal says everything."
Berbatov's next opportunity to prove himself in the EPL will come when United visit Blackpool on Saturday 4 December.
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