Chief Executive of Manchester United, David Gill, has suggested that the club is getting ready for the time when Sir Alex Ferguson decides to retire from management of the club. Gill told the press that the club is investing in young players so that the
foundation is laid for a team that can go on for quite some time after Ferguson retires from football.
During the last summer transfer, Manchester United did not buy any major players. In the beginning, the interest was being shown in a lot of established players, like David Villa and Rafael van der Vaart, but no player was bought for the club. On the other
hand, Ferguson got some of the young and talented players in the squad, including Bebe, Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez.
For the future, United is showing interest in a number of quality young players, including the Brazilian sensation Neymar, who plays for Santos. Also, Manchester United has acquired the services of a relatively young goalkeeper from Denmark, Anders Lindegaard,
as Edwin van der Sar has started showing signs of old age.
In recent years, Manchester United has focused more on signing younger players, rather than the established ones. There are a few exceptions, including Dimitar Berbatov, but generally a policy of signing youngsters has been followed.
Gill said that United is preparing a team that can go on for quite some time. Ferguson, over the years, has made a lot of great squads for United and won many honours with his squad. However, some of his players went on playing for the club for long periods
and earned a lot of fame. The most notable of these players are Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Now, Manchester United wants Ferguson to pick up a team for them that can go on years after Ferguson’s retirement.
This strategy actually works and has worked for some other clubs in the past. The recent example can be taken from Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea. When Mourinho was in charge of affairs at Chelsea, he got hold of many players and made a strong squad. Therefore,
even when Mourinho left the team Chelsea continued to bear the fruits of his hardwork.
However, there is still some time before Ferguson actually retires from football. The signs are there, as people have started talking about his possible replacements, but no one is sure about the actual date. The manager himself has pointed out that he has
no desire to leave the club in the near future. Ferguson said that he would continue to be a manager at Manchester United unless he is hindered by ill-health at some time in the future.
There is nothing unusual about the transfer policy at Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson has always preferred young players over the established ones. Even when Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney came to United, they were youngsters on the rise, rather
than the established players.
However, Ferguson did not prepare for the day when Giggs and Scholes would be unable to continue. The two main players have aged and Manchester United needs replacement. The same is the case with their goalkeeper, as Van der Sar is well past his best days.
Although United seems to be planning for the inevitable, but things would not be same when Ferguson leaves the club. Sir Alex Ferguson has done something unparallel in modern football history. Following his footsteps, therefore, would not be easy, despite
the foundations being laid by him for his replacement.
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