da stake casino： Despite consistency and stability being the overriding factors regarding the appointment of David Moyes as the natural successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, the outgoing Everton boss will be desperate to step out of his countryman’s shadow through the course of the coming season. The Manchester United gaffer will want to imprint his own vision upon his new club, much of which will depend upon his actions in the transfer market.
da doce： Whereas much has been made already in terms of whom David Moyes wishes to purchase over the summer, with constant murmurings that he will bring former employees Leighton Baines and Marouane Fellaini with him to Old Trafford, whom the Red Devils boss decides to discard for next season, either by selling them on or reducing their roles in the first team, will have equal significance.
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Whilst the potential departures of Nani and Wayne Rooney have been well publicised, the future of United’s lesser squad members could also come under threat, as there will be less room than ever for passengers or bystanders at Old Trafford, with pressure for results rife from the offset of Moyes’ tenure, despite his six year contract. The two squad members I would like to particularly address are Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, who both appear to have a marmite effect on the footballing public.
I may as well admit early on in this article that I am firmly in the ‘naysayer’ camp regarding the English duo. Both possess ability and potential, yet both at this moment in time are terribly overrated, and a large contingent of my antagonism towards them lies in their apparent fast track to success.
Tom Cleverley has transformed from Wigan loanee to England mainstay in the space of a season, whilst Danny Welbeck has also become a regular for the Three Lions, despite producing one of the worst goal to game ratios of any English forward in the top flight. Even Darren Bent has found the net more times and more consistently than the United striker this season, with three goals in 16 appearances for Aston Villa.
In my opinion, the overall view of the United pair’s abilities has been morphed by two factors; their nationality, and their age. The fact is, the English public have a knack of exaggerating the capability of our youngsters, and I believe Welbeck and Cleverley’s reputation has gone on to exceed their capabilities simply due to the fact that they are home-grown talents, plying their trade with a club well known for producing high quality English players from the academy at Carrington.
But have either of them actually lived up to all the hype yet? As previously mentioned, Danny Welbeck’s goal record can be described as poor at best, whilst Tom Cleverley’s contribution for the season of two goals and two assists in 24 appearances is a hardly inspiring feat considering the 23 year old is labelled as being first and foremost an attacking midfielder.
I would argue that Cleverley’s continual inclusion at Old Trafford is as much due to a lack of a better alternative as it is his own abilities as a footballer. With Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes and Anderson all lacking in pace and athleticism, Cleverley’s speedy physique, an effect of his youthfulness rather than any particular design, is required to bring a level of balance to United’s otherwise disturbingly slow midfield.
But with the middle of the park expected to be the first port of call for Moyes during the coming transfer window, it begs the question as to whether the England man’s services are actually needed at Old Trafford? Perhaps arguing to move Cleverley on in the summer would be a step too far, considering Darren Fletcher’s health situation is still yet to be resolved and Paul Scholes will be entering his retirement, but I do not believe his role should be any more enhanced by David Moyes, and should much rather be diminished over the course of next season. Those who believe Cleverley will overtake Paul Scholes as United’s midfield maestro are misguided; a career closely resembling that of Nicky Butt is far more likely.
Similarly, the arguments surrounding Danny Welbeck’s abilities are beginning to wear thin. He may well be useful out wide, in attacking midfield or as a striker, with unquestionable work-rate and athleticism, yet if a forward cannot comfortably find the net, or even create ample opportunities for himself to do so, there is an intrinsic element to his game that is missing. Strikers are on the pitch to score goals, and it is after all goals that decide results. Had Welbeck not been privy to an excellent berth of strike partners in Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and Javier Hernandez, much more would have been made of his poor tally.
Yet despite both having obvious shortcomings to their game, that unfortunately I believe cannot be ironed out over time, should Moyes remove them from the fold at Old Trafford, he will undoubtedly come up against stiff opposition. Much has been made this season of the importance of ‘Englishness’ – the idea that any team in England can only be successful if a strong contingent of the squad is home-grown, carrying with them the core values of the English game. It has furthermore been one of the underlying arguments behind David Moyes’ appointment, with his knowledge of the English game much preferred to the idealistic and impractical approach that often comes with foreign managers, and will undoubtedly be an argument against ditching the the two Three Lions internationals.
Similarly, with the current climate of a rather pejorative view over the future of the England national team, criticism will be strong in the press should a Scottish manager limit the game time of two of the Three Lions’ most experienced youngsters, who already have a small string of silverware to add to their CV.
England caps and Premier League titles or not however, it does not change the fact that Cleverley and Welbeck are simply in the United squad to serve a purpose, rather than either bringing to the fold any particular skill set that would otherwise be a rarity or difficult to replace in the transfer market. Whilst some envisage the pair being a big part of the Red Devils’ future, in shades of the now famous Class of ’92, I believe that over the next few years, their importance at Old Trafford will greatly diminish, and they will follow the likes of Nicky Butt, Phil Neville, Wes Brown and John O’Shea in leaving the club upon exceeding their stays at Old Trafford.
David Moyes will certainly not sell them this summer, and they may well stay on at United until reaching their peak years, but the incoming manager will not be increasing their responsibilities to the first team any time soon. They’re the new breed of rotational utility players that has always been present in the Red Devils squad, but like those before them, will eventually be moved on.
I’d argue the decision to cut them adrift should be undertaken sooner rather than later, as there are many players, English or otherwise, who could provide much more for the United first team, especially in terms of end product, considering they are Premier League Champions and a mainstay in the later stages of the Champions League.