Replacing the Irreplaceable

It is the question every diehard Manchester United fan wishes to ask: does the club need another central midfielder?

And with Chief Executive David Gill recently stating that the club could still be in the market for one more world class signing, it seems the race to fill the gaping hole in the middle is reaching a climactic point.

Considering the departure of one of the all-time great Premier League midfielders in Paul Scholes, one wonders whether a combination of any of the following; Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Park and Gibson could really produce a record 20^th title for the Red Devils.

It seems gone are the days when United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could call upon the mighty Roy Keane and Paul Ince to marshal his troops from the centre of the park. With the retirement of Scholes, the departure of the injury-plagued Owen Hargreaves and the fact that Darren Fletcher is still coming to grips with his ‘mystery virus’, there seems to be quite a large dearth of midfield options waiting in the wings.

Take also into consideration that although he is an enigma in the footballing world and his body does not seem to cease functioning at such a high level, Ryan Giggs is indeed turning 38 soon and surely cannot be relied upon to carry the burden.  Coupled with the fact that Anderson is an unproven entity with a list of injuries that would worry any manager and all you are left with is Michael Carrick; who as recently as the beginning of last season was clearly not the manager’s first choice selection. Not to forget he just turned 30 himself and is certainly not the long-term solution to the problem.

Improvement is a necessity. We all know that the ‘noisy neighbours’ are making headway in the transfer market and will only improve themselves for this forthcoming season. Chelsea will be looking to an invigorated Fernando Torres to lead from the front, with the help of the youthful AVB, and the rest of the chasing pack will have eyes only on dethroning the current champions.

One thing that Sir Alex must be wary of is the perceived lack of strength in depth. Not only have they lost the aforementioned players, but it seemed until a last minute hitch in transfer details, selling Darren Gibson is also a foregone conclusion.

Granted, the Northern Ireland international has his fair share of critics in the footballing community, however his Premier League experience and knowledge of the club means he is an able body to throw in against the lower sides; with perhaps an important Champions League tie on the horizon. The goal-scoring midfielder seems to be another casualty of the end of season squad shake-up, which has thus far still failed to solve the initial question put forth.

And with the constant rumours surrounding the signing of Wesley Sneijder, although Sir Alex has categorically denied it, another question arises; is the Dutchman indeed the man to fill that void anyway?

Consider this; Sneijder was not exactly a big hit in Madrid, where he carried the hefty price tag of €27 million from Dutch side Ajax. He then joined Italian giants Inter Milan two seasons later for a cut-price €15 million, an absolute bargain considering the players pedigree. He was part of the 2009/2010 Jose Mourinho side that had an extremely successful season in which they won almost every trophy on offer, with Sneijder receiving a great deal of the plaudits for being at the heart of Mourinho’s masterminded tactics.

Therefore of course his price was going to skyrocket. However, also consider that he has scored a meagre four goals in each of the past two Serie A seasons, not exactly the return his price tag would suggest.

Not for a minute could one disregard the brilliance of the play-maker. He is arguably one of the best dead ball specialists going around and can thread a pass through the most stalwart of defences. And for €15 million Inter picked up arguably the bargain of the decade, comparing it of course to the €70 million Real Madrid spent to replace him with Kaka, a player who has thus far failed to deliver.

However, take into account the fact that only a ‘mega-galactic’ big of over €35 million, a term coined by Inter director Marco Branca, could prize the 27-year-old away from the San Siro; perhaps then United should search elsewhere for a contingency plan.

So what are Fergie’s other options?

Danielle De Rossi: The Heir apparent for the captaincy in Rome, De Rossi represents the type of box-to-box midfielder that is needed at Old Trafford. Where Sneijder occupies the number 10’ role, De Rossi would fill the traditional number 8’ slot that has been vacated by Scholes. The 28-year-old is only a year older than Sneijder, and represents a physical style of play more synonymous with the Premier League; a fact that cannot be attributed to Sneijder (Or Carrick and Anderson for that matter). Although he is Roman bred through and through, he has recently stalled on accepting a new contract and it looks like he will more than likely leave in the summer of 2012 for free if the situation is not sorted. Enter United. With long-time admirer Ferguson at the helm, it seems De Rossi would be that combative midfielder enforcer Old Trafford has missed since the days of Keane. And for a mere €23-€25 million this can become a reality in the Theatre of Dreams. The other factor is that it has been reported that City manager Roberto Mancini is also following his progress closely. Surely a victory over the lavish-spending neighbours would be seen as a major coup, and Sir Alex would be making a great statement to the rest of the league that the Red half of Manchester still reigns supreme.

Lassana Diarra: Less technically gifted than both Sneijder and De Rossi, what the French international lacks in skill he makes up for it in stamina. The tireless midfielder has already great Premier League experience playing for Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth in a career that has seen him end up at the Bernabeu. It is in the capitol of Spain that he has now become surplus to requirements and a bargain €15 million would be accepted. The 26-year-old  was left out of the sides pre-season tour of the US and it is reported that he has recently rejected a move to Galatasaray in the hope of securing a return to the Premier League.

Marek Hamsik: The Napoli playmaker represents an exciting proposition for the Red Devils. Sir Alex has been linked with the Slovakian captain before, and after a standout 2010/2011 campaign in which he helped guide his side to a very respectable third place finish, scoring 11 crucial goals from midfield, he may be the type of player United need. The 24-year-old will not come cheap with his value set at somewhere between €25-€30 million, which could scupper the deal. Not sure how accurate this rumour is.

Samir Nasri: It seems the Nasri saga has finally come to a conclusion with the French International declaring his intention to stay for at least one more season at Arsenal. Reports suggest that he will then sign a new contract at the Emirates if the side are able to end their trophy-less run in recent years. If not it seems he may be back on the market for both Manchester clubs to fight it out for. United recently failed with a £20million bid for the 24-year-old, so it appears unlikely that they will return their before the transfer window closes.

Luka Modric: Like Nasri, it does not appear that Old Trafford would be the likely destination for the Croatian wizard, should he even leave Tottenham in the first place. Chelsea are the long-term admirers and a move to The Bridge seems the most logical. Scholes was recently quoted as saying that Modric is the most impressive of footballers that have been linked to fill the void he has left and if the departing hero’s say has any validity then perhaps Sir Alex would step up the pursuit. It also seems that nothing less than €35-€40 million would prise him away from the protective Harry Redknapp.

David Beckham: This is a fantasy move for the United faithful and is certainly not something Sir Alex would be considering. Or could he? Beckham recently joked that Ferguson tried to re-sign him after his stellar display against United for the MLS All-Stars. Beckham performed in the ‘Scholes role’ with relative ease and would provide the perfect short-term replacement should the Old Trafford hierarchy deem it necessary. His passing range has lost none of its artistry and the sentimental factor would certainly make it a popular move, not to mention the inevitable marketing bonanza that would follow. The midfielder is 36-years young and this would be the perfect swansong for a player who truly deserves it. Economically it would be a success, but would it be for footballing reasons? That is the real question. And for now it seems this rumour would have to remain as just that.

Other options: In Anderson it seems United have a ready-made replacement who has certainly not yet lived up to his much hyped talent, but has the potential to be something of a great. The problem is that although he is at the tender age of 23, the Brazilian has already had four seasons to prove his worth in Manchester and has yet to deliver. There will be added pressure on his shoulders to perform from the first match of the season.

However, it could be in a player that has so far flown well and truly under the radar that United find their true star. One Tom Cleverly. The 21-year-old prodigy has proven himself in recent seasons by spending successful loan periods with lower league sides Leicester City and Watford (in which he was bitterly successful for the latter scoring 11 goals in 33 games from midfield), before enjoying a sustained period of first team action in the Premier League with Wigan Athletic. The United junior did not look out of place scoring four times in 25 games and was a key part to The Latics surviving relegation; priceless experience for the youngster. Surely Cleverly must take to the pitch often this season.

Another very interesting point for the Old Trafford faithful is that youth set up seems to be thriving once again. The side won the FA Youth Cup last season for the first time since 2003 and only the second since the fabled side of 1992 and 1995 teams won it (That team included the likes of Neville/Butt/Beckham). In Ravel Morrison and Paul Pogba the Red Devils have two extremely talented midfielders. Throw Oliver Norwood and Ryan Tunnicliffe into the mix and Fergie has plenty of youth to blood this coming campaign. Morrison, in particular, has caught the eye, with Scholes himself singling him out for praise. “We’ve trained with Ravel and we know what talent he has got – hopefully,” the 36-year-old said.

What remains true is that Sir Alex Ferguson will have difficulty replacing the irreplaceable Scholes. Regardless of which big signing player he brings in or any other way he chooses to plug the gap, no one single player could fill the shoes of the diminutive Englishmen, who had a knack for scoring goals, was susceptible to a rash tackle and boasted arguably the world’s finest rocket-of-a-shot; all attributes that combined perfectly to make him a Premier League great.

This sentiment was best summed up by the man who has managed him for his entire professional career.

“Scholes was more calculated and he always had that control about him, controlling the speed and pace of a game, which is pretty difficult to do. He was an absolute one-off.

“You can’t replace players like that. You hope you can find something approaching it, but you will never replace a Paul Scholes.”

WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS?  DO WE NEED ANOTHER CENTRAL MIDFIELDER? IF SO, WHO.   HAVE YOUR SAY BY LEAVING YOUR COMMENTS BELOW