When the rumour that Berbatov’s departure from Old Trafford was imminent took flight, we witnessed perhaps the biggest love-in that the striker has had since he joined the club. It was so great that you wondered whether Berbatov had hauled us to the title single-handedly, and felt a bit sorry for James Collins.

When Berbatov arrived, he joined a strikeforce also consisting of Ronaldo, Tevez, and Rooney. The quartet were almost never deployed together, though Ferguson did use them as a ‘nuclear option’ on occasion – they were tasked with destroying Tottenham when we found ourselves 2-0 down at White Hart Lane, and the result was the best, most exciting half of football we’d played since the 7-1 versus Roma.

Everything gelled that day, and United’s fantastic four looked to be in serious contention for the title of ‘greatest strikeforce ever put together.’ It really did have everything – physicality, work-rate, irresistible pace, guile, technique, and with all four being able to produce magic and score goals. It turned out to be a false dawn – Ferguson, in his caution, or wisdom, rarely used all four together, and the last time we saw the combination was in a futile pursuit in the dying stages of the clash with Barcelona in Rome.

Berbatov, however, stuck around, and improved in successive seasons but has still not found his place at the club. Having fallen foul of Ferguson’s refusal to play him in bigger games, his confidence has wavered, and he has also bizarrely failed to attract the unconditional admiration of the fans enjoyed by the likes of Rooney. It’s hard to imagine a player scoring a hat-trick, involving an overhead kick, to defeat Liverpool and attracting such limited reverence.

And so, I’m prepared to admit that in a pragmatic light, a move makes a lot of sense. PSG were the club rumoured to be making the bid, and a moneyed club short on success would be ideal, as it would mean we’d get good money for an ageing striker who has never fitted into our system, and has plenty of young replacements waiting in the wings.

Yet if we sell Berbatov, we will lose something more valuable – we will lose our swagger. Berbatov fits into a category of players that has, under Ferguson, included Scholes, Ronaldo, and Cantona – the player who gets people off their seats. Nani may be capable of the spectacular, but people are reluctant to vacate their sofas when they know that the outcome is more likely to be a shot wildly blazed into the stands. Berbatov, like the other players named, not only has the capacity for magic, but there’s also the very high probability that when the ball is moved on, we’ll be in a better position than we were previously.

Yes, contrary to the doubters’ views, Berbatov is reliable. Rooney would be our spark if he could be trusted not to give the ball away with a leaden touch or a floated, searching pass to the linesman. And it’s the unpredictability we’ll miss – ways of scoring goals we hadn’t thought of, rather than a small repertoire of simple goals which can at times find itself quickly exhausted

Still, Ferguson’s European record in recent years makes it difficult to question his judgement. Berbatov was unlikely to have been key to either Champions League defeat to Barcelona, and perhaps his style of play really is at odds with the modern game – too slow to put pressure on an opposition backline, not energetic enough to close down midfielders. Instead Rooney has been moved to this role, a player with half of Berbatov’s imagination and reliability with the ball but who never neglects his defensive duties. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the closest player to Berbatov around in terms of style, fell out of favour at Barcelona for similar reasons, and success has eluded him at the highest level in Europe.

So perhaps there isn’t room for imagination anymore. Sheer imagination is no longer for settling tight games between giants, but for unlocking the massed defences of Birmingham and Stoke. The genius who would formerly be the inspirational, talismanic presence is now a squad player to be used in a specific situation. It’s happening elsewhere too – Ronaldo and Messi have been more effective as they have become more flairless, and Barcelona, the greatest team of our age, have a passing game not modelled on the swagger and fearlessness of the great Brazilian sides, or the patience supported by magic of Italian masters, but rather the robotic uniformity we label as boring when practised by Germans.

It’s a painful thought, but if Berbatov wants to be back playing his best football, playing the best role he can for a team, then he should leave. There are plenty of clubs that would be ideal for him, but sadly, United, and anyone else with notions of European dominance, are not one of them. It’ll be sad to see him go, and the memories will remain, but Dimitar – I just want what’s best for you.

For a video tribute to Berbatov, or some t-shirts honouring the great man, check out Surreal Football.

The news that Rio Ferdinand will miss the tournament has seen England’s odds drift to 8.8 (8/1). Punters clearly understand what a big loss Rio will be and this is a significant change in price, especially when you consider that England once traded at a low of 6.8 (6/1). Fabio Capello’s men have now surrendered their ‘third favourite’ tag to Argentina 8.2 (7/1).

After the sad news that United winger Nani will miss the tournament with a shoulder injury, Portugal are a massive 34.0 (33/1) in Betfair’s World Cup winner market. It’s a great shame that the player will not get the chance to carry his terrific club form on to the international stage and Reds fans will wish him a speedy recovery.

Spain remain rock-solid favourites on 5.3 (9/2), followed by Brazil at 5.9 (5/1) but the really big movers in recent weeks have been the Netherlands who have been backed in from the mid-to-high teens to their current odds of 11.0. At one point the Oranje were amongst a clutch of European nations – such as Patrice Evra’s France, who have drifted alarmingly to 23.0 (22/1), Germany 15.5 (14/1) and Italy 17.5 (16/1) – disputing fifth favouritism, but they own that place now. Some are drawing parallels between the Dutch and Spain, who shed their nearly-men tag at Euro 2008, and punters seem to think they are a good bet to follow up in 2010.

Going the opposite way are the Ivory Coast who have probably lost Didier Drogba to injury and can now be backed at 55.0 (54/1) for World Cup glory.

In the top goalscorer market, Drogba went from lively outsider to no-hoper when news of his arm injury broke. His apparently successful operation has seen that price settle at 60.0 (59/1), some way off market leaders David Villa 9.2 (8/1), Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney (both 12.0 (11/1)… ) and Luis Fabiano 13.5 (12/1).

But, again, the market has fancied a bit of Dutch with the big move coming for Robin van Persie who has been backed consistently from around the 40.0 (39/1) mark to fifth favourite at 15.5 (14/1).

These odds will all fluctuate at the weekend as punters get a first look at the teams. On Friday, Javier Hernandez’s Mexico play hosts South Africa in the tournament opener before Patrice Evra’s France take on Paraguay. Then On Saturday, it’s the big one: we said last week that England’s match odds were too short and Rio’s absence only reinforces that. The draw appeals at 4.5 but we’ll provide a full preview later in the week.

Football is not like it was in his day, it appears, with McClair coming across appointment times for pedicures, massages and yoga classes.

Surely it’s all gone a bit too far when the players can’t even run their own baths?

“I don’t go into the first team dressing room very often, but I popped in recently to look for a member of staff,” said McClair. “I noticed there was a new addition to the room – a large flat-screen TV. I switched it on and saw there was a scrolling screen informing players of details for the day. There were times of training, massage times, pedicure times, hair care times, whose turn it was to speak to MUTV, who to instruct to run a bath for you, weights sessions, yoga times and nutrition advice.”

No Ryan Giggs, Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Park Ji-Sung, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves, with Anderson supposedly exhausted after 6 games in 18 matches in China.

“We wanted to play a system in which the players we had would be comfortable in their positions and I think we used our players the right way,” said Fergie after the match. “Anderson wanted to play and I think he showed it was a very good decision – he was fantastic. Paul Scholes looked to control the game and I think he did that. We also had the energy and the qualities that both John O’Shea and Darren Fletcher bring to the team. I don’t think Darren will complain about the goal [if it's taken off him] and neither will I! He’s not playing in his favourite position, but he still makes a lot of good runs and has such fantastic energy. I’m really pleased to see him get the credit he deserves.”

Fletcher has two goals in two games now, amusingly, United’s highest scorer. But is that enough to earn him a starting place in our team?

When we have a fully fit squad, deciding on our best midfield is almost impossible. When you consider the midfield difficulties we had a couple of years ago, it’s rather ironic we have more quality midfielders than we know what to do with. Not that I’m complaining!

Whilst I know Fergie will rotate the midfield, I think our best starting 4 should be Ronaldo, Scholes, Hargreaves and Nani. I think Giggs, Carrick and Anderson all still have an incredibly important part to play, but I believe those 4 to be the strongest in the squad.

Which midfield 4 would you like to see starting this season?

No wonder FIFA moron Sepp Blatter is waging a war against England at the moment, with English clubs and players totally dominating Europe. The list of potential winners has been whittled down to 20, with 17 of those spots being filled by players from the Premiership.

Whilst United have more players than any other team represented, Chelsea come 2nd with five players in the running (Petr Cech, John Terry, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba), Liverpool with four players (Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres) and Arsenal with two (Manuel Almunia, Cesc Fabregas).

So, who’s going to win what?

It’s pretty funny to think that of all the leagues and all the teams in Europe, just three players act as representatives for them outside of the Premiership. Schalke 04 Manuel Neuer is in the running for the goalkeeper’s prize, whilst Barcelona defender Carles Puyol and his team-mate, forward Lionel Messi, are also up for the awards.

Edwin Van der Sar

Van der Sar was the goalkeeper in the most effective defence in the Premiership last season, conceding just 22 goals and picking up 21 clean sheets. They also boasted the best defensive record in Europe, with Real Madrid conceding 36 goals, Inter Milan conceding 26, and Bayern Munich conceding 21 goals (but in 4 fewer games, giving United a better goals to game ratio).

In the European Cup, Van der Sar played in 10 games, with United conceding just 4 goals those matches.

Most importantly though, and likely to sway the decision, Van der Sar saved the penalty that won Manchester United the European Cup. How can you argue with that?

Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic

Again, two defenders part of the best defence in the Premiership and Europe.

Whilst Vidic claims a lot of the plaudits, mainly because his (insane) bravery, Rio Ferdinand was immense last season. I’ll make no bones about the fact that I’ve been a Ferdinand critic over the years, however you’d have to possess particularly strong anti-Rio feelings to not recognise his brilliant performances last season. It was incredibly rare to see an opponent get the better of him, with the likes of Fernando Torres and Dimitar Berbatov (and Emmanuel Adebayor, when not using his hand to score!) having no joy when up against him.

Either of these players would be worthy winners of this award but I’d say Rio should edge it, particularly due to the amount of games he played in last season (51 games to Vidic’s 43).

Paul Scholes

The glamour of scoring a beauty of a goal against Barcelona in the European Cup semi-final was certainly the reason why UEFA took note and put Scholes in the list. However, United fans can appreciate Scholes for far more than that last season.

Whilst Michael Carrick Anderson ensured we didn’t miss him on a costly level last season when out for several months following his operation, the quality Scholes brings to our team is unmatched by any other player. His passing is absolutely phenomenal, spraying 50 yard balls across the park to feet on a consistent basis.

However, as a player far more happy to skulk out of the limelight, I can’t see how he would draw in enough attention to get the votes to win this one.

Wayne Rooney

Rooney was one of the most effective players in the Premiership last season, although you’d never know it. In the 27 league games Rooney played in last season, missing out on close to 1/3 of the season due to injury, he was responsible (either scoring or assisting) 25 goals, an average of 0.9 goals a game.

Rooney was missing for 4 out of United’s 5 defeats last season, and scored the equalising goal against Chelsea before being subbed through injury, with United then going on to lose. Coincidence? Only people who don’t watch Rooney on a weekly basis could claim such a thing.

Whilst still yet to have that blinding season that has been predicting, mainly due to his self-sacrificing nature, far more concerned with the team winning than he is receiving the praise himself, it was an incredibly important player to United last season, as he is every season.

However, he went AWOL in the Champions League, which was strange for the ‘big game’ player he usually is, so can’t see how he would scoop this prize. Particularly considering Cristiano Ronaldo has been shortlisted for this category.

Which players do you think will scoop the awards?

So, with things going from bad to worse for ol Sparky already, how does he plan on resolving things? Taking Mikael “Silly” Silvestre off our hands of course!

Reports have surfaced suggesting that City are lining up a bid for Silvestre, with as little as £750,000 being enough to convince United to sell. Now, I’ve already said my goodbyes to Mikael, and I believe it’s time the club did too.

Silvestre had been with the club for 9 years and it will be tragic if a player like him gets a bloody testimonial! Don’t get me wrong, I have a soft spot for him, but mainly in hindsight, when he’s nowhere near the pitch. The moment he’s on it, I stop breathing every time he’s in possession of the ball!

So, I’m up for a laugh. Sell Silvestre to City and see how many own goals he can score and penalties he can give away. And I’d cheer as loud as ever if he decked West Ham’s Ljungberg, even if in the blue of City!

With the Da Silva twins coming through, is it time to sell Silvestre?

“I have come from one big club to another so I am very happy,” Kleberson said in all seriousness after making the move from Manchester United to Turkish side Besiktas. He has now returned to Brazil and won a couple of trophies. Anderson won a couple of trophies last season too, but the Premiership title and European Cup are slightly more prestigious than the Brazilian cup competitions Kleberson got his hands on!

Anderson is loved by United fans worldwide but that love has not gone unnoticed, as is shown by this touching story involving our midfielder.

Nishok is a massive fan of Anderson and whilst his friends went off to the pictures to watch a film, he decided to watch the Brazilian Olympic team’s training session at the National Stadium. It was chucking it down with rain but this didn’t deter him.

As the team were winding down, Nishok burst in to song, shouting out the Anderson-son-son chant. Anderson responded with a wave, before chucking up his football boots, which he later signed. The lad burst in to tears, overcome by his hero making such a kind gesture.

Later, Anderson signalled to the press for Nishok to join him on the pitch, where Dunga took a picture of them. Our player chatted with the lad for five minutes before the media pounced on him, asking Nishok about what happened.

“I just felt that he should know that I’m his fan, so I started to sing,” he said. “And the crowd was getting quiet, and I wanted to make it livelier. His gesture was something I least expected. I thought he was just going to come over and say ‘hi’. His first words to me were, ‘How are you, my friend?’. Then, he asked me to sing him the song again, so that he could hear the lyrics clearly. I will remember this for the rest of my life.”

Anderson, what a bloody nice bloke!

Today, United legend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has his testimonial next week, has admitted he hopes this current United side will be the greatest of them all.

“I’m excited to see if this United team can become the best ever,” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said this week. “Sir Alex has laid the right foundations. He’s always had a knack of buying the right people at the right time. Remember in 2006/07 we only signed Michael Carrick and Tomasz Kuszczak and we’d not been close to winning the league for three years. The Gaffer trusted us and we won the league. Last summer he signed four young players, sold a few others, and he did the double. He knows he has to challenge the boys all the time to keep improving them. We had a few disappointments in the Champions League after the 1999 season, in particular losing a semi-final to Bayer Leverkusen in 2003, and he won’t want to fall into that trap again. I hope this squad has the ability to become the greatest in United’s history. They definitely have the right manager to achieve that goal.”

Which side is the greatest ever?

1957

1968

1994

1996

1999

2008

With the season-long injury to Gary Neville, Ferdinand stood in admirably as a captain, whether he had the armband or not, leading the team out in our European Cup final victory over Chelsea.

Whilst Chelsea fans will argue John Terry is the best defender going, and Liverpool fans reckon it’s Jamie Carragher, Sir Alex Ferguson and Gary Pallister have championed Ferdinand as not only the best defender in England, but Europe as well.

“When Rio is at his best, there is no finer defender in Europe,” said Pallister. “He has pace, is composed and uses the ball intelligently. We all know he had a difficult time with his contract negotiations and before that the missed drugs test. But these are the kind of events that make you stronger and Rio is now fulfilling all the potential people knew he had.”

Gary Pallister was one half of the great defensive duo, along with Steve Bruce, that dominated the Premiership in the early 90s. Ferguson has claimed that Ferdinand with Nemanja Vidic are the best defensive partnership for years.

“Rio has been the best defender in the country if not Europe for a couple of years,” said Sir Alex Ferguson. “His maturity and leadership have been key factors in the team’s success. He is someone that young players learn from and that more experienced players respect. I have not seen a better defensive pairing than him and Nemanja for a long time.”

Rio Ferdinand:
PFA Premier League Team of the Year – 2001/2002, 2004/2005, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008
League title – 3
Champions League – 1
League Cup – 1

John Terry:
PFA Premier League Team of the Year – 2003/2004, 2004/2005, 2005/2006,
PFA Player of the Year – 2004/2005
League title – 2
FA Cup – 2
League Cup – 2

Jamie Carragher:
PFA Premier League Team of the Year – 2005/2006
Champions League – 1
FA Cup – 2
League Cup – 2

Cries of “Judas” and “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” alternated with chants of “Martin O’Neill” as the Villa faithful made their sympathies all too clear in the opening period.

Following an insane lack of better judgement, Barry has burnt all bridges at his current club and is no closer to securing his desired move to Liverpool. Whilst I don’t have much sympathy for Barry, it’s not a situation I like to see. He’s been at the club for over 10 years, since he was a teenager, he was their captain, adored by the fans, and now he’s being called ‘Judas’. Can you imagine if Scholes, Neville, Giggs, Butt etc. put us in that position? It’s sad.

This situation is of course different to that of Cristiano Ronaldo, but the frustration voiced by reds on this blog and elsewhere suggests that the Portuguese slave will be in for a rough time with our fans next season. Whilst we’ve always known he was going to leave us for Spain one day, I don’t think anyone anticipated he’d get itchy feet so soon, and feel let down by his decision not to publicly state his desire to stay next season.

Do you think Ronaldo deserves to be booed if he’s still at United next season?