Karim Benzema amd Lyon chairman, Jean-Michel Aulas, have opened the floodgates for rumours linking the player away from the club. While both insist he should remain with Lyon, they have both left the option of a summer exit open.
When there is talk of Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the club, a popular response is to claim Benzema is the player we should by with Ronnie’s transfer money. I beg to differ.
“I am 21 years old and I will have time to play for another club,” said Benzema. “The clubs are going to carry on calling, everyone is looking for forwards. But I am fine at Lyon. If there is a huge offer and the chairman tells me I have to go, I would probably leave. But I will not go and see him to ask to leave.”
These sentiments were echoed by Aulas.
“He said he wants to stay,” he said. “I don’t want to sell. So he is here at 99 per cent. However, Kaka should have not left Milan and he will join Real Madrid. We have entered spiral madness. Anyway I am relaxed. I won’t say Karim is untransferable.”
However, if we’re going to spend a ridiculous sum of money on someone, it should be because we entire to see them here for the majority, if not the rest of their career. Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand cost us an arm and leg but it was because regardless of their childhood support, Manchester United was the club for them. The club that meant they had made it. Foreign players don’t necessarily regard us in the same way though, and Benzema is a prime example of this.
June 10th 2008
“I like Real Madrid, but I think that I’m still too young to sign for a club like that,” Benzema said. “I think that I need to get more experience and I’d like to help Lyon be a European champion. Then, in the future, we’ll see what happens.”
November 4th 2008
“My future? I like Spain,” said Benzema. “Next year I will play for Barca or Madrid.”
December 23rd 2008
“For me, Madrid is a dream,” Benzema said. “They are a club I have liked since I was small. But there are many clubs in which I would also like to play. Real Madrid is a great team and I have always said that I would like to play there because they have been my team since I was young. Besides, before I only liked Spanish football and that was all I watched. The English and Italian leagues are great, but there are more goals scored in Spain and that is where the best football is played. It is a good country for football and there are some big clubs there.”
There have been occasions where he has also said he would be interested in a move to United but then I imagine he wants to keep his options open to any big club who were interested. I’m sure he would love to play for us and he would probably do very well, but that doesn’t change his hopes for where he ends up. Real Madrid are the club he wants to play for so why bring in a player we know has dreams of going elsewhere? We’ve been through all this fuss with Ronaldo summer after summer so I can’t imagine why anyone would willingly go through it all again. It’s exhausting and frustrating and Benzema would do it to us too.
I only hope the manager sees it this way too, despite being a fan of the young forward!
Man Utd News 24/7
If Carlos leaves then ideally Huntelaar would be the most sensible striker option in my view.
Agreed, Scott.
@ Stephen
let him stay at Real Madrid. Once there stay away from Manchester. I don’t want him.
@Stephen
I can’t help think that Huntelaar is too much like RVN.
I accept what Scott is saying about what Benzema has said. But if it was based on his ability alone I would like to see him at Old Trafford. I think he would be the ideal type of player we need.
I just see Huntelaar as an option we do not have, an out and out goalscorer or a plan b, his record is nothing short of superb, he is only 25 and woul play beyond Berba or Wazza, it could being a lot out of their game also. Ruud did do petty well for us.
I also think that Benzema would be more ideal for us than Huntelaar but not at the expense of Ronaldo.And definitely not for 40 million or whatever it is that they are asking.
Benzema has done very little to convince me he’s worth 30 million. Sure, he’s a great prospect, but he didn’t even finish top of the scoring chart in France and in a good team like Lyon. Not sure we need a real madrid fan here for that sort of money.
Oh NO SAF please, don’t bring in another complaining Nancy boy, another foreign Limp Dick to United. Trouble with buying these players, they come to us, with BIG money spent on them, which makes them deluded, believing that they are the greatest thing since Dolly Birds starting wearing mini skirts, and lads as a result became slaves to their hormones. Let Benzema swan off to Spain, because surely we don’t NEED another ” I so want to play for Madrid” sobber on our books!
Benzema is a good player but as soon as I hear the words “I so want to play for Madrid” Then a get that sick feeling.
Tevez, Berba, Frazer, Macheda, Wellbeck, Manucho.
We lost to Milan in 07 because we didn’t have the defenders available not because of the lack of attacking abilities. That year we had Rooney, Saha, Smith and Saha (Saha was injuried in the second the most important par of the season).
Maybe the world has changed. We have Chelsea with money, Real Madrid making the show out of this summer etc. Maybe Fergie doesn’t believe that Roon and Berba will be able to play upfront ? Maybe everything depends on the Ronaldo leave or stay ? We’ll see. But i am sometimes a fucking romanticist and i would have liked us to go into the season and to win things with attacking players we have.
He was absolute dog eggs during the Euro’s last year with France. A proper chess piece player.
* Sorry. Not Tevez, of course Rooney.
Tevez decides whether he stays or not. No, please.
Campbell has been poor at Spurs ask their fans and Manucho is a pub team player.
@Stephen
Agree with you that Huntelaar offers something different.
RVN had a very good record but the system was changed to accomodate him. When he left we played better and more successful football. No more beat the last man and cross in for him to head in. Or pass the ball to Ruud in the box and he will shoot. I don’t know. I kind of cringe remembering those days.
I feel sick hearing Ronnie saying that stuff about Madrid but SAF is more tolerant of it as he is one of the best players in the world. Perhaps Benzema is just trying to keep his options open.
i think united if they do sell ronaldo to real it’ll be for enough money to buy a top winger +Huntelaar
except for playing against united i havent seein to much of Benzema to form an opinion
I agree mate, all I am saying is that both Berba and Wazza like to drop off so having a Huntelaar type would probably work as it will bring the best out of their game also, allowing them to do what they do best, influence the play.
People also say that our football was better when Ruud left and that is a valid point, but this season we havn’t exactly been the Bazil of the 70′s?!
Huntelaar is like RVN but he’s faster which makes him a better option than RVN would have been to fit in with the present team. Benzema is built like Ronaldo and will trouble any defence. I think either of them would be a good buy and both top goal scorers. If we get Valencia from Wigan he will cover Ronaldos winger role then Ronaldo will be going to Real. In effect we will be buying two players to replace Ronny but so what we should easliy have the money from his sale. The way I see it is we get we lose Tevez and Ronaldo and get a better goal scorer that Tevez in Benzema/Huntaelaar and a very good winger in Valencia to cover for Ronaldo. Obviously we can’t expect Valencia to score at the same rate as Ronny has but the new centre forward would make up for this.
@: Oooodz
Torres was crap in his first Euros as the young stralet aswel. Benzema has all the attributes to be just as good and a Champions League goal scoring record to boot.
Hes young and you never know, the lure of palying for the best team in the world might change his mind about ever leaving for somewhere like Madrid.
Sign him up.
Campbell didn’t get enough chances to play.
Many Tevez lovers believe tha lack of minutes on the field of play prevented him to play his game.
Rednapp bought Keane and Defo and he didn’t want to base on the player who was leaving the club. In his last game when he came on to the field he forced a penalty for Spurs.
We also need to give either Nani a good run in the side or sell the lad, if we bought a striker a la Huntelaar/Benzema then it could bring the best out of Nani as he is our best crosser.
Is Campbell United quailty, really??
When Rednapp arrived at the yids they were in a relagation battle and if he was a top United striker then Rednapp would have played him regardless, also their fans are not big fans of him.
Stephen you are right about Nani.Why waste money on Valencia when Nani can still come good?As far as Huntelaar is concerned,my problem is this.He was prolific in Holland.As were RVN and Alfonso Alves.But do we know for sure in which category Huntelaar belongs to?He could be a risky signing.As will Benzema of course.Lately it seems like we have to pay a lot of money for strikers.I think that Yorke,Cole,Solskjaer and Sheringham together cost as much as Berbatov didn’t they?What happened to bargains?
Personelly i like Huntelaar and Benzema but i’m not sure if they really would match with our team..btw id prefer benzema rather then huntelaar..just because of the club they come from…not a penny we should give to the white bastards..the most arrogant club on earth!!!
what about that boy Lisandro Lopez from FC Porto?… i thought he played really well and he’s a fighter!
Refnapp bought Keane for 10+ mln and Defo for 15 mln and he would have played Frazer instead ? Yes, of course.
“Is Campbell United quailty, really??”
i’m not sure. I think he is fast, enthusiastic and talented boy.
i hope so, i don’t have enough cards to judge. i only hope that SAF’s words were the true one’s:
““Fraizer’s future is here,” said the United boss.
“We do not have any strikers apart from Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez and Frazier plays in that area.
“He took his goal really well today and that won’t do him any harm.
“He is a progressive young player. He is quick and determined and he can do very well in the game.”
He has 8 in 20 for Real Costas also.
@ Costas
why change nickname ?
rrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
If Tevez does go especially to City I see probably could SAF making another approach for Benzema as its obvious he rates him highly and id like to see just that happen as it will soften the blow seeing Tevez probably go to city.
The one player I think Utd should have been all over before he signed a new four your deal with Bordeaux was Gourcuff though. Hes a massive talent.
Scotts right that if Benzema would probably echo Ronaldo if he signed for us and Real came in but unfortunately thats foreign players for you these days, and thats why I love Rooney so much. Its about time SAF played him in his best position and got the best out of him.
I didn’t change it.I just corrected the first letter which wasn’t a capital “c”.I hadn’t realised it until yesterday.
Don’t worry,i am still the same Costas,lol.
Still thinking. Was Fletch a good enough ManU player when he was 21 ?
Costas, argh! come back with the “c” one just like i have ) but now they won’t confuse our nicknames ) for sure )
I personally think Benzema should have been brought in as apposed to Berb last season. We need a strong, tall centre forward with skill and pace who can lead the line. This will enable Rooney to drop into the hole where he NEEDS to play.
Berb has great attributes, so does Tevez but neither player compliments Rooney, who will be the heartbeat of the team for the next 10 years. Both players along with Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Nani & even Evra, drift into the space between the centre halves and the central midfield players. It means we’re attacking one-dimensionally. We have very little width and need incredible inter-play in order to break down a defense. Fortunately this tactic works against a lot of teams & we have fantastic personnel but we have no plan B.
We need to hit the by-line & get balls into a target man, we need a target man to drag the defense from the midfield, we need a target man to receive clearances & hold-up for support. We need all this on-top of our current attacking options.
I wouldn’t put too much stock in Benzema’s talk of Real, he seems to say he likes a different team each week. I personally think the kid has Utd written all over him & strikers in his mold are like gold-dust these days. Strong, fast & skillfull? I can only think of Drogba & Torres who are top quality.
I have to laugh at yere mails about who united need to buy, have any of yee seen him play, he slow, and has a very poor touch for a dutch player, Huntelaar is rubbish. he’s not good enough for united, not good enough for madrid, not good enough for holland.
just because he scored goals in holland doesn’t make him a good player (when rudd scored all the goals in holland it was a lot stronger league), how many goals did he score for madrid?Fergie needs to give kiko and welbeck a oppertunity next season and if Benzema or Villa comes available at the right price he worth looking at.
its the middle of the park that united reinforce, the current options are fletcher ( improved big time), Carrick ( good, but very poor when playing against quick passing midfield players) Wayne H (ideal when we get him back, but when?) scholas and giggs not up to a full game against top class team – liverpool, barsa, Arsenal at ot in the league, Anderson ( needs to produce next season as had a poor season regarding passing and decision making, and can;t score. I wonder would it be worth trying to buy Daniel di Rossi from Roma, would suit the way we play at present and can score from midfield.
Valencia to replace Ronnie? No chance. In my opinion Campbell is not good enough for United and I don’t want Benzema to come either.
I would not be surprised to see a few of the young uns starting alot more next season.
we don’t need to buy!
even if we DO sell Ronnie (highly unlikely if you ask me) There is no need to buy.
If at all, we need a quality left winger. But then again, i think we need to look within for that, for i see Fabio as a great prospect in that role. I also want to give Nani a good long run, say 3-4 months, in the first team. If it doesn’t work out, we can always sell and buy during January.
The only problem is the amount of injuries our players seem to be running into!
Our midfield is loaded in terms of quantity, but not definitely quality.
but having said that, i have great faith in Ando. he’s very young, and i believe he will come good once he hits his mid twenties (like Ronaldinho and Kaka). and we’l be adding that wunderkid Ljajic to the mix halfway thru next season, so it augurs well.
putting in a decent left winger (Tosic?) would also free up Rooney for the central role that he seems to be actually demanding now!
With Berba and Tevo still there, we are pretty set in terms of strikers. And Welbeck is fast turning me into a fan. If Tevo goes, the only positive i see is that this kid will get more first team time.
Its a great time to be a Utd fan, ain’t it?!
@ Anon
the problem is that SAF won’t take chances.
Corea – On the contrary mate Sir Alex is reknowned for “taking chances”.
@ Corea
really? i disagree mate. The same guy who responded to losing out on a hat trick of league titles with a complete over haul of his first team?
this is hardly a chance on that scale!
but somewhere deep within, i suppose you are right, he will probably make a big name signing, mostly a forward. but in my opinion it would still be a waste, esp with SUCH SUCH TALENTED youngsters at Carrington.
PS: heard ronaldinho is on sale for 10 mil! now that would be a swoop! lol. wouldn’t bet on him being at OT by Aug tho!
@ King Eric
not this time, mate. but i will be glad if i am mistaken.
“but in my opinion it would still be a waste, esp with SUCH SUCH TALENTED youngsters at Carrington.”
i’m crying for SAF to follow your point, mate. But he knows better than we do.
What Jig said….
Jig stop stealing my thunder! Hehehe.
@Corea
lol, thats wat i always say!
@ Anon
just think for a moment. he isn’t always right but he knows everything from within the club. that’s the main thing. he knows what the players like Macheda, Frazer, Wellbeck etc have in them and sometimes he makes us all feel ashamed as in Darren’s case.
Odd mistake, hundreds of discoveries and trophies.
If we get a bid from Hull for Campbell between £5-8m we would be mad not to sell, I am not having a pop at the lad but that would be good business.
I rate Benzema highly, but the amount of money we would need to folk out is stupid. The prices of players are massively inflated at the moment, although I’m glad Kaka will go to Madrid for 56M rather than the 70M+ figure Chelski were offering. That may bring prices down a little.
I can’t deny that the youngsters coming through are the most talented for a while but they will only become future United players if they are all given extended runs in the 1st team, which could affect our trophy prospects in the short term. Worth it? Quite possibly. Of the youngsters we currently have Anderson, Evans & Rafael are already first teamers. Welbeck, Gibson, Macheda & Fabio are knocking at the door. Possebon, Tosic, Eckersley, & Chester all need more time, but the signs are there.
I don’t believe Valencia is any better than Nani. As disappointing Nani has been this season, there is something about him & and I just hope he can step up this season.
i love to c benzema playin’ for us rather than huntelaar..hes too slow for our game, it reminds me to how we played during time of RVN…we play better football now..i want jeremy menez of roma in our left flank,.,i just can understand why hes outlined in roma..and 1 strong ballwiner will do..benzema,menez, n gattuso
Some good comments there Jig. I think that we should sign Benzema as he is an out and out striker who will do very well for us. Imagine how powerful and potent Rooney, Benzema and Berbatov would be as a strike force. Add to that Welbeck and Macheda and we have a very good, very young attack that could be together for years (Rooney 23, Benzema 21/22, Welbeck 18, Macheda 17). I haven’t mentioned Campbell here as I think he will be at least loaned out for the coming season should we get Benzema. Tevez will leave in my opinion as well.
Regarding our wingers; I personally don’t think that Valencia should be purchased, especially for the ridiculous figures being suggested, as he isn’t United quality right now and we need to give Nani and Tosic more of a chance to develop.
utd arent gonna spend big for a few years yet..weve good youth prospects coming through, rafael, macheda,welbeck,gibson, to name but a few. personally id prefer to let tevez go and see macheda and welbeck given an opportunity to shine when needed, im sure they wouldnt go to the press or show any public show of dissaproval towards the manager…
Spot on, we have Park, Tosic, Nani, Ronaldo er Rooney who all play out wide already, why spend £20+m on another player who really is no better than what we have already?
Lets give Tosic and Nani a run in the side, see how they perform and judge after, the only area that really needs attention is in the centre of the park.
Forget Benzema, if someone at 21 has not enough confidence to yet move he is not United material. Also if he were by any chance a success we’d be into the Benzema to Real scenario again every year. Forget Huntelaar we were not good enough for him when he signed for Real, he is not good enough for us now. Ronnie is developing as a forward, he plays well with Ronnie, he plays there for Portugal. if we had Valencia Ronnie could play more up front. With Rooney working with him we could see more of 3rd goal v Arenal. I’d prefer us to get a strong tacklin midfielder as I fear Hargreaves will never play 2 games a week at any time again and Fletcher cannot do everything on his own. I’d also like to see an experienced back who would not wish to play every game but could fill in all along the back line especially at right back where Gary’s days are numbered and Wes’s recovery is yet to be proven. Otherwise we are in not too bad shape
Ella
I COMPLETELY SUPPORT U SCott,
thats why i feel huntellaar would be ideal, unlike others
he has actually said his dream was to sign for us!
Oh noes, someone who has declared a preference for another club. Better go back in time and not sign Ole eh?
He’s class, he could be our Torres, he’s the best out there of the type of striker we need and we should go get him. See if he’s so desperate to go to Madrid when he’s actually seen what United are all about and when he’s part of what could be a sensational team here. If he does, sell him for a big profit (like we eventually will Ronnie) and move on.
We need to face facts – for Latin/Mediterranean players, most european players even, Madrid/Barca are the pinnacle. Unless there’s a British, Scandinavian or Asian equivalent available then this is just something we have to deal with, and do our best to win more European titles and establish ourselves in the minds of the next European generation as on a par with those clubs.
if not Benzema then get Edin Dzeko. we need an out and out striker
Edin Dzeko has looked great this season but is it a one off? He scored 8 the previous season, at least with Huntelaar you know what you are going to get, with a proven track record.
@ Corea
you are right mate! we only have a hawk eye view of things at OT, Fergie is obviously the boss, and post and pre 02-04 can’t think of too many bad signings!
Lets wait and see what the gaffer does.
@NickOGS20
mate the ole and benzema situations are totally dissimilar.
Ole was a liverpool fan, and there is NO way that once you come to ManUtd you are moving to Anfield, and definitely not when your team is dominating the other so vehemently as we did throughout Ole’s time.
But Benzema’s, as well as ROnaldo’s, is in another league, and it is not like we are arch rivals dating back to early 20th century or anything. No matter how much we dominate our domestic league, Madrid can always win the La Liga and keep the dream of these guys alive and burning.
Unless ofcourse Perez manages to get his team relegated, i would keep away from Ronaldo-esque creatures.
@ Stephen, yeah agree with you.
But Huntelaar has been pretty ordinary in his first season out of Ajax. That worries me. The PL is far tougher for strikers than the La Liga. The kind of defenders he would run into here he would never have faced before.
But then again, the PL is more like the Eredevise than the La Liga, so there is always hope he would find it easier to settle at Utd than Madrid.
Personally though, if Eto’o is up for sale, i say get him, even if it costs 50 mil!
Him and Kaka are the only two players worth spending on for us. Both would near guarantee us an improved squad from last season, which is what our aim should be anyway.
He hasn’t had a constant run but he has 8 in 20 which is adecent return considering he moved in the window.
Eto’o has an attitude problem mate and is all about the money, he is 29 next year and the fee would be massive.
Quality player but i feel he will never be a United player…we could do well without those types in the team…and to me he seems a little arrogant too….personally i wouldn’t worry too much if we didn’t sign a striker this season. We have enough youngsters coming through the ranks.
One reason so many have jumped on the Benzema bandwagon (subconsciously) is because he is French and he is a forward…but he is not Cantona. He would be sniffing up Real Madrid’s arses in no time. He is also over rated. Stay away !!!
Please ,we do not need another Cr7 situation.why could we want another forward when we had the luxury of seeing what our young strikers are capable of,the Welbeck thunder against stoke and Machedas beauty against Aston villa,would it be nice to win things with our own?please sign Anthony Anan(The new Essien)atleast he is on record saying how much he ‘d love to play for UTD.
Firstly we dont need to buy
and secondly
AGUERO?
@ Stephen, yeah mate, the age is a big factor. but we have bought older forwards in our time haven’t we?
Plus, i would think the older a player, the more willing he will be to sit out a few games to accommodate other players in the squad, something we need at the moment.
as far as the attitude prob is concerned, i’d be more than happy to let Fergie deal with that!
@ ridwan
good idea, but not probable. Athletico wouldn’t sell.
furthermore, he is a centre forward and not exactly an out and out striker. though if Ronnie leaves, we could use him from the wing, like Messi.
out of topic, but read this headline “Dossena would ‘run to Juve’”!
Liverpool already struggling to keep a hold on players?
I would be chuffed as hell if Xabi Alonso moved out of Anfield. Their team would be set back a huge deal! That guy is to Liverpool, what Iniesta is to Barca!
Would hate to see Eto’o at United. Awful idea in my opinion mate. For some reason and you can look at posts prior to the Champions League Final I hate the horrible arrogant little cunt. Sorry but that is how I feel.
King Eric
Fair dinkum mate! Respect your opinion, but purely on footballing merit, isn’t he exactly what we need? a target man, an efficient scorer, and doesn’t mind tracking back. I like the idea. But of course, there is lot more to it than just that, and you are probably right.
I think people saying that we don’t need to buy are making the biggest mistake you can make when you win the league, and that is resting on our laurels.
Yes we have young talent coming through, but do you honestly believe that Macheda and Welbeck are ready for the responsibility of leading the line for us for big parts of the season if Rooney or Berba get injured?
As for Benzema, I think he would be worth getting if Ronaldo does go. He can lead the line or can play in wide roles, his all round ability as a striker is quality, and who knows? Those Madrid dreams may vanish once he gets a taste of life at our club. Even if he did decide to chase that dream in a few years when Madrid come calling, he would have given us a few years of quality service, and would be in his prime, so the figures being thrown around for Ronaldo would be thrown around for him, and we could milk Madrid for another ridiculous transfer and use the money to rebuild other parts of our squad. I think he’d definitely be worth buying should Ronaldo go this summer.
i dream of a pato-rooney-ronaldo trio, anyone share my dream especialy as ac milan have come out and said they crumble to big money offers maybe 30 mill will enough
Fair point Scott – However, I think we would be better with him.
Maybe we should use the Ronaldo money (if he goes) to stock up on youngsters of REAL promise. We ought to spend the money on Tevez and use Macheda and Wellbeck more and more as they can only get better with more first team experience.
But then again like Hansen said – You ll never win anything with kids.
Lets mix it up again.
Alex – I know what you mean pal,but didn’t YSB Alan Hansen say summat similar all those years ago? They may be need another season or two to be fair but it was like when Becks and Nev and Scholes and Giggs (well Giggsy earlier) came on scene and were playing with Eric and Sparky and Choccy. Who would have thought they would go on to great things.
If Ronaldo is dead set on getting his “dream” move, I think our asking price should be 50 mil pounds AND Higuain thrown in. He is a big lad, has some pace, can score some crackers and has that Argentinian toughness to him. I am a big fan of his.
Then we take that 50 mil and try and find a quality left winger or maybe a ball winning terrier for the CM.
But of course I’d rather Ronnie stay and fire us to #19, but we’ll see…
ROJO RED ROT ROUGE – Sorry was replying to Alex before I read your post and you have also mentioned Hansen. I was not copying!
@ Drew Vader
sometimes i don’t understand your judgement, mate.
no Owen, no Huntellar!
absolutely no chance!!!
Higuain? You have to be joking, Forlan is doing a better job than him! At a poorer team for that matter! If there is anyone I fancy from Real, it would be Sneijder
King Eric
I see what you mean, and I just said this on the Replacing Tevez article, I would be happy to stick with them if we only lose Tevez, as Ronaldo can always take the pressure of leading the line and we could push Danny out wide as he is very capable of playing there.
If we lost both I would want a player like Benzema, as Rooney, Berba, Welbeck, Macheda, Nani (and perhaps Valencia if he would be brought in to replace Ronaldo) is too weak an attacking line up for us to win the league.
Back when it was the Beckham, Neville, Scholes era we could afford to lose games and still win the league. This year Liverpool lost 2 games all season and finished second. Yes give the young lads a lot of game time this year, but if Rooney and Berba were our only experienced attackers for the whole season I wouldn’t feel confident, especially in the big games.
Benzama pissed on his chips when he first stated he wanted to play in Spain ahead of United a couple of years ago. If players want to give interviews that show that they are not interested in a particular club then that club should never approach them again. It might knock them off their perches when the stock begins to fall. Benzema used to be hot property, now the name on everyone’s lips is David Villa, a striker who I believe is awesome. Utd should stick a finger up at Benzema for initially disrespecting then when first interviewed about interest from Utd. One or two goals aside I think he is no more than average at the top level. No way world class and neither is Huntelaar. I would beg, borrow or steal to get Villa.
“If we lost both I would want a player like Benzema, as Rooney, Berba, Welbeck, Macheda, Nani (and perhaps Valencia if he would be brought in to replace Ronaldo) is too weak an attacking line up for us to win the league.”
Not too bothered about getting Benzema but with the rest of your post to be fair I have to agree Alex, especially as you go on to mention that the dippers lost only two games. There is not that same room for error nowadays. We need a perfect blend of the two really. Experience and young ones. Will certainly be an exciting and interesting season next one.
David Villa? Now he is a different prospect altogether. The dippers won’t be going for him, their limit this summer is Tuncay.
Corea — I don’t want to question your reading skills, but I didn’t mention Owen or Huntellar!! I brought up Higuain, who I think is a great striker.
And Marq — I am being quite serious.
Higuain is much younger.
He is bigger/stronger than Diego. (i’ve always been a fan of diego, btw)
He has more tenacity to him .
Diego won’t be coming anywhere near United.
Sneider is a small wuss. A freekick specialist and nothing more.
Just my opinions though of course
Drew Vader
sorry ) but i meant “absolutely no chance!!!” – about Higuain. )
Higuain is argentinian ? he is cheater, he plays for Real. no, thanks.
but we are entitled to our opinions. we’ll see but this is unreal.
“Sneider is a small wuss. A freekick specialist and nothing more. ”
Pretty much agree Drew, is he even a specialist?
This is why we shouldn’t be selling players like Campbell, Simpson and Gibson and why we should be buying players like Ashley Young.
whiteknight03, I would love to see Young at United, but it sounds like Chelski are hot on his trail according to Sky Sports.
As far as David Villa goes, brilliant striker, yes. Likely to leave Spain? I’m not so sure. Don’t think he’s on our radar though unfortunately.
How about Fellaini? plays midfield, did well as a striker too. Obviously Moyes would shave his head off before letting him go but he is a bloody good option if you ask me.
I am not sure if you have seen Sneijder play. He missed a very large chunk of this season due to a serious injury, but before that, he was the one carrying Real. The fact that they had to go out and get Van der Vaart midway into the season shows that they have no one there to take over the mantle. Yes he may not be in the Messi & Ronaldo mould, but he more than made Beckham’s 40 yard passing & freekicks look simple things to do. Isn’t that something we can look at? Someone who can actually put in a good cross & corner kick?
To write off Benzema ’cause he said he likes Madrid is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard. Get over it, we can’t be the favorite team of every player and to dismiss them for that reason is madness.
Jig – not because he likes Madrid or because his favourite team is Madrid… but, as I said clearly in the article, because he will always want to leave us for them, whether it’s in two years, or three years, or five years. What’s the point in spending £25m on a player who we know DREAMS of playing elsewhere.
Don’t write Villa off. Friendly against Valencia on 5 August at Old Trafford!
We should have bought Huntelaar last season if you ask me. Berba is good, but cannot boast a record close to the dutchman and im not sure he enjoys the pressure of the big time. Anyone doubting Hunteaar should simply google the chap and take stock of his goalscoring history, he isn’t a one season wonder!! Dosen’t seem to have settled at Real either. Lets get him!
Everyone seems to be making calls for major changes having lost to Barca in the final. It’s not required….
We were beaten in the CL by Milan the other season because we did not possess a tenacious midfielder. Hargreaves came in later at the end of that season and was pivitol in the following season helping us to secure CL sucess. This was all that was missing this season if you ask me. He is going to be injured or a short period of the next season so draft in an experienced face at a low cost.
Fergie is a remarkable manager, but even he will admit to some transfer blunders. Is Berba a luxury we could have done without (Veron) …. Yup!
Transfers in…. Huntelaar (Proven), Douglas Costa (Brazilian wonderkid – Awesome – You Tube him), Senna (cheap addition able to offer stability in midfield)
Transfers out…Tevez (seems inevitable), Berbatov (Not sure he like the pressure of playig for such a major club), Nani (not gonna cut it),
You find that with the comments you have mentioned, as is usually the case with most quotes. The country of the report usually paves favour with a players desire to play for a said team.
I wouldnt read anything into comments such as that.
Ferdinand has in the past been quoted in Spanish papers that he would like to play in Spain.
What happens is that a Player for say enbgland does an interview in Spain and they sak them if they would ever play for Madrid or Barca etc.
With regards to Benzema, he would be ideal for Utd, the linchpin between attack and midfield and also someone with the ability tyo score goals.
He is a player with a lot more worth than tevez.
His game is also suited more to the English game than the Spanish one.
Given his age, he could be a great player for Utd for many years to come.
The only worry is that barca look certain to sell eto and surely Benzema would be their target as well.
How can people write Berba off after just one season? He will come good, no mistake.