Anderson champions Manchester UnitedAnderson is certainly the brightest prospect on United’s books and a fans’ favourite after just one season at the club. Yet the past month he has taken a clear backseat in our success.

Starting against Chelsea, in a game where Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he played a weakened team to ensure our place in the European Cup final, Anderson was a shadow of the player he’d been in other crucial games for United in the Champions League and against Liverpool and Arsenal.

He played for just over an hour against the rent boys, before being subbed for John O’Shea. Before that, he was a second half sub for Scholes against Arsenal, a fortnight before. In that time, he’s missed out on two games against Barcelona, Blackburn and West Ham, not playing a minute of football.

The papers haven’t seemed to pick up on it yet, but the fact Anderson didn’t even make the bench in our crucial game against Wigan today suggests the possibility of there being something out of the ordinary going on. Too many visits to the brothel? Or simply Scholes’ return from injury and good form?

Watch this space.