If Sir Alex only signs one player this summer who would fans like it to be?
With the purse strings set to be tightened at Manchester United this summer and Sir Alex Ferguson stating that he will only be looking to sign one player, it makes you think what one player do United need the most?
Ferguson will be desperate to get United back on track and achieve even more success with them next season so if he only intends to make one signing he is going to have to carefully look at his team and think what area needs strengthening the most? Firstly with regards to the goalkeepers, Edwin van der Sar is United’s current number one and has performed admirably since joining from Fulham in 2005. However Van Der Sar is going to be turning 40 next season so there may be doubts as to whether he can stay at the same levels. His backup Tomasz Kuszczak is a decent ‘keeper but nothing more so Fergie may want to invest in a world-class goalkeeper and with Gianluigi Buffon being linked with a move it could be a possibility. But will Ferguson be willing to spend all their money on a goalkeeper when outfield areas could probably use more strengthening? The probable outcome is that Fergie will keep faith with Van Der Sar for next season at least and then look for a replacement for the season after.
Although Giorgio Chiellini has been linked, the defence looks quite assured despite the fact that Gary Neville is 35 and Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown have battled with injury problems as of late, it should be good enough to last another season or two. The midfield area seems to be the where United fans want to see the most improvement and they player they most want to sign appears to Xavi from Barcelona. They feel that the team is currently lacking in creativity in the middle of the park and Xavi would be the man who could come in and make the side tick. Although you would expect the deal to be unlikely given that Xavi has been with Barca for his entire career, the chances of it happening are not impossible. The facts are that Xavi is now 30, Barcelona have Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets also in the midfield and with the club publicly declaring that they want to sign Cesc Fabregas someone has to be left out. They also have Seydou Keita and Yaya Toure as well as midfield cover, so given Xavi’s age if they received a big money offer then it wouldn’t be unthinkable that they would consider it.
Other options for the midfield that the fans want to see as alternatives to Xavi are Wesley Sneijder and Mesut Ozil. Sneijder would be a possibility having now won everything with Inter Milan but with Jose Mourinho apparently wanting to re-sign him for Real Madrid, United could face some stiff competition for his signature. As for Ozil he is likely to leave Werder Bremen this summer, but it looks as though he is going to be one of those players who has a good World Cup and sees his price-tag raise by an extra £10m and United won’t want to overpay for his services.
A striker seems to be the next priority for United fans with Karim Benzema and David Silva mentioned as possibilities. Benzema has had a poor first season with Real Madrid managing to score just nine goals in 33 games, however as it is only his first year he is likely to want to prove himself and try to make the grade at Madrid. David Silva has looked a fantastic player in recent seasons and due to Valencia’s financial problems, will likely have to sell him this summer. Competition for his signature is set to be fierce however with several clubs all vying for the young Spaniard. Man United’s attack doesn’t really need too much strengthening as they have Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen will also be coming back and looking to prove himself and they have Danny Welbeck, Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf all breaking through.
It remains a mystery who Man United will sign this summer as one thing Ferguson has shown throughout the years is that he is never predictable.
Who do you think Manchester United should sign?
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