Sir Alex Ferguson faces the unenviable task of replacing Paul Scholes. The Manchester United legend ended an immaculate career on a less than fruitful note following the 3-1 defeat to Barcelona at Wembley.
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| Paul Scholes |
United struggled for large parts of the game and the absence of a genuine attacking midfielder was evident as Xavi and Iniesta ran rings around the United midfield, while Carrick and Giggs struggled to maintain the little possession they could muster.
Therefore Fergie made finding a replacement for Scholes his number one priority this summer. However, the fact that three signings (Phil Jones, Ashley Young and David De Gea) have already been made for a combined £50 million, with none of them an attacking midfielder, has left the fans wondering whether an attacking midfielder was really Fergie's summer transfer priority.
Paul Scholes was such an important player to Manchester United that Fergie declared that he is "Irreplaceable ." While one acknowledges that replacing a player with such extraordinary talent, vision and elegance can be an extremely difficulty task, it is not entirely impossible. Here is an insight into possible replacements for Scholes:
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| Wesley Sneijder |
Wesley Sneijder
Fergie could go for a stellar signing and Wesley Sneijder perfectly fits the bill. He was instrumental in Jose Mourinho's incredibly successful Inter Milan team, and he replicated his outstanding form for the Netherlands at the 2010 world cup in South Africa scoring 5 goals.
He is energetic, possesses good range of passing and phenomenal shooting ability. Furthermore he has a very good record in big games and could just be the man to replace Scholes.
However, he is believed to be on an astonishing "£250,000 a week contract" and any deal will require intense negotiations, as Sneijder will cost upwards of £30 million. His age could also be a hindrance as he has little or no re-sale value at 27. The chances of Fergie signing him appear to be dwindling every day.
Javier Pastore
In the event of any deal for Sneijder failing to materialise, Fergie could turn to Javier Pastore. The young Argentine had a brilliant season for Palermo finishing last season as the club's leading scorer in Serie A with 11 goals.
Pastore possess good range of passing, can dribble and score goals as a result of his usually well-timed runs into the opponents box.
Interestingly, Palermo's club president Maurizio Zamparini has emphatically stated that Pastore will only leave Palermo for £45 million, although at 22years old, he does have re-sale value unlike Sneijder.
Marek Hamsik
He is energetic, possesses good range of passing and phenomenal shooting ability. Furthermore he has a very good record in big games and could just be the man to replace Scholes.
However, he is believed to be on an astonishing "£250,000 a week contract" and any deal will require intense negotiations, as Sneijder will cost upwards of £30 million. His age could also be a hindrance as he has little or no re-sale value at 27. The chances of Fergie signing him appear to be dwindling every day.
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| Javier Pastore |
Javier Pastore
In the event of any deal for Sneijder failing to materialise, Fergie could turn to Javier Pastore. The young Argentine had a brilliant season for Palermo finishing last season as the club's leading scorer in Serie A with 11 goals.
Pastore possess good range of passing, can dribble and score goals as a result of his usually well-timed runs into the opponents box.
Interestingly, Palermo's club president Maurizio Zamparini has emphatically stated that Pastore will only leave Palermo for £45 million, although at 22years old, he does have re-sale value unlike Sneijder.
Marek Hamsik
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| Marek Hamsik |
Napoli's talented attacking midfielder could yet be another option for Fergie.
He was instrumental for Napoli last season and his passing and vision made him a target for some of Europe's great clubs such as Milan, Inter and Juventus.
Napoli 's president Aurelio De Laurentiis is adamant that any potential bidder for Hamsik will have to meet his £85 million valuation. In spite of Hamsik being only 23, Fergie will most certainly be reluctant to meet De Lautentis' valuation.
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Fergie could also turn to the outstanding Eden Hazard. He is reportedly being monitored by Manchester United, Real Madrid,Barcelona Lille
Yoann Gourcuff
Gourcuff was such a highly rated player when he first burst unto the scene that he was being compared with the legendary Zinedine Zidane.
Milan
He then moved toBordeaux
Paulo Henrique Ganso
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He is widely regarded as the best attacking midfielder inBrazil
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Fergie could also opt for the mercurial Bastian Schweinsteiger. He has been known to be an admirer of this phenomenal German midfielder. A proven winner at Bayern, Schweinsteiger could prove to be another stellar signing and most importantly, he will be more affordable than Sneijder.
Alternatively Fergie could look inwards and promote some of his young guns. This could be an opportunity for the likes of Tom Cleverly (back from his loan spell at Wigan) or the promising Ravel Morrison.
While one cannot deny the importance of the legendary Paul Scholes to Manchester United, it can be argued that there are other capable alternatives as stated above. The signing of an attacking midfielder is vital, as failure to adequately replace Paul Scholes could result in another "deja vu" should United come up against Barca next season.
He was instrumental for Napoli last season and his passing and vision made him a target for some of Europe's great clubs such as Milan, Inter and Juventus.
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| Eden Hazard |
Fergie could also turn to the outstanding Eden Hazard. He is reportedly being monitored by Manchester United, Real Madrid,
Hazard possesses good dribbling ability, good range of passing and excellent vision. He is a player of enormous potential and the fact that he is only 20, means he could be an outstanding signing. Fergie could face huge competition should he decide to go for Hazard.
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| Yoann Gourcuff |
Gourcuff was such a highly rated player when he first burst unto the scene that he was being compared with the legendary Zinedine Zidane.
He then moved to
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| Paulo Henrique Ganso |
The
He is widely regarded as the best attacking midfielder in
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| Bastian Schweinsteiger |
Fergie could also opt for the mercurial Bastian Schweinsteiger. He has been known to be an admirer of this phenomenal German midfielder. A proven winner at Bayern, Schweinsteiger could prove to be another stellar signing and most importantly, he will be more affordable than Sneijder.
Alternatively Fergie could look inwards and promote some of his young guns. This could be an opportunity for the likes of Tom Cleverly (back from his loan spell at Wigan) or the promising Ravel Morrison.
While one cannot deny the importance of the legendary Paul Scholes to Manchester United, it can be argued that there are other capable alternatives as stated above. The signing of an attacking midfielder is vital, as failure to adequately replace Paul Scholes could result in another "deja vu" should United come up against Barca next season.
