Fire sale needed at Manchester United

Is he thinking about a squad overhaul?

The departure of Anderson, once touted as a future Brazilian star, to Florence after six seasons of unfulfilled promise and untapped potential, has signalled David Moyes’s eagerness to show the door to recent and perennial Manchester United underperformers.

The list is long, and the task is arduous, but one that David Moyes will have to undertake in order to put his stamp on which is hitherto Fergie’s squad and shape a team according to his own vision and philosophy.

United supporters are no strangers to the fact that the team cultivated over the last few seasons by Sir Alex Ferguson was never deemed to be world-class but rather a healthy mixture of youth and experience, extravagant superstars and the low-profilers. The squad rallied to win trophies due to Fergie’s renowned workmanship to extract that extra bit from every player.

Fergie’s recent teams always consisted of only a couple of world-class talents (Ronaldo, Rooney, van Persie), a few bit-part players (Wes Brown, Chicharito) topped with the ones who were in the squad for a specific purpose (Park Ji Sung, John O’Shea).

But Sir Alex knew how to handle his players. His squad management and rotation policy combined with tactical nuances took Manchester United to uncharted summits of success. In short, this was Fergie’s style of management, and he was brilliant at it.

David Moyes has inherited Fergie’s squad and has had very little time to work around it, apart from bringing in one of his midfield marshals from his previous club Everton. The Scot has obviously struggled to make an impact so far, and it would not be fair to judge him on the basis of the team’s performance in 30 odd games, especially when the United board have entrusted him with a long-term contract.

Moreover, Moyes has had to deal with extreme pressures of being the man in-charge of the world’s most fervently supported club and the over-scrupulous media scrutiny that comes along with it.

The ordinary squad quality and depth has not made his job any easier. United’s post-Roy Keane midfield inadequacies have never been more documented and publicised. The ever-deteriorating Patrice Evra has been running around like a headless chicken all-season (and for a major part of last season too) and the only aspect of his game that has improved with age is his threat in the box during set-pieces. Antonio Valencia endured a miserable campaign last time around and his decision to revert to #25 doesn’t seem to have changed his fortunes this season.

Moyes too needs to shoulder some responsibility for the team’s dreadful performances, especially at home. His team selection and motivational skills have been repeatedly questioned due to an absolute lack of tempo, urgency and direction in the style of football played by the team in a majority of the games.

Nani and Evra – Time to move on?

The highlight of David Moyes’s short-spell thus far has been the discovery of the mercurial and prodigious talent of Adnan Januzaj. The fact that an 18-year old has displaced seasoned campaigners like Ashley Young and Nani from the first team speaks volumes about the youngster’s ability, but it also points out at the continuous failures of the aforementioned players and a dearth of worthy alternatives.

This season seems to be slowly slipping away from United’s grasp, but everyone associated with the club needs to be patient. David Moyes needs time to build a squad around his own theories and principles, and he has to be afforded sufficient time to do exactly that. That process has already been kick-started with Anderson’s departure to Fiorentina.

Albeit on loan, the Brazilian is poised to make his move permanent at the end of the season. There is still a host of players in the squad who need to be done away with, to reduce the wage outlay and to make way for some fresh infusion of players into the team.

The ‘For Sale’ list begins with Fabio, Nani, Cleverley and goes down to Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra. Fabio has failed to make any kind of impact since his arrival from South America and has remained on the sidelines for much of his United career, in stark contrast to the fortunes of his twin-brother Rafael, who has established himself as the first-choice right back in the team.

Nani, once proclaimed as Ronaldo’s replacement by none other than Fergie himself, has been a picture of frustration and inconsistency. When he’s in form, he’s as good as anybody but when the going gets tough, Nani switches off into self-destruct mode.

Juventus have been trailing the Portuguese winger for a long time now, but his recent injury lay-off has deterred any potential bids. He has fallen down in Moyes’s pecking order and a summer transfer is high on the cards.

Tom Cleverley bore the brunt of the fans’ fury this season. The England international hasn’t been able to muster any kind of creativity or flair in the midfield and his directionless passing game has been a major factor in United’s misadventures this season.

Darren Fletcher, back playing after a year and a half, has been swift to dismantle him from his position and with Fellaini expected to return shortly, Cleverley’s future at United is in serious doubt.

Age seems to have caught up with Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, two of United’s most trusted guards over a major part of the last decade. Ferdinand has hinted at retirement at the end of this term and Moyes’s pursuit of Luke Shaw and Leighton Baines has also indicated that Evra’s time at Old Trafford might just have elapsed. He, of course, has only himself to blame for this predicament.

Rio Ferdinand

The likes of Bebe and Macheda also need to find permanent employers soon because their loan sojourns are not benefitting them or the club in any way whatsoever. And with the competition for their places getting fiercer by the day, it would in the best interests of both parties to part company in the summer.

The total wage bill incurred on all these players is in excess of £500,000 per week, an amount David Moyes would love to clear up and spend elsewhere. With a reported £150 million cash purse available to the Scot in the summer, the arrival of big-names would require a more extravagant wage budget, which can be offset by a fire sale of the deadwood at Old Trafford.

Only time will tell what the gaffer’s plans are for the immediate future of Manchester United, but the signs are nevertheless ominous for these players. As far as the club is concerned, it’s on the brink of a new dawn, a fresh start under the tutelage of David Moyes.