Source: Manchester_EveningNews
United boss holding a pair of aces
SIR Alex Ferguson is hoping the old and the new will justify his modest spending in the transfer market this summer. The United manager is putting his faith in Owen Hargreaves and Gabriel Obertan to give his side the extra dimension that has been lost with the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. Neither has kicked a ball this season because of knee and back problems respectively - but with both named in United's squad for the first phase of the Champions League, Ferguson expects to unleash the pair sooner rather than later. If there is one area that Carlo Ancelotti's side appear to have a significant edge over United, it is in midfield. The experience of Frank Lampard, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, Deco and Joe Cole - as well as the presence of Jon Obi Mikel and Florent Malouda - gives the Chelsea manager a wealth of options compared to his United counterpart. While Ferguson has the sheer numbers, he will need the likes of Anderson, Nani, Antonio Valencia, Zoran Tosic and Obertan to make significant strides to compensate for the loss of Ronaldo's guile and goals - as well as Ryan Giggs' and Paul Scholes' ageing limbs. There is an argument to say that not one of United's current strongest midfield quartet - Valencia, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Nani - would force their way into a best XI from the Premier League. Hargreaves return That is unheard of for a club that has always been renowned for its midfielders down the years, being blessed with the likes of Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Roy Keane, Scholes, David Beckham and Giggs. But in Hargreaves, Ferguson knows he has the combative midfielder that United have yearned for since Keane's departure in 2005. The England international was genuinely considered among the best in the world in his position when lured to Old Trafford for £17m in 2007 - but United have rarely seen the best of him. Tendonitis has blighted his time in England - even if he did help United to the Premier League and Champions League double in his first season. Operations on both knees at the famed Steadman Clinic in Colorado last year were designed to save the 28-year-old's career, but his recovery has been an arduous one. United hoped to have him back for the start of this season, but it was then feared he wouldn't kick a ball until 2010. That he has been named for the first phase of the Champions League is evidence that he is on the verge of making his long-awaited return and it won't be a moment too soon for his manager. While Hargreaves will not provide the creativity of Ronaldo, he is that rarest of things these days - a true box-to-box midfielder. Obertan injury Alongside Carrick or Anderson he will release his partner to unlock defences in the last third of the pitch. And with Fletcher, he will provide United with central midfield muscle in the style of the partnership of Keane and Ince in the early 90s. What's more, Hargreaves' versatility will also give United extra cover on the right wing where he is also an effective operator. It is on the left where Obertan will be expected to make the difference - and Ferguson is convinced he can inspire the Frenchman to the kind of form that once made him the most sought after teenager in Europe. He is still unsure about Tosic's ability to cope with the rigours of the Premier League, making it imperative that Obertan makes an immediate impact. The £3m signing from Bordeaux is recovering from a back operation, but he is deemed close enough to a return that Ferguson named him ahead of Tosic in his Champions League squad. "Gabriel has had a spine problem, but I think he'll be back in about a month to six weeks' time," he said. "We're taking our time with him because we want him back and at 100 per cent. "He's very quick, he can play both sides or through the middle and he brings a real versatility to us. "At 16 he was one of the outstanding young talents in Europe, and he's said to us that over this last year and a half he's been playing with this back injury and no-one thought about getting a scan. "We expect big things from him. He's a nice boy, speaks good English and should have no problem settling in." United's 2009-10 Champions League squad: Van der Sar, Neville, Evra, Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Brown, Owen, Berbatov, Rooney, Giggs, Foster, Park, Vidic, Carrick, Nani, Scholes, Fabio, Rafael, O'Shea, Fletcher, Valencia, Obertan, Macheda, Gibson, Kuszczak. Anderson, Welbeck, J Evans, C Evans, Hewson, Gray, Cathcart, Zieler, Chester, Amos. What do you think? Have your say.
