When Sir Alex Ferguson opens his chequebook this summer it won’t just be to replace the ageing limbs in his squad – but to ensure his legacy.
After two summers of relative austerity at Old Trafford, the end of the season is expected to see the type of recruitment drive that has been the hallmark of Ferguson’s incredible reign.
Even after United’s parent company Red Football Joint Venture announced losses of £108.9m this week, the club has put aside as much as £165m for transfers.
Ferguson is unlikely to require that much but he has drawn up an extensive list of the best young prospects in Britain and abroad as he plans to assemble a squad that will keep United challenging at the top beyond his retirement.
Notably, he is targeting players several years before their peak in the hope of avoiding inflated price tags or being caught up in bidding wars with Europe’s biggest clubs.
That policy has already paid dividends with the acquisitions of Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling last year – who, at a combined £17m, look like being the bargains of the season.
Crucially, both players will develop at Old Trafford – much in the same way as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Nani.
And that is the blueprint Ferguson will stick to when he rebuilds this summer.
Jack Rodwell, Ashley Young, Gareth Bale, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Douglas Costa and Manuel Neuer are all the subject of United’s interest.
Young, who Ferguson tried unsuccessfully to sign in January, is the oldest member of that list at 25. German international goalkeeper Neuer is 24.
None of the others are above the age of 21, suggesting Ferguson is about to embark on his biggest injection of youth since thrusting David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Nevilles into his squad in 1995.
With Danny Welbeck (20), Tom Cleverley (21) and Federico Macheda (19) also due to return from loan spells at the end of the season, the average age of the squad is set to plummet.
Ferguson has spent the past two summers complaining of a lack of value in the transfer market.
Attempts to sign Karim Benzema and David Villa were thwarted by Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. But the United manager recognises the need to strengthen for next season with Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes not expected to play on beyond 2012.
With increasing fears that Owen Hargreaves will lose his battle to save his career, Rio Ferdinand having his own injury concerns, Gary Neville announcing his retirement and Edwin van der Sar due to hang up his gloves in the summer – the need for new blood is evident.
That will come at a significant cost but Ferguson is determined to look long-term.
United are confident Aston Villa’s England winger Young will join them at the end of the season for around £13m.
Bid
They also believe a bid in the region of £15m-£20m will be enough to prise Rodwell from Everton.
Ferguson is drawn to the 20-year-old’s versatility as a central midfielder or central defender and knows David Moyes will have to sell if the price is right.
He has also asked to be kept informed about Sunderland and England midfielder Henderson, who again should be available for around £15m.
Bale is the man Ferguson sees as the ready-made replacement for Giggs but knows that Harry Redknapp would demand in excess of £30m to let go of his star asset, who signed a four-year deal with Spurs last week. That could prove too much for United but, as they proved with a move for Villa last summer, they are still willing to break the bank for the biggest names.
Brazilian Costa of Shakhtar Donetsk is a player Ferguson considered when still in his homeland with Gremio – and his form since moving to Europe has only intensified his interest.
The 20-year-old is being labelled an ideal successor for Scholes – but United believe Cleverley could yet fill that role when he returns from Wigan.
Southampton’s exciting midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain could cost as much as £10m, with Neuer at the top of a list of potential replacements for Van der Sar.
By the end of the summer, Ferguson hopes to have assembled the nucleus of a squad that will continue to win trophies over the next five or six years.
Despite still being in the hunt for the Treble of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, he has concerns about the depth of his squad.
He watched as his fringe players were humbled 4-0 by West Ham in the Carling Cup earlier on in the season and then struggled to a 1-0 win over Crawley in the FA Cup.
It has led to fresh doubts that there is enough talent coming through to fill the void when Giggs and Scholes step down.
Ferguson has never been afraid to make bold changes to his squad when he feels it is time to rebuild. He signed Neil Webb, Paul Ince, Gary Pallister, Danny Wallace and Mike Phelan in his first major spending spree at United in 1989.
Beckham, Scholes et al replaced the high-profile names of Mark Hughes, Ince and Kanchelskis in 1995.
In 1998, he swooped for Dwight Yorke, Jaap Stam and Jesper Blomqvist ahead of the Treble-winning campaign that season.
And most recently, in the summer of 2007, he recruited Nani, Anderson, Hargreaves and Carlos Tevez as United went on to win a Premier League and Champions League double.
He is now set for a similar spree, even if the likelihood is that he won’t be at the club to see his latest recruits reach their peak.
Turning 70 at the end of the year, Ferguson knows he cannot go on forever at United, with Jose Mourinho once again letting it be known that it is his desire to return to English football.
Ferguson is determined to ensure the club is in a healthy state – no matter who takes over the reins when he eventually retires.
And his transfer dealings this summer will only emphasise that fact.
Who should United target in the summer? Have your say.
Summer spree can secure Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United legacy
March 24, 2011
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Bale just signed a new deal @ Spurs. Henderson/Chamberlain/Rodwell are not good enough for United and it has been confirmed that we have made NO contact with Southampton or Everton. Who said we want Young? NOT United but the press. We should buy Neuer, Sanchez and Costa. We already have alot of great young stars in Chicharito, Macheda, Welbeck, Cleverley, Nani, Anderson, Valencia, Smalling, Evans, Da Silva's, Amos, Pogba, Tunnicliffe, Morrison, Norwood etc....The future is bright, the future is United.
Add Lassana Diarra to that list for a bit of bite and some experience.
A lot of points in this article but I think we can say categorically that Scholes will not be replaced by Cleverley or Costa. Both these players are wingers. Also I would say Bale no longer falls in the cheap young category. That opprtunity fell away when we failed to snare him from Southampton. In terms of Scholes' potential replacement we have possibly Ravel Morrision coming through and have been linked with Mario Goetze at Borussia Dortmund who to me look like the more likely candidates.
Sir Alex Fergusons United legacy ìs in safe hands. Chicharìto (22), Welbeck (20), Macheda (19), Cleverley (21), Nani (24), Anderson (22), Smalling (21), Evans (22), Da Silva's (20), Obertan (21), Bebe (20), Gibson (23), Valencia (25), Rooney (25), Fletcher (26), Pogba (18), Norwood (19), Tunnicliffe (18), Morrison (18), King (19), Gill (20), De Laet (22), Amos (20), Lindegaard (26). Than there are new recruits, Neuer (24), Sanchez (22), Costa (20) would be great signings. The future is United, BELIEVE.
Ok assuming that the money is there; I wouldn’t be happy to spend £165m on new transfers. Did we close our academy?
I am not sure that anyone is saying categorically that the academy should be closed and it would fly in the face of what, historically, our club is about. However, the output of top class players in recent years, at least since the 'Becks + Giggsy era' generation, has been disappointing. Ignoring the cultural importance of the academy, I think that it should be expected to be value for money, i.e. that the cost of running it should be less than the market value of the young footballers that it turns out. I suspect that this is far from the case at the moment.
neuer 14m
mexes free
chamberlin 10m
young 14m
rodwell 21m
total 59m
OUT; vds retire, kuszczak 4m, brown released, obertan 3m, bebe loan, park 6m, gibson 4m, hargreaves released, scholes retire, owen released, diouf 4m
total 21m
total spend of 38m
neuer
lindegaard
amos
rafael........rio...............vidic............evra
oshea,,smalling...........mexes.........fabio
..........................evans
nani........fletcher........rodwell.........young
valencia..carrick........anderson......giggs
.........................cleverly..............chamberlin
..............rooney..........chicharito
.............berbatov.........welbeck
.......................macheda
there are some good players going on free transfers this summer with pirlo & mexes the main ones. dont forget fergie tried to sign mexes when he was at auxerre and then went to roma so could possibly take him now with rios injury problems & evans lack of form
I hope this article is based on informed journalism and not just speculation.
".........put aside as much as £165m for transfers". NONSENSE. That figure is aparently the clubs bank balance, to claim that much is availabe for transfers 1) unrealistic therefore stupid, and 2) lazy journalism. Anyhow, i'd love for united to sign de gea, a ball winner and a creative midfielder ( de rossi and modric would be nice lol but it'll neva happen). Weve been linked with Ashley Young but i just think we lack a natural left-footed winger, with a good set peice (all the more reason i was dissapointed tosic did'nt get half the chances that bebe and obertan are). Plus id have cleverley and welbeck in the first team squad next season, so a 'massive' squad overhaul or '165mil' spent on transfers is the last thing we can expect in the summer. In Sir Alex we trust.
An interesting article with some depth for a change, though not much that is new.
We knew we missed out on Young in January as Villa were “not quite ready”. There is little clarity around the incoming wingers. Given that we have at least three wingers already, we are unlikely to sign three more (Young, Bale and Costa). As Young seems to be a deal already done for the summer, not sure Costa and Bale are in the mix at all, even if Obertan moves on. Bale would be great but would cost a lot. I understand that Young can also play as a second striker but I am not sure he delivers a great deal more than scorching pace and we have that already.
Not convinced about Henderson and Rodwell, both look lightweights to me but as ever, I trust the club to identify and nurture. I have never seen the Southampton lad Chamberlain play but those who have say he is a special talent for the future.
I said yesterday that the future looks very bright for next season with this impending infusion of raw young talent to the squad.
If you missed the excellent Mail article today about how we recruit from South America, please do take a look.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1369316/Manchester-Uniteds-new-recruits-Brazil.html
"the club has put aside as much as £165m for transfers"?
No club on this earth would EVER tell other clubs how much cash they have to spend on potential new recruits.
We go to buy some guy and offer 10M, the seller explains "you've got 165m, we want 40m"'
Business Sense?
nonsense
Now if you want to placate me (in hindi , का मतलब हिंदी में जानिए| ) don't tell me how much cash you have, just show me the new buys this summer.
As they say , 'Talk is cheap
This might be controversial but I don’t think that Welbeck and Macheda will cut it at the highest level.
I am more excited about getting Cleverly back next year and seeing how Pogba & Morrison progress (probable will be loaned out for part of next season).
I do agree with the idea that SAF will be looking towards his legacy by signing young players.
The talk about Mario Goetze has died down a lot - without doubt he is the the best suitor for the Ginger Princes position.....
IINSIDER - any news?????
If Fergie delivers two more players like Hernandez and Smalling that'll do for me.
On the other hand he could spend 30 million each on two duds.
Remind you of anyone?
We can only trust the man himself. I well remember the hoots of derision when SAF suggested that Paul Scholes would eventually replace Eric Cantona. The cries of Who?? when he bought Vidic and Evra. Ronaldo the one trick pony, and last year Hernandez and Smalling. Of course, there have been signings that didn't come off, that is inevitable but I certainly wouldn't bet against him silencing his doubters again.
This article is the biggest piece of fiction since Jeffrey Archers' last novel. Maybe someone should buy the film rights from James Robson and turn it into a far fetched Hollywood blockbuster.
£165 million to spend. Bale to United. Rodwell for £15m - £20m. Don't make me laugh. Surely Mr Robson wrote this article with his tongue firmly in his cheek.
Still all the niave, half-witted rags who hang off every word they read will be pleased.
Why are MEN NOT printing the following?
Sao Paulo academy Desportivo focuses on bringing through young players to sell on at a profit and is owned by South American football company Traffic.
The company's president of international business Jochen Losch confirmed the way the partnership is used to help United secure the cream of Brazilian talent.
Partner
"Twente are a partner, helping United to resolve the problem of their EU passports," Losch told the Daily Mail.
"For two reasons it's good that a player goes first to Holland. First, after two or three years he's considered to be European. And, of course, it's easier to play in the Dutch league than the Premier League."
He added: "Manchester United look for young players in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
"If they find a good one they come to us. We'll get a player, register him with Desportivo Brasil, and we have a contract with United that they have an option to buy this player at 18 for a fixed amount.
"If the guy turns out to be an Alexandre Pato, United can still have him for a huge discount because of course we'll honour the contract. If they don't like the player, we keep him."
.
there aint a ready made replacment out there for scholes. just like there wasnt 1 when keano retired. legends like them are not replaced. u adapt change evolve and move on. you find new good players and adapt you style and methods to there abality. we have the making off a excellent new young central partnership developing in the reserve team. i am always happy to see new talent come in but i wouldnt be to disapointed if we didnt sign a center mid as long as we sign bale or sanchez and pogba sanchez and rev are given there chance in cm next season.
There was 5 young talented kids at the United-Bolton fixture - Gladstony, Aguilar, Lucas Evangelista, Agnaldo and Rafael Leao. Our South American talent factory continues coming up with the goods.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1369316/Manchester-Uniteds-new-recruits-Brazil.html
What a rubbish article. SAF isn't retiring. We haven't put £165m in a transfer kitty. If SAF has drawn up a list of targets James Robson would be the last person he'd confide in. SAF doesn't need to secure his legacy. He wouldn't do it by copping out and splashing out megabucks on the 'player-du-jour'. On nearly every basis this article is flawed. It's just international week flannel.
I would not be surprised if SAF decided to confront the new orthodoxy that you need to spend £40m+ on average players to win the league. I sense that he wants to win the league with the bulk of the squad coming through the ranks. I could quite easily see SAF buying just a top class keeper in the summer and no-one else.
What an achievement that would be, to win the league spending 10% of what the dysfunctional teams, Chelsea and City spend. And, what's more, I think we can do it.
We are already competitive but the addition of Welbeck, Cleverley, Morrison, Pogba, etc. to replace Hargreaves, Owen, Scholes and Neville would make us stronger using players already used to the United way. The only difficult areas are keeper, where we will need a top replacement for VDS, and possibly defence, where we have been susceptible to injuries for the last couple of years. We don't really have anyone in the youth or reserves who is ready to step up in those areas.
Rather than the gloomy scenarios painted by some miserablists, I see our future as being secure because the planning and preparation has long since been in place.
Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez - our Mexican superstar is only 22 years old and getting better, one day he will be the best player in the world.
Federico 'Kiko' Macheda - the 19 year old hitman is yet to blossom into the star we know he will be but I for one do not doubt the Italian and know he will have a bright future here at Manchester United.
Danny Welbeck - 20 years old and doing well at Sunderland, he time will come next season and a good future awaits at United.
Tom Cleverley - the 21 years wizard can play both the wing and midfield and is the next big thing in English football, the next breakout Manchester United superstar will be a great addition to our squad next season, a great United career awaits and I for one can not wait.
Nani - the 24 year old Portuguese superstar has finally lived up to everything we knew he was when signing him in 2007, he has filled the void left by the greatest player in the world Cristiano Ronaldo and will only get better. Nani is quickly becoming one of the best players in the world and is now one of the most important players at the club.
Anderson - the 22 year old brasilian is yet to truly reach the standards he is capable of but I do not doubt him for a second. Ando is a big strong powerful lad and will soon become one of our driving forces in midfield.
Antonio Valencia - the 25 year old Ecuadorian is one of the top players at the club, a great signing for United and a key player for the team.
Darron Gibson - the 23 year old is still trying to find his feet, we know he is a good player but not all United fans have warmed to Gibbo, I for one believe the star is still waiting to come out and that given time Gibson wil become a major hit here at Od Trafford.
Darren Fletcher - Fletcher is proof that hard work pays off, there was once a time that people was calling for Darren's head and claimed he was not good enough but the 26 year has proved everyone wrong and is now one of the driving forces at Manchester United. Fletch might be 27 this year but there is still a long career ahead for Darren and he will get even better over time.
Rafael and Fabio Da Silva - the 20 year old Brasilian wondertwins are both great talents for the future, both capable of playing in the full back or wing positions and are quickly becoming two of the best youngsters in world football. Rafael is now the first chocie right back adn the perfect replacement to Gary Neville. Fabio is suitabke backup to Evra but the day will come when he replaces Evra as the first choice left back. Two wonderful talented young lads.
Jonny Evans - the 23 year old has had some bad performances recently but we allknow he is a good defender and in the future he will become more solid at the back.
Chris Smalling - the signing of the 21 year old was a stroke of genius by Sir Alex Ferguson, he has filled in so well for Ferdinand and have shown that he will be a solid defender for years to come. The partnership of Smalling and Evans is the future.
Wayne Rooney - at 25 some might think we have seen the best of Rooney, but I believe the best is yet to come adn in the future we will see a more consistant goal scorer who is capable of getting over 30 goals at season.
Ben Amos - the 20 goalkeeper is more than a reliable 3rd choice, he haves everything to one day become the #1 here at Manchester United.
Anders LIndegaard - some might wonder who Lindegaard is but the 26 year old have shown he is a decent keeper and here at United he will only get better. the future #1? you never know.
Gabriel Obertan - the 21 year old has come und er alot of heat for not quite living up to the hype but I still believe Gabby haves what it takes and only needs time. He is a good winger afterall, even if jsut back up.
Bebe - I really dont understand the hating of Bebe, he is just 20 years old but has shown he haves promise and potential to be something special, the lad haves very little football experiecne and learned his trade from the streets. Will he prove everyone wrong? I think so.
Paul Pogba - simply a wonderful talent and the 18 year old should get a look in next seaosn, some have already compared him to Roy Keane and I believe we have a really taletn here for the future.
Raval Morrison - some claims he is the best kid since Ryan Giggs, a great wing talent but he can also have a bad temper and needs to control that, A real talent for the future I believe and we shoudld keep hold of the 18 year old.
Ryan Tunnicliffe - the 18 year old is a wonderful talent and he is good enough to be here long term. some compare him to David Beckham which says how good he is.
Oliver Norwood - a great talent, a wonderful shot, such as Tunnicliffe he has been compared to Beckham. the 19 year old haves what it takes to play at Manchester United and I hope he gets his chance.
The future is Manchester United.
Not a great article really, which is based on pure speculation. We all know we'll be lucky if we even sign one of the mentioned players. The same applies to getting rid of all the 'duds'. Every season we think and hope there will be a proper clear out, but there never is. Gibson, Obertan, Bebe, O'Shea, Fletcher, Anderson, Owen, Evans and Park simply aren't good enough for a club of this stature, and should leave.
Lets hope Mourino has done a deal with Qatar to take over as manager and FERGIE AND HIS PAST IT BRIGADE are shown the door double quick.
Its just come out that the 200 million did not come from Qatar but from the bitters new owners who now have an interest in United.
We will see in the Summer but I fear we will hear the same things again. No value in the
market and being happy with the squad .If things dont change Fergusons legacy will be
the Glazers .
SAF 5 more years.
No Mourinho, please.
3-4 new players.
Midfielders!