Turning his current Manchester United class into Premier League champions may well be Sir Alex Ferguson’s single greatest achievement.
Keeping them at the summit of English football may prove his single greatest task.
For to do that, the United manager must do what he has put off for the best part of five years and finally find the players fit to be mentioned in the same breath as two of his most trusted warriors, let alone replace them.
Even by their own incredible powers of longevity, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes cannot be expected to lead another year of trophy-laden success at Old Trafford.
Add to that the need to replace the only man capable of filling the Peter-Schmeichel-shaped-void at the club, in Edwin van der Sar, and Ferguson has got a lot on his plate before he can head off to his favourite bolthole in the south of France this summer.
As crucial as it is that he doesn’t repeat the mistakes he made in trying to find Schmeichel’s successor in 1999, it is the Giggs and Scholes issue that will trouble him most.
Correction – it is the Giggs and Scholes issue that has played on his mind even during the Premier League and Champions League successes of recent years.
As much as he crunches the numbers, he can’t come up with the right equation.
Little wonder. The likes of them are not easily found.
Scholes
England have never replaced Scholes since his decision to retire from the international arena after Euro 2004.
As recently as last summer, Fabio Capello, became the latest national coach to try to tempt him out of self-imposed exile before the World Cup in South Africa, but to no avail.
And as for Giggs – over the two decades of his career, England have never come close to producing a left-sided attacker to compare.
The latest contender – Ashley Young – is the man Fergie hopes will fill the Welshman’s shoes at Old Trafford.
Nani is emerging as one of the shining lights of United’s latest generation – but his better displays have come on his stronger, right side.
It says everything about the chasm left by Giggs on the left that even though he has long-since adapted his game from being a flying winger, Ferguson continues to muddle through with system alterations to absorb the impact of his absence out wide.
In fact, Giggs has emerged as the closest United can find as a replacement to Scholes as the season has progressed.
He fulfilled the creative role in the centre of midfield in the Champions League clashes with Chelsea and Schalke, and he is expected to do so again in the final against Barcelona.
But while he will play on next season, it is impossible to think that at 38 before the end of the year, he can continue to defy the demands of Father Time.
Young offers proven Premier League pedigree on the wing and gives Ferguson the option to play a three-pronged attack in a role off the striker.
United tried to sign him back in January and since then his stand-out performances for Aston Villa have alerted the attention of Liverpool too.
Ferguson believes he can convince Young to snub Anfield in favour of a £15m move to Old Trafford and the chance to play Champions League football next season.
While he has had success with Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling this season, he believes he can’t afford to gamble when it comes to Giggs’ successor.
Young is becoming an increasingly pivotal figure in England’s plans for Euro 2012 and his displays for the national team have only confirmed Ferguson’s belief that he can develop further at United.
He had hoped Anderson would have developed into a natural successor to Scholes by now – but the very fact that Giggs continues to keep him out in the biggest games is evidence that the Brazilian is still yet to convince.
There have been signs that he can live up to the lavish praise he enjoyed as a teenager in Brazil – but Ferguson cannot risk another fitful season without alternative options.
Wesley Sneijder continues to look like the perfect man to take over from Scholes – but United will face stiff competition from City and Chelsea for the brilliant Dutchman.
Transition
With more than £100m to spend, he is likely to need it all with Everton’s Jack Rodwell also on his wanted list.
A sizeable chunk has already been put aside for van der Sar’s replacement.
Around £20m will be needed for Atletico Madrid’s David de Gea, but Holland No1, Maarten Stekelenburg is emerging as the front-runner to succeed his countryman.
He comes with van der Sar’s approval and has the experience United will be looking for in order to make as smooth a transition as possible in the goalkeeping department.
The Ajax keeper was part of the Holland side that reached last year’s World Cup final and at 28 is reaching his peak.
Even if successful in securing Young, Sneijder and Stekelenberg, Ferguson’s spending may not stop there.
He is confident of landing Rodwell as well, while decisions will have to be made if Dimitar Berbatov departs this summer.
With rivals City and Chelsea expected to spend big again this summer, standing still is not an option.
Who should United go for? Have your say.
Time for Manchester United to replace the irreplaceable
May 16, 2011
Comments
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It will be a sad day when Scholesy annocues his retirement and it looks like that is this summer, a true legend of a game and he will be missed.
Giggs haves another 2 years in him yet, we shopuld get Alexis Sanchez ready for when Giggs go, but like I said, Giggs haves another few years in him and long may he play.
It is highly likely that Owen wil go this, Kuszczak has apparently said already that he will leave, Van Der Sar is retiring and what a keeper he has been for us and hopefully we get the replacement right, Brown and Obertan are questionable.
I highly doubt Berbatov is going anywhere adn the media are also claiming Evans and Gibson but I know they arent leaving.
We have to get Alexis Sanchez. I would like Douglas Costa but Wesley Sneijder is acceptable. The right keeper is a must, I hear alot of David de Gea but I think it could be Marteen Stekelenburg or someone.
Whether City, Chelsea, Liverpool spends big or not is nothing to do with me, I am only interesting in what we are doing and I would be happy if we spend around £50m.
Going to be an exciting summer for Manchester United.
Bring in: De Gea, Kjaer, Sneijder and Sanchez. I would also bring in Defour but United have cooled on him. Cleverley back from loan. Pogba into first team squad. Offer Hargreaves pay as you play deal. Move on : VDS, Kusczak, Brown, Evans, Gibson, Obertan, Owen. Then decision to be made between Diuof, Welbeck and Macheda.
Young is average, no thanks.
All we need is a goalkeeper and a Scholes replacement! Young,Rodwell and the lad from Sunderland are not as good as we already have so what's the point in wasting money? Don't forget,we have the twins who can do a good job at L and R fullback and L and R midfield-- remember the Arsenal cup match? We have also got some good young lads coming through and they will have their noses pushed out if we bought too many!
What if there is no value in the market?
Why did we not just buy schnedier when he was available for peanuts,typical utd signing policy. Hargreaves needs to be shown the door and anderson needs a boot up his backside,carrick goes invisible,cant score doesnt set anything up and passes backwards. We are crying out for two decent central midfielders.
Please keep Owen Hargreaves on pay-as-you-play basis. When that guy recovers, he will be like a new signing.
I would like to to us go after the Lyon goal keeper or Stekelenburg and bring in Sneijder and Douglas Costa and take a long look at Gareth Bale! With the twins, hernandez, smalling, vidic, rooney, nani and valencia and these arrivals all under 25 years old, I will be happy with our squad for the next 5-8 years! In Sir Alex I trust!
Excluding goalkeepers, the strategy of like-for-like replacements can be flawed. When we knew Roy Keane's days were nearing an end, look at the time, effort and money that was wasted looking for a replacement. In the end, we adapted, using playing resources in different ways — with the net result that our reshaped side went on to enjoy unprecedented success. Similarly when David Beckham left, it was a different type of No7 who came in ... and look how successful Ronaldo was. In fact, when we've lost an iconic No7, the shirt has been passed on to a totally different type of player, and that policy has worked.
One-off players cannot be replaced (if there was another identical he wouldn't be unique!!!) so I feel it is wrong to even start thinking about looking for a like-for-like replacement for either Paul Scholes or Ryan Giggs.
Which brings me to Wesley Sneijder. Fine player though he is, I have reservations about getting him as a big-money Scholes replacement. Sir Alex's great teams have evolved and developed organically: we don't decide on a system and recruit players to suit — we use the strengths of our players and find a pattern that maximises their talents. Remember Benitez's Liverpool: he had a fixed plan and wasted good players by ordering them to slavishly follow what he alone arrogantly believed was a winning formula. For them it was disastrous.
This season, one of the most decisive developments has been the role that Wayne Rooney has latterly been given. We know he can score goals (last season proved that), but he has found a niche in recent weeks that gives him scope to use his range of talents while creating opportunities for others to maximise their strengths. However, Sneijder plays a similar sort of game, and I fear that if he were to sign, the Rooney we've seen recently would be suppressed if only to justify any huge transfer fee or wages of the new recruit. We have a rare talent in Rooney; so talented, in fact, that he is often the one who is asked to change his ways to accommodate others when changes are made. And would Sneijder be happy to fetch up at Old Trafford if he thought he would not be allowed to play his natural game purely to accommodate Rooney?
Equally, I have reservations about Ashley Young, for he is not a Giggs — no-one is — although the Villa player might be more amenable to altering his game to fit in with whatever any pattern which Sir Alex's next great side develops.
I'm sure Sir Alex and David Gill have weighed up all these questions, and it wouldn't surprise me if they felt, in the greater interest of Manchester United, it might be wiser to leave the Hollywood headline-grabbing signings to those less stable clubs with owners who feel the key to success is purely to buy it. Those we buy will be players who can best fit in at Manchester United, not the ones with the most number of noughts attached to their transfer fees.
Yes, there will be the 'moaning Minnies' who complain about our 'lack of ambition' (with the Glazers inevitably getting the blame), but if this season has taught us one thing it is that big-money signings don't always equate to the biggest prizes.