Manchester United blog..

According to The Times, senior sources within Old Trafford are claiming the club has no interest in signing Samuel Eto'o, it could of course be a smokescreen and only time will tell as far as the Cameroon star is concerned. Eto'o has been strongly linked to Manchester City, but talk of that move fell through at the back end of last week.

The champions have until the end of August to make a move for a new striker, but fans will be beginning to wonder if the manager is now looking set to go with what he's got given the lack of top quality availability. Many pundits are claiming Karim Benzema was the manager's number one summer transfer target, that was until the young French striker opted to join Real Madrid.

Fergie might be contemplating starting the season with no new striker onboard apart from Michael Owen, the champions first two league fixtures are against newly promoted clubs in Birmingham (h) and Burnley (a), followed by Wigan (a) and then Arsenal (h) before the window slams shut. If United are struggling in front of goal at that point the manager might then be forced into a panic buy, but in truth there are few obvious quality transfer targets.

News that United have sold Fraizer Campbell to Sunderland will surprise few given Fergie was happy to use him as a pawn in the deal to sign Dimitar Berbatov last summer. Like the player himself, many United supporters will wonder what might have been if he'd been given a proper chance to shine at Old Trafford; one thing is for certain he is not the first, nor will he be the last young striker with potential to be sold prematurely.

The thing is potential is never enough when you're playing for one of the top clubs in the world, you need to be among the very best - being a good player at Manchester United is no guarantee of a long-term future at the club. Fergie must have had some doubts about Fraizer because even with regret the manager was ultimately happy to allow the player to leave. The fans will wish Campbell well, as long as he doesn't score against the champions next season, obviously.

According to the latest speculation Nani, another player with "potential" could soon be following Campbell out of the exit door, however unlike Campbell the Portuguese winger has been given ample opportunities to show what he is capable of. The former Sporting Lisbon winger has scored some spectacular goals, but he is nowhere near consistent enough and he has failed to measure up to expectations. All too often Nani makes the wrong decision when in possession, he is wasteful and his crossing is poor. What's more, unlike Park, he is one of those wingers who doesn't do enough where defensive duties are concerned. On a personal note, I will be glad to see the back of Nani.

The future of Dimitar Berbatov has also been the subject of speculation, his worth has divided opinion among the fans. Manchester United do not carry passengers no matter how much they've paid to acquire them, and it was his arrival that so unsettled fans favourite Carlos Tevez who now looks set to join Manchester City. Towards the end of last season it looked like the penny had finally dropped with Fergie that just perhaps Berbatov shouldn't have been treated as a regular first-choice pick, but sadly it was too late to the change the mind of the Argentine.

Over the last few days rumours have been suggesting United's Bulgarian striker could be up for sale, this would not surprise me in the slightest, but I doubt Fergie will want to be seen to lose face so quickly given the hefty price he paid to bring him to Old Trafford, which is why I expect the former Spurs player to be given one more season to prove his worth.

With Ronaldo and Tevez gone and with only Michael Owen coming in as a replacement United are in an awful mess up front, at least that is how it looks right now; some fans are saying "we sold the best player in the world and we have replaced him with a player who is almost always injured". Some have gone further when cruelly labeling Owen as a near cripple, which isn't fair, but it is fair to ask quite how Fergie has managed to get himself into this awful mess.

Interestingly, according to Rafa Benitez, a Premier League rival has offered £60m for the services of Fernando Torres, it could have been Manchester City, Chelsea or United, but more likely the former, it doesn't really matter who it was because it was never going to happen.

With Karim Benzema opting to join Real Madrid (as predicted on this blog) instead of United, it isn't looking good for the coming season. Ferguson will not be able to rely on the partnership of Rooney and Berabtov to score the goals next season, it is a partnership that simply will not and does not work; both players are essentially second strikers, both like to drop deep and drift. In terms of importance to the team Rooney stands head and shoulders above the Bulgarian, it was therefore vital that Ferguson brought in a player who would compliment the England striker this summer.

As things stand the club appears to be no closer to acquiring such a player, but with Manchester City dropping their interest in Samuel Eto'o you do wonder if United will now make their move. The Barcelona striker has apparently let it be known he is leaving, and that he wants to win more silverware - another good reason not to join City.

Over the last few days there has been media talk of a swap deal involving Nani and or Berbatov in exchange for Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero, but according to the La Liga club's president Enrique Cerezo, United have yet to make contact.

United have also been strongly linked to Klaas Jan Huntelaar who is mulling over an offer from Stuttgart. Madrid are understandably keen to sell after spending so lavishly this summer and according to the Spanish club, the Bundesliga outfit are the only ones who've matched their valuation which is reported to be 20 million Euros.

In other news Zlatan Ibrahimovic has today confirmed that Chelsea want to sign him, but no mention of Manchester United, which is disappointing if not entirely unexpected, given his reported price tag.

United's best hope for goals next season may well rest of on Rooney and the young shoulders of Macheda and Welbeck, though personally I have doubts about the latter, but both could potentially learn a lot from Michael Owen.

According to the Daily Mirror's David McDonnell, Fergie could be looking to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the 27-year-old striker has been strongly linked to Barcelona over the last few weeks, amidst reports that Inter Milan are keen to hang on to the Swedish star who has twice been voted Serie A player of the year.

McDonnell is the Mirror's main Manchester United correspondent and it's interesting that this story has been labeled as an exclusive, although the term is much over-used these days and often rendered meaningless, you do wonder if this story has some merit to it.

Even though Ibrahimovic isn't exactly blessed with pace, or indeed prolific in front of goal, he is the type of striker that might well compliment Fergie's existing array of attacking options. Ibrahimovic often divides opinion on his worth, there will be those who do not see what all the fuss is about while others put stock on the player's all round technical ability.

Ferguson needs to find a striker who will link well with Rooney, after one full season it doesn't look like Berbatov will be that man. The jury is very much out on new signing Michael Owen, the former Newcastle and Liverpool star at his best was more or less exclusively a penalty-box forward who in his pomp relied on the service of former colleague Steven Gerrard who would often ping long balls to the diminutive striker in goal-scoring positions.

Even if we see a resurgent Owen next season it's fair to ask if he is the type of striker who is best suited to play alongside Rooney, because as things stand without any shadow of doubt Rooney is going to be the most important attacking striker in Ferguson's armoury. If United are going to be successful next season much will depend on Rooney's ability to convert more goal-scoring opportunities and obviously playing on the flank will not enhance his chances of improving his tally, so not only does Ferguson need to add more fire-power, he also needs to review deployment of his most potent weapon.



The famous Zlatan Ibrahimovic Backheel

United fans will be somewhat concerned to learn the Lauren Blanc says he was "surprised" to learn that Fergie wants to sign French winger Gabriel Obertan. The Bordeaux manager sent the 20-year-old out on loan to Lorient last season following a reported row with his manager after falling out of favour. Ability, or lack of it, doesn't appear to be the problem, but the player seemingly has issues. Blanc is of course a former United player he knows the club, he also knows what lies in-store having trodden the same path back in 2001, but worryingly the Bordeaux boss says Obertan will have to over-come psychological and mental ­challenges.

It is most unusual for a manager of a selling club to talk so openly about a player he could be about to lose. It is also unusual for Fergie not to look into the character of any would be new signing before making any offer. We the fans are left to assume the United manager and his backroom team are confident that they can help the player settle in quickly, because it sounds like it's going to be a difficult transition if Blanc's concerns are valid and there's no reason to doubt his words of caution.

Blanc stopped short of calling the player a basket-case, but his words are no ringing endorsement for sure, one thing is for certain United is a great club for nurturing and improving raw talent as Beckham and Ronaldo will surely testify. If Obertan embraces his new challenge and blossoms then the world could lie at his feet, let's hope the player goes on to prove his doubters wrong, but first he has to become a United player...

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Hot on the heels of Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen, Sir Alex could be about to wrap up his third close-season signing after Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud revealed winger Gabriel Obertan is close to joining the champions. With dozens of players linked with United over the last few weeks, Obertan's proposed switch has somewhat come out of the blue with not too much known about the versatile 20-year-old.

The France Under-21 player found first-team chances hard to come by last term in Ligue 1 under former United defender Laurent Blanc so he spent the second half of last season on loan at Lorient, where he featured 15 times scoring just the one goal. Several other big guns across Europe have been tracking the player who can play in midfield or as a second striker.

"There is a very strong likelihood that the deal will go ahead," said Triaud to L'Equipe.

"Manchester United want to sign him and, for our part, we would be delighted to see Gabriel playing for such a prestigious club.

"We will make the official announcement when the time is right."

Obertan, who made his professional debut for Bordeaux when he was just 17, is seen as one for the future by Ferguson and a player with the potential to develop quickly at Carrington.

United scouts checked on the player at last month's Toulon International Youth Tournament, where he was given the Most Valuable Player award and that appears to have swayed United into making a move ahead of Inter and AC Milan.

News that United have just signed Michael Owen will have quite rightly shocked many followers of the club, yet bizarrely some of those fans were glad to see the back of Carlos Tevez - you do wonder what the very same supporters will be making of signing a player whose career has been severely blighted by injuries?

Whatever the fans say, the fact is United have just lost the services of two world-class strikers and have replaced them with one who has spent far too long on treatment table - from that perspective this transfer cannot be viewed as anything but a step backwards for the champions. It is also a signing of desperation, because according to the media, only Hull City were interested in acquiring the services of the former Newcastle forward.

Ferguson will no doubt also sign at least one more striker before the summer window closes, it will more than likely be Huntelaar from Real Madrid. No matter what the fans say about Ferguson's summer transfer dealings we will only be able to fully judge the manager at the end of the next season, but the danger is if the manager keeps on signing mid-table club players the champions will become a mid-table club themselves and I personally fear that is where United are heading this season.

Personally, I have many misgivings about the events of this summer, in particular the botched handling of Carlos Tevez who should have been signed last summer. United had twelve months to sort out the Tevez situation and they knew Ronaldo was going too, they have signed an ageing striker whose best days are almost certainly behind him. Ferguson is known to be a fan of Owen; back in 2005 I'm led to believe he came close to becoming United player, but for whatever reason that move never came off.

From a tactical perspective it will be interesting to see where Owen fits into the manager's plans. Despite his impressive goal-scoring record, the former Liverpool striker cannot be classed as a classic centre-forward, he is penalty-box predator, one who used to rely on his blistering pace, but sadly Owen has lost much of his pace due to successive injury problems. One suspects Fergie will use Owen as a reserve striker, he will effectively be an insurance policy who will be used when the need arises, and much will depend on who Fergie signs next.

A few weeks ago we the fans were led to believe the club would not sign players over the age of 27, news of the Owen signing makes a complete mockery of that notion, and what’s more the club are in serious danger of being labelled as a bunch of hypocritical cheapskates.

With top quality targets in short supply it surely is only a matter of time before we hear that United have opened talks with Madrid about signing Huntelaar, at least that my personal big fear. If it happens and the Dutchman signs this summer, what can United fans expect? One thing is for certain, it won't be pace up front next season.

The danger is United's forward play would become slow and predictable with no pacey striker down the middle, it would leave some fans pining for the days of Yorke and Cole - arguably the club's finest ever forward pairing. It is difficult to see Rooney and Berbatov forming any kind of meaningful partnership on the evidence of last season.

Given the lack of standout candidates who might in some way fill the Ronaldo void, it comes as no surprise to read that Fergie is not going to sign a striker this summer. If that happens the manager is taking a huge gamble, possibly the biggest of his career. Manager's often do their best work in the summer months after weeks of planning, sadly it looks at this juncture that Fergie's transfer plans have turned to dust.

Fergie hasn't quite reached desperation stage yet, but if the manager doesn't sign a top striker this summer then he may well live to regret it later. I for one have serious reservations about Huntelaar. If Fergie signs the Real Madrid striker, it will be a case of Hobsons choice, but it could well be the manager's only serious option. With all that said I'll predict a parntership of Rooney and Huntelaar would do far better than Rooney and Berbatov - that's because Huntelaar is a genuine striker, whereas the other two are essentially second-strikers.

When news of Ronaldo's transfer to Real Madrid broke it soon became clear the player was going to be sold, even at the expense of the manager being unable to find a suitable goal-scoring replacement. The rationale behind the club's decision to sell Ronaldo was simple; grab Real Madrid's £80m now because we might not be able to find anyone. As inevitable as Ronaldo's move surely was, that scenario is one the fans' need to grasp, because there is no other plausible conclusion.

As things have turned out, United look to have lost out to Madrid again with the news that Fergie's "number one" summer transfer target Karim Benzema is expected to sign for the Spanish club, it's a bitter blow, but only the deluded and those who believe tabloid hype will be surprised because all along it was known the French striker fancied a move to either Spain or Italy.

On a personal note, I don't know about other United fans, but I don't want to sign a player who doesn't have his heart set on playing for the club, in this instance it would surely only have been a matter of time before the French striker plotted a move to Spain.

As things stand now United's planning, or lack of it, looks awful, the club stands accused of failing to make preparations for the exits of Ronaldo and Tevez. It's as if these moves have come out of the blue this summer, in point of fact the manager and fans alike have been aware for some time that Tevez might move on and there's been much debate about Fergie giving Ronaldo the option of leaving.

The fact is United have rarely been able to attract the world's top talent to Old Trafford, rather than chasing fool’s gold, perhaps Ferguson should be concentrating on finding and developing the next Ronaldo. United should continue to blood young players like the Da Silva brothers and Macheda - that is the future...and we have to remember the bedrock of the solid back four is still in place.

It might well take United two to three seasons to get over the events of this summer - possibly even longer than that given Fergie will retire sooner rather than later. Antonio Valencia has been signed from Wigan, but he's not going to score the goals next season, added to which the manager can no longer rely on the experience of players like Scholes and Neville who are both a year older.

Fergie has relied on Ronaldo a lot during his time at Old Trafford - who could blame him? However, now he's gone it's fair to ask if the manager has a plan B? The challenge is to become more of a team - one that relies less on one player and one that collectively scores more goals. It's a very big ask given the current squad, it is hard to see where those goals will come from.

It would be ridiculous to completely write-off United before a ball has been kicked, but at this juncture it isn't looking good, but we know the club will bounce back, they always do and having followed the club since the late 60s I know that as well as anyone.