As Berbatov to United talk reignites: Why it's unlikely to happen...

Oh dear, only 24 hours after Berbatov says that all the talk of him wanting to leave Spurs because he's unhappy is untrue and just when Spurs fans might have hoped that the issue has been put to bed for a few weeks, and then what do you know, his brother pipes up and says 'he's outgrown Spurs and wants to join Manchester United'. Is it a PR disaster, or is it part of a cunning plan on the part of the Bulgarian striker and his camp? Time will tell on that front.

The latest gossip doing the rounds about Spurs and Berbatov, is that he might have become unsettled due to competition for places. I find that scenario hard to believe, he's been around long enough to know that it's healthy to have players fighting for places in the starting eleven.

Expert pundit Graham Souness reacted to this theory by adding that if he eventually ends up at Manchester United, he will have plenty of competition for places. How true.

One thing is for sure, there's been too many stories about Berbatov appearing in the press about him being 'unhappy', it surely must be a case of no smoke without fire.

So what are the chances of him pitching at Old Trafford this January? Slim is my own view. Here's why. Ferguson for sure wants a new striker, but he's building a new team and the last thing he needs right now is someone who will want assurances about his place in the side. For one thing, the manager cannot give any guarantees with Rooney and Tevez clearly being his preferred strike partnership. That said, it didn't stop Fergie telling Alan Smith he'd only be used as a striker before signing, only for the former Leeds man to end up in midfield.

You could understand Berbatov expecting to have some sort of assurances about his probable place in the side, he's older and has more experience than Rooney and Tevez. However, Fergie may well prefer to sign someone who wont expect to start every game and be less demanding - it all adds to the pressure of management, only this week Fergie went public stating that he's finding it hard to leave out players like Fletcher.

That said, if Berbatov says that he would be willing to fight for his place, then there's a slim chance it might happen. However, Spurs have a fair record of pulling United's collective trousers down when it comes to transfer fees. After the Reds had completed the signing of Michael Carrick for silly money, sources close to Spurs let it be known that they'd have accepted a lot less, now that was really taking the p*** - it might have seemed funny at the time, but the stunt may have soured relations between the two clubs and it could lead to problems in further negotiations. So the transfer fee would be another potential stumbling block.

There's also the possibility that United might offer a player in exchange for the Bulgarian, Fergie might want shut of injury prone Saha, even Michael Carrick could be up for grabs with the summer signings of Hargreaves and Anderson. Though the arrival Ramos is surely more likely to lead to players from Spain or South America arriving at the Lane in January. So while the Red Devils might well prefer a player plus cash exchange, I think Ramos will have other ideas (that's assuming he's actually got a say on new players).

All in all and for the reasons outlined above, my gut feeling is that Berbatov will not be coming to United in the short term, not to play for the Reds at least at any rate. I do rate the Bulgarian though, his style is different to the likes of Tevez and Rooney. He would be a good signing if a deal could be done.

Why Fergie needs to sign a new striker....

There's no denying that the Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez partnership has proven the critics wrong, they said they were too similar and that it was unlikely to work, but so far, it has worked and well.

However, as we saw against Arsenal at the weekend, sometimes you need to change things and there's no denying that the introduction of Louis Saha made a difference and it led to United taking that second half lead, only for it to be tossed away at the death.

On Saturday it was Tevez who was replaced by Saha, the Frenchman is definitely good enough to hold down a regular place in the side if he's fit, and if the manager gives him a fair chance, but you cannot help but feel that Fergie has earmarked the former Fulham striker down to play a supporting role from the bench for the remainder of the season.

The question is, when the games come thick and fast and there's no time to recover from injuries - which seem to affect Saha almost all of the time - what happens then, with United only having three players for effectively two positions?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had to sadly call it a day due to injury and of course Rossi was sold in the summer.

United fans and the manager are desperately hoping to win the league and the Champions League again this season, for that to happen the manager must surely try to sign a top striker in January. My own personal choices would include Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland, he's not cup-tied and would give the manager a different option.

IF anyone else has a suggestion for a new striker, then let's hear about it.