After a summer of speculation surrounding Manchester United’s Bulgarian striker, Sir Alex Ferguson has moved to reassure Dimitar Berbatov that he will have plenty of opportunities to prove himself with the club. Berbatov was said to have been frustrated after he was left out of Manchester United’s Champions League squad to face Barcelona back in May. Despite finishing the season as the joint top-scorer in the Premier League with 20 goals, Berbatov was slowly being forced out of the side by the impressive partnership that Wayne Rooney had formed with Javier Hernandez.
Unsurprisingly there has been rumblings that Berbatov may well be on his way out at Old Trafford. That was until this quote from Sir Alex Ferguson appeared in the Daily Mail: “Berbatov has a future at Manchester United”. He also went on to admit that “It was a difficult decision to leave him out of the final and I know he was disappointed. But we have had a long chat and he has accepted the decision and is looking forward to the new season.”
This may well be music to United fan’s ears, but I can’t help but wonder if Berbatov’s Old Trafford days are numbered. He is an excellent player, but in many ways he fails to match United’s style of play and this has led to him being sidelined.
A successful season should see a player rewarded not shut out. Whilst Berbatov has remained professional and not spoken out against his treatment, I can understand his frustration and wouldn’t be surprised if he was seriously considering his future.
How long would a player of Berbatov’s quality and stature be willing to play second fiddle to the likes of Rooney and Hernandez? Whilst Michael Owen appears to be willing to bide his time and wait for chances, I’m not sure that a man like Berbatov, at this stage in his career shares the same patience.
Berbatov’s biggest problem is that he hasn’t shown enough against the ‘big teams’. Whilst he constantly produces the goods against the likes of Wolves, Bolton and Blackburn, the same can’t be said when he competes against the top four. He also doesn’t seem to score in Europe. It’s a combination of these two characteristics which must have made Sir Alex decide to leave him out of the Champions League final.
At thirty years old, Berbatov’s footballing prowess may well start to decline. This could well be the last opportunity the Bulgarian will have to make a move to a top club. If Berbatov still finds himself playing second fiddle by January, could you really blame him for seeking a move away from the club?
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Pretty hard to score and show his worth in ‘big’ games when he is sitting next to SAF on the pine.
He also needs better service from MF when he is the lone stiker. Someone like Sneijder would bring out even more in Dimi.
He might not move in a ‘million miles an hour’ but he certainly thinks it and creates opportunities.
If Antonio Valencia had scored from Berbatov exquiste thru ball v Blackburn 2010, we could have had 19 last season.