Which Manchester United starlet should Sir Alex favour in the coming season?

Manchester United have an embarrassment of riches upfront. Given the fact that the mighty Dimitar Berbatov was struggling to find games at the tail end of last season, I wouldn’t be too surprised if they likes of Mame Biram Diouf, Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda are looking on and wondering whether they fit into Sir Alex’s plans. Of course, the season is long and there will be opportunities for all, but it strikes me that one of these youngsters should be loaned out, or United risk overloading their squad and damaging some of these starlet’s careers.

Macheda is an interesting case. He has started pre-season well, scoring a brace against New England Revolution, but he has a lot to prove having failed to score in 14 games for Sampdoria as the Italian side were relegated. United fans have seen what he’s capable of in the past, however and at 19, he still has plenty of developing to do. Ferguson appears to be singing from the same songbook here, noting that in Macheda, United “have got something special at 19 years of age and we have got great hopes for him”.

Macheda himself seems determined to make the most of his time at United after a disappointing time in Serie A. He can’t live off his former glories anymore and if he’s guilty of any complacency he’ll find himself out in the cold. With a good pre-season under his belt, I’m sure he’ll be able to come up with the goods.

Then there’s Danny Welbeck who has attracted a fair amount of interest throughout this transfer window. Sunderland are thought to be attempting to sign him on a permanent basis, whilst Bolton are keen to get him on loan. I’m sure that United fans won’t want Welbeck to leave the club, but a loan move wouldn’t be out of the question, particularly to a club like Bolton who have an excellent record with their loan-stars.

With Hernandez, Rooney, Owen and possibly Macheda ahead of him in the pecking order, a loan move might be the best option for Welbeck if he is to receive regular first-team football. In a way I think Welbeck is the best prospect of the bunch, which is why I think it’s so essential that he’s playing on a regular basis. He may well get chances at Manchester United, but why risk his development? Send him somewhere where he’ll get a decent amount of chances and will be able to build towards a future in this Manchester United side.

It strikes me that Sir Alex can’t keep both these young talents in this squad. Since I don’t want to see either of them leave Old Trafford, a loan move is in order. Since it’s hard to see Welbeck forcing his way up United’s pecking order, I hope Sir Alex does the right thing by him and agrees a loan deal with a decent Premier League club.

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