After only just recovering from a injury lay off that has seen him miss 2 months of the season, Anderson injured himself again in Manchester United’s Europa League loss to Athletic Bilbao at Old Trafford. Many national newspapers have deemed this to be extremely important to Manchester United’ ambitions this season as they believe him to be an influential player in the midfield. Is Anderson really that important to to his team? Does he have the ability to make it with United, or is he just another name to fill up a space on the team sheet?
Anderson arrived at Manchester United back in the Summer of 2007, when he was dubbed ‘the new Ronaldinho’. Strange, when you think of Anderson you don’t think of Ronaldinho, or any of Brazil’s legendary footballers for that matter. The only comparisons between the two players are the fact that they are both Brazilian and started their career’s at Gremio, but that’s where it ends. He certainly didn’t get that nickname for his ‘samba’ approach to football, with fancy flicks and flamboyance in his every move because he differs to many Brazilian footballers. His approach is more direct, less of the skill and more of a midfield combat approach. Of course he is not the toughest of midfield powerhouses, but he’s no Ronaldinho.
Some of his displays have been impressive. His influence in United’s 2-2 draw at the Emirates in November 2007 cannot be overlooked as he battled throughout the game in midfield against Cesc Fabregas and then did it again at Anfield a month later, where this time he came up against Gerrard. His display was a big talking point after that game and later that season he smashed home United’s penultimate penalty in the Champions League final against Chelsea. Premier League winners medals, Champions League medals and the odd goal here and there. Not a bad CV.
However, how much of this influence came directl from him? In his third season he failed to hold down a starting XI place due to his inconsistent form. There’s a word that can describe Anderson in a nutshell, inconsistent. Another word that tells you a lot about him is ‘injury’, the Brazilian has had his United day’s clouded by the injuries he picks up. The 2009/10 campaign saw Anderson’s season end in February and he didn’t return until September that year. He did go on to make 30 apperances that season and grab another Premier League medal, clinching a new four-and-a-half year deal in December 2010 to top it off.
He’s highly rated at Old Trafford and at times you can see why. However, at other times you wonder if it’s the same player that you’re watching and sometimes you just don’t get to see him at all due to his injuries. He should stay at United, he is good enough. As a consistent starting XI player I’m not so sure but he’s still a great addition to the squad and can make an impact at times. If he can find his best form on a more regular basis and avoid further injuries then we may start to see more often why he is rated so highly.
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