Phil Jones’ injury, “doesn’t look good,” according to Ferguson and he is to have an x-ray on his jaw and cheekbone, having been dealt an elbow to the face by Clint Dempsey. Ashley Young also got crocked as Manchester United strolled to victory: being taken down by Dickson Etuhu has ensured the England winger will be sidelined for the next 2-3 weeks. As Manchester United’s injury list builds, it is looking more and more likely that Ferguson will have to dig deep in January and give his “modern Manchester United” side a revamp.
Back in September, he stated in the interview, “a third of teams have spent more than us in recent years,” eluding to the fact that Hull, Blackpool and Burnley have all spent more than Manchester United, whilst in the Premier League in recent years, “I look at them and think, how are you doing that?” However, the self-asserting money savvy Ferguson may well have no choice when the window reopens.
As his injury list has mounted up, the Scot has remained adamant that his side is strong enough to continue and with each hit the team takes, Ferguson stands strong by his words, “It’s easy to buy a player, but buying the right player is more difficult. We don’t have a scatter-gun approach to signing players,” (speaking in November.) However, now Jones and Young are both out and Fletcher, who Ferguson backed to fill the midfield void, is sidelined indefinitely, adding to the rest on the list, that approach may have to change.
Manchester United have been linked with many a player as we approach the January transfer window: Christian Eriksen, Cheick Tiote, Nicolas Gaitan, Xherdan Shaqiri and Jack Rodwell. The rumours suggest that it’s almost certain Manchester United will sign a midfielder and Ferguson’s comments support this, “we’re all right in the striker department,” said Ferguson in faint praise of Welbeck and Berbatov and no praise of Michael Owen, “it’s in other areas we are picking up injuries.”
If Ferguson really is building a “modern Manchester United,” to compete over the next “5 or 6 years” a January face lift for his already young-faced side is needed, as well as justified, especially considering Manchester City’s relentless push for a Premier League title continues and undoubtedly will strengthen in January.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles like this visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
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