Welcome to the second instalment of the blog's feature on club transfers - the '
In & Out' series!!! In this feature we today look at the players who most fans feel should be heading towards Old Trafford's exit door - either on a permanent transfer or on loan...
First we have a look at the players fans feel that their time's up at the club -
Darron Gibson
Alright - even I agree that he is one of those few United players who can score from outside the box, but the biggest reason that he's on the top of this list is simply coz he's not good enough for United! The Irishman hasn't really improved in the past few seasons even though he broke into the squad two years ago & still struggles to make it to the Carling Cup squad... Once touted to be Scholes's successor, Gibbo doesn't have great passing skills either & hence needs to be shown the door at the club...
Tomasz Kuszczak
This almost looks certain isn't it? The Pole has often proved to be a worthy deputy to the great Edwin Van der Sar with his shot-stopping ability, but he hasn't been able to displace the Dutchman's No.1 status... His capability to collect dangerous long balls from corners & spot-kicks isn't upto the mark either... Last week, United signed Danish international Anders Lindegaard & the club is rumoured to be in talks for a £20 million move for Atletico Madrid stopper David De Gea... With opportunities limited, he should be seeking greener pastures...
John O'shea
More than the eyebrows raised about Rooney's contract, I was puzzled to learn that O'shea had signed a new £80,000-a-week contract that will keep him at the club till 2014... Let me make it clear that I absolutely adore the Irishman coz of his loyalty towards the club & his readiness to play in any position, be it as a full-back or holding midfielder... But post his injury last season, he hasn't been the same reliable player as before & has more than often looked rusty this season... With his popularity rapidly waning among the Old Trafford faithful, O'shea faces a real fight to keep his place in the team...
Mame Biram Diouf
The 20-year-old Senegalese striker scored on his Premier League home debut coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Burnley... Diouf, who joined United from Norwegian club FK Molde (United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first club) in January 2010 has struggled to make a big impact since, which resulted in him being loaned to Blackburn Rovers for the season... Diouf has been impressive till date, grabbing 5 goals this season including a hat-trick against Norwich in the League Cup... But the factor that goes against him is the abundance of strikers at Old Trafford in the form of Rooney, Berbatov, Chicharito, Owen & Macheda... With Danny Welbeck realising his potential & set to be back next season, Diouf may find himself scavenging for games & hence I believe it will be better for him to seek opportunities elsewhere...
Then we look at the players who will do well with a loan spell either in the Premier League or in the lower leagues -
Jonathan Evans
The Northern Ireland centre-back is just 23 & touted to have a great future at Old Trafford, but his recent form has been contradictory to the above... Evans, who was blooded into the first team last season in the wake of the 'Great Defensive Crisis', rose steadily to the challenge & showed in the absence of Rio Ferdinand that he had all the makings of a great footballer, displaying a sense of maturity unknown to players of his age... But this season, he has made some costly errors at crucial junctures, resulting in the team often dropping points from winning positions... The recent 4-0 defeat at the hands of West Ham in the Carling Cup had some calling for him to be axed from the squad... With summer signing Chris Smalling moving above him in the pecking order, I firmly believe a loan spell away from Old Trafford will do Jonny a whole lot of good...
Federico Macheda
Surprised??? Well I ain't in two minds about this at all! Though he's only 19, he's been used mostly as an impact substitute in the league & as a regular in the Champions League group stage against weaker opposition... Macheda is a magnificent finisher but his off-the-ball movement still requires a lot of improvement, which will come with experience... Fans will be aware of him losing heart in the absence of first-team opportunities & so I think Macheda needs to spend the second half of the season playing at another club where he will get more games...
Magnus Eikrem
The talented Norwegian midfielder, who is also the captain of the Reserves squad, has been a consistent performer in the past two seasons but somehow, a place in the starting XI has continued to elude him... Barring a substitute appearance vs. Wolves last season in the Carling Cup, Eikrem hasn't made the cut despite his good showing in the Reserves... A loan move to a Premier League club may enable him to prove to the manager that he indeed deserves to play at the highest level...
What d'you think guys??? Feel free to leave your comments below or drop me a line on Twitter @AbhinavCJ & I'll get back to you right away!
Vote for the Red Devil you feel has been United's MVP (Most Vital Player) this season! Check out the poll on the blog & vote before time runs out!!!
And on a final note, I'd personally like to thank people on Twitter like ManUtd24, Mihir, Doron, Mary, Sarah, Tejash, Mayank, Martin, Mike, Daniel, Mark, Raj & ManUnitedTalk for their opinions on this matter...
That's all Folks!
Yours,
CJ
