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Comment: Manchester United must hold on to Nemanja Vidic this summer, even if it means letting him leave for free in 2012
Serbian must stay to prevent Premier League slide...
16 Jun 2010 16:41:00
By Matt Monaghan
Sir Alex Ferguson should ring the Glazers’ pockets dry to keep undervalued Manchester United star Nemanja Vidic, as the cost is simply too high if he left.
As Goal.com UK exclusively revealed, a failure from the club’s board to offer the Serbian centre back parity in pay with Rio Ferdinand has opened the door to a sensational summer exit to Manchester City.
MORE...
The impasse in negotiations has left Sir Alex in a quandary; should he cash in on his star centre back now, or keep the player and lose him for free in 2012?
A quick look at the Scot’s defensive reserves makes the choice a no-brainer.
Vidic has continued to be the rock in the United side that came within one-point of a record breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title despite a slide in form.
That this decline has seen him go from the finest stopper in the world to simply a place in the top five still leaves him the best United have by a distance, as injury continues to hamper Ferdinand.
At 28, the greatest years of a player who relies on brawn and is weak against pace are certainly behind him. The previously bullet proof man has continued to wilt under the presence of Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, while a mistake just a fortnight ago against New Zealand saw Serbian fans revolt during the shock 1-0 defeat.
Unfortunately for United, none of their in-house replacements or potential transfer targets can hold a candle to him yet.
Both Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are painfully raw at the deep end. The new £10 million arrival from Fulham has played just 13 times in the Premier League, while the memory of the pitchside rollocking handed to Evans in the Champions League tie against AC Milan in the New Year remains.
Despite the protestations from chief executive David Gill, debt of £716m has made player sales and contract improvements an issue in the boardroom. Ferguson can’t relent to this pressure and must either hand Vidic the money he deserves or keep hold.
There can be no doubt that he deserves to be placed in the same category as Ferdinand and any grievance at this oversight is warranted. Similarly, the mistakes of the past cannot be repeated and the lessons learnt from the premature off-loading of Jaap Stam still ring true.
As the mirror image of Vidic, the Dutchman came to Old Trafford and developed into the best defender in the sport. Similarly, a reported falling out with Ferguson and loss of pace contrived to push him out of the club, in a £16 million switch to Lazio in 2001.
Stam’s departure began a slide at United that saw just one more league title lifted before 2007 as first Laurent Blanc, and then an inexperienced Ferdinand, failed to fill the gap.
No doubt Ferguson will be as tempted by a rumoured swap deal with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema as he will be repulsed by the offer from his ‘noisy neighbours’. The bean-counters at an alarmingly frugal United can be sure to voice their approval at any offer.
As befits a man of such success, the Scot has few regrets from his time at the Theatre of Dreams. The departure of Vidic would just add another to the small list of laments topped by Stam’s premature exit.
Sir Alex Ferguson should ring the Glazers’ pockets dry to keep undervalued Manchester United star Nemanja Vidic, as the cost is simply too high if he left.
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As Goal.com UK exclusively revealed, a failure from the club’s board to offer the Serbian centre back parity in pay with Rio Ferdinand has opened the door to a sensational summer exit to Manchester City.
MORE...
- United losing battle to keep Vidic from Man City but are lining up move for Benzema
- MUST launch Green and Gold shirt as they step up Glazer protest
The impasse in negotiations has left Sir Alex in a quandary; should he cash in on his star centre back now, or keep the player and lose him for free in 2012?
A quick look at the Scot’s defensive reserves makes the choice a no-brainer.
Vidic has continued to be the rock in the United side that came within one-point of a record breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title despite a slide in form.
That this decline has seen him go from the finest stopper in the world to simply a place in the top five still leaves him the best United have by a distance, as injury continues to hamper Ferdinand.
At 28, the greatest years of a player who relies on brawn and is weak against pace are certainly behind him. The previously bullet proof man has continued to wilt under the presence of Liverpool’s Fernando Torres, while a mistake just a fortnight ago against New Zealand saw Serbian fans revolt during the shock 1-0 defeat.
Unfortunately for United, none of their in-house replacements or potential transfer targets can hold a candle to him yet.
Both Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are painfully raw at the deep end. The new £10 million arrival from Fulham has played just 13 times in the Premier League, while the memory of the pitchside rollocking handed to Evans in the Champions League tie against AC Milan in the New Year remains.
A level above | Vidic wants to be paid closer to Ferdinand's wage
Despite the protestations from chief executive David Gill, debt of £716m has made player sales and contract improvements an issue in the boardroom. Ferguson can’t relent to this pressure and must either hand Vidic the money he deserves or keep hold.
There can be no doubt that he deserves to be placed in the same category as Ferdinand and any grievance at this oversight is warranted. Similarly, the mistakes of the past cannot be repeated and the lessons learnt from the premature off-loading of Jaap Stam still ring true.
As the mirror image of Vidic, the Dutchman came to Old Trafford and developed into the best defender in the sport. Similarly, a reported falling out with Ferguson and loss of pace contrived to push him out of the club, in a £16 million switch to Lazio in 2001.
Stam’s departure began a slide at United that saw just one more league title lifted before 2007 as first Laurent Blanc, and then an inexperienced Ferdinand, failed to fill the gap.
No doubt Ferguson will be as tempted by a rumoured swap deal with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema as he will be repulsed by the offer from his ‘noisy neighbours’. The bean-counters at an alarmingly frugal United can be sure to voice their approval at any offer.
As befits a man of such success, the Scot has few regrets from his time at the Theatre of Dreams. The departure of Vidic would just add another to the small list of laments topped by Stam’s premature exit.
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
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|
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