Age and departures: Man United must rebuild

It has come to that inevitable stage where a curtain must be lowered and a new one raised at Old Trafford.

United fans and Premier League spectators always speculated about the day United would have to recover from a golden age of midfield talent finally retiring or moving on.

It hasn’t been a sudden process though.

Over more than a decade, a midfield that boasted the likes of Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Eric Cantona in their prime have either retired or have already played their best football, and Sir Alex Ferguson has needed to rebuild after every departure.

The key difference to the situation United find themselves in now is that Ferguson does not have his two talismans to build around, in Giggs and Scholes.

It becomes irrelevant whether you hate United or love them, you run out of superlatives when describing the two one-club men.

Scholes is one of the greatest central midfielders ever to play the game. His ability to pass, retain, and shoot the ball is almost unparalleled.

Giggs on the other hand has gone from a silky wing-wizard of scintillating pace to an intelligent, skillful, central midfielder, whose long years of service have made him the most decorated player in English football.

The two players have been praised by current and past legends of the game and are seen as legends of the club.

Scholes’ retirement at the end of the last campaign, coupled with Giggs’ age, dismal Champions League performance, and off-field scandals, have showed it is finally the end of a midfield era and time for change.

When you remove Scholes from the United line-up, you’re left with a central midfield that pales in comparison to the old guard.

The established first-team central midfield players Sir Alex Ferguson has at his disposal are Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Michael Carrick and Darron Gibson.

Most United fans would argue that aside from Fletcher, and possibly Anderson as a future prospect, Carrick and Gibson are simply not fit to be the new look of a midfield era.

Carrick’s United career started brightly when he arrived from Tottenham in 2006, but since the Champions League Final in 2009, when United were utterly battered in the middle of the park, his form has been marred by inconsistency.

Gibson on the other hand, has never looked like cementing a place in the starting 11 and looks likely to depart to Sunderland in the transfer window.

With Scholes out of the picture and Giggs in the twilight of his career, United will need to spend to bring in a creative central midfield player worthy of filling Scholes’ almighty boots in the short-term, and probably another player who will replace Carrick after the next season or two as the defensive or deep-lying midfielder.

A few names have been touted in the transfer window who could potentially be United’s new creative midfield man: Wesley Sneijder, Luka Modric, Samir Nasri and Marvin Martin are just a handful.

But the two players of the highest quality on that list and the players United would ideally want to be the centerpiece of their creative supply are Sneijder and Modric.

Sneidjer appears the more likely target, with Inter Milan implying a willingness to sell, and Sneidjer himself having interest in the switch, while Modric is unlikely to move from Tottenham this transfer window.

Even if a move is pushed through, he has declared Chelsea his preference.

Sneijder however, presents all the qualities United need in a creative midfielder.

He’s a skilled passer, a free-kick specialist, can tackle, is a wonderful striker of the ball and he has the technical prowess and versatility that enables him to play anywhere across the midfield.

Sneijder’s versatility will play a key role in whether Sir Alex does indeed push a move through for him or not.

Crucially, United will not be looking for an attacking midfielder who will sit behind the striker, they will be looking for a gut-busting box-to-box midfielder who will tackle, pass and contribute on both sides of the pitch.

Wayne Rooney’s return to form last season was largely due to his change of position, from a target-man to a traditional number 10, a playmaker who linked the midfield with attack.

Sneidjer may be an attacking midfielder above all else but he has all the necessary qualities to be a tremendously effective creative midfield player when also playing a box-to-box role.

Sneijder’s efficient role as a box-to-box midfielder during the 2010 World Cup with the Netherlands is testament to that.

One of Alex Ferguson’s assistants René Meulensteen has described Sneidjer as the “ideal player” for the squad, and this has heightened speculation the Dutchman could be on his way to the Theatre of Dreams.

Sneidjer will likely cost in the region of 25-30 million pounds, a reasonable price for a player of such astounding technical ability.

As for creative midfield talent though, United have a couple of players in the reserves who could be the new generation of midfielders that are pushed into the squad over the next five years.

Players such as Ravel Morrison, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Paul Pogba are all touted to cement a place in the future United team and are highly regarded by many.

All three players are different midfielders: Morrison a more attacking player with pace and direct running ability, Tunnicliffe a pacey box-to-box midfielder with the ability to tackle and pass, and Pogba a dynamic midfielder who is constantly compared to Patrick Viera.

However, these players, all at the tender age of 18, cannot be asked to stand in and be relied upon immediately. They will need to be edged in around some of the finest midfield talent so that they can grow to fulfill their prodigious potential.

Sneidjer has already been mentioned as one of the finest midfielders in the world and at 27, by the time his best football is behind him, the young brigade will be ready to step in.

United may also wish to find a deep-lying playmaker of greater ability than Carrick.

Although United are unlikely to sell the Englishman, a player like Javi Martinez of Athletic Bilbao would be an ideal anchorman alongside a player like Sneijder in the United midfield.

His reputation as being a player capable of taking over from Xavi and Iniesta in the Spanish midfield speaks volumes of his ability. Again though, you’d be looking at a high price, justifiably so for such a talent.

One thing’s for sure though, United will not be able to compete with Barcelona, the Real Madrid or Chelsea without revolutionizing their central midfield.

Scholes and Giggs cannot be replaced like-for-like, nor can great midfield combinations and players of the past, but quality can be restored via the right tactical and financial moves.

And there is no better man for that job than Sir Alex Ferguson.