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Reds exit door open
Stuart Mathieson
11/ 7/2007
CARLOS Tevez is set to open the Old Trafford exit door for Alan Smith.
The arrivals of Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson to United in the Reds midfield have already left it ajar for Kieran Richardson.
And a fully fit defensive unit to kick off United's bid to retain the title and their Champions League push has also potentially unlocked the way out gate for Wes Brown and Gabriel Heinze.
John O'Shea and Darren Fletcher might also be among those whom manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits could consider their match time tally will suffer as a result of the champions building work and seek a move.
United owners, the Glazer family, have stumped up £50m-plus to help Fergie realise his plans so far. If the red tape surrounding the Tevez deal can be unravelled then around another £20m at least will be needed to fund the arrival of the South American striker.
Departures would ease the strain on the Americans and the Tevez switch is likely to spark a rush for Smith.
The 26-year-old Yorkshireman is set to travel with the United squad for their four-match Far East tour at the weekend.
Minefield
However, whether he completes the China and Korea jaunt could depend on the Tevez affair and if the Premier League can negotiate the minefield surrounding the Argentinian and ratify his switch to Old Trafford.
Adding the 23-year-old to the attack would put pressure on Smith who has already suffered the blow of being told by the Reds this summer that they won't be offering him a contract extension.
Smith remains happy to fight for his United place again but the addition of Tevez would mean he would be unlikely to satisfy his own thirst for regular football.
A number of Premiership clubs have continued to monitor his Old Trafford position including Everton, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Newcastle.
If one of his suitors bid and the Reds accept, then that is likely to confirm to Smith that he doesn't have a future at the champions. But so far the Reds haven't received an official offer.
Richardson might be the first to depart. He managed just 12 starts and 12 sub appearances for United last season despite the crippling injury list and Everton and West Ham are believed to be keen on giving him a better first team chance.
Contributions
Brown, OShea and Fletcher made considerable contributions to United's 60-match programme in all competitions last term and ended with title medals.
Brown started for the Reds 32 times and made five sub appearances. O'Shea was in Fergie's opening XI on 27 occasions and came off the bench 22 times.
Fletcher, meanwhile, began 26 games and was a playing substitute 14 times.
All added up to ample match time but the injury plague that struck United certainly helped them up their quota from late winter onwards. Without such a cruel casualty list they could have been reviewing a campaign of serious frustration.
Brown wasn't in Sir Alex's first choice back-four but benefited from injuries to Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
His suitors hope he may wonder if he is concerned that Lady Luck might be on the Reds side this term and opportunities are rare.
Fergie accepts that some of his senior players might decide the situation won't suit them and is ready for the knock on the door. |
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发表于 2007-7-11 17:48
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