All posts by h79snht.top

It might seem impossible for Tottenham to successfully replace Gareth Bale and what he’s achieving at White Hart Lane. No one could have foreseen his rise in English football, and yet the future remains muddy at best once he finally calls it a day in North London.

Real Sociedad meanwhile continue their march towards next season’s Champions League group stage. A thrilling 2-2 draw at the weekend against Espanyol might have been considered a minor blip, but once again the young stars shone bright, namely Antoine Griezmann.

Talk of replacements for Bale do not get as good as Sociedad’s young Frenchman. Griezmann has seen a similar rise in his development this season, taking on far more responsibility and adapting his trade in prominent central roles. It’s been a mature season from the midfielder, repaying the faith the club has had to show in him and the rest of their academy graduates.

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Next season might not be the right time, as with Sociedad so close to European football, no one is clamouring for the exit door. Yet that could be exactly what Tottenham need. As of now, you really don’t get the sense that Bale is definitely on his way out this summer – next year’s summer transfer window could be the perfect time to replace with a youngster who is tested in UEFA’s elite club competition.

And let’s make no mistake here, this isn’t one of those underwhelming signings that is sure to crumble under the expectation. Griezmann is one of La Liga’s brightest midfielders and a player who is more than good enough to make a big step up.

As mentioned, his game has developed exceptionally well this season. He’s no longer just a wide player with pace and tricks in his locker; he knows how to provide this Sociedad side with creativity and goals when operating through the middle. In a false 9 role that is steadily creeping around European football, Griezmann has all the attributes, including the intelligence, to adjust to that formation. It’s not real surprise, then, that both Barcelona and Bayern are reportedly looking at him.

Griezmann is an incredibly exciting player to watch. His talent and progress this season suggests that there is so much more to come, while you’re unlikely to see a better goal than the second of his two against Valladolid last month.

And then there’s the joy Tottenham can take from all of this. Real Sociedad are no different to many other Spanish clubs, and like most others they’ll be powerless to stop clubs coming in and taking what they want. The fact that Sociedad are a team who rely heavily on youth tells much of the story, and like with other La Liga teams in the past, you have to wonder how long manager Philippe Montanier can keep up this steady ascent.

Even with the potential purchase of Griezmann, it might not necessarily just be about replacing or replicating what Bale did at Tottenham. This is a player who took up central midfield roles earlier in the season, which then gave Montanier all the more reason to use Griezmann in various positions in attack. Carlos Vela and captain Xabi Prieto standout as some of the important names of this campaign, but prior to this season Griezmann was always considered the leading talent to come through the youth system.

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This is a player good enough to help a club like Tottenham reinvent themselves and develop the counter-attacking game. Not to completely suggest Griezmann could line up in Luka Modric’s old position, but the Frenchman does offer more of a creative spark than Bale, meaning a variety of formations will be available.

Moving on from Bale might not require much searching and it certainly won’t necessitate breaking the bank. A move up and away from the Anoeta was always on the cards for Griezmann, and Tottenham should be one of the many clubs fighting for a place at the front of the queue.

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Amid all the outrage of Reading’s decision to sack Brian McDermott the enduring figure of Sir Alex Ferguson continues to act as the benchmark for every manager in the game. Both in terms of longevity and success. Bringing the Premier League trophy back to Old Trafford remains Ferguson’s key objective especially after United were eliminated from the Champions League. With a healthy 12-point lead over rivals Manchester City, that could rise to 15 if they lose at Everton, it already looks a forgone conclusion but the 71-year-old won’t take anything for granted after what happened last season. Most will view the visit of managerless Reading as a sure, fire banker but Ferguson knows better and will be expecting a backlash from the Berkshire side.

The Royals were left shellshocked after McDermott, who guided them back to the top-flight, was dismissed after a 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Aston Villa last week. The club’s Russian owner Anton Zingarevich has been criticised for his decision and rightly so. Given their precarious position in the table instigating a managerial change so late in the season effectively gives Reading little chance of avoiding the trapdoor and a return to the Championship looks inevitable. Five consecutive defeats in league and cup strengthens that assertion and the players need to draw upon the fighting spirit instilled by McDermott if they’re to perform a miracle and survive. Not just in terms of relegation but the trip to Old Trafford!

Team News

Phil Jones and Paul Scholes are unavailable for Manchester United as is Phil Jones due to a hamstring injury.

Reading will have to do without Adam Federici and Jimmy Kebe, while Pavel Pogrebnyak serves the last of a three game suspension.

What the managers said…

“The timing is surprising. If a new manager comes along, they can’t buy anyone. What he has got he has got. If they had done it in December or January maybe I would have understood it because it would have given a new manager time to bring players in during the window. He spent something like £1.2million and £7.4million has come in, so financially he has been successful,” added Ferguson. He also got them promoted to the Premier League. I don’t know what more you can do. He was manager of the month in January – I hope I am not manager of the month this month.” Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is perplexed by Brian McDermott’s sacking (ITV)

“Brian is a great friend of mine, I have spoken to him every day. He’s just a great man. Training will be good today but at the begging of the week the players were on the floor. They respected Brian and to me that’s just a natural, human emotion. The next natural thing is to be professional, try and get a result on Saturday and stay in this league. We’ve done what we’ve always done at Reading and what Brian and Nigel Gibbs used to do, and that’s work hard. They are a great group of players and they realise the importance of being in the Barclays Premier League next season.” Reading caretaker Eamonn Dolan says the players were ‘on the floor’ at the start of this week (Reading Chronicle)

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Pre-Match Statistic: A 2-1 win in the FA Cup in January 1927 ranks as Readings’s only success against Manchester United in all competitions.

Prediction: Manchester United 5-0 Reading

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If the Premier League season started in January – an idea that has been thrown about a few times in the past – Gareth Bale would probably be a good shout for Player of the Year; yet even then I’m not totally convinced.

Forget for a moment whether Bale deserves his clean sweep of the individual awards, the first issue to tackle is the matter of when these votes are put forward. Another ingenious idea handed down by those from above. Yes, it makes plenty of sense to assess and award the victor well before the end of the season. What if the player who tallied up the most votes goes on to have an awful last few months of the campaign or, and this is fairly important, picks up a season-threatening injury well before May?

But then we take on board what we’re actually seeing; a player who has been voted the best in England for this season when he really hasn’t been. To reiterate, if the season started in January then Bale would probably have much more of a leg to stand on. But where was he before that? Sure, he played a part in Tottenham’s win over Manchester United, but Robin van Persie practically wrapped up the season for United in those first few months. It’s what you get when you go into the market with purpose and ambition, and all that.

Then there’s Luis Suarez. I’m not too convinced that the wackier side to the Uruguayan should dictate whether he is awarded the personal gong for the season or not. Sometimes there are ways to create a clear distinction from football and ‘non-football’ incidents. But that one is still open for debate. Regardless, has Suarez been a player more deserving of the award than Bale? Absolutely. It doesn’t really need too much of an explanation. How much of Liverpool’s game goes through him? How often can you say Bale ‘goes missing’ in games?

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And then there’s the case of a couple of Spaniards. How much did Michu cost? I haven’t quite been able to pick up the exact figure amid the excitement that was generated following his arrival. So we’ve got a hugely impressive forward – although he’s actually a midfielder – who’s scoring for fun in England in his first season, and who was also instrumental in Swansea winning the League Cup in their second season in the top flight. Not too much of a big deal is it? I mean, here’s a trophy winner being completely ignored over a guy chasing a random position in the league. Oh yes, the top four counts as a trophy. Do excuse me.

But if anything, Juan Mata optimises what we should be paying to see in England. A player who has won everything from the World Cup to the Champions League, and if Chelsea have their way, Mata will land the Europa League later this month. He’s been nothing short of phenomenal since arriving in England, giving us a taste of the high level of football that is so regularly exhibited by his fellow countrymen on the international and domestic stage. Mata is a fine representative for the current greatest footballing nation on earth, and it really says a lot about how good they are that he can’t put together a sustained run in their starting XI. Oh, and here’s the important part: Mata has been outstanding all season, consistently proving to be Chelsea’s best player and racking up an eye-watering 18 goals and 26 assists. Where are the comparisons to Lionel Messi?

I’m not suggesting that Bale hasn’t been good; for much of this calendar year he’s been excellent. But when there is such a high concentration of fantastic and deserving players in England, isn’t it most appropriate to award personal accolades to the individual who actually won the league title?

Last season, no one really stood out in the way van Persie did – and I’m really not advocating the nonsense idea of a top four place being the equivalent of a trophy. But in that case he was the most deserving. This time around, a couple of months halted his procession to the winner’s circle for a second consecutive year.

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But if that’s how we’re measuring the Dutchman’s loss at the final hurdle, then why are we awarding the prize to Bale? If it’s simply a marker of consistency and who has been the very best all season, there is only one obvious choice. Juan Mata is and has been far too good to be overlooked by the hazy view of the game in this country. Yeah sure, let’s blindly award pace and power and a burst of good performances over sustained excellence for an entire season.

Fenerbahce winger Milos Krasic has endured a miserable time in Turkey and is now being linked with a switch to Sunderland, according to the Sunderland Echo.

The 28-year-old Serbia international moved to Turkey at the end of last season, after a successful time with Juventus, but has scored just once in 27 league appearances with Fenerbahce and has found first-team appearances hard to come by.

Wages could be a problem but on the plus side Paolo Di Canio is said to know the player well due to his Juventus connections and Krasic’s agent Dejan Jokismovic says he maybe on the move with clubs in the Premier League lining up to sign him.

He said: “Milos needs to play and he’s not getting that chance at Fenerbahce. Krasic has had offers from the Premier League and we will be considering a move.

“Milos and his wife are happy in Istanbul, however he also needs to be happy at work. He’s on high wages at Fenerbahce and still has three years on his contract.

“He hasn’t played a full 90 minutes once and he’s a great player. There are only three or four players on his level in his preferred position.”

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Much has been made of the painful lack of transfer activity at Arsenal this summer, with Arsene Wenger still apparently averse to delving into the market. With North London rivals Spurs leaving their usual prudent approach behind under Director of Football Franco Baldini, is it about time Arsenal followed suit too?

Arsenal functioned best in the Premier League under a joint-partnership where Wenger focused on the day-to-day footballing responsibilities whereas someone like David Dein would be more concerned with off field issues like player recruitment. The complexities of modern football make it increasingly difficult for managers to be involved as widely as they would like. Andre Villas-Boas actually welcomed their capture of Baldini, suggesting that continental managers are actually accustomed to such a system that allows the manager to focus more closely on the team  primarily.

There has been speculation this summer that Gazidis may well look to fill this berth himself and stand up to Wenger on transfer related matters. The reality is Gazidis deals primarily with commercial aspects at the club and as such meddling in player recruitment may well cause more harm than good.

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Currently Arsenal possess a manager whose power transcends the whole of their footballing operation, which in my mind is quite a worrying prospect for fans. Notoriously stubborn, identifying a director to effectively place a limit on his power would be a difficult task but is ultimately necessary if they want to continue with Wenger at the helm.

Wenger has always had a strong philosophy about how to conduct business at a football club. Balancing the books whilst maintaining a youth focus, infamously French, has been his central beliefs. The capture of Yaya Sanogo on a free this summer was exactly the kind of signing that can be expected of Wenger, but when fans crave success in the short term it is perhaps not always the best strategy for the club. Wenger doesn’t have the capacity to change his beliefs, he has garnered great success from it previously and his self-belief is still unrelenting despite recent fan pressures.

This is hardly a revolutionary suggestion, a number of top clubs in this country have already made the switch towards the continental structure. Man City decided to place Txiki Begiristain in such a role, and we are gradually beginning to see the effects of that particularly shrewd move. The comparison between City’s early scatterbomb approach to signings and the more calculated moves for players this window is stark. Why will Arsenal not take heed from some of their divisional rivals?

A similar pattern is emerging at Spurs; instead of the usual comical deadline day panic buying we are seeing evidence of a better-conceived general strategy. My worry for Arsenal is that we may well see a scramble for last minute ill advised transfers in a desperate act to save what looks to be a torturous season for the ‘gunners’.

So what sort of options are available to Arsenal?

A sensible selection would be someone who already is highly respected by those at the club. Marc Overmars’ name has already been suggested, and his experience both at Arsenal and as Director of Football at Ajax could stand him in excellent stead. The point is Arsenal need someone that can exert some authority over Wenger and a someone who has a standing at the club will be able to do this much more effectively.

Of course the other option is to dispense with the services of Wenger altogether, and in the current climate this may be quite popular. Regardless of whether managerial change is on the horizon or not I think the uptake of the continental management structure would still be applicable. Arsenal fans will be wary of a like for like repeat, and the implementation of this system will ensure the necessary checks and balances are already in place.

The situation at Arsenal is totally absurd at the moment for club and fans alike. Some kind of action is desperately needed to break up the out-dated vice like grip Wenger has over the club.

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It is extremely rare that Arsenal fans are envious of the other half of North London, but in this case I think they have a certain reason to be so. If change doesn’t happen soon in regard to this management structure than I am confident that they will continue to be left behind as a shadow of their former selves.

Should Arsenal be copying their North London rivals?

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It wasn’t long ago that Arsenal fans were desperately clamouring for that world class signing. There was a revolutionary feel to the summer as player after player slipped the net, to leave much of the Arsenal faithful in a state of despondency.

Fast-forward two and a bit months on and some might wonder what all the fuss was about. Sitting pretty at the summit of the Premier League, with top-level continental football on the horizon after Christmas, Arsenal fans must be in dreamland.

Last nights victory over Borussia Dortmund at the intimidating Westfalenstadion was the first by an English club and capped off an impressive start to the campaign for the gunners. Wenger’s men may have been largely on the back foot throughout, but Arsenal showed a degree of resilience that perhaps wasn’t there a few seasons ago. At the forefront of everything good about the gunners these days is the previously maligned Aaron Ramsey, and few would have been surprised to see him pop up with the winner last night.

The career revival of the young Welshman has been meteoric. He was always rated highly from a young age, but an infamous leg break cause by a tackle from Ryan Shawcross put pay to much of his early development. Indeed loss of form after his recovery left many questioning whether the youngster would ever be able to realise his undoubted potential. On the periphery of what is an immense Arsenal midfield it was perhaps difficult to see him ever having an impact in North London.

Arsenal fans yearned for that big money signing, but in Aaron Ramsey they may just feel like they got a cheap alternative.

The Welshman has spearheaded Arsenal’s rise to the summit, eleven goals already to go with an impressive haul of assists and it is unsurprising that many have branded him player of the season so far. An industrious attacking force, Ramsey adds direction and forward thrust to a midfield often criticised for being a little tentative. Comfortable in possession deep, or playing in and around the frontman, Ramsey is the kind of asset that Arsenal looked for in the summer. A pass completion of 86% to go with thirteen chances created in the league, his ability to involve others is equally as impressive as his goal scoring return.

For Arsene Wenger this return to form was not so much a surprise, more an eventual inevitability. Speaking after last night’s win he had the following to say about the Welsh midfielder:

“Ramsey just shows how difficult it is to have assessment on any player. One year ago everyone said he can’t score. He’s in the box in right positions but he can’t score. This season he scores in game after game.”

“I was always positive with him. When you watch his games he was always in situations where he could be dangerous. This season he has the confidence and he has an unbelievable engine to get from box to box. His ability makes him a dangerous player.”

Naturally football is a confidence driven game, but considering how quick we are to castigate Wenger for Arsenal’s shortcomings it is perhaps time to commend him on the way he has got the very best out of his players this term. Ramsey was a player going nowhere last season, on the transfer market I doubt you would have got more than £10m for someone that appeared bereft of any real spark. Now Wenger has somehow got the Welshman’s confidence back and he is beginning to flourish for it.

You only have to listen to the midfielder speak to realise that not only is assured about his performances, but that he is genuinely enjoying life in North London:

“I’m enjoying myself at the moment and everything seems to be going in. I’m delighted with the way I’m playing and the goals I’m scoring but it was a great team effort and we are delighted with that.

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“It was a proper away performance, defending well and going on the counter-attack. They are no mugs, they got the final last year and were unlucky, they are a very strong team and we had to do our defensive work really well. We’re delighted with that.”

Maybe the old adage, ‘form is temporary class is permanent’ applies here. No one ever doubted Ramsey’s ability, more the chance that he would ever live up to it once more.

A player brought back from the brink, is the revival of Ramsey as good as a new signing for Arsenal?

Arsenal are currently in the thick of their most trying sequence of games thus far into the season.

Two losses against Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea were instantly cancelled out following the win at home to Liverpool, but many will be expecting another slip up this evening away to the Bundesliga club and on the weekend against Manchester United.

But Dortmund are not a stick that should be used to beat Arsenal with – or any Premier League side, for that matter. Why? Because the Bundesliga club are comfortably better than any English side, and because Arsenal’s ability or inability to take points from Jurgen Klopp’s side won’t have a direct effect on how well they do in the Premier League.

Dortmund are currently one of the top three or four sides in Europe and Champions League finalists of earlier this year. Manchester United’s credentials as Premier League champions were not hacked away following those two Champions League final losses against Barcelona, just as Arsenal were not guaranteed of making the top four last season following their win at Bayern Munich. The point: domestic and European form is to be held completely separate.

Dortmund were once again irresistible and unstoppable in their last Bundesliga game, putting six past Stuttgart. Robert Lewandowski, one of the most in-demand forwards in the game – and with the ability to back up his reputation – scored a brace within two minutes and rounded out his hat-trick not long after on Friday night. Combined with players like Marco Reus, Jakub Blazsczykowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the yet to return Ilkay Gundongan, there aren’t too many club sides who can match the quality of personnel and style on display at Signal Iduna Park.

But Arsenal don’t need excuses made for them. Instead, it’s necessary to weigh up the logical and legitimate criticisms of Arsene Wenger’s side and their apparent inability to win domestic silverware. Arsenal are not a match for Dortmund, despite holding them for much of the ninety in the first meeting between the two sides this season. Yet regardless of the loss, it shouldn’t take away from the clear steps forward Wenger’s team have taken.

If Wenger chooses to add one or two more in January, this Arsenal side will wipe out the only yawning drawback in their fight for silverware.

Arsenal are not top of the Premier League table by accident. Others haven’t been as consistent, both in results and quality of football. But above all, this is the Premier League, Arsenal’s priority for the campaign. There’s little point in using a foreign club to measure another’s domestic credentials. No one was as good as Barcelona during Pep Guardiola’s reign. Just as it is in this case, it would have been illogical to say that the countless teams they beat on the way to lifting two European Cups were not worthy of domestic titles.

Chelsea’s win over Arsenal in the League Cup displayed one gulf: depth. Yet even with the fact that Juan Mata, David Luiz and Willian alone amounted to a transfer total of around £100 million, the line was continuously trotted out that Chelsea’s second string were on display against Arsenal’s first. Another idiotic and pointless swipe at Wenger’s team.

You have to beat the best in Europe, eventually, to win the Champions League. There is no shame in Arsenal if they fail to come through a group consisting of two very, very good sides in Dortmund and Napoli. In fact, not a whole lot was said of Manchester City’s Premier League pedigree when they finished bottom of their Champions League group in the season they won the league title.

It’s unfortunate, for the sake of Arsenal’s squad size – one which is still feeling the effects of widespread injuries – that Dortmund away falls between Liverpool and Manchester United. But it’s secondary; far more important than the pointless League Cup, but not an indicator of what Arsenal can do in the league.

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Should Dortmund measure how far Arsenal have come this season?

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Over the last few days, British tabloids have been flooded with reports that star striker Robin van Persie could be ousted from Manchester United at the end of the season – some even speculating a return to former club Arsenal, whom the Dutchman left on rather frosty terms for the Premier League champions in summer 2012. The latest instalments from the press claim the 30 year-old has an exit clause in his contract if United finish outside of the top four.

On the face of it, it seems absurd – the Netherlands forward has only been at Old Trafford for 18 months and in that time  affirmed himself as one of the first team’s most influential players. He’s racked up a lethal return of 44 goals in 68 Red Devils appearances, and last term recorded a 26-goal haul to fire United to their 13th Premiership title.

Furthermore, of all the Carrington club’s failings this season, Van Persie’s strike-rate has not been one of them. Despite the torrid inaugural campaign David Moyes has endured in Manchester, the Dutchman is one of a few players that hasn’t decisively let him down, claiming 14 goals in 20 appearances, including eleven in the Premier League.

But rumours of a potential departure first circulated at the turn of 2014, and  evidence to support that theory has been mounting ever since. First came the £37million arrival of Juan Mata, and the inevitable question of how to fit the Spaniard, the Dutchman and Wayne Rooney into the same starting line-up.

Then, and perhaps most tellingly, Van Persie was excluded from the club’s shortlist of replacements for Nemanja Vidic as skipper next season, despite wearing the armband for a number of seasons at Arsenal and regularly for the Netherlands national team.

The list is just a formality; after his £300k per-week contract, I’d be willing to place my mortgage on Wazza Roo getting the nod. But 22 year-old Phil Jones, a player yet to make a centenary of Premier League appearances, was included whilst an international captain was not – that’s an incredibly bold statement, especially considering the list was publicised on Manchester United’s official website.

Somewhere in between, Louis Van Gaal and Ronald De Boer have both claimed that Van Persie has grown disillusioned with his surroundings at Old Trafford, apparently due to the rather unattractive brand of football the Red Devils have adopted under David Moyes.

Scratch a little deeper and you can begin to understand it from United’s point of view. No one can doubt Van Persie is still one of the best finishers in world football, all the more so for proving it in the Premier League.

But the striker is now 30 years  of age – a concern exacerbated by his hair greying around the edges at a furious rate – and heading towards the twilight of what has been an incredibly injury-stricken career. The fact is that Van Persie has managed just two full campaigns in his entire senior career to date, and the curse of the sidelines will undoubtedly plague him again in his later years – he’s already missed a significant portion of the current season.

And revisiting that tactical conundrum; how can David Moyes fit Van Persie, Rooney and Mata in the same starting line-up? Baring a change in formation that essentially goes against every philosophical tradition at Old Trafford, the answer is that he can’t – at least, not without compromising each individual’s ultimate utility.

United aren’t interested in make-shift starting XIs, they’ve been enduring them for too long as it is, and despite David Moyes insisting otherwise, they aren’t going to let the club’s record signing spend his entire Red Devils career squandering on the wing.

So with Mata arriving a matter (excuse the pun) of weeks ago, and Rooney now anointed via his £300k per-week deal – making him the Premier League’s most lucratively paid player of all time and the direct recipient of 3% of United’s overall revenue –  as the poster boy of a new era at Old Trafford, by default and age, Van Persie becomes the Red Devils’ only realistically expendable star.

The only other option is that he’s bumped down the pecking order, but £200k per-week, according to the International Business Times, is a lot to pay a substitute – especially when Javier Hernandez is capable of doing the same job for significantly less –  and you can’t imagine the 30 year-old being too happy about that situation either.

From the Dutch international’s perspective also, the summer represents the best time to move on. He joined Manchester United under the presumption that Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils career would likely outlast his, and most importantly that he’d be given the opportunity to make up for lost time in regards to silverware – Van Persie left Arsenal with a solitary FA Cup on his CV, and through the emptiness of his transfer cabinet alone will probably not be represented as he should be in the Premier League’s history books.

Now however, the 30 year-old is working under David Moyes at a club that’s looking to go back to the drawing board. The likelihood is that this process of reinvention at Carrington will result in United being out of the Premier League title race for at least another season.

Resultantly, Van Persie has looked incredibly uncomfortable in recent weeks, particularly following the club’s decision to exclude him from the public shortlist of candidates for the captaincy.

After United’s 2-0 defeat to Olympiakos in the Champions League, the Dutchman complained; “Our fellow players are sometimes occupying the spaces I want to play in. And unfortunately, they’re often playing in my zones. I think that’s a shame.” He also spanked the Red Devils’ best chance of the match over the bar, in uncharacteristic wastefulness.

Against West Bromwich Albion at the weekend too, despite United coming away with a 3-0 win, the former Arsenal striker failed to turn up to the party. His frustrations almost resulted in a red card, after a splatter of ill-disciplined, and in some instances dangerous, fouls.

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I’m not suggesting Van Persie has become by any means a worse player in just  a handful of matches, but it’s quite clear that either his head, heart or both have been absent in recent weeks.

But perhaps the most deciding factor is that the coming summer window represents an incredibly unique crossroads for the Old Trafford side. Culls will take place –  we already know Nemanja Vidic, and most likely Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand too, will be leaving on bosman moves at the end of the season – and new blood is expected to be brought in, with the view to progressively build a United side that can rival the quality of its predecessors.

Many would argue that Van Persie is a world-class striker capable of contributing to that, but at 30 years of age and his current contract set to expire in 2016, it’s unlikely the Oranje international will ever see the Red Devils’ next generation in its most finite form. With that in mind, United may as well begin investing in the future of their strike-force with immediate effect, in addition to the defence and midfield.

Therefore, the looming window seems like an ideal opportunity for both parties to move on – Van Persie to move onto one of the countless European clubs willing to take him where he can continue winning silverware, and the club to move onto rebuilding for the future without footballing and financial obligations to an ageing star.

When Czechoslovakia dissolved into two states in 1993, through a lack of bloodshed, violence or foul taste, it was labelled the Velvet divorce. For similar reasons, I would coin this a velvet departure – both parties benefit, with little need for resentment.

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Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes that although the Red Devils’ performances have been underwhelming this season, the club should still give manager David Moyes more time.

The former United captain spoke during Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football show after widespread speculation that Moyes was to be sacked in the next few days.

Neville played 18 years as a defender for United under the management of Sir Alex Ferguson and insists that even with under-par performances on the field, the club should not ‘quick-fire’ managers when things don’t immediately go their way.

“I’ve been associated with the club for 30 years and that’s what I’ve always believed,” he told Sky Sports.

“From Dave Sexton to Ron Atkinson – people will say those are different times – and Sir Alex Ferguson himself got time in his early years when it was difficult for him.

“I genuinely believe that when you give a man a six-year contract that he deserves an opportunity and the time.

“The reason we are sat [in a TV studio] is because we look at football management and think of it as being a world of madness, an absolute world of madness where the average manager gets sacked every 12 months.

“I’ve always felt that Manchester United should be different and hold itself up as a club that basically stands against what is happening in the game.

“We used to laugh at Italy 20 years ago and say it was ridiculous what’s happening there, but now we have almost become accustomed to it.

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“I think fans are well within their rights, but I don’t like it when professional people – people inside the game – come out with statements that suggest a manager should be sacked.

“It’s not something you’ll ever hear from me because it’s a difficult job, something that I’ve never done.”

Manchester United’s 2-0 loss to Everton seemed to be the final straw for Moyes, as they are now mathematically unable to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Liverpool may have made two relatively major signings in 26-year-old Adam Lallana and 25-year-old Dejan Lovren, both combining for a fee of £45 million. But the club’s transfer business will once again be defined by their youthful acquisitions.

At a similarly high price, Lazar Markovic is one for the future but by far Liverpool’s most exciting signing this summer. His explosiveness in the final third and versatility means the Serb has a bright career ahead of him at Anfield, and his signing has followed the theme set by Brendan Rodgers’ arrival as club manager back in 2012.

Another exciting, yet-to-be-concluded signing comes in the form of Javier Manquillo, who Atletico Madrid have surprisingly agreed to move on at this time.

The young right-back comes with very little experience but a tremendous amount of upside. This is very much the kind of signing Liverpool are looking to as a means to build the base of their squad for the coming years.

And it’s all win-win for Rodgers on this one. Manquillo is a strong worker in his own half of the pitch but may not be ready yet to be the team’s first-choice right-back. If recent reports are accurate, the club will loan him for two seasons from the Spanish champions, allowing him to adjust to life in England and work as Glen Johnson’s understudy, by which point he should have surpassed the England international and Liverpool can make his transfer permanent with an agreed-upon £6 million fee.

There has been a lot said about the club’s signing of Lallana – that price for a 26-year-old with only two seasons in the Premier League has been roundly deemed as too great – and Southampton have similarly benefited on the sale of Lovren, whose reputation has been significantly enhanced after one season in English football, seeing his value more than double. But regardless of whether those two players in particular are hits or misses, there should be far more emphasis on what Liverpool are doing with their signings that indicate a strong eye towards the future.

Emre Can is another who should feature prominently this season for the club. It should also be a season in which we get an idea of what the former Bayern Munich player’s best position is at Anfield. His was another low-risk signing from Bayer Leverkusen, with Liverpool only parting with £9.75 million to land his services.

All over the pitch we’re seeing trust placed in youth, either those brought up within the club or those signed from elsewhere. Raheem Sterling and Coutinho will be regulars in the team once again this season; Jon Flanagan has had a promising season and could be a starter on either defensive flank; and Daniel Sturridge, though soon to turn 25, is a player who can develop even further.

It doesn’t have to be a policy labelled as bargain hunting. Yes, Sturridge, Can and Coutinho, and now with the targeting of Manquillo, have all been brought in for very reasonable prices, but Liverpool are simply proving that there is another way to build a strong side. Going for a ‘youth project’ can be hit or miss, but what is happening at Anfield is very much shaping up to be the former. Already there has been so much importance placed on Sturridge and Sterling at international level.

Rather than supplementing their squad with youth, Liverpool are doing the reverse. Adam Lallana, as an example, certainly won’t be the sole difference in whether Liverpool reach their targets for the coming season.

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Whatever limitations they may have – whether it’s financially competing with the wealthiest names across Europe, or near-guaranteeing silverware – Liverpool are having to more or less build from the bottom up. As we’ve seen with Markovic’s signing, they can spend big when the opportunity arises, but the former Benfica forward isn’t the finished product yet and the club will lean on Rodgers’ coaching qualities to round out the final years of these players’ footballing education.

Liverpool have struck a very smart way of moving on from their recent obscurity in the league while also building for the future. Manquillo is yet another reminder of that, and with so much upside in the young Spaniard and his fellow new arrivals, it is certainly not a poor policy to advocate.

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