Cesc Fabregas has pledge his immediate future to Arsenal, but as Manchester United found out before, that commitment will only be short lived.
United found out first-hand with Cristiano Ronaldo that when dealing with a foreign player, their heart and desire usually resides with the club they supported growing up.
After numerous conversations Sir Alex Ferguson finally convinced Ronaldo to stay one more season at Old Trafford, but the following summer he let the Portuguese live his dream and sold the winger for a world-record fee of £80 million.
Like Ronaldo did with Real Madrid, Fabregas has never hid his admiration and ambition to join his FC Barcelona, but the difference between the two players is that Ronaldo was just the United go-to-player while Fabregas serves, and will continue to, as the Gunners' captain.
The captain of a big club like Arsenal or United needs to be a long-term appointment to bring stability and attract other players.
United captain, Gary Neville, has been a servant at Old Trafford since he signed a professional contract in 1992, and despite him not playing every week, he still remains a vital contributor on and off the field for Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are the two longest, most respect managers in the Barclays Premier League, and they need players that replicate their ideas, views and ethics on the field, and unfortunately, Fabregas does not do that for the Frenchman.
Future
Neville will more than likely retire following this upcoming season, so it is vital that Sir Alex has a ready-made long-term replacement in mind.
During the Tour 2010, United supporters saw exactly which player the Gaffer has in mind to be the skipper when Neville and Ryan Giggs call it a day on their illustrious careers - Darren Fletcher.
The lanky midfielder might not have the physique of a normal box-to-box midfielder, but he makes up for that by having all of the attributes a player would ever want or need in an on-the-field leader - drive, desire, determination and dedication.
In somewhat comical fashion, Fletcher was viewed as one of the players that would never make it at United during former captain Roy Keane's tirade following the 4-1 defeat at Middlesbrough.
The 26-year old Scottish captain has done everything to prove him and some of the United supporters wrong by becoming one of the most feared players in the Premier League.
Many pundits, critics and even some of the supporters said that when Captain Fantastic left United, Sir Alex faced a daunting task of filling the void left by him, but little did they know that his replacement was in the waiting and learning his trade in the reserve team.
In very similar style to David Beckham, Flecther was unable to fill out as quickly as some of his fellow reserve team teammates, but once he matured he became a top-class player.
Unlike Arsenal in recent years, Manchester United has not stuttered in terms of success when a key player or captain has decided to leave Old Trafford and that is down to one man - Sir Alex Ferguson.
Contributed by David Hammons / United View From Abroad
No comments:
Post a Comment