Berbatov to head £80million United clear-out - Exclusive
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Dimitar Berbatov will head a sensational clear-out of £80m of Manchester United talent at the end of the season.
Sir Alex Ferguson has run out of patience with the £30.75m striker after 18 months of inconsistent performances.
And
the United boss is also looking to offload underachieving trio
Anderson, Nani and Zoran Tosic as well as unsettled central defender
Nemanja Vidic.
It will signal the biggest overhaul of a United
squad since 1995 when Ferguson dumped Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis,
Mark Hughes to clear the way for youngsters like David Beckham, Paul
Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers.
The United boss believes he can finally land long-term target Karim
Benzema following the Frenchman’s failure to settle at Real Madrid
following his £30m summer transfer from Lyon.
But first he will
look to raise cash by selling Berbatov, who has become the most
expensive flop in Old Trafford history since moving from Tottenham.
The Bulgarian has scored just 20 goals in 66 appearances for United.
He has been carrying a knee injury that required an exploratory operation last month.
But
while the blame for United’s shock FA Cup home defeat at the hands of
League One Leeds last week has been widely placed on the shoulders of
several of the club’s younger players, some fingers inside the club
have also been pointed at Berbatov.
A United insider said: “The
four midfield players got a lot of criticism after the Leeds game, but
the biggest underperformer was Berbatov.
“People say he’s got a great touch, and that isn’t in doubt, but this game is also about hunger and workrate.
“To
put it bluntly, Berbatov doesn’t run around enough for this United team
– and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by the people that matter most.”
Nani,
a £17m signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2007, is also on borrowed time
after failing to even come close to grasping the opportunity to fill
Cristiano Ronaldo’s boots.
The Portuguese winger has played just
once since criticising Ferguson over a lack of first-team opportunities
whilst away on international duty in early November, although he has
been sidelined by a month by an ankle problem.
Nani, 23, was
hoping the departure of Ronaldo would give him more scope to become
United’s playmaker, but he has struggled to cope with the physical
demands of the English game.
Anderson was substituted after
failing to make an impact against Leeds and is another who has not
given value for money after United paid Porto £18m for his services two
years ago.
The Brazilian international feels he has not been
given enough chances to impress in his favourite position as an
attacking midfielder.
He said: “If I said I’m not disappointed things I’d be lying.
“Of
course I’m disappointed because a player of my ability, who is used to
playing at attacking role and scoring goals like I did at Porto, then
it makes me sad.
“I have only scored one goal for the club, but I can’t be dispirited.
“My first goal has to be to get back to the condition I was in at Porto and to get a run of games like I did there.
“Then I want to start scoring goals and deciding games because that’s important for my career.”
Anderson, though, is running out of chances with Ferguson, who feels the 21-year-old’s development has stalled.
It’s
a similar scenario with Tosic, who arrived from Partisan Belgrade with
a terrific reputation for £7m but has made only a handful appearances
and has struggled to settle in Manchester.
Vidic once again
reiterated a desire to stay at Old Trafford during the week after
dropping out of team to face Leeds with a late injury.
The
Serbian has been targeted by Real Madrid, who are aware of United’s
reluctance to reward Vidic with a new contract that would put him in
line with the club’s £100,000-a-week top earners.
And Ferguson
will allow the Spanish club to get their man if they show a willingness
to pay more than £20m for a player who has struggled with fitness
problems this season and will turn 29 in the autumn.
With Scholes
hinting that he will retire at the end of the season and keeper Edwin
van der Sar also considering his options, it promises to be a busy
summer for United.
Ferguson have to take significant losses on Berbatov, Nani, Anderson and Tosic.
And
that will put even more pressure on the Glazer family who own the club
to come up with significant transfer funds whilst once again finding
£70m to service the interest on the club’s £700m debts.
