Despite Ferguson’s statements that Manchester United are looking at other options apart from Marcos Senna, there is little doubt in my mind that we will end signing the defensive midfielder from Villareal.
As such, it’s time to prepare for life with the hard-tackling Senna, so here’s a brief look at what Manchester United are getting themselves into.
The Good
- For starters, the man will be on a 3-year deal in which Villareal will be paid 4 mil while Senna will be paid 30K per week. Not exactly the makings of a first-team player, but at least we’re not throwing too much money at him (that is, if he stays fit and doesn’t do a Djemba-Djemba on us).
- The transfer, once Manchester United actually table a bid, should be completed within a day and Senna could be part of the squad that takes on Seville on Saturday.
- Senna’s deep-lying style makes him ideal for the Champions League, and his presence would (hypothetically speaking) allow the rest of the midfield to attack and get the goals we so badly lacked last year.
- His work ethic and desire to win are very strong, as evidenced by his ‘bloody shorts’ incident against Inter last year (read The Sun’s account of it).
The Bad
- His age (30) means that he is at best a squad buy and a temporary solution.
- His style of play is not really ball-winning – it’s disruption. That might work in some situations but in most others if Senna gets his positioning wrong he would be getting cautioned more than he gets starts in the team.
- He lacks pace, which makes him even more reliant on his positioning (which is not great to begin with).
- Where will he fit into the team? His inclusion will invariably mean a change in strategy, even if United are playing 4-4-2.
The Really Ugly
Quite frankly, I think Senna is good, solid player – but not the right one for Manchester United. We’ve been down this road before though – doubting Ferguson, telling him how to run the club, etc. The point is, Senna is not our first choice recruit, and that bites. Diarra’s heart is set on Real Madrid and Lyon’s asking price would be too high, while United have not bid for either Mascherano or Hargreaves – both extremely talented players and suitable for filling that holding midfielder gap.
Carrick’s signing makes things even stranger – because we will now need to play him, any holding midfielder that comes in will be a squad player (unless we play 4-3-3). The money we had to shell out for Carrick has also meant that we might not have the spare cash to splash on a second good player.
When all’s said and done though, I’m sure that if and when Senna joins Manchester United he will be able to have a positive influence on the team and on our results.
As far as him being the right choice – hell no.
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