Man United's French Connection.

Manchester United have gone ahead with the purchase of Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton and he will be joining a French Legion of players that have graced Old Trafford.

It all began with 'Le Roi' Eric Cantona, who was a chance purchase by Alex Ferguson in 1992. While overhearing a telephone conversation between then United chairman Martin Edwards and his Leeds United counterpart who was making enquiries about United full-back Denis Irwin, Ferguson declined their advances for the Irish defender but told Edwards to ask about the availability of their troubled French star Cantona.

Within days the deal was done and a beaming Ferguson paraded his new signing to the world media telling them that Old Trafford was the stage on which Cantona was made to play on, and how right he would be proved to be.

The talisman of the team from his debut in 1992 right up until his retirement in 1997. A Premier League champion in all his seasons at United except the one in which he had to serve an eight-month ban and a double winner twice.

Fans to this day still honour his achievements for the club by singing his name at matches both home and away even though it has been almost twenty years since he left. A true testament to a legend and the love goes both ways as Cantona has often said that his heart is still at Manchester United.

'1966 was a great year for English football. Cantona was born'

The next Frenchman to join United was full back Mikaël Silvestre who joined the club in September 1999 and immediately gained the respect of the Old Trafford faithful when it was clear that he had rejected an offer from Liverpool for his services. Ironically, he made his debut against Liverpool.

Silvestre was a classy defender who could play at left-back or in the middle of the defence and would make almost 250 appearances for the Red Devils over nine years. In that time, he won five league titles, an FA Cup,  a League Cup and a Champions League winners medal in 2008 although he was an unused substitute.

Never one to give up Silvestre had to battle through long absences due to injuries and along with the challenges for his position from Heinze and fellow countryman Evra but he persevered and that commitment endeared him to the fans.

Following the retirement of treble winning goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel the hunt was on to find his replacement a task that would prove extremely hard to fulfill. One man who tried was Fabien Barthez who joined the team in 2000 and quickly realised that he had a huge task on his hands to literally try and fill the big gloves vacated by Schmeichel.

Barthez had enjoyed success with France at the World Cup and The Euros, but was well known as an eccentric keeper which he showed many times between the sticks for United especially when he would let United defender and best friend Laurent Blanc kiss his bald head before the start of matches. Having said that he did end up as a champion in his debut season, pulling off some fabulous saves which ensured United won many matches.

The following season wasn't so good for Barthez as he was blamed for making too many unforced errors in matches one game, in particular, was against Arsenal when he had a nightmare and allowed his countryman Henry to score two goals that were basically gift wrapped for him.

At the end of his final season, 2002/03, he and United finished as champions, but Ferguson had had enough of Barthez and the mistakes he was making, this was highlighted in the match against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg when Brazilian Ronaldo scored a hat trick. This was a match in which the keeper received criticism from all quarters and, in fact, that would be his last game for United.

Barthez was joined at United by his friend Laurent Blanc who joined in 2001 after Jaap Stam had been sold to Lazio by Ferguson after a bust-up over the Dutchman's comments in his autobiography.

A central defender who oozed class and valuable experience, Blanc had the United fans raising their eyebrows due to his advanced years, he was 35 when he signed for United.

After helping United to the title in 2003 his legs finally gave up and he retired from playing to focus on management and I wouldn't be surprised if he will be in the running for the hot seat at Old Trafford sometime in the future.

Louis Saha's United career was blighted by injuries, but when he was fit he certainly knew how to score goals. Saha was transferred to United for a fee of £12.4 million in January 2004 having scored 15 goals already that season for Fulham. His United career got off to a similar start by scoring seven goals in just ten matches.

The following season was the start of his injury woes, especially to his knee then his hamstring. When fit he started a partnership with Ruud van Nistelrooy and then the teenage Wayne Rooney.

In 2006, a fully fit Saha was among the goals again and was on a roll. However, the injury jinx returned.

When he returned for the last time Ferguson had a built a forward line around Rooney, Tevez and a certain Ronaldo so Saha played mainly from the bench, but when called upon he did his job. His United career ended when he was sold to Everton in 2008.

A quality striker and his love for United was plain to see, it was only the injuries that held him back. During his time at United, he won two Premier League medals and a League Cup.

Possibly the second most popular French signing behind Monsieur Cantona was Patrice Evra who was brought to Man United from AS Monaco for a fee of £5.5 million in January 2006. Evra took his time to settle at the club making his debut in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City. So poor was his performance in that match Fergie took him off at half-time.

Fast forward eight years and the Frenchman left United having won almost everything in the game. The only trophy to elude him was the FA Cup. Probably his greatest achievement was winning the double of the Premier League and Champions League in 2008.

At left-back, Evra became an important cog in United's defence, forming an uncanny understanding at the back with Ferdinand and Vidic which was the rock that Fergie built his last great teams on. Evra had the honour of captaining United on many occasions and did so with a great gusto.

It was a sad day when he departed for Juventus as I'm sure he still had plenty of playing time in him and judging by our current defence his leadership and defensive awareness are certainly being missed.

Paul Pogba would have been included had he only stayed at United longer, but as great a talent as he is now he only had a fleeting moment at the club, but you never know what the future will hold.

Last but not least the trio of 'Les Miserables' William Prunier, Gabriel Obertan and David Bellion.......only kidding.

So there you have it the French stars that have lit up our great club and Morgan Schneiderlin has his work cut out holding up the honour of his fellow countrymen.

Thanks for reading and au revoir.

Miles Dunton.

Man United Nations.

Enter the United dressing room on any match day and you will be greeted by a chorus of accents from all over the world as the room is filled by players from Spain, Argentina, Holland, Ecuador, Belgium, Brazil and of course the Home Countries but clearly the foreigners outnumber the natives and it will only increase.

Since the season ended transfer rumours have flooded social media and newspapers with what seems like every player on the planet having been linked to Manchester United. Players from all over the globe have had their profiles and transfer fees raised by even the most tenuous of links to Old Trafford.

This is not a new experience for the Old Trafford club as they have always been linked with the best talent around, but in the past the record transfer fees were paid out for the best of British talent Robson, Keane, Ferdinand and Rooney to name but a few. Nowadays, the big money in the Premier League is being paid to the likes of Angel Di Maria, Costa, Sanchez, Aguero and Hazard. Foreigners who are paid fortunes to show their class and unquestionable talents.

Nikola Jovanovic was the first foreigner to be signed by United when Dave Sexton brought the Yugoslav to Old Trafford from Red Star Belgrade in 1980 for £300,000.

However, I suppose the start of United's foray into purchasing talent from abroad really started in the nineties with the likes of Schmeichel, Kanchelskis, Solskjær and Cantona under Alex Ferguson. The price he paid for their services was minimal, bargains to say the least. What would the value of those players be in today's over priced market.

The early nineties saw Uefa enforcing the three foreigner rule on teams which meant all European clubs had to field a minimum of eight players from their own country in European competitions.

This new law inexplicably included players who even though were British and had been through United's youth system were also adjudged to be foreign. One player who suffered the most at the time was Welshman Mark Hughes.

United's chances of European glory were greatly hampered from that rule, especially in the 1993/94 and 1994/95 seasons when Fergie was unable to field his strongest side. If the '94 double winning side hadn't been restricted who knows how far they would have gone in the European Cup.

After the abolishment of the law Alex Ferguson commented "It's come two years late for us," he said, "because we'd have had a chance of winning the European Cup in 1994 otherwise."

The only benefit from that ridiculous rule was that United, under Fergie's guidance, put a stronger emphasis on finding English youth, which famously gave us the likes of Scholes, Butt, the Neville brothers and Beckham, who along with Giggs, Bruce, Keane, Irwin, McClair, Pallister and Cole would all go on to form the British and Irish spine of the team in the greatest decade of glory the club enjoyed.

Just as important to the club during that period were, of course, the plethora of foreign talented players, including the aforementioned Schmeichel, Cantona and Kanchelskis along with Solskjær, Johnsen, Stam and Yorke.

In the new millennium what a joy it was to go to Old Trafford and watch players like van Nistelrooy, Vidic, Evra, van der Sar, Park and a certain young Ronaldo strut their stuff on the pitch alongside British players such as Ferdinand, Neville, Keane, Sheringham and the ever present Giggs.

The only major disappointment was the record signing Argentine Juan Veron, who endured a torrid time in Manchester, he had the quality, but seemed overawed by Old Trafford and the price tag of £28.1m that came with his move.

Over time the scales have slowly been tipped in favour of the foreigners. Take last summer when only one of the six new players Louis van Gaal bought was English, Luke Shaw. To his credit Louis van Gaal did give chances to British players during his debut season but this was due mainly out of necessity. However, how many of those players will have another chance in the coming season if the transfer gossip is to be believed.

Van Gaal obviously values British players and even made Rooney captain when most people thought he would choose his compatriot Robin van Persie.

Of course the ability to attract the best players in the world has only been made possible with the amount of money that has been thrown at Premier League sides in the last couple of decades by the sharing of TV rights at home and in Europe, along with lucrative sponsorship deals and foreign owners ploughing millions into the clubs.

There are many pro's to all the foreigners plying their trade on our shores the most obvious being the level of talent that fans can watch week in week out is tremendous. The quality is clearly there for all to see and some players are worth the price of a ticket on their own.

The influx of players from around the world has made the Premier League the most watched league globally and of course it widens a club's worldwide fan base to the player's home country, which is particularly true in Asia. The sale of merchandise abroad produces more revenue for a club than Matchday ticket sales.

The scouting net is forever expanding and in recent years it has included African and Arab nations along with South America and Asia. No corner of the globe is untouched in the search for the next big talent and United benefitted from this system with youngsters such as Januzaj, Pereira and Milinkovic.

As with everything, there are also con's and my main gripe is the lack of loyalty shown to the club. The kissing of badges after a wonder goal means nothing when your agent tells you that he can get you an extra couple of zero's on your salary.

Gone are the days of one player one club. We will never see the likes of a Ryan Giggs type situation again, especially from a non-British player. In the near future, there will be fewer testimonial games for players as ten months at the same club will be unheard of let alone ten years.

It has to be remembered that the beautiful game is now controlled by agents. A situation that Sir Alex Ferguson always warned us against. I for one do not blame the players for wanting the best deal they can get to secure their future, but there has to be a more stringent set of guidelines to players' contracts and less power to their agents along with more restrictions on other clubs from approaching players still under contract.

I suppose the biggest negative is the lack of youth players coming through from home as they have less chance to make it at the bigger clubs. This therefore has a knock-on effect with the National teams or maybe it's as simple as the young talent abroad is much better than ours. Add to that the fact that when there is a quality British player who becomes available his price is astronomical think of Bale, Sterling and Kane.

At the end of the day, every fan wants to see the best players sign for their side and the excitement that is generated when your club is linked to a certain player, especially a world class talent is exactly what makes the transfer windows interesting to say the least.

Many people become bored of the constant speculation, but it does provide very interesting, sometimes heated discussions on the internet which is in contrast to the past when literally any transfer news did come via a friend of a friend.

In the end, it looks like Ryan Giggs will have to brush up on his language skills as the situation doesn't look like changing anytime soon.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Manchester United Fixtures Preview 2015/16

It seems that last season has only just finished but this week saw the release of next season's fixture list.

All the fans have their own preference of which match to look for first whether it be by team or date. The most important matches have to be the Liverpool fixtures followed by the derby dates.

There is, of course, no such thing as an easy season, however, Louis van Gaal must have been quietly confident when he saw the fixtures as it has thrown up a fairly easy start and end to the season with the hardest of the matches coming mid-season which gives the team time to get into a winning rhythm.

The Red Devils will kick off their season with by far the biggest match of the opening weekend at Old Trafford against Spurs followed by an away trip to Aston Villa then it's Newcastle at home.
August ends with a tricky journey to Wales to take on Swansea who started our season off with a defeat last year. In the middle of those games, United will have the not so small task of the UEFA Champions League qualifying matches.

A collective spirit is needed.

There will be the dreaded international break before our first big clash in mid-September at home to Liverpool, memories of last season's double over them still fresh in the mind. Two more games in September see us play the much improved Southampton away and Sunderland, who were so lucky to escape the drop last time round, at Old Trafford.

Rooney scores against Arsenal.

October will prove a difficult month as it starts with two matches away first a visit to the Emirates to play Arsenal followed by Everton. Then it's the first local derby at home to Man City. Last season was sweet against the Gunners and City but sticky versus the toffees. Crystal Palace will provide the opposition at Selhurst Park at the end of the month.

The three matches in November seem to be relatively straightforward, if that's possible for United, they are WBA at home, newly promoted Watford away and Leicester away.

Ashley Young in his Watford days.

The month will see a return to Vicarage Road for Ashley Young, who started his career at Watford. It's been eight years since The Hornets were last in the top flight.

The busy festive month of December will see United play in a total of five matches three home and two away. It starts with a home game against West Ham with their new manager Bilic then a trip to the south coast to play Premier League debutantes AFC Bournemouth who we last played in the FA Cup back in 1989.

Another newly promoted side Norwich will visit Old Trafford then Boxing Day will see all the fans dressed as Santa at The Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke. Come the end of the year will hopefully be a match that is going to have a strong bearing on the Premiership title, Chelsea at home.

AFC Bournemouth celebrating promotion

The first match in 2016 will see the visit of Swansea to Manchester followed by a break in the league for the FA Cup 3rd round. After which United will be on their travels to Newcastle and Anfield the scene of Juan Mata's heroics last time we played there. The month will end with Southampton at home.

February starts with former red Mark Hughes bringing his Stoke side to Old Trafford which will be followed by United playing Chelsea at Stamford bridge on the 58th anniversary to the day of the Munich air disaster. Sunderland away comes before yet another big clash of the month Arsenal at home.

Mata the Anfield hero.

Hopefully, by the time March comes around United will be well placed for the league run in and will host Watford then visit WBA. Crystal Palace at home will be followed by our last match against one of our possible major opponents for the league, Man City at the Etihad. It would also be nice to think that United will be still involved in the knockout stages of the Champions League and the FA Cup.

The last seven matches in April and May appear to offer United a chance to end the season strongly and it starts with Everton at home then Spurs away. By the time we play Villa at Old Trafford and West Ham away, we could be potentially gearing up for silverware in the league or one of the cups or dare I say both.

Our last three games of the league season are Leicester at home followed by Norwich away, then Old Trafford will witness the last match of the campaign as Bournemouth will hopefully be trying to spoil the Champions' celebrations.

I foresee United getting off to a flying start compared to the stuttering beginning last season. Louis van Gaal has now had a year in the Old Trafford hot seat and will have learnt from his and the teams' mistakes of the previous season. Add to that the new arrivals that have been signed to strengthen the squad and there is every reason to be optimistic about the chances of being able to challenge on all four fronts next season.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

Welcome To Manchester, Memphis.

After what has seemed like an age Memphis Depay has finally put pen to paper and signed for Manchester United.

He is one of the hottest if not the hottest young talents in European football, a player that has been sought after by a host of top clubs all over the continent.

He seems to be the type of player ideally suited to the United way. He's young, talented and not short of confidence as he is quick to tell everyone exactly how good he is.

But who is the player that Louis van Gaal agreed to sign before the transfer window even opened in order to beat off the advances of PSG?

Memphis was born on the 13th of February in 1994 in Moordrecht, Netherlands. His father is Ghanaian and his mother is Dutch. His parents separated when he was only four years old so he uses the name Memphis rather than his surname.

At the age of nine Memphis played for Sparta Rotterdam, then came the chance to move to a bigger club three years later in 2006. That club was PSV Eindhoven and he spent time working his way up through their system until he finally made his first team debut in September 2011. It was a Dutch cup match and the opponents were amateurs but all the same he marked his debut by scoring a double.

Memphis had to wait a little while longer to make his league debut which came in February 2012 when PSV beat rivals Feyenoord 3-2 at home.

At the end of the season, Memphis featured in the KNVB Cup final on 8 April 2012 which PSV won 3-0 against Heracles Almelo. Although not on the scoresheet Memphis had done enough to warrant a professional contract which he signed on the 29th of June 2012. It was a long-term contract that would keep him at PSV until 2017.

The following season proved to be his breakthrough season and one in which people took notice of this young Dutch talent. It was also the season that he broke into The Netherlands senior squad making his first full appearance in 2013 which would eventually lead onto the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil. Of course, the national team was coached by the future Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.

In the 2013/14 season, Memphis made his European debut for his club and although PSV didn't end up qualifying for the group stages he had shown Europe a glimpse of his immense talents. For example, in their second group stage match in the Europa League, Memphis scored a stunning goal by curling the ball into the net from outside the area as PSV beat Chornomorets Odesa 2–0.

After a very successful 2014 World Cup, Memphis was linked to a number of clubs, including Manchester United. However, he stayed at PSV and for them thank heavens he did. His goal tally of 22 went a long way to securing the 22nd Dutch Championship for his club.

In was in the last month of the season that both PSV and Manchester United announced that they had reached an agreement with the player to move from Holland to England. The transfer would be official on June 1st. It was then that Louis van Gaal informed everybody the reasons behind pushing through the agreement. Memphis was hot property and someone had to make a move and quickly.

The player enjoyed an emotional farewell in front of his adoring PSV fans as he signed off with one of his trademark long-distance free kicks. A fitting way to end his career at the club.

Once the dust had settled Memphis spoke of his desire to play in the English Premier league and that it was his dream to play at Manchester United. He also cited the huge influence and no doubt the Dutch connection of Louis van Gaal behind his decision.

So what is in store for the United faithful next season? Well, Memphis is a speedy winger who enjoys taking on defenders and is certainly no lightweight, comfortable on the ball with both feet and of course as he has shown he has an eye for the goal, especially with free kicks. He has excelled in recent internationals for Holland including unwittingly scoring a goal with his face against the USA.

At 21 he has a long career ahead of him and I am sure that he will build on his undoubted talent under the guidance of Louis van Gaal and go on to have a bright future at Old Trafford and help the club to get back to winning trophies.

He left Holland as a champion let's hope he ends his first season at United the same way.

Good Luck Memphis.

Miles Dunton.

Football has to 'tackle' a problem.

Call me old-fashioned, but whatever happened to players being allowed to tackle?

After watching the Champions League final and how all too easily most of the Barcelona players went to ground it made me realise exactly how soft the modern player has become.

However, there was one player who stood out in the match for his determination and that was Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, who was blasted by commentators for his over-aggressive style of play, but I put it down to his true desire to win and a desire not to let the opposition control the play.

Vidal should be praised for his attempt to do something that seems to be frowned upon in the modern game and that is to tackle. I'm in no way condoning over the top challenges but I am suggesting that players should at least be permitted to try and win the ball without the worry of being cautioned for nothing.

It's true that Barcelona has an abundance of quality when it comes to the attack but having said that how many times during the match did Suarez and Neymar fall to the ground from the slightest of touches in an attempt to con the referee and how depressing was it to see how many times it worked. The Turkish referee was shocking in the final and I'm sure the Barca players knew how gullible he was before going into the match.

I can't imagine what would have happened if the hardest men I've ever seen play had been involved in that match. The likes of Bryan Robson, Stuart Pearce, Nobby Stiles, Graham Souness, Jimmy Case, Norman Whiteside, Roy Keane and Norman 'bite your legs' Hunter would have been given their marching orders within the first five minutes.

In fact, I believe that most of the Barcelona side would have thrown a sickie if they had seen those players in the tunnel before the match.

It seems that the main culprits of this namby-pamby style of play originate from South America, which surprises me as back in the 60's the hardest men in the game came from places like Argentina. Cast your mind back to the '66 World Cup when England, not shy of the odd kick out here and there, came up against an Argentine team that coined the phrase 'Argy Bargy'.

Then you had the '68 clashes between Manchester United and Estudiantes in which George Best and Nobby Stiles were lucky to be sent off before being carried off.

How times and players have changed. Nowadays players are streamlined, physically fit and athletic, however, they have another element to their game and that is basically cheating. Put it down to money and pressure it still doesn't deter from the fact that too many players are now adept at conning the ref and, therefore, the fans.

Of course, cheating to gain an advantage is not a new thing, it's been around for decades, but it seems to be everywhere within the game these days right down to grass roots level. I recently went to watch an Under 10's schoolboy's game and one of the youngsters fell to the ground as if he had been shot following the minimal of touches, as he was rolling around his watching dad ran onto the pitch and dragged him up to his feet and told the coach to sub him.

I for one don't blame the kids as they are only copying their idols, but it's up to the pro's and football associations to consider the future of the game. I understand that with all the new UEFA rulings the referees are under pressure to keep a tight control on tackling but it's becoming ridiculous how it's affecting the game as a spectacle.

Something has to be done and quickly before the beautiful game becomes a charade where no contact is allowed between the players. You may think this is impossible, but with Platini at the head of UEFA anything's possible. He may have been a world class player but he was also prone to go to ground far too easily himself.

The answer is to instruct the officials to allow the game to flow and not to let the cheaters control the match or be fooled by their comical theatrics. I'm sure they will soon get to their feet once they realise nothing is forthcoming and get on with showing their true talent.

Thank you Vidal for at least trying to put the bite back into the game.

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.

United Need to Toughen Up.

Following United's top four finish to the season it is critical that Louis van Gaal and his backroom staff strive to solve the injury problems that blighted last season as next season's campaign will put a heavier burden on the players with the Champions League returning to Old Trafford.

It was well documented throughout last term the problems that United had with injuries, but it also highlighted the lack off strength in depth within the squad. Louis van Gaal has been on record saying that he would like to have two players for each position which is all well and good if those two players aren't sidelined at the same time.

Let's take a look at some facts from last season. United's squad suffered the most injuries of any other team in the Premier League with around 70 injuries compared to the champions Chelsea who had around 45. At one point in the season, United had a total of 10 first-team players sidelined through injury. These statistics had a strong bearing on the side's season.

What is the reason so many players suffered with some kind of injury last season? It can't be all be put down to bad luck. Could it be that the training regime van Gaal introduced took the United old-guard by surprise after the less stringent Moyes system and one that the new signings were also not used to at their previous clubs where they had it a lot easier.

Upon arriving at Carrington after a successful World Cup the new manager looked at his squad on the USA tour and quickly decided, for example, that Luke Shaw was nowhere near match fit and didn't include him until absolutely necessary and it became clear why as Shaw was United's most injured player last term, sustaining at least seven setbacks since his move from Southampton.

Michael Carrick started the season late but ended it early and his absence had a negative effect on the team as did that of a number of other casualties including Blind, Rojo, van Persie and Di Maria all missing at differing and vital times during the season.

As regards Angel Di Maria, he seemed to be affected by every knock he received during a game but I wonder how much of that was psychological.

I understand that modern players' bodies are not built for the rough and tough style of play England is known for but having said that they are fitter than players in the past so the recovery time is quicker these days. The manager never likes to rush players back into the side following an injury lay-off as he always speaks about the fact that players need the time to recover not only from the problem but also to regain their fitness, which makes sense if the squad was big enough to handle any absentees.

At the beginning of his debut season van Gaal had to cater for players that had been involved in a long hot World Cup Final tournament in Brazil, I'm not including the England players here. The likes of van Persie and Blind both of whom laboured towards the end of the season, Di Maria and his teammate Rojo who when played gave his all but also suffered for that gung-ho spirit of his.

The only player from the World Cup who didn't have a problem was Fellaini but I put that down to him starting the season later than most, his first start came in October, and his style of play is that he dishes it out more than he gets.

It's no surprise that the players who were not heavily used in the World Cup, if at all, lasted well into the season. For example De Gea, Herrera, Mata, Smalling and Young.

Falcao was signed on loan but after his well-publicised knee operation he was nowhere near the player he once was and looked decidedly off the pace in the matches he was involved in.

The Premier League is the most demanding in the world and puts a lot of stress on the bodies of the players add to that the new signings who arrived from leagues that are a lot less formidable than the English Premier League then of course it would have been a minor miracle if they all had remained match fit all season.

With no major tournament this summer and a shortened pre-season tour to the USA, Louis van Gaal has a great chance to get his players to the peak of fitness and at the same time adding valuable new blood to the squad ready for the demands of the busy season ahead.

United are blessed with the best training facilities money can buy and you never hear of players complaining about the training sessions at Carrington.

So, in the end, let's put the last twelve months down to a bedding in process for all players and staff involved and one that should provide the springboard for success to return to this great club. Providing, of course, the players remain fit!

Thanks for reading.

Miles Dunton.