It isn’t often that Sir Alex Ferguson makes a mistake but letting Paul Pogba go last summer looks to be a massive one. With United struggling for a regular and consistent partner for Michael Carrick in the centre of their midfield, people across Europe are wondering just why did they let French wonderkid Paul Pogba leave Old Trafford.

Despite his massive potential, Pogba only made seven first team appearances at Old Trafford after signing from Le Havre in 2009. He left to join Italian champions Juventus, one of United’s European rivals last summer after a contract dispute with Sir Alex Ferguson. It is believed that wages was the problem in the deal and Pogba did not hesitate to leave the club. At the time it was dismissed by the club’s fans as just another youngster being let go, ‘Fergie knows best’ and all that.

However, Pogba has proven this season that he is one of the best youngsters in the whole of Europe with French legend Patrick Vieira saying Pogba is better than he was at the age of 20. Some compliment. He has been a mainstay of Antonio Conte’s midfield, notching up 28 appearances in all competitions so far, scoring five times. This includes a phenomenal double against Udinese in January in which he truly announced himself as one to watch. He has proven himself as the box-to-box midfielder that Man Utd are desperately missing to partner Michael Carrick. I think it is safe to say Juventus are definitely not complaining.

The young Frenchman’s performances this season have earned him recognition on the international stage, earning two caps since the turn of the year. Even if his second cap against Spain did end up in him being sent off, he proved himself more than capable to play alongside some of the biggest names in Europe.

He has shown that he is an all rounded midfielder, in the mould of Ivorian and Man City man Yaya Toure and Vieira himself. In terms of his contribution to Juventus this season, his five goals are just the tip of the iceberg. He has created 18 chances for his teammates and has won 55% of all his duels. This includes a tackle success rate of 70%, which shows he is equally good at the defensive side of the game as the attacking side. He is also supremely confident in his ability and has exceptional ball control, two brilliant attributes for a 20 year old. He lacks fear but this doesn’t mean he lacks composure and intelligence on the ball. To be completely honest, he seems to have the potential to have everything you would want in a midfielder which is definitely an annoyance for United fans who were not happy with the way he left Old Trafford.

His weaknesses, as for all young players include his lack of positional sense but that will come through experience. Pogba also has a long way to go to proving himself at the top level, he must continue the form he has shown this season over a prolonged period of time before anyone can consider him as a great European midfielder but the young Frenchman is definitely on the right track. Now he is being played most weeks, he seems to have lost the attitude which he seemed to have whilst in England.

Although he is nowhere near the finished package, Pogba has shown all the signs of being a future great central midfielder. If Juventus continue to give him the leeway to roam like they do with Arturo Vidal with Andrea Pirlo sitting in front of the back three, Pogba will only grow as a player. He can obviously be influential all over the pitch, his talent just has to be nurtured in right way.

What are United fans’ thoughts on Pogba? Do you regret the decision to let him go? Will Pogba be a future great central midfielder? Let me know!

The Ajax academy system is unlike any other, especially considering the size of the country.

Ajax’s fine youth academy is called ‘Die Toekomst’ or ‘The Future’. Founded in 1900, the club plays the so-called ‘Total Football’ approach in a 4-3-3 system invented by the great Dutch manager Rinus Michels. It is this ideology that makes Ajax stand out across Europe; the adoption of a single philosophy that everyone working at the club gets taught at an early age is admirable. They let their footballers express themselves freely on the pitch without any restrictions.

The basic goal of the club is that they bring through at least three players into the first team every two years, anything less than this is seen as a massive failure. This process begins right at the bottom of the pyramid with player recruitment. Their preferred zone of recruitment is in the 50km area surrounding Amsterdam but they do stretch further if the right player with the correct style of play comes along. For instance, if a player such as Christian Eriksen comes along, they would not hesitate to sign him.

They have 50 scouts patrolling the Netherlands, looking for the latest talents and 5 more scouts across Europe. The youngsters they find have to go through a test stage called the ‘talentdagen’ where the coaches find out if they are good enough to be signed to a youth contract. Players’ desired skills would be ball control, positioning, technique and intelligence; there is an emphasis at Ajax on technical ability over pure power.

“You need both quality and results. Results without quality is boring; quality without results is meaningless.” – Johan Cruyff

The youth team is trained in the same way as the first team, so players who make it are already accustomed to Ajax’s style of play, training, behaviour and house rules. They strive to play the attractive, offensive-minded, creative, fast and fair football that Ajax are recognized for. There are around 220 youth players at the club at all times and in the Eredivisie at least 30% of the players have been trained at Ajax at some point in their careers, a remarkable statistic. The club has all age groups at the club with 5-year-old children up to Under 19s and reserve teams.

Coaching

The ideal coach at the club would be an ex-player who has had experience at the highest level of the game. These coaches have substantial influence on talent development and are trusted with keeping with the Ajax philosophy at all times, the only formation the players are allowed to be taught is 4-3-3 as it is in the clubs tradition. The most talented players are all but guaranteed a first team place by the age of 16 or 17, which is extremely rare in the modern game and should be admired. It is also immediately noticeable that everyone at the club refers to Ajax as ‘we’, a sign that the club is a family focussed on developing youth at all times. It is extremely rare that any player will spend his whole career at the club, all the transfer fees that they receive for the players they sell go towards improving their youth facilities and training.

One of the most prestigious names in UEFA competition, Ajax lifted the European Cup three times on the bounce during the Dutch-defining Total Football era of the early 1970s. And they know a restoration is possible, having reached similar heights under Louis van Gaal in the mid-1990s when they won the Champions League again in 1995. There aren’t many clubs in the world who have any sort of comparison in terms of history and they are extremely proud of the fine history they have. However, in the last few years they have become a ‘talent factory’ which produces great young talent but is forced to sell to top clubs once the player reaches their potential due to economic pressures of the modern game. There’s no doubt Ajax have suffered from the trend of domestic leagues going global. The modest television revenues drew in by the Eredivisie in recent years leaves them at a disadvantage on the European stage, forcing them to sell most of their rising stars as soon as they reach a particular market value. The most recent examples include Gregory van der Weil and Jan Vertonghen who were sold to PSG and Tottenham Hotspur respectively in the summer of 2012. They are constantly bringing new youth players into the side which allows them to utilise their talents for longer and also get them more exposure to secure larger fees for them when they do go. Ajax stated themselves in a recent match day programme that the modern game hasn’t been kind to the club but the Amsterdammers are making a comeback, as Manchester City found out to their cost in Holland earlier in the 2012-13 season.

Ajax academy system products

Now let’s take a closer look at some of the great players they have brought through their famous system:

Johan Cruyff

Probably the most famous player to come through the ranks of Ajax, Cruyff was a true master of ‘Total Football’ and is recognised as one of the greatest players to ever play football. He won the Ballon d’Or three times and was named European Player of the Century in 1999. He also won 9 Eredivisie titles with Ajax and Feyenoord, 3 European Cups with Ajax and a La Liga title with FC Barcelona. He is famous for his ‘Cruyff turn’, which is copied and mastered by many footballers across the world. After a fine playing career he went on to manage two of his former clubs Ajax and FC Barcelona, where he instilled a similar philosophy to his hometown club. He remains and influential advisor to both clubs and a fine ambassador to football.

Marco van Basten

If van Basten’s career hadn’t have been cut short in 1995 due to a horrific injury he picked up two years earlier, who knows what he could’ve gone onto achieve. He is recognised as one of the finest strikers of all time, scoring a mighty 277 goals in the 1980s and early 1990s for Ajax and AC Milan. He went on to win World Player of the Year in 1992 after an amazing year. He was a scorer of two of the most memorable goals in football history too, his spectacular volley in the Euro 88 final against the Soviet Union and an unbelievable bicycle kick in 1992 against IFK Goteborg.

Frank Rijkaard

Rijkaard was an extremely versatile footballer who represented Holland 73 times, scoring 10 goals. He played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan where he was deployed in several positions including centre half, right midfield and central midfield. He won five Dutch titles with Ajax in two spells, two Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan and went onto have a successful managerial career with Barcelona and Holland amongst other posts.

Dennis Bergkamp

What can you say about this man? An amazingly gifted striker who has been described as having ‘the best technique’ of any Dutch international footballer. Signed by Ajax as an 11 year old, he made his debut in 1986. He signed for Inter in 1993 before joining Arsenal in 1995 where he really made his name. He won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and reached a Champions League final with the Gunners. Bergkamp scored 37 goals for Holland during a ten year international career. His style of play sums up Ajax’s academy perfectly, great touch, intelligent and the finest technique you can ask for as a footballer.

Clarence Seedorf

One of the most respected footballers ever, he has performed wherever he has played. The first player to win the European Cup with three different clubs (Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007). In a playing career which has spanned 20 years and is still going in Brazil with Botafogo, Seedorf has also won 5 league titles with 3 different clubs and has played for some of the biggest clubs on the planet. He must surely be recognised as an all-time great.

Patrick Kluivert

Kluivert was once one of the most feared strikers in Europe, with remarkably impressive quick feet and first touch for such a tall player. He utilised his height and physical presence to dominate in the air. He is Holland’s all time record goal scorer and yet another fine player to come out of this great academy. Kluivert was part of Ajax’s golden generation of the early 1990s and he scored the winner in the 1995 Champions League final after coming off the bench. He also went on to play for A.C. Milan, FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia CF, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille OSC.

Wesley Sneijder

One of the more recent Ajax graduates; he deserves his place on this list. He is the current Dutch national team captain and has been an international since 2003. His most recognisable season was in 2009-10 when he guided Inter Milan to Champions League glory and Holland to a World Cup Final where he was voted one of the three best midfielders in the world. After leaving Ajax for $27million to join Real Madrid in 2007 he won a La Liga title in his first season but was eventually sold to Inter. He left Inter in January 2013 and joined Galatasaray where he hopes to resurrect his career.

Other names

These are all world class players but that is not it, Ajax have been producing fine talent for years and there are several more players who deserve a mention. The fact greats such as Johan Neeskens, Michael Reiziger, Edwin van der Sar, Edgar Davids, Ruud Gullit, Danny Blind, Marc Overmars, Frank de Boer, Ronald de Boer, Nigel de Jong, Rafael van der Vaart and Thomas Vermaelen didn’t make the list is testimony to just how great ‘Die Toekomst’ really is. They have also developed players in their early careers such as Ronald Koeman, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Christian Chivu, Jesper Gronkjaar, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Kanu who had their careers resurrected after leaving the club. They don’t only produce young talent; they bring players to the club whose careers are faltering and give them a new belief in their abilities and allow them to express themselves.

Let’s hope the new generation can live up to what their predecessors did. They always produce top class talent and that has no sign of stopping. Look out for players such as Christian Eriksen, Siem de Jong, Tony Alderweireld, Daley Blind, Ricardo van Rhijn, Davy Klaassen and Viktor Fischer in the future as they are more than likely to be in and around some top European clubs if they continue to develop at the rate they are. No doubt in generations to come there will be more talent surfacing from Ajax’s fine academy. The philosophy will always stay the same and the way the players are trained will to, the production process shows no sign of stopping working. Without Ajax’s youth system we would have been starved of some of the greatest players football has ever seen, let’s just hope this great club can one day challenge for Europe’s top honors again.

Editor’s note: On Sunday, April 14, Ajax will play PSV to decide the 2013-14 Eredivisie title. For viewers in the United States, the game will be shown live on ESPN3.com at 10:30am ET. Here’s a video promoting the match:

When Nigel Adkins was sacked in January, it seemed like a cruel decision after he had led them from League 1 to the Premier League in two seasons and Southampton were not having all too bad a season with it being their first since promotion. Whilst it is true that the decision was harsh, it is obvious since former Espanyol manager Mauricio Pochettino took over at the club, their performances have moved on to another level.

Since Pochettino took charge, the Saints have won games against the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. And their brilliant run of form has seen them move away from the relegation zone. If you watched any of those games, you could see Southampton pressing extremely high up the pitch, which is a Pochettino trademark. They played the same way in their 2-1 defeat against Manchester United, a game in which the Old Trafford club had no control over and were very lucky to win.

All this proves that English teams are not comfortable and struggle to retain possession when they are being pressed high up the pitch. The Premier League lacks players like Xavi, Andrea Pirlo or Bastian Schweinsteiger, players who can keep the ball under intense pressure from the opposition. Paul Scholes would have been perfect for United to bring on and keep the ball but he was not available for the game. This will explain why the Saints have had success against the sides who prefer a short passing game. On the other hand they have struggled against some more direct teams such as QPR and Newcastle, this can be explained in the sense that when the opposition lumps the ball forward to a powerful striker, Southampton’s pressing game is not effective. Pressing is not the only reason why they win games but is a huge factor. Winning the ball high up the pitch gives you a greater chance of scoring.

This is a style which has become Pochettino’s trademark, ever since his days as a player as Newell’s Old Boys where he played under Marcelo Bielsa, the current Athletic Bilbao manager. As we saw last season, Bielsa’s style worked so well for Bilbao in last season’s Europa League but once teams learn how to play against his teams it doesn’t work as well, this has been proven this season with Bilbao languishing in 13th in La Liga. Pochettino has made his mark at Southampton with this style being very rare in the English game, which is probably why so many teams are struggling to find a way to combat it. There is no doubt that his experiences with Bielsa helped his managerial style no end.

As you would expect from a follower of Bielsa, Pochettino likes his teams to move the ball forward slowly into the opposition half then before the passing gains a higher tempo and becomes first touch. When his teams lose the ball, he likes them to win it back as quickly as possible, to do this they employ a high defensive line with the attackers and even the midfielders pressing the ball all over the pitch. This aggressive style can work out to be a brilliant system but can also lead to defensive disasters. So far, it has worked a treat at Southampton with the Saints’ squad being full of hard workers such as Jay Rodriguez, Morgan Schneiderlin and Jack Cork. The system works even better when the team using it has that added piece of quality and in Rickie Lambert, Southampton definitely have that. He is a born goal scorer and his quality has shone through in recent weeks.

In the summer, Pochettino will have money to spend, something which he didn’t have at Espanyol. It will be interesting to see how he spends it, whether he adopts the policy he had at Espanyol of bringing through youth players or signing players who he has worked with before. With the youth system Southampton possess, you would expect him to bring through players such as James Ward-Prowse but at the same time he will obviously stamp his mark on the squad with a few signings.

Whatever happens at Southampton in the future, there are sure to be some exciting times ahead. The wins they have had since the Argentine took charge have proven that the system he uses can work at St Mary’s. They are in a healthy financial position, have a fantastic youth setup and very modern facilities which gives Pochettino all the tools to make Southampton a regular top half Premier League side and maybe one day even better. These assets the club have combined with Pochettino’s style mean that Southampton will only press forward from here with survival almost certainly guaranteed.

Everyone in the world has heard about ‘La Masia,’ Barcelona’s youth academy which year after year produces exceptional talent and has housed superstars such as Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta (just to name three). Almost every game they have many youth products in their starting eleven and the publicity their academy gets is understandable and justified. But what about their great rivals, Real Madrid?

The stereotype or the easy theory, prompted by Madrid’s ‘Galactico’ ethos, is that Barcelona makes players whereas Madrid buys them. The purchases Madrid have made since the turn of the century make you forget about the achievements of their academy. From Santiago Bernabeu to Iker Casillas, Real Madrid has constantly been producing top class talents for almost a century.

Although the current ethos at the Bernabeu is centred on big money buys such as Cristiano Ronaldo, it didn’t used to be like that. The change in ethos came about during Florentino Perez’s first reign as Real’s president when Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham were bought from abroad and the modern stereotype of Madrid derives from these purchases.

In the late 1980s a very different Real Madrid team won five consecutive Spanish titles, two UEFA Cups and a Copa del Rey with five homegrown talents at the core along with the great Hugo Sanchez.  This squad was known as the ‘Vultures Squad’ which comes from Emilio Butragueno, the legendary forward who was nicknamed ‘The Vulture’. The other four players who were central to their success were Manolo Sanchis, Michel, Martin Vazguez and Miguel Pardeza. It was a truly legendary team who are often forgotten about in the modern era due to the new ‘Galactico’ ethos.

It wasn’t just the late 1980s which have seen Madrid’s academy produce world class talent, players such as the great Santiago Bernabeu, who was one of the earliest stars and later President, and Jose Antonio Camacho were produced in Madrid. That’s not to mention players who were signed as youngsters such as the legendary Alfredo di Stefano, Fernando Hierro, Francisco Gento, Fernando Morientes, Sergio Ramos and Amancio. There has been a continual trend of top players who were signed as youngsters who go on to become superstars at Madrid and this is no coincidence.

Over the last twenty years their academy hasn’t stopped producing footballing talents, however, in recent years only a few have stayed at the Bernabeu for the majority of their careers, The ‘Galactico’ purchases over the last decade have somewhat overshadowed the achievements of the academy in producing talent over the last twenty years. Iker Casillas, Raul Gonzalez and Guti were the main stays of the Madrid teams of the last twenty years with Casillas still playing his football at the club. Despite all the purchases the club has made, these three players remain darlings of the club to the current day. Raul and Casillas in particular are etched into Madrid folklore as legends. Raul signed his first professional deal in 1994 and went onto become the club’s top goalscorer of all time, winning three Champions League titles in the process. Casillas signed his first deal in 1999 and is still at the club having rarely missed a game in the last 14 years.

When Perez secured the Presidency in 2000, he originally wanted to produce one youngster per season who would go onto be a regular in the Madrid side alongside signing one ‘Galactico’ per year. This didn’t end up working out as the players who were produced, Ruben de la Red, Francisco Pavon, Alvaro Mejia and Oscar Minambres (to name a few), did not live up to their potential. De la Red in particular deserves a special mention, after being forced into retirement due to a heart condition in 2010. He was a fine player and it is a real shame that his career was cut short just after returning home in 2008. If these players had lived up to their potential perhaps the stereotype of today may not be there.

Most of the players who have recently come through Madrid’s academy did not stay at the club or aren’t currently first team regulars. The policy of buying high profile players has stayed with Madrid but some of the recent graduates have made a big name for themselves at other clubs. Alvaro Arbeloa and Jose Callejon left the club and made their names at others clubs and now provide Madrid with invaluable depth having returned in recent years. Diego Lopez was re-signed in January to provide cover for the injured Iker Casillas having left the club to join Villarreal in 2007. There were particular high hopes for Esteban Granero when he was brought through the Castilla but he failed to make a name for himself in first team and has since left the club to join QPR in England where he has had a quite unsuccessful first season with the Londoners. Spanish internationals Juan Mata and Roberto Soldado left the club to join Valencia and have since developed into world-class players. Both have been linked with returns to Madrid in the past. Alvaro Negredo has made his name at Sevilla, suckering call ups to the Spanish national side’s squad on numerous occasions. Javi Garcia failed to break into the first team having made the step up and now ply’s his trade with Manchester City having stopped off at Benfica on the way. Other examples of Castilla graduates include Fiorentina midfielder Borja Valero, Valencia playmaker Dani Parejo, current Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, Beerschot AC defender Raul Bravo and Benfica striker Rodrigo. These players of course aren’t it, there are many players who have been Castilla graduates playing for various clubs across Europe, Madrid’s academy has had a wide effect on European football in recent years.

Perhaps Madrid are not on the same level as Barcelona in terms of the quality of talent they produce but they are at least helping to produce new talent for the Spanish National side. Although every Francisco Pavon doesn’t turn into a Fernando Hierro or every Riki into a Raul, time has proven that one day Madrid’s famous academy will produce another superstar.

Michael Carrick has excelled in the centre of Manchester United’s midfield this season, becoming a key figure in their title charge. He has been praised heavily across the country in recent weeks but that is definitely not how it has always been. He was somewhat of a ridiculed character in the past particularly after the Champions League final of 2009 where he was dominated by Barcelona’s midfield with Carrick himself calling it the worst night of his career. It was the same when he was out-muscled for Bayern Munich’s first goal in the Champions League Quarter Final Second Leg of 2009/10 and after his mistake to allow Yaya Toure to score in the 2010/11 FA Cup Semi Final. He was labeled a midfielder who could only pass the ball sideways and someone who never took a risk, a safe option to sit alongside the great Paul Scholes. How times have changed. How he has filled Scholes’ boots this season.

Carrick has been instrumental to United this season and has received added recognition for his performances with several starts for England. Without a shadow of a doubt he has been the Old Trafford clubs most consistent performer. The label people had placed on him has been removed, Carrick is not afraid to show off his passing abilities. To give you a statistic, Carrick has attempted over 2000 passes this season with 88% of those being completed and of those completed passes, a whopping 75.2% of them have gone forwards. That is unbelievable. If Andrea Pirlo or Xavi possessed this statistic then we would not hear the end of it for months. You can tell that he has renewed confidence, something that you would not have seen in him two or three years ago. It is for this reason that it is now impossible for Sir Alex Ferguson to drop him.

When Carrick was signed back in 2006, he was signed as a replacement for Roy Keane. Although they are completely different players, Ferguson realised that what United needed was someone who could dictate the pace of a game and read the game expertly. It was a massive risk as you could not find a player who was more different to Keane in the whole of England than Carrick. Keane was ferocious in the tackle and a true leader whilst Carrick epitomises calmness and precision.

Manchester United appeared to be on the verge of turmoil as a solitary League Cup success in 2005/06 was used to cover the fact that they had not won a league title in three years, United’s longest barren spell since the Premier league was created. They had been eliminated in the group stages of the Champions League as well and to add to that their star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy had become the latest high profile name to depart the club. Rumour was that Cristiano Ronaldo wanted out following the English media’s brutal and relentless witch-hunt of him following the World Cup spat with Wayne Rooney. People across the land were relishing in United’s apparent downfall and some even predicted them to finish outside the top four. That summer Ferguson made only one permanent signing which was Carrick. After United went 3 years without a trophy, Carrick provided the stability in the centre of the park what was desperately needed. He and Paul Scholes forged a brilliant partnership. Although the plaudits quite rightly went to other players such as Ronaldo and Rooney, Carrick’s influence should not be underrated. He went about his job with sheer efficiency and coolness. Although the fee seemed like a lot of money for someone like Carrick, when you look back it was definitely worth it. Since joining, Carrick has won 4 league titles with a fifth surely to be added soon and has reached 3 Champions League finals, winning one. Seen as he hardly misses a game, he must have been doing something right. Ferguson wouldn’t have stood by him for so long if he wasn’t.

In the centre of United’s midfield this season, the stable partnership has been Carrick and Tom Cleverley who seem to work extremely well together with the former sitting and dictating play while Cleverley roams, trying to find more advanced positions to get the team moving forwards. No doubt Cleverley has helped Carrick a lot this season with his willingness to regain possession quickly, his quick feet and agility which give Carrick more time on the ball, giving him time to pick the right pass and use his natural calmness to his advantage. Take Carrick out of United’s midfield and think about how many problems they would have. There just are not any other options right now. Scholes has been troubled by injuries this season, Darren Fletcher has unfortunately been forced to miss the rest of the season due to illness, Anderson has never found any sort of form as usual and whilst Ryan Giggs does a more than adequate job in central midfield it is not his natural position. This United side relies on Carrick’s wide range of passing ability. It is an area which must surely need strengthening in the summer, with Scholes likely to retire, Anderson likely to be sold and Fletcher unlikely to ever fully recover. Although United fans say it needs strengthening every year, this year it seems they truly do need some more competition for Carrick and Cleverley.

The English media are fixated with quick, box to box midfielders who score goals, meaning Carrick is often forgotten about due to his lack of pace. This underrating of Carrick is something which United fans have relished this season as he has put in his best season to date at the club. This has led to him being noticed more and more as the season has progressed. He is finally being recognised as one of the top midfielders in the country and rightly so. People have misjudged him in the past, including myself, disregarding his wide range of passing and ability to read the game expertly. Yes, he has made mistakes in the past but it is quite blatant that he has on the whole learnt from them despite still showing the odd lapse in concentration every now and again. He seems a lot more aware of the space around him than he used to be; when he is hassled he has always seemed to have an answer this season. He is always on the lookout for a killer pass, which he never used to be. Something has changed in him; you can see it in his body language, whenever he receives the ball he is always looking ahead of him whereas in the past he was not as adventurous. Maybe it has come with experience or maybe it has come with the added importance he now has for the team.

To sum up Michael Carrick in a nut shell would be to simply say, he is underrated and under-appreciated. He has made Manchester United tick this season. As things stand they are very close to winning their 20^th league title and Carrick’s consistency has been vital in achieving that. It is quite obvious he never will rank among Europe’s elite midfielders but there is no doubt that he is extremely important to the way United play and without him they would just not be the same side, the statistics do not lie.

What are your thoughts on Michael Carrick? Where does he rank among Europe’s midfielders in your eyes?

Since their promotion in 2005, Wigan Athletic have survived in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth on a regular basis. From the days of Paul Jewell, through the era of Steve Bruce to the current day manager Roberto Martinez they always find a way to move away from the drop zone at the right time.

This season looks to be taking the same pattern based on recent form. Wigan seem to be picking up wins whilst certain teams above them, such as Aston Villa, Sunderland, Stoke, Norwich and Newcastle, struggle to find a way to win important games. This has allowed the Latics to catch up to their rivals thus creating a sense of panic in each of these clubs camps. Sunderland even sacked their manager due to the fear of being relegated. Wigan have a history of sticking by their managers and this could once again pay off as they look to continue this astonishing run of avoiding relegation comparable to that of Southampton and Coventry in the 1990s.

Let’s take a look at some reasons that could be key to Wigan’s survival plans, including a closer look at some of the key players in their system.

If Wigan are to stay up then they will have to retain possession in order to build a sufficient number of attacks. This is vital in a relegation battle as chances don’t come at a premium when you are at that end of the table. Their main man who can provide this ball retention is James McCarthy. This season he has a brilliant pass completion percentage of 88% with 57.9% of these passes going forward. This is even more impressive when you take into account that he has attempted a total of 1736 passes this season. Other players who can do this job include James McArthur and Jordi Gomez. Gomez also provides a good attacking threat from midfield when he plays too.

Wigan will also need to create a decent amount of chances if they are to have a chance of scoring enough goals to stay up. Their key man in this area is definitely Shaun Maloney. When Maloney hasn’t played this season, Wigan have lost each game. Not only does he boast a brilliant passing percentage of 90% but he has also created the second most chances at the club with 43 chances created. This is even more impressive when you look at the number of chances he has created in the final third of the pitch. Jean Beausejour is the only man to create more chances than Maloney for Wigan; he is a constant outlet when they attack down the left. He provides great balance and has a licence to maraud forwards more than most full backs due to Wigan system of three centre backs.

Every team fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table needs a goal scorer, in Wigan’s case it is Ivorian Arouna Kone. He has proven a huge success this season, scoring double the amount of goals anyone else has at the club with 10 goals. His explosive pace and poaching abilities have seen him become a key man in the Latics’ team since joining the club from Levante last summer. He is one of more clinical strikers in the league as he doesn’t have as many chances as a lot of the strikers at bigger clubs but he still gets his fair share of goals.

If Wigan are to survive not only will these three men will have to continue their excellent form but they will have to stop conceding so many goals as they have conceded a mighty 56 goals already this season. One of their best defenders, Ivan Ramis is injured but Antolin Alcaraz has recently returned from a lay off and the timing couldn’t be better for the club as they were starting to run out of options in that area. There is no doubt if they can stop leaking goals, they will have a fantastic chance of staying up due to the clinical fire power they possess in their attack.

Their last two results suggest they are hitting their top form at the right time as they seem to do every season. There are teams just above them in free fall and Wigan look as though they can win the important games at key stages of the season. Their experience of relegation battles and their ability to stand by a manager could be pivotal in their survival bid.

Let me know what you think! Can Wigan survive in the Premier League yet again? Who do you think will get relegated this season?

There aren’t many nations in the world who are blessed with two left backs with the quality of Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines. Both of these left backs have credible cases to be England’s first choice.

Chelsea stalwart Cole has been first choice now for almost a decade and having now passed the 100 cap mark looks to still be the number one option at left back having started against Montenegro but he is by no means still an automatic pick. Baines has had a truly exceptional season at Champions League qualification contenders Everton in both the attacking and defensive sense.

The main claim for Baines to become the regular England left back is that he is the greater attacking threat. This becomes even more potent when you take into account the Everton man’s set piece ability, both at shooting and crossing. For starters, he has created 93 chances this season compared to Cole’s 16 and his link up with Steven Pienaar down the left, particularly in the first half of the season, has been exceptional. He has also assisted four goals to Cole’s two and scored five goals himself compared to just one from the Chelsea left back. There is no doubt that Baines’ strength is in the attacking third of the pitch, he is one of the most creative players in the whole of the Premier League, an extremely rare quality in a left back. He showed glimpses of this ability against the minnows of San Marino in the recent qualifier, which isn’t the greatest of teams to test your ability against but he was exceptional nonetheless. Having said all this you cannot discount Cole’s attacking ability as he was for a long time known for his long marauding runs up the left hand side but in the last couple of seasons, no one in the Premier League can compare to Baines in this area.

However, it is Baines’ defensive work this season that deserves more recognition than it gets, it has improved dramatically from last year. Baines’ tackle success rate is 82% and although his heading success is a mere 39%, we can probably put that down to the Everton man’s lack of height. Cole’s tackle success rate is only 75% but he has a greater header success rate than Baines at 58%. This proves that Cole is still the more rounded defender of the two. Baines has never been known for these qualities but as these statistics show, he has become a lot more rounded in the defensive third than he used to be.

Cole’s worth to Chelsea has not diminished having signed a new deal in January and he has been as ever extremely consistent at club and international level. It is Cole’s consistency and most of all experience that are the only things standing in the way of Baines’ push for the left back birth. Cole’s claim to the left back position should definitely not be dismissed but in the era of attacking full backs there is no doubt Baines deserves to start more internationals and perhaps if he moved to a club who challenges for the title he would get those opportunities. In the past Baines himself has said that he can never get in ahead of Cole due to the fact he has never played Champions League football. The gap between the two is narrowing and maybe next season it will narrow even further if Baines were to get Champions League football at Everton or elsewhere. It is an almost impossible decision to choose between the two if you take everything into account but at this moment Cole’s experience at international level gives him the edge in the big England games. However, if the Everton full back continues his current form, it will surely not be long before Roy Hodgson has no choice but to play Baines.

Let me know your views on this debate. Who should start for England at left back with the World Cup in mind?

Soccer video games are a big part of a lot of people’s lives nowadays and they definitely have been a big part of mine. I have been playing football video games since I was eight years old, so I thought I’d share with you my top 10 favorites of all time. Bear in mind these are purely the top 10 out of the ones I have played.

10. Mario Strikers Charged – Wii, 2007

This game was the sequel to Super Mario Strikers which was on the Nintendo Gamecube, everyone loved the classic Mario games and most people enjoy football so put them together and you get a fantastically fun game like this. This was by no means a true football simulation but was fun to play with your friends or online, offering a wide range of customisation options for your teams whilst fully revamping the graphics from the original. There were also added new arenas, side-kicks and challenges to keep you entertained for hours.

9. International Superstar Soccer Pro 98 (ISS Pro 98) – PS1, 1998

One of the first football games that I owned and when I played it on the PS1, I could not come off it. The ability to play in a single match, exhibition mode or in a full season against the computer or your friends was thrilling at the time. The only reason why it is below FIFA 99 in my list is because the names of the players weren’t authentic and you had to spend an hour editing them if you wanted them to be correct. Definitely one of my favorites of all time. The gameplay was phenomenal for a PS1 game.

8. This Is Football 2003 (UK) or World Tour Soccer 2003 (North America) – PS2, 2003

This is an extremely random entry as this really brought the fun and laughter to football games whilst still having quite solid football gameplay. Although it had Kieron Dyer on the front cover, I always remember this game for its craziness and humour. For instance, there was an option to make the game incorporate farm or clown sounds which made me laugh in my early teens. The craziness and quickness of the gameplay was another thing which made this game stand out. Although it was never going to be a ‘FIFA’ or a ‘Pro Evo’, This is Football was an extremely entertaining alternative.

7. Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (UK) or World Soccer: Winning Eleven 9 (North America) – PS2, 2005

I was a massive fan of the ‘Pro Evo’ series on PS2 and it really rivaled FIFA for me at the time due to its fantastic and ultra-realistic gameplay. It’s a shame the recent Pro Evolution Soccer’s haven’t been up to the same standard. Pro Evolution Soccer 5 was the last one of the series that I really enjoyed. This particular game included 3 licensed leagues which was a first for ‘Pro Evo’ and it introduced online play into the game for the very first time. I spent hours on end playing the Master League on this game, a worthy entrant into my top 10.

6. FIFA 08 – PS3, 2007

The FIFA series has always been my favorite series, whether I have owned a PS1, PS2, PS3 or Xbox 360. But when I first bought my PS3 in 2008, this game blew me away. FIFA 07 had been realized on the Xbox a year earlier but I didn’t own one so I can’t really comment on that game. All I know is the first ‘next generation’ FIFA game I bought was FIFA 08 and I could not stop playing it. The game included ‘Be a Pro’ mode for the first time and 30 licensed leagues. The superior graphics to its predecessor really astounded me and the series only grew from this point onwards.

5. FIFA Street – PS2, 2005

Although the FIFA street series isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and after the first version of the spin-off wasn’t mine either, I believe this game was very entertaining. It combined arcade action with a blend of freestyle football and it really worked unlike its sequels which I thought went a bit over the top. This game wasn’t too unrealistic; in fact it was extremely enjoyable. You started off with limited skill moves and gradually through gaining reputation you could eventually take on the world’s best. It was a great idea by EA at the time and one that worked in this particular version.

4. Championship Manager 01/02 – PC, 2001

Management games aren’t everyone’s forte but they are definitely mine, I love the detail level the games have combined with the strategic aspect of being a football manager. The managerial series’ on PC really run FIFA close for me. The classic Championship Manager 01/02 is definitely one of my favourites. This is a lot of people’s first management games and it really was a cracker. Although it doesn’t have the same detail of which the current Football Manager games have, it was well and truly a game ahead of its time. It had details of over 100,000 players and 26 leagues which was remarkable at the time, it was the pinnacle of management games which could make you waste days on end playing it.

3. FIFA 99 – PS1, 1998

The improvement this version of FIFA had from FIFA 98 was remarkable. Graphically, it improved drastically with the inclusion of basic player faces and different heights for the first time. It also allowed you to create your own tournament for the first time and although the kits weren’t licensed it was certainly a massive step up from EA. It also featured a mode called ‘European Dream League’ which was where the top 20 teams in the world could battle it out against each other. I spent hours on this and ISS Pro 98 when I first got a PS1.

2. Football Manager 2010 – PC, 2010

I have enjoyed all of the recent Football Manager games on PC but the reason this one is on is due to the fact it revolutionized the series with the improved graphics on the 3D pitch engine. There was also the ability to shout touchline instructions for the first time during a game which made the simulation of being a manager very realistic. The ability to add leagues to your database via the upgraded editor also made it a stand-out in the series. The current FM games may be a lot more realistic but this version truly modernised football management games in my opinion.

1. FIFA 13 – Xbox 360, 2012

Well, we’ve made it to the number one. What can you say about the current FIFA? It is truly the best footballing simulation the world has ever seen. Its competitor Pro Evolution Soccer has been blown out the water by the recent FIFAs due to the realism they possess. FIFA 13 captures the unpredictability and drama of real life football the best it is possible to do. There will always be moments on a video game where you think, ‘That would never happen in real life’ but this game gets as close to real life as you can get. The revamped player impact engine and first touch controls give it an even more authentic feel. If you played this game a decade ago then you would have been amazed and it therefore takes it rightful place as my favorite football game of all time.

There you have it, my top 10 favorite football video games of all time is complete. What are your favorites? Do you agree with mine? I’d like to hear, so let me know in the comments section below.

In the two decades of the Premier League, there have been some cracking attempts at football kit designs. And also some shocking attempts. It’s all a matter of opinion as to what kits you prefer and what kits you despise.

Here are my top 10 favouite soccer shirts from the last 20 years; bearing in mind I have tried to not use a single club twice in the list.

10. Swansea (11-12)

An all white kit but this effort by Swansea last season deserves its place in my top 10. The black Adidas stripes on the shoulder and the design of the collar give this strip a great look, that combined with the red sponsor means that Swansea’s first effort at a Premier League home kit was a very successful one.

9. Portsmouth (H) 08/09

It’s a rare occasion that a kit is all-blue but Portsmouth’s in 2008/09 was one of these. I particularly like the look of the gold and blue contrast, it gave the Pompey players an extremely polished look in a season they finished 14^th in the Premier League.

8. Nottingham Forest (H) 92/93

A fine effort by Nottingham Forest in what was Brian Clough’s final, relegation-doomed season. The thin white stripes complement the red strip nicely and it was extremely suitable for the likes of Roy Keane and Stuart Pearce to terrify opponents in.

7. Newcastle (H) 95/96

Newcastle used this strip for two seasons in the mid-90s in their days of extravagant attacking football under Kevin Keegan. The button up collar was different but it worked and the sponsor was almost a walking symbol of the city itself. A classic kit which I’m sure most Premier League fans will always regard as one of the best.

6. Man Utd (H) 95/96

A classic Man Utd kit which shows their famous stadium in the background of it. Perhaps the best memory of this strip is when Eric Cantona used to turn his collar up with typical flamboyance. Still, trendsetter ‘King Eric’ aside, the white sponsor goes extremely well with the traditional United red.

5. Man City (A) 11/12

City originally mimicked AC Milan’s colours in the late 60s which was a very successful period in their history. They reverted back to that style last season whilst adding a few of their own touches with the black shorts and socks. A very popular kit with the clubs fans and luckily for them they got to see their team win the Premier League title too.

4. Leicester (H) 96/97

It was a stunning period in Leicester City’s history under the management of Martin O’Neill, they won their first silverware in a quarter of a century in this strip. The V-Neck white collar and the red sponsor contrasts very nicely with the traditional blue of the Foxes.

3. Chelsea (A) 03/04

There isn’t much wrong with this effort from Chelsea in 2003/04, the central blue stripe was particularly eye-catching and it was a season to match from the Stamford Bridge club under the authority of new owner Roman Abramovich and Claudio ‘The Tinkerman’ Ranieri. It is a shame that their recent efforts haven’t been up to the same standard.

2. Aston Villa (A) 09/10

After a few years of dull and dark away kits, Aston Villa decided to move from those in the 2009/10 season. This plain white shirt with a simple sponsor logo looked fantastic paired with dark blue shorts. It is a shame the year after they changed back to the old style with an ugly new sponsor but let’s not get too upset about it.

1. Arsenal (H) 05/06

This effort from Arsenal in 2005/06 was a less traditional kit for the Gunners, moving away from their traditional red colour and going for a kit that was blackcurrant. Although this didn’t go down well with the fans for a while, I think this kit had a good and simple look.

It is all a matter of opinion but I think you’d agree that the strips I have chosen are extremely worthy of their place in the top 10. What are your favorite kits are from the last two decades of the Premier League?

However crazy or strange your choices are, I’d like to know!

Follow me on Twitter at @TimSimon90.

When Rio Ferdinand wasn’t called up to Euro 2012 at the expense of John Terry, who at the time was on trial for the racist abuse of Rio’s brother Anton, it seemed his England career was over. Ten months on, he has been recalled to the squad after an extremely consistent season with Manchester United. However, the news is clouded by a comment that Sir Alex Ferguson made today saying that Ferdinand may not join the England team next week after all.

Whether Roy Hodgson’s hand was forced due to the long-term injury to Phil Jagielka and a lack of first team football for Joleon Lescott and Steven Caulker is irrelevant. Ferdinand’s displays this season mean that a recall to the squad is definitely fully deserved. The four centre backs for the games against San Marino and Montenegro will be Ferdinand, Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling and Michael Dawson. Out of those four, Rio has appeared the joint most times in the league this season along with Cahill and made more tackles, interceptions, headed clearances and had better pass completion than any of his three rivals for the centre half positions. The statistics don’t lie; he has probably been England’s most consistent centre back this season and has proved his critics wrong. Even if he might not be to everyone’s taste, especially after his failure to turn up to a drugs test in 2003 and more recently, his kick to Fernando Torres in the game against Chelsea in the FA Cup, there is no doubt that Ferdinand deserves his place in the latest squad.

The decision from Hodgson means Ferdinand’s choice to not retire from international football is more than justified and the passion and desire he has to play for his country cannot be denied. It is an attitude that England’s youngsters should copy, retiring is not the answer. In the past, players have retired to prolong their club careers or because they didn’t want to sit on the bench for England and instead wanted to have a week off to rest for their next club game. I think we can safely say Rio Ferdinand wants to stay in peak physical condition for as long as possible and Rio Ferdinand doesn’t want to sit on the bench on a cold night in March. The difference is, Ferdinand did not choose to take the easy way out, he got his head down and decided he wanted to win his place in the squad back and that is exactly what he has done. Having suffered the humiliation of being overlooked last summer, not only in the original Euro 2012 squad but when Martin Kelly, a right back with just two minutes of international experience, was called up to replace the injured Gary Cahill instead of him, Ferdinand still chose to carry on fighting for his place. Modern footballers have often been accused of not wanting to play for the England shirt but in this case no one can accuse Rio Ferdinand of not wanting to play for his country. He has shown that there is no excuse to retire from international football and that loyalty towards your country does still exist in football.

What do you think of Ferdinand’s inclusion in the latest England squad? Is it the correct decision and do you respect the fact he chose to continue playing on despite all of the drama of the past year?

The goalkeepers of the Premier League often get overlooked as people prefer to see goals scored rather than saved, but there have been some truly incredible goalkeepers who have graced our shores. H

ere are my top 10 goalkeepers that the Premier League has seen:

10. Nigel Martyn

If Martyn had been around in a different era, he would have won a lot more than 23 England caps but his career ran parallel to that of David Seaman. He began his Premier League career with Crystal Palace before eventually moving onto Leeds United and Everton. The sides he turned out for passed all expectations, with Leeds reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2000 and at the time Everton recording their highest ever Premier League finish.

9. Mark Schwarzer

A Premier League stalwart who is rightly regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the league, Schwarzer made his name at relegation threatened Middlesbrough. After joining them from Bradford in 1997, Schwarzer caught the nation’s eye with his phenomenal shot-stopping abilities and his sheer presence between the sticks. After helping Middlesbrough survive, he then saved a crucial penalty in helping them qualify for the UEFA Cup. They also won the League Cup in 2004. Now 40, he ply’s his trade at Fulham and despite his age he is still capable of winning matches for his side.

8. David James

The man who has kept the most clean-sheets in the history of the league had to have a place among this list. However, James has also conceded the most goals too, a remarkable statistic. This is down to the sheer longevity of the England internationals career. He played in the first ever Premier League season until he left Portsmouth in 2010. He originally gained a reputation for being extremely shaky in his time at Liverpool and after seven years at Anfield he had spells at Aston Villa, West Ham and Manchester City before joining Portsmouth. At Fratton Park he moved up in everyone’s estimations, winning the FA Cup with the club and really showing off his class being a key member of the side.

7. Jussi Jaaskelainen

Another veteran of the league, Jussi Jaasekelainen is a Bolton legend. It would be easy to overlook Jussi due to the situation he found himself in at Bolton, regularly fighting relegation battles but he never ever let it get him down. Over the years he has proved himself to be one of the best shot stoppers the league has seen and this helped him appear over 400 times in a Bolton shirt. You won’t find many harder working players than the Finland international. He still plays in the league with West Ham, leaving Bolton after 15 years at the club to link up with his old boss Sam Allardyce.

6. Edwin van der Sar

If van der Sar had played in the Premier League for a longer period of time he would surely be higher up this list. After making his name at Ajax in the 1990s, he joined Juventus in 1999 when he could have joined Manchester United. He got pushed out of favour at the Old Lady due to the arrival of Gianluigi Buffon in 2001 so Fulham swooped in for his services. United then came back in for the Dutchman in 2005 and at Old Trafford he really rejuvenated his career. He was an instant hit in Manchester with Sir Alex Ferguson proclaiming he was ‘the best keeper we have had since Peter Schmeichel.’ His commanding displays and incredible flexibility saw United win four titles and one Champions League during his time at the club. He will always be in their folklore following his heroics against Chelsea in 2008 in the final.

5. Shay Given

Given spent most of his career at Newcastle and is a hero on Tyneside, helping them qualify for Europe on several occasions. His character means he is one of the most likeable players in the league too. Quite small in comparison to most goalkeepers, Given wasn’t the most secure between the sticks when he first came to the league but with experience proved himself to be one of the greatest shot stoppers you will see. An incredible player, who after leaving Newcastle had a spell with Manchester City before joining current club Aston Villa.

4. Brad Friedel

Perhaps the most consistent goalkeeper in Premier League history, Friedel didn’t miss a single game for eight years between 2004 and 2012. After originally signing for Liverpool in 1997, he struggled to make an impact. However, after moving to Blackburn three years later it was clear that the Anfield club had made a mistake in not having more faith in the American. He was a massive success at Ewood Park and continued this form in a spell with Aston Villa before moving to Tottenham in 2011 which finally gave the White Hart Lane club a consistent goalkeeper.

3. Petr Cech

If Cech keeps one more clean-sheet in the league, he will hold the record for the most clean sheets with a single club. This statistic alone means he has to be one of the greatest keepers in the leagues history. Cech was an unknown when Chelsea signed him from Rennes but an injury to Carlo Cudicini meant he had to prove himself early. He was an instant success and was regularly named amongst the game’s elite keepers. After taking a year out of the game following a life threatening injury to the head, Cech returned with a helmet on. Since then he has been so consistent between the sticks and he combines that with incredible shot stopping abilities. He is a fantastic goalkeeper who often doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

2. David Seaman

Working behind the most recognised back four in the league’s history, Seaman was always relied upon if his great defence was breached. No English goalkeeper could get close to Seaman when he was in his prime. He spent the majority of his career as England number one and is an Arsenal legend. Seaman was capable of producing saves that not many goalkeepers would be able to pull off, he will be remembered in the Premier League for helping Arsenal win two league and cup doubles in 1998 and 2002. After leaving Highbury, Seaman had a brief spell at Manchester City before retirement.

1. Peter Schmeichel

What can you say about the imposing Dane? His sheer presence between the sticks will surely never be matched; there is no keeper in the history of the game that could organise a defence like Schmeichel could. Remembered for his time with Manchester United where he won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a Champions League, including a famous Treble in 1999, Schmeichel was the most amazing goalkeeper the league has seen. Some of the saves he made were incomprehensible and is rightly placed as the best goalkeeper the league has seen. After leaving Old Trafford he joined Sporting Lisbon but then returned to the league with Aston Villa, where he became the first goalkeeper to score in the league, before ending his career at Manchester City.

What’s your opinion about the top 10 goalkeepers? Are there any missing that should be included? Or are there some who don’t deserve to be in the top 10? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

In the Premier League era, Manchester United like every other club have been linked with a lot of players in the build-up to and during transfer windows. Most of the time it is hard to establish which rumors are genuine and which ones are just made up by an over-elaborate journalist looking for some attention. However, there are some rumors that are widely known to be true and when you look back you realize just how different history could have been if a player had made a different decision.

Manchester United are generally linked with more high profile players. Their transfer rumors get a lot more media attention than most other clubs. So, here are my top five players I would have loved to have seen play at Manchester United in the Premier League era:

5) Arjen Robben

Robben signed for Chelsea in the summer of 2004 from PSV Eindhoven after reportedly having a meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson in January of that year. It was widely known that Robben was being closely followed by United for a long time and for Chelsea to come in and snatch him from their grasps hurt at the time.

After leaving Chelsea with two Premier League titles, he had a failed spell with Real Madrid and eventually came back to haunt United in the Champions League quarter finals in 2010, scoring a phenomenal volley to knock them out for current side Bayern Munich. However, since Robben turned down United, the Red Devils have won four Premier League titles, a Champions League and three League Cups so it’s not like they have been without success.

Who knows how Robben would have developed as a player at United and at what rate because it’s quite clear that he is a fine winger on his day.

4) Gabriel Batistuta

Sir Alex was a long-time admirer of ‘Batigol’ during the 1990s and there’s no doubt the Argentinian would have been a huge success at the club. Diego Maradona called him ‘the best all round striker of his generation’ and it would be hard to disagree. He is still Argentina’s record goal scorer and if it wasn’t for his love for Italian football, Batistuta would probably have been seen in a United shirt. If he had signed for United, they would have had one of the most lethal strike-forces to ever be seen in the Premier League. It would have been fantastic to see him play in England but in the end it just wasn’t to be.

3) Michael Essien

After Roy Keane left Old Trafford in 2005, there was — and some might say still is — a gaping hole in their midfield with some fans begging for a holding midfielder to be bought by Sir Alex. Essien would have fit that bill perfectly. It was reported that United tried to sign Essien when he was 17 but didn’t due to a failed work permit and were known admirers of the Ghanaian during his time at Lyon.

A series of knee injuries in recent years has seen Essien’s value deteriorate slightly but in his first few years at Chelsea he was an unbelievable player and was even rated as the best holding midfielder in the world at one stage of his Stamford Bridge career. It would have been fascinating to see him fill the boots of Keane at Old Trafford.

2) Alan Shearer

The Premier League’s record goal scorer has turned down offers from United twice. First, when he signed for Blackburn in 1992 and perhaps more famously when he signed for Newcastle, his boyhood club, in 1996.

Shearer’s rejection of United has to be one of the most famous snubs of them all. It’s incredible that despite scoring the amount of goals he did, Shearer only won one title in his career, with Blackburn in 1994. Imagine if he had signed for United and how many goals he could have scored with that midfield playing behind him. Some might say he made a mistake in not joining United and winning all those medals with the Old Trafford club but I’m sure he still believes he made the correct decision due to how highly he is thought of in Newcastle. And let’s be honest, the chance of joining your hometown club doesn’t come along very often.

1) Ronaldinho

What a player Ronaldinho was at Barcelona, winning countless team and individual awards and being recognized as the best player in the world for at least two seasons.

Back in 2003, Man United were outbid by the Catalan giants for the Brazilian maestro. They went onto buy Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo who were better long term investments but between 2003 and 2006, there was no one that could compare to Ronaldinho. He was one of a kind. There is no doubt he would have slotted into United’s team behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and lit up the Premier League just like Eric Cantona did in the 1990s. The Brazilian has recently said that United would have won more trophies if he had chosen them over Barcelona and who are we to argue as in the years he was lighting up Spain, United went through a barren spell trophy wise by their high standards. He was an unbelievable player who would have been an instant success at Old Trafford.

Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimSimon90

In his post-match press conference (see below) following the Bayern Munich defeat, Jack Wilshere’s face said it all. Heartbroken at the fact he had given everything and his beloved Arsenal still couldn’t live with the Bavarians, all his answers were sensible and routine. He has obviously been very well trained to deal with the media but the emotion which you could see etched on his face was incredible, visibly upset at the way that the Gunners have been outclassed. Everyone knows what a feisty and passionate character he is and that shows through in his performances. His refusal to accept that Arsenal were out of the competition is admirable and confirms the fact he is a fighter.

Throughout this season and especially against Bayern, he looked the only one capable of rising to the big occasion. You can tell that he is desperate for Arsenal to succeed but it just isn’t happening for them. His teammates performances have been inconsistent all season whereas he has shone through as one of their only beacon of light. His bursting runs from midfield and his passing ability have been so consistent in their quality all season. Most Arsenal fans almost begging the 21 year-old to be handed the captaincy based on his ability to lead from the front and galvanise his teammates into producing a performance. However, there was such a gulf in class against Bayern that his outstanding performance was just nowhere near enough. In the game he showed glimpses of his genius, his appreciation of the space around him, his quick passing ability and his lung-busting runs from midfield are exceptional. His return from injury has been one of the only positives for Arsenal this season and who knows where they would be without him in their midfield? There aren’t many midfielders in the Premier League who can live up to his ability and in years to come he is only going to get better. Arsenal are currently paying the price for a significant lack of investment and it is just unfortunate for Wilshere that he is caught up in the problems.

Wilshere is the outstanding English player of his generation and there are bound to be clubs looking at his situation, but you just can’t see him leaving the club. He has been at Arsenal since age nine and obviously loves the club. His relationship runs deeper than for example, Cesc Fabregas or Samir Nasri, due to the fact he has been brought up and developed from such a young age at Arsenal. Wilshere deserves better than to be surrounded by mediocre players and should be in a team that is capable of winning trophies.

If the Gunners continue this poor form and fail to win a trophy for a prolonged period of time, Arsenal fans will be asking themselves, would Wilshere eventually get tired of the lack of success? And as Bayern were, is he too good for Arsenal?

The 2012-13 Premier League season once again hasn’t disappointed with some thrilling action, matches and goals. There have been some top class performances from players from all clubs but for all the positives, there are some players who haven’t lived up to expectations.

Here are five of the players who I feel haven’t performed to the level they are capable of this season:

Samir Nasri

The mercurial Frenchman, who had a decent first season at Manchester City in 2011-12, seems to have gone backwards this season.

It was expected that he would push on and show some of the form which made City splash out £22million on him in the summer of 2011 but it just hasn’t materialized. He has been described as a ‘passenger’ in recent weeks for his lacklustre displays which have seen him spend a lot of the season out of the side. The decision to turn his back on Robin van Persie’s free kick in the final minute of the Manchester derby, costing City the game, saw him come under heavy criticism and this moment sums up his season.

City will be looking for the Frenchman to find his best form in the coming weeks as they look to rejuvenate their flailing title challenge.

Shinji Kagawa

When Manchester United purchased Kagawa for £17million from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, there was much hype surrounding him. He was signed to give United an extra option in midfield as he offered the guile and creativity that had been lacking in their midfield in recent years. Unfortunately, the Japanese international has so far failed to deliver the sort of performances which were expected of him at the start of the season. It seems he will need a bit of time to adapt to the English game and get used to the pace of the league. Picking up a knee injury in the Champions League clash with Braga didn’t help him but now he is back fit again he needs to show the sort of performances that made United splash the cash on him.

Emmanuel Adebayor

After scoring 18 goals for Tottenham last season on loan from Manchester City, they decided to purchase Adebayor permanently at the beginning of the season.

Since this deal, Adebayor has only managed to score 3 goals in all competitions and hasn’t produced anywhere near the level of performance he showed last season. He obviously has the talent and on his day can be unplayable but this season he has been overshadowed by the brilliant Gareth Bale and fellow striker Jermain Defoe. His late return from the Africa Cup of Nations summed up his attitude this season which has seen Adebayor produce some lazy performances. With Spurs looking more and more likely to be in the market for a new striker in the summer, Adebayor will have to up his game if he is to receive regular first team football at the club in the future.

Esteban Granero

There was much expected from the Spaniard when he was signed for QPR from Real Madrid in the summer. After making 60 appearances in two seasons at the Bernabeu, it was expected that he would showcase his talents in the Premier League on a regular basis. This has not materialised as he has found it difficult to adapt to the English game. With QPR rooted to the bottom of the league, Granero has seen his chances in the starting line-up limited in recent weeks with manager Harry Redknapp preferring Shaun Derry and Stephane Mbia to him. Clubs in Spain are thought to be keeping a close eye on Granero as they prepare to make a move for the midfielder in the summer. It would be a shame as he obviously has talent but maybe his game just isn’t suited to the Premier League and especially not a relegation fight.

Joe Allen

Allen followed manager Brendan Rodgers to Liverpool from Swansea in the summer for a fee around £15million. After being thrown into Liverpool’s midfield almost straight away, he showed a lot of promise in his first few games for the club as Rodgers looked to transfer Swansea’s style of play to the Anfield club. However, in recent months his form has dipped and has recently found himself on the fringes of the first team whilst having to look on at his former club Swansea reaching a cup final and showing impressive form in his absence. Allen has found it hard to get noticed, having to share the midfield with captain Steven Gerrard and the returning Lucas Leiva amongst others. He has openly admitted that his form hasn’t been good enough and is looking to show the form which made Liverpool buy him in the summer.

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