Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick are all out of
contract this summer, with only the latter
confident of agreeing a new deal
SPECIAL REPORT
By Liam Twomey
It is just five years and five months since
Manchester United were last champions of
Europe, on a night of glory and vindication for
Sir Alex Ferguson and his blooming young team
in the driving rain of Moscow. For the fans
who will watch the club's 2013 vintage take on
Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on Wednesday
evening against the backdrop of a worst ever
start to a Premier League season, however,
such memories may already feel like ancient
history.
Ferguson had built one of United's all-time
great sides, and a growing list of achievements
reinforced their claims. A third consecutive
league title had been secured that season,
while two more would follow in the next four
years. Twice in the next three, his men proved
themselves inferior only to the untouchable
brilliance of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in the
Champions League.
Half a decade on, many of the key pillars of
United's most recent golden era remain in
place. But the architect has gone, and the
ravages of time have taken their toll. Nemanja
Vidic turned 32 on Monday, while centre-back
partner Rio Ferdinand is less than a month
from his 35th birthday. Patrice Evra and
Michael Carrick are 32, Ryan Giggs is 39. All
five are out of contract this summer.
United traditionally make decisions on whether
to grant extensions to players over 30 in
October and November and, so far, only
Carrick can be confident of extending his stay
at Old Trafford. He wants a three-year deal,
while the club are offering two years with an
option for a third . A compromise is expected
to be reached within the next fortnight.
Evra, who has been left in no doubt of his
worth in the eyes of David Moyes by the Scot's
brazen pursuit of Leighton Baines and Fabio
Coentrao in the summer, is almost certain to
depart. Indeed, in a startlingly frank interview
with Telefoot last weekend he hinted as much.
"Manchester United would like me to finish my
career there, but this is something personal,"
he revealed.
Of the five, Vidic is the one United are likeliest
to try to cash in on in January. There have
been few better servants at Old Trafford, but
the Serb has proved incapable of being the
same player since that devastating cruciate
knee ligament rupture sustained against Basel
in December 2011. If no suitable offers
present themselves in the New Year, the sense
is he will be gone in the summer.
Ferdinand's fate is far from certain. His
decision to join Greg Dyke's much-maligned FA
Commission is indicative of a mind already
beginning to contemplate a life out of football
boots; as, perhaps, is a succession of
worryingly listless displays on the pitch in
recent weeks. If he wants another season,
Moyes will insist he earns it before approving
any extension to his £120,000-a-week deal.
Awe-inspiring dedication and longevity mean
Giggs will be allowed to choose the timing and
manner of his transition to full-time coaching.
Already employed at times as Moyes'
Champions League consigliere by virtue of his
vast experience, the Welshman will assess
closer to the summer whether he is still
contributing to the team. At present, more
than a few would suggest not.
The performances of United's veterans this
season have, for some, confirmed suspicions
that Ferguson, ever the Seer, swapped
chalkboards for memoirs at the right time.
Sooner rather than later Moyes must begin the
rebuilding process in earnest – a realisation
that makes the fact there is, as yet, no
coherent transfer plan for next summer or
even this January all the more concerning.
Baines, who turns 29 this December, is highly
capable but would be an expensive and, at
best, medium-term replacement for Evra.
Ander Herrera's buyout clause is £10 million
above the £20.5m United are willing to pay
and, given that Basque players of his quality
are few and far between, Athletic Bilbao are
understandably unwilling to haggle.
United are also monitoring the noises coming
out of the Robert Lewandowski camp, but
Moyes cannot act with certainty on striking
targets until the future of Wayne Rooney is
resolved. The player has so far rejected
contract talks fully aware that, with every
passing month, his chances of forcing through
an exit on his terms grow stronger.
Looking beyond specific targets, there are
wider concerns over whether the despised
Glazers, having taken a more hands-on
approach to club finances since the departure
of chief executive David Gill, would sanction
the kind of lavish spending required to fill the
widening cracks and build a team boasting the
"five or six world-class players" Moyes admits
he needs to challenge for top honours.
All of which means qualification for next
season's Champions League, and all the
financial rewards it brings, is paramount.
Moyes will surely be satisfied if, even as a
parting gift to the club they have served so
long and so well, his veterans help give him
the means to build its next great side.
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