Man Utd’s terrible transfer decision as Cristiano Ronaldo prepares for Newcastle clash
Man Utd fans snap up Ronaldo shirts at Old Trafford
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Manchester United have Cristiano Ronaldo back at the club again. And that’s probably a good thing, given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team have never come close to replacing him. And their decision to sign the likes of Michael Owen and Gabriel Obertan as successors in 2009 still looks strange today.
Manchester United announced on June 11, 2009, that Ronaldo would be leaving the club.
“At Cristiano’s request – who has again expressed his desire to leave – and after discussion with the player’s representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player,” they said in a statement.
In the aftermath, United were linked with several top players.
Franck Ribery was one, with the Bayern Munich icon terrorising Bundesliga defences at the time.
Karim Benzema was another target, too, having excelled over in Ligue 1 with Lyon.
And United were also accredited with an interest in Antonio Valencia, who did end up moving to the club from Lyon.
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Valencia wasn’t always consistent for the Red Devils but, certainly, can hold his head up high for how his Old Trafford career panned out.
He won two Premier League titles with the club, at one point being the perfect attacking ally for Wayne Rooney.
Valencia became a right-back towards the end of his time with the Red Devils, after his powers in attack started to wane.
However, while the Ecuador international was definitely a good replacement for Ronaldo, other players signed that summer weren’t.
No disrespect to Owen and Obertan, both neither were the right fit for the Red Devils. In fact, we’d go as far to label the pair as terrible signings now we’ve got the benefit of hindsight.
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Owen had some positive moments for the club.
A hat-trick against Wolfsburg in the Champions League and dramatic late winner against Manchester City on derby day were certainly good days for the former Liverpool star.
But, most of the time, Owen was injured.
Given Ronaldo’s old No 7 shirt, the matches against City and Wolfsburg were the only times he looked worthy of having it.
Most of the time, though, he was crocked or stuck on the bench. Neither happened with Ronaldo during his final few seasons at the club.
But Owen, as mentioned above, did have some highlights. Unlike Obertan.
The Red Devils signed the winger, who was 20 at the time, after they’d been recommended him by Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc.
Ferguson, speaking after the Frenchman’s arrival, said: “Gabriel is a player we have tracked for a few years now, but because of his educational programme our efforts to get him here have always been delayed.
“We are delighted to get him now as he is an exciting prospect.
“We like to get young players and develop them, and we will see that in Gabriel over the next two years.”
Obertan himself felt he was at the right club.
“I am very happy to join Manchester United,” he said.
“This is a big opportunity for me to play at such a great club. I am very excited to be here and I look forward to proving what I can do.”
But the now 32-year-old made just 28 appearances in two years for United, finding the net just once.
And Obertan never came remotely close to being the sufficient Ronaldo replacement they wanted him to be.
Now, the Portugal international himself is back.
And United signing Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane suggests their transfer business is now much better than it was 12 years ago.
Obertan and Owen, or Ronaldo? We know who we’d rather have…
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