In atypical Sir Alex Ferguson fashion, earlier today Manchester United completed their first signing of the January transfer period. The Red Devils' boss is usually against singing new players in January, and instead prefers to simply lure aging stars out of retirement.
United's newest signing, forward Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace, doesn't necessarily break this mould. The £15 Million signing was contingent on Zaha staying at Palace until the end of the season in order to see out the club's run-in for a promotion spot into the English top flight, and may also see some United players going to Palace on loan as part of the deal. This must've been good enough for Sir Alex, who initially was prepared to wait until next season to sign the youngster who has been on United's radar likely since he ran rampant over the Red Devils in Palace's 2-1 victory over United in last year's Carling Cup (you may remember Darren Ambrose wondergoal that Zaha set up). Since then, Zaha has established himself as one of England's finest young prospects, and the 20 year old has already earned a full international cap under Roy Hodgson's tenure as England gaffer. Unsurprisingly, a host of clubs have shown interest in Zaha recently which may well have forced Sir Alex's hand in snapping up the youngster in fear of missing out on his exciting talent.
Zaha, who can operate either as a striker or winger, will bring another player into the crowded attacking fold at United. So then, Zaha's signing has to beg the question, who makes way? Sir Alex, and all of United's fans - myself included, have to believe the club has found something special in their 2013 reincarnation of the Yorke, Cole, Solskjaer and Sheringham combination at striker. The most likely scenario will see Zaha operate primarily on the wing for United next season, occasionally drifting in-field from wide positions. This means that United will likely part ways with one their wingers in the summer to make way for Zaha. Ashley Young, despite starting the season injured, has come into form in the last few weeks - a stark contrast to United's other primary winger, Antonio Valencia who has seen his form dip considerably in the same period. Young is still a relatively new signing for the club, and despite his lack of form recently, Valencia has a endeared himself to United fans as a consistent and industrious winger. Doubtful these two will be pawned off to make room for Zaha.
The most likely candidate to be sacrificed would the enigmatic Nani. Nani's contract is up at the end of next season, and his dip in form, injury troubles, and transfer speculation have made contract negotiations slow to develop. The Portuguese winger was once hailed as the replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, and a short while after CR's departure, it looked to be the case. More recently, Nani has failed to mature into the player that he was so eager to replace. Nani is a player with humongous talent and skill, and it's frustrating to watch him continue to make poor on-field decisions and perform with such inconsistency. Perhaps a change of scenery would do well for Nani, who tends to suffer from low confidence if he isn't given a good run of games, something he hasn't achieved at United for the last 18 months. I wouldn't be surprised to see Nani jettison the Premier League for a less physically demanding league such as Serie A or La Liga. There would certainly be a host of clubs vying for his services, if he were to explore other options. In the mean time, the future looks good for United who look to add another potential to their already deep array of prospects.
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