There is much to admire about Manchester United at present. The Premiership’s top side are playing with such panache that there is only one conclusion to draw: that this is a side on the point of a significant arrival.
It has been suggested that the transfer of Ruud van Nistelrooy could be a devastating blow to United’s hopes of overhauling Chelsea, but they have developed into a sleeker, more polished team without him. This looks particularly true now that Rooney’s goalless run has ended.
”Ruud scored 30 goals a season for us. I was sad to see him go, but we have found a way of playing without him,” said Louis Saha after the display of one-touch, pass-them-to-death football against Bolton Wanderers last weekend. ”We are scoring goals from all parts of the pitch now. We are definitely playing more together this season.”
This time last year United had managed a dreary 14 goals from 10 games, Van Nistelrooy getting eight of them. This season the figure is 23, courtesy of 10 different players
Rooney’s renascent form aside, Sir Alex Ferguson will be just as delighted by the long-awaited emergence of Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra as accomplished Premiership performers. Likewise, Michael Carrick’s exquisite passing unlocked Bolton’s defence for two of the goals. And then there are the enduring qualities of the timelessly brilliant Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
Saha, too, is playing with an athleticism that could trouble the most robust opponents, and his emergence as a bona-fide replacement for Van Nistelrooy ranks as another personal triumph for Ferguson as he nears 20 years at Old Trafford. — Â