As we draw closer to the new season, tons of excitement and eagerness from both the fans and players are building up. With the transfer window in full swing, already we have seen some big moves, but we will surely see even bigger names cross borders in the next two weeks as preseason takes effect.
Manchester United seemed to have already plugged in most of their new recruits with possibly one or two more players to join the club, a strong-willed midfielder with experience being the key requirement.
Nevertheless, Sir Alex has brought in young dynamic players who could be effective in the title challenge. Importantly, two of the three are English, which favours the rules and could help England in the long run.
In terms of my title and how I forecast the next couple seasons, my views are simply the strategy that Sir Alex uses when acquiring new players whether it might be from the youth system or via transfers.
In the current instance, we look at the squad and while many critics might point out the negatives and how United could still fail against the mighty Catalonia's, its interesting to look at the finer details.
The squad is made up with experience that comes with Giggs, Evra, Carrick, Berbatov and Owen, who need to really carry the baton for the next season or two and impart as much knowledge as possible with the younger guys.
Then there's also the younger experienced crop—Rooney, Fletcher, Valencia and Nani—who have been in the system now for couple years and are able to stand on their own.
The next group are young players who've played amongst the rest yet still are growing and will continue: Rafael, Anderson, Smalling, Hernandez and Fabio.
There are many others but I just chose these few to illustrate my point.
Overall, the mix is good enough. There seems to be balance and most importantly the handing over process from one generation to another is not based over one season but rather over a period of three to four seasons, sometimes even longer.
Typical examples of teams that failed to initiate a similar process and failed is Arsenal. With all due respect to Arsene Wenger, he lost core players and had to introduce youngsters who didn't have the necessary maturity and experience to carry the team over the line.
Chelsea seem to be heading in a similar direction, although they do have a few younger lads gaining experience under the likes of Lampard, Drogba, Terry and Anelka. Yet it should be pointed out that the team is growing old "together."
The list goes on. AC Milan is a major example and it has taken them a few years to rectify this, but they seem to be on track again.
So Ferguson has been using this formula for years and success with multiple squads within the same team is proof that what he is doing is right.
Already looking at United in six years from now, and you could see a very experienced team with 60 percent or more of the players coming from the existing squad. That is remarkable because these young players are not just good but have immense talented and are still learning from the very best.
Ferguson will obviously have to look at masterminding some strategy to overcome Barcelona whose youth policy seems to outclass all.
But in terms of the Premier League and the growing expectations from opposing teams to overhaul, Ferguson and his troops will be even tougher this season as he adds to an already strong squad.
If you ask me to point out a single player that could affect not just the league but Europe over the next couple years, I would without hesitation scream out the name of Javier Hernandez.
If he can improve on his physical condition, he could be one of the biggest players in Europe. While he lacks certain qualities when compared to Messi or Ronaldo, his target on goal is more than enough.
So while the future looks bright for United, other teams withing the league will have to surely rectify their errors of last season and come out stronger to challenge. Because if there's one thing that United players and fans don't lack, it's the hunger and desire to win, and win and win.
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