As the date of the return for Spain & Brazil international players to training with Barcelona draws nearer, Cesc Fabregas is ready to announce that he’s not leaving the La Liga champions, meaning that yet another player David Moyes tried to land for Manchester United has managed to “resist the temptation.”
There are a few things Manchester United executives were worried about as they made their transition from Alex Ferguson to David Moyes, and one of them had to be the ability to attract top talent. The issues in the past weren’t about players not wanting to play for them, but with United not willing to spend the amount other clubs have, big name players from outside the Premier League haven’t been easy to sign.
But United need improvement in the middle of the pitch, and Moyes doesn’t enjoy the confidence of his predecessor in putting on a contending side no matter the lineup and squad he had in front of him. But United’s midfield, with Paul Scholes retiring, needs something a lot better than it currently has if not only retaining the league title, but doing more than they have over the last couple of seasons in the Champions League is on their mind.
The rumors coming from Old Trafford suggest that a €40 million bid from Manchester United is about to be launched , but that doesn’t really matter if Barcelona are putting Fabregas off the negotiating table. After selling Thiago Alcantara to Bayern Munich (although they didn’t really have a choice with him due to his release clause), it’s unlikely that Barcelona will sell Fabregas, who is set to inherit Xavi in the middle of the pitch not too far from now.
Fabregas is set to be presented in a press conference by Barcelona, marking his return from training, but also showing the world and especially Manchester United he has no interest in joining them. Some say that he promised Tito Vilanova that regardless of the club that comes trying to sign him, he won’t be tempted to join anyone else this season. The change in managerial identity isn’t likely to change all of that.
This leaves United with a lot less impressive of an option – Fellaini is viewed as a player who might help them on the attacking side, but that wasn’t United’s problem going into this season. Goals aren’t the issue – quality possession and providing some good defending in the middle of the pitch, preferably with pace, was more of a goal they’ve been trying to achieve.
David Moyes might be in a bit over is head. Everyone has to begin somewhere, but he hasn’t done enough with Everton in terms of local and European success in order to prove that running the club the size and carrying the expectations United drag along with them is something he’s capable of.
Maybe things can change and Fabregas eventually returns to the Premier League to wear United uniform, however it’s becoming less and less like a likely scenario. United will have to settle for an inferior product, or simply promote and stay content with what they already have. That doesn’t really spark too much optimism about next season this early on.