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Manchester United's Robin Van Persie, left, celebrates his goal against Wigan Athletic with teammates during their English FA Community Shield soccer match at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2013. (AP)
Over on the Stretford End the support will be loud and vocal.
Sir Alex Ferguson left David Moyes, the new manager at Manchester United that parting gift at the very least.
He left a few other more un-savoury items behind though.
Like an unsettled Wayne Rooney.
Moyes has shown an almost Abramovich-like zeal in chasing down Cesc Fabregas at Barcelona and courting Cristiano Ronaldo.
The big name signings may be needed to assure the fans – especially across swathes of Asia, the West Coast of the USA and parts of Africa and Europe (Norway, in particular) – that United has not lost its standing as (one of) the biggest clubs in the world.
Fabregas is not coming. Ronaldo is not coming. Rooney is all but surely going.
The Dream Team of Fabregas, Rooney, Ronaldo and Robin Van Persie remains a dream.
Is it time for Dream Team Plan B?
The rumour mill has started to grind in earnest as the countdown to United’s first game of the season under Moyes – away to Swansea on Saturday, August 17 – is well underway.
Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.
Dream Team B: Rooney, Van Persie, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric It certainly does to have the swagger or the style or the potency of the Fab-Ron-Roo-RVP foursome, but, consider the amount of money Real Madrid want to pay for Bale and the fact that Modric came off the bench to destroy Man Utd’s Champions League dreams last season and one can imagine a team certainly building at the theatre of dreams.
Both Fergie and Moyes have been open and great admirers of Modric. He does possess the nous and skill that the Manchester United midfield have been sorely lacking.
Bale, is well, the tour de force that the entire club footballing world will be watching next season.
Van Persie is waiting. This leaves Rooney.
A cohort of United stalwarts have come out to ‘pressure’ Rooney to stay.
Captain Nemanja Vidic said he would be mad to leave.
Rio Ferdinand said pretty much the same.
British tabloid The Sun had Van Persie going so far as to say that the reason he joined Manchester United was Wayne Rooney.
Perhaps a word from Fergie might help. Perhaps not.
Moyes needs a big signing. Support from the Stretford End notwithstanding.
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