As Cristiano Ronaldo was signing in at Real Madrid, a young Frenchman who will be hoping to emulate the Portuguese star's success at Old Trafford was preparing to sign in at Manchester United.
Gabriel Obertan may not have been the name on the lips of many Manchester United fans when they were discussing potential replacements for Cristiano Ronaldo. But if the 20 year old Frenchman does prove equal to the task and turns himself into the new darling of the Old Trafford faithful, at a reported cost of £3m (€3.5m), he would be a definite contender for the title of the most astute piece of business that United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has ever done.
Soccer is indeed, as others have noted before, "a funny old game". But Sir Alex hardly ever allows people the luxury of laughing at his mistakes. He just rarely makes them. So when he calls his most recent signing an "exciting prospect" there is little reason to doubt him.
But there are some eyebrows being raised in European soccer circles at the reigning English Premier League Champions latest transfer market raid. And one of the people raising their eyebrows is Laurent Blanc, himself a former player at Old Trafford, and now the manager at Obertan's former club Bordeaux. Blanc, as reported by the
Daily Telegraph, had this to say about the departure of the young winger cum striker to his old club:
I was surprised, but it is an unexpected chance for him to play with one of the best clubs in the world. Manchester United have been tracking him for a long time. They certainly hope to advance him, something that Bordeaux and Lorient have failed to do. He has the potential, but he must overcome psychological and mental challenges so he can express his true value.
The one sentence of his remark that is particularly telling is that referring to Lorient, because that is where Obertan spent the second half of the 2008-09 season, on loan to Bordeaux's Ligue 1 rivals.
Whatever Blanc's opinion of his former charge it is rumored that Manchester United were not the only club interested in signing the young man who has represented France at four different youth levels and has also played eight times for the Under 21 side. United's English rivals Chelsea and Arsenal were two of the names mentioned as considering bids for Obertan whilst the Italian giants Inter Milan and AC Milan were also said to be interested.
Earlier in the summer Obertan received the honor of being named the Most Valuable Player on show when he appeared for his country in an international youth tournament in Toulon. Whatever future accolades he may receive could largely depend upon the nurturing ability of the coaching staff at Old Trafford and the influence of the club's highly successful manager.
