There was a lot of talk last season that the current incarnation of Manchester United had reached the end of its rope. Two of the core players, Edwin Van Der Sar and Paul Scholes, had finally decided to call it a day. No suitable understudies had been found. The other linchpin, Ryan Giggs, has now been playing for the senior team for more than half his life. With Manchester City acquiring the sublime Sergio Aguero and somehow managing to retain the services of Carlos Tevez, and Chelsea hiring the impressive Andreas Villas-Boas as manager, it seemed that United would need to make a few major purchases in order to be competitive this season, let alone close the gap with a Barcelona who don't seem to follow the laws that govern other teams.
Of course, Alex Ferguson doesn't have to listen to anyone. Being the most successful manager in history kind of gives one a certain freedom of action that other men may lack. Nonetheless, the common assumption (which I, for my sins, shared) was that Herr Neuer would be soon winging his way out of Schalke towards Lancashire, and that Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal would all find their star midfielders getting itchy feet following Mancunian overtures. Instead Ferguson, after much media speculation, replaced Van Der Sar with a man twenty years younger, and acquired Phil Jones from Blackburn and Ashley Young from Villa. De Gea's odd howler aside, the trio have been a resounding success. Young is turning into United's best deliverer of the ball since David Beckham, De Gea has produced a string of fine saves, and Brown is shaping up to be a top class defender.
Meanwhile, the team as a whole has produced some stunning performances. Nani, having just finished his hundreth game in a United shirt, now has a better record than Cristiano Ronaldo did at this point in his career. Wherever they got Tom Cleverly from, United seem to have found someone who may at some point be able to take up the mantle that Paul Scholes left behind.
On the pitch, this has translated into a string of results beyond the wildest dreams of even the most optimistic fan. Seven games into the season, the only blip has been an away draw in the Champions' League against Benfica, which was probably more a result of trying to keep the team intact for the clash against Chelsea. Apart from that, over six games United have seen off their four closest rivals for the title, three in the League and one in the Community Shield. In the league, five games have seen them notch up 21 goals, including convincing wins against Chelsea and Spurs, a 5-0 thrashing of Bolton, and the now-infamous 8-2 dismemberment of an understrength Arsenal.
What has been, if anything, more impressive is the sheer depth of the team. At the start of the season, striker Javier Hernandez was still out. Since then, Danny Welbeck, Rio Ferdinand, Tom Cleverly, Nemanja Vidic, and now Hernandez again have missed matches due to injury. In contrast with Arsenal, whose understudies have been the main reason for the team's disastrous performance so far, United's have been major contributors to the team's form this season.
Of course, there are elephants in the room. Alex Ferguson turns 70 this year, and the question of who may replace him has never been adequately discussed. More immediately, there is Barcelona, who have beaten United twice in the past three Champions' League finals, and done so convincinglyon both occasions. One gets the impression that Ferguson won't be able to walk away from United without those stains erased. Indeed, the more attacking style adopted this season, plus the influx of youngsters into the team, seems to be aimed more at Catalonia than any British rival, though it has certainly paid dividends at home.
Past form suggests that United will again be there at the climax of the Champions' League. They've reached at least the semis every year since 2007, and one can't but help that this team will do the same. One can hardly imagine Barcelona failing to do likewise, so the possibility of another rematch must weigh heavily on Ferguson's mind. Whether the team can finally overcome this particular bugbear remains to be seen.
Off the pitch, too, this has been a good summer for United. Even if the ongoing rumours of a Qatar-backed bid for the club come to naught, fans can at least take comfort from the fact that the club looks set to clear most of the debt that has hung over them with a planned partial flotation in Singapore. Exactly how much the club is worth remains open to debate, but the likelihood is that any share issue will confirm United as the most valuable sporting entity on the planet. And the objective truth, much as fans may hate to admit it, is that the Glazers have been good to United, having pumped enough money in to enable the club to remain competitive in the face of the financial clout of Manchester City and Chelsea.
All in all, Manchester United is in a far stronger position than anyone expected at the end of last season. So far, their most serious challenge in Britain comes from the other side of Manchester. However, if the financial fair play rules do end up making a difference (something your columnist has his doubts about), this threat should largely be neutralised. Even if it isn't, few would bet against Alex Ferguson's ability to see off domestic oppositon. Whether he can finally slay the dragon that is Barcelona is another matter.
Greg Bowler is not a Manchester United fan, but his words carry a weight that would break the jaws of lesser men.
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