Dimitar Berbatov Needs To Step It Up

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Goodbye Ronaldo. Get lost Tevez. Good luck Ribery and Benzema. Hello Michael Owen!   

Sir Alex's list of strikers, real and imagined, has dwindled by the week. If the Red tops are to be believed, United has been left with little choice but to chase a motley crew of sloppy seconds.

Enter Michael Owen on a free transfer, a player who could offer no meaningful contribution to Newcastle's vain struggle against relegation.

"Even if such a deal actually makes a lot of sense, it is unlikely to appease fans desperate to see Sir Alex Ferguson ease the sense of loss caused by the departure of the world's best player," the Mail ventured.

"If Owen passes a stringent medical, it could turn out to be a sensational piece of business: a player still the right side of 30 and prepared, in this era of massive transfer fees and enormous wages, to sign for buttons."

The Guardian informed its readers that "Owen scored 30 times in 65 starts for Newcastle, but  cost them £41m in total when putting together his wages and his transfer fee."

Owen will join United if he passes a medical examination on Friday, 3 July. The proposed deal may impress the Glazer inner-circle, consumed by a desperate need to make savings, but it guarantees indigestion among fans that see Liverpool and Arsenal strengthening and note Manchester City's loadsamoney bid to crash the big-four annual party.

With the press poised to morph gloom into doom, could there be a better time for Dimitar Berbatov to remind fans of his brilliance?

To loud cheers, Sir Alex snatched the Spurs forward from under Manchester City's noses for a staggering near £31 million fee. It was the transfer coup of the summer. Here was the new Cantona, a smart player with a deft touch and sublime skills who would bring out the best in Rooney and  Ronaldo and fire United to more silverware.

The pairing of Berbatov with the champions looked a better match than Hollywood's 'Brangelina.'

"We tried to get him when he was at Bayer Leverkusen," purred Sir Alex last September.  "Now we've managed to get him. It's cost us a bit more money but he's worth it."

Meanwhile "Mitko," as his mother always calls him, was blowing kisses in the direction of his new manager.

"I've handled expectation and pressure throughout my life—I'm not scared of that," he assured the Sun newspaper. "That's why I'm here."

"I feel I can develop in the way I've always wanted. The most important thing is to enjoy myself, help the team win more trophies and to thank the fans."

"If I do that and show what I can do like I did at Tottenham, I don't think they'll be any problems."

Alas, there were problems. Many of them.

United went to Anfield for the season's first glamour match. Berbatov was instrumental as United took an early lead and looked worthy of all their preseason hype.

The Bulgarian faded in the second half. So did his teammates as Liverpool rallied to score a famous victory. The doubts about Berbatov's fitness, industry, and big match temperament began in earnest.

United then visited Stamford Bridge for another crucial summit meeting. Different match, same scenario. Berbatov started brightly and then collapsed into listlessness as United slumped to a draw.

By the year's end,  jus

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