Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson to Face Most Challenging Season to Date

Sir Alex Ferguson's Championship winning Manchester United, according to many commentators, was far from a vintage team. Many argue United was the best of a bad bunch who were lucky after Chelsea pushed the self destruct button and City wasn't able to produce the title winning goods so early in their financial evolution.

With the loss of Van der Sar and Scholes, Ferguson has lost a dependable spine which he so often relied on to win the big games. The purchase of David De Gea is a big gamble and Ferguson has broken his rule of not gambling in such key positions. The Spaniard undoubtedly has an abundance of talent and his performances in Madrid show why United is happy to spend close to £20m for his services. Yet Feruguson's Achilles heel over his 26 years in charge at old Trafford has been the replacement of goalkeeping greatness after the established number one has moved onto pastures new.

De Gea is no Taibi, Carroll or Bosnich. nor is he a Barthez. What he lacks in experience is compensated through his ability to move like a gazelle between the posts. Where De Gea may struggle at first is adapting to the Premier League. At United, he will spend long periods of games on the edge of his box awaiting a back pass. His concentration levels will need to be high in anticipation of the impending attacks. Secondly, the pressure exerted on him by the media and supporters. United fans have become accustomed to success. They see a Carling Cup winning season as a failure. He will be compared to Schmeichel and Van der Sar every time he is deemed to have made a error.

The purchase of Ashley Young shows United is planning for the departure of arguably the club's greatest player in Ryan Giggs. His off the field troubles may force Ferguson into limiting his game time in order to shelter him from the impending abuse expected up and down the country. Young has pace and an ability to whip a ball onto the head of oncoming strikers. Whether he is the answer to United's lack of creativity in midfield will remain to be seen.

The ongoing search for a play maker to replace Scholes could leave Ferguson frustrated. The chase for Sneijder and Nasri both look doomed for failure as Milan and Arsenal hold out for the big money they demand to compensate fans' anger at the loss of the terrace favourite. Other names touted are big risks for United. Hazard, Hamsik and Deffour are not established players in world class sides. Is Ferguson capable of or even willing to gamble on the youngsters coming through and allowing them to flourish like he did in 1996? Do the Ravel Morrison's, Tom Cleverley's and Danny Welbeck's have what it takes to be the next great crop for both United and England?

If United is to retain their title and close the gap on FC Barcelona should the club not be aiming high and paying whatever is required to buy Sneijder and Nasri? What is not in doubt is that the noisy neighbours will not think twice about opening the cheque book for such a player and with Abramovich in a spending mood again and the Americans looking to return Liverpool to the second biggest club in England, United and Ferguson's ambitions may be restricted.

The next six weeks will be an interesting time in Manchester. The blue moon is rising but United remains the pinnacle for most professional players, if money is on an equal footing.

Many have questioned the great man in the past and last season he took an average United side to a league title and Champions League Final. Only a fool would bet against him not making it number 20!