Why Manchester United Should Loan Anderson to Rayo Vallecano Not Fulham

Manchester United midfielder Anderson should be loaned to La Liga relegation candidates Rayo Vallecano rather than Fulham, the Premier League club linked with a loan move for the Brazilian, per James Dickenson at The Express.

"I am only 25 years old but I cannot stay one more year and not play," Anderson said, via Stuart Mathieson at The Manchester Evening News. "But you cannot demand to play, you have to be patient and when you get your chance you have to do well."

Why Sir Alex Ferguson Ruined Anderson

Anderson is a hustle-and-bustle type of player ideal for the Premier League, but he was never a No. 6 or a box-to-box midfielder.

"One point was made a few times, that Manchester United were playing their expensive new signing Anderson in central midfield," BBC South American footballing correspondent Tim Vickery recounted during a 2007 coaching conference in Rio de Janeiro. "A role that no coach in his native land would have considered for a nanosecond."

Given all the ingenious moves Ferguson made throughout his career, he was bound to make an error.

In fact, two of his most egregious mistakes happened in the same era.  

The first was the shady £7.2 million deal for Bebe who might be a modern-day Ali Dia. 

The second was forcing Anderson away from his natural No. 10 position, which robbed Brazil of their answer to Lionel Messi. 

Ferguson went against conventional wisdom in shackling a once-in-a-generation type attacking player with defensive duties.

He disregarded the opinion of Anderson from respected footballing aficionados:

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"Anderson (Shirt No. 8): outstanding individual player, fast, could take charge of game, skilfully linked up with team-mates, very effective on counter attacks, dangerous free kicks." --- FIFA Technical Study Group, via FIFA.com.

"[Brazilian] teams field two 'volantes' to mark and cover and two 'meias' attacking midfielders who operate further forward. Until he joined United, Anderson was never remotely a 'volante'. He played some youth football as an attacking left-back, but made his name in what was seen as his natural position as a 'meia'." --- Tim Vickery, via BBC Sport. 

"After an uninspiring first-half, Porto swept home in the second 45, with their brilliant young playmaker pulling all the strings. Anderson crowned his display by creating the third goal, speeding from halfway and through the visiting defence before laying an open goal on a plate for his captain, Lucho Gonzalez." --- Andy Brassell, via ESPN FC.

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Looking back in hindsight, Ferguson also ignored red flags as Anderson rolled his ankle at the most inopportune time in the FIFA U-17 World Cup final against Mexico and he suffered a broken leg at Porto.

His injuries were not a blip; instead they have been a trend at United. 

"The only thing that has been frustrating at times for me is that I have had some big injuries. I had one year that was very, very bad," Anderson said, via Stuart Mathieson at The Manchester Evening News. "I knew my weight wasn't right but it was purely down to the injuries. When you have six months out, it is hard with the weight. But I lost it all in pre-season and now I am back to the playing weight I like."

Why Anderson Shouldn't Move to Fulham

Please don't think former Manchester United assistant Rene Meulensteen being Fulham's head coach will give Anderson the inside track. 

Anderson moving to Craven Cottage is more beneficial to Meulensteen.

It will be his "See, I am useful" moment as he attempts to impress Fulham owner Shahid Khan, who could replace manager Martin Jol with Meulensteen. 

Jol primarily uses a 4-4-2 formation or a slight variation at Fulham with Steve Sidwell and Scott Parker, who've combined to win back the ball 104 times, the driving force of the club's midfield.

In order for Anderson to rekindle the version which led to a £20 million transfer to Manchester United, he needs to play in a free-roaming No. 10 position. 

 

Why Anderson Should Move to Rayo Vallecano

LEAGUE ONLY	Fulham	Rayo Vallecano
Possession % Per Game	43.7	62.7
Shots Per Game	8.0	14.9

Do you know what Real Madrid (59), Manchester City (58.9), Juventus (58.4), Monaco (55.9) and Borussia Dortmund (54) have in common? 

They average less possession per game than Rayo Vallecano (62.7), a club previously known for hoofing the ball to Michu, being crazy enough to take a sideshow that was Diego Costa on loan (now one of Europe's best strikers) and Javi "tackle anything that moves" Fuego.

Rayo are second in La Liga for possession per game, first in long passes per game, third in short passes per game, tied for third in shots per game and if you've never seen them play, they are Swansea City on overdrive.

Five different players have started a game in the No. 10 position for Rayo, so they are yearning for a footballer with world-class skills who can propel the club out of the relegation zone.

This isn't just Anderson's chance to be a star again, but he can help save the job of Paco Jemez, who is in the same precarious situation then Mainz manager Jurgen Klopp was during the 2006-07 Bundesliga season—being branded a failure.

Statistics via WhoScored, FFT Stats Zone, Squawka and Transfermarkt.
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