Manchester United: Where To Go from Here?

With an £80 million deal for Ronaldo to Madrid due to be concluded in the coming weeks and the impending loss of Carlos Tevez, most likely to Man City, Alex Ferguson has a lot of thinking to do.

Manchester United are a team at a turning point in their existance. After witnessing his team get effectively slaughtered against a Barcelona side which Chelsea almost defeated, Ferguson will know that there is a lot of work to be done.

The season's successes are a disguise for an underlying problem which has effected the team throughout the season. The team's chemistry has disappeared somewhat, and furthermore, their Premiership record against the "Big Four" is quite alarming.

With two defeats to Liverpool, only a point taken off Arsenal and four off Chelsea, who at the time of the victory were in turmoil and nearing the end of a hugely unsuccessful period with Scolari in charge, the statistics speak for themselves.

The signs were on the wall when the team struggled to put away an extremely lacklustre Inter Milan side at home in the Champions League quarter finals.

There was also visible signs of discontent with Ronaldos petulance at the end of the season, and Berbatov's languid, slow and irritating performances.

14 goals in all competitions is simply not good enough for a £30 million man, and what is worse is the fact that many of those goals came against Aalborg and West Brom.

His penalty miss at Wembley was symbolic of his year and by the end of the season, he was behind Carlos Tevez in the pecking order and was only used in the Champions League Final as a second attacking substitute.

Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs look to be at the end of their career. While Ryan Giggs did win his award, the fact remains that it was really a lifetime achievement award. And as for Scholes, the fact that Middlesbrough have been linked speaks for itself.

Van Der Sar is nearing the end of his career, and despite showing consistantly good performances, he will be phased out more this season as the team looks to shift its focus onto youth. Ben Foster is a very able deputy who, if given the chance, should flourish and establish himself as No. 1 for both club and country

The back four is strong with Vidic and the worryingly injury prone Ferdinand in the centre. Evans is energetic and competent, suitable to be drafted in when needed.

Patrice Evra has shown signs of his form slipping, especially when coming up against quicker opposition, but Ferguson will surely keep his faith in the Frenchman.

Right Back slot isn't as straight forward, with Neville no longer capable, Brown frequently injured and Rafael just maybe lacking a years experience, it is an area that Ferguson may think about this summer.

John O'Shea can do a job, but one has to wonder if he truly is Manchester United standard.

In Midfield, The gaping hole where Ronaldo used to dazzle needs to be filled, and it seems that Ferguson is interested in Luis Antonio Valencia from Wigan and Douglas Costa. Both of whom have considerable potential but are untried at this level.

I find it unlikely that Ferguson will plump for Ribery, especially with that ridiculous transfer fee for a player that has performed well against standard opposition in a standard league.

Carrick will remain first choice and rightly so, along with Anderson, who isn't far from becoming a great box to box midfielder. Hargreaves is sorely missed though. Plagued by knee troubles, the tough battler was ideal for Rome but couldn't feature.

Darren Fletcher is similar to O'Shea, as he can do a job but question marks remain over his ability.

On the left, Park, Nani ( providing he is still at the club ) and Tosic will battle it out for the starting berth. Park is a excellent worker with good overall abilities. Little is known about Tosic; although in Nani's case, one has to feel as if there is mountains of potential waiting to be tapped into if the attitude can be sorted out.

Up front, the brilliant Rooney and not-so-brilliant Berbatov will be United's attacking partnership next season; although it is likely that a striker will be brought in to fill the gap left by Tevez, as Macheda and Welbeck are slightly too young.

Karim benzema is being heavily linked, although in my opinion a cut price Klass-Jan Huntelaar would represent greater valus for money from a Madrid side who are open to a sale. He has proven ability with a great goalscoring record and would fit in nicely into the setup.

Overall, Ferguson will have to think long and hard about his summer signings. Man United will have to improve next season and I speak for many when I say how excited I am to see what Ferguson pulls out of the bag. Some of the names being linked would suit the club and surely bring it back to the pinnacle of European Football.

Your move, Alex.