Appeasement: 5 Players Manchester United Must Sign To Keep Wayne Rooney Happy
One of the oddest transfer sagas in Premier League history was finally resolved last week when Wayne Rooney committed his future to the red half of Manchester.
However, securing Rooney's signature is only half the battle the club faces in keeping him. As Rooney himself made clear, he demands to play for a club that matches his lofty ambitions.
With the likes of Giggs and Scholes coming to the end of their glittering careers, Sir Alex Ferguson knows that he'll have to replace his stalwarts with new blood of equal quality to keep pace with Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and big-spending rivals City at the top of the English and European game.
With money promised by the Glazers, Ferguson knows he has to deliver the type of talent his talismanic striker requires to keep him at Old Trafford.
Here are the five players I feel Sir Alex needs to bring to Manchester in order to hold on to his prized player.
Wesley Sneijder
1 of 5
One of the stars of the World Cup, and player of the tournament in last year's Champions League as he led Inter Milan to glory, Sneijder is one of the best midfielders in the world. He has the pedigree to make a huge impact in a red shirt.
With contract talks between player and club reportedly breaking down, the door appears to be open for Ferguson to swoop in and steal the 26-year-old Dutchman and bring him to England.
Earlier in the year, Ferguson missed out on Sneijder's former Ajax and Dutch international teammate, Rafael Van Der Vaart. Ferguson needs to persuade Sneijder he can replicate Van Der Vaart's success in England with Tottenham to give himself a good chance of holding on to Rooney.
Gareth Bale
2 of 5
United missed out on Van Der Vaart's Tottenham teammate a few years ago when he chose White Hart Lane over Old Trafford. Now Bale has developed into a world-class winger and would be the ideal replacement for fellow Welshman Ryan Giggs on the left.
Young and extremely talented, Bale showcased his talent with a brilliant hat trick in defeat at Sneijder's Inter a couple weeks ago.
However, Harry Redknapp is desperate to keep hold of his new star, and Ferguson may find it tricky to pry him away from north London with a substantial fee required to obtain his services.
Franck Ribery
3 of 5
The only thing scarier than the Frenchman's face is his freakish ability on the pitch. Gaining the Bayern Munich winger would go some way towards filling the huge void left by Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Manchester for Madrid in summer 2009.
The combination of Bale and Ribery on the wings, with Sneijder through the middle and Rooney spearheading the attack, is a mouth-watering prospect for all United fans and would be a force to be reckoned with for any side on the planet.
If Ferguson could pull off this lethal triple-signing to complement his main star, then Rooney would be fully committed to United and would be on his way to joining the likes of Charlton, Best and Law as a Manchester United legend.
Jack Rodwell
4 of 5
Hmmmmm, let me think—a very promising young player whom Ferguson managed to steal from Everton before turning into a United and England regular. Sound familiar?
If Rodwell could have half the impact Rooney had when joining from Merseyside, then he will have done exceptionally. United are interested in Rodwell, a controlling midfielder who could step in for the ageing Paul Scholes, and tried to sign him at the deadline in September.
A fresh advance for the youngster and a possible swap deal, possibly involving Michael Carrick, might just be enough for David Moyes to let Rodwell depart for pastures new.
Rodwell would flourish in partnership with the likes of Sneijder and Fletcher in the heart of the United midfield with the potential attacking forces ahead of him. He would be a great signing for Ferguson, a player he could mould into the the link between defence and attack.
A Reliable Goalkeeper
5 of 5
After the great Peter Schmeichel left in 1999, it took Sir Alex six years to properly replace the Dane when he signed Edwin Van Der Sar from Fulham.
Some of the replacements before were tragic failures. Probably the worst was Massimo Taibi, whose one memorable moment in his four appearances was when he allowed the tamest shot from Matt Le Tissier to go through his legs for one of the funniest goals in football history.
To keep Rooney happy, there can be no Taibi moments, When the 40-year-old Van Der Sar finally hangs up his boots, his replacement must come in and immediately carry on where Van Der Sar left off.
Potential suitors for the job include Anders Lindegaard, another Dane who's considered a young Schmeichel in his homeland. United are interested and goalkeeping coach Eric Steel has already been out to Norway to see Lindegaard in action.
Ferguson himself has also been out to Spain to see under-21 international David de Gea (pictured) in action.
A third candidate is young German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, the 21-year-old who gained a high reputation for his performances for Germany at the World Cup, where they reached the semifinals.
These three appear to be the front runners to replace Van Der Sar.
Whoever gets the nod must be ready to step in immediately and avoid the fiasco that was left after Schmeichel to encourage Rooney that Manchester United is the place to be.
