Hesitancy- a boon or bane?

"Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic has admitted a move to Old Trafford would be too good to turn down."

"And considering the natural strikers instinct and overall quality Benzema has, he could well be a good fit for Manchester United and the Premier League."

Quite possibly the Manchester United fans' favourite to replace Paul Scholes, the possibility of Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Luka Modric moving to Old Trafford looks all the more likely."

"Manchester United are  reportedly considering a swoop for Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra"

"Manchester United are planning a sensational £10million swoop for Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri." 

"Wesley Sneijder to Man Utd within 48 hours?"

And more recently...

"Eden Hazard Will Reportedly Join Red Devils"

How many times have we heard these rumours? The sad thing is, none of them arrived at the Theatre of Dreams.  Jelavic  joined Everton,  Nasri joined the Noisy Neighbours, Hazard went for the Blues, and the rest stayed put. The sadder part is that they were probably going to come too, but it was the hesitation of the club to sign these big names.

Of course, a lot of people will point to the Glazers, the owners who have put United in huge debts and have time and again restricted United’s transfer money. The voice to get rid of them- or the “Anti-Glazer movement”, grows louder, as fans are exasperated from being disappointed once again.

But is it only the owners? Sir Alex Ferguson has long shown distaste in buying many superstars, and following in the same footsteps of our neighbours. He has, on the other hand, looked to youth development, evident from players like Tom Cleverly, Danny Welbeck, David de Gea etc.

To be frank, while losing out on some of these players has been a real pain in the arse, such as Nasri, who could have been great, and especially Hazard who could have really shone at Old Trafford, losing out on some of them could have been a blessing in disguise. Take for interest, Mario Ballotelli. He was rumoured to be joining United before he made the transfer to City. And thank God he didn’t arrive at United. Sneijder too, was strongly linked to United last season. But he, as well as Inter, have had quite an abysmal season.

On the other hand, some of the signings Sir Alex has made have been just amazing at United. The best example would be Javier Chicharito Hernandez, who was signed only for a reported 6 million. He has proved himself as a wonderful player, with great pace and a real knack for making good runs. The three signings of last summer- Young, de Gea and Jones, have proven themselves worthy of the money spent on them. Young’s had a stellar first season, with consistent performances throughout the season. While de Gea was shaky in the beginning, and critics were sceptical, he later on showed himself to be a fantastic keeper, making phenomenal saves, especially the one in the 3-3 draw with Chelsea, where he pushed out a Juan Mata free kick that was expected to go in. Phil Jones too has been great, though pretty inconsistent towards the second half of the season.

The three signings of last season also showed that United did have the spending power, as United spent around 50 million for them.

Therefore, we can only conclude that United’s hesitations are coming from the manager himself. And a manager of the calibre of Sir Alex should never be doubted. Hence although some of his hesitations have led to United’s chances of becoming stronger being broken, he’s the one who knows best, and his decisions have to be trusted. Who knows, Eden Hazard may have a terrible season with Chelsea.