Sales of Brown and O'Shea prove Fergie's as ruthless as ever
Sir Alex Ferguson may need a buggy to get round a golf
course these days, but that concession to age is at odds with the
near-70-year-old’s vigour for his job and enduring ruthless
streak.
In offloading Wes Brown and John O’Shea to Sunderland, Ferguson
showed he remains as cold as ever in the pursuit of success.
Just as he has done in the past, most famously with the likes of
David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane and Jaap Stam, the
Manchester United manager has eschewed sentiment and jettisoned two
of his longest-standing players.
With Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville having
retired, the sales of Brown and O'Shea mean five of the oldest
players within United’s squad have now left, making this summer’s
exodus and summer overhaul arguably their most significant in more
than a decade.
There is a distinct sense of a changing of the guard at Old
Trafford as Ferguson looks to assemble the last great team of his
remarkable and illustrious United dynasty.
With Darron Gibson, another home-grown player, also heading out
of the door, Ferguson is once again showing there is no room for
misty-eyed emotion when he has decreed a player is no longer of use
to United, regardless of past success or longevity.
When the decision is made in Ferguson’s mind, the process of
change is swift and it is done with the minimum of fuss.
“You can’t get sentimental in this job,” Fergie has said. “I
love the players I’ve had and I’ve been very, very fortunate to
have had great players. And I’ve been fortunate to have had players
come through with me for a long, long time.
“Giggs, Neville and Scholes, even Phil Neville and Nicky Butt -
guys who were the spirit of the club. They have remained part of
what I see is Manchester United.
"But when I see something happening, I have to act. In the case
of Nicky Butt and Phil Neville, I had to release them because I was
getting to the stage where I was terrified of talking to them -
telling them they weren’t playing a game. And it wasn’t fair to
them. They were good players, who had played a big part in the
resurrection of Manchester United.”
For Brown and O’Shea, the end of their United careers will not
have come as a shock to either player, given the peripheral roles
they played in the past season.
Neither even made the bench for the Champions League Final
defeat by Barcelona, having been regular United starters as
recently as two years ago.
Injury-blighted Brown, hailed by Ferguson in 2009 as the most
naturally gifted defender in the country when fit, established
himself as United’s first-choice right-back in the 2007-08 campaign
and provided the cross for Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal as they beat
Chelsea in that season's Champions League Final.
O’Shea, the ultimate utility player, was adept at either
full-back berth, centre-back and in midfield. He made the
right-back slot his own in 2008-09, starting the Champions
League final in Rome, in which United also succumbed to Barca.
Yet injuries took their toll on both men and, with the emergence
of the Da Silva twins, with their pace, boundless energy and
youthful dynamism, coupled with the arrival last year of Chris
Smalling and Phil Jones this summer, Brown and O’Shea had become
surplus to requirements.
Ferguson paid tribute to Brown, 31, following his switch to
Sunderland.
“Wes has been a great asset to the club during the most
successful period in its history,” said the United boss. “He was a
product of the youth system and marked himself out from an early
age as one of his generation’s most natural defenders.
“In his time with us, he certainly became a favourite with the
fans for his no-nonsense approach to the game and his infectious
personality.
“It’s always the hardest of decisions to let loyal servants go.
But life moves on and, unquestionably, Wes will get the chance to
make a real contribution to Steve Bruce’s Sunderland.
“I’m delighted to be passing him into such good hands. Everyone
connected with United wishes him a long and happy stay at
Sunderland.”
The United boss was equally effusive in his praise of O’Shea,
30, who made 393 appearances for the club.
“John has been an outstanding servant to the club since he broke
into the first team almost a decade ago,” said Ferguson. “His
versatility, calmness under pressure and his commitment to the
cause at United means that fans will remember him with great
affection.
“He won so many medals and has deserved every one of them. After
so many years of service to United, I’m pleased John has found a
career opportunity which will deliver the number of games he
deserves.”
Midfielder Gibson is set to follow Brown and O’Shea to the
Stadium of Light if a compromise can be reached on his reputed
£40,000-a-week wage demands.
But by allowing Brown and O’Shea to go, Ferguson has reminded
the football world he remains the master of man-management as he
remodels his squad for one last tilt at glory before, to use his
own words, he “rides off into the sunset” like his film hero John
Wayne.
