MANCHESTER United made predictably light work of Burton Albion in last night’s FA Cup third-round replay at Old Trafford, but the more serious business of long-term planning continues. Sir Alex Ferguson has identified Mahamadou Diarra and Javier Mascherano as the principal contenders to fill the huge void left by Roy Keane’s departure, but United will face strong competition from their old foes at Chelsea and Real Madrid when bidding starts at the end of the season.
Ferguson has been criticised for failing to sign a midfield player since Keane left in November, but he and the United board have formulated a list of possible signings for the summer and are prepared to spend the majority of their budget on either Diarra, of Lyons, or Mascherano, who plays for Corinthians in Brazil, as the central plank of the next phase of their rebuilding operation. They have already registered their interest in both players with third parties in the hope of securing a deal before the end of the season.
United hope that at least one of their targets is within their reach, but they will not get either without a fight. Chelsea provisionally lined up a deal for Mascherano last April, before he joined Corinthians from River Plate, in his native Argentina, and José Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, is known to regard him as the most natural long-term successor to Claude Makelele in midfield. Real have also shown an interest in the 21-year-old.
Diarra, believed to be the marginal favourite in Ferguson’s mind, is also a wanted man. Regarded by many in France as a better player than Michael Essien, whom he partnered in the Lyons midfield this season, the 24-year-old Mali international is also attracting interest across Europe. His agent, Frederic Guerra, last night admitted to having had contact with United last summer, but he also hinted at interest from Chelsea and Real.
Guerra told Sky Sports: “Mahamadou is the best defensive midfielder in Europe. We know that Chelsea are looking for a player to replace Claude Makelele, who is getting older. Last summer there was contact with Manchester United and we also know that United are looking for a defensive midfielder to replace Roy Keane. Besides, Real Madrid haven’t got a defensive midfielder. It would be logical for Mahamadou to play for one of those teams.”
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Subsequently approached by The Times, Guerra would not confirm whether he had been approached by United in more recent months, but sources at Old Trafford claim that he was the player Ferguson had in mind seven weeks ago when the manager said: “We will probably just add a couple of players to bulk up the numbers in January. The one we really want to sign will only be available in the summer. He’s cup-tied in the Champions League and his club wouldn ‘t sell him before summer in any case.”
In addition to Diarra or Mascherano, Ferguson hopes to sign a second midfield player with more experience to play alongside him. United have considered making a bid for Thomas Gravesen, Real’s former Everton player, but have been told that he is not available.
There were no problems for United last night as they beat Burton 5-0 at the second time of asking. The Nationwide Conference side were roared on heartily throughout by 11,000 supporters from Staffordshire, but Louis Saha, Giuseppe Rossi — who capped an impressive display with two goals — Kieran Richardson and Ryan Giggs earned United a fourth-round tie away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 29.