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Can Valencia replace Ronaldo for United?
On Tuesday, Sir Alex Ferguson set about rebuilding his considerably weakened team, completing Manchester United’s first transfer of the summer.
Yet the wily Scot didn’t invest in a so called ’big name’ like Franck Ribery, instead signing the highly-rated Ecuadorian midfielder, Antonio Valencia.
He makes the switch from Wigan Athletic to Old Trafford after a year of constant speculation in the media. The move has set United back around £16 million while Valencia signs a four-year deal with the Red Devils.
The question on every-one’s lips is whether United’s new signing can fill the gaping void left by their influential former number seven, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Valenica possesses silky skills and electric pace, both qualities often attributed to Ronaldo. He is hard to shrug off the ball, and rarely loses possession. In addition, he has a fantastic work-rate which the Portuguese star so often lacked.
Valencia arrived in England in 2006. He was brought to Wigan Athletic by Paul Jewell who had watched Ecuadorian produce a string of fine performances in the 2006 World Cup. When Bruce took over the helm at the JJB Stadium, the former Manchester United star managed to cultivate Valencia into one of the most promising wingers in the Premiership.
Ferguson is renowned for getting the best out of his players. He will have undoubtedly seen the raw talent in the right winger. It would be no surprise to see Britain’s most decorated manager nurture Valencia into one of best players in the Premiership, as he did with a 18-year-old Ronaldo.
It also saves Manchester United an abundance of money. Having received £80 million from Ronaldo’s switch to Real Madrid, unquestionably the Old Trafford club have money to spend.
Franck Ribery was touted as a possible replacement. However it seemed United would have to part with at least £30 million to bring the French star to England – simply too much.
Valencia who is younger, is in my opinion more value for money then Ribery. He hasn’t yet peaked, has adapted to the English game, and is more versatile then than the 26-year-old French winger.
Valenica was courted by Real Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea before he picked the English champions as his preferred destination.
Yesterday, Sir Alex Ferguson spoke about the potential of his new signing, saying: “Antonio is a player we have admired for some time now, having spent the last two years in the Premier League with Wigan.
“I am sure his pace and ability will make a significant contribution to the team.”
Yet, Valencia does have certain flaws. In 31 appearances last term, he managed a paltry three goals. Undoubtedly this is the one part of his game that requires significant improvement.
It also appears Manchester United are poised to lose out on long term target, Karim Benzeama, as the French wonderkid looks set to complete a £30 million switch from Lyon to Real Madrid.
With Valencia’s David Villa set to remain in Spain it seems Ferguson will have to look elsewhere to find a suitable replacement for Argentine, Carlos Tevez.
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Franck Ribery was touted as a possible replacement. However it seemed United would have to part with at least £30 million to bring the French star to England – simply too much.
That fee is not an isue. He only wants to join Real
I don’t think anyone believes Valencia is a replacement for Ronaldo. The simple fact is you can’t replace a genius.
And for all his flaws as a person etc.and the occasional histrionics on the pitch Ronaldo was a genius.There has never been a winger who could score a 40 yard rocket, bamboozle defenders with his skill, hit free kicks from 40 yards, and have a header on him like Alan Shearer. He is a unique player.
Just like there will never be another Roy Keane, there will never be another Ronaldo.So what has to be done by Sir Alex is to adjust the whole team, the midfield as a whole has to contribute more. The balance of the team has to change. perhaps now Rooney will get his desired central role as Valencia operates on the touchline.
We adapted when Keane left and went on to win 3 League titles in a row and the Champions League.
I have no doubt Sir Alex will have continued success and is relishing the challenge of moving on after a giant has left.
“Ronaldo was a genius”
and still is. whoopsy
u wanna do a follow up
what are utd to do
??????
u wrote it
give me an answer
dont jus leave a big ugly question out there
Hey Shane, I disagree. Ronaldo is good, true, one of the best, true. Not a genius however, and Antonio can do what he has done. for Genius, you need to get out those old tapes of Pelé and Maradona.
Discussing what merits a genius is irrelevant to my point which is that Ronaldo provided a unique contribution to the club which very few players in the world can replicate, and certainly not Valencia
I remember the first time I saw Antonio Valencia play. Ecuador was losing 2-0 to Paraguay during a wet World Cup qualifier match in Quito in March 2005. I had never heard of him before and was shocked when the trainer placed him on the field — a 17-year old youngster from Quito’s Nacional. That day Valencia played at left halfback with Edison Mendez, then an outstanding player at Liga Deportiva Quito and later at PSV in The Netherlands. Immediately, Valencia impressed the entire stadium, showing confidence, scoring two goals and leading Ecuador to a critical 5-2 victory. I’ve been following him ever since.
Valencia has impressed me by his continual physical and mental growth. I’ve never seen him outclassed, whether playing against teams from Ecuador, Spain, England or during World Cup play (Poland, Germany, England, Brazil, Argentina, etc.). He can hang with the best.
Valencia is an entirely different player than Ronaldo. He is humble and soft-spoken, so don’t expect showmanship. He is a team player and inspires through example. No one on the field will work harder. Valencia is faster and more powerful than Ronaldo; he’s comparable at crossing from the right side. I imagine United has profiled him as more of a Beckham than a Ronaldo. He probably won’t score more than 7 to 10 goals per year, but you could expect double-figure assits. Valencia is a talented defender – smart at closing angles and spaces. He can sustain an incredible pace through 90 minutes. I’ve observied this even after arriving from England to Quito for a World Cup Qualifier at 2,800 masl. (This is something the international news never talks about – most of Ecuador’s national squad comes from low altitude teams in Mexico, Brazil, and Europe and rarely do they have the time to acclimate…) I’ve never seen Valencia tire!
Beyond needing to increase his scoring, my only concern about Antonio is his ability to use his left foot for major work, which greatly limits his versatility on the field and can make him a predictable mark. Ronald greatly surpasses him on right-left versatility. United will want to give this weakness some attention!
First, ronaldo is my favorite player in the entire planet but I think steve is right.Ive been following valencia as well and he is very good. Surely he cant replace ronaldo but no one else can. Valencia is more of a team player than ronaldo will ever be. Ronaldo has his skill, shot, height but needs to practice on passing and playing more with the team. Valencia will be a big help for manchester united. Valencia and rooney will work very well together because they both care more about the team rather then themselves. Ive been following valencia and he is good. He has impresed me. When he played against argentina he was great. He is just simply one of my favorite players now like ronaldo.
