To the surprise of everyone inside Old Trafford last night and those watching on back at home on television, Dimitar Berbatov was substituted at half-time in Manchester United’s Carling Cup defeat to Crystal Palace for young starlet Ravel Morrison.
Here is a man who last season was the club’s top goalscorer, who in the first half of last season came up with the goods when the team needed him to. It seems that 21 goals last season did not win Berba any time at all. After all when he was dumped from United’s Champions League final squad to face Barcelona, the writing hadn’t been written on the wall it had been sprayed all over it.
The fans know that Berba isn’t a first-choice anymore; after all with the form of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck, it’s only fair that they get a chance to play and the two youngsters have been outstanding so far this season. In a way you have to feel sorry for Berba, after all he wants to stay at the club he loves and score more goals.
Sadly though with United now out of the Carling Cup and Hernandez and Welbeck back from injury, he isn’t going to get too many chances to play unless one of the duo or Wayne Rooney becomes unavailable to play. If the rumours are true about French giants PSG wanting to bring Berba to Paris, then in all fairness who could blame the Bulgarian of wanting to go if the opportunity came up.
At the end no matter how much a player loves being at a club, every footballer wants to play games and better themselves. Right now after being relegated to the bench all season and having been substituted last night, surely now if Berba wants to play he should think about leaving Old Trafford and take up a fresh challenge in France at PSG or somewhere else which would be attractive to him.
Then again who knows, football always throws up a surprise or two. Who’s to say Berba can’t prove us all wrong and play an important part in United’s season? Stranger things have happened in football.
Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87