Manchester United's £3 million summer signing Gabriel Obertan has given himself a year to become an Old Trafford regular and it could be at the expense of Portuguese flop Nani.
The France Under-21 joined United from Ligue 1 club Bordeaux on the recommendation of former Red Devil and current les Girondins coach Laurent Blanc but knee surgery sidelined the winger soon after he arrived in England.
After almost four months out injured, Obertan finally made his debut in the Carling Cup victory at Barnsley last month and has since gone on to make two more appearances for Sir Alex Ferguson's men - both as a substitute.
The Manchester Evening News report that Obertan's progress is already putting Nani's future at United in doubt and the Frenchman is eager to force his way into manager Sir Alex Ferguson's starting line-up on a regular basis.
"I wanted to feel part of the squad and be involved in the games, so I am feeling really good right now," said the 20-year-old. "At first I just want to be part of the squad, be in the group that travels to all the games, and get a few minutes on the pitch.
"But I have ambition. If I keep working hard and show what I can do, why not aim to be a regular in the team? I might need a year to achieve that, but I hope I can do it."
Portuguese international Nani has struggled to establish himself at United since his £18 million move from Sporting Lisbon in 2007 and now Obertan aims to leapfrog the winger in the pecking order.
The lessons learnt from the Chelsea clash should shape the rest of the season...
As the dust settles after another damaging setback for Manchester United, the challenge is on to pick up the pieces and push forward.
The bitter pill of outplaying Chelsea on their own patch and coming home empty handed is a hard one to swallow. Sir Alex Ferguson is an expert at pulling his troops through the tough times and his revitalising skills will have to be at their sharpest once again.
No matter the result, United are still right in the race for the Premier League title. The lessons learnt from yesterday’s loss could prove critical in nudging them ahead by the time May comes along.
Ginger Meastro plays his last tune
Time's up | Scholes' has been usurped
Paul Scholes’ place in the pantheon of United greats is already set in stone, but another run out in a top of the table clash is beyond his reach.
Time catches up with everyone and the sharpness of mind remains, but his legs can no longer keep up. United’s dynamism was their greatest weapon in London but its absence was the architect of their downfall in Merseyside.
Scholes cannot compete against the bulldogs guarding the patches of the ‘Big Four,’ but Darren Fletcher, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson can bare their teeth at the best of them.
Two up top no more against ‘Big Four’
Bullied at Anfield but dominant at Stamford Bridge, the difference was in the detail for United. A flimsy 4-4-2 was replaced by a solid 4-5-1, and the result was a display rarely seen in the last year.
No matter the twin talents of Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney, too much is sacrificed against the Premier League elite with both utilised as centre forwards. A central midfield over-run when reduced to a pairing found its lungs as a triumvirate.
Control is key in the top-end clashes and this proved much harder to attain in the previous guise. With Hargreaves set to return in the coming days, United will now be able to punch their weight in the midfield battleground.
Fletcher earns his stripes
Braveheart | Fletcher is United's talisman
As the old guard makes way for the new, Darren Fletcher’s position as the standard bearer should be rewarded with the captain’s armband.
The Scot fought for every inch of the Stamford Bridge turf and deserved recognition as the man of the match honours were handed out. Such a performance didn’t deserve to end in defeat and he almost dragged his team-mates along with him to claim a share of the spoils.
Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney have long been considered as the heirs to Gary Neville’s throne, but United’s miracle man's transformation from pariah to platoon leader has seen him move to the front of the line.
Nani Ober-taken
In little over 30 minutes of football, Gabriel Obertan has exhibited he has the credentials to overtake Nani in the fight for the left-wing spot.
The former Bordeaux man excelled again in his cameo performance yesterday, adding flair and a final ball to the United push for parity. An understanding has already been formed with countryman Patrice Evra, and this pair has added another weapon to Ferguson’s armoury.
Nani’s infuriatingly inconsistent output stands as a stark contrast. It’s still early days, but the successor for Ryan Giggs could finally have been found.
Evans in ascendancy
Proven performer | Evans is ready to face the best
Karate kick aside, Jonny Evans didn’t put a foot wrong against Chelsea. Any doubts existing after a shaky performance against CSKA Moscow were answered in emphatic fashion.
The Blues’ deadly duo of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba held no fear for him as he defiantly kept out the home side for 76 minutes.
Centre-backs are a combative bunch and Evans’ boldness as the game drifted away fired up his team-mates and supporters. With Ferdinand caught in a spiral of never-ending injuries, the Ulsterman proved he is the man to step in to the fray.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Fergusonwill not face any action from the Football Association for comments he made about referee Martin Atkinson following his side's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.
Ferguson condemned the decision to award the free-kick that led to the goal as "absolutely ridiculous'' and said he is losing his faith in refereeing.
It is understood however the FA are not planning to take any action against the United manager as he did not question the referee's integrity or claim there was any bias.
Ferguson said afterwards: "Clearly, Darren Fletcher's won the ball - Ashley Cole's never touched and has jumped up in the air - and then [Didier] Drogba's pulled Brown to the ground for the goal.
"The referee's position to make the decision was absolutely ridiculous - he can't see anything. He's got a Chelsea player [Joe Cole] standing right in front of him - and he doesn't even move.
"It was a bad decision, but there's nothing we can do about it. You lose faith in refereeing sometimes, that's the way the players are talking in there - it was a bad one.''
Atkinson has suffered criticism from Ferguson before; the United boss branded him a "disgrace" after he awarded Portsmouth a penalty that proved to be their winner in United's FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Old Trafford in March 2008.
Sir Alex also declared after that game that Atkinson's performance "should not be accepted in our game" and then rounded on referees' chief Keith Hackett for "not doing his job properly".
Ferguson was charged with improper conduct but was cleared after the FA decided they could not appeal against the independent Regulatory Commission, which found that the charges levelled against him could not be proven.
The evergreen Welshman's achievements have put him at No.1, argues Fergie…
Manchester United manager Alex ferguson believes Ryan Giggs is the best player in Premier League history. The 36-year-old Welshman continues to play an influential role for the Red Devils this season, despite his advanced years.
"We have had a lot of top-class players in this league – and some have probably made more of an impact than Ryan – but nobody can boast the same sort of longevity and consistency," Ferguson said, according to Press Association.
"He was there when the league started and he is still there now. I think you would have to say Ryan is the best."
And it is the Welshman's versatility and professionalism that particularly impress his manager.
"We have played him out wide in a few games recently because he is fresh at the moment," Ferguson added.
"It's the beginning of the season so he has got plenty of running in him and he can do a lot of damage in the wide position.
"But I think you will find as the season progresses he will move back into the middle of the park where he can dictate the games."
Do you know any United fans who persist in leaving games at Old Trafford early? Surely by now they would have learnt their lesson.
Yes, an early dart has its advantages. You can avoid the bad traffic that’s inevitable when 75,000 people all leave at once. And the tram is nowhere near as crowded. But early leavers this season would have missed the incredible drama at the end of the Manchester derby and another chunk of heart-stopping action against Sunderland on Saturday.
One of Sir Alex’s great legacies at United will be late goals. Somehow, he infuses into his players a determination to keep going – a refusal to accept defeat. Let’s be honest though, United were poor by their very high standards on Saturday. Have you ever seen so many passes go astray? There was no fluency or thrust about United’s play. And yet, despite all those deficiencies on the day, United still emerged with a point from a game they probably should have lost. It’s not just luck – it happens far too often for that.
Steve Bruce knows that all too well. His two late headers against Sheffield Wednesday in ‘93 probably began the legend of late goals at Old Trafford. In the tunnel after the game on Saturday, Brucie looked dejected. Before the game he would have gladly accepted a point. But he left his old stomping ground unhappy at not getting all three and finally getting one over on his old boss.
Perhaps timekeeping duties should be taken away from referees. They’ve already got enough on their plates. On Saturday, a minimum of four minutes were added on at the end. During those four minutes United scored a goal so surely at least another 30 seconds or so should be added on. How much additional time did Mr Wiley allow for the United equaliser? 2 seconds. How on earth did he work that out?
Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney is driven to score goals regardless of trying to fill the gap left by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The boss tells the new issue of Inside United: “I don’t think he looks at it that way (replacing Ronaldo's goals). Wayne always wants to do well and play well.
“The boy’s got a real hunger and drive. He has so much energy that sometimes he overdoes it in the sense that he wants to use it all; he’ll drop into midfield or go outside left. But he’s young, and young players sometimes want to spend all their energy on the pitch.
"If he concentrates like he did (in the match) at Wigan and spends more time in the central areas rather than the wide positions then he will get goals. There’s no doubt about that.”
Sir Alex picks out a volley against Newcastle in April 2005 at Old Trafford as his favourite Rooney goal so far, now that the striker has scored more than 100 for the Reds.
“His volley against Newcastle takes some beating," says Sir Alex. "It came totally out of the blue. He should have had a foul a minute before and the referee didn’t give it, so the anger in him was so high that he tried to burst the ball!”
Although Rooney has notched his first century for the Reds, Sir Alex is not sure he will overtake Sir Bobby Charlton’s club record.
“It’ll be very tough. Sir Bobby’s record is 249, so at this stage of Wayne’s career he’ll have to do very well to get anywhere near it.”
Manchester United chief executive David Gill has criticised Le Havre for their public condemnation of his club's transfer tactics over the signing of teenage star Paul Pogba.
Gill said that the Premier League champions will not allow themselves to be insulted by the Ligue 2 club over claims which he insists are completely unfounded and false.
"It's not intimidation but they can't insult us," Gill said at a meeting of the European Clubs Association. "We are not intimidating Le Havre, we have no intention of intimidating Le Havre, they can take whatever action they fell appropriate.
"We have done everything by the book, we are confident in that, they can take whatever action, we won't be insulted by Le Havre.
"It's an insult by Le Havre to suggest that Manchester United and employees of Manchester United have paid the parents and bought the player's parents a house.
"We will not accept the good name of Manchester United being trawled around Websites and the press saying we have done these things we are not allowed to do.
"If they want to take action, they can take action, we will defend our case in the football bodies, we are very comfortable about doing that."
Le Havre this week claimed United had offered the player's parents a number of inducements to get the player to sign for them. And United hit back by threatening legal action of their own should they continue to make such claims.
"Manchester United has written to Le Havre to put it on notice that action will be taken if such allegations are repeated in relation to the transfer of Paul Pogba," United said in a statement.
