Fergie: Only Xavi Or Iniesta Could Replace Scholes
September 6, 2011 122 Comments

Manchester United were keen to bring Wesley Sneijder to the club this summer but a deal could not be agreed for the player.

Speaking to the Italian media at an awards ceremony at University of Rome Tor Vergata, Sir Alex Ferguson has today claimed that whilst Sneijder is a great player, he’s still not on a level with Paul Scholes, who retired this summer.

At the end of the Champions League final in May, Andres Iniesta was the first to Scholes, asking him to swap shirts. Our manager reckons it is only him, or his team mate Xavi, who would be capable of replacing Scholes.

“Sneijder is not the ideal replacement for Scholes,” said Ferguson. “He’s a fantastic player but he was not who we were looking for to replace Scholes. Only Xavi and Iniesta are comparable to Scholes.”

Fergie: Only Xavi Or Iniesta Could Replace Scholes
September 6, 2011 122 Comments

Manchester United were keen to bring Wesley Sneijder to the club this summer but a deal could not be agreed for the player.

Speaking to the Italian media at an awards ceremony at University of Rome Tor Vergata, Sir Alex Ferguson has today claimed that whilst Sneijder is a great player, he’s still not on a level with Paul Scholes, who retired this summer.

At the end of the Champions League final in May, Andres Iniesta was the first to Scholes, asking him to swap shirts. Our manager reckons it is only him, or his team mate Xavi, who would be capable of replacing Scholes.

“Sneijder is not the ideal replacement for Scholes,” said Ferguson. “He’s a fantastic player but he was not who we were looking for to replace Scholes. Only Xavi and Iniesta are comparable to Scholes.”

Named after one of his father's heroes, former Uruguay international Enzo Francescoli, Zidane Jnr has been on the books at the Bernabeu for a number of years and currently plays in the club's Cadete A (Under-17) team.

The midfielder, who operates in a similar position to his dad, has been predicted to emulate Zidane Snr and play for the Real first team, with former sorting director Jorge Valdano previously claiming that "he is really his father printed on the pitch".

Enzo played in front of Jose Mourinho and alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Mesut Ozil on Tuesday, with Real's official website stating that he "perfectly adapted to the group" and confirming that his father - now the club's first-team director - watched on from the sidelines.

However, the odds would appear to be stacked against Zidane Jnr making it into the Real first team on a permanent basis, as the club have struggled to bring through youngsters in recent years - Iker Casillas the only notable example of a player who has been promoted straight into the senior side and subsequently cemented his place.

Real president Florentino Perez made the intergration of academy players into the first team an intergal part of the club's transfer policy - labelled 'Zidanes y Pavones' after expensive French maestro Zinedine and young academy graduate Francisco - during his first spell as Bernabeu chief, though it failed to deliver the club regular success.

United begin this season's Champions League campaign next Wednesday against Benfica in Group C with a view to going one step further than last season after they finished as runners-up in Europe's premier competition.

The Red Devils were outplayed in the showpiece at Wembley, as Barcelona ran out 3-1 winners, and, while Owen accepts a change of approach may have to be considered should the two sides face each other again this term, the striker is upbeat about United's chances.

Owen said: "If we played Barcelona again in the final, then we'd have to do something differently because they obviously outplayed us on the night. Then again, I don't think there's any shame in losing to a team like that. We're not ashamed of how we played at Wembley but, if we played them again, then I do think we'd have to look at adopting a slightly different approach.

"On that one night's evidence, you'd have to say that there was a gap between the two sides because they beat us quite convincingly. But that was a one-off game. We wouldn't be frightened of playing them again, that's for sure.

"The beauty of playing for a club like Manchester United is that you have a good chance of winning every competition you take part in. You're expected to win as well, which is good pressure to have placed on you. This year will be no different.

"We have to forget what happened last year - and we would have done that even if we'd beaten Barcelona - and start again. We have some great memories from last year's competition, even though it ended disappointingly. Now we start again and the aim is to win the competition."

Stracqualursi, 23, has been watching from afar as Tevez has lit up the English top flight for Manchester United and Manchester City over the past few years, with the Eastlands star winning the Golden Boot along with Dimitar Berbatov last season.

And with with fellow Argentine Sergio Aguero also enjoying an impressive start to life in the Premier League, Stracqualursi is confident he can be another South American success story after arriving from Tigres on deadline day.

"As a forward I have watched Tevez very closely,'' Stracqualursi said. "I saw the way he went about the task at West Ham and the two Manchester clubs and I would like to think I can copy that model.

"He is an icon at all those clubs. It is all about dying for the shirt, sweating for the club, trying really hard to settle in and being ready physically.

"I have to prove myself to the manager, my team-mates and supporters that I can do it at this level in England. I know it is going to be difficult but I want to start repaying the confidence of the manager in bringing me to the club.''

While Tevez provides an example for Stracqualursi to strive towards, the English football careers of compatriots Mauro Boselli and Juan Sebastian Veron - players who failed miserably to live up to their hype - can act as a warning for the striker.

But Stracqualursi is adamant that he will be able to handle the rigours of the Premier League, highlighting his 6ft 3in frame as a potential asset in a physical division.

"I think my style will suit England,'' Stracqualursi said. "Players are quite powerful and strong and football is played quite a bit in the air and I am pretty good in the air.

"I had a pretty good season in terms of goalscoring in a team which was fighting to stay alive at the highest level and I have never been one to shy away from targets.

"I'll be trying to score as many goals as possible to help Everton have as good a campaign as possible. I don't think there is any extra pressure. I am a reasonably confident guy and I see it as a challenge to fight for my place.''

Mourinho, 48, has been heavily criticised in recent months for his outbursts on the sidelines and in front of the media, with the Portuguese most recently lambasted for raking the eye of Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova at the end of last month's Spanish Supercopa defeat to the Catalans.

A number of people have spoken out against Mourinho, with former Real Madrid director Jorge Valdano insisting "no-one is proud" of his action and two-time European Cup-winning coach Ottmar Hitzfeld slamming his "boorish" attitude and "shameful" tactics.

But Ferguson, who Mourinho has been tipped to succeed in the Old Trafford hotseat, believes that the former Chelsea boss does not intend to be malicious.

"I don't find anything wrong with his enthusiasm,'' Ferguson told Corriere dello Sport. "When I was younger I showed more enthusiasm on the bench too. I was always gesticulating and directing.

"It's Mourinho's nature to be agitated. When I saw Mourinho run up and down the touchline at Old Trafford when he coached Porto, I said to myself, 'Did I also use to do that?'

"People recognise his enthusiasm. The fans understand that he's fighting for them and for the squad.''