It has been confirmed that Dimitar Berbatov has made a sensational return to Old Trafford after the Bulgarian posted a picture of himself with Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney. However, the return is only limited to use the training facilities at Carrington as the 35-year old aims to get himself back to full fitness in order to get a playing contract in the English top flight after being a free agent from the summer.
But United fans have gone crazy with this development and have been clamouring for a return to Old Trafford for the Bulgarian. Here we take a look at three reasons why ‘Berba’ will be absolutely adored and rejoiced if he is brought into the fold by Jose Mourinho:
His Class and Wealth of Experience
Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie and now Zlatan Ibrahimović are some of the finest forwards with gifted technique with the ball at their feet, to have graced the Premier League. And it wouldn’t be wrong at all to include our much-loved Berbatov in the list as well.
His touch always oozed class. The way he would control a powerful long ball with the side of his foot, would make you feel like time had stopped for that moment. Pace and stamina are something that wanes off with age, but a player’s touch is something that never deserts him. Technique is something that has been not so abundant in the current crop of strikers and bringing in Berbatov would add another touch of class to the United forward line.
Nine seasons in the English top-flight with Tottenham, United and Fulham, with over 300 appearances and 122 goals, his experience at the top level could come in very handy for the likes of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial to learn from.
An Old-school Striker
In the age of strikers acting as a first line of defence, where they are expected to be the first point of press on the opposition, Berbatov would take us back in time when a striker’s only responsibility was scoring goals for his team.
People these days, often judge a player very quickly if he isn’t showing a willingness to help his out in the defensive half. Ibrahimović, Mesut Ozil and others have all had to face plenty of criticism for their languid approach. It was the same with Berba during his heydeys. He was never the most willing to put in his shift in defence and always had one thing on his mind: goals.
At 35, you cannot expect Berbatov to track back and go about harrying opponents, but what he will bring to the table instead is goals. His hunger and appetite for hitting the net still remain and he could be of a large help for United in the second half of the season with their continued involvement in four competitions.
Ibra and Berba on the field
Zlatan Ibrahimović, Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. Those are the options that Jose Mourinho has at his disposal to use as a centre-forward. So, one cannot see a need to bring in Berbatov into the squad.
But there’s something absolutely exciting about the idea of Dimitar Berbatov and Zlatan Ibrahimović taking the pitch together at Old Trafford. The thought of seeing these two class strikers, masters of the game in their own right, strut it out in front of the Stretford End tingles a fan’s senses and could cause a stir among the Old Trafford faithful.
It had often been spoken of when both were playing in France, but now that there is a chance for that to happen, fans would undoubtedly love for that to materialise, despite the chances of Berbatov donning United colours again being very slim.