THE FIVE MANCHESTER UNITED PLAYERS SIMPLY ‘WASTING THEIR CAREERS’

Sometimes in football, it doesn’t work out for players at certain Premier League clubs for a variety of reasons. From not settling in the area, to not fitting in with the teams style of play, or simply the fact that they may not be good enough or are but aren’t getting enough of an opportunity in the side. Whatever the problem is, there comes a time when players have outgrown their surroundings and may need a fresh start to revitalise their careers.

Javier Hernandez - Chicharito

The Mexican striker has fallen further down the striking pecking order this season following the signing of Dutchman Robin van Persie in the summer whose form since arriving has been excellent. So far this campaign, Hernandez has scored eight league goals in just seven games worth of football. While Ferguson will be keen to keep a player who has such a great knack of coming off the bench to score crucial goals, Hernandez may feel he needs to be playing more football in order to progress his career further.

Nani

The Portugese winger has endured a largely frustrating career at Old Trafford after arriving with high expectations from Sporting Lisbon in 2007, however he has had moments of glory as well. The 2010-2011 title winning season for the Red Devils saw Nani named the club’s player of the season as he scored nine goals and provided 18 assists in the league after an excellent campaign. This looked like it could have been the platform for him to elevate himself to another level at the club but it just hasn’t happened for him and he seems to have taken steps back rather than forward ever since. And with his red card against Real Madrid in the Champions League, Nani should be looking elsewhere to savage his career.

Nick Powell

18-year-old Nick Powell made the move from League Two side Crewe Alexandra to Manchester United in the summer and it is evident that he has a lot of potential and could be a star for the future. I can’t see him breaking into the United set up any time soon though and feel that a season long loan to for example a team in the lower half of the Premier League next season is what he needs. Comparisons that could be made are the success of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck’s successful loan spells at Wigan Athletic and Sunderland respectively, with them now both important parts of the United squad.

Anderson

The Brazilian who arrived from Porto in the same 2007 summer as Nani has had an even less successful stint in Manchester as his team mate. He is a player who Ferguson was hoping would be a box-to-box midfielder with an eye for a goal as well but it just hasn’t materialized. Limited to bit part roles in the team and never seen as a first choice, it may be time for the 24-year-old to try a fresh start.

Federico Macheda

It seems a long time ago that Macheda came on against Aston Villa to announce himself to the Old Trafford faithful with his dramatic winner against the Midlands club. However since then, he hasn’t progressed and has had a series of failed loan moves in a bid to give him more experience. Unfortunately with Macheda, who is currently on loan at Stuttgart, you feel that he just doesn’t possess the quality to play for United. What he needs now is a permanent move to a club at a level where he feels comfortable and can get some continuity, giving him more of a chance to develop.