It was July 28, 2010, the setting, Reliant Stadium in Houston Texas. The final fixture in the annual Manchester United North American pre-season tour, which saw the Red Devils take on M-L-S All-Star team. This was a match where he made his debut.

Coming on as a second-half substitute to the cheers and support from his country’s people, it didn’t take him long to make an impact. Missing his first chance at goal off a beautifully crossed ball from Tom Cleverley. He would not let the next opportunity pass him by.

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Leading up to the start of the English Premiere League season, no one was happier than I was knowing a team I have loved and followed – Manchester United – for a large portion of my life, had made great changes to ensure its fans that they would once again haul the much coveted Premier League trophy.

After losing it, devastatingly to rivals Manchester City on the last day to goal differential, there was much work to be done by management to ensure the trophy was once against brought back to its rightful place.

With the addition of the much sought after summer transfer target Robin van Persie, whose decision to leave Arsenal for greater pastures, brought great joy to fans and team supporters worldwide – not to mention the acquisition of 2012 Asian Player of the year, Shinji Kagawa, the creative attacking midfielder who led Borussia Dortmund to a second straight German league title.

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In the wake of Danny Welbeck’s on-off loan move to Premier League strugglers Reading, @willowsj takes a look at Welbeck’s form since the start of season 2010.

The latest Man Utd transfer news suggests that the deal to take Welbeck to Reading for the remainder of the season has been dismissed by manager Brian McDermott who believes Sir Alex won’t sent him out on loan to any club.

I’ll never forget the start of Manchester United’s home campaign last season, a 3-0 victory over Tottenham. Putting the fact that it was a fantastic result aside, United looked youthful and rejuvenated. A side which included Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Tom Cleverley. However, one man stood out more than the rest. Danny Welbeck.

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After the crazy topsy-turvy match on Boxing Day, United resorted to a more calm and controlled match that we’ve seen in previous years instead of the adrenaline-pumping and edge-of-the-seat action that we’ve seen throughout this season. With notable absentees Rafael and Rooney still missing through injury, Robin van Persie and boxing day hero – Javier Hernandez rested, United welcome back Shinji Kagawa – after a long lay-off from a knee injury, Danny Welbeck, Ashley Young, and skipper Nemanja Vidic back into the starting line-up.

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“93:20″, the time in which Sergio Aguero sealed the premier league title from the hands of their Mancunian rivals was hung high in the stands of the Etihad and will forever be remembered in City folklore. However, the game yesterday will not be remembered so dearly to the ones in blue as Robin van Persie scored the winner through a free-kick via a deflection off Samir Nasri’s shin that looped over and into the corner of Joe Hart’s net. This one was settled at “91:45″ and will go down in United’s folklore as one of the most exciting Manchester derbies.

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With Manchester United suffering many defensive problems again this season, Sir Alex Ferguson has had the chance to offer opportunities to his youngsters.

With Nemaja Vidic injured until Christmas and Phil Jones currently regaining his strength after suffering a 8 weeks absence thanks to a injured right leg, Sir Alex has been given little choice but to switch towards his young guns.

Amazingly Sir Alex Ferguson has produced great young talent throughout the years via United’s highly rated youth system and strives to promote those young guns to United’s first team where they experience their life’s ambition.

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With the news of Manchester United’s recent pursuit of Brazilian teenage starlet rumoured to be over following quotes suggesting that United would not increase their offer for the player from Lucas’ agent Wagner Ribeiro it appears that Manchester United will have to turn their focus onto other targets in order for them to improve the squad that finished runners up to fierce city rivals Manchester City in the Barclays Premier League last season.

For a club like Manchester United there are always options in the transfer market with the name of the club revered around the globe due the clubs vast success over the years, in particular the Sir Alex Ferguson era, as well as the huge globalisation of marketing that Manchester United have undertaken over the years in order to expand their brand into places such as Africa, Asia and more recently the United States of America.

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Throughout the history of Manchester United Football Club, we have been blessed with great fullbacks on both sides of the pitch. While we have enjoyed watching numerous players in the right back berth, the selection of Gary Neville was hardly a surprise. The left-fullback position, however, is a much more difficult decision. The top ten candidates have together made nearly 3,500 collective appearances for the Reds, a clear indication of the stability we have had in that role over the years.

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The most common reaction to Gary Cook’s latest, and pleasingly last, act of buffoonery was a tidal wave of outpoured glee. End-game for the oafish chief-executive was set in motion not by a financial mishap, but by a personal calamity – a mishit email making light of a cancer stricken woman. A meticulous investigation, following a claim of ‘hacking’ by Cook, unsurprisingly followed and flat out failed to save a man history shows has only ever been too eager to dig his own holes. It was the final flurry of f**k-ups by the oft-maligned Cook, and the door was opened for his departure – a sign that, whilst his misplaced arrogance and pitiful executive spiel was entertained, an attack on a stricken woman, the mother of City’s Nedem Onuoha, most certainly could not. Mass derision may have followed Cook out the gates of Eastlands, but it is he – the new benefactor of an enormous severance package – that will emit the last chortle.

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Beating Leeds United 3-1 last week Manchester United Academy got their first three points of the season and were sixth in the Premier Academy League Group C, six points behind the leaders, Manchester City. The Academy travelled to Sheffield to play their fourth league game of the season against last season’s Youth Cup runners-up Sheffield United.

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This summer Manchester United faced a challenge in the transfer market that had similar connotations to 1999 when the great Dane Peter Schmeichel announced he would be leaving for pastures new. Back then, it was felt that the decision on his replacement was made in a rather hasty fashion with the unpredictable Australian Mark Bosnich being recruited from Aston Villa on a free transfer. Whilst it cannot be denied that he had talent, Bosnich failed to win over the Old Trafford faithful after a series of mistakes and poor quality distribution. It is often forgotten that this was the Australian’s second crack at United following a brief three game stint between the years of 1989-92. Second time around he made only 35 appearances before being replaced by Fabien Barthez in 2000.

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When writing about the best players in any one position, your perspective is obviously biased towards recent memories and those players you have actually seen play. However, it is relatively easy to get a historical perspective on most players these days regardless of how long ago someone featured in the Manchester United first eleven.

The more difficult task is to compare and contrast player’s abilities and styles when tactics have changed so considerably over the last century.  It was only during the 1960’s that over-lapping fullbacks became ‘de rigueur’ and in the modern game it is a necessity. However, there was once a time when fullbacks simply gave the ball to the halfbacks and rarely ventured into the opponents half.

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The Midfield – The Engine Room of MUFC Success – Written by Rob B.

It’s without doubt the most common game MUFC fans get to play over their lifetime.

It’s your typical ‘Who Is Your Favourite Player’ debate. Who would you play where? At a team like United it’s an utter minefield. We all have our own recommendations for such debates.

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Despite Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Everton that sees them move closer to a 19th league title (and Sir Alex Ferguson’s 12th Premier League title), fans have one eye on potential new recruits when the transfer window re-opens in the summer.

With Paul Scholes and the evergreen Ryan Giggs still having a part to play in the club’s future but not getting any younger and Owen Hargreaves crocked, Fergie will look to add some youthful exuberance to his midfield, with a number of transfer rumours turning into solid transfer targets.

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