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Photo source: soccer-magazine.com

They dreamed of three trophies and woke up hoisting just one.

Manchester United captured a record 19th English Premier League crown alright. They were not fazed by the FA Cup exit. But the one that got away – the Champions League tiara – left a painful memory that stuck like dagger in their hearts.

Despite all the adulation they got in storming back to the apex of the domestic league, the Red Devils still wore long faces at the end of the past season.

Their satisfaction proved hollow and incomplete because European football’s Holy Grail was the other trophy they coveted and clinching it would have been the most fitting reward to cap another rigorous campaign. If the Red Devils were solving a jigsaw puzzle, the Champions League success was the missing piece.

Now here comes the sudden urge to rebuild. Has panic descended at Old Trafford this early?

It looks like that scenario has set in if Sir Alex Ferguson’s body language were to be the gauge. We have here the reigning EPL champions yet they are already pressing the alarm button. Granting the trend in the off-season is rummaging around for new player additions, the way United acted seriously smells of trouble looming in the air.

The sorry loss to Barcelona in their fight for European glory still lingers and the Old Trafford boss wants this to vanish in haste and have a team brimming with confidence to face the challenge of the new season.

SUMMER DRIVE

The first step to ease that pain was launched in the summer. With Ferguson at the helm of this mission, United made a relentless drive to shake up their roster for the coming 2011-2012 wars in the hope of parading a new-look unit ready to rumble in the domestic front and take another shot at their Catalan conquerors.

Assembling a new squad may be a breeze. But attaining an end result that would spell eventual success looks decidedly tough. If Ferguson hurdles the first obstacle, will he be able to whip up a top-calibre side that could go all the way to the championship clash? Also, will his new recruits stand and deliver? Can they gel fast enough with the rest of the team and acclimatise with the United style of play?

All along, the Red Devils thought the past season was going to be theirs with authority but that embarrassing defeat in the Champions League impelled them to contemplate that there are a lot of things needing adjustment in order to regain supremacy in Europe.

Age has caught up with the Red Devils and the infusion of fresher, younger legs in the fold could be the catalyst to parade a side worthy of making another title-run in the Premier League and earning a “team-to-beat’’ tag in the international arena.

MAIN MEN

Wayne Rooney is still the main man at United. He will be back for sure and alongside Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov, will form the core of the squad’s attacking unit. Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen, Park Ji Sung and some of the other elder statesmen in the squad could provide inspiration to newcomers aside from doing their usual chores, while skipper Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra and Nani could still patrol the defence.

Ferguson and his scouts have searched far and wide during the summer and they accomplished their goal by snaring three players for five-year deals each to bolster their roster.

However, it could be a make-or-break bid for Ferguson because he would be under heavy scrutiny once his quest leads to failure. If his latest recruits disappoint and affect the team negatively, the consequences would backfire on him and we do not want the highly-decorated manager to lose his credibility, or worse his coaching job, just by making one major faulty move.

Ferguson started the summer refurbishing by acquiring Blackburn Rovers and England Youth international Phil Jones.

The 19-year-old Jones joined the Red Devils’ ranks for 16.5 million pounds after spurning bids from Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. He made the roster for excelling as an Under-21 campaigner, and Ferguson sees him as a sturdy defender-midfielder who packs a lot of promise.

Ferguson’s second foray into the off-season transfer market landed them winger Ashley Young from Aston Villa for 16 million pounds. The 25-year-old England international has reiterated his intention of dishing out his best especially in the Champions League and he will have the opportunity doing that while donning a United jersey. He had earlier rejected a move to Liverpool.

Young, who made 193 appearances and scored 39 times for Aston Villa after moving from Watford in 2007, could provide backup to Giggs, Park and Nani as he announced his readiness to prove his worth come the new season.

HEIR APPARENT

Ferguson also snared Atletico Bilbao’s David de Gea as their new goalkeeper to replace Edwin van der Sar who retired after six glorious seasons as shot-stopper.

Hired for 19 million pounds, the 20-year-old De Gea is now the second most expensive goalkeeper in football history behind Italian Gianluigi Buffon who was taken in by Juventus from Parma for 32 million pounds in 2001.

De Gea got Ferguson’s nod because the Spanish shot-stopper is young, quick, and has good composure and organisational ability, attributes the coach were looking from someone who can best fill the boots of the multi-titled van der Sar. The 6-foot-4 De Gea is coming off a sparkling stint with Spain’s title-winning squad in the recent Under-21 European Championships.

Another factor that may go United’s way is the rumoured inclusion of Inter’s Wesley Sneijder to their fold. Negotiations are said to be underway for the signing of the brilliant attacking midfielder who is perceived to be the perfect heir to the recently-retired Paul Scholes.

It would be the best deal in their revamping stage if Sneijder hops aboard. But as the new season approaches, Ferguson stated he is no longer keen on hiring the Holland international. Sneijder may be a pricey target but his playmaking and scoring talents should be a welcome boon provided he would not be beset by injury.

Sorry for United if they let him go off. Sneijder, if he is in peak playing shape, could provide added intensity and offensive firepower, notwithstanding more motivation on the pitch. We hope Ferguson did not err on his decision.

But Sir Alex insisted he would stick with what he has currently on the bench to pursue their fight. The new guys in town will be up for acid tests. They can learn from the veterans and while on this progression, it is better they put extra effort to become accustomed to the Red Devils’ style.

FUTURE OR BUST

Ferguson believes the future of the squad may depend largely on them but can they contribute to the team cause in a short time? Let there be joy to the United faithful if these chaps make first impressions, but woe to them if they turn up as duds. For sure, United will tread a long and bumpy road in their pursuit of latest honour if the latter situation ensues.

There may be more adjustments under way but it is obviously clear that there are two major motives why United are bolstering their line-up frenetically for the coming season. One, they are dead-serious on extending their reign and notch a 20th title in the Premier League, and two, they will try to make another relentless run in the Champions League in the hope of unseating Barcelona as titlists.

Other teams are also in the process of regrouping and getting all-geared up for battle. But has United made a step ahead of the rest? Has Ferguson found the perfect combination for his team? United followers must pray that he set out in the right direction because the chopping block is always waiting for some heads to roll.

Rabid Barcelona backers simply laugh their hearts out seeing the Red Devils in a state of disarray. Being on the side of the “World’s No. 1 Football Team’’ which their English counterparts hate the Catalans to be called as such, their braggadocio is pumped up in learning that one pesky thorn on their side is already feeling the crunch with the opening whistle still to be blown.

What say you, United fans?

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