Ferguson Lining Up Akinfeev Swoop

22 October 09 by Bill

Following Manchester United’s 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow, Alex Ferguson took time to single out the opposition’s goalkeeper; remarking that the 23 Russian shot stopper was ‘outstanding’.

I’m not sure if Ferguson saw something I didn’t but over the course of the ninety minutes, it seems staggering that the young goalkeeper deserved such high praise. Akinfeev made a couple of good saves and showed fairly good composure during the match but in a game when shots on target were at a premium, the lad made as many blunders as he did top saves.

Early in the match, Akinfeev rushed out to collect a cross but even with a run and jump, the ball sailed way over his head. Luckily for him there was no United player there to capitalise. If there were, the goal was gaping and scoring would have been a dead cert.

He also seemed to struggle with a long shot from Paul Scholes despite being ideally positioned to gather the ball. Any suggestions of an awkward bounce due to the artificial playing surface must be dismissed out of hand due to the number of times he has played on the surface.

Publicly, Ferguson has backed both Ben Foster and Tomasz Kuszczak but everyone knows United are in need of another keeper. Foster and Kuszczak may well figure in Fergie’s plans, but only as understudies. When van der Sar retires, possibly at the end of this campaign, neither are ready to take on the responsibility and Ferguson knows he will need to strengthen.

Akinfeev is one of the best goalkeepers in European football at present and is tipped for a great future. He is ready to fast track his career and sees United as an ideal platform. By publicly praising the keeper, Ferguson has shown his hand. He’s ready to make a move. The only question is will it be in January or will he wait until the summer?