United Sign Valencia
It's all change at Old Trafford as one winger leaves and another is brought in to take his place. As Cristiano Ronaldo completed his world record £80million transfer to Real Madrid, Sir Alex Ferguson wasted no time licking his wounds and has instead snapped up Ecuador star Antonio Valencia.
The former Wigan Athletic winger put pen to paper on a four-year deal on Tuesday night, in a transfer believed to have cost United around £16million. Valencia had been linked with a move to Old Trafford for the last 12 months and Ferguson said: “Antonio is a player we have admired for some time now, having spent the last two years in the Premier League with Wigan.
“I am sure his pace and ability will make a significant contribution to the team.”
The 23 year old is one of a number of foreign players to have made their name at Wigan in recent years and he was quick to thank his former employers. He said: “I hope the fans at Wigan can understand that I am an ambitious guy and a chance like this might never come again for me.
“I am happy that the club has benefited from the move financially because I owe them such a lot. I have had a great time here.”
Many have been impressed by the way Valencia has adapted to the English game, however he will need to continue improving if he is to fill the sizeable void left by Ronaldo. Up for particular scrutiny will be his goalscoring prowess - while Ronaldo regularly scored upwards of 20 goals a season, Valencia managed just three last term.
With the World and European Player of the Year now firmly planted in Madrid, the pressure is on both Valencia and Ferguson to come up with the goods. There is no doubt that the United boss has acted quickly and decisively in finding a replacement but will it be a case of true love or has Alex been caught on the rebound? Football betting on that one would certainly be interesting!
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