Is it finally Berbatov’s time to shine?

I have to admit, I quite like Dimitar Berbatov. There are a couple of reasons. He has always seemed quite lazy, and I can relate to that. The way he plays on the pitch, is not dissimilar to my style when my friends have a kickabout. The other main reason is that, well, I picked him with a month to go in his first season at Spurs for my Fantasy Football team, and he was the difference that won me the league I was playing in that season.

He always looked impressive in that free scoring Spurs side (conceded an absurd amount of goals sure, but Keane and Berba were constantly scoring) but since moving to Man United, there have been question marks. This season he looks like he’s finally going to put those question marks to bed.

Of course at the weekend he grabbed a hat-trick against United’s forever-rivals Liverpool, but it isn’t just about that. He’s looked impressive all season. When he was dropped to make way for a returning Wayne Rooney against Rangers in the Champions League, Sir Alex rued the fact that Berba would have probably scored.

So the big question is, can he keep it up?

As someone who once compared him with Juan Sebastian Veron, I hope so*. Where that will leave Wayne Rooney (Maybe playing in a similar position to that which he does for his country?) remains to be seen, but at the moment Berba is working for every ball, putting himself about in the box, and really making an effort.

Credit must (as usual) go to Sir Alex, whose stubborn refusal to sell Berbatov and admit he made a mistake has given the Bulgarian another chance to shine at United. Interesting though he described him at the “re-emerged” Berbatov in his pre-match notes. And he couldn’t have picked a better time to re-emerge with Rooney all distracted by his private life and abrupt loss of form.

Sure, considering the money spent on him he’ll have a way to go to winning over the masses of the Man United support, but the first hat-trick against Liverpool by a United player for 64 years will surely help, no?

Berbatov has said he isn’t special, but come now, that second goal really, really was something else.

*I also always wanted Veron to finally do it as well, and the same for Andrei Shevchenko, I dunno why, but I often take to flops and like to see them prove everyone wrong – especially if they are as evidently talented as those two.

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Category: Manchester United