Manchester United transfers are scrutinised more than elsewhere, with Ruben Amorim surely set to discover what Sir Alex Ferguson once did
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Juan Sebastian Veron of Manchester United talks with manager Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson once ferociously defended record signing Juan Sebastian Veron from critics
(Image: Shaun Botterill/ALLSPORT)
To play for Man United is to accept a higher challenge, one that comes hand in hand with a brighter spotlight and increased scrutiny.
It is very much a feeling that those who are part of Ruben Amorim's squad have experienced tenfold this campaign with results turning out as they have done amidst the new manager's arrival, hailing in the start of a new project with the intention of restoring Man United to its former glories.
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That is why a lot is being made of the upcoming summer. Even if the club find themselves tied by financial constraints, Amorim has had since last November to cast his eye over the squad he inherited to judge who has a place in his plans and who does not.
Any who do remain, having been part of these recent dark ages at Old Trafford, will naturally be under the microscope whilst anybody who arrives as replacement will be pressured to start well. From there, it is their coach's task to instil unity and defend his decisions from any critics who may emerge.
For that, he will require the steely spirit of Sir Alex Ferguson, who it must be remembered did not win his first league title for seven years after taking on the most pressurised job in football.
Casting minds back to the 2001/02 campaign, only twice in the nine prior years - the start of the Premier League era - had Man United been beaten to the title.
So to finish 10 points and two places behind new champions Arsenal, without silverware in other competitions, it was a disastrous season by Ferguson's high standards.
The season prior, Old Trafford had welcomed Argentinian midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron from Lazio. His £28.1m transfer may seem an ordinary sum in today's circumstances but over two decades ago this was actually the most expensive ever transfer in English football history.
Over the 2000/01 and 2001/02 campaigns he had taken the brunt of criticism for poor performances whether individually or from the team, even if trusted by Ferguson to start 73 of his 82 total appearances for the club.
Particularly this was the case after Man United's Champions League semi-final elimination to Bayer Leverkusen, after which a Sunday newspaper report commented on his displays over the two legs whilst claiming after the second in Germany that two teammates angrily confronted the Argentine.
"It's absolute nonsense, total lies. You tell me what is wrong with Veron," Ferguson demanded to know from reporters attending his following press conference. "I think he has played well."
The manager declared the media attention on his midfield signing "a joke," signing off by adding: "He [Veron] is a f*****g great player and you're all f*****g idiots," before he demanded the journalists to "get out" of the training ground, abandoning the meeting in the process.
As for Veron, United cashed in at about half the fee they paid when Chelsea made their interest known, as he left Ferguson's watch for Stamford Bridge.
The title came back to Old Trafford the following year but the midfielder would go on to lift it twice more in London before departing England in 2007.