End of the road at Manchester United, but right up Newcastle’s street?

Dimitar Berbatov is set to leave Manchester United at the end of the season. The 31-year-old Bugarian has hardly featured for Man United this term, despite being the Premier League’s joint top goalscorer, and seemingly has no future at Old Trafford. Earlier this week his agent Emil Danchev told Bugarian media: “I had three meetings with (United manager) Alex Ferguson. We should accept that he’ll try to build a team for the next three or four years and Berbatov will not be part of this team. I was pleased with United’s position as they said they’ll not oppose Berbatov’s move in the summer.” It looks likely that Berbatov will leave England, but could Newcastle offer him a chance to stay?

Would Alan Pardew really want a player like Dimitar Berbatov? At 31, his best years are behind him, he has very little pace and his lackadaisical approach does not appeal to many fans. He’s only made five Premier League starts this season, finding the net just once in the league. He is five years older than Newcastle’s apparent desire to sign players aged 26 or under and would have pretty much no sell on value after another couple of years in English football. So, you might be thinking Newcastle should steer clear.

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However, Berbatov is a striker with domestic and international pedigree. He has played 77 times for Bulgaria, scoring 48 goals – the same number of times he’s hit the back of the net in the Premier League for Man United. If he was given an extended run in the starting eleven he could do a job for most Premier League teams, and he’d have that opportunity when Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse head off to South Africa for the African Cup of Nations in ten months’ time. He is also a player with an incredible amount of skill and while he’d frustrate the St James’ Park faithful at times, the Bulgarian would also wow them.

The one advantage with Dimitar Berbatov is that he would be available on the cheap. Alan Pardew has said he’s looking to strengthen his squad with experience, and Berbatov would provide plenty of that. While the Bulgarian may be past his best, I reckon he’s still got plenty to offer. Don’t forget, Dimitar was a Newcastle fan as a kid, too!

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