Is there any way back for United's forgotten man Dimitar Berbatov?

By David McDonnell

Published 12:23 13/09/11

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Have a guess at the identity of the glummest player leaving the Reebok Stadium on Saturday after Manchester United's 5-0 demolition of Bolton.

Gary Cahill, whose poor defensive display suggested Arsenal's supposed £6million offer for him was flattering in the extreme?

Or Jussi Jaaskelainen, who shipped five goals but whose rash approach on several occasions could have seen the Bolton keeper concede several more?

How about United midfielder Tom Cleverley? He left the stadium with his left foot encased in a protective plastic boot, fearing he had suffered a fracture following a poor challenge by Kevin Davies.

Even Cleverley, his fine start to the season jeopardised by the recklessness of an opponent, managed a laugh and a joke with his team-mates and United staff as he hobbled towards the team bus.

No, the prize for the most morose-looking player went to United striker Dimitar Berbatov, who sullen demeanour as he left the stadium was spectacular even by his moody standards.

Berbatov had just endured a fourth straight game on the bench, having only come off it once this season, so it was perhaps no surprise he wasn't doing cartwheels down the corridor leading from the away dressing-room to the exit.

Sir Alex Ferguson has assured the likes of Berbatov his time will come, insisting every member of his squad will play their part once the gruelling physical demands of the season and United's bulging fixture list start to take their toll.

But after watching Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez resume their strike partnership to such devastating effect at Bolton, plundering five goals between them and leaving Owen Coyle's side frazzled by their pace, movement and understanding, it's hard to see a way back for Berbatov at United.

Factor in the emergence of Danny Welbeck, whose superb start to the season was interrupted by a hamstring injury which was not as bad as first feared, with the young forward expected back in a fortnight, and Berbatov would appear to be more marginalised than ever.

Even when Hernandez was sidelined for three weeks as a precaution having suffered concussion during United's pre-season tour of the US, Berbatov will still unable to get a start, his only action so far this campaign a 25-minute appearance as a second-half sub against West Brom.

It represents a remarkable fall from grace for a player who, along with Carlos Tevez, scored 20 goals to share last season's Golden Boot, the prize awarded to the Premier League's top goalscorer. Having scored the bulk of those goals by the turn of the year, Berbatov has since started only four of United's last 18 games in the Premier League.

And it says everything about how Fergie now views Berbatov - and the player's new-found fringe status - that he could well make his first start of the season in tomorrow's Champions League group stage opener against Benfica, with Rooney and Hernandez preserved for Sunday's key Premier League showdown with Chelsea.

In short, Berbatov has become United's forgotten man, his demotion pointing towards a January exit for the 30-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season and who, as a consequence, can talk to other clubs from January 1 regarding a move.

On United's pre-season tour of the US, chief executive David Gill insisted there was no appetite to sell Berbatov, but no talks had been scheduled to take advantage of a one-way clause in the Bulgarian's contract to extend his deal by a further 12 months.

With every game that passes without Berbatov's involvement, the notion of United offering him a contract extension looks remote, the club increasingly likely to try to salvage some revenue from a player who cost them a club record £30million when he signed from Tottenham in 2008.

Despite an elegant first touch and an eye for goal, Berbatov's lack of pace and poor work ethic means there is no place for him in Ferguson's latest, youthful United team, whose speed, movement and a willingness to work for one another have made them such a formidable-looking side.

And with Barcelona having set the standard in Europe with their peerless swift and breathtaking style, whom Ferguson is desperate to topple before he eventually retires, there is no room for a languid player like Berbatov, who found that out the hard way when he was left out of the 18-man squad for last season's final at Wembley.

One of the enduring images from United last season was when Ferguson and his assistant Mike Phelan were caught by TV cameras laughing at Berbatov's sulking face as the 30-year-old spent another game sat on the bench.

It's doubtful Berbatov, notoriously sullen and aloof, would see the funny side, particularly with his United career now looking to have run its course.

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Read David McDonnell's weekly Manchester United column exclusively on MirrorFootball every Tuesday

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