Will Berba revelation NOW force Sir Alex into transfer market?

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed last week that United would not be signing any players in the January transfer window, not even to ease United’s defensive crisis. However, an injury problem for one of his key forwards may now force Fergie into a change of plan. Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov has a knee ligament injury that will at some point require the 28 year old to have surgery, which is another blow to United’s Premier League challenge. So should Sir Alex now be looking to bring another striker to Old Trafford in January to partner with Wayne Rooney, or should he put his faith in Michael Owen and the United youngsters?

Berbatov’s knee problem didn’t seem to affect the Bulgarian much yesterday, as he put in a solid performance against Hull at the KC Stadium that he capped off with a tap in to secure a victory for Man United. Alongside United’s star player Rooney, the two have slowly built up a decent looking partnership and Berbatov is starting to repay the £23 million United paid Tottenham for the striker in 2008. Berbatov is clearly Fergie’s first choice strike partner for Rooney, as the Bulgarian has made 16 Premier League appearances this season and has chipped in with 5 goals. So Berbatov would be badly missed if he is sitting on the sidelines, but he cannot continue to play through the pain barrier indefinitely.

When Berbatov does eventually go under the knife, the striker will miss a good chunk of the season as he faces up to three months out. While it is admirable that the Bulgarian is playing through the pain, Ferguson will not want to risk the long-term fitness of one of his most skilful players. So is it inevitable that the United boss will strengthen in January? Not necessarily.

In Michael Owen, United have a more than capable back up striker who will be hungry for first team action as he faces the tough proposition of forcing his way into Fabio Capello’s 2010 World Cup squad. Used mainly as a substitute so far, Owen has already bagged himself 7 goals for Man United and continues to show his finishing ability. However, the 30 year old is past his best, and does not offer Ferguson the all-round package that United need from their strikers if they are going to seriously challenge for the Premier League this year. It is also unreasonable to expect youngsters such as Danny Wellbeck, Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf to step up and immediately spearhead United’s attack. So the injury to Berbatov points towards Man United going after a striker in January, but who?

In recent weeks United have been linked with the Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, but last week David Villa stated that a move to the Premier League interested him, news that will have alerted many clubs. Cash-strapped Valencia may be forced to offload the Spaniard and Villa would definitely score the goals and provide the ammunition for United’s title challenge. The availability of Villa should be too good for Sir Alex to turn down, and Berbatov can continue to feature for Man United while a deal is negotiated. A deal for Villa is a possibility, but the news that Berbatov faces surgery is a certainty and is likely to force Fergie into a move in January, as now Sir Alex needs to strengthen his striking options to maintain United’s Premier League challenge.