All’s Wel for happy Fergie
Not only was it the day Cristiano Ronaldo finally blew off the cobwebs and rediscovered the touch that made him the most feared footballer in Europe last season, it might just also go down as the game in which Danny Welbeck made the progression from boy to man in a United shirt.
This was the afternoon when it all came together for Alex Ferguson’s team and, fittingly enough, it coincided with the Old Trafford manager’s 50th anniversary of his entry into professional football.
Ronaldo broke the 100-goal barrier for the club, the fans sung his name once again and we were all afforded a glimpse of the future with Welbeck’s stunning 30-yard goal.
Welbeck, a raw 17-year-old from the tough Manchester suburb of Longsight, only left school in July 2007, but he shot to prominence with seven goals in 11 starts for the reserves last season.
For all the golden generation of Beckham, Scholes, Butt et al, United have not produced a striker since Mark Hughes emerged in the early-1980s, but Welbeck has every chance of being the one that Ferguson has spent over 20 years looking for.
The teenager made an impact by winning a penalty as a substitute in the 1-0 Carling Cup victory over QPR in midweek, but he took it to another level with his goal — United’s fourth — against Stoke.
And with Carlos Tevez back on the bench having endured a disappointing 74 minutes before being replaced by the Angolan forward Manucho, there was a clear sense that Welbeck’s arrival on the scene will have major implications for the Argentinian.
United are dragging their feet over completing the £32million (€37.4m) permanent signing of Tevez from his management company. With a balance of £22m to pay next June, such an outlay would appear foolish if United have talent like Welbeck bubbling under the surface.
In testing financial times, even United cannot throw that kind of money around and Tevez’s hopes of getting the deal done any time soon will not have been helped by Welbeck’s explosion onto the scene.
Tevez has scored just two goals all season and he now has a new kid on the block to deal with. Besides, £22m (€25.7m) could be better spent elsewhere with Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville rapidly approaching the end of their top flight careers.
But while Welbeck’s cameo rounded off United’s ruthless victory, Ronaldo’s brilliance laid the foundations. Two glorious free-kicks — the first after just three minutes and the second a minute from full-time — and an assist for a Michael Carrick goal only told part of the story as the Portuguese forward produced his best display of the season.
“Cristiano is back isn’t he?” Ferguson wondered aloud. “He’s right on song and every game he gets better. We have been waiting for it to happen, but today, we have seen the real power of him.”
Ronaldo’s performance was made even more impressive by his reaction to some incessant tormenting from the away supporters. Notoriously vocal, the Stoke contingent booed Ronaldo’s every touch and heaped some pretty ugly abuse on the 23-year-old.
At times, Ronaldo appeared rattled by the vitriol that rained down upon him. Having initially reacted by blowing kisses to his tormentors, Ronaldo then raised his game to another level and the end result was his coruscating performance, one which did not go unnoticed by his opponents. “The lad was absolutely brilliant,” Stoke defender Danny Higginbotham said. “You just have to say what a great player he is. He’s the best in the world, there’s no doubt about it and I don’t believe he has a weakness.
“I don’t think it [abuse] bothered him in the slightest bit. That’s a testament to his character. You don’t become world player of the year and get talked about like he does if you’re not special.
“ You simply have to admire anyone who can score more than 40 goals in a season.”
After Ronaldo’s third-minute opener, his 100th goal for the club, United toiled in search of a second until Carrick’s fine strike in first-half stoppage time.
Dimitar Berbatov’s close-range volley on 49 minutes killed Stoke off before Welbeck marked his Premier League debut with a sensational goal from distance. “I’m very happy for Danny,” Ronaldo said.
“He’s a young boy with a lot of talent and he scored a fantastic goal. It wasn’t as good as mine, though!”
It wasn’t entirely clear whether Ronaldo was joking.
He is, after all, not one to be upstaged and he ensured that the headlines would be his by curling in another free-kick moments later.
Having bounced back from last week’s defeat at Arsenal, United are now back on track, but the revival will be tested to the full at Aston Villa on Saturday.
REFEREE: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire) 6: His criteria for making bookings seemed wayward and inconsistent, but he isn’t the only referee that suffers from that problem.
MATCH RATING: **** A result which did not accurately reflect a first half in which Stoke made their hosts work hard. Ultimately, however, United could have won by far more.
Danny Welbeck (right) is the latest in a long line of successful United debutantes.
Wayne Rooney: Capped his first appearance following his £30m move from Everton in 2004 with a blistering hat-trick in a 6-2 thrashing of Fenerbahce in the Champions League.
Ryan Giggs: Marked his first full start for United with the winner in the Manchester derby against City in 1991, although opposing defender Colin Hendry played his part in the strike.
Bobby Charlton: Made his full debut against Charlton Athletic in October 1956 and marked the occasion with two goals.
David Beckham: Not an auspicious game for Goldenballs to make his debut — an opening day 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa in 1995 — but he still scored a consolation for United late on.
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