The rumour mill has started as we approach January and the latest player being linked with a move away from Manchester United is Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov who has attracted interest from clubs in France and Turkey.

The sulky Bulgarian moved to Manchester United on the 1st of September 2008, a transfer that cost the reds £30.75 million. At the time he joined United already had Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez in the strikers department and many wondered why we actually needed a player of Berbatov’s stature at the club. Ex players and pundits even made comparisons between the Bulgarian and United legend Eric Cantona. 

Berbatov should have taken United to a new level like Juan Sebastian Veron should have. Both players were signed for massive amounts of money and in my opinion have failed at a club they should have excelled at on the big stage.

I think supporters were a bit harsh in judging Berbatov against the performances of Rooney and Tevez who have completely different styles of play. Rooney and Tevez are similar, they can play upfront on their own and have a tenacious work ethic chasing down defenders and lost causes for ninety minutes. Berbatov is the complete opposite and I think it was unfair that in his first season in 2008 supporters were expecting Berbatov to change his style of play to be more like Rooney and Tevez. 

The reality is that Berbatov has always come across as a sulky figure on the pitch who can produce moments of breathtaking skill in a split second if he feels like he can be bothered, and it is a bit unfair as Berbatov has always played the same way and supporters would have known this from his days at Tottenham before his move to Old Trafford.

Berbatov has been a bit like the luxury food item on your weekly shopping list. You are not sure if you actually need the item, but you buy it anyway. You are happy you made the purchase but looking back you think “Did I actually need that, Could you have survived without it?” It basically flatters to deceive. 

In Berbatov’s defence he had his most productive season last year when United  claimed a record 19th league title ending up as both his club’s and the league’s most prolific scorer. The jury would probably are that the goals he scored we’re against the so called “bottom half” teams and that he never posed much of a threat in the big games against better opposition. Berbatov will be best remembered for his stunning hat trick against Liverpool last season in the premier league fixture at Old Trafford, you could also  argue that it was against a team who did not finish in the top and have lost their way. 

If you could bottle up Berbatov you would definitely stick a marmite sticker on the front of it because supporters either love him or hate him. Berbatov can be simply breathtaking, unstoppable and play football from a different planet on his rare day, but can be equally as frustrating and disappointing, his body language also gives off the wrong impression and he has never really had a connection with the supporters who have been reluctant to sing his name.

We will not know know until January where Berbatov’s future actually lies but I suspect that it will not be at the theatre of dreams. It leaves me asking the question, if the curtain does come down on his disappointing and lacklustre career with United: Will we remember him as Berbatov or Berbatov ? 

On the evidence that I have witnessed and taking into consideration the money United paid Tottenham for his services I would have to say that I have found Mr Berbatov guilty of being a flop and not displaying his natural talents on a consistent basis. Supporters will all obviously remember him for his beautiful elegant hat trick against Liverpool, but we should have had so many more great memories of his time at United especially when people claimed that he could be as important a player as Cantona was.

By Kevin Ashford @KevinAshford7