Fergie Clear Out

             

Anderson has been 'promising' ever since arriving at United some six years ago, without ever really progressing beyond that. Some encouraging performances have frequently been taken by the optimistic sorts as the start of something new, a glimpse of a player worth the £18million United paid for him back in 2007. But they've been false dawns, teases that Anderson could be the answer to their continuing gap in central midfield, without him ever becoming that player.Which brings us to Antonio Valencia, who is not mentioned in the 'For Sale' sections of the gossip pages as much as Nani and Anderson, if at all. However, he is just as much of a candidate for the clear-out as his teammates, based on this season's form. A colleague remarked during the Chelsea game that Valencia's fall is pretty much as dramatic as Fernando Torres's, a view that isn't as silly as it might otherwise sound.You can forgive being slightly underwhelming. Anderson is not, after all, responsible for how much money United paid for him. What he is responsible for is a level of fitness expected of a Premier League footballer, a level that he palpably does not have.That's a fact. There is no need for us to sell anyone. Nani played last week at Arsenal and he did well. When he is in form there are very few better than him. So I think we will bring him back in pre-season training and he will be all right. To watch the big-boned Brazilian puff around the pitch, seemingly unable or unwilling (equally unacceptable) to break into a trot after 20 minutes of the Chelsea game as the visitors attacked. That he has only completed 90 minutes 18 times in six years is pretty embarrassing.Of course, when Fergie tells you it's pasta you check under the sauce to make sure, his public pronouncements usually leaning towards the 'constructive bullsh*t' side of misleading - constructive, obviously, because statements like that serve a purpose. Specifically, his purpose - he's more likely to get a good price for his wares if he says they're still Manchester United players than if he says they're expensive rubbish.Nani falls into a similar category, although he at least has the decency to be physically capable of running around a bit. Consistently inconsistent, Nani also has the disadvantage of a similarly quick, unpredictable right-footed winger who plays from the left arriving in the summer in the shape of Wilfried Zaha. The Portuguese does have in his favour that he has generally produced his best form for United playing on the right, so perhaps he can switch over to that side and be more useful.