Saha: Injured, Trashed And Now Humiliated …
Who would be Louis Saha right now?
The French striker has been pilloried throughout his three year United career for his inability to remain fit. He was a bystander as United’s season climaxed gloriously with the Premiership title and looked sheepish as he collected his winner’s medal after the last home game of the season
Allegations of a training ground squabble with the manager, ducking the annual party and then ruining his chances of a proper pre-season preparation after undergoing knee surgery, have hardly helped endear Saha to the United public.
“I love my club and I don’t want to leave it,” Saha whimpered last May when United’s behind the scenes attempts to secure a new centre forward began to surface in the press. “If they are saying other good strikers are coming to United I find that good, if that helps us defend our title and win others next year.
“Finish my career at Manchester United? That would be great. But there is always competition so you never know. The coach always makes the final decision.”
The Guardian agreed and gave a firm indication of Saha’s likely fate. “Ferguson has become increasingly exasperated by Saha’s susceptibility to injury and it has led to angry words behind the scenes at the training ground,” the newspaper revealed. “Saha started only four matches in 2007 and there have been three occasions when Ferguson thought the player was fit only for him to pull out at the last minute.”
Sir Alex Ferguson could barely conceal his contempt for Saha as the season reached its conclusion but then, perhaps mindful of the financial consequences, softened his public comments.
The manager’s move for Carlos Tevez is conclusive proof however, that he no longer rates Saha as essential to his plans. The United ship is preparing to set sail with Sir Alex giving every indication that the ghostly presence of his injured Frenchman will be left harbour-side.
Saha is now United’s forgotten man and has suffered a fresh humiliation courtesy of French champions Lyon.
New boss Alain Perrin, used an interview with l’Equipe to advertise Lyon’s interest in United’s French international striker.
“We need an additional forward,” he said. “Saha? We could be interested too. But we have to know what we can do.”
Perrin’s intervention was the latest in a stream of news stories linking Saha with the reigning French champions. But just one day later, “Reginald” Perrin was publicly slapped down by his hands-on chairman Jean Aulas. He was more impressed by the opinion of the club’s special adviser Bernard Lacombe, who believes Saha is not the type of player Lyon need.
“Bernard isn’t convinced, so if he isn’t convinced, there is no point in doing it,” Aulas said in a newspaper interview.
Saha is on record as preferring a move to Paris, if he has to return home but the fracas in France may be evidence that for all his credentials as a top international striker, Saha is slipping off the radar of the bigger clubs. Alan Smith, a less impressive striker than his French counterpart, has at least two Premiership team bosses interested in him. Saha, on the other hand, is linked with a distinguished foreign club but then has to read a retraction in the next day’s newspaper. All publicity is welcome, it is said but Saha, already the butt of English sniping, could do without withering put downs from across La Manche.
Nevertheless, the Lyon storm in a tea cup leaves Saha’s position unchanged. He remains a United player until a bid of high enough value at the right time pushes him through the Old Trafford exit.
