After losing at home to Besiktas, United second string side had something to prove when they met almost full strength Tottenham in the Carling Cup quarter-finals and they did surprisingly well, comprehensively beating Spurs to make it to the semis. It was an unlikely hero Darron Gibson who stole the show with two perfectly executed goals and the logical question now is, will the Irishman ever become more than a fringe player at Old Trafford?
Darron Gibson is now 22 but he’s been in the first team set up for few years now and I cannot really say he has proven his potential. Two loan spells at Antwerp and Wolves did aid his development but probably not as much as Sir Alex Ferguson would have liked. Since making his debut in 2005, the Irishman has only played 20 odd matches for Manchester United, scoring 6 goals in the process.
During this time he did little to show his potential and only occasionally stood out by scoring goals from distance like he did against Tottenham and West Ham. Nevertheless, he didn’t show anything special which would make Ferguson give him more playing time and he rarely played above the average. Mediocrity players are not welcome at Manchester United and I am very surprised that Ferguson still sees Gibson as part of his plans.
Gibson offers little when he is on the pitch and his long distance shots are the only thing that stands out. He’s fluffed quite a few of those in the first half of the West Ham match before scoring that beautiful goal in the second period. It is more than clear he lacks vision and creativity needed to play at this level, while he is pretty slow on the ball as well.
Darron Gibson has been rewarded with a three-year extension to his contract last season but despite his memorable goals during the last few weeks, I expect him to leave Old Trafford much sooner than 2012, when his contract runs out.
The Irishman was a player with a big potential when he was brought to the club in 2004 but his development hasn’t really gone as planned and I think it’s high time he was let go. His three goals in the games against Tottenham and West Ham can fool some people, especially since Ferguson loves free-scoring midfielders but it’s fair to say Gibson had plenty of chances to prove his potential and utterly failed. He may prove to be a good squad player for one of the struggling Premiership sides but it’s perfectly clear he is not United material. If there you’ve heard of online bookmakers giving the odds on Gibson never to become a first team regular at United, do let me know.
