Senility Catches Up With Ferguson As United Sign Stoke’s De Laet

  In surely the most bizarre move of the transfer window to date or at all, Stoke’s young right back Richie de Laet has made the move to World Champions Manchester United, signing a three year deal at Old Trafford. The twenty year old Belgian moved to Stoke from United’s feeder club Royal Antwerp in the summer of 2007 for £100,000, but failed to make any impact on the first team and did not make a single appearance for the club, his sole outing as an unused substitute in the league coming away at Leicester early last season.

  De Laet, lookalike to Sacha Baron Cohens of Borat fame’s creation, ultra-camp German TV journalist Bruno, spend a period on loan at Conference side Wrexham earlier this season, but returned to Stoke following a double hernia, from which he has now recovered.

 

De Laet and Bruno, separated at birth?

  Just last week it seemed that a permanent move to the North Wales club was on the cards, with Wrexham confirming their interest in the player. On the back of that it seems incredible that he now finds himself signed for one of the biggest clubs in the world and a major force in European football.

  With respect to De Laet, I have always doubted his potential to do a job for us, with rumours circulating that his was a signing orchestrated by director of football John Rudge, that Tony Pulis didn’t want to make. It is striking that while players of similar age Ryan Shawcross and Carl Dickinson are making regular first team appearances, and younger players than De Laet such as Ryan Shotton are having successful loan spells at League One clubs, that De Laet was sent out to a Conference side. At the time I voiced my concern that a player who at twenty was only good enough for the Conference would never develop into a player good enough for the Premier League, yet today he has signed for the Premier League champions.

  We have seen a similar situation to this once before though, with goalkeeper Ben Foster being sold to United by Stoke without ever making an appearance, and he has developed into one of the best English ‘keepers around today. Who knows? Five years down the line we could be talking about Richie De Laet as a footballing superstar, but he couldn’t even get into the Stoke team, somehow I doubt it.

  Yet more perplexing is the fact that Alex Ferguson is adding to his squad in a position where he is blessed with a wealth of talent, with Gary Neville still going strong and Brazillian twins Rafael and Fabio Da Silva set for big things.

  The fee for De Laet is performance based, meaning the more he plays for United the more money Stoke get, for that reason I hope he goes on to prove me wrong and be a success at the highest level, giving us a tidy financial boost as he does.