Landon Donovan loves him some David Moyes. And vice versa, based on everything the world’s new “it” manager has always said.
Donovan also loves him some English soccer; the game is part of the landscape there, like the Thames or the famous gardens of Cotswolds.
Finally, the U.S. national team’s all-time leading scorer is out of contract with the LA Galaxy at the end of 2013, which means he’s free to go wherever he likes. He could play for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds if he liked; they do have a swell stadium after all.
So a few members of the chattering class made the leap on this seemingly non-tricky math: [Donovan + Moyes’ arrival at Old Trafford + big transfer expense account] mutual respect = Donovan in a kit of mighty Manchester United.
Donovan cleverly deflected questions along those lines, parrying the queries as skillfully as Galaxy teammate Carlo Cudicini has parried anything away from Home Depot Center goal this year, goofing on his recent pair of PK misses at the same time.
Well … I’m pretty sure that they prefer players that can make penalty kicks. So perhaps if I can get that back under my belt, I’ll have a chance.”
Well played, sir.
Self-deprecating humor aside … I don’t see this happening.
First, there’s a question about whether Moyes would want Donovan. Making an impact at Goodison Park is one thing; kicking up sufficient fan fuss around Old Trafford is quite another matter, and presumably Moyes knows so.
But perhaps Donovan could be the kind of figure who doesn’t start game-in, game-out. He could be more of a role player, the way Sir Alex Ferguson used Park Ji-Sung. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez has been a role guy, too, at Old Trafford.
Even then, however, you have to wonder if a man who has only recently rediscovered his love of the game would want to pack ‘em up, move ‘em out … only to languish on the bench. He didn’t like the view from the bench all those years ago at Bayer Leverkusen. He didn’t like it any more during his brief stay at Bayern Munich and presumably would not find it to his liking now.
As for Donovan being available on a “free:” Well, that’s really neither here nor there, is it? Manchester United gets who they want, within reason. Free schmee. If they want you , they want you.
Finally, you don’t see too many 31-year-olds moving into Old Trafford. Part of what made Ferguson a legend was knowing exactly when to “hold them” and when to “fold them.” He talked about that very element in the Harvard biz study we referenced earlier this week; not getting stuck on the players’ abilities right then, but rather forecasting what their skill and durability would resemble in two years was a central tenet of the Sir Alex way.
