Brazilian midfielder Anderson claims that a number of Manchester United players “want out” in the summer time.
“I am sure that lots of players want out,” Anderson said. “Especially people like myself and Nani, who have been in Manchester for seven or eight years.”
Taken out of context, Anderson’s comments could be seen as a slight of David Moyes or the club in general. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
“Manchester United is a huge club, a club that does everything for its players,” Anderson went on, “but sometimes a footballer wants to leave just to experience a different way to play football and to learn something as well.”
In other words, Anderson doesn’t seem to be hating on United as much as noting that some players at the club are collecting dust. Mainly, guys like the aforementioned Nani, Rio Ferdinand and to some extent, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic.
The futures of these players, all of whom have expiring contracts, hang in the balance. The same went for Anderson whose move to Serie A side Fiorentina on loan in the January transfer window might just save his footballing career.
Upon arriving at Old Trafford in 2007-08 the highly-touted Brazilian appeared in 24 Premier League matches. His talent failed to pan out, however, and over the course of the next six years he never made more than 18 league appearances in a season. Failing to impress Moyes and drawing the ire of the fans who once believed he was the creative midfielder of the future, the time had come for Anderson to move on.
And now, he seems happy trying to reinvent himself in Italy. “Playing in Manchester was great, it is a prestigious club with a lot of history,” Anderson said. “But I was there for seven or eight years and I want to show Fiorentina my quality and fight for a spot in the starting line-up, I thank all Manchester United fans for their love but I’m here to stay.”
