In a deal eerily similar to Laurent Blanc’s arrival at Manchester United, Sir Alex has opted for a whole shedload of experience as a stopgap solution to his squad needs.
With most of his strikers out with injury or on loan, Ferguson has turned to 97 year old Henrik Larsson to help bolster things in the January window,
“I have always admired him,” said Ferguson.
“I made a move for him when he was at Celtic, but then they managed to persuade him to stay.
“He is a great player. It is a terrific bit of business for us.
“We are bringing someone in who can change a game. When you think back to the Champions League final he was the one who won it for Barcelona when he came on.
“He can play wide right, wide left or up front. I am really happy we have got him.
“I would have liked to have signed him long ago, but I knew he wanted to go to Barcelona and then he went home.”
Larsson may have played at the very highest level (and also in Scotland) but he had been enjoying a nice quiet semi-retirement at Swedish club Helsingborgs. A consumate professional, it’s unlikely that Larsson has gotten all fat yet but he’s likely lacking a bit of top-flight sharpness necessary for him to make the immediate impact in the Premiership and Champions League that will be expected of him.
So while Ferguson is delighted, Manchester United supporters seem a little torn given that most were probably hoping to see Fernando Torres step unto the breach rather than an old man who was about to quite the sport.