Paul Scholes 2.0?

I've read a lot of articles over the past week with stories regarding United's midfield and after putting the pieces together, I've concluded that United need to start grooming another Paul Scholes - now. How have I reached this conclusion? Read on...

Özil to Madrid
So for me, this all started when I read the news that Mesut Özil was gonna sign for Real Madrid. A part of me wanted to see Özil at Old Trafford. He had pace, flair, and the confidence to succeed on the biggest stage. Despite this, it didn't really matter to me that he was gonna join Mourinho in Madrid. I just have this feeling that Madrid are just going to be a team with plenty of superstars and no chemistry, and the addition of Özil just adds another face to a team full of stars.

Possebon to Santos
This piece of news however, made me feel as if we had lost a brilliant young prospect. I've always had this dream of seeing Possebon becoming the next United playmaker and expected him back in the team this season. He might not have contributed too much to the team this year, but who knows what he could have achieved here in the long run.

Anderson back
When the news that Anderson was on his way back came around, I realized that Sir Alex must have a lot of faith in the guy. Here is a player with raw talent and enthusiasm. With the right guidance, Anderson has a bright future in football and I'm glad he's back. To a certain extent, he can be the creative midfield player that United will look to once Scholes is gone. I'm not saying that he will be good as the Ginger Prince, but Anderson sure can bring other players into the game with his hold up play and dish out the assists with his passing.

Eat ass, Fabregas. (It rhymes)

van der Vaart interested in United
Here's where things start to get interesting. Late on the 20th of August, Rafael van der Vaart tells the press that it would be "very hard" to refuse a transfer to Old Trafford. Why? Because a few days before, Real had hinted that van der Vaart might not feature in their first team plans.

I was really excited by this piece of news, here was a proven creative playmaker wanting to play for United. Not only would he make an impact in the short-term, but he could also prove to be the solution to that creative void when Scholesy hangs em up. Also, if he were to move to United now, he could compete with Anderson for that understudy role and give United another option in attack.

So what to do?
Right now, we have Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Gibson, Hargreaves (when he gets back), and Cleverley fighting for spots in the center of midfield. As far as creativity goes, there are not many options in there. Scholes is our number one playmaker right now, but the others don't have the same vision and passing range as he does. Fletcher and Hargreaves are more defensive minded, Carrick is able to pass the ball well but does not have Scholes' creativity, Anderson is the opposite of Carrick, Gibson can shoot like a beast but his passing is not quite as good, and Cleverley is unproven at the highest level.

So should we have gone for Özil? Should we buy van der Vaart while he's still interested? Or should Anderson get a crack at making the team as the de facto playmaker? Personally, I think that the team is good as is and van der Vaart would have limited time on the field for United if he makes the move. Plus, Fergie has said that United are done for the summer in the transfer market, but you never know...