Saha's Future In Doubt

Louis Saha will be sent to extensive medical examinations to discover the exact nature of his injury that prevents him to return for our case.

Once again, Saha's United dream turned into a nightmare. The French striker had an impressive spring last season and the first few months of the current campaign suggested he'd finally left his injury woes behind and became the consistent goalscorer we all knew he had the talent to be.

But fate struck again. The athletic, fast, mobile attacker, one of the biggest assets of our strikeforce, started only four games in 2007 - and it's April now. Saha is currently struggling with a hamstring injury and, when asked when the striker would return, Fergie answered with a sigh: 'I don't know.'

It's now a possibility that he won't play again this season and that could be disastrous for club and player, too.

Of course, the effects look less than grave for United as the Reds coped magnificently without him, scoring a more than healthy amount of goals. Alan Smith, returning from his own injury horror, is leading the line effectively while Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are in blistering form. With even Carrick chipping in with a few, things look good.

However, players of Saha's calibre (when he's fit, he's one of the best strikers in Europe) are always needed when the action is getting hectic. Champions League semi-final, crunch league games, FA Cup final ahead - these games could show just how good we are. It's always possible that Smith will turn mediocre again, that Carrick will stop scoring, that Ronaldo fails in the most crucial moment. In that case, a fit Saha would be a blessing but it seems we are deprived of that for this season...

Yet it's undisputable that the player himself is who has everything to lose in this story. United have the chance to pull through without him - but he will not have the chance to prove himself again if he fails to play any part in the remainder of the campaign. United have been linked with Iaquinta (god, no, please, no!), Lucarelli (NOOOOOO!), Huntelaar, Torres, Villa, Berbatov, Gudjohnsen - and the list could go on. Add to this that Giuseppe Rossi is in good form for Parma, and it's clear Saha has reasons to worry.

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