Juan Seba Veron - Unfairly Judged?

The word enigmatic is often associated with footballers who divide opinion amongst their own club support, and there were none more enigmatic than our 2001 summer signing, Juan Sebastian Veron. After a drawn out transfer saga which eventually saw the Argentine playmaker sign for £28.1m, a British transfer record for the time, Veron was billed as the missing piece of the jigsaw, with the ability to carve open the stoutest of defences with an intricate flick or a measured through ball. It appeared that Sir Alex Ferguson had found his man to retain the Premier League title and seriously challenge for the Champions League once again.

Two months into his Manchester United playing career and things couldn't have been going better for La Brujita (the Little Witch). A series of mesmeric performances against the likes of Everton, Newcastle, Deportivo and Tottenham saw the 26-year-old Veron pick up the Player of the Month award in September 2001, the first Argentine to do so. After such an impressive start to his Manchester United career, the relationship between Veron and the Old Trafford faithful began to become increasingly strained over the next several months, and by the end of the season, the honeymoon period was well and truly over.

Veron was seen by some as being lazy, lacklustre, and uncommitted. The question of how such a talented footballer couldn't establish himself as a huge success at a club as illustrious as Manchester United still baffles many supporters and analysts of the game alike to this very day. Just why did Veron fail to live up to expectations during his time in England?

The biggest factor people often unite in agreement with is that the Argentine couldn't handle the pace of the Premier League. The notorious hustle and bustle of England's top flight league was simply too difficult for Veron to become accustomed to. After spending several years at Lazio where he was allowed space and time on the ball in the more forgiving climate of Serie A, coming up against the combative center backs and midfielder enforcers in the Premier League took away the thing Veron relied on most - time.

As a result, Veron was often forced into making rushed decisions on the pitch. His reluctance to track back or win a crunching tackle once in a while was also like a red rag to the Manchester United supporters' bull, and patience began to wane rapidly. His dallying on the ball against Middlesbrough at the business end of the 2001/02 season led to Alen Boksik punishing the Argentine and taking a crucial three points away from United. Veron was starting to become somewhat of a liability.

Nothing appeared to be going right for the former Lazio player, in the Premier League at least. His performances in the Champions League were as sublime as ever, Veron was allowed to get a feel for the ball once again, was allowed to look up and play a pinpoint 50-yard-pass, the smile was back and for once a fortnight at least, forced the United supporters to take a step back and reassess the situation. His nonchalant chip against Olympiakos during the following season's Champions League campaign was one of the finest examples of deft perfection you'll ever see on a football pitch, whilst his sumptuous free-kick against West Ham in the Premier League matched anything David Beckham had produced from a set piece that season. When Veron was allowed time and space on the ball, his genius would usually shine through.

After Manchester United wrapped up the Premier League title in 2003, Veron became the first Argentine to win a Premier League winners' medal, an achievement that the South American was rightfully proud of. The following summer, United took part in a pre-season competition in the United States, and Veron had travelled despite being linked with a move away from Old Trafford. Whilst in America, Juventus played the newly crowned English champions and Veron was the star of the show. The pre-season provided an optimistic glimpse of the future, with Veron at the heart of everything good the team were producing. In what was supposed to have been a period marking a bright future for the Argentine, sadly, this was to be the Veron's last appearance in a United shirt, as Chelsea lodged a £15m bid and Ferguson felt the offer was too good to refuse.

Those who claim Veron was a total failure during his spell at United never witnessed his performances in Europe or his range of passing he displayed in the Premier League. After Beckham's departure to Real Madrid and an impressive pre-season in America, it seemed that Veron would step into the United midfield and be the man on set piece duty for the new season, a renewed responsibility that the Argentine surely would have relished.

So was Veron sold at the wrong time? Was the man who cost Sir Alex Ferguson nearly £30m really out of his depth in England?

The cheap jibes still persist, the transfer fee is always brought into question and when the 'biggest transfer flop' lists appear, the Argentine's name will inevitably appear. However, he left an impression on those who admire beautiful football and those people recogonised the underlying quality that the South American had. He may have been enigmatic, but the sheer of amount of raw technical ability Veron possessed put the Argentine up amongst the finest technical players the Premier League has seen. Unfortunatly, he was seldom able to utalise it and show the Premier League the real Juan Sebastian Veron.