10 Man Utd Youngsters Who Never Fulfilled Their Potential
6. Gabriel Obertan
He arrived as an up-and-coming starlet with bags of potential and promise, who had been tracked by the likes of Arsenal, Inter Milan and AC Milan. He would depart Old Trafford, bag in hand, two summers late, with any semblance confidence having been well and truly shattered.
''Gabriel is a player we have tracked for a few years now. But because of his educational programme our efforts to get him have been delayed. We are delighted to get him now as he is an exciting prospect. - Sir Alex Ferguson, July 2009.
It may have been exciting for the club when the 20 year old winger arrived from Bordeaux for £3 million on a four-year contract in the summer of 2009, but that adjective could not be used to describe any part of Obertans Manchester United career. Demonstrating an inability to get the basics right, including misplacing passes, overhitting crosses and displaying the sort of frenetic ball-chasing that a headless chicken would be proud of. To Fergusons credit, it didnt take him long to see where he had erred, pawning the seemingly useless Frenchman off on Alan Pardews Newcastle in the summer of 2011, where Obertan has once again flattered to deceive, spending the majority of the time warming the bench.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
