Man Utd capture Larsson on loan (11 Viewers)

Roverbhoy

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2002
1,840
#1
From the BBC-

Larsson will make his Premiership bow at 35

Manchester United will sign veteran striker Henrik Larsson on a three-month loan deal in January. The 35-year-old former Celtic striker will leave current club Helsingborg on 1 January and will return on 12 March in time for the Swedish season.

Larsson said: "United have been after me before, after the first or second season with Celtic.

"It feels good to come and play for such a big club. I may not start every match, but it feels like a fun thing."


United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is short of options up front, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer injured and Alan Smith still seeking full fitness.

That leaves Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha as his only recognised strikers.

Ferguson said: "I have always admired Larsson. 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.

"We won't be going for any other strikers. We have exhausted all avenues and this, without doubt, is the best option."

Larsson left Barcelona at the end of last season to join hometown club Helsingborg, helping them to a fourth-placed league finish and the Swedish Cup in his first season.

Am I a back-up? Yes, at the beginning

However, their normal season ended in November, leaving Larsson free to play for United.

"I know the players," said Larsson. "I have played against many of them, so it's not a new thing. I hope the situation will be easier, knowing the faces and names.

"I will go over there to play as much as possible - but I have no idea of how they want to use me.

"We will see how much playing time there will be. Am I a back-up? Yes, at the beginning.

"Then you will see what I can contribute and how things are going. We have not discussed a jersey number at all. We will see what it will be."

Larsson spent two years in Spain and played a decisive role in this year's Champions League final when he came on in the second half and set up both goals in the defeat of Arsenal.

The Swede joined Barca in 2004 following a hugely successful seven-year spell at Celtic, where he is widely hailed as one of the best players in the club's history.

He scored 242 goals in more than 300 appearances for the Scottish club.

Norway forward Solskjaer added: "He must be the best Scandinavian outfield player since (Denmark's) Michael Laudrup. You won't find many better players around Europe.

"He's been fantastic for the last 15 years, and he showed at Celtic and Barcelona that he can handle the pressure of being at a top club with expectations.

"I think he'll have a good influence on us, and he'll relish the opportunity at his age."

Former Celtic boss Martin O'Neill was recently asked if he might be interested in signing Larsson for current club Aston Villa, but said he had not been in contact with the striker.

The pair will meet again on 13 January when United meet Villa at Old Trafford.
 

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HelterSkelter

Senior Member
Apr 15, 2005
20,535
#4
there's one image of him that i can never forget.him not celebrating his goal when he scored against celtic during his first season at barcelona.this man deserves nothing short of sheer respect.
 
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Roverbhoy

Roverbhoy

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2002
1,840
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  • Thread Starter #5
    The big radio debate is...in the eleven weeks he'll play in the premiership, will he still score more goals than Sheva will all season?
     
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    Roverbhoy

    Roverbhoy

    Senior Member
    Jul 31, 2002
    1,840
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  • Thread Starter #7
    salman said:
    there's one image of him that i can never forget.him not celebrating his goal when he scored against celtic during his first season at barcelona.this man deserves nothing short of sheer respect.
    Class reaction...and believe it or not many of us actually clapped that goal against us.
     
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    Roverbhoy

    Roverbhoy

    Senior Member
    Jul 31, 2002
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  • Thread Starter #8
    salman said:
    close call.shevchenko might beat him 6 to 5.
    I think the main advantage Henke will have is that he'll be joining a team geared up for attack...unlike Chelsea

    That'll suit him down to a tee
     
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    Roverbhoy

    Roverbhoy

    Senior Member
    Jul 31, 2002
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  • Thread Starter #14
    salman said:
    ijoined 3 years after you joined,so yea you were here 'before my time'.

    btw,is larsson the highest scorer in celtic's history?
    Actually not...and by a big way...Jimmy McGrory scored over 450 or so. Larsson scored about 240ish
     
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    Roverbhoy

    Roverbhoy

    Senior Member
    Jul 31, 2002
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  • Thread Starter #16
    Andy said:
    Always thought he was overrated.
    When he played for Celtic many people shared your view.
    However, when he went to Barca I think he proved he could play at a higher domestic league than the SPL.
    He's been succesfull in World Cups, Euro Championships, The CL, The uefa Cup, The Primera League, The Dutch League, The Swedish League and now probably The EPL...what more has he got to do?
     

    Joaco

    the cronopio
    Dec 11, 2005
    5,213
    #17
    I like this guy since he used to play in Celtic (actually, he's one of the reason of why I like Celtic now). Good luck to him
     

    Martin

    Senior Member
    Dec 31, 2000
    56,913
    #18
    Generally speaking, footballers choose to spend their holidays in one or all of the following ways: (i) quaffing alcopops in tacky resorts; (ii) spouting banalities for TV channels covering tournaments they weren't good enough to qualify for; or (iii) coaxing impressionable young ladies into co-starring with the whole team in special interest movies that could be described as art house if only they'd thought of overdubbing a foreign language dialogue. So it's always sensational when a maverick soul eschews these customs and does something truly unexpected. We've had Linvoy Primus trekking around the Great Wall of China for charidee, David James setting up a scheme to help under-privileged kids in Malawi and today, most surprisingly of all, we've had Swedish striker and philanthropist Henrik Larsson announce he's going to spend his vacation helping the MU Rowdies win the Premiership.

    With the Swedish season having just ended, the Helsingborg hitman decided to accept Lord Ferg's plea to come and bolster the Rowdies' Victoria Beckham-thin squad; he'll arrive at the DevilBowl in January and stay for three months before returning to Sweden for the new season. "Lord Ferg called me last night," revealed the man whose record at the Queen's Celtic proves he was the most devastating force to hit Scotland since, well, England. "It feels nice to come and play for such a big club. I know the players - they are really good," continued the Swede, possibly while looking at a squad photo out of which Kieran Richardson and John O'Bese had been carefully airbrushed.

    Luring Larsson seems like a masterstroke by Lord Ferg. He may be 35 but as he demonstrated just seven months ago when turning the Big Cup final in Barcelona's favour, he still oozes class. Louis Saha and Wayne Rooney will remain first-choice spearheads, but Larsson will allow them time to rest and serve as a crucial barrier between Alan Smith, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and a starting place. So, since it is a surprising and cheap mid-season switch that could turn the title race in the Rowdies' favour, the signing of Larsson could justifiably be compared to Fergie's famous capture of a certain celebrated Frenchman: Laurent Bl ... sorry, Eric Cantona.

    :D
     

    JCK

    Biased
    JCK
    May 11, 2004
    125,366
    #19
    Won't it be amazing if he wins the CL with Manchester?

    He would have won it twice in a row and Zlatan jumps from team to team in an attempt to chase the glory while Henke takes it in the sliest ways possible :D
     

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