Start to finish: Berbatov's skill soon caught the eye following his deadline-day switch from Tottenham, and it wasn't long before he opened his account with a Champions League brace at Aalborg. Just as a certain mercurial Frenchman could change the flow of a game, United’s Bulgarian is equally effective. And, like Eric Cantona, he shares a knack for scoring important (often late) goals, as Middlesbrough and Bolton found out to their cost midway through the season. Berba really hit his stride around the New Year, with four goals in six league games, including that last-gasp header at the Reebok and a key goal against Chelsea in the 3-0 win. He also netted in the dramatic comeback against Spurs at Old Trafford in April.
In position: Although he was mainly deployed alongside Rooney, Berbatov also partnered Tevez, Ronaldo, Giggs and Welbeck in a fluidly rotated forward line.
Season highlight: Who could forget his sumptuous piece of skill against West Ham? With little room on the byline, he stopped the ball with his left foot, pirouetted and flicked it over James Collins’ challenge with his right. He then fed a perfect pass across the box for Ronaldo to slide the ball home.
Vital contribution: At the end of a week in which he missed a penalty in the FA Cup semi-final shoot-out against Everton, he tormented his previous club with a dazzling display at OT. He played a part in two of United’s first four goals, before bundling home the fifth.
Any lows? Perhaps a spur to his stellar January, a virus kept Berba from playing any part in the Club World Cup, a period he described as ‘the worst week of my life’.
Any other business? Tottenham must be sick of the sight of their old boys prospering at Old Trafford. In the FA Cup fourth round, Michael Carrick played an exquisite through ball to Berbatov who applied an unerring finish to knock Spurs out.
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