Gabriel Obertan Profile

United secured the signature of French starlet Gabriel Obertan on 8 July 2009, with the highly-rated forward/winger joining the Reds from Bordeaux following a four-year spell with Les Girondins.

Prior to his arrival at Bordeaux, Obertan began his career with local club Paris-Pantin FC, before making the switch to Paris FC in 2002 and then Paris-Saint Germain. After spending a year at each, he moved to the famed Clairefontaine Academy in order to further his development, before being spotted by Bordeaux scouts.

He joined Les Girondins in 2005 and spent his first year plying his trade in

the reserves. After being offered a three-year professional contract in 2006, he was promoted to the first team at the start of the 2006/07 season and made his debut, aged 17, on 30 September 2006 against Valenciennes. He fired his first goal for the club on 22 April 2007, scoring the second in a 2-0 win over Saint-Étienne. By the end of the campaign he had racked up 17 appearances, 16 of them as a substitute.

The following season, he featured in 26 matches and scored two goals, but he was still limited to mostly substitute appearances due to the abundance of strikers at manager Laurent Blanc's disposal. That trend continued into 2008/09 resulting in Obertan being loaned out to fellow Ligue 1 side Lorient for the second half of the campaign, during which time he featured 15 times, scoring once.

On the international front, Obertan has progressed through the ranks for his country receiving caps at Under 16, 17, 18 and 19 levels. He is currently involved in the French under 21 squad.

Now a Red after signing a four-year deal, the versatile Frenchman is looking forward to the challenge that comes with playing at Old Trafford. "I am very happy to join Manchester United," he said. "This is a big opportunity for

me to play at such a great club. I am very excited to be here and I look forward to proving what I can do."

Reds sign French starlet

Report by Ben Hibbs

Sir Alex Ferguson has made Bordeaux's Gabriel Obertan United's third signing of the summer, after the promising young Frenchman signed a four-year deal at Old Trafford.

The 20-year-old's contract keeps him at Old Trafford until at least June 2013, and Sir Alex revealed Obertan, who can play in a variety of attacking positions, is a player whose progress he has followed for some time.

"Gabriel is a player we have tracked for a few years now, but because of his educational programme our efforts to get him here have always been delayed," the Reds boss told ManUtd.com.

"We are delighted to get him now as he is an exciting prospect. We like to get young players and develop them, and we will see that in Gabriel over the next two years."

Gabriel admits he jumped at the chance to join the Barclays Premier League champions.

“I am very happy to join Manchester United," he told us. "This is a big opportunity for me to play at such a great club. I am very excited to be here and I look forward to proving what I can do."

However, the club has confirmed that due to a slight injury which needs attention, Gabriel will not travel on the pre-season tour.

Introducing... Obertan

Report by Nick Coppack

United’s new signing may be something of an unknown quantity in England, but over in France they’ve been singing his praises for years.

In fact, Gabriel Obertan was being tipped for the top long before he even made his senior debut for Bordeaux as a 17-year-old.

So what sort of player is the France U21 international? And what can United fans expect from his first season at Old Trafford? To find out, we spoke exclusively to BBC 5Live’s European football expert Andy Brassell...

How highly rated is Obertan in France?
He’s a terrific player, although, to be honest, I think some people in France are quite surprised by the transfer. He’s been on the cusp of something great at Bordeaux for a while now – he made his debut at 17 – but he hasn’t quite kicked on and forced himself into the side on a regular basis. Despite that, I think he’ll be a really good fit at United.

What are his main attributes?
He’s a very versatile player and the way United play you need your frontmen to be mobile and flexible. He’s a right-sided attacker, but he can also drop back into midfield or play as a second striker. He could probably also play in central midfield, and I expect his adaptability is one reason Sir Alex was interested in him. He went through the famous Clairefontaine football academy so he has a lot of technical ability and he’s also very quick.

So he’s not a like-for-like replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo?
No, I don’t think you can compare him to Ronaldo or claim he’ll be a direct replacement – they’re different sorts of players. However, like Ronaldo when he first came to England, there’s an element of the unknown around Obertan, which could work in his favour. Remember, though, Obertan’s played about 100 first-team games already and he’s played in the Champions League, so he has decent experience under his belt. In that sense, he’s maybe better prepared for England than Ronaldo was when he first arrived. Obertan also understands his attributes very well: he’s direct and has plenty of tricks, but he’s not going to over-elaborate or do them for the sake of showing off.

Are we talking about a future star?
Well, a lot of people in France think he could become something really special. He hasn’t quite progressed at the rate people had hoped after his debut at 17, but he’s also been a little bit unlucky. Last year, for instance, Bordeaux played Roma in the Champions League and Obertan started terrifically. Bordeaux went 1-0 up and things were looking really good. But then their centre-back was sent off and Obertan was sacrificed for a defender and Bordeaux ended up losing. Similar things have happened on one or two other occasions and there was a feeling that it just wasn’t going to happen for him at Bordeaux, a feeling that luck just wasn’t going his way.

He was sent out on loan to FC Lorient for the second half of 2008/09. They’re not exactly a big club…
That’s true, but he did very well at Lorient. And the fact that Bordeaux sent him on loan to a struggling side shouldn’t be seen as a negative. I think it served two purposes: it said to him that he needed to play more games and start making some progress, but it also would have provided a valuable education. Lorient are a modest club without bells or whistles – he would have been forced to work hard there and roll his sleeves up and get stuck in. While he was there he played for France U21s against England U21s in Nottingham. France won that night, Obertan was the best player on the park and scored the first goal. That performance was a good indication of what he’s capable of.

Realistically, how much can United fans expect to see him this season?
He’s relatively unknown so I don’t think too much will be expected of him. There won’t be too much pressure. I see it almost as a free season for him to ease himself into the club. I definitely wouldn’t like to see him go out on loan – he has such fantastic players to learn from at United and because he’s tall, pacy and has tricks I think he’ll work really well as an impact substitute against tired defenders. I can see him playing about 25 games this season.

Can he cope with the rigours of the English game?
Absolutely. I think the French league, in general, is a great finishing school for life in England. It’s physically tougher than most other leagues in Europe – certainly the Spanish, Portuguese, German or Italian leagues – so that helps players prepare for the Premier League. Most players who have come from France to England are quite physical and get stuck in – people like Drogba and Essien at Chelsea and even Bassong at Newcastle. Obertan is a big guy – 6ft 1in – he’s quick and he can handle himself against defenders. I think that’s something that would have really appealed to United.

Listen to Andy Brassell on BBC 5Live’s weekly World Football podcast.

Blog: Big Ben strikes no.1

Report by Caroline Hunt

After Ben Foster's new four-year contract, Caroline Hunt says it's time to step up for United's England shot-stopper...

Ben Foster has had to bide his time since joining from Stoke City four years ago. Plucked from relative obscurity, Ben soon made inroads into the England team and fast became the new hope, long-term hope for club, and indeed country.

Impressive loans spells, coupled with a few spells on the sidelines through injury, there have been only fleeting, but promising moments in a United shirt.

Things could, though, soon be looking up for United’s young English stopper, after the Reds’ current incumbent of the no.1 jersey at OT announced that the coming season will be his last. In different circumstances, of course, that might have been cause for glum faces. After all Edwin van der Sar has been the first man to stand comparison to Peter Schmeichel despite a raft of attempts by the likes of Fabien Barthez and Tim Howard.

Foster's new contract, and Sir Alex's comments that he is a "genuine successor" to Edwin are promising to say the least for Ben, who's still young in goalkeeping terms at 26.

On the rare occasions United’s seemingly no.1-in-waiting has got the nod from the gaffer, he’s looked every bit the real deal, making van der Sar’s exit a less traumatic prospect.

Stepping in and stepping up from time to time is one thing, though. Doing it week in, week out, against the finest strikers in the land, not to mention Europe’s most fearsome marksmen, is a stiffer challenge. And until Edwin has said his final farewells, a sustained spell in the side seems unlikely for his challengers (it shouldn’t be forgotten that Tomasz Kuszczak is also still in the running). But the prospect of the Reds’ no.1 jersey coming up for grabs in August 2010 should be enough to keep Foster focused for the new season even if he is set, once again, to play second fiddle.

A sustained run in this season’s domestic cup competitions, following on from last term's Carling Cup triumph, would clearly be high on Foster’s wishlist. In the Reds’ victorious 2008/09 effort, he was the keeper of choice at the business end of the competition, and waltzed off as Man of the Match after United’s spot-kick win over Tottenham. That still wasn’t enough to dislodge the immovable Edwin, but it was encouraging to see Foster stand tall on the big stage.

There’s no reason to think that Sir Alex will refrain from using Ben more often this season as a potential transition begins. And having made the most of his fleeting opportunities so far in the red (well, yellow, green, blue, and soon-to-be white) shirt, now is the time Foster to not only continue that, but really step up to the plate. Now could be the time that the real jockeying for pole position starts. The shirt for United, and England for that matter, is up for grabs...

The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.

Papers: In safe hands

Foster staying put
Ben Foster has given Sir Alex Ferguson one less thing to worry about after pledging his future to Manchester United. While United manager Ferguson is working flat out to bring in a goalscorer, Foster has committed his next four years to the Premier League champions. Foster, 26, has been plagued by injury problems since moving to Old Trafford from Stoke in 2005. But providing he can keep away from the treatment table, Ferguson believes he is a natural replacement when first-choice Edwin van der Sar retires. “Ben is seen as one of the best young goalkeepers in England and we genuinely see him as a successor to Edwin van der Sar,” said Ferguson. “We are delighted that Ben has signed a new four-year deal.” A frustrating spell of injuries, coupled with Van der Sar’s excellent form, has limited him to 10 senior United appearances in four seasons, although two of those campaigns were spent on loan at Watford. Foster, seen by many as a future England No1, missed most of the 2007-08 season following cruciate ligament surgery, and also suffered an ankle ligament injury just a few weeks into last season.”
Brendan Abbott, Daily Express

The Daily Star runs quotes about from Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc. Speaking about Gabriel Obertan, with the French U21 star apparently set for Old Trafford, the former United defender said: “I was surprised, but it is an unexpected chance for him to play with one of the best clubs in the world. He has the potential. But he must overcome psychological and mental challenges, so he can express his true value.”

The Sun claims United target Douglas Costa could still be moving to Old Trafford, with the player's agent insistent that Gremio will drop their £18million asking price for the winger.

Round up by Steve Bartram