Premier League Betting: Is this the season Berbatov will shine?

Premier League / Ralph Ellis / 19 July 2010 / Leave a Comment

Is this the season Berbatov will get his Premier League career back on track?

"Of course nobody would change that verdict on the back of a pre-season game against Celtic in Toronto. But a goal there, and two assists, to help United win 3-1 in the middle of Friday night was a positive sign that maybe, just maybe, Berbatov could be about to blossom."

After a relatively poor couple of seasons, the Old Trafford faithful are hoping for an improved display from Dimitar Berbatov this year, especially after he retired from international football to focus on his club football with Manchester United says Ralph Ellis.

He is, and I quote: "A classy and complete centre-forward, pairing the ability to ruthlessly and regularly find the net inside the box, with the aptitude to create moments of sheer magic outside it." But you might not instantly recognise the player we're talking about from that description taken from his club's official website.

No, it's not Emile Heskey! Not even the modern football propaganda machine would go quite that far! It's Dimitar Berbatov, according to Manchester United's authorised player biographies.

To be fair, when the Bulgarian was first at Spurs under the guidance of Martin Jol, it was a pretty accurate portrayal of a classy striker who wasn't afraid of a bit of hard work. But he started losing his way towards the end of his Tottenham time and hasn't really ever recovered it at Old Trafford. For £23.4million paid there and then plus more incentive payments on top, that could take the fee closer to £30million. Over two seasons it has been regularly put forward as one of Sir Alex Ferguson's worst value deals.

Of course nobody would change that verdict on the back of a pre-season game against Celtic in Toronto. But a goal there, and two assists, to help United win 3-1 in the middle of Friday night was a positive sign that maybe, just maybe, Berbatov could be about to blossom. It's not impossible - after all Didier Drogba was written off as a flop after his first year at Stamford Bridge and we all know what's happened since.

The mention of Heskey and Berbatov at the start of this article was deliberate - because both have quit international football this summer and it just so happened I was talking last week to Aston Villa's captain Stiliyan Petrov about them both. He'd just finished modelling Villa's new kit, and was explaining how he reckons England will miss Heskey - and is absolutely certain that Bulgaria will miss Berbatov. As he pointed out, whatever his goals record in the Premier League, you can't argue with his international stats that read 48 from 77 games. And he thinks both players will find their club form improving thanks to taking rests during weeks when they might have been travelling with their country.

United's quiet summer in the transfer market has meant their title odds have eased to a generous [3.8] to regain their title. But that ignores the potential of the youngsters who might find their feet at Old Trafford. Players like Javier Hernandez, Federico Macheda, Danny Wellbeck and Mame Biram Diouf will all be gaining more experience. And meanwhile there's still Berbatov and Wayne Rooney around - plus Michael Owen returning from injury.

It remains a quiet summer in the transfer market, with clubs far more able to resist big bids for their best players - and also more cautious over what they will spend. Only Manchester City are really splashing money about, and this week should decide whether they capture James Milner or not. The Villa midfielder was [1.1] to move a week or so ago, but has now drifted to [1.5]. And Cesc Fabregas is also odds on ([1.5]) to remain at The Emirates, while Fernando Torres is [1.6] to stay at Anfield and Steven Gerrard shorter at [1.27] to be with him.

Also staying is Ashley Cole, according to Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti. Jose Mourinho might fancy the England left back who has supposedly told friends he wants to quit playing in England, but the Italian says he won't sell. "I don't need to speak to him and he doesn't need to speak to me. He will be an important player for us next season, 100 per cent." At least the Chelsea website doesn't try to describe him as a model husband!