Building for success

Louis Saha recalls the key role of the 2006 League Cup in creating a new generation of Manchester United glory.

"Of all the centre-forwards we employed, when you talk about their talents (two-footed, good in the air, spring, speed, power), Saha would be one of the best. He posed a perpetual threat. But then came the injuries." Those are the words of Sir Alex Ferguson in his recent autobiography. It perfectly encapsulates the Manchester United career of Louis Saha. The Frenchman scored 42 goals for United in all competitions but the injuries - hamstring strains, calf muscle complaints and knee problems - which blighted his playing days meant he was never able to truly fulfil that ability which had so impressed Ferguson. Having arrived at United for more than £12million from Fulham in the January of 2004, the Frenchman would leave for Everton in 2008 after just 76 starts and only flashes of brilliance. "Louis, who lived about 50 yards from me, and was a lovely lad, had to be 150 per cent to play," Ferguson explained. "It was agony for us. And it was not a case of him being out for weeks; it tended to be months. The reason for selling him was that no matter how talented he was, I could never plan around him, could never say, 'this is my team for the next two or three years'. Saha was young enough to be viewed in that way, as a cornerstone player, but the uncertainty caused by his constant non-availability rendered it impossible to look far down the line." Those words from Ferguson provide a complete insight into a mind-set; his gift to constantly look to reinvent teams beyond the present and not standstill, which many consider to have been the Scot's greatest managerial strength before his famous retirement at the end of last season. And the League Cup final in the February of 2006 was a microcosm of that process. United had not won a trophy in almost two years since beating Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup final. They had lost the 2005 FA Cup final to Arsenal in a penalty shootout, suffered defeat by Liverpool in the 2003 League Cup final, and had also not won the Premier League since 2003 having been usurped by the mite of Arsenal's Invincibles and then the power of Jose Mourinho's Roman Abramovich-financed Chelsea. That relatively sparse collection of trophies over a couple of years was a major underachievement in the Ferguson era of United. But, behind the scenes, the iconic manager was thinking, planning, and one step ahead of his rivals. The Old Trafford club were in transition. David Beckham had left in 2003, Roy Keane had departed in 2005 and Ruud van Nistelrooy was in the embers of his United career before leaving in the summer of 2006 - all having fallen out with Ferguson. That 2006 League Cup final, against Wigan Athletic at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, was therefore a glimpse of the future. The final itself was a forgettable match. United hammered, and at times tormented, a vastly inferior Wigan team to romp to a 4-0 victory. However, of more significance on the day were the goalscorers; a 20-year-old Wayne Rooney netted twice on his way to a man of the match award and a first winners medal of his professional career, another 20-year-old - Cristiano Ronaldo - was also on target, while tournament top scorer Saha - starting in place of unused substitute Van Nistelrooy having already netted five times on United's road to Cardiff - also had his name on the scoresheet. At the same time, Gary Neville was captain