With Manchester United already safely through to the first knockout round of the Champions League, French starlet Gabriel Obertan is being tipped to make his first start in the competition for the Red Devils against Besiktas on Wednesday night.
For the neutral, the possible introduction of the 20-year-old Frenchman to United’s starting 11 offers a great incentive to tune in and see why Sir Alex Ferguson shelled out £3 million for a player who was still to make a significant breakthrough at top team level before moving to England.
Obertan made the switch from Bordeaux to United in the summer, signing a four year deal and being immediately hailed as “an exciting prospect” by his new boss. After a brief spell on the sidelines with a back injury, he impressed in the reserves and has gone on to taste first team football five times for the Red Devils this season.
Regarded as one of France’s greatest prospects, Obertan started his career as a junior with Paris FC and then Paris Saint-Germain, before spending time at the Clairefontaine national academy ahead of a move to Bordeaux. The likes of Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry have emerged from the prestigious facility to represent their country and Obertan is tipped to emulate their success.
Yet his sudden elevation to turning out for the English champions – even as a bit part player – is a surprise. Having announced his arrival in Ligue 1 in 2008 with a match winning goal for Bordeaux against Marseille, Obertan was then shipped out on loan to Lorient after finding first team chances hard to come by.
But the man responsible for rearing David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo to name but a few has seen enough to fast track the wide midfielder-come-striker to the substitutes bench for big matches and he is expected to grab his opportunity to shine against Besiktas with the pressure off.
Standing at over 6ft, the gangly Obertan looks awkward on the ball at first glance. But as he has shown in his fleeting appearances so far, he has a touch and a range of skills to rival Ronaldo in his early days. With pace in abundance and a keen eye for goal, he is likely to prove a handful for a Besiktas side bottom of Group B and already out of the competition.
He has already featured in the Champions League with previous club Bordeaux and was a late substitute in United’s 3-3 home draw with CSKA Moscow at Old Trafford last month. Now he looks set to make his first start in the competition with his new club and the home crowd are expecting a performance from Obertan that will make the headlines.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the action. Watch Manchester v Besiktas live online on stv.tv/sport. Click here for a link to the live stream. Coverage starts at 7.30pm.
Last updated: 25 November 2009, 11:30
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