Vidic has a point in latest dispute
A well know Guardian journalist claimed that Vidic wanted to leave the club and that his team mates as well as management had known for ages. It was implied that Vidic wanted parity with Rio Ferdinand with an improved contract that would see him earn in the £110k-£120k bracket and took umbrage as United stalled in offering him a deal this summer.
Vidic was signed in 2006 from Spartak Moscow on a contract that would have expired this summer but a year later signed an extension to his deal that expires in 2012 and sees him currently earn £70k. So does Vidic have a right to be angry after all this time?
The Serbian defender has become a fan favourite with his all action style and aerial dominance. When fully fit his central defensive pairing with Rio Ferdinand is one of the finest in the land and few will deny that, especially having seen the 07-08 season when the two came up against the cream of European football and came out on top as United did a League and European Cup double. To add to this the following season his importance shone in the back line as he was a mainstay in a backline hit by various injuries as well as being a corner stone in United’s defensive masterclass, starting every game when we went a record 14 games run without conceding and thus he was shortlisted for the PFA player of the year award for that season as well as winning the club’s player of the year award.
In just under 200 appearances for the club Vidic has gone from a known defender to one of the best in the world. He isn’t perfect and liable to the odd lapse here and there but as are many defenders. A raise of 40 or 50 thousand a week may seem a bit steep but for an established top level defender of his caliber it isn’t as bad as it sounds and you would be looking at a figure in the same range in terms of wages if we were to sign a player of his stature from another club
Despite the fact we have the likes of Jonny Evans to step in and fill the void, losing him would be a nightmare. He has built a chemistry with Rio Ferdinand that many defensive partnership never achieve and it has proven to be a solid foundation from which we can work from. To lose him now when we are on the verge of pairing the two together again, fully fit, would be a massive blow to our title chances before the season even starts.
I just hope we can sort this out before it become a problem that can not be fixed.