Wigan Athletic has been one of those mid table teams that have successfuly brought in promising players that evenutually attract the top teams in the Premiership. The likes of Heskey, Palacios are some to name a few. The most recent player to leave the club is none other than Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia who has been on Manchester Utd's manager Sir Alex Ferguson's radar for a number of season's. After recieving 80 million pounds from the purchase of midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo, Ferguson immediately contacted Wigan about purchasing the South American. A fee estimated around 17 million was agreed and Valencia was soon wearing the red and black Jersey in a preseason friendly against Boca Juniors.
The 24 yr old Ecuadorian started his European Career in Spain signing with Villareal but was then loaned out to Recreativo and then to Wigan in the Premiership. His loan spell at Wigan impressed the coaching staff enough for them to approach Villareal for the midfielder's permanent signature. A fee was agreed and Valencia became a marquee figure in the Wigan team. His pace and strength trouble defenders and his crosses were perfect for lurking forwards upfront. The only weakness in his game seems to be his lack of goal scoring. During his time at Wigan, Valencia only scored 6 goals in 47 appearances. There were also periods during his stay when he experienced injury set backs. During his three seasons at Wigan he racked up assists and admirers alike. Wigan's managerial staff knew that it would only be a matter of time before a bigger club would set their goal on signing the player. Their only hope would be that they would be able to make a substantial profit if an offer came in.
Valencia is now a Utd player and has already impressed Ferguson with his display during his pre-season run outs. He caused markers many problems in his debut in a friendly match against Boca and managed to get himself on the score sheet with an impressive individual display in front of goal that caught both Boca defenders and the goal keeper off guard. He then continued where he left off in a friendly match against Valencia at Old Trafford. Valencia turned on the after burners in the second half of the friendly demonstrating his skillsl on the right side of the field. He beat defenders with his pace and strength and placed dangerous crosses, as well as going inside and taking a well placed shot on goal. Two of his crosses earned him two assists, and contributed to the two winning goals in the game. The first, a well placed crossed into the box that was met by the head of striker Wayne Rooney. The second a quick low cross that caused havoc in the box and allowed a reserve squad player to take the opportunity of the chaos and find himself on the score sheet.
Judging from the pre-season performances it would seem that Ferguson has found himself a winner. A player that will be able to service forwards such as Rooney, Owen and Berbatov with crosses that will increase scoring opportunities. A well placed cross is extremely dangerous, because Utd midfield players are always looking for an opportunity to pounce when opponents defenses are scrambling to gain possession of the ball. Under the training tutelage of the Utd Staff Valencia could transform into an attacking option also. Wigan being a smaller team may play more cautious with the hope of not conceding goals, this could have hindered Valencia's shooting opportunities. This preseason has already shown that Valencia has an accurate foot and the ability to strike shots on goal. His new found freedom with Utd could see him becoming more of a goal scoring threat and help Ferguson regain some of the goal scoring chances that were lost with the departures of both Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. In fact he scored 20 goals in 84 appearances in South America before he moved to Europe. Valencia is definitely a player to watch in the upcoming season.
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