[caption id="attachment_69040" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="United’s Darron Gibson playing for the Republic of Ireland."]
On St. Stephen’s Day, Darron Gibson lined out for Manchester United in their 5-0 demolition of Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford. This was his first Premier League start of the season. Indeed, it was his first Premier League action of any kind in the entire campaign. The last time Gibson figured in a league match before the day after Christmas was against Everton last April. After eight months then during which his only competitive game for the club came in the embarrassing Carling Cup defeat by Crystal Palace back in November, Gibson was so happy he went out to celebrate with Wayne Rooney and Jonny Evans and their respective partners.
It is now a matter of tabloid sensation that all three were dropped for the subsequent trip to Blackburn Rovers due to their abject performances and parlous physical condition in training the next day. What they got up to on their big night out which reduced them to this state on the field is the source of much speculation, but it shouldn’t concern us too much. What is stunning is that Gibson would do anything at all to jeopardize his chances of starting or even making it as far as the bench at a time in the calendar when managers traditionally dig deep into their squads for fresh legs. Why would he risk this?
Gibson may or may not be smart enough to notice but his career is at a crucial juncture. Despite the fact he made 75 out of the 78 passes he attempted during the stroll against Wigan (one of those teams who raise the white flag the moment they see United in the tunnel), he has no future at Old Trafford. Every time he gets to walk onto the field there, he should treasure it like it’s his last. Because, regardless of his bit-part role in Rooneygate, it soon will be. All this week indeed, there have been reports linking him to West Brom, Stoke City, Everton (most strongly) and indeed, Wigan.
That so many top flight clubs could be interested in signing a 24 year old who has started just 14 Premier League games for United since his debut in November, 2008 says much for how he’s viewed by those in the game. Some people screaming derision at him from the seats at Old Trafford may not quite see it but Gibson is actually rated by those who count. If ability isn’t his problem then, attitude must be. We say this not because of his role in the St. Stephen’s Day debacle but because of the way he’s been happy to stay at a club where he hardly ever plays.
He could and should have got out of there last summer when there was reportedly the chance to move to Sunderland with John O’Shea and Wes Brown. With the arrivals of Phil Jones and Ashley Young (at least until he lost his mojo) and the looming emergence of Tom Cleverley and Paul Pogba, Gibson was always going to slip right down the pecking order. Injuries may have disguised his lack of participation for much of this season but in reality he was never going to figure much more than he has anyway. And that makes his post-Christmas partying all the more incredible. It’s one thing for Rooney to decide to let his manufactured hair down. He’s already halfway through a long, hard season. By comparison, Gibson has barely broke sweat to this point.
There’s a crucial difference between Gibson and Evans too. Aside from the obvious fact both are Northern Ireland-born and bred, Gibson opted to play for the Republic (a move he may regret given how little action he’s likely to see in the remaining years of the Trapattoni reign), there’s something else. Evans can call himself a first-team player. He may not be to every fan’s liking and his long-term future at the club is a constant source of speculation but he has started nearly 120 games for United in all competitions, 90 of those in the Premier League. By any standards, those are the statistics of somebody who can leave and say they once wore the famous shirt.
What will Gibson say when he leaves? That his most famous contribution was to have been present on the night out that may have soured the relationship between Ferguson and Rooney and changed the direction of the club forever. Or that he learned his trade at one of the best clubs in the world before bringing his talents to bear for another outfit and finally starting to punch his weight for his country. The second option is available to him but it’s also up to him.
This summer, Ireland will play in the European Championships for the first time in nearly quarter of a century. This represents a unique opportunity for every eligible player. Gibson is never going to get to play in a Champions’ League final so the chance to compete on one of the other of the biggest stages against the likes of Spain and Italy is a once-off. Who knows when Ireland will get to the big dance again? In Gibson’s lifetime? Would you bet on it it?
If Gibson had ambition and hunger, he’d be banging down Ferguson’s door, demanding to be let go so he can play first-team football some place and shoehorn his way into Trapattoni’s starting XI. Instead, the enduring image of Gibson this past week or so is of a fella burning the candle at both ends, suffering so badly the morning after that he couldn’t even do enough at training to cover up the carousing of the night before. Perhaps the worst indictment of Gibson’s career (or lack of one to this point) came from English journalist Iain MacIntosh.,
“I can see how Ferguson knew Rooney was worse for wear at training, but how on earth did he know that Darron Gibson had been drinking?” asked MacIntosh. Harsh but under the circumstances of how inactive he has been, hardly unfair.
