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The destination of Mezut Ozil come the end of this summer’s transfer window has been the subject of wild speculation ever since the German international sparkling displays at the World Cup. The Werder Bremen midfielder has been linked with a number of Europe’s top clubs including Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid but Manchester United seem to be in pole position to land the talented playmaker whom I believe to be the natural successor to legend that is Paul Scholes once the ginger wizard hangs up his wizened old boots.
Ozil possesses many of the same attributes that Scholes has already perfected in his game such as the ability to pick a killer pass. Ozil formed a formidable partnership with Brazilian Diego in Werder Bremen’s midfield and managed to contribute an impressive 15 assists despite a disappointing 10th place finish in the 2008-2009 Bundesliga. Last season saw Diego leave the Weserstadion for Juventus which left Ozil as the main creative force for Bremen and Ozil made sure that the Bremen faithful didn’t miss Diego too much. Ozil continued his impressive trend of assists, laying on 14 for his teammates while contributing 9 goals from midfield.
Ozil’s ability to get goals from midfield is another facet of his game that is also true of Scholes’. Due to his advancing age, Scholes’ goalscoring exploits aren’t what they used to be but he still has the technique and ability to score from both inside and outside the area. Ozil’s goal against Ghana showed both his eye for goal and his incredible technique as he lashed a left-footed half volley into the corner of the net.
Where the two differ is mainly down to age. Ozil is certainly faster than Scholes as seen in Germany’s fourth goal against England where Ozil roasted Gareth Barry for pace and squared for Thomas Muller to finish past David James. His movement off the ball is excellent and his pace enables him to be able to get in behind opposition defences.
Ozil could prove to be the creative spark that Manchester United need to wrest the title from Stamford Bridge this season. If Scholes isn’t in the squad, United will look to Fletcher and Carrick to play in the central berths. While solid, it lacks the dynamism and invention that Ozil would undoubtedly bring if Sir Alex Ferguson decides to sign him.
Scholes has proven in Sunday’s Community Shield victory against Chelsea that he has no intentions of slowing down, producing an imperious passing display that Chelsea simply had no answer for. Ozil has a long way to go to be a player of the same calibre as Paul Scholes but he certainly has the potential to do so.
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