UEFA Champions League Final Special: Manchester United Forwards

Part four, the last part, of the Manchester United player's introduction series. Manchester's attack is based on three players: Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernández and Dimitar Berbatov who all have pretty similar playing time. Waiting behind the trio is Michael Owen who doesn't figure to have a big role in the final.

Rooney is going to be a key player in the final against Barcelona, but who will his partner in the attack be is somewhat unclear. Berbatov has more playing time than Hernández, but the young Mexican has been playing better as of late. Either one of them could prove to be dangerous to Víctor Valdés' goal.

In case you missed the previous entries, check them out:

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Wayne Rooney

Position: Forward
Squad No.: 10
Date of birth: 24 October 1985
Place of birth: Croxteth, England
Height: 1.77 m (5' 10'')
Weight: 79 kg (175 lbs)

GP	GS	G	A	SH	SG	FC	FS	YC	RC
40	37	14	13	132	55	28	35	7	0

Rooney is a hard working, physical world-class forward that can score from anywhere. Wayne can play as a lone forward or as a second striker. His passing is very accurate and, if possible, he will try to assists his teammates. Rooney's strength allows him to be excellent in the air on set-pieces. Despite all this talent, he has been known to loose his cool, especially in key games.

Javier Hernández

Position: Striker
Squad No.: 14
Date of birth: 1 June 1988
Place of birth: Guadalajara, Mexico
Height: 1.75 m (5' 9'')
Weight: 62 kg (137 lbs)

GP	GS	G	A	SH	SG	FC	FS	YC	RC
43	25	21	3	68	39	47	40	6	0

"Chicharito" is a striker with many different attributes, including great vision and finishing. Despite his size, or lack of thereof, he is very good in the air. Javier struggles when facing strong defenders as he lacks the strength to compete in very physical battles. He is always on the move, not sitting in the box. Hernández also has the versatility to play on either wing and attack from the sides.

Dimitar Barbatov

Position: Forward
Squad No.: 9
Date of birth: 30 January 1981
Place of birth: Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Height: 1.88 m (6' 2'')
Weight: 81 kg (179 lbs)

GP	GS	G	A	SH	SG	FC	FS	YC	RC
40	31	22	5	113	53	45	21	1	0

Berbatov possesses brilliant touch and he often makes plays look easier than they are. His strength allows him to be a threat in the air and also makes it even more difficult to take the ball from him. In the past Dimitar used to play as a lone striker, but Ferguson has used him more as a creator rather than a finisher. Berbatov's skill set includes everything from playmaking to goalscoring skills, but taking plays off and not working hard got him the reputation of being lazy.

Michael Owen

Position: Striker
Squad No.: 7
Date of birth: 14 December 1979
Place of birth: Chester, England
Height: 1.73 m (5' 8'')
Weight: 71 kg (156 lbs)

GP	GS	G	A	SH	SG	FC	FS	YC	RC
16	4	4	0	7	5	5	2	0	0

Owen has been hampered by injuries throughout his career which have especially affected his pace. Lighting fast in the past, he now doesn't posses the top speed to blow by defenders. Owen is a natural striker, but at the age of 31, he seems to be more suited for playing behind a attacking partner. Michael still has a good eye for goal, but he appears to have lost a step there as he has been missing a number of good opportunities this season.

Note: Stats do not include the last round of English Premier League games.

Glossary

GP: Games played, GS: Games started, G: Goals, A: Assists, SH: Shots, SG: Shots on goal, FC: Fouls committed, FS: Fouls suffered, YC: Yellow cards, RC: Red cards

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