Ben's Opinion- Wigan Game Ideal For Buttner To Start

So the word on the street is that Sir Alex Ferguson is going to drop Patrice Evra this weekend for Manchester United’s game against Wigan Athletic this weekend handing Alexander Buttner his full first-team debut.

Should this be the perfect setting for Buttner to be thrown in at left-back at the Frenchman’s expense? The simple answer to that question is a resounding YES!

No offence to Roberto Martinez’s side but United should have more than enough to beat them this weekend. Wigan have lost on every occasion in the Premier League at Old Trafford. That’s not to say that they will be tonked this weekend, but It will take a miracle of huge proportions for them to head back to the DW Stadium with anything but a defeat.

Wigan despite their attractive style-of-play will not see much of the ball at Old Trafford and it’s a good game to give Buttner 90 minutes and get his first game under his belt.

Of course he won’t be able to put his feet up and let his team-mates do all the work if he is selected, but as with any new signings (and even more so one’s who are new to the league) it’s vital that they get time on the pitch early on giving them the confidence and belief that they are worthy of a place in their new club’s squad or startling line-up.

With all due respect to Buttner, very few United fans had heard of him until a week or so before he joined from Vitesse Arnhem. Trying to get in ahead of Evra is no easy task and he will know full-aware that if he is to be the reliable Frenchman’s long-term replacement at the club that he will have to make the most out of the chances he does get when starting.

Another reason why it would be good for Buttner to replace Evra this weekend is that post Wigan, United face Galatasary in the Champions League at home followed by a massive trip away to Anfield to face Liverpool. Evra despite his experience shouldn’t really be playing three games a week and with United’s recent defensive injury problems, I bet Sir Alex doesn’t want him playing that amount of games either.

So let’s hope Wigan are beaten this weekend, that Buttner if selected does well, so that he can go into his next appearance – likely to be against Newcastle United in the League Cup at the end of this month – confident looking to do well against the likes of Gabriel Obertan and Hatem Ben Arfa, who will not be easy to mark. After all, the way Newcastle are playing you wouldn’t want to be making your debut against them surely?