It was the news that Inter fans have been waiting from. The official announcement that the club had signed Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic.
Manchester United captain Nemanja #Vidic to play for Inter next season http://t.co/O651sH2iwt #FCIM pic.twitter.com/CldKf4TkdS
— F.C. Internazionale (@inter) March 5, 2014
The Serbian defender is out of contract at the end of the season and have agreed to what is basically a three year deal with Inter.
Vidic is the biggest name to join Inter arguably since Wesley Sneijder arrived from Real Madrid in 2009 and is the first big name signing of the Erik Thohir era at the club.
‘Vidic is a world-class player. I’m extremely happy to have completed this deal to bring Nemanja to Milan” said Thohir.
‘He’s one of the world’s best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree and charisma will be an asset to the team and help bring through our younger players. He will bring added value to the club and is another piece of the great Inter side we are building.
‘I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Manchester United, Nemanja and his entourage for the professional and cooperative approach they have shown throughout the negotiations.’
Is signing Vidic a sure thing that Inter will be better next season? No. There is risk involved in any signing, especially one who is coming from another league.
At 32-years-old there is no doubt that Vidic is in the back end of his career. He went through some serious knee problems in the 2011 and 2012 seasons that saw him play a total of 25 league games over those two seasons. Last season he managed 23 games in all competition and this season is expected to play around 30 games.
Vidic’s recent history indicates that he is not someone will come and play 40 games for Inter next season. His fitness will have to be monitored, especially if Inter are in the Europa League next season as I don’t expect Vidic to play many back to back Thursday and Sunday games.
But if Vidic can play 30 games for Inter next season, and the Nerazzurri could persuade Walter Samuel to come back for one more season, then Inter will be a much better team defensively next season than they are now.
Which is why I like the signing of Nemanja Vidic. His leadership and experience will be invaluable in the Inter dressing room and he has shown at Manchester United this season that he can still play at the highest level.
