Top 5 players nobody cared for this summer
Football can be cruel at times. Players often rise from the meanest of circumstances to the dizzying heights of stardom. But that success can be fleeting. One moment you are the name on everyone’s lips, the next you know you have dissipated into nothingness without anyone battling an eye.Former Manchester City player Michael Johnson comes to mind. An outrageous talent coming through City’s youth system, Johnson was tipped to become a full England international. Unfortunately, after six years of tormenting injuries, alcohol and gambling, the midfielder hung up his boots at the age of 25. He now runs his own real-estate business.It could be because of a lack of form, it could be because of a career-shattering injury or it could just be the ramifications for exploring the sordid aspects of superstar lifestyle that footballers are often drawn into, there are more than one way a player can lose his way.Owen Hargreaves’ potentially illustrious Manchester United career was cut short because of his recurring injuries. Portugal’s Ricardo Quaresma once had the world at his feet. A lack of form and niggling injuries every now and then robbed him off a stellar career in the game. There are hundreds of thousands of such players splattered across football’s history.We take a look at five such players who could still do a decent job despite the fact that no club wanted them this summer.
#5 Gaston Ramirez
Uruguayan international midfielder Gaston Ramirez joined Southampton in the summer of 2012 signing a four-year contract. Having started his career back home with Penarol, Ramirez was considered to be one of the most talented young players to come out of the country in recent years.
Aged just twenty and in his second season with Penarol, Ramirez scored six goals in 20 games to help the club win the Primera Division. A move to Europe soon beckoned and he signed for Italian club Bologna. His explosive performances for the Bolognese made him a target for a number of clubs before signing for Southampton.
A mediocre first year in the Premier League and a subsequent loan spell at fellow English club Hull City marked the end of Ramirez with manager Ronald Koeman having no considerable plan to involve him in the first team.
The Uruguayan, apparently on £70,000-a-week at St. Mary’s, has consistently failed to adapt to English football. A move away from England did not materialise this summer leaving Ramirez isolated and dejected.