Can the man from Milan fill Stam's shoes?

Manchester United's defensive frailties have been the subject of intense scrutiny since the start of the season and Stam's sudden departure only served to heighten concern.

The search for a replacement hit a snag as PSV Eindhoven, Parma and Valencia all stated their intent to hold onto contenders Kevin Hoflund, Fabio Cannavaro and Roberto Ayala.

Finally, it seems Fergie has found his man in the former French international and Inter Milan defender.

Blanc, 35, is believed to have been offered a lucrative one-year deal worth �2m.

Is Blanc up to the job? Could Fergie's money have been better spent?

E-mail your views.

It seems Ferguson was under a bit of pressure to sign a defender before the Friday deadline. It was probably the best he could do with such a limited amount of time. I'm sure he could have spent more, but no other clubs were interested at the time.

At least Blanc is a class player, and has a lot of experience. The deal is for only one year. So I'm sure Ferguson will be able to extract as much as possible out of Blanc. When you play for a new team you always want to start on a good note. Especially as United fans are very demanding.

I think Blanc will play well, especially with his good relationship with Barthez but I do worry about his ability to keep up with Owen. But then again, not many can keep up with him.
BK, Australia

This really lowers my opinion of Ferguson. He put a silly argument with Stam in front of the football team as a whole. Stam is without a doubt one of the best central defenders in the world.

Blanc is old, slow and past it. United's defence was fatally weak last season. Now it is even weaker. And Man Utd, as one of the greatest clubs in the world should not be picking up the scraps from Inter Milan. They should be competing with them to buy the best players.
Nick, Brazil

What is Fergie thinking? This old man cannot compete with the likes of Owen and Saha. Man Utd are in trouble!
Kwasi, US

As a Liverpool fan I can't wait to see Michael Owen sprint past the ageing Blanc on his way to a hat trick. I think Ferguson was caught short after he sold Stam and has ended up making a distressed purchase that may well backfire on him.
Ken Barnetson, London, UK

This is clearly a short term signing made by a manager with a very short-term agenda. There are few better centre halves than Stam in the world and it makes Ferguson's decision not to bid for Ferdinand or Campbell more confusing. Stam had at least five years left at the top. Blanc will not have the time and freedom on the ball he has enjoyed in Italy and with France in the Premiership.
Simon, England

Ferguson thinks that Wes Brown is the best natural defender he has at United (just like he thought, several years ago, that Paul Scholes was the best natural attacker). But Brown needs to learn from a truly great defender to become world-class.

Jaap Stam is world class, undoubtedly, but he does not play a similar game to Brown. Laurent Blanc does; he plays a clever, cultured game, rather than a dominating, stopping game (both valid, but the former more prolific in the top European teams).

So Ferguson, wanting to ensure Brown gets his full education, takes in an old pro for one season to smooth the sharp edges and teach him a few 'insider' tricks. That knocks Stam out of the team, and, with Ronny Jonson and Garry Neville both able to play in the middle, it was best to get �16 million for Stam while he could. Ferguson might just have been telling the truth about the 'football reasons'.
Tails, N. Ireland

Blanc may well turn out to be a red herring but he's the best available at the moment. If only they got rid of Stam in January and used the cash to buy Rio Ferdinand.
Paul, UK

I think it will be tough for Blanc. Let's just hope the rest of the team start performing to the high standards that Veron has started with!
John, England

Stam has been playing well below par for a while. Blanc is 35 but well experienced, he has a better tackling and passing ability than Stam and this will make up for has lack in pace. He will help mature Brown and Silvestre. It's Gary Neville I'm worried about.
Phil, Belfast

Blanc has class and is a good short-term solution. He can provide stability to the defence and can help bring on Brown and Silvestre. It will allow United time to consider carefully who else they may bring in to reinforce the midfield in the long term.
Kevin, UK

Blanc's stats as a defender last year are much better than Stam's, but I would rather have Keane in defence in the Champions League and wait before buying a long term defender.
Yws, Wales

Unfortunately the eminent signing of Laurent Blanc is nothing to get excited about for Man Utd fans. Stam was the man, now he's gone we quite rightly need to use that money to really shape up the back four. Who wants to come to United now? All the so-called big names keeping turning shy on United when it counts. I guess this season will be about Wes Brown and how he matures throughout the season. If only Sol Campbell had signed a while ago, how things would seem so much better!
Oz, England