Veron misses his moment

SOCCER: There comes a time when a football player, however skilful, simply has to deliver the full range of his talents if he is ever to wear the mantle of true greatness.

It is when the heat of battle is at its fiercest, when the opposition is of the highest calibre and when the prize at stake is among the most coveted in sport.

Zinedine Zidane did just that on Tuesday night for Real Madrid against Barcelona, just as he has done on so many occasions for world champions France.

David Beckham did it for England against Greece last October when he virtually single-handedly dragged Sven-Goran Eriksson's men to the World Cup finals.

Luis Figo has enjoyed countless such moments as has Brazil's Rivaldo.

For Juan Sebastian Veron in the red shirt of Manchester United we are still waiting. Alex Ferguson has gone out of his way to support and protect the costliest player in Britain at £28.1 million. He points to the Argentine's range of passing and his vision. He dismisses Veron's critics with his most fearsome of studied glares.

But if Ferguson misses out on the dream of a Champions League final at his beloved Hampden Park, almost certainly against the Real Madrid club which first ignited his passion for European competition, in large part it will be down to the deficiencies of Veron.

With the injured Beckham missing and Roy Keane protecting a barely-healed hamstring on the substitutes' bench, United were entitled to a performance of genuine commitment and true leadership from Veron against Bayer Leverkusen - a display designed to control the ebb and flow of a match which always held danger considering the Germans' penchant for sweeping adventure has already taken them to the cusp of a domestic league and cup double.

That need became even more desperate when Gary Neville, whose communication and organisation skills are often underestimated, was taken to hospital with a broken bone in his left foot which further hampers England coach Eriksson's World Cup plans.

What United received from Veron, admittedly confined to the right by Ferguson's tactics rather than the central midfield berth from which it is easier to exert influence, was a performance of fleeting cameos and tactical indiscipline.

Too anxious to stroll forward, too reluctant to track back, too willing to let the opposition dictate the pace and rhythm of the game. Oh for the crunching tackles and surging box-to-box energy of Keane, the man United miss even more than the swirling crosses and venomous set-pieces of Beckham.

Genuinely great players like Keane lead by tenacious example and as such exert a vital influence on players around them. Too many red shirts against Leverkusen were content to be dictated to rather than find ways to dominate.

Ruud van Nistelrooy struggled with his first touch, despite winning the penalty which he dispatched expertly. For the first time the Dutchman looked as if the exertions of his first full season since recovering from a career-threatening knee injury, during which he has scored a phenomenal 35 goals, were taking their toll.

For the first time, too, Ryan Giggs was not nearly as effective in the central striking hole behind van Nistelrooy, a position from which he helped demolish Deportivo in the quarter-final. Add to that some tentative defending from Wes Brown and the fact that, despite manful industry by Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, United were overrun in midfield and it is perhaps fortuitous that they emerged with the parity of a 2-2 scoreline.

And yet it would be a fool who told Ferguson he would not be returning to his shipyard roots next month. History suggests United can still do it - after being held to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford by Juventus in the semi-final three years ago they went on to win 3-2 in Turin to set up that heady night in Barcelona against Bayern Munich.

A fit Keane, especially one desperate to reach the final after missing out through suspension in 1999, will provide the necessary momentum and inspiration.

Most importantly, Ferguson demands they do it.