From 'Berbaflop' to 'Dimistar'......

"United squeezed past Liverpool with a sumptuous hat-trick from their in-form forward, once again raising questions about their reliance on Wayne Roo..."

If you were to tell the majority of journalists that a United player was to hit a hat-trick on Sunday, reports like those above would almost unanimously have been filed, telling of Wayne Rooney's glorious return to form. But it wasn't to be. The man from Croxteth continues to stumble through a post-World Cup/affair haze in a drunken stupor.


No, the striker that is leading the line for United, dragging them on to victory when it seems as though they'd rather stop playing at 65 minutes and have a lie down, is in fact one Dimitar Berbatov -also known to those of you who frequent online message boards as 'Berbaflop'.

Yes, the "genius", as hailed by Sir Alex Ferguson, hit a stunning hat-trick against arch-rivals Liverpool, including an amazing bicycle kick that is sure to be a contender for goal of the season. Berbatov is (whisper it) finally beginning to look like the mercurial talent that Ferguson paid £30.75 million to Tottenham on that final transfer day in 2008, and for a number of United fans, this would have been incomprehensible even a few weeks ago.

Granted, Berbatov had a great pre-season, and came back looking fitter than ever before. His delightful lob against Chelsea in the Community Shield was written off as a meaningless goal in a friendly. The first goal of United's season, at home to Newcastle, was similarly labelled as a game in which he should, nay must, be scoring. However, after his overall performance against Everton (including the audacious finish to put United 3-1 ahead), many declared him man of the match in the absence of Rooney, and people have started taking notice of the Bulgarian once more.

Berbatov has always had the natural talent to outplay his opponents; it's just been a question of confidence and fitness that have clouded his career at Old Trafford thus far. After the game, he said: "I am going home with a smile on my face but I am nothing special." The somewhat-introverted joy at his goals, and the dignified approach to his substitution further reinforced the notion that this is a man who, despite his obvious talents, does not necessarily enjoy the limelight.

Indeed, he has at times looked uncomfortable in a United shirt, seemingly ill-at-ease amongst the plethora of stars that litter United's squad. But his new-found fitness ("I ran six miles every day during the off season") and desire to get in to goalscoring positions like the ones against Liverpool has meant that he is now vital to United's chances of making an acceptable start to the season. The sheer audacity that was apparent in his superb bicycle kick for the second goal is proof of the confidence now coursing through him.

However, before he is hailed as having finally 'arrived', the test will be to see whether he can maintain the high standards with which he has started the season. With Rooney suffering an alarming dip in form, it'll be intriguing to see whether Ferguson will allow the duo to continue to work on a partnership that has so far failed to blossom.

Although Rooney may have been the golden child last year, the quiet Bulgarian is fast making himself virtually unplayable, and as a consequence, undroppable. So which is it to be; 'Berbaflop', or 'Dimistar'? Perhaps for now, we should just call him Dimitar Berbatov, and let him play some football.