Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has now joined Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez as a 7/1 shot for the 2010/11 Premier League Golden Boot.
The Bulgarian boosted his tally for the campaign thanks to a match-winning hat-trick against arch-rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday – the Red Devils won the game 3-2 despite seeing a two-goal lead cancelled out by Steven Gerrard – following strikes against Newcastle, West Ham and Everton.
Berbatov’s treble was his first for United following his switch from Spurs two years ago and it was also United’s first against Liverpool in over 60 years, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men bounced back from draw against Everton and Rangers, the latter of which was in the Champions League.
Berbatov has struggled to justify his £30m price tag since swapping White Hart Lane for Old Trafford and while he stole the headlines, the 29-year-old will also be aware he must back up his performance.
Ferguson admits fans were right to be sceptical about the former Bulgaria captain’s ability to slot into United’s side, but the Scot now hopes a corner has been turned.
“Lots of questions were asked about him last season and he was made something of a whipping boy, to the point where he must have wondered whether he had a future at Old Trafford,” said Ferguson.
“But the man has real ability and he is a Manchester United kind of player.
“I concede at times he seemed to struggle but if you are satisfied about a player’s credentials you must persevere and trust your judgement.
“You must have faith and I think we are being rewarded this season for our confidence in a player who has a touch of genius about him.”
Ferguson added: “We paid a lot of money for him and we should have understood that for whatever reason players do not always settle quickly after a big transfer, especially at a club of our stature.
“Certainly this is a big season for him that could determine the rest of his career.”
Meanhile, Tevez was also on target at the weekend, opening the scoring in City’s 2-0 win at Wigan which also saw summer signing Yaya Toure get off the mark for the Blues.
City are now up to fourth place ahead of Saturday’s home clash against champions Chelsea who have won all five games so far in the Premier League (City 4/6 – Top Four Finish).
Before that, boss Roberto Mancini takes City (4/6 – 90 minutes) to West Brom (7/2) on Wednesday for a Carling Cup third-round clash.
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