Manchester United transfer rumors: Gabriel Obertan on the verge of a move to Newcastle United

Manchester United midfielder Gabriel Obertan appears to be on the verge of a move to Newcastle United for a fee of around £3 million. Despite his electric pace, the 22-year-old has found it difficult to find regular playing time in United's attack -- he has primarily been featured as a wide player but the Reds feature established stars such as Nani, Antonio Valencia, Park Ji-sung, Ryan Giggs and Ashley Young on the flanks. Since joining the club in July 2009 for £3 million from Bordeaux, the Frenchman has made only 14 appearances for United, with only four of those being Premier League starts. While not finalized yet, reports suggest that deal could go through as early as today -- at the very least, it appears that the move will be made sometime this week. Here is what Newcastle manager Alan Pardew told Sky Sports in regards to the potential move:

"All being well, the deal will be pushed through next week. He has not really had the chance to shine at Old Trafford but he has the pace to burn and will bring some much needed sharpness to our side."

The majority opinion amongst United supporters seems to be that Obertan simply would not be able to cut it at the club, despite the mentioned electric pace that he possesses. Quite honestly, it is difficult to conclusively judge his talent from the brief chances that he has had to display his influence. Even if he is not quite the player that can regularly feature at the moment for a club looking to win trophies on an annual basis, this does not necessarily mean that he cannot become that player some day down the road. The youngster seemingly will get regular playing time while plying his trade Tyneside -- perhaps this will be what is precisely needed to further his development.