Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[richie_rich]

RUI PATRICIO ON RED DEVILS RADAR

Rui Patricio's agent claims Manchester United have been watching the Sporting Lisbon goalkeeper for the past couple of seasons.

The 21-year-old is highly rated and has reportedly been a target for United from the time Carlos Queiroz was Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant.

Queiroz left Old Trafford in 2008 to become Portugal's national team coach and Patricio is a regular member of his squad.

Reports are claiming United are lining up Patricio as a potential long-term replacement for Edwin van der Sar, who is tipped to retire in the summer.

Patricio's representative Carlos Goncalves confirmed the Premier League champions have been scouting the Sporting shot-stopper.

Goncalves told A Bola: "It is true that he has been watched, ever since Queiroz was with Manchester United."

Though Patricio has yet to make his senior debut for the national team, he was also part of former coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad for Euro 2008.

And the promising shot-stopper made his Champions League debut against United almost two years ago in a 2-1 group-stage defeat at Old Trafford.

[asiancigar]

Hiaz.............. yet another rumor for us die-hards to get a hard on and then have to pcc......

The problem we have is that being the No.1 in England and No.2 in Europe...... the moment we take interest in any player..... their Transfer Fees skyrockets, other clubs jump on the band wagon and ultimately that wanker of a CEO Gills says that its over-priced.... blah blah blah

I wont hold my breathe...... rather just wait and see who else comes in, if at all....... and hopefully we get value for money and not some rubbish 16million dollar shit or some frenchie that we have yet to see in action yet.

Hiaz
AC

[machoman]

Rooney on verge of greatness, says Ferguson
Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 00:09:51 HRS

Manchester United's England striker Wayne Rooney (right) controls the ball during his side's Premier League match against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, central Midlands, September 26. Sir Alex Ferguson believes Rooney is close to forcing his way into the top bracket of world footballers.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney is close to forcing his way into the top bracket of world footballers.

The 23-year-old England striker is set to make his 50th Champions League appearance for United against German champions Wolfsburg at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

The match will mark the fifth anniversary of Rooney announcing his arrival at United with a European debut hat-trick in the 6-2 win over Fenerbahce in September 2004.

The former Everton forward has taken on plenty of extra responsibility since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Real Madrid in the summer.

Rooney played much of last season on the left of midfield but has responded to being moved into a more central area with a fine run of form.

He has managed six goals already this season and Ferguson thinks the striker is on the verge of being able to be compared favourably with the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka and Lionel Messi.

Ferguson said: "He's blessed with certain ingredients that only great footballers have. It's the determination and hunger to win every match, every time he goes on the field, every training session.

"He's blessed with that and it'll never change for him. They're wonderful things to take into football.

"We sometimes wonder with the criticism about what footballers get paid but when you see that effort he puts in, he's worth every penny he's paid because he plays as if he means it.

"He's been playing more central and he'll play centrally against Wolfsburg. But he's a funny animal, he says he's a good centre half. I wouldn't bet against that.

"He tells me he's a coach already, and a manager and a referee!

"He's got great desire and he can't put that down. It's always there.

"There are some great footballers out there like Kaka, Ronaldo and Messi. They're the three best players in the world and Wayne could easily get to that level with the right progress.

Ferguson believes that Rooney's marriage last year has also helped him mature as a player. "Marriage helps footballers," he said. "I've always been an advocate of players being married and settled down and you know where they are!"

Rooney's team-mate Jonny Evans agrees that the striker is in the form of his life.

"He is a nightmare actually, especially when he is on your team because he is always complaining because he wants to win but that is what you want," Evans said.

"He has had a great start to the season and scored a lot of goals and like the manager said he is playing in the middle now and that is probably his most dangerous position."

Ferguson hopes that Michael Owen will overcome a tight groin to feature against Wolfsburg and Patrice Evra should also be available after suffering a virus over the weekend. But South Korean star Park Ji-Sung may miss out with a similar illness.

Having overcome Besiktas 1-0 in their first game, Ferguson believes that Wolfsburg, who also won their opening Champions League match, 3-1 against CSKA Moscow, offer United?s biggest threat in their group.

He added: "They won their first home game and three points gives you a good start. We won our first game away from home which was a good start for us. Wolfsburg probably are the main dangers to us qualifying.

"I think it's a measure of where they are and we admire that their approach reflects our approach to the game too. It may turn into a very open game.

"They do score goals but they also lose them.

"Even the game on Saturday was 4-2 and they do have interesting matches so we look forward to the game with a belief that if your home record is good, it gives you a good chance of qualifying for the next stage of the Champions League and over the years our home record has been pretty good."

- AFP

[wheregotghost]

Man u manu all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[richie_rich]

OWEN: I`M NOT PAST IT

Michael Owen insists he remains as good a player as he was when he was England's leading striker.

The 29-year-old, who moved to Manchester United in the summer, has struggled to get a look-in under current England boss Fabio Capello.

But the former Newcastle player - whose career highlights in an England shirt include the game in Munich in 2001 when his hat-trick defeated Germany - still believes he is good enough to claim a place in the Italian's squad for next summer's World Cup in South Africa.

"I am not slower now than I was seven, eight years ago. No chance," said Owen in an interview with The Times.

"With the hamstring problems early in my career, they knocked a yard off my pace straightaway, but since then I have been the same player and if anything I have improved.

"Game awareness is a good word for it. A lot of it is so instinctive it's hard to put down. It is your experience taking you into areas. You think, 'Would I have moved there as a kid, would I have anticipated that?'

"People think I'm past my thirties, I'm in my forties, the way they talk about me. I'm only 29. I'm not past it.

"It's not an easy squad to get into with the results the team are getting at the minute. But I'm as passionate as ever about extending my time with England."

Owen admits being continually left out of the England squad is hard to take after 40 goals in 89 caps.

He added: "Capello has never talked to me about the situation. I met him after the Community Shield. I was getting on to the coach. He was coming down to get in his car to leave. He was there with Franco Baldini.

"Franco saw me and gave me the thumbs up. I walked over and shook both of their hands.

"Franco said, 'How are you? Are you feeling fit?' I said, 'Yeah, yeah, I'm feeling fine.' 'Good luck, we'll keep watching you.' That's the only contact."

England have already booked their place in South Africa next summer with two qualifiers to spare and he feels they are good enough to win the competition.

He told the Daily Telegraph: "The way we are playing at the minute, we have a cracking chance of winning the World Cup."

"But football is like chess nowadays: one slip, it's stalemate and, 'right, who's the best at penalties?' You might just have to beat Spain or Brazil on penalties and you have won the World Cup."

Owen's switch from relegated Newcastle to the Red Devils was one of the more surprising transfers of the summer.

The former Real Madrid striker revealed ex-Newcastle team-mate Nicky Butt, who spent more than 10 years at Old Trafford before joining the Magpies, tipped him off about United's interest.

He was, Owen revealed, boss Sir Alex Ferguson's second-choice after failing to sign Karim Benzema, who instead moved to Madrid from Lyon.

Owen explained: "Nicky said: 'Don't tell anyone I've called you, especially not the manager, but he was asking about you, how you are training. So just to put you on your toes in case he does call."'

He added: "He (Ferguson) said: 'We are looking for a striker. Carlos (Tevez) is leaving. We went for Benzema and once that was a no-go we looked around for players who are going to score goals. Obviously the big question is if you are fit - then it's a no-brainer."'

[richie_rich]

FERGUSON TELLS UNITED TO KEEP FOCUS

Sir Alex Ferguson has cautioned against Manchester United getting "too cocky" by believing their European job is done just one game into the Champions League.

Ferguson always sets his team a 10-point target for reaching the knock-out phase, believing their form at Old Trafford will account for most of that total.

Yet Paul Scholes' late winner against Besiktas in Istanbul a fortnight ago means a couple of victories and a draw will do in their three matches at Old Trafford, without even considering trips to CSKA Moscow and Wednesday night's opponents Wolfsburg.

It is difficult to envisage a scenario in which United will fail in their quest. But Ferguson is anxious for last season's finalists not to look too far, too quickly.

"It is a great opportunity," he said.

"We all think the same. If you can get to that 10 points quickly you can change your team and give younger players an opportunity.

"But you have to be careful. You don't want to be too cocky.

"You have still to win your games - and we have only played one.

"We did get a fantastic result in Turkey but we have to maintain our consistency and concentration in the important matches in front of us."

Wolfsburg's victory over CSKA during matchday one has earmarked them as the most obvious threat to United's quest for group supremacy.

Strikers Edin Dzeko and Grafite certainly are a danger, having scored 71 goals in all competitions between them last season.

"Their two strikers scored 71 goals between them last season. That is an incredible total," said Ferguson.

"They are both big, powerful lads and we did look at Dzeko.

"He is a very clever player who takes up good positions.

"Wolfsburg haven't started the season that well but they have got to grips with their game and they are getting winning results."

Still having emerged from relative obscurity to land one of the most prestigious league titles in Europe, Wolfsburg are not expected to send United spinning to a rare Old Trafford defeat, especially with Wayne Rooney eager to make an impression on his 50th European appearance.

Although there have been moments Rooney has cause to regret, not least his red card for sarcastically applauding referee Kim Milton Nielsen in Villarreal, and there were plenty of occasions when he was upstaged by former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, at no point has the 23-year-old given Ferguson any other belief than he is destined for the top.

The United boss feels Rooney has some work to do before he can be put into the same bracket as Kaka, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But he has no doubts the forward will get there eventually.

"Wayne could easily get to that level," said Ferguson.

"It was a pretty remarkable feat to get that hat-trick (on his Champions League debut against Fenerbahce) and his progress has never disappointed us at any point since.

"When we signed him as a kid, we thought he would become a really top player. Without question he is going in that direction.

"He is blessed with some ingredients only great footballers have.

"He has a great determination and hunger to win every match and every training session. That will never change.

"Sometimes there is criticism about the amounts footballers get paid. But when you see the effort he puts in, he is worth every penny.

"He plays as if he means it. It is a wonderful thing to have."

[richie_rich]

MANYOO JOIN CAHILL QUEUE

The Sun says that Manchester United are watching Gary Cahill with a view to buying him as Rio Ferdinand's successor.

Describing United as the 'the latest club to keep tabs on the Bolton defender', the paper claims that 'Alex Ferguson's scouts saw him net his first goal for the Trotters during the Carling Cup win over West Ham last week. Cahill, 23, has attracted interest from Chelsea, Juventus and AC Milan'.

However, he won't come cheap. In reporting Gary Megson's insistence that he has no intention of selling Cahill, The Guardian reckons that Cahill removed 'a reported £8m release clause' when he signed a new contract with Bolton last summer.

[machoman]

Carrick and Giggs haul United to victory

Thursday, October 01, 2009, 05:17:11 HRS

Manchester United's English midfielder Michael Carrick (L) gets the ball past VfL Wolfsburg's Brazilian midfielder Josue during their UEFA Champions League Group B football match at Old Trafford. Manchester won 2-1.

Michael Carrick struck a 77th-minute winning goal for Manchester United as they maintained their 100 per cent record in their Champions League group with a 2-1 victory over German champions Wolfsburg at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

But it was a far from convincing victory for the group leaders and required a deflected Ryan Giggs free-kick to cancel out an opening goal from Wolfsburg?s Edin Dzeko.

Finally, substitute Dimitar Berbatov linked with Giggs in a skilful move inside the area and the veteran winger played the ball into the path of Carrick for a well-placed shot into the top corner from 15 yards.

The game had started with United in uncharacteristically poor defensive form, given their proud record of not having lost a home game in the Champions League since February 2005, a 21-match unbeaten streak.

Wolfsburg looked well capable of challenging that record as United's back four defended appallingly.

Nemanja Vidic set the tone with an aimless header which fell directly to Wolfsburg's Brazilian Grafite whose pass found Christian Gentner only for the forward to shoot straight at Tomasz Kuszczak in the United goal.

Patrice Evra was guilty of an equally glaring error, a pass which travelled straight to the feet of Dzeko, whose 25-yarder shot past the left-hand stick.

The mood on the United bench could not have been helped on the 20-minute mark when Michael Owen, who had been talking up his hopes of regaining his place in the England World Cup squad on the very morning of the game, limped off with the recurrence of a groin injury which had prevented him from training on Tuesday.

Fabio Capello, the England manager, sat in the directors' box and it is safe to assume that Owen?s hopes of being named in the squad for next week's World Cup qualifiers went along with his further participation in this game.

Ironically, the departure of Owen and the introduction of Berbatov seemed to breathe new life into United?s previously stagnant attacking play.

After 25 minutes, Berbatov neatly back-heeled for Antonio Valencia and the winger sprinted into the area before rolling his shot wide, a poor finish.

Berbatov then did exceptionally well to feed Carrick on the half hour with a clever pass through a crowded area but the England midfielder, with only Diego Benaglio to beat in the Wolfsburg goal, struck his attempt directly at the prone keeper.

Manchester United's Ecuador midfielder Antonio Valencia (R) pulls away from VfL Wolfsburg's German defender Marcel Schafer uring their UEFA Champions League Group B football at Old Trafford in Manchester. Manchester won 2-1.

Giggs also found Berbatov with a far-post centre which the Bulgarian, at an awkward angle, could only volley over.

But, as Vidic capped a terrible first half with a caution for hauling down Grafite on the halfway line, there were further danger signs from the visitors with Christian Gentner heading powerfully over from Josue's corner.

After the restart, Dzeko volleyed over from another corner and Gentner almost succeeded in lifting a shot over Tomasz Kuszczak before Anderson squandered a couple of half-chances at the other end.

There was little surprise, therefore, when Wolfsburg took the lead in the 55th minute with Dzeko rising magnificently to head home Makoto Hasebe?s short-range cross after another enterprising attacking move from the German side.

The one thing Wolfsburg needed to avoid was presenting United with an easy route back into the contest but, unfortunately for them, Josue's foul on Anderson on the edge of their area just four minutes later did precisely that.

Giggs strode up to take the set-piece and his effort appeared destined to offer little trouble to Wolfsburg until it struck the back of Gentner, in the wall, and deflected past the wrong-footed Benaglio in the visiting goal.

- AFP

[asiancigar]

Any kind soul here with a video link to the goals of Manu vs Wolfsburg

Cheerz
AC

[mangoesteam]

Originally Posted by asiancigar

Any kind soul here with a video link to the goals of Manu vs Wolfsburg

Cheerz
AC

Here you go: Manchester United Videos - Footytube.com

cheers

[asiancigar]

Originally Posted by mangoesteam

Here you go: Manchester United Videos - Footytube.com

cheers

Kum Siah Brudder...... will upz u soon

Cheerz
AC

[richie_rich]

I NEED TO CHANGE - BERBATOV

Dimitar Berbatov admits he still needs to change in order to fit in at Manchester United.

The Bulgarian failed to hit the heights expected of him in his first season following his £30.75million move from Tottenham last year.

The 28-year-old scored just nine league goals last term and came in for some major criticism from the Old Trafford faithful.

But Berbatov admits that it is him who needs to adapt to life at United.

"That is my fault, not theirs. It is me who must change," he said of the criticism.

"Manchester United are their club. They have treated me perfectly since I came.

"In my first year I was disappointed in myself. I need to say that.

"It was a big pressure for me and maybe I failed myself. I think I wanted to prove myself to these supporters.

"You must remember, they are used to Best, Charlton, Cantona. I am just Dimitar.

"I got a number of assists, but I must score more goals.

"I don't know what I am doing wrong sometimes. Maybe it's luck, maybe it's me... who knows?

"At nights I have stayed awake thinking, 'You could have done this instead'."

Berbatov has begun his second term in better fashion and has scored two league goals already.

"I am more pleased with my overall game in this second season already," he told The Sun.

"I feel that I have integrated myself better into the team. I am much stronger, much fitter. But I still wish I could score more."

Berbatov admits his languid style has not always endeared him to the fans, saying: "This is my style of play. I don't run for no reason. I am always alert and ready.

"I looked at our ProZone stats and saw that I was ninth in distance covered.

"I am kind of a nerd. I looked at them too much, maybe. By the end of the season I was fourth. Maybe this season I will be first!"

He admits his hefty price-tag was also a heavy burden to carry, but he insisted that he was happy.

"Who can live up to that sort of money? Nobody can. If I think about that money it is crazy to me. I can't believe it," he said.

"I am playing with legends like Scholes, Giggs and Rooney. Being coached by a man like Sir Alex Ferguson. How can I not be happy?"

[richie_rich]

INJURY BOOST FOR OWEN

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Michael Owen should be fit for Manchester United's Premier League match with Bolton at Old Trafford on October 17.

It had been feared Owen would be missing for a minimum of three weeks after limping out of United's Champions League win against Wolfsburg on Wednesday with a groin strain.

However, Ferguson has revealed the damage is not quite as extensive as he had first feared.

"We expect him to be available for the next game, it certainly won't be three weeks," Ferguson said.

"We are quite pleased. Obviously it is understandable we wanted to take precautions given his past history but we are quite comfortable with the situation.

"He did miss training earlier this week so maybe we should have left him out. But he wanted to play and I wanted him to play. Thankfully it is not a big problem for us."

Ferguson also revealed that Edwin van der Sar and Rafael Da Silva were both nudging towards full fitness after a broken finger and shoulder surgery respectively, although neither man is in contention to face Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday evening.

[machoman]

United rescue last-gasp draw against Sunderland

Sunday, October 04, 2009, 02:58:09 HRS

Sunderland's defender Philip Bardsley (L) clashes with Manchester United's midfielder Anderson during their English Premier League football match at Old Trafford in Manchester. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Anton Ferdinand's stoppage-time own goal helped Manchester United salvage a 2-2 draw against 10-man Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Goals from Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones had put Steve Bruce's side within moments of their first win at United for 41 years despite Kieran Richardson's late red card.

But Sir Alex Ferguson's side, who had gone into the match looking for their ninth successive victory, earned a point when Ferdinand - brother of Untied defender Rio - deflected a Patrice Evra shot into his own net.

The draw left United one point clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, but the champions will be knocked off top spot if the Blues beat Liverpool on Sunday.

Sunderland opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Bent hit his seventh goal of the season.

Lee Cattermole knocked a simple pass to Bent on the edge of the penalty box, who, noticing that John O'Shea had given him too much space, turned and rifled a low shot past Ben Foster.

United looked uncharacteristically poor on the ball following Sunderland's early goal with neither Paul Scholes or midfield partner Darren Fletcher influencing the game as they can.

United's frustrations were perfectly summed up by Scholes' booking after 25 minutes for a deliberate trip on Bent - there was no malice there but the midfielder did have a little kick out in order to stop Bent from launching an attack.

Although the pace was relentless, clear cut opportunities remained at a premium as the half progressed although Nemanja Vidic's intelligent cross into a packed Sunderland box should perhaps have found a United shirt while at the other end a long-range effort from Jones was easily smothered by Foster.

Sunderland's forward Darren Bent (R) wins a header during their English Premier League football match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in Manchester. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Anderson replaced Scholes at half-time, a tacit admission from Ferguson that he had produced little of note in the first half.

United then had their first real opportunity of the game courtesy of a defensive mix-up from Sunderland.

Ferdinand's weak header back towards his own goalkeeper Craig Gordon did not quite reach, allowing Danny Welbeck to threaten but Gordon dived at his feet and although the ball landed at Rooney?s feet, Ferdinand had then recovered enough to block his effort.

However, nobody could then have stopped Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov as he produced a stunning moment of magic to equalise.

After Sunderland only half-cleared a goalmouth scramble, O'Shea delivered a deep cross and Berbatov thought he would try his luck with an acrobatic bicycle kick which flashed into the far corner of the net.

However, United's hopes of capitalising were then dashed as Sunderland took a 2-1 lead through Jones.

Andy Reid floated a ball towards the penalty spot and Jones out-jumped Vidic and crashed into Foster to head into an empty net.

Such goals are normally disallowed for a foul on the keeper but not on this occasion.

United continued to push but found a resilient Sunderland defence in the way although they were not helped when Richardson was dismissed for a second bookable offence with five minutes left for kicking the ball away.

And they were left to rue his absence as the clock ticked down as Evra hit a long-range shot that was going comfortably wide until it bounced off Ferdinand to gift United a point.

- AFP

[dc7176]

Wat the hell is foster doin??? he doesnt deserved to b our no. 1... frankly i hav high hope on him b4 the start of the season!! but as the season wore on, he is not my no.1 liao... gosh!! he is so poor... lousy... or may i say f up!!