Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[qbdp]

Ferguson planning double dip into transfer market

MANCHESTER (AFP) - Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he is planning to make two new additions to his squad during the January transfer window.

The Manchester United manager, who dismissed speculation about Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Real Madrid, has been linked with Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargreaves, Southampton full-back Gareth Bale and Charlton forward Darren Bent in recent weeks.

His lengthy pursuit of England star Hargreaves has been boosted by reports that Bayern are ready to discuss selling the player this month.

And although Ferguson refused to name the players on his hit-list, with United pushing on three fronts in the Premiership, Champions League and FA Cup, he admits there is a neeed for reinforcements at Old Trafford.

Ferguson said: "We have brought a lot of players back to the club from loan spells and we are looking to maybe sign one or two in January as well.

"We are looking at a few things. I won't discuss any names, but we are looking at various options.

"The story about Ronaldo is nonsense, though. We have not had any offer from Real Madrid, but his future is not even an issue."

United launch their bid for FA Cup glory on Sunday with a third round tie at home to Premiership rivals Aston Villa.

The Cup Final is set to finally return to Wembley this May for the first time since 2000 and Ferguson, who confirmed that Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak will make a rare start in place of Edwin van der Sar against Villa, is determined to ensure that record Cup winners United are there for Wembley's grand re-opening.

He said: "The Cup Final is expected to be at the new Wembley and all clubs will want to go there at some point, but I am hoping that we can do it this year.

"It will be interesting to see it when it does open. So much has been done to it over the last five or six years that it will be a relief when they finally open the gates. Hopefully, they will be opening the gates to us.

"Everyone is anticipating that it will be the best stadium in the world and it should be considering the money that has been spent on it because it has cost a lot. I am certainly expecting it to be special.

"We obviously need to navigate this round first. There is a lot of FA Cup history between United and Villa because I think only ourselves and Spurs have appeared in more finals than them.

"They are bringing 6,000 fans and there will be cup fever at the game. Martin O'Neill has got great enthusiasm and freshness at Villa now, so it will be a tough game for us."

Loan signing Henrik Larsson is set for a place on the bench against Villa, but Ferguson confirmed that the Swedish striker would be given his United debut at some point during the game.

He said: "Henrik will certainly be involved at some stage. His training performances have been very good and he has looked very sharp, so there are no concerns over his fitness."

[qbdp]

O'Neill: Ronaldo a 'great' player

ASTON Villa manager Martin O'Neill has praised Cristiano Ronaldo for emulating David Beckham in dealing with being public enemy number one amongst fans in a positive manner ahead of Sunday's FA Cup clash with Manchester United.

Beckham had a spell of being reviled by supporters after his sending-off when on World Cup duty for England against Argentina during the 1998 finals but gradually won his critics over.

Ronaldo has also been the victim of the boo-boys after the part he played in Wayne Rooney's dismissal during the World Cup quarter-final between England and Portugal in Germany last summer.

But he has also responded in an upbeat way with a series of superb performances to make himself a leading contender with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba for the PFA Footballer Of The Year award.

Ronaldo tormented Villa in United's 3-0 away win a fortnight ago, scoring twice, and continued in the same rich vein of form during the festive period.

O'Neill said: "If there is a comparison to be drawn between Ronaldo and Beckham, in the way they have responded to adverse criticism, that's fine.

"I don't necessarily look at it like that. But I think that Ronaldo's response, if it is a response to what happened in Portugal, has been fantastic.

Amazing

"If it's just him maturing more quickly as a player, then it's just amazing.

"But what happened in the World Cup could affect people. It hasn't seen to have bothered him.

"I wouldn't know him well enough to know whether it inspired him or whatever but it has not bothered him."

O'Neill believes Ronaldo has found the right balance between being a crowd pleaser and doing effective job for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

The Villa chief said: "Ronaldo came to Manchester United a couple of season ago with raw talent and people talked about his ability to play the final ball, of him being rather superfluous and not seeing things.

"If his performance against us was anything to go by, he can still do the occasional trick that goes wrong, but he instantly forgets about it and gets onto the next thing.

"He gets onto the next thing. It wouldn't prevent him from doing another little trick but, in essence, Ronaldo is not only a crowd pleaser but a brilliant player.

"They are different things. You can be a crowd pleaser and drive your manager insane. Great players can combine both and that's why he is a great player."

Service

O'Neill will come fact to face on Sunday with veteran striker Henrik Larsson, who gave him sterling service at Celtic.

He believes the 35-year-old can be successful during his three month spell with United but admits he did not consider trying to tempt him to Villa for fear of affecting the relationship he had with the Swede.

O'Neill said: "Henrik has been and still is a quality player. He is also not too old either.

"I can see exactly why Sir Alex Ferguson has gone for him because he will need a number of quality players in January-February and Henrik is certainly that.

"He owes me absolutely nothing and I am hoping that is reciprocated as well. I wish him all the best and he will do wonderfully well.

"Those days with Henrik at Celtic have passed and if it was only to get him for a couple of months, it is not eventually where I want Aston Villa to go.

"It doesn't mean I wouldn't want some experienced players around me. But I don't really want to ruin a decent relationship that I had with him.

"He might have arrived here and maybe found life wasn't so rosy and maybe I didn't pick him in games. I really don't want a Henrik Larsson knocking on my door every single day saying I should have started the games."

[qbdp]

Hargreaves hope for United

BAYERN Munich supremo Franz Beckenbauer looks to have given Manchester United the green light in their bid to sign Owen Hargreaves.

The England midfielder has been the Reds' number one transfer target ever since last summer's World Cup finals, despite a propsed £15m price tag and a defiant stance from the German giants

But now the Reds appear to be close to getting their man after Bayern president Beckenbauer conceded: "If the offer that is being talked about really is true, we will have to think about it.

"If we receive an offer on the scale that is being talked about we are going to have to give it serious consideration."

Hargreaves, who has made no secret of his wish to move to Old Trafford, is nearing recovery from a broken leg and is said to be ready to fly to Manchester for a medical at immediate notice.

United are also thought to be ready to make an improved offer for Southampton's teenage full back Gareth Bale, who was withdrawn from Saints' squad ahead of their FA Cup tie at Torquay.

Sir Alex Ferguson hinted there may be some activity in the transfer window, but reassured fans that Cristiano Ronaldo was going nowhere.

He said: “We may sign someone in January, there may be a couple of signings, who knows? We are looking at some things.

“But we have the squad to handle it (all competitions).”

Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo has again been linked with a move to Real Madrid but Ferguson said: “There has not been an offer.

“It is not worth talking about anyway. It is not an issue for us.”

[yinyang]

Friday's football gossip - Transfer rumours
-BBC football 5/1

MU 1st (but of course)...

Manchester United will try to sign Blackburn's David Bentley - if their move for Owen Hargreaves falls through. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa will sign Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley, but not until the two teams have played in the FA Cup and league. (Daily Mirror)

Javier Mascherano will join Liverpool in a few days - but needs to check he is eligible to play because of Fifa regulations limiting the number of clubs a player can represent in one season. (Various)

West Ham will spend more than £20m in January in a bid to save their Premiership status - with £5m Fulham skipper Luis Boa Morte their first target. (Various)

Other targets for the Hammers include Matthew Upson, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Mark Viduka. (Various)

Tottenham have made a £4m bid for West Ham's Anton Ferdinand. (The Sun)

Spurs boss Martin Jol has seen a £7m offer for Charlton's Darren Bent rejected. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham are ready to offer Wayne Routledge and Calum Davenport to Watford, in return for Watford striker Ashley Young. (The Guardian)

Young is closing in on a £5.5m move to Liverpool, with Watford ready to replace him with £1m Will Hoskins from Rotherham. (Daily Express)

Charlton boss Alan Pardew has made a shock bid for Portsmouth's veteran striker Andy Cole. (Daily Mirror)

Rangers are closing in on a double swoop for Wigan defender Andy Webster and Falkirk striker Alan Gow. (Daily Record)

Charlton have agreed a £2.7m fee for Arsenal striker Anthony S+++es. (The Sun)

Newcastle are still confident they can capture the signature of Liverpool's Peter Crouch. (Various)

Chelsea want to sign Valencia's veteran Argentine defender Roberto Ayala. (Daily Mail)

Fulham striker Collins John has rejected a move to Watford after they failed to meet his personal demands. (Various)

Real Madrid are considering a shock £7m bid for Everton defender Joleon Lescott. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield United are on the verge of signing Egypt international defender Ahemed Fathi from Ismaily in a £700,000 deal. (The Sun)

QPR have rejected two £2m bids from Spurs and Man City for winger Lee Cook. (Various)

Southampton's young star Gareth Bale has rejected a new contract with the club. (Daily Mirror)

Hibs player Scott Brown says he has been threatened by the club's supporters after requesting a transfer. (Daily Record)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane will raid former club Celtic for midfielder Stephen Pearson in a £400,000 deal. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is lining up a surprise swoop for Coventry's Stern John. (The Sun)

Benfica's Manuel Fernandes is keen to stay in England despite his loan spell with Portsmouth coming to an end. (The Sun)

Marseille star Franck Ribery says he has snubbed a second bid by Arsenal - but will consider joining the Gunners in the summer. (Daily Star)

Millwall want to re-sign their joint-record scorer Neil Harris from Nottingham Forest. (The Sun)

Sheffield United winger Paul Ifill will join Crystal Palace. (Daily Mirror)

OTHER GOSSIP
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill fears Manchester United's veteran striker Henrik Larsson - who played under him at Celtic - will come back to haunt him in Sunday's FA Cup tie. (Various)

[yinyang]

Man Utd v Aston Villa
Old Trafford
Sunday 7 January
Third Round
Kick-off: 1400 GMT
Referee: Martin Atkinson (Martin)
Replay date (if required) : Wed, 17 Jan, 1945 GMT

Henrik Larsson is expected to make his debut for Manchester United after joining the club on loan, partnering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Tomasz Kuszczak will make his fourth appearance of the season, replacing Edwin van der Sar in goal.

Aston Villa skipper Gareth Barry will return after suspension but Olof Mellberg serves a one-match ban.

With Thomas Sorensen still injured, Villa have been given permission to play on-loan keeper Gabor Kiraly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Man Utd (from): Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre, Evra, Heinze, Ronaldo, Park, Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes, O'Shea, Giggs, Richardson, Rooney, Solskjaer, Larsson, Heaton.

Aston Villa (from): Kiraly, Olejnik, Hughes, Cahill, Ridgewell, Bouma, Agbonlahor, Petrov, Davis, McCann, Barry, Osbourne, Gardner, Angel, Baros, Samuel, Whittingham, Agathe, Djemba-Djemba.

BIG-MATCH FACTS
MANCHESTER UNITED begin their challenge for a record 12th FA Cup against Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa at Old Trafford, in front of live BBC Match of the Day cameras. United are the most successful club in the 136-year history of the competition. They have qualified for the final of 17 occasions, seven of which have been under Sir Alex Ferguson, and five of those were victorious. Sir Alex has never lost a third round FA Cup tie - this is his 20th. Bournemouth were the last club to knock out United at this stage (in 1984). Spurs were the last top division to defeat them in the third round in 1980.

The Red Devils are already going strong on two fronts - leading the Premiership by six points from Chelsea, and safely into the knock out stages of the Champions League. Now they add this third string to their bow. They've not lost in any competition in 10 matches at Old Trafford since Arsenal defeated them in the League on 17 September, and have won the last five at the Theatre of Dreams.

This is the 11th time United have been drawn with Aston Villa in the FA Cup, and the third time in the third round in six seasons (2002, 2004 and 2007). They lead by eight wins to two, including the last four .

ASTON VILLA began the season revitalised under newly appointed manager Martin O'Neill. But they have gone off the boil more recently, failing to win any of their last 10 matches.

Villa have lost their last nine League and Cup contests against United, including the most recent at Villa Park on 23 December. Paul Scholes produced a Christmas cracker of a strike between two Cristiano Ronaldo goals in a 0-3 result. Villa have not experienced victory at Old Trafford since 5 November 1983. Peter Withe scored both their goals in a 1-2 top flight triumph.

These clubs have only come up against each other once in an FA Cup final. Villa prevailed 2-1, and duly lifted the Cup for the seventh and most recent occasion in the club's history.

[asiancigar]

Wah Lau Bro YY..... u very 'kot lat leh'.... hehehe

Want to upz u also cannot coz ever b4 liao... sigh

Sorry i couldn't join u guys last nite.....juz got back from Batam (after Tanjung Pinang) this evening.

Cheerz
AC

[imom]

Bro qbdp,

You might get your wish yet...


Larsson surrounded by United extension stay fever
Mon 08 Jan, 6:36 PM

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Speculation was rife over whether Sweden, Celtic and Barcelona veteran foward, Henrik Larsson, would convert a dream debut at Manchester United into an extended stay at the club.

Larsson on Sunday launched his 10-week loan stint from Swedish side Helsingborg in style to fire United into a 55th minute lead over Aston Villa in a dramatic FA Cup third round tie at Old Trafford.

Helsingborg was however keen to dampen speculation that Larsson could extend his stay at United.

"First we must have a request from Manchester ... but so far there have been no discussions on an extension," Helsingborg FC chairman Sten-Inge Fredin told AFP.

"According to the contract ... he's coming back to us on March 12," Fredin added.

Swedish papers made much of his dream debut at Old Trafford with both broadsheet and tabloid front pages carrying pictures of a jubilant Larsson surrounded by his team mates.

Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter heaped praised on the 35-year-old and called on him to return to the national side.

"He made dream passes, reverse kicks, bicycle kicks and he scored a goal. Make yourself available for the national team again. Please!" the paper said.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was so delighted with Larsson's debut he compared him to Old Trafford hero Eric Cantona.

"I'm delighted for Henrik," said Ferguson. "I wanted to find out about his fitness and sharpness and he has proved that with this performance.

"I think he can score some very important goals during his time with us. He's done that throughout his career.

"Eric Cantona did the same thing and I think Henrik can make a big impact too," the Scot added.

After the 2006 World Cup Larsson left the national side saying it was time for young talent to come up through the ranks.

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by asiancigar

... u very 'kot lat leh'.... hehehe...Sorry i couldn't join u guys last nite.....juz got back from Batam (after Tanjung Pinang) this evening.

AC, your memory's as good as last bonk hehehe.

Tried to impress rest bros with your sms live FRs (err graphical accounts), but they were unconvinced unless mms pics leh.

Hope your 4 wheel drive's serviced for next x-country jaunt hehehe

[bonkudear]

Originally Posted by imom

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Speculation was rife over whether Sweden, Celtic and Barcelona veteran foward, Henrik Larsson, would convert a dream debut at Manchester United into an extended stay at the club.

I saw the game against Villa and I hope that Sir Alex will seriously consider extending Larsson's loan period till the season's end.
Larsson will provide much needed cover for injury prone Saha and Solskjaer, not to mention take the pressure off 'under-scoring' Rooney.
If Sir Alex were to really go for the treble, he will need an experienced man like Larsson around to guide youngsters Ronaldo and Rooney.
At the same time, I think Rooney may just be trying too hard now to score to break his dry spell. He should take a well-deserved short break and come back even stronger for the final push for glory.

[imom]

Originally Posted by bonkudear

I saw the game against Villa and I hope that Sir Alex will seriously consider extending Larsson's loan period till the season's end.....

I think all who saw the game would want Larsson to stay on (except for Chelsea fans of course). Most of the team were a little slow-witted (compared to their usual speedy selves) except for Larsson (and Solskjaer after he came on). Nimble, intelligent and no less tricky then Ronaldo - plus he has a wealth of international and top club-level experience. I'm sure he would love to win a champ's league medal for two years running so there's no lack of hunger there...

[yinyang]

Just to add fat to fire on Larsson's extension hopes.. bit more Swedish realism from his coach:

Helsingborg coach Stuart Baxter also insisted it was too early to discuss such matters, although he doubts there would be any obstacles preventing Larsson's deal being extended.

"While it is very early to speculate, it could happen," said Baxter.

"We are in a world where we are not really able to force Henrik back.

"Sweden being Sweden they would probably think of the person and not the footballer.

"There would be a discussion between Henrik and the club but he has given us no indication this is any more than the agreement we have."

He added: "We knew this situation might happen when we did the deal. It is Manchester United, after all, not Bristol Rovers."

[imom]

Originally Posted by yinyang

...It is Manchester United, after all, not Bristol Rovers...

Walau.... Bristol Rover tio suan ah... kekekeke....

[dom01]

brother... no news on the transfer market?

[dc7176]

Man Utd must pay big for Larsson stay
tribalfooball.com - January 09, 2007

Manchester United must cough up £1.2 million to extend the loan of striker Henrik Larsson to the end of this season.

And if United boss Alex Ferguson wants the 35-year-old striker for 2007-08 as well, it could cost the Premiership leaders a cool £3m, says The Sun.

The Swede has initially agreed to stay at Old Trafford until March 12 before returning home to play for Helsingborgs.

Chairman Sten-Inge Fredin said: "The exact sum a deal like this will cost United depends on a lot of circumstances. For example, we would have to decide if we need to replace him in our own team.

"It is, first and foremost, up to Henrik if he will stay in Manchester. If he wants that, then we are certainly up for discussions with United."

[imom]

Originally Posted by dom01

brother... no news on the transfer market?

Typically SAF likes to keep things quiet and do his deals in the background... We all know he's looking at a few options and I guess we'll be hearing about them when the deals are done...