Manchester United news and links

PAUL Scholes and Nemanja Vidic return to the Manchester United line-up as the Premiership leaders look to complete a 100% return over the festive period, with victory at Newcastle tomorrow.

Man Utd winger Cristiano Ronaldo wins a top Portuguese award ahead of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

AFP - Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been named by as Portugal’s sportsman of the year.

Sir Alex Ferguson is prepared to push through a deal for Owen Hargreaves.

Sir Alex Ferguson claims he could still sign Owen Hargreaves for £20million before he has recovered from his broken leg.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is named as the most powerful pensioner in the world.

Sir Alex Ferguson has decided that Giuseppe Rossi will stay at Manchester United rather than join Sunderland on loan.

TeamTalk - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could take a £20million gamble on Bayern Munich’s Owen Hargreaves before he recovers from injury.England midfielder Hargreaves is United’s number one New Year transfer target, despite being sidelined by the broken leg he suffered in September.

Sporting Life - Sir Alex Ferguson could take a £20million gamble on Owen Hargreaves before he recovers from injury.

TeamTalk - Sir Alex Ferguson says it will be harder to win his ninth Premier League title than any of the previous eight.Ferguson celebrates his 65th birthday at the top of the table, with only one rival realistically capable of preventing Manchester United remaining in that position next May.

Team news ahead of Monday’s Premiership match.

TeamTalk - Paul Scholes and Nemanja Vidic return to the Manchester United line-up as the Premiership leaders look to record a win at Newcastle on Monday.The duo were both suspended for Saturday’s home win over Reading but are virtually guaranteed their places back as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to freshen his side once more.

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson dismisses reports that Gary Neville faces a six-week lay-off with calf and knee injuries.

Manchester United (1) 3 Reading (1) 2Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to take his place among the legends who have passed through Old Trafford. Here was a remarkable performance that included scoring and creativity to back up the words of his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who says his player is destined for true greatness.

Premiership: Sir Alex Ferguson received an early birthday present as Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed a brace to send United six points clear.

And so, we depart 2006 embracing two names which have illuminated the national game; a duo who six months ago would have beenthe most unlikely to be commended for awards, other than perhaps El-Hadji Diouf. Could anyone have seriously imagined that Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba, once notorious as practitioners of the game’s darker arts, would have been vying for the bookies’ favouritism as Footballer of the Year? Yet they are, and clear of the field too - one which includes such names as Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Michael Essien.

Whatever Sir Alex Ferguson wished for, you can be assured it was dwarfed by yesterday’s gifts. Not only did Manchester United secure a win over Reading, but 200 miles away Chelsea were losing further ground in the slog for the Premiership title. It will be a very happy 65th birthday celebration today.

Amy Lawrence: Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning form this season has silenced his post-World Cup critics.

Sporting Life - Sir Alex Ferguson has opted to keep Giuseppe Rossi at Manchester United to aid the Red Devils title push.

Giuseppe Rossi will stay at Manchester United for the rest of the season.

TeamTalk - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Giuseppe Rossi will be staying at Old Trafford to aid the Red Devils title push.Rossi has just returned from a loan spell at Newcastle but some reports suggested he was set for an instant journey back to the north-east, this time to link up with former United captain Roy Keane at Sunderland.

AFP - Cristiano Ronaldo presented Sir Alex Ferguson with a perfect birthday present by ensuring that Manchester United will enter the New Year with a six-point lead over title rivals Chelsea.

Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed Cristiano Ronaldo’s form after challenging the winger to score 15 goals this season.

CRISTIANO Ronaldo gave United fans everywhere a Happy New Year to add to his marvellous Christmas with another thrilling two-goal haul.

PLAYER ratings from United’s win over Reading.

Sir Alex Ferguson insists Man Utd captain Gary Neville is not out for six weeks.

AFP - Cristiano Ronaldo presented Sir Alex Ferguson with a perfect birthday present by ensuring that Manchester United will enter the New Year with a six point lead over title rivals Chelsea.

Reuters - Cristiano Ronaldo’s hot streak continued on Saturday with two more goals in Manchester United’s 3-2 victory over Reading at Old Trafford which put them six points clear in the Premier League.

Sir Alex Ferguson felt Man Utd produced their worst defensive performance of the season.

Sporting Life - Alex Ferguson denies Gary Neville will be out for six weeks and says he’ll play on Monday.

TeamTalk - Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice for the third game in a row as Manchester United raced six points clear at the top with a 3-2 win over Reading.Cristiano Ronaldo provided Sir Alex Ferguson the 65th birthday present he wanted more than any other as Manchester United stretched their lead over Chelsea, who could only draw with Fulham.

Cristiano Ronaldo again proved the difference as Man Utd beat Reading 3-2.

CRISTIANO Ronaldo is already one of the world’s best players - and the bad news for Premiership defenders is that he is going to get better. That’s the verdict of Sir Alex Ferguson, who had no hesitation in bracketing his precocious 21-year-old Portuguese star with the likes of Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o.

OUR reporters pass judgement on the half-time Premiership performances of Man Utd’s players.

Man Utd defender Patrice Evra has thanked Sir Alex Ferguson for keeping faith in him.

It is an image that demands respect and incredulity in equal measure, that of Sir Alex Ferguson holding aloft the Premiership trophy in one hand with his bus pass in the other.

The good, the bad and the ugly of the past football year is bound to be subjective, and so I am happy to start off by naming Manchester United and two of their players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as good, writes Graham Taylor.

Sir Alex Ferguson can fund his hairdryer with a heating allowance from tomorrow, but otherwise pensionable age will have no discernible effect on the manager of Manchester United. Yesterday he called for an appreciation of the nation’s farmers and revealed a fondness for the occasional siesta but his preoccupation, on the cusp of his 65th birthday, was that he and his players give more in pursuit of a first Premiership title in four seasons.

Despite qualifying for his bus pass tomorrow, Sir Alex Ferguson has lost none of his fight for the title.

Starlet Lee Martin has returned to Man Utd after ending his loan spell at Rangers.

SIR Alex Ferguson believes the influence of the January transfer window is “over-rated”.

TeamTalk - Reading manager Steve Coppell has described Leroy Lita as the silent assassin who now has Manchester United in his sights.The striker, who has just turned 22, has found starts hard to come by in the Royals’ inaugural Premiership campaign, let alone goals.

TeamTalk - Sunderland boss Roy Keane has revealed Manchester United defender Jonny Evans will join the club next week after agreeing a loan deal.And the 19-year-old could line-up alongside Old Trafford team-mate Phil Bardsley, who also held talks this week with a view to playing a part in the Black Cats’ push for promotion back to the Premiership.

Sunderland agree a deal to sign Man Utd’s Jonny Evans on loan.

TeamTalk - Lee Martin has returned to Manchester United after Rangers manager Paul Le Guen decided against extending his loan deal.The 19-year-old winger arrived at Ibrox in the summer, along with Old Trafford team-mate Phil Bardsley.

SIR Alex Ferguson will collect his bus pass on Sunday but the Manchester United boss has no intention of taking his foot off the accelerator just yet.

AT a club like Manchester United, it is easy to look back.

UNITED boss Sir Alex Ferguson celebrates his 65th birthday on Sunday. Check out his record at United since his appointment in 1986.

MICHAEL Carrick returns to the Manchester United squad for the clash with Reading at Old Trafford.

Reuters - Cristiano Ronaldo, who has emerged as a candidate to become England’s Footballer of the Year this season, has yet to hit his peak, according to his Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.