Manchester United news and links

Sporting Life - Manchester United still back the Premier League’s collective bargaining agreement.

Manchester United remain totally behind the Premier League’s collective television bargaining agreement.

SIR Alex Ferguson is almost ready to unleash his Class of 2007 on the Premiership.

UNITED keeper Edwin van der Sar expects to be back in action within a fortnight.

TeamTalk - Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar expects to be back in action within a fortnight after breaking his nose.Van der Sar broke his nose in a hefty collision with Tottenham’s Robbie Keane during United’s 4-0 win at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Giant goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is hoping to return to action for Manchester United against Lille in two weeks’ time.

Sporting Life - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is delighted with the form of defender Rio Ferdinand.

Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken in glowing terms about Rio Ferdinand’s form.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says he is delighted with the form of defender Rio Ferdinand.

Team news ahead of Saturday’s Premiership match.

TeamTalk - Barcelona vice-president Ferran Soriano has insisted the Catalan giants have made ‘no approach’ to sign Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo.United’s brilliant Portugal winger has reportedly become a major transfer target of both Barcelona and their Primera Liga rivals Real Madrid.

BARCELONA director of football Txiki Begiristain has denied his club has moved to sign United winger Cristiano Ronaldo through the player’s agent.

BEN Foster is set to be one of those future soccer trivia questions that will befuddle many a brain.

UNITED have slipped down world soccer’s Rich List but are still the top money-maker in the Premiership.

Sporting Life - Manchester United are set to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona as the world’s richest club.

Sporting Life - Bryan Robson says Manchester United must do whatever it takes to keep Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manchester United drop from second to fourth in Deloitte’s list of wealthiest clubs, still topped by Real Madrid.

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted veteran striker Henrik Larsson has produced tricks in training that have left even United’s stellar names baffled.

PATRICE Evra believes he wouldn’t even be in Manchester were it not for Eric Cantona.

FIERY Scot Sir Alex Ferguson has helped to pick England’s goalkeeper for tonight’s Old Trafford friendly against Spain - but Steve McClaren can afford to smile about it.

CRISTIANO Ronaldo admits his future is unclear but the Manchester United winger insists speculation will not affect his excellent form this season.

TeamTalk - Cristiano Ronaldo admits his future is unclear but the Manchester United winger insists speculation will not affect his excellent form.The Portugal international, who played in his country’s 2-0 win over Brazil at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night, has been repeatedly linked with a move to Barcelona or Real Madrid since the World Cup last summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo was happy to be Portugal captain amid new claims about his future.

Simon Hattenstone: Liverpool should spend their megabucks on a world-class diver if they want to compete with Chelsea and Manchester United.

Steve McClaren has emphasised that Paul Robinson was “England’s first-choice goalkeeper”, despite Ben Foster being handed the No 1 jersey for the Old Trafford friendly against Spain. Henry Winter reports.

The one thing all goalkeepers need before they play, in any game, is time to prepare properly. In modern thinking, they call it ‘being focused’, ‘getting in the zone’, ‘thinking in the box’. That last phrase is a very appropriate one for Ben Foster, suddenly thrust into the limelight as England’s keeper against Spain at Old Trafford.

PAUL Scholes is refusing to get carried away by Manchester United’s stunning four-goal triumph at Tottenham on Sunday.

UNITED youngster Ben Foster has been picked to play for England against Spain at Old Trafford tomorrow night. Foster, currently on loan at Watford, will find himself alongside United team-mates Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Michael Carrick.

Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is given six points on his licence and fined £1,000 for speeding.

TeamTalk - Paul Scholes is refusing to get carried away by Manchester United’s stunning four-goal triumph at Tottenham on Sunday.The Premiership leaders began what was expected to be a tough set of away fixtures with the biggest win at White Hart Lane in their illustrious history.

Manchester United may hold a six-point lead over Chelsea but Paul Scholes believes “there will be a few twists and turns yet”.

NEMANJA Vidic can bulldoze his way to double figures for United and outpoint Chelsea’s John Terry. The Reds have not had a defender who can pile in with goals since Steve Bruce bravely forced home countless goals from set-pieces and crosses in the late 80s and 90s.

PORTUGAL coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has denied suggesting Cristiano Ronaldo should leave Manchester United to play in Spain. Scolari was reported to have said that Ronaldo would benefit from a move to Barcelona, but speaking in the build-up to Tuesday’s friendly against Brazil, the Brazilian claimed he had been misquoted.

JOHN O’Shea believes the current Manchester United squad is just as talented as the treble-winning vintage of 1999.

RIO Ferdinand is looking to United’s new-found defensive meanness to give them the edge in their title battle with Chelsea.

Sporting Life - John O’Shea believes the current Manchester United squad is as good as their Treble winners.

John O’Shea admits Man Utd players are ‘daring to think’ about winning the Treble.

THE FLAGS above Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground will fly at half mast today to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.

TeamTalk - Manchester United utility player John O’Shea believes the current Red Devils squad is just as talented as the treble-winning vintage of 1999.Although O’Shea feels manager Sir Alex Ferguson’s latest crop of stars are not as experienced compared to those of eight years ago, he is adamant there is no reason why their feat cannot be emulated this season.

Tottenham defender Lee Young-Pyo has accused Cristiano Ronaldo of diving.

Cristiano Ronaldo was 22 yesterday - not a bad age for a football coronation, and not necessarily premature when you remember Pele was 17 when he had his in a World Cup final in Stockholm and George Best was still just 19 when he was crowned in Lisbon’s Estado da Luz. But then this is the point, isn’t it?

MICHAEL Carrick insists Manchester United are unconcerned by the returns of Chelsea captain John Terry and goalkeeper Petr Cech as the Blues up the ante in defence of their Barclays Premiership title.

Michael Carrick says Man Utd are not worried by the threat posed by Chelsea.

TeamTalk - Michael Carrick insists Manchester United are unconcerned by the returns of Chelsea captain John Terry and goalkeeper Petr Cech.United restored their six-point Premiership lead over Chelsea by thrashing Tottenham 4-0 at White Hart Lane on Sunday, with Carrick enjoying his return to the club he left in the summer.

TeamTalk - Tottenham could be in trouble for showing replays of Cristiano Ronaldo’s “dive” on the big screens during Sunday’s defeat by Manchester United.The Premier League may contact Spurs after a replay of the controversial incident was shown at White Hart Lane during the interval of United’s 4-0 win.

Tottenham could be in trouble for showing replays of Cristiano Ronaldo’s “dive” on the big screens.

Atletico Madrid ace Fernando Torres is playing down talk of a move to Man Utd.

JOHN O’Shea intends to donate his unique Manchester United goalkeeping shirt to charity.

CARLOS Queiroz has tipped Cristiano Ronaldo for footballing superstardom and believes he can emulate Michael Jordan’s dominance of the NBA basketball scene.

TeamTalk - Manchester United assistant Carlos Queiroz claims he has “never seen a player” with as much ability as Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo.Ronaldo caused a storm of controversy during United’s 4-0 win at Tottenham when he went down under minimal, if any, contact from Steed Malbranque for the visitors’ first-half penalty.