Manchester United news and links

Cristiano Ronaldo is named Footballer of the Year by sports writers.

Man Utd winger Cristiano Ronaldo beats Chelsea’s Didier Drogba to the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award.

Had United won, the Manchester Evening News might have been more restrained but Milan’s daily paper, Il Giornale, exulted in their night of triumph. “The mythical Manchester were annihilated,” it proclaimed.

If I know Sir Alex Ferguson he will be as impatient for the new season as a child on Christmas Eve. By Robert Philip.

Manchester City did not turn down Sir Alex Ferguson’s request to push back tomorrow’s derby 24 hours out of spite, the City manager Stuart Pearce said.

Because he elevates, and celebrates, individual greatness maybe more enthusiastically than any manager since his legendary compatriot Bill Shankly, no one hurts more deeply than Sir Alex Ferguson when he feels that his team have suffered a critical shortfall in this most precious football commodity.

Richard Williams: Hunting down both the Premiership and the Champions League is becoming increasingly tricky.

FORMER Manchester United youth-team skipper Josh Howard secured a league and cup double for FC United and sparked a virtual beach party at sand-strewn Tameside Stadium, writes Stuart Brennan.

CITY welcome United to Eastlands in the 136th league derby on Saturday. Check out the key battles that could decide the match and look back on some memorable images in our picture gallery.

CRISTIANO Ronaldo has scooped the 2007 Footballer of the Year award to complete a sensational clean sweep of soccer’s top personal honours.

MANAGER Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing to make changes as Manchester United look to bounce back from their Champions League heartbreak by moving to within a point of the Premiership title by beating Manchester City at Eastlands.

POLICE have warned troublemakers to stay away from the derby match at Eastlands.

SIR Alex Ferguson has urged Manchester United not to rely on old rivals Arsenal doing them a title favour this weekend.

WES Brown is happy to play the waiting game as long as Manchester United eventually land the Premiership title.

FORMER Manchester United youth-team skipper Josh Howard secured a league and cup double for FC United and sparked a virtual beach party at sand-strewn Tameside Stadium, writes Stuart Brennan.

Ryan Giggs has urged Manchester United to concentrate on the league and cup double after their defeat by AC Milan

Team news and statistics ahead of Saturday’s Premiership game.

Man City boss Stuart Pearce says the club’s refusal to switch the derby game with Man Utd was not done out of spite.

Ryan Giggs has called on Manchester United to get back on track fast.

The aristocrats of AC Milan shattered Manchester United’s hopes of joining Liverpool in the Champions League final

Stuart Pearce says City want to give their fans something to shout about.

Blues defender Micah Richards wants to hamper United’s title hopes.

Follow Saturday’s derby live on your PC or via text alerts to your mobile.

Despite defeat in Milan, Sir Alex rallies his squad ahead of the trip to City.

Manchester United pair Jamie Mullan and Aaron Burns are having a trial with Championship side Leeds United.

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson says his team “did not have much help” from the Premier League in their Champions League quest.

Growing pains cost Man Utd the Champions League

For a moment it seemed Sir Alex Ferguson would grasp an unnecessary leaf out of Jose Mourinho’s managerial book and blame his Champions League exit last night on the fatigue of chasing silverware on all fronts. But then, head bowed and desperate to be anywhere except lingering in the bowels of the San Siro, the Manchester United manager faced the truth with welcome dignity; his team simply could not cope with the magnificence of Milan.

Cancel the pageant for English football; postpone the Premiership’s annexation of Europe. The prospect of an all-English Champions League final in Athens on 23 May was made to look little more than fanciful last night, ended by a Milan team who did not just eliminate Sir Alex Ferguson’s team but vanquished them to the margins of this game.

Later this week, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year, an award inaugurated in 1948, of which Stanley Matthews was the first winner. One of the criticisms aimed at the present-day wizard of the dribble, thrilling as much of his work in the Premiership has been, is that unlike the real greats he has yet to prove himself on the big occasion. A European Cup semi-final, lining up against of the most unyielding defences in international football, provided a proper testing ground last night and the Portuguese winger was not the only man in a white shirt found wanting.

Four Milan players swarmed around Paul Scholes after he refused to return possession in the final minutes here last night, pushing, shoving and provoking the midfielder towards the booking that would have brought him an immediate suspension. It was a measure of the ordeal for the men from Old Trafford last night that, had he retaliated, no one would have cared.

When Gary Neville came out worse in a challenge with Bolton’s Gary Speed, when Nemanja Vidic broke his collarbone against Blackburn and when Rio Ferdinand joined them on the treatment table with a recurring groin problem, Manchester United’s Champions League fate was effectively sealed, says Alan Smith.

Now I can see why Sir Alex Ferguson is so keen to sign England midfielder Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich in the summer, writes Don Howe.

For the third time Sir Alex Ferguson saw Manchester United fail to reach a European Cup final at the final hurdle. But unlike previous semi-final defeats, the United manager could not pretend his team had seen a final stolen from them, and admitted: “We cut our own throats”.

Ryan Giggs says United gave the ball away too cheaply in the San Siro.

SIR Alex Ferguson has revealed he was taking a long-term view when he left Rio Ferdinand out of the Champions League semi-final defeat to AC Milan.

THERE are 101 reasons why FC United may not clinch the double when they face Curzon Ashton at Tameside Stadium tonight.

SIR Alex Ferguson called for the spirit of 99 as he sent his troops into action in a soaking San Siro. Instead he got the spirit of 69, when United also disappointingly went out to AC Milan.

CITY refused Sir Alex Ferguson’s request to push Saturday’s derby clash at Eastlands back for the sake of the fans.

SIR Alex Ferguson says he doesn’t have soccer dreams any more, but sadly some of the nightmares just won’t go away.

CHECK out what our panel of experts made of United’s defeat in Milan.

THERE are 101 reasons why FC United may not clinch the double when they face Curzon Ashton at Tameside Stadium tonight.

The Reds crash out of Europe as Milan score three times at the San Siro.

See the best of the action direct from Milan’s San Siro stadium.

Sir Alex praises Milan after the Rossoneri ended United’s European dream.

“Man Utd’s big players didn’t perform. AC Milan’s did.”

Man Utd hold a 3-2 aggregate lead over AC Milan going into the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Reports that Roma’s Ultra fans could attend tonight’s match will dismay Manchester United’s travelling support

The ex-Manchester United midfield player believes another of his former clubs will target Paul Scholes as a weak link tonight

The Manchester United manager angrily claimed Jose Mourinho lacked principles after he called Cristiano Ronaldo uneducated