Manchester United news and links

AILING Altrincham are still looking for the win which would almost certainly guarantee their Blue Square Premier survival after crashing 1-0 at lowly Ebbsfleet.


 Ricky Grand’s seventh minute strike was enough to send Alty spinning to their sixth defeat in eight games – one which leaves them still three points short of boss Graham Heathcote’s safety target of 50 with now just seven left to play.

AILING Altrincham are still looking for the win which would almost certainly guarantee their Blue Square Premier survival after crashing 1-0 at lowly Ebbsfleet.


 Ricky Grand’s seventh minute strike was enough to send Alty spinning to their sixth defeat in eight games – one which leaves them still three points short of boss Graham Heathcote’s safety target of 50 with now just seven left to play.

Sir Alex picks out Josep Guardiola’s Barcelona as a big threat in Europe.

ManUtd.com’s March Player of the Month thanks the fans and vows to keep firing.

After two lost finals, Wayne wants to realise a boyhood dream of lifting the FA Cup.

German goalkeeper picked up an injury in Monday’s Reserves game.

FC UNITED have suffered a blow to their play-off hopes with key defender Danny Warrender out of Wednesday’s Gigg Lane clash with Ossett Town (7.45).


The right back twisted an ankle while running in Heaton Park, but may be available for Saturday’s home game with North Ferriby United.


Adam Carden is expected to step in for Warrender, but manager Karl Marginson will otherwise name an unchanged team after a run of four wins and a draw have sent the Rebels surging towards the play-offs.

FC UNITED have suffered a blow to their play-off hopes with key defender Danny Warrender out of Wednesday’s Gigg Lane clash with Ossett Town (7.45).


The right back twisted an ankle while running in Heaton Park, but may be available for Saturday’s home game with North Ferriby United.


Adam Carden is expected to step in for Warrender, but manager Karl Marginson will otherwise name an unchanged team after a run of four wins and a draw have sent the Rebels surging towards the play-offs.

DARREN Hamilton went off to sea after coaches at Stoke, Crewe and Stockport gave him the same heartbreaking news: “Sorry son, you’re too small to be a pro.”


But life on an ocean waves aboard HMS Coventry didn’t work out and now Glossop North End talisman Darren has returned to dry land, hoping to emulate the football success of his former Fletcher Moss under-15s team-mate Wes Brown.

DARREN Hamilton went off to sea after coaches at Stoke, Crewe and Stockport gave him the same heartbreaking news: “Sorry son, you’re too small to be a pro.”


But life on an ocean waves aboard HMS Coventry didn’t work out and now Glossop North End talisman Darren has returned to dry land, hoping to emulate the football success of his former Fletcher Moss under-15s team-mate Wes Brown.

RIO Ferdinand believes his United team-mate Wayne Rooney is starting to consistently produce his best form for England as the striker prepares to win his 50th cap in the World Cup qualifier with Ukraine at Wembley.


Rooney has had an up-and-down career for his country since making a massive impact during the Euro 2004 finals, where he was injured in the quarter-finals against host nation Portugal.

RIO Ferdinand believes his United team-mate Wayne Rooney is starting to consistently produce his best form for England as the striker prepares to win his 50th cap in the World Cup qualifier with Ukraine at Wembley.


Rooney has had an up-and-down career for his country since making a massive impact during the Euro 2004 finals, where he was injured in the quarter-finals against host nation Portugal.

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Wayne Rooney is named England player of the year for 2008 after a vote by fans.

JI-sung Park is aiming to boost his goals tally to aid Manchester United’s quintuple quest.


The South Korea star has been in good form for the Reds - he picked up the player of the month award from the club’s official website
www.manutd.com - but has only scored two goals this season and admits he could improve that part of his game.

JI-sung Park is aiming to boost his goals tally to aid Manchester United’s quintuple quest.


The South Korea star has been in good form for the Reds - he picked up the player of the month award from the club’s official website
www.manutd.com - but has only scored two goals this season and admits he could improve that part of his game.

Manchester United defender Gary Neville moves a step closer to full fitness after completing an hour for the reserves against Newcastle United on Monday.

John Terry strikes late on to secure victory for England over Ukraine and maintain their 100% record in their World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign.

RIO Ferdinand was able to take some part in England training this morning, fuelling a belief that he will be fit for Wednesday’s key World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley.


The United defender has been feeling a slight aggravation in a back problem that ruled him out for a month earlier this season.

RIO Ferdinand was able to take some part in England training this morning, fuelling a belief that he will be fit for Wednesday’s key World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley.


The United defender has been feeling a slight aggravation in a back problem that ruled him out for a month earlier this season.

BEN Foster has got the whip hand for both United and England, according to ex-Reds number one Alex Stepney.


He is still not first-choice for either club or country, with Edwin van der Sar and David James blocking his path, but he is tipped to take over both in the near future.

BEN Foster has got the whip hand for both United and England, according to ex-Reds number one Alex Stepney.


He is still not first-choice for either club or country, with Edwin van der Sar and David James blocking his path, but he is tipped to take over both in the near future.

Jose Mourinho has said he would be interested in taking over at Old Trafford once Sir Alex Ferguson retires. When asked if he would consider the role, the former Chelsea manager said: “Who can say no? Nobody could say no. Manchester United belongs to a small group of clubs around the world where nobody can say no.”

Ferguson’s son Darren increased speculation over his father’s future last week, saying United could be looking for a new manager at the end of next season.

Mourinho, though, does not believe the 67-year-old’s departure is imminent. “First of all, I don’t believe in 2010 he is leaving – I don’t believe,” he said. “I think year after year he is the same … healthy, happy … so I don’t see a reason for him to quit. And in a very fair way, I hope he still goes on, because he’s good.”

GARY Neville provided a welcome boost for United ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Old Trafford showdown with Aston Villa when he came through a 58-minute workout against Newcastle United at St James’s Park last night.


But the Reds young goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zeiler wasn’t so lucky, breaking an arm in the clash.

GARY Neville provided a welcome boost for United ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Old Trafford showdown with Aston Villa when he came through a 58-minute workout against Newcastle United at St James’s Park last night.


But the Reds young goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zeiler wasn’t so lucky, breaking an arm in the clash.

• In-form Messi is ‘fantastic’ player, admits Ferguson
• Piqué has turned Barcelona into formidable defensive unit

Sir Alex Ferguson was proved right when he described Real Madrid as having “no chance” of winning the Champions League, dryly pointing out earlier this season that “their game lacks pace”, but the Manchester United manager anticipates a more robust challenge from elsewhere in La Liga.

“Barcelona are the form team,” Ferguson said of the remaining eight clubs in this ­season’s Champions League.

“They’ve been terrific this season and everyone’s taking notice of them. Their first-half performance against Lyon in the second leg of the first knockout round [Barcelona won 5–2 to go through 6–3 on aggregate] was absolutely brilliant – they were four up in no time. They can be a threat to anybody and are quite rightly one of the favourites. They got off to a great start to the season and it wasn’t until January that they hit a blip, and that can happen to everyone. They’re over that now, so they’ll be the threat.”

United beat Barcelona 1–0 courtesy of a Paul Scholes goal in last season’s semi-final but Ferguson has rarely seen his team penned into their own half as they were during the second leg at Old Trafford. He describes Lionel Messi as a “fantastic” player, and the fact that United cannot meet Barcelona until the final was one of the reasons Ferguson felt a quarter-final against FC Porto, followed by a possible semi-final against Arsenal or Villarreal, was a “good draw” for his side.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have the daunting task of getting past Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals before a potential semi-final against Chelsea or Liverpool, Real Madrid’s conquerors in the previous round. However, Ferguson, speaking to the Inside United magazine, believes the Catalan club, six points clear in La Liga and with Messi in such exhilarating form he can be described as the most penetrative attacking player on the planet, are the team to fear in their side of the draw.

“The English teams have proven the strength of the Premier League in recent years,” he continued. “Last season we had three in the semi-finals and two in the final; the previous [season] there were three in the semis and Liverpool made it to the final. But we have to recognise that our threats don’t just come from England, the big one will come from Barcelona.”

Ferguson added: “I’m not sure they’ve improved a lot from when we played them last season but they have had a better defensive record since Josep Guardiola took over as coach last year.

“There has maybe been a bit more concentration on defending than there had been in previous times. That’s not a criticism of Frank Rijkaard, I just think Guardiola has brought in the awareness that defending is just as important as attacking.

“Gerard Piqué, for instance, left us to go back there and has done really well for them. We always knew of his abilities – good talent, mobility and a winning mentality – so I think he’s improved them.”

Ji-sung Park voted ManUtd.com’s Player of the Month for March.

• Forward rewarded for scoring five goals in eight matches
• Gareth Barry and Theo Walcott come second and third

Wayne Rooney has said that he is “absolutely delighted” after being voted Nationwide England Player of the Year 2008.

Rooney is the first forward to win the award, which is voted for by fans on the Football Association’s official website, after playing in eight of England’s 10 games in 2008 and scoring five goals, all in competitive matches.

Gareth Barry, who was the only outfield player to play in all 10 matches, maintaining a sequence of 19 consecutive games for his country, came second while Theo Walcott was third on a list compiled after thousands of England fans logged on to thefa.com to register their votes.

“I am absolutely delighted to win this award, especially as it has been voted for by the England fans,” Rooney said. “Having said that, it would not have been possible without the help and support of my England team-mates, Fabio Capello and his coaching staff.

“It’s an amazing feeling, playing for your country. So to be voted player of the year is a great feeling and I’d like to thank all the fans who voted for me.

“Since the manager came in the routine has changed and the team has started playing a lot better football. The main aim was to get the wins in those qualifying games and we did that, and thankfully I was able to score some goals as well. So overall I think 2008 was a good year for England.”

“The results on the road last year have put us in a good position and now we have some massive games coming up at Wembley. If the fans can show the same level of support and commitment they showed last year – and again on Saturday – it will be a big help to the players. To play at Wembley with the fans and country behind us is amazing and I can’t stress enough how important their support and encouragement is.”

Rooney had a good 2008 at club level – he scored the winning goal in Tokyo as Manchester United won the World Club Cup after collecting his second Premier League and first Champions League winners’ medals. Now the Liverpool-born striker is hoping to earn international honours.

“Of course, it’s something that hasn’t happened in many decades now and it’s every player’s aim to win a trophy with England. If we could do that in the next few years I’m sure everyone from the fans, the players and the staff involved would be absolutely delighted.”

Rooney is set to win his 50th cap against Ukraine on Wednesday. He was recently tipped by England’s captain, John Terry, to win as many as 150 caps and he boasts a goal ratio approaching one in every two games for England. But success has not quelled the 23-year-old’s hunger.

“It’s not really something I look at, to be honest,” he said. “Obviously I want to win more trophies, earn more caps and score more goals. When I finish my career I can look back then on those kind of things, but while I’m still playing I don’t want to be looking back. I want to only look ­forward to the achievements I can get in the future.

“After [Manchester United] won the Champions League last season we were thinking about the start of the next season straight away. The manager [Sir Alex Ferguson] said straight after the game: ‘Make sure we’re ready for next season’. It’s something that you have to do. You can enjoy the night when you win trophies but after that you’re looking forward to winning them again.”

Nationwide England players of the year

2007: Steven Gerrard

2006: Owen Hargreaves

2005: Frank Lampard

2004: Frank Lampard

2003: David Beckham

2008 top three

1 Wayne Rooney 22.2%

2 Gareth Barry 19.1%

3 Theo Walcott 15.9%

UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes a refocused Barcelona pose the biggest threat to his team’s hopes of retaining their Champions League crown.


English sides have once again dominated the world’s premier club competition this season, with United one of four teams from the Barclays Premier League to reach the quarter-finals - along with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes a refocused Barcelona pose the biggest threat to his team’s hopes of retaining their Champions League crown.


English sides have once again dominated the world’s premier club competition this season, with United one of four teams from the Barclays Premier League to reach the quarter-finals - along with Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.

GARY Neville takes his next step towards full fitness tonight when he plays for United’s second string in their reserve team clash with Newcastle at St James’ Park.


Neville has endured an injury-plagued two years, which started with a broken ankle suffered against Bolton in March 2007. The England defender thought het had put his problems behind him when he forced his way back into the United line-up earlier this season, making 22 appearances.

GARY Neville takes his next step towards full fitness tonight when he plays for United’s second string in their reserve team clash with Newcastle at St James’ Park.


Neville has endured an injury-plagued two years, which started with a broken ankle suffered against Bolton in March 2007. The England defender thought het had put his problems behind him when he forced his way back into the United line-up earlier this season, making 22 appearances.

FC UNITED boss Karl Marginson backed his resolute Rebels to squeeze into the UniBond premier play-offs after seeing them step up their dramatic late promotion push by winning a see-saw battle at Marine.


Two Carl Lomax goals proved decisive in giving Marginson’s men a hard-fought 3-2 victory after they’d allowed the mid-table Mariners to storm back from trailing to Simon Carden’s 32nd minute opener to briefly lead 2-1. The win in Crosby takes FC up to sixth and to within a point of a play-off place with just five games remaining.


Said Marginson: “We had to dig deep, but we’ve got players who can do that and, when we perform, I feel we can get a positive result every time.”

FC UNITED boss Karl Marginson backed his resolute Rebels to squeeze into the UniBond premier play-offs after seeing them step up their dramatic late promotion push by winning a see-saw battle at Marine.


Two Carl Lomax goals proved decisive in giving Marginson’s men a hard-fought 3-2 victory after they’d allowed the mid-table Mariners to storm back from trailing to Simon Carden’s 32nd minute opener to briefly lead 2-1. The win in Crosby takes FC up to sixth and to within a point of a play-off place with just five games remaining.


Said Marginson: “We had to dig deep, but we’ve got players who can do that and, when we perform, I feel we can get a positive result every time.”

UNITED are set to be relying on a potentially jaded attack to re-ignite their Premier League form this Sunday against Aston Villa.


Carlos Tevez will be the man charged with spearheading the champions’ recovery following back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Fulham. The Reds’ goal-difference has also taken a pounding in recent weeks with Liverpool gaining the upperhand in that department in the title race.

UNITED are set to be relying on a potentially jaded attack to re-ignite their Premier League form this Sunday against Aston Villa.


Carlos Tevez will be the man charged with spearheading the champions’ recovery following back-to-back defeats against Liverpool and Fulham. The Reds’ goal-difference has also taken a pounding in recent weeks with Liverpool gaining the upperhand in that department in the title race.

UNITED striker Wayne Rooney brushed aside concerns over his temperament ahead of England’s World Cup clash against the Ukraine on Wednesday by insisting: “I am always in control.”


It was the briefest of responses from the 23-year-old after scoring twice in the 4-0 friendly win over Slovakia, coming a week after he punched a corner flag having been sent-off for United at Fulham.

UNITED striker Wayne Rooney brushed aside concerns over his temperament ahead of England’s World Cup clash against the Ukraine on Wednesday by insisting: “I am always in control.”


It was the briefest of responses from the 23-year-old after scoring twice in the 4-0 friendly win over Slovakia, coming a week after he punched a corner flag having been sent-off for United at Fulham.

Rooney, Tevez and Evans all score in victories for their national teams.

GLOSSOP North End boss Steve Young praised his teams tenacity after they came from 3-1 down in Saturday’s FA Vase semi-final 1st leg to snatch a draw and set up a grandstand return fixture next Saturday.


“We showed great mental strength.” said Young.


“The team just don’t know how to lose. We’ve not played that well today, to be fair, but we’ll be too good for them next week.”

GLOSSOP North End boss Steve Young praised his teams tenacity after they came from 3-1 down in Saturday’s FA Vase semi-final 1st leg to snatch a draw and set up a grandstand return fixture next Saturday.


“We showed great mental strength.” said Young.


“The team just don’t know how to lose. We’ve not played that well today, to be fair, but we’ll be too good for them next week.”

Wayne Rooney and Jonny Evans score as England and Northern Ireland win.

NO-one could blame Ben Foster if next season he decides to call it quits at United.


The England keeper has bided his time at Old Trafford and, with a World Cup looming, there’s a point where he has to think of his own career.

NO-one could blame Ben Foster if next season he decides to call it quits at United.


The England keeper has bided his time at Old Trafford and, with a World Cup looming, there’s a point where he has to think of his own career.

UNITED’S forgotten man Owen Hargreaves is vowing to come back next season better than ever.


The £18m Reds midfielder has only appeared three times this term because of his troublesome knees. Career-saving operations in America on his right and left joints were needed to save the England ace from the scrapheap.

UNITED’S forgotten man Owen Hargreaves is vowing to come back next season better than ever.


The £18m Reds midfielder has only appeared three times this term because of his troublesome knees. Career-saving operations in America on his right and left joints were needed to save the England ace from the scrapheap.

• German club ready for ‘brutal fight’ to keep star
• City encouraged by player’s Premier League desire

Bayern Munich are preparing for a “brutal fight” to repel the summer advances of Manchester City’s billionaire owners for Franck Ribéry, the outstanding France international.

Mark Hughes, the City manager, has identified Ribéry among an ambitious list of potential end-of-season targets that includes John Terry, Thierry Henry and Roque Santa Cruz. Despite his public statements to the contrary, Hughes is also open-minded about letting Robinho leave and one option discussed at length in both Manchester and Abu Dhabi is for City to offer the Brazilian in a player-plus-cash exchange for Terry or Ribéry.

Bayern intend to demonstrate the stubborn determination that was evident when Manchester United wanted to sign Owen Hargreaves from them in 2006. The German club made them wait another year.

“Our aim is to do everything to keep him,” Uli Hoeness, the Bayern general manager, said of Ribéry. “But it will be a brutal fight. There will be questions coming in for him, so it is important that we do not budge and express ourselves very clearly so as to keep him.”

City, who announced yesterday they are building a £6m office block adjacent to their stadium, have also been encouraged by Ribéry’s publicly stating he would like to play in the Premier League. Yet Hoeness is confident of keeping the left-sided attacker. “There is only the chance that a lack of trophies with regard to European competitions could significantly turn his thoughts to a move,” Hoeness said.

Manchester United’s Gary Neville has said he may quit the game when he stops playing and leaving the club will be like “falling off a cliff”. The 34-year-old United captain signed a new one-year deal last month but told the Big Issue in the North: “Part of me says I’d like to stay involved in the game, but another says I should do something else. It would nice to be able to take on a different challenge. I’d like to think I could do something else other than football. I am doing my coaching badges, but whether anyone will want me as a coach or a manager I don’t know. I don’t know, even now, what will happen. But leaving Manchester United, in football terms, is like falling off the end of a cliff.”

Jonny Evans is grateful for the chance to learn from Rio and Vidic.

GLOSSOP North End manager Steve Young says his Wembley hopefuls will be going for the kill in the first-leg of their FA Carlsberg Vase semi-final at Chalfont St Peter on Saturday.


Young believes the Hillmen can make the return leg at Surrey Street little more than a formality by soundly beating South Midlands League high-fliers Chalfont in their own Buckinghamshire backyard.


Having seen Glossop plunder no fewer than 28 goals in eight ties en route to the semis, Young is adamant Glossop’s best chance of reaching the May 10 Wembley final is to play to win straight from the off.