Manchester United news and links

Sporting Life - Manchester United have signed Anderson and Nani, and Owen Hargreaves looks set to be next.

Sporting Life - Manchester United are facing the prospect of legal action from their own fans over a ticket scheme.

TeamTalk - Manchester United are facing the prospect of legal action from their own fans over the controversial ‘automatic cup scheme’ (ACS).The scheme, which makes it compulsory for fans to buy tickets for all cup games at Old Trafford, had previously been obligatory only for new season-ticket holders.

Sporting Life - Malcolm Glazer has no intention of selling Manchester United.

TeamTalk - Ryan Giggs is confident Manchester United will be an even stronger force next season after their FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea.Not even the knowledge they are Premiership champions once more can ease the raw hurt of Saturday’s defeat.

Sporting Life - Michael Carrick insists Manchester United are still England’s finest despite their FA Cup defeat.

Sporting Life - Owen Hargreaves is leaving Bayern Munich, with Manchester United his likely destination.

Sporting Life - Sir Alex Ferguson is tipping Cristiano Ronaldo to establish himself as the best player in the world.

TeamTalk - Michael Carrick does not care whether Saturday’s FA Cup Final is a classic or not - just as long as he ends it with a winner’s medal.The 25-year-old Manchester United midfielder does not have a particularly impressive record in the competition.

TeamTalk - Sir Alex Ferguson lavished praise on Cristiano Ronaldo as he prepares to collect the Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year award.The brilliant Manchester United winger has already collected a plethora of personal accolades after helping drive his team towards the Premiership title, and potentially the FA Cup.

Reuters - Malaysia’s football body FAM, emboldened by support from the prime minister, will stand up to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and host Manchester United on July 27, a FAM official said on Monday.

TeamTalk - Jonny Evans says he would jump at the chance to return to Sunderland next season - claiming he has “unfinished business” with the Black Cats.The Manchester United defender played a pivotal role in the Black Cats’ promotion to the Premiership following his arrival on loan in January and has revealed that he would love the opportunity to play for them in the top flight.

Reuters - Manchester United striker Louis Saha faces further cup disappointment with a knee injury expected to rule him out of the FA Cup final against Chelsea.

Reuters - Manchester United’s proposed tour of Asia in July is likely to have a negative influence on the Asian Cup, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohamed Bin Hammam said on Sunday.

TeamTalk - Chris Eagles revealed scoring for Manchester United was “something I’ve wanted to do ever since I moved up from London at 13″.The Hemel Hempstead-born winger marked his first Premiership appearance for United by scoring the final goal in the amazing 4-2 victory at Everton on Saturday after coming on as an 86th-minute substitute.

TeamTalk - AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti admits that Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo have improved considerably since 2005.On Wednesday, AC Milan will look to overturn United’s 3-2 first-leg lead when they play their second-leg Champions League match with United at the San Siro.

TeamTalk - Wayne Rooney’s stoppage-time strike gave Manchester United a 3-2 win over AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.Trailing at the break as their defensive frailties finally caught up with them, there appeared to be no way back for a United side playing second fiddle to brilliant Brazilian Kaka.

TeamTalk - Giuseppe Rossi could not hide his relief after his two goals helped struggling Parma to a vital 2-0 win over European hopefuls Fiorentina.The on-loan Manchester United striker scored in each half to earn the Gialloblu a sixth win of the season, and although they remain in the bottom three in Serie A, they are now level on points with Chievo, who hold the final position of safety.

Reuters - The gleaming arch of the new Wembley stadium will beckon for Manchester United and Chelsea this weekend when they start huge favourites in their respective FA Cup semi-final ties.

Sporting Life - Adrian Boothroyd believes Manchester United could field a weakened team in today’s FA Cup semi.

TeamTalk - Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd believes Manchester United could field a weakened team for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against his side.United are still in contention for the Premiership and Champions League as well as the FA Cup, and Boothroyd knows that Sir Alex Ferguson might have one eye on the challenges ahead when he makes his plans for the Villa Park tie against the Hornets.

TeamTalk - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists English clubs have once again moved ahead of their Spanish and Italian counterparts in Europe.With the Red Devils among three English representatives in the last four of this season’s Champions League, many feel the domestic competition has outstripped those of Spain and Italy, who have traditionally been viewed as superior.

Sporting Life - Cristiano Ronaldo says he’s at Manchester United for the long haul after signing a new deal.

Reuters - Trouble flared briefly at Old Trafford about two hours before Manchester United played AS Roma in their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday.

TeamTalk - Police and football fans clashed on Tuesday night ahead of Manchester United’s home game against AS Roma.Up to 100 people were involved in the street fights with Greater Manchester Police officers at Manchester’s Old Trafford football ground.

TeamTalk - Wayne Rooney finally ended his 18-game Champions League drought but he could not help 10-man Manchester United losing 2-1 to Roma.Paul Scholes’ dismissal for two yellow cards after just 33 minutes of the quarter-final first-leg clash had left the Red Devils in trouble in the Stadio Olimpico.

TeamTalk - Louis Saha has an outside chance of playing against Blackburn at Old Trafford on Saturday after recovering from a hamstring injury.But the French striker is more likely to be rested until the clash with Portsmouth next week.

TeamTalk - Holland goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has rejoined Marco van Basten’s squad ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifier against Slovenia on Wednesday.The Manchester United star pulled out of Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Romania because of a knee injury, but is expected to be fit for the trip to Celje.

Reuters - UEFA has fined French club Lille 100,000 Swiss francs (41,900 pounds) over crowd disturbances and player misbehaviour in last month’s Champions League first knockout round first leg against Manchester United.

AFP - Real Madrid are ready to pay Manchester United a club record 80 million euros (105 million dollars) to land Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, Spanish sports daily AS reported Wednesday.

TeamTalk - Barcelona director Txiki Begiristain insists they have not made a move for Cristiano Ronaldo, despite reports to the contrary in Spain.Begiristain says the Spanish champions have not made any approach for the Manchester United superstar.

Sporting Life - Sir Alex Ferguson lauded Cristiano Ronaldo after Manchester United beat Middlesbrough 1-0.

TeamTalk - Furious Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson turned his fire on Middlesbrough after another penalty storm centred around Cristiano Ronaldo.Branded a cheat by Boro manager Gareth Southgate when he earned the Red Devils a spot-kick against the Teessiders in the Premiership earlier this season, Ronaldo was the man brought down again at Old Trafford as Ferguson’s men edged a tense FA Cup quarter-final replay.

Reuters - Champions Chelsea beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and league leaders Manchester United overcame Middlesbrough with a Ronaldo penalty on Monday to book their places in next month’s semi-finals of the FA Cup.

TeamTalk - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is backing Wayne Rooney to score the goals fire the Red Devils towards Premiership glory.With Henrik Larsson back in Sweden, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both on the injured list and Alan Smith still to make a league start this term, Rooney is United’s only fully fit striker for Saturday’s clash with Bolton.

Reuters - Manchester United will look to shore up their shrinking lead at the top of the Premier League this weekend in a northwest derby against Bolton Wanderers.

TeamTalk - Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted there is no desperate need for Manchester United to rush through contract negotiations with Cristiano Ronaldo.Despite reported interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid, United are confident of tying Ronaldo down to a lucrative contract extension which will keep him at Old Trafford until 2012.

TeamTalk - Keith Burkinshaw has claimed Ben Foster is “the best English goalkeeper” ahead of England’s Euro 2008 qualifier in Israel next weekend.Foster, who is on loan at Watford from Manchester United, goes head to head with Paul Robinson - the current first-choice keeper for England coach Steve McClaren - when the Hornets travel to White Hart Lane in the Barclays Premiership on Saturday.

TeamTalk - Rio Ferdinand has been cleared to play in Manchester United’s Premiership clash with Bolton on Saturday.Sir Alex Ferguson rejected reports that Ferdinand is suffering from a cracked rib and though the England defender has only returned to training on Friday he will be available for the encounter with Sam Allardyce’s men.

TeamTalk - Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes admits the Red Devils are ‘desperate’ to recapture the Premiership title.United tackle North-West neighbours Bolton on Saturday eager to consolidate a lead which was whittled down to six points by Chelsea’s win at Manchester City on Wednesday.

Sporting Life - Rio Ferdinand is reportedly a doubt for Manchester United this weekend with a cracked rib.

Sporting Life - Paul Scholes admits Manchester United are ‘desperate’ to recapture the Premiership title.

TeamTalk - Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster is in two minds as to whether he wants a Middlesbrough win in their FA Cup replay with Manchester United.Foster, good enough even in a relegation-threatened side to earn an England call-up, is on loan at Vicarage Road from the Red Devils.

AFP - Cristiano Ronaldo, who is in talks to extend his contract at Manchester United, will quit Old Trafford for Real Madrid at the end of the season, Spanish sports daily Marca predicted on Thursday.

TeamTalk - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the UEFA celebration game as a fitting tribute to the club’s 50 years in European competition.United beat a Europe XI 4-3 thanks to two goals from Wayne Rooney and one apiece from Wes Brown and Cristiano Ronaldo - the latter a sublime 30-yard free-kick of which the watching David Beckham would have been proud.

TeamTalk - David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson marked the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome by signing their own peace pact on Tuesday.Beckham made his first appearance in front of United fans since his acrimonious departure from the club almost four years ago as they beat a Europe XI 4-3 in a match which also celebrated 50 years of United in Europe.

Reuters - When Manchester United mark their 50 years in European competition with a celebration match against a select European XI on Tuesday, the occasion will mix images of an historic past and a likely glittering future.

Reuters - Champions Chelsea or derby rivals Tottenham Hotspur will face Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup semi-finals, while the winners of Manchester United’s replay with Middlesbrough will take on Watford.

Sporting Life - Alex Ferguson claims it has been a “bad week” for Manchester United despite their European win.

Sporting Life - Henrik Larsson will quit Manchester United on March 12 despite helping them progress in Europe.