Manchester United news and links

• Fan ejected from club TV show for wearing scarf
• Steward sacked for returning confiscated banner

Manchester United are so concerned about the increasing success of the green-and-gold protests that the club have effectively forbidden Sir Alex Ferguson’s players from speaking about it publicly and imposed a series of other measures aimed at counteracting the kind of publicity generated by David Beckham’s endorsement of the campaign.

Beckham’s parting statement after United’s 4-0 defeat of Milan on Wednesday, leaving the pitch with a protest scarf around his neck, is being described as “an iconic moment” by the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (Must), and senior figures at Old Trafford are worried about the significance of the most famous sportsman on the planet attaching himself to a movement aimed at deposing the ruling Glazer family.

In response the club have already:

• Banned players from discussing the campaign in the media.

• Forbidden the in-house TV station, MUTV, from referring to the rebellion and edited questions about it from broadcasts of Ferguson’s press conferences.

• Ejected a supporter from the audience of an MUTV show after he refused to remove a green-and-gold scarf.

• Sacked a steward after 19 years’ service for attempting to return a confiscated anti-Glazer banner to its owners.

The club has reluctantly accepted the protests will continue for as long as the Glazers are in power. David Gill, the chief executive, predicted yesterday that would be “many more” than five years.

While Beckham’s latest fashion statement has been shown around the world, attracting headlines from the Boston Herald to the Times of India, MUTV has chosen to ignore what happened. Similarly Ferguson’s remarks about the protests in recent weeks have been edited out when the rest of his press conferences have been aired in full. One supporter was ejected from the audience of the MUTV show, Red Cafe, when he refused to remove his green and gold scarf, security staff telling him that the colours were not allowed inside the studio, and a steward was dismissed by CES, the security firm employed by United, after attempting to return a confiscated anti-Glazer banner during the home game against Burnley.

The initial hope inside the Old Trafford boardroom was that the protests would eventually fade out but the club’s attempts to quell the uprising have been unsuccessful. Protests were so widespread during the Milan game that CES had to abandon its usual policy of trying to remove the many banners criticising the Glazers and Gill.

Avram Glazer was at the game, smuggled into the stadium in a car with blacked-out windows and shadowed by a personal bodyguard, and United employees noted how calm and unmoved he seemed.

“Everyone has the right to protest and there was certainly a lot of green and gold there,” Gill said at the announcement of a five-year sponsorship deal with Telekom Malaysia. “But this partnership demonstrates the strength of the club. We will be around for the length of this five-year deal and many more in addition to that.”

Beckham produced the perfect publicity coup for Must and an organisation whose membership has now passed 130,000 has also been buoyed by the appointment of the Japanese investment bank Nomura to advise the alliance of wealthy United followers who are planning a takeover bid. Nomura will “coordinate and formulate the proposal to be put to the Glazer family” and Must’s spokesman, Duncan Drasdo, described the appointment as “hugely significant because it will start to crystallise the offer. We’ve seen a lot of interest from the so-called Red Knights and Nomura’s job will be to organise it.”

In the meantime Must has written an open letter asking for other “United legends” to follow Beckham’s lead and attach themselves to the cause. “David courageously showed his true colours,” the letter says. “The movement for change is becoming unstoppable and we know that David is not alone. From Eric Cantona to Andrew Cole, former players are making their feelings known.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the club’s reserve coach, is a patron of the organisation and has spoken out against the Glazers in the past but the only current player to sympathise has been Patrice Evra, in response to a French journalist who asked why the United end at Wembley was decked out in green and gold. “They are the original colours of Manchester United [as Newton Heath] and the fans wear them because they love this club,” Evra said. “They have their reasons for doing it and we don’t think that they’re crazy.”

Otherwise the players have been warned to say nothing. The captain, Gary Neville, was twice asked after Wednesday’s match and kept to the party line, saying only: “I’m not getting involved in that.”

The Manchester United and England striker has set lofty targets for club and country in the coming months

Wayne Rooney was supposed to play only the first half of the Fifa 2010 World Cup console game against the lucky competition winner at the exhibition centre in Earls Court. But the score was 0-0 and, with the contest being beamed simultaneously on the big screens to the two thousand people in attendance, Rooney’s competitive streak took over. It always does.

Perhaps he was cheered by his opponent’s team, Spain, being down to 10 men in the mock World Cup final. Or maybe it was because, as England, he was showing himself to be a pretty good console player. Most footballers are and Rooney, of course, does endorse the game.

The Manchester United and England striker insisted that they play on, only it did not quite work out for him. Fernando Torres chipped Spain into the lead and, having seen his virtual self strike the outside of a post when clean through to equalise, Rooney watched Emile Heskey fluff a last-minute sitter.

Spain were crowned as champions and Rooney threw his joy-pad up into the air in exasperation. He clearly wanted a rematch.

It was great to see Rooney act like any other 24-year-old and, indeed, talk like one. At his ease during a Q&A session with the presenter Mark Chapman, Rooney told the audience of his love for rock music – he has the name of a Stereophonics album tattooed on his arm – and how becoming a father last November has changed him. “The hardest thing is changing the nappies,” he said, “and it gets worse as well.” Chapman agreed: “It gets solid.”

Kai Rooney, his son, has been to a few United games but, apparently, he is an Evertonian. “I’m not sure he knows what’s going on but he came to see me play in the most important game, against Everton,” said the proud father. “They are the two teams I have played for and [it was] against the one that he supports.”

It was interesting to hear Rooney’s answers to a couple of football questions. Favourite World Cup moment? “Michael Owen’s goal against Argentina [in 1998], I watched it at my nan’s house.” Favourite all-time World Cup player? “Cristiano Ronaldo. I’m lucky enough to have played with him, although it would be great to knock out Portugal this time.”

Rooney, though, is no ordinary 24-year-old. In the form of his life, he enters a four-month period which could bestow greatness upon him. A shoo-in for the Footballer of the Year awards, with 30 goals in all competitions so far, he hopes to better Ronaldo’s 42-goal haul for United from two seasons ago while leading the team to the Premier League title and the European Cup. And then there is the small matter of the World Cup.

The trophy was at Earls Court, courtesy of Coca-Cola, and Rooney admitted that it was “weird” to be within touching distance of it. There was no touching, mind. Only heads of state and previous winners are entitled to do so and Fifa had three people on hand to ensure that the trophy’s dignity was protected.

“You try not to think about the World Cup,” said Rooney, who will carry the nation’s hopes in South Africa, “because you need to do your job with your club first. But it’s a dream to play for your country at any tournament, let alone the World Cup. We’ll travel with confidence because I thought we played really well in qualifying. We were just a bit gutted to lose to Ukraine because it would have been nice to go through unbeaten.

“It’s all set up for me. We’re in a great position with United, and with England we are going well, too. Hopefully, we will have a great tournament and you never know, this trophy may be back here at the end of July.”

The European Cup would be some aperitif. “I think our [7-2 aggregate] win over Milan has sent out a great message,” he said. “We have been in good form anyway but winning 4-0 at Old Trafford and the game in Milan, when we came back to win 3-2, has given us that extra belief that we can win the competition. Real Madrid have gone out, too, which has got rid of one hurdle.

“Hopefully I can win trophies and get 42 goals as well. This is my best season yet.”

Rooney was happy to treat his Earls Court defeat as a mere blip.

It’s back to the bread and butter after Italian encounters for both sides.

• Battle lines drawn in fight for soul of famous club
• Glazers sign sponsorship deal with telecoms firm

Less than a fortnight since news of the first meeting of the Red Knights around a table in Fleet Street leaked, the battle lines have been drawn. On one side a group of up to 70 wealthy investors are prepared to pool their finances to fund a bid for the club, backed by a well marshalled supporters’ movement that has signed up more than 131,000 fans in the wake of Wednesday night’s timely boost from David Beckham. On the other are the incumbent American owners who continue to insist they are going nowhere and will remain in place for years to come.

It is a battle being fought through a combination of old-fashioned protest and the latest digital campaigning techniques. The advice of Blue State Digital, the online firm behind Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, has been crucial in co-ordinating efforts to maintain momentum. The next stage will be to try to recruit Manchester United legends to the cause, including Beckham and Eric Cantona. They must reconcile an essentially socialist protest movement with a market-driven takeover bid from some of the most rapacious names in corporate hedge funds and investment banking.

The common ground is that all are convinced the Glazers’ model is unsustainable. “These are people who want the Glazers out of their club. If they were looking for a profit there are plenty of other places they could put their money,” said one source close to the Knights. The Glazers continue to claim it is “business as usual” but seem caught between trying to ignore the protests – not easy when the majority of a capacity crowd is displaying its anger – and trying to suppress them with counterproductive and sometimes heavy-handed measures.

Both sides are at a crossroads and both made announcements yesterday. The Red Knights confirmed the appointment of the Japanese investment bank Nomura, which will begin the process of turning an aspiration into a workable plan. The Glazers unveiled Telekom Malaysia as the first in a string of global sponsorship deals they believe demonstrates there is plenty of growth to come. They will claim they can continue to draw money out (potentially up to £127m this year) to reduce their high interest loans while re-investing in success on the pitch. “The situation remains the same, the club is not for sale,” said a spokesman for the Glazers yesterday.

On Wednesday, as all around him tens ofthousands sang “We want the Glazers out” and hung banners from the Stretford End, Avram Glazer looked on and laughed. For all the continuing rumours emanating from Tampa about the financial health of the Glazers’ other business interests, they cite their successful Manchester United commercial operations in Florida and London, a new £1.2bn overseas TV rights deal negotiated by the Premier League and their comfort with their level of leveraged debt as reasons they will not be selling.

Their spokesman added: “The owners remain committed for the long term and would point to success on the pitch, where the team are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and top of the Premier League, and off it, where the club has shown strong revenue growth and has a pipeline of further commercial deals.”

The unexpected boost from Beckham of a picture that spoke a thousand words capped a night that could hardly have gone better for the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust. They managed to quell ill-conceived talk of what may have been a divisive plan to stay away from Old Trafford for the first 10 minutes of the match and instead, with the game won, unleashed wave after wave of protest that will have been heard loud and clear by the global TV audience.

The phoney war is coming to a close and the rest of the season will be pivotal to the club’s future. It is understood Nomura’s Guy Dawson and Andrew McNaught will spend the next few weeks contacting potential investors and trying to devise a workable model. It will include an element of debt financing and allow for a transfer of ownership to a wider supporter base over time. As with other leading lights among the Knights, including the Goldman Sachs chief economist, Jim O’Neill, and Freshfields partner Mark Rawlinson, for Dawson and McNaught this is personal. Both were involved in advising United during the protracted negotiations that led to the £790m Glazer takeover in 2005.

Dawson and McNaught are aware they are entering uncharted territory in their attempt to put together a bid in public using an untested model. “We have one shot at this,” said a source. By the end of the season, when Manchester United could be appearing in their third consecutive Champions League final against a backdrop of green and gold, their chances of success should be clear.

City roar back to hold United to a draw in a pulsating Reserves derby.

Preston’s on-loan striker Danny Welbeck suffers reaction to knee injury while training with parent club Manchester United.

Ian McLeish reviews a contrasting night for United and our former number 7.

Nick Coppack argues United’s class, not Milan’s age, was key to victory.

The club announces a link-up with Malaysia’s leading telecomms co.

• United looking to tap in to Far East market
• David Gill delighted about five-year deal

Manchester United have signed a five-year sponsorship agreement with Telekom Malaysia, continuing the strategy of trying to widen United’s sponsorship base and hoping to tap into the club’s fan base in the country.

“Anyone who went on our tour of the Far East last summer knows the strength of feeling that Malaysians have for the club,” claimed United’s chief executive, David Gill. “Over 40,000 attended our training session and another 40,000 came to the second match in Kuala Lumpur, despite only having 48 hours’ notice of the fixture.”

Manchester United signs a five-year sponsorship deal with communications group Telekom Malaysia.

• Manchester United striker has scored 30 goals this season
• ‘I have not set myself a target. I just want to keep scoring’

Wayne Rooney is refusing to set himself a goals target for the season despite reaching the 30 mark at Old Trafford last night. Rooney continued his incredible recent run of form for Manchester United by grabbing a double in the stunning 4-0 Champions League demolition of Milan.

It meant the 24-year-old scored four of United’s seven goals over the two legs and left him just 12 away from the number Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the double-winning season two years ago.

With nine Premier League games remaining, plus up to five more in the Champions League, the odds on Rooney eclipsing Ronaldo’s feat are tumbling fast. But the England striker is refusing to look too far ahead, and insists his major priority is looking forward to the last-eight draw tomorrow week.

“I am delighted to get two more goals but I have not set myself a target. I just want to keep scoring,” said Rooney. “Overall, it was a great result and we are delighted to get through. Now we can just look forward to the draw and see how it goes from there. There is no preference. They are all difficult games at this stage of the competition.”

United already know Lyon, Bayern Munich and Arsenal are potential quarter-final opponents, while the holders Barcelona, Internazionale, Chelsea and Sevilla appear to be the strongest sides left in the other half of the draw, which is concluded next week.

However, after ripping apart the seven-times winners in clinical fashion last night, United are bidding to reach a third successive final for the first time in their history.

“The first goal was vital,” said Rooney. “We set out to get an early goal to kill the game off and when we got it we shattered Milan’s confidence. That was the major turning point.”

Manchester United have signed a five-year sponsorship agreement with Telekom Malaysia.


The deal makes Telekom Malaysia the “Integrated Telecommunications Partner” of United in Malaysia.

• Leading investment bank agrees to advise potential investors
• Nomura advised United board during Glazers’ takeover

The battle for control of Manchester United has taken another twist following confirmation that a leading global investment bank has agreed to advise on a possible acquisition of the Old Trafford outfit by the Red Knights group.

Nomura will work closely with the Red Knights, the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust and other potential investors to “coordinate and formulate the proposal to be put to the Glazer family”.

The Nomura team will be led by Guy Dawson and Andrew McNaught, both of whom advised the board of Manchester United plc when the club was sold to the Glazer family in 2005.

Nomura is beginning its role by contacting those who have made offers of financial support to the Red Knights.

Whether that number includes David Beckham is not known but the former England captain did the entire campaign a favour by donning a green and gold scarf after Milan’s 4-0 Champions League defeat at Old Trafford last night.

Protesters against the Glazers have adopted the green and gold colours which have been highly visible at United matches in recent weeks.

“I’m a Man United fan. I saw the scarf there. I put it round my neck, it’s the old colours of Man United, that’s all I knew,” Beckham said. “To be honest it’s [the protest] not my business. I’m a Manchester United fan. I support the club. I always have done and I always will do. It’s nothing to do with me the way everything is run, that’s to do with other people, but I’m a Man United fan and I support the team. I will always support them.”

With United over £700million in debt, many now see the Red Knights as the only salvation for Old Trafford, even though the Glazer family insist it is business as usual and the club is not for sale.

There is a fundamental flaw in expecting die-hard Manchester United supporters to revolt - it’s a contradiction in terms.


Which is why it was no surprise to see not a single empty seat in the house at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

The Red Knights group eyeing a possible bid for Manchester United says investment bank Nomura will advise it.

Rooney reaches 30 goals, and with him in form United can conquer all.

We’re interviewing the last player to move between United and Liverpool.

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves will not play in the reserves game against City on Thursday night.


The £17m England midfielder was expected to step up his recovery from a long-term knee problem but will not now face the Blues.

The Sun analyses the contrasting fortunes of Scholes and Beckham.

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney says he is playing the best football of his career after his double helped defeat Milan 4-0

Wayne Rooney is aiming to become as huge an Old Trafford icon as David Beckham.


And four Champions League goals against AC Milan in two matches can only help his cause.

• Midfielder’s comeback from knee injury again put on hold
• United say match does not fit into Hargreaves’ fitness plan

Owen Hargreaves, Manchester United’s injury-plagued midfielder, has suffered another setback after being pulled out of his comeback match in a move that significantly damages his already slender and rapidly diminishing hopes of a late call-up to England’s World Cup squad.

Nineteen months since he was last seen on the pitch at Old Trafford, Hargreaves was due to play in a reserve game against Manchester City at Altrincham tonight, and had been encouraged by noises emanating from the Football Association that Fabio Capello still regards him as a possible contender to be involved in South Africa this summer, provided he can prove his match fitness in the meantime.

The 29-year-old has not played since September 2008 because of a knee problem that the world-renowned specialist Richard Steadman described as the worst he had seen from 35 years of working in the medical profession. Hargreaves has been suffering from chronic patellar tendinitis and needed operations on both knees, having made only 25 starts since signing from Bayern Munich for £18m, despite having the problem at the time of the transfer.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, said last Friday that Hargreaves had been training with the first team and was “pencilled in” to play for the reserves, but the club confirmed after last night’s 4-0 defeat of Milan that the player would not be included in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad. United say his withdrawal is because the match does not fit into the player’s fitness programme.

Sir Alex Ferguson challenges Wayne Rooney to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s 42-goal season for Manchester United.

Owen’s reported Reserves run-out won’t happen on Thursday.

MUTV Online is now showing highlights and reaction to United’s 4-0 win.

Sir Alex and Gary Neville agree Ji-sung Park was key to beating Milan.

David Beckham flickered for Milan at Old Trafford but Wayne Rooney was in utterly superb form once again

Rumours of Wayne Rooney struggling for fitness have clearly been greatly exaggerated. Either that or a rest at Molineux last Saturday did him a power of good. He was certainly fit enough to carry the United attack on his own tonight, after his alleged over-exertion on the Wembley turf for England, and anyone keeping even half an eye on events these past couple of months will appreciate that that rendered Manchester United’s progress into the Champions League quarter-finals something of a formality.

Rooney was not able to manage the full Nicklas Bendtner and neither could United emulate Arsenal’s five goals, yet Milan are not Porto and Rooney’s double was thoroughly impressive. The Italians defended with surprising naivety, and missed good chances, but the encouraging news for United, England and anyone else with an interest in goalscorers at the top of their profession was that no one could match Rooney for quality of movement or decisiveness of finish. He settled the tie as early as the 13th minute.

Everything that followed was mere decoration, even if it must be allowed that the way United opened up Milan for Rooney’s second, before he went off just after the hour, will have given them every encouragement for the rest of the tournament, as will a notable aggregate scoreline.

Having put themselves in a strong position in Milan, it was disappointing for United to concede a late goal that allowed the Italians hope, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s assessment was that if his side scored at home it ought to be enough to guarantee progress. There was some debate among United fans about whether Ferguson would select an attacking line-up or pack the midfield, yet the fact that Dimitar Berbatov was on the bench was misleading. While the Bulgarian has been in decent form, his pairing with Rooney is not necessarily United’s best option. Most of the unstoppable performances Rooney has put in this year came up front on his own, and here was another one. The 3-2 win at San Siro – where United had never scored, let alone won – was achieved with a similar formation.

Predictably, Rooney had the first shot of the game, the first couple of shots actually, though Ronaldinho also came close to opening the scoring with a header before United found inspiration from an entirely unexpected source. Gary Neville was in the side for his experience, Ferguson putting a high value on the commodity for big European nights, though having seen him struggle against Matt Jarvis in the 45 minutes he played at Wolves the United support was fearful of what might happen when he was asked to contain Ronaldinho. They need not have worried. Neville got forward and caused Milan problems of his own. He had sent a dipping shot narrowly over the bar and won a commanding header on halfway by the time he sauntered down the right and sent over the cross from which Rooney opened the scoring.

Milan have no excuse for not knowing about Rooney’s heading ability after San Siro, so perhaps they assumed he would not be able to leap past Daniele Bonera or to beat Christian Abbiati from 12 yards. Rooney turned a good cross into a great goal with a header from the days when centre-fowards had centre partings. Even more remarkably, for a player with much more to his all-round game who has only recently begun to display the positional sense and timing to make heading an effective part of his repertoire, it was Rooney’s seventh consecutive headed goal. Any old-fashioned centre-forward would have been proud of that, particularly as few of them were routine.

While United held only a one-goal lead the tie was theoretically open, but the second half was barely a minute old before Rooney’s 30th goal of the season put it to bed. Taking advantage of a sprint down the left by Nani and a perfectly judged pass inside, Rooney reached the ball ahead of Abbiati and pushed it into the net. Game over, with due respect to Park Ji-sung’s strike, Darren Fletcher’s first European goal and David Beckham’s introduction. The sequence of headed goals was over too, though that is hardly important when a scorer is in such imperious form.

While Beckham crossed as well as ever, rolled back the years with a spectacular volley that almost caught Edwin van der Sar off guard and generally looked as if he should have started the game, he no longer has the ability to influence outcomes single-handed.

United and England now have someone else who can do that, although if Beckham seizing a green and gold scarf for a photo-opportunity at the end means his next fight will be against the Glazers, at least his money will come in handy. He may not be Goldenballs any longer, but he can still be a Red Knight.

David Beckham was bowled over by the faithful on his return to OT.

Manchester United crushed AC Milan at Old Trafford to ease into the Champions League quarter-finals.


In-form striker Wayne Rooney’s double put the Reds in command before Ji-sung Park and Darren Fletcher sealed a comprehensive victory.

Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to take on all comers in the Champions League after Manchester United demolished AC Milan at Old Trafford.


The Reds won 4-0 on the night and 7-2 on aggregate to march into the quarter-finals, with Wayne Rooney (two), Ji-sung Park and Darren Fletcher on the scoresheet.

Manchester United crushed AC Milan at Old Trafford to ease into the Champions League quarter-finals.


In-form striker Wayne Rooney’s double put the Reds in command before Ji-sung Park and Darren Fletcher sealed a comprehensive victory.

The Reds boss relishes the last-eight draw after the demolition of Milan.

David Beckham described Wayne Rooney as among the world’s best as Manchester United hammered his AC Milan at Old Trafford.


Rooney scored twice as United romped to a 4-0 last-16 second-leg win to secure a 7-2 aggregate victory and a place in the Champions League quarter-finals as Beckham’s return to Old Trafford ended in defeat.

This evening needed every square inch of football heritage to conceal the drabness of the match. Manchester United overwhelmed inept and ageing visitors. David Beckham eventually took the field as a substitute against his old club and was a tactful guest. The veteran won cheers for a volley that did no harm as the attempt was tipped over the bar by Edwin van der Sar.

The drubbing administered at Old Trafford fell just short of the 5-0 margin by which Arsenal had swamped Porto the night before. Perhaps the recent Premier League ascendancy in this tournament is not destined to end shortly after all. It will be a relief to Sir Alex Ferguson and others that Real Madrid, following the 1-1 draw with Lyon, have yet again been eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League.

United were never confronted by that sort of risk and the sheer energy in their ranks prevented Milan from disguising the elderliness of some and the mediocrity of others in their line-up. The contrast between the teams was all the more pronounced because Wayne Rooney, who began his professional life as a phenomenon, seems now to be getting better still.

There were to be two strikes from him, but he had confirmed United’s passage to the Champions League quarter-finals as soon as he notched the opener. The entertainment continued to the 88th minute when Darren Fletcher headed in a cross from the substitute Rafael da Silva. This emphatic beating will not have taken Milan wholly by surprise.

The fuss over Beckham’s return to Old Trafford overlooked the fact that the coach, Leonardo, would have been a sentimental fool to include him in the starting line-up. His mediocre outing in the first leg indicated that the inevitable decline of a veteran is getting steeper. At least Beckham showed nice touches and a fellow substitute Filippo Inzaghi might have forced home one of the deliveries in stoppage time.

The 34-year-old Beckham was introduced with the score was 3-0 and there had been nothing to distract the crowd from lauding him. “Fergie, Fergie sign him up,” chanted the fans. The intention was kind, but it must have hurt a veteran who knew he was being patronised. At least he was not alone. This had been a chastening night for Milan.

Nothing could have stopped them from being outclassed but the aggregate score might not have reached 7-2 if Alexandre Pato and, more relevantly, the centre-half Alessandro Nesta had been fit to play. Any suggestion that the tie was in balance at kick-off was pure fiction, even if Ferguson had been in charge of the story-telling.

On the eve of the game he had regretted the late goal by Clarence Seedorf at San Siro. That had done no more that trim the margin of United’s win to 3-2. At the very least, Milan would have had to score twice at Old Trafford and the task of keeping a clean sheet had always looked an impossibility.

There could have been some tension when a free-kick from the right glanced off Nani and went straight to Ronaldinho after eight minutes but the Brazilian’s header ran wide with the goalkeeper Van der Sar almost motionless. Rooney is more practised at that art and his opener was the seventh consecutive goal he had nodded home.

The attacker got in front of the centre-half Daniele Bonera to glance the ball past a helpless Christian Abbiati. The visitors had come with attacking intent, but they also brought to Manchester the same basic vulnerability that had afflicted them in Milan.

Even if they had been rigorous, Rooney might still have been their undoing. The string of goals highlights the movement essential to a striker who is not all that tall. Often there is no marker to outjump him because Rooney has left him trailing. The opener dismayed Milan, but there was also collateral damage to the fixture itself.No one could pretend that a grand drama was unfolding.

Leonardo’s side did not get much encouragement although they had bouts of possession. Before half-time excitement was restricted in their efforts to counter Rooney’s goal. Milan had to seek a lot more than that. They sent on Seedorf for the second half, but the removal of Bonera proved more relevant because the middle of their defence was disturbed.

Massimo Ambrosini, a midfielder, had been reassigned to that post, but the back four were left helpless when possession was surrendered cheaply. Nani, from the left, crossed precisely with his right foot in the 46th minute and Rooney shot past Abbiati. A finish with boot rather than brow was the sole element of surprise. Uncertainty involved nothing more than the ultimate margin of victory in the tie.

United, with the match won, were too composed to be lenient. After 59 minutes, Paul Scholes slid through a pass that Park Ji-sung converted for the third goal. A crowd that relished the display and remembered to protest lustily against the ownership of the Glazers had an ideal evening.

Find out how we rated the United players for their performance in the 4-0 win over AC Milan.

United steamroll Milan to book a spot in the Champions League last eight.

Preamble:
If your gaze has alighted on a news bulletins in the last 24 hours your eyes might well have been assailed by incredibly important footage of David Beckham being shepherded through Manchester airport by squad of policemen. There are many thoughts that that scene may have provoked in your mind and I would certainly be interested in hearing them – but what concerns us most immediately is what the parade inspired in Sir Alex Ferguson: disgust and weary disdain are two possibilities, but the most likely answer is … an idea as to how best to neutralise Ronaldinho. Not a legal idea, of course, so poor old Gary Neville will have to do the job of 10 coppers. Good luck with that.

If Milan are to have any chance of overturning their 3-2 deficit from the home leg, then Ronaldinho, who was refulgent in the San Siro, must positively blaze, especially with Pato missing. And, by the by, a series of such performances might even force Dunga to bring him to the World Cup – and wouldn’t that competition, and all of us, benefit from a return-to-form of one of the great talents of the last 20 years? Yes, it would.

But back to tonight: with Milan needing at least two goals they are sure to attack and with United suffering from defensive shoddiness for much of the season, including in the first leg, serious upheaval is not out of the question. You have to fancy United to score too, of course, assuming Rooney has recovered from the knee knack that kept him out of United’s unimpressive win over Wolves at the weekend, and Valencia, who is starting to look as effective a successor to Cristiano Ronaldo as anyone was likely to be, remains in such splendid form.

We can expect goals tonight. Other things that, according to the stats, we will almost certainly see are: Pippo Inzaghi being caught offside (he, to the surprise of absolutely no one, has been caught offside more often than any other player in the tournament so far); Massimo Ambrosini to clatter into some hapless opponent (only five players have committed more fouls than him in the tournament this season including – are you listening, Arsene Wenger? - Arsenal’s Alex Song); and Paul Scholes to clatter into someone tonight (no statistical evidence to back that one up, just a strong hunch).

Teams:
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra,
Fletcher, Scholes, Park, Valencia, Nani, Rooney.
Subs: Kuszczak, Berbatov, Rafael Da Silva, Jonathan Evans, Obertan, Gibson, Diouf.

AC Milan: Abbiati, Abate, Bonera, Thiago Silva, Jankulovski,
Flamini, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Huntelaar, Borriello, Ronaldinho.
Subs: Dida, Gattuso, Inzaghi, Seedorf, Zambrotta, Favalli,
Beckham.

Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)

7:29pm: Mails are flooding demanding to know (a) whether we’re covering Real v Lyon tonight and (b) what Evan Fanning does for kicks. You can find the answer to both here. Well worth a visit.

7:31pm: “Alright Doyler, I’m sitting here with my two-year-old missing the build up to the game because of Peppa Pig!” gorans Anthony O’Connell, whose two-year-old presumably doesn’t know that Dora the Explorer is on the other channel.

7:34pm: “I’d imagine that David Beckham’s presence in Old Trafford is inspiring similar feelings in Lord Ferg as the presence of the ’smoke of satan’ is causing in the Vatican right now, according to their chief exorcist, 85″ fumes Justin Kavanagh. “But United’s Chief Exorcist, Gary Neville (84), should be capable of smiting the fallen angel. As to his assertion that there are ‘bishops
linked to the Demon’, I think even Ferguson might privately agree that United sold their soul to the devil a few years ago.” I don’t know about Gary Neville being the chief exorcist, but he’s certainly something of a cloven hoofer. Ronaldinho will give him hell tonight.

7:37pm: “I hope you’re well, Paul,” smarms Tom Britten in the mistaken belief that politeness will get him published. Oh. “I watched a shot of Beckham walking out on the pitch (I assume for the first time) after arriving. For someone very self-aware, seeing an almost double-take from him taking in the view again with a genuine wry smile was good viewing - especially as he’s no doubt trying to remain professional!” One of the finest achievements of Beckham, or his people, is that despite turning himself into a global celebrity and unavoidable vendor of all manner of tat, a paradoxical impression still persists that he’s essentially an ordinary guy.

7:40pm: “Your hunch is right,” roars Mark Summers. “Paul Scholes is in fact the most booked player in Champions League history with 32 yellow card, seven more the next worst offender, Milan’s Gattuso.”

7:43pm: “It has just taken me an hour and a half to get home because of all the Man Utd ‘fans’ (men in shiny new 4×4s wearing shiny new suits) driving to Old Trafford, one of whom rather contemptuously nearly rammed my nine-year-old Yaris, Oliver,” squeals Kim Taylor. “Can any regular Old Trafford attendees who are reading please learn to have some consideration for those of us who just want to get home!?” Message conveyed, Kim. Oliver, eh? Do you name all your appliances? My toaster’s called Hubert.

1 min: United set the game in motion …

2 mins: Nani picks the ball up on the left and tries to trick his way into the box, but Abate saw him coming and nicks the ball easily. “While I’d love to see Ronnie in a yellow and blue uniform this June, I don’t see it happening,” lectures Than Brown. “In the ‘World Cup for Yanks’ workshops that I’m conducting here in the States, my fellow Americans keep on asking how he could be left home. The only reason I can come up with is that deep in his heart Dunga wants to be the coach who wins the cup back WITHOUT Ronaldinho. Winning it with him would somehow compromise it for Dunga. Kinda sad.” That’s one possible reason, another is that Ronaldinho has been pants until quite recently, and another is this.

3 mins: Smart work by Valencia down the right, before the winger plays the ball in-field to Rooney. Nani is free to his left but the Englander elects to shoot himself (make that by himself, lest anyone thinks he’s into self-harming) and drills the ball wide from the edge of the area.

5 mins: It’s all United so far, with Valencia, in particular, looking dangerous. The Ecuadorian could have capped a positive start by hitting a goal a moment ago, but Rooney again spurned the wise option to unleash a shot himself, tonking the ball over from 20 yards. “For some inexplicable reason German TV has decided that Real-Lyon is a more exciting match so I’m relying on you for the main attraction of the evening,” screeches Yvonne Doyle. That’s why I’m here.

7 mins: Neville picks the ball up 30 yards, totters in-field and then lets fly with his left foot ….. go on, try to guess where the ball ended up? Exactly.

8 mins: Milan infiltrate the United box for the first time and should have scored! It came from a freekick on the right, which Nani headed backwards to Ronaldinho, of all people, and the Brazilian’s header from 10 yards drooped inches wide.

10 mins: What a chance! What shocking defending by Evra, and an unforgivable miss by Huntelaar! It was Bonera, I think, who clipped a decent ball over the top from midfield and the Dutch striker eluded Evra without much ado, but then mis-controlled the ball when right in front of goal, allowing it to trickle wide.

GOAL! United 1-0 Milan (agg:4-2) (Rooney 13′) Ronaldinho hides his face in shame as Neville trundles down the right and curls in a cross that Rooney meets with a firm header 12 yards out, as Bonera watches. It’s well directed and Abbiati can’t even get a hand to it.

15 mins: By way of response Milan string together a few passes in front of the United box until Ronaldinho dinks it over the top for Flamini. The former Gunner nods it towards Huntelaar, but Vidic beats him to it and booms clear. “Than Brown’s implication that Americans need special instruction to understand the World Cup is offensive,” howls Mike Murphy. “He must work with a bunch of guys who have daughters that play or something. Those guys never know what they’re talking about and are easily susceptible to 5 year old hype on a player like Ronaldinho.”

17 mins: Pirlo threatens Van der Sar with a fine swirler. The keeper gathers it at the second attempt.

20 mins: Milan seem to believe Evra has a weakness that can be exploited - they’re continually dropping balls in behind him it’s generally worked insofar as the overlapping Milanista has got to it first and put in a cross. Flamini just did so again a moment ago, but Ferdinand atoned for Evra’s positional slackness.

21 mins: Ronaldo, by the way, has scored for Real to make it 1-1 on aggregate. And in case anyone is interested in the French league, table-toppers Bordeaux have been sensationally beaten at home by Auxerre.

23 mins: This is quite an odd game, much like the first leg. Neither team looks great and Milan have created the most chances yet it is United who have scored and, indeed, look the more likely to score again. “Our son was doing poorly in school a few years ago, and accordingly the x-box that he played incessantly ‘disappeared’ for a while,” reveals Gordon Burns. “We explained that it had gone on a trip with a toaster. Hubert, perhaps? I don’t know the x-box’s name. Never thought to ask. But the squirrel that lives in our garden is named Clement Greenberg.”

25 mins: A lull. “I missed the start of the match and to be honest didn’t bother perusing your preamble, so I’ll just ask: did that anti-Glazer protest announced the other week actually come to anything after kick-off?” quizzes Francis Lee. Not that I saw.

28 mins: Park knocks the ball past the lumbering Jackulowski and skedaddles after it, but Thiago Silva comes across to tidy up. Moments later Scholes unfurls his scythe and attempts to chop down Flamini, whose evasive action spared the worst tackler in Champions League history a card to match his hair. “Milan’s plan to miss as many chances as possible while leaving United’s most dangerous player free in the box doesn’t seem to be
paying off,” notes Niall Mullen. “I’m no expert but I’d suggest taking your chances and marking Rooney.” Sign him up, Silvio.

GOAL! Burnley 0-1 Stoke (Tuncay 23′) It came from a Delap throw, would you believe.

30 mins: It’s all gone quite scrappy over the last few minutes. It barely feels like a Champions league knock-out tie.

33 mins: Flamini and Vidic clash heads innocently while going for the ball. Both require treatment to their bruised bonces. “I was born and raised in the U.S., and while Than Brown might be leading people astray, I assure you that 99% of Americans have no idea who Ronaldinho is,” toots Valerie. He is, on tonight’s evidence at least, a former footballer.

35 mins: Neville chugs down the right to receive a pass from Valencia, then shanks the ball into the silent stands. This is a low quality game.

38 mins: Milan were the side that, back in the 80s, introduced a swashbukling, high-tempo and offensive style of play that belied the stereotypical claims about Italian football being slow and boring. They now seem determined to give new life to that perception. They are stagnating here.

40 mins: A section of United fans are chanting, perhaps sarcastically, “Fergie, sign him up, Fergie, Fergie sign him up” in reference to David Beckham. There is nothing else to report, except that United are comfortably keeping Milan at bay. The Italians are having plenty of the ball but have been very predictable in possession so far.

42 mins: ACHTUNG! Oh sorry, nothing happened, other than I received this email from Charlie Wilson. “Having moved to Lyon last week, my French learning strategy du jour is watching my adopted city get emasculated by Ronaldo, whilst following your MBM (& trying to learn Linux, meh). I particularly enjoy the French tendency to yell ‘Attention!’ every time something interesting happens, rendering multi-task football watching a much more efficient process. You should try something similar.”

43 mins: Milan’s negligence is disgraceful. Nani was allowed to saunter down the left, stop, look up, study his options while contemplating the finer points of Wittgenstein’s theory of family resemblances, then roll the ball to Fletcher in the middle. The Scot controlled it at the edge of the area and then fired a powerful shot two yards wide.

Half-time: Milan have been poor. Despite United providing them with plenty of proof that their defensive problems have not been repaired, Milan have hardly mustered any meaningful attacks since going behind. Indeed, they seem to be struggling to even muster effort. All too easy for the home team.

“They’re off!” hollers my colleague Tony Paley, whose at the races in Wolverhampton, where the hot favourite for the the race that has just got under way is Sworn Tigress, whose owner is a certain Sir Alex of Ferguson.

“Sworn Tigress has just won easily” reports Tony Paley, giving us a handy real-life metaphor for the events at Old Trafford. And take note: that same nag is running again tomorrow and top tipster Tony reckons it’s a cert to win again. On the strength of his recommendation to me earlier in the day I even put a crafty £2 on it to win’s tonight’s race …. at odds of 4/7.

“Make it stop!” wails Damien Neva. “I can’t stand watching this any longer. Berlusconi ought to sell the entire squad in the summer and start anew. This Milan side is a disgrace.”

46 mins: Milan have made a sub: on comes Seedorf for Bonera, with Ambrosini retreating to centreback in place of the departed. “I’m up the Atlas Moutains in a place called Tafraoute,” brags a man called Mike. “The boys here all have their hair like Ronaldo and won’t let me watch the game. I’m drinking mint tea next door instead and relying on you.” Ah, mint tee [cue Homer Simpson-style drooling from mbm hack]

GOAL! United 2-0 Milan (agg: 5-2) (Rooney 46′) Whatever Leonardo said at half-time had no effect whatsoever, obviously. Within seconds United have extended their lead, and Milan helped them. Nani intercepted a sloppy pass in midfield, sprinted down the left and then sent an astute ball towards Rooney, who go to it before Abbiati and rolled under the keeper and into the net from 17 yards.

48 mins: Valencia cuts in from the flank and then fires into the sidenetting from a crazy angle. Yvonne Doyle should now be saying danke to German TV for not showing this fiasco.

50 mins: Jim Beglin on ITV reckons United could hit four here tonight if they’re bothered, and he’s not wrong. Weird thing is, Milan could score too if they bucked up. Their non-performance is as puzzling as it is damning.”Could Fergie please just take Rooney off now and let Capello store him in bubble wrap until June?” pleads Mark Hammond.

53 mins: Milan cobble together a decent attack. Pirlo swept the ball out wide to Abate, who centred nicely. Huntelaar outjumped Ferdinand but couldn’t direct his header on target.

55 mins: Ferguson fumed with rage last week at both Rooney and Capello after his most important player was allowed to play 80 minutes in a mostly pointless friendly for England. Bearing that in mind, why is he leaving him on the pitch tonight? This match is won. An injury to Rooney will make the manager regret his hypocrisy.

57 mins: Nani jinks easily past Abate to the by-line and chips a ball across. Abbiati plans it away as Valencia was poised to head into the net.

GOAL! United 3-0 Milan (agg: 6-2) (Park 59′) That really is despicable from Milan. There was no opponent within 20 yards of Scholes when he received the ball midway inside the Milan half. He sized up his options and then slipped a nice pass through to Park, who, naturally, was sharper than the defender and poked the ball past the out-rushing keeper from eight yards.

61 mins: Ambrosini performs a trademark foul, giving United a free at the left-hand corner of the box. Nani floats it in, Ambrosini clears.

63 mins: Again with only moderate effort and movement United work their way into the Milan box, before Nani miscontrols and the chance evaporates. Milan are a sad parody of a football team.

64 mins: Milan substitution: Beckham is introduced for Abate. Some fans clap, but when he gets his first touch he is booed! What does it all mean? What does it all matter?

66 mins: Substitutions: Exit Rooney and Neville, enter Rafael and Berbatov.

68 mins: Scholes booked for kicking the ball away after Milan are awarded a freekick. Silly.

GOAL! Burnley 1-1 Stoke (Nugent 52′) Either of those sides would have beaten Milan tonight.

69 mins: Milan make another change: Inzaghi comes on for Huntelaar.

71 mins: Flamini sends in a reasonable low shot from 30 yards. Van der Sar saves with his feet.

71 mins: An under-hit Beckham ball is intercepted by Nani, who could cross from the left … but is bundled out for a corner.

73 mins: Ronaldinho needs to do something to remind us - and Dunga - that he is still on the pitch. The best thing he can think of is booting Rafael to the floor. A deserved yellow card.

74 mins: Another United change: Scholes off, Gibson on.

75 mins: An atmosphere that had become funereal is momentarily revived by a Beckham blaster from 25 yards, which brings a routine save from Van der Sar.

78 mins: As this match creaks to a halt, David Mitchell draws my attention to amusing events at the Madejski, where Reading are facing a Derby side who, because of a red card, are playing out the game with none other than Robbie Savage in goal! “They’ll be aiming for his face,” chuckles David.

79 mins: Zut alors! I see that Pjanic has equalised for Lyon in Real’s den!

81 mins: Beckham curls a freekick towards the back post. Ferdinand nods it away. If you know anyone at the match, you might like to tell them about that later, because they probably missed it - by the sounds of things, everyone at Old Trafford is asleep.

82 mins: Evra clips a ball through for Park to chase. Thiago Silva beats him to it, but in general the Korean has been at his dynamic best tonight.

83 mins: Nani dashes to the sideline, then centres. Evra - I think - rolls it back to Gibson, who booms one over from 20 yards.

85 mins: Nani rolls a short corner to Fletcher, and Beckham comes in and clips the Scot’s heel. Freekick to United. Milan eventually scramble it clear. “What are the odds that Beckham will be last one off the pitch?” wonders Rob Cookson. “He’ll (or rather, HIS PEOPLE, will not want to let that photo op go wanting.” Indeed. Though he might also be the last off simply because he’s so slow these days.

GOAL! United 4-0 Milan (agg: 7-2) (Fletcher 88′) “Martin Tyler said that Milan could do a Porto;” reports Aidan Gibson. “I think they’re lucky to not do a Roma, they’ve been that poor.” True, and Fletcher has just emphasised the point by heading a Rafael cross in at the back post.

89 mins: Flamini cuts the ball back from the by-line. Vidic slices it up in the air in front of his own goal … and Inzaghi stands back and lets him wait for the ball to come back down, control it and pass his way out of danger. Sums up this abject Milan performance.

90+1 mins: Lovely ball across the face of goal by Beckham. Inzaghi gets a touch on it from four yards out, but not a sufficiently strong one ot divert it into the net. “So is it Benitez or Mourinho for Madrid?” wibbles William Mazouk. “Benitez I think. Mourinho won’t be able to resist Man City.”

Full-time: It was easy for United. Embarrassing for Milan. It was Ferdinand who asked Beckham to swap shirts on the way off, in case you’re interested in that sort of celebrity guff.

Manchester United take on AC Milan at Old Trafford hoping to secure a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.


The Reds beat the Rossoneri 3-2 at San Siro so hold the advantage, but you can never write off the Italian giants. Click to join the live blog.

Sir Alex Ferguson could scarcely believe the noise in the San Siro three weeks ago.


“For the first 15 minutes I was feeling in shock, really in shock, because the atmosphere was unbelievable,” he said.

• Manchester United face biggest potential exodus of supporters
• Rising living costs behind thoughts not to renew next season

Up to one in four season ticket holders of Premier League clubs are considering not renewing for next season in a bid to cut costs, according to a survey published today.

The Virgin Money’s authoritative Football Fans’ Inflation Index shows 25% of season ticket holders are thinking of giving up at the end of the season with 4% planning on no longer going to any games while 21% intend to buy tickets when it suits them.

Manchester United face the biggest potential exodus of season ticket holders with 15% giving up going to games entirely while another 44% will only buy tickets when it suits them. United, currently facing supporters-led green-and-gold protests against the Glazer family, who own the club, could see up to 59% of fans cancelling season tickets with Wolves the next most at risk in the Premier League with 54% of supporters considering giving up for next season.

The backlash against season tickets comes despite Virgin’s index showing that the cost of attending games has fallen by 6.8% in the past year. Lower ticket prices and reduced costs for replica kit means the match-day cost has fallen to £89.09 compared with £95.60 in January 2009.

That is still 14.29% higher than the match-day cost when the index was launched in January 2006 but is substantially lower than the all-time high of £106.21 in October 2008. Average match tickets across all leagues peaked at £27.38 in July 2009 but have now fallen to an average of £22.59.

The research among more than 3,896 fans representing all 92 clubs in the Football League shows fans of Liverpool and Stoke City are the least likely to give up their season tickets next year with just 9% of supporters considering cutbacks.

“The drop in costs is welcome but season tickets are still priced astronomically compared with other major European leagues such as Spain, Italy and Germany,” said Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation. “At many clubs there’s little or no recognition of loyalty in the prices charged compared with buying match by match. Prices for essentials like food, rent, transport and petrol are going up and football fans like everybody else are struggling with frozen or declining pay and unemployment. Clubs need to bear this in mind when setting next season’s prices.

“Shamefully, Manchester United was the only Premier League club that put up their prices for the current season. Every other club froze or reduced them. Huge numbers of United fans are in open revolt against the Glazer family’s huge cash drain on the club. They’re paying the price for the leveraged buyout in 2005 that has loaded a massive £700m debt on to United’s books. The Glazer regime has put up ticket prices by half in less than five years. No wonder almost six out of 10 Old Trafford season ticket holders are thinking of not renewing.”

Percentage of Premier League club supporters considering cancelling their season tickets next season

Manchester United 59%

Wolves 54%

Burnley 31%

Fulham 29%

Everton 28%

Blackburn 28%

Portsmouth 28%

West Ham 27%

Aston Villa 24%

Sunderland 23%

Wigan 21%

Tottenham 19%

Manchester City 18%

Birmingham 17%

Chelsea 17%

Hull 17%

Arsenal 14%

Bolton 13%

Liverpool 9%

Stoke City 9%

Fans can win a ticket to Seoul at this weekend’s match against Fulham.

United reach the last eight of Europe’s top club competition…

The Manchester United and AC Milan managers on David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford in the Champions League

Sir Alex Ferguson expects Federico Macheda to be back in a fortnight to ease United’s striker crisis.


Macheda has been limited to just five appearances this season, the last of which came in the Carling Cup quarter-final triumph over Tottenham in December.

• Preparation involves ‘discretion and secrecy’
• Manager has personal experience after incident in 2005

Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of his concerns about the news that one of Fabio Capello’s team-talks was bugged during England’s preparations for their friendly against Egypt last week.

Ferguson was speaking from personal knowledge after a device was planted in the home dressing room at Old Trafford before a game against Chelsea in 2005 and the tape was offered to newspapers.

‘It happened to us once before,’ Ferguson said. ‘I would be concerned about it. Preparation involves discretion and secrecy. I haven’t revealed one bit of my tactics ahead of the match [against Milan] tomorrow. I haven’t been asked [by reporters] and do you know why? Because I wouldn’t tell anyone. Why should I tell anyone? Capello may have been discussing some important issues about his team and all of a sudden someone else has got it. So it is a concern.’

Sir Alex Ferguson has highlighted United’s San Siro victory as the firing-pin in their Euro campaign.


The 3-2 success in Milan three weeks ago was the first time United had won in the Italian city against the Rossoneri in four attempts.

Darren Fletcher is relishing another potential midfield duel with David Beckham.


The United midfielder was able to keep former Old Trafford legend Beckham - mobbed when he arrived at Manchester Airport yesterday - quiet in the San Siro.

United are being urged to show their killer instinct and shatter AC Milan’s hopes by going for the jugular in tonight’s Champions League crunch at Old Trafford.



Sir Alex Ferguson will demand the Reds - buoyed by the return of red-hot striker Wayne Rooney - take the second leg of the first round knockout tie to the Italians and finish the job early.

Ronaldinho says Milan are desperate to stop ‘incredible’ Rooney.