Manchester United news and links

Paul Scholes has revealed he was given only two hours notice to decide whether to come out of retirement and play for England in the World Cup. Meanwhile, the Reds legend has spelt out his determination to keep United above City this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been given the green light to make one major signing before the start of the season.

• Scouts did well to identify him before the World Cup
• He would have cost three times more, says United manager

Manchester United saved millions by signing Mexican striker Javier Hernández before he shone at the World Cup, manager Alex Ferguson said yesterday.

Hernandez, who joined his new team-mates in Houston yesterday, could make his United debut in tomorrow’s game against the MLS All Stars.

Ferguson, who will wait for news on the 22-year-old’s fitness before deciding whether to play him, paid tribute to the club’s scouts who plucked the forward from Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara.

“I think our scouting people deserve 10 out of 10 for identifying him before the World Cup and I think if we had been trying to negotiate after the World Cup it would have been very difficult,” said Ferguson.

“I think a lot of teams would have been after him and it would probably have cost us two or three times more,” he added.

United did not disclose the transfer fee they paid to Chivas but media reports have placed the deal as worth around £7m, including United playing a friendly in Mexico on Friday.

Ferguson was full of praise for the Mexican club for helping keep the deal quiet.

“Our relationship we have built with Chivas has been excellent, they really were very accommodating in everything. The amazing thing was that no-one in the club said a word.

“At Manchester United we find that almost impossible, news always leaks out at our club but Chivas kept it quiet which was a marvellous asset for us and full marks for their professionalism.”

Hernández will play half that game for Chivas and half for his new club but his debut may come earlier in front of thousands of Mexican fans in Houston.

“He joined us today and so we have to ascertain what he has been doing in the last few weeks physically, we would like to use him in part of the game on Wednesday – partly because I know there is a big Mexican population in Houston and it would be a very exciting attraction for them,” said Ferguson.

“Secondly we want to try to integrate him into the team as quickly as possible so those are the reasons we would like to play him but we want to just have a chat with him and see what he has been doing physically – I don’t think it would be wise to play him without having any real preparation for this game,” he added.

Sir Alex says back four never really got to grips with the Wizards.

Sir Alex says Javier Hernandez may be involved against the All-Stars.

United suffer their first defeat of the tour at the Arrowhead Stadium.

• Midfielder had two hours to make up his mind
• ‘I might have gone had Capello asked me himself’

Paul Scholes has revealed he regrets rejecting an England comeback at the World Cup and may have gone to South Africa had Fabio Capello made the offer instead of his No2, Franco Baldini.

The Manchester United midfielder believes the call should have come from Capello and raised further questions over the Italian’s management by saying that he was given only two hours to consider the approach. Scholes and Jamie Carragher were asked to return to the international fold before Capello announced his initial 30-man squad for the World Cup in May, but the former declined on the basis it would be unfair on those players who helped England qualify. One month on from the team’s feeble exit against Germany, Scholes admits he should have accepted the invitation.

“It was difficult. He [Baldini] rang me the day before [the squad announcement],” he said. “I probably just needed a bit more time. I thought after a week, a couple of weeks, that maybe I should have gone. I am not saying I would have made a difference. I don’t look back and think it didn’t go well for England because I didn’t go. I am just saying it was a chance to play in the World Cup and I turned it down. It wasn’t until you start seeing all the build‑up to the tournament and I thought maybe I made the wrong decision. It wasn’t the manager who rang me but Baldini. It was flattering.”

Scholes admits he may have gone had Capello invited him personally. “I don’t know. Maybe it might have meant more,” said the 35-year-old, who retired from international football in 2004 but was given just a few hours to consider whether he wanted to leave his family and spend this summer in South Africa. “I thought it wasn’t much time. That’s why I probably said no, not just because he had given me a couple of hours to think about it but the fact I needed a bit more time to think about it. I had to make a decision in two hours or something. I am not saying it definitely would have been different but I think it might have been. I did not expect it. It wasn’t even on my mind. I got a phone call the day before asking me if I fancied it and saying I had a couple of hours to decide. I don’t know him [Baldini].”

absence of his technique and vision was sorely felt in South Africa as celebrated Premier League midfielders again failed to deliver on the international stage. His understanding with his United colleague Wayne Rooney may also have coaxed an improvement from the England striker.

“I am saying I might have made the wrong decision but I am not saying I would have made a difference,” said Scholes. “With regards to Wayne, I play with him every weekI know what he wants and the rest of the players know what he wants. I am not saying the England players don’t know what he wants because he has been successful with them for the last four to six years. For some reason it did not work out for the team.”

Scholes also rejected the offer of an England recall from Steve McClaren and believes a similar appeal from Capello - or his backroom staff - is unlikely ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Instead, one of the England’s greatest midfielders intends to continue turning the nation’s loss into United’s gain by holding off the growing threat of local rivals Manchester City in the Premier League title race.

“The last thing we want is City above us. It has not happened since I have been here. We will have to see what happens there. They have bought so many players. Whether they can gel together remains to be seen. It is great for the city to have two top teams, but I’d rather them be in the Second Division like they were 10 years ago! There has always been big rivalry between us anyway but even more so with the power they have got.”

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Updates include pics and videos from NASA visit and Chicharito training.

Applications now being accepted…

Winger says budding stars are making a good contribution on tour.

Nani returned from injury against Kansas City Wizards, playing 68 minutes.

Bryan Robson urges Owen Hargreaves to remain positive, despite injury setbacks.

Elder statesman Ryan feels loss could be educational for his young cohorts.

Sir Alex is pleased that the club have agreed a new contract for Nemanja.

United slipped to surprise defeat against the Kansas City Wizards in the latest stop on their North American tour.

Rio Ferdinand may be out of action until early September, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand may be sidelined until early September due to his knee injury says his club manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Sir Alex says the tour absentees are progressing well at Carrington.

ManUtd.com’s Gemma Thompson reports direct from the Reds’ camp.

Ryan Giggs looks ahead to the visits to Kansas City and Houston.

Reds’ fitness coach has flown home to work with returning players.

Nemanja Vidic has committed his long-term future to Manchester United.
It brings to an end a summer of uncertainty with talk the Serbian defender was heading for Real Madrid.

• Defender’s new £90,000 a week deal ties him to club until 2014
• ‘It’s not signed but we’ve shaken hands’ says David Gill

Manchester United have ended the uncertainty surrounding Nemanja Vidic’s future by reaching agreement with the Serbia international over a lucrative contract extension. The as yet unsigned deal is expected to keep the 28-year-old at Old Trafford until 2014 and will be worth around £90,000 a week.

Vidic’s future at United has been under a cloud for several months and in June the player’s agent, Paolo Fabbri, claimed the defender would consider his options after the World Cup. Real Madrid and several Italian clubs had been linked with the commanding central defender, a £7m signing from Spartak Moscow in 2006, although the feeling inside Old Trafford was that he was angling to elevate Vidic to being among the highest earners at the club.

That will now be the case once the legalities of Vidic’s new contract are completed. United’s chief executive, David Gill, who claimed the media was responsible for the uncertainty and that the stories “didn’t come out of Nemanja’s camp”, is confident the deal will be signed before the start of the new Premier League season.

Gill said: “We sat down with Nemanja and his adviser at the end of last season and started discussions. They broke up when Nemanja went away to the World Cup, but resumed when Serbia were knocked out and I’m very pleased to confirm that we agreed terms with Nemanja three or four weeks ago on a new long-term deal with the club.

“It’s yet to be signed – the paperwork is now being sorted by our lawyers and being checked by Nemanja’s advisers. He’s still away on holiday but the plan is that when he gets back the papers will be signed. We’ve shaken hands on it and we’re confident it will all be signed and sealed in early August.”

Vidic’s commitment to Old Trafford will come as a major relief to Sir Alex Ferguson, who conceded this week that he was awaiting clarification on the player’s future and could ill afford to lose the experienced defender at a time when Rio Ferdinand is recovering from a serious knee injury. Vidic was given a 28-day holiday by United after the World Cup and is scheduled to make his first appearance of pre-season in Dublin on 4 August. His present contract, worth £70,000 a week, is due to expire in 2012.

Ferguson has already strengthened his central defence this summer with the £12m acquisition of Chris Smalling, who had agreed to the move from Fulham in January. The 20-year-old had made only 11 appearances for Fulham when both United and Arsenal bid for his services in January, a total of 19 before he officially moved to Old Trafford on 1 July, and, three years after his pre-season involved playing for Maidstone United while awaiting his A-level results, Smalling admits the transformation is hard to reconcile.

“It is beginning to sink in after games,” said the defender, who has appeared in United’s two pre-seasonfriendlies against Celtic and Philadelphia Union. “At the minute I’m just playing how I normally do and I don’t feel too much pressure. I’m just enjoying being at a club like this and learning from the players around me.”

Smalling, one of only two summer signings by United so far, along with the £7m Mexico forward Javier Hernández, is confident an education alongside Vidic and Ferdinand will compensate for his lack of experience. “I don’t feel under pressure because there are quite a lot of young players that the manager is bringing through and he has done that regularly over the years,” Smalling added. “I have watched over the years how Rio has progressed into one of the finest and hopefully I can start training with him soon when he returns to fitness and obviously we have Vidic to come back. There are some quality centre-backs to learn my trade from.”

United, meanwhile, have taken the usual step for them of putting 4,000 season tickets on open sale. The chief executive of the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, Duncan Drasdo, believes their availability is a clear indication of fans’ growing unrest with the ownership of the Glazer family and their willingness to take action over the club’s mountainous debt.

“Ticket demand has collapsed and the Glazers have to take a more realistic view of the value of the club because it is declining,” Drasdo said. “Demand has changed despite the success of the team. People are sick of the way they’ve been treated. The interesting thing is that in the documents the Glazers produced when they were refinancing, they boasted that ticket prices would increase because the demand was so great.”

Manchester United are forced to place 4,000 Old Trafford season tickets on general sale.

Club confirm they will sit down with Wayne Rooney to discuss a new deal.

Chief executive David Gill tells MUTV that Vidic has agreed a contract extension.

Manchester United central defender Nemanja Vidic agrees a new “long-term” contract at the Premier League club, says chief executive David Gill.

Will there be magic when United meet the Wizards in Kansas City?

• Serbia defender reported to have verbally agreed new deal
• Contract thought to offer around £90,000 a week

Nemanja Vidic has agreed a new contract at Manchester United, according to David Gill, their chief executive. Gill told MUTV that the Serbia defender had agreed verbally to sign, which he will do when he returns from holiday.

It has been reported that United were prepared to offer Vidic a contract extension that will take his earnings to around £90,000 a week, making him among the highest earners at Old Trafford.

Vidic’s position had been in doubt, with his agent touting the possibility that the 28-year-old could be open to a move to Spain or Italy. Real Madrid were among the clubs reported to be interested. Sir Alex Ferguson, speaking after the club’s pre-season friendly against Philadelphia Union earlier in the week, admitted he could offer no guarantees on the defender’s future.

The former Spartak Moscow defender, signed for £7m by United in 2006, had two years remaining on his £70,000-a-week deal but United usually open negotiations with players entering the final two years of a contract and are expected to offer Vidic a two-year extension and improved terms.

United’s World Cup players have been given an extended break and exempted from the tour to the United States.

Vidic’s decision to stay is a huge boost for United given Rio Ferdinand’s fitness problems. While the length of the contract extension has not been disclosed, Gill believes Vidic will sign next month.

Gill said: “We sat down with Nemanja and his adviser at the end of last season and started discussions. They broke up when Nemanja went away to the World Cup, but resumed when Serbia were knocked out.

“It’s yet to be signed– the paperwork is now being sorted by our lawyers and being checked by Nemanja’s advisors. He’s still away on holiday but the plan is that when he gets back the papers will be signed.

“We’ve shaken hands on it and we’re confident it will all be signed and sealed in early August. It’s great news for Manchester United and great news for Nemanja and the fans.”

Gill added: “There was a lot of speculation about Nemanja’s future, but in my view it’s been the media drumming some old stories.

“They certainly didn’t come out of the Manchester United camp and I’m confident they didn’t come out of Nemanja’s camp.

Enter our prize draw by picking United’s greatest ever player from Ireland.

Get the lowdown on United’s fourth pre-season tour destination.

Promising Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck is happy to be sent out on loan.

Fitness coach Tony Strudwick explains United’s pre-season targets.

Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley have bright futures, initially away from OT.

Danny says he’s improved mentally as much as physically and technically.

Our tour reporter will be online to answer questions at 16:30 BST.

Wednesday night in a steamy Philadelphia and United’s second pre-season game, a  friendly against a Philadelphia Union side who were only formed in 2008 is largely unremarkable.

Corry Evans is savouring Manchester United’s summer tour and not just because his older brother Jonny is on board.

Sir Alex Ferguson intends to send striker Danny Welbeck and midfielder Tom Cleverley on loan to Premier League clubs this season.

Manchester United have been linked with a £13million move for Belgian midfielder Steven Defour.

Wayne Rooney will start to shake off his World Cup blues by playing for Manchester United in Dublin. Meanwhile, Nemanja Vidic’s future at the club is still in question.

Nemanja Vidic may be offered a contract extension to stay at United.

The Irishman fielded questions from fans from the team hotel in Philadelphia.

• Two-year contract extension and £90,000 a week expected
• Serbian centre-half linked with move to Real Madrid

Manchester United are to offer Nemanja Vidic a contract extension that will place him among the highest earners at Old Trafford.

Vidic’s position at United has been in doubt, with his agent indicating the 28-year-old is open to a move to Spain or Italy. Sir Alex Ferguson, speaking after the club’s pre-season friendly against Philadelphia Union yesterday, admitted he could offer no guarantees on the defender’s future. “I can’t clarify it at all,” the United manager said.

Real Madrid are among several clubs linked with the commanding centre-half this year, and Ferguson went only so far as to say “I believe so” when asked if Vidic will still be a Manchester United player next season.

United officials, however, mindful of the damaging repercussions should Vidic leave a club plagued by injuries in defence last season, hope to end the uncertainty by securing the Serb on an extended contract. The former Spartak Moscow defender, signed for £7m by United in 2006, has two years remaining on his £70,000-a-week deal and there is a feeling within Old Trafford that his agent is angling for improved terms.

United usually open negotiations with players entering the final two years of a contract and are expected to offer Vidic a two-year extension and improved terms of around £90,000 a week. Talks on a new £130,000-a-week contract for Wayne Rooney are also planned ahead of the Premier League season, with United confident of reaching a swift agreement with the England striker.

Despite his confidence that United’s young talent can supplement a title challenge and diminish the need for major signings this summer, Ferguson has revealed that Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley will be allowed to join a Premier League club on loan next season. The pair impressed during United’s 1-0 win over Philadelphia Union, in which Gabriel Obertan scored the only goal in a hard-fought contest from Welbeck’s pass, but Ferguson believes their need for playing time necessitates a temporary move from Old Trafford.

On Welbeck, who is wanted by Steve Bruce at Sunderland, the United manager said: “It is a big season for Danny because over the last three seasons he has not had a consistent run of games. We sent him to Preston last year and he only ended up playing eight games and had an operation on his knee.

“One thing about him is that he is still growing so there is weakness in his legs. He is 6ft 2in and just sprouted up in the last year and a half. He needs consistent football so we might put him out on loan again to a Premier League team.”

Cleverley, the highly rated England Under-21 international midfielder, is also available on a loan deal. “Tom is a very talented boy,” Ferguson said. “He is going to be a very, very good footballer but we are considering putting him out on loan to a Premier League club as well.

“He is young and improved tremendously on loan at Watford last season. He got an unfortunate injury towards the end of the season which put him out for quite a long time, but he can play everywhere in midfield and that is a big advantage.”