Manchester United news and links

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson backs striker Wayne Rooney to establish himself amongst the very best players in the world.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, whose Manchester United side face Wolfsburg in the Champions League on Wednesday, backs striker Wayne Rooney to establish himself among the best players in the world.

SIR Alex Ferguson has confirmed the time will soon come when Jonny Evans will force his way into the Manchester United line-up by right.


Currently Evans is being used as a very able deputy for Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

Edin Dzeko and Zvjezdan Misimovic come from different sides of the Bosnian divide but join forces against Manchester United

Edin Dzeko is tall and physically imposing, a target man who from an early age has been described as “an English-style striker”. Zvjezdan Misimovic is slow and perhaps a little rounder than most footballers, but blessed with the vision and technical excellence that places him squarely in the great tradition of Balkan playmakers. Dzeko is a Bosnian Muslim who lived in Sarajevo through the siege in 1992-96; Misimovic is a Bosnian Serb who was born and raised in Munich and played at youth level for Yugoslavia.

They are, in short, a couple odder than Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and yet they have combined to lead Bosnia to the brink of World Cup qualification and, with Grafite adding Brazilian dazzle, they were instrumental in Wolfsburg’s Bundesliga triumph last season. What they have in common is a determination to prove wrong those who underrated them early in their careers: tonight’s game against Manchester United is a further opportunity to make a point.

“United have world-class players,” said Misimovic, “so it will be hard. But I don’t think they’re at such a high level as they used to be. They’re very strong when they’re attacking, and watching [Wayne] Rooney and [Dimitar] Berbatov is great, and it’s the same with [Nemanja] Vidic and [Rio] Ferdinand, but when you compare the defence and attack with the midfield, I can see a chance. We will attack them, because they have too much class for us to defend our goal for 90 minutes.”

The defining moment of Misimovic’s career arrived with his debut for Yugoslavia’s Under-21 side against France in November 2002. “I came on in the 85th minute, when we were already losing 3-0,” he said. “After the game, [the coach Vladimir] Petrovic told me that I was fat, slow and arrogant. That was the end of my playing for Yugoslavia. It was really disappointing, but now I don’t care.” And why would he when he is part of a double-act that embodies the spirit of unity that now propels the Bosnia national side?

“We played two years in the national team together, and also at Wolfsburg, so I know him and he knows me,” Dzeko said. “He’s a very good technical player and he’s very clever, and for every striker it’s important to have somebody like him behind you. He’s a good passer and if you make a run he always sees it.”

Dzeko also had to struggle to be taken seriously. When he joined Zeljeznicar Sarajevo as a 13-year-old, he was dismissed as “Kloc”, a nickname deriving from the slang term for a lamp-post – he is now 6ft 3½in. A scout for the Czech side Teplice, though, saw potential in his rawness, and when they offered €50,000 (£45,000) for him, as one Zeljezniar director put it, “we thought we’d won the lottery”.

Dzeko thrived. Perhaps the Czechs simply knew better how to use a target man, or perhaps it was just that Dzeko’s development as a footballer was delayed by the circumstances in which he grew up. “I was six when the war started,” he said. “It was terrible. My house was destroyed so we went to live with my grandparents. The whole family was there, maybe 15 people all staying in an apartment of about 35 square metres. It was very hard. We were stressed every day in case somebody we knew died. A lot of footballers start to play kicking a ball around in the street. For me that was impossible, but when the war finished I was much stronger, mentally.”

After two seasons at Teplice, aged 21, he was sold to Wolfsburg for €4.7m. Two years later, when Milan and Arsenal made enquiries in the summer, they were told he was worth five times that. Having been referred to so often as an “English” player, Dzeko is keen to test himself against an English side. “It’s a chance for me to play against some of the best defensive players in Europe, and I want to show that I can play on the big stage,” he said. “I am a fan of Milan, but my big dream is to play in England.”

If United are unsettled by the fat man and the lamp-post, that dream could come a step closer to reality tonight.

SIR Alex Ferguson has confirmed the time will soon come when Jonny Evans will force his way into the Manchester United line-up by right.


Currently Evans is being used as a very able deputy for Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

SIR Alex Ferguson has tipped Wayne Rooney to gatecrash the elite trio currently monopolising world football.


Rooney is set to make his 50th European appearance when Manchester United entertain German champions Wolfsburg.

Sir Alex Ferguson challenges the 23-year-old to match the world’s top three players

Five years to the week since Wayne Rooney announced his arrival at Manchester United with a Champions League hat-trick against Fenerbahce, the England international will make his 50th European appearance tonight, with Sir Alex Ferguson challenging him to show that he can reach the levels of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká and Lionel Messi.

Rooney has scored seven in nine games for United this season and has noticeably taken on more responsibility since the departure of Ronaldo but Ferguson, though generous in his praise, believes his striker still comes up short. “Kaká, Ronaldo and Messi are the best three at the moment and I think Wayne can get to that level if he keeps making progress,” he said. “That’s the challenge for him now. There are some great players there.”

There are some United supporters who would argue that Rooney already deserves to be considered at that level but Ferguson is mindful of the fact that the 23-year-old has sometimes drifted out of matches. “Wayne has had some fantastic games in Europe and, to be honest, some disappointing games,” he added. “European football is a challenge. These are the best teams and every player has to reach that challenge in the sense of [creating] their stature in the game. It’s not an easy competition.”

By that, Ferguson was highlighting the fact that Ronaldo, Messi and Kaká have flourished in the Champions League whereas Rooney has been more erratic. In total, he has scored 16 European goals going into the game at home to Wolfsburg, the German champions regarded by Ferguson as “probably the main danger to qualifying”.

However, Ferguson also pointed out that Rooney is still not in his peak years. The United manager remembered Rooney’s debut, in a 6-2 win, as a “remarkable feat”, not least as the player had been injured and not played for 10 weeks. “His progress has at no point disappointed us,” he said. “When we signed him as a kid we thought he would become a really top player and he is going in that direction, without question. He is blessed with certain ingredients that only great players have. He has that hunger and determination.

“Roy Keane, Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce – we have had countless players with that great desire. These players want to win every match and every training session. Wayne is blessed with that and that will never change. He is blessed because these are wonderful things to take into a game these days. You sometimes wonder about the criticism about the money players get but then when you look at the amount of effort Wayne puts into his work then he is worth every penny. He plays as if he means it and it’s a wonderful thing to have.”

Rooney is benefiting from an extended run in the central attacking position but Ferguson believes there are other reasons behind the player’s maturing performances, most notably his marriage in June 2008. “Marriage helps footballers,” the manager said. “I have always thought that. I am an advocate of that [marriage] because it helps them settle down.”

Having beaten Besiktas at the Inonu stadium in Istanbul 15 days ago, United go into tonight in a position of strength in Group B. Ferguson, however, is not sure if Michael Owen will be available, the striker having missed training for two days with a groin problem. He has been impressed by what he has seen of Wolfsburg. “The most amazing thing is that if you look at the history of German football over the last umpteen years then you will find that Wolfsburg haven’t even figured. The fact they won it [the Bundesliga] last season and the goals they scored is amazing.”

Wolfsburg have two outstanding strikers, the Bosnian Edin Dzeko and the Brazilian Grafite. Between them they managed 71 goals last season, including 54 in 34 league games, breaking the Bundesliga record set by Gerd Müller and Uli Hoeness for Bayern Munich 36 years ago. “It’s an incredible total,” Ferguson said. “So they do score goals, but they also lose them. Even their game at the weekend was 4–2 so they do have interesting matches. But they are positive and we admire that. Their beliefs are the same as ours and it could turn out to be a very open game.”

United are likely to be without Park Ji-sung, who has been suffering from a virus, but Ferguson reported that Patrice Evra should be available despite feeling unwell since the win at Stoke City that put them top of the Premier League.

How the ‘big four’ compare in the Champions League

Wayne Rooney

Games 48 Goals 16

Made a thrilling Champions League debut aged 18, scoring a hat-trick in a 6-2 demolition of Fenerbahce. Five subsequent seasons have seen Rooney play in various positions across the front line. Failed to make much impression in his two finals in 2008 and 2009. When it comes to individual awards has yet to add to his BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award in 2002

Kaká Games 53 Goals 22

Fifa world player of the year in 2007 and a £68.5m transfer to Real Madrid from Milan in the summer. Kaká joined Milan in 2003 and dominated the first half of the the 2005 Champions League final as Milan went into a 3-0 lead before losing on penalties. Two years later Kaká finished as top scorer in the competition with 10 goals as Milan beat Liverpool in the final

Cristiano Ronaldo Games 56 Goals 18

A Champions League winner along with Rooney in 2008, scoring the first goal against Chelsea in the final, but missing his penalty in the shoot-out. Has a trophy cabinet groaning with personal gongs: including two football writers’ player of the year awards, a brace of PFA player of the years, the Ballon d’Or for 2008 and the Fifa world player for 2008. Notably versatile, scoring in Europe from both wings and in the centre. One black mark: a petulant and ineffective display in last season’s final against Barcelona

Lionel Messi Games 30 Goals 17

By a distance the player of last season’s Champions League, right, top scorer with nine goals and a goal in the final against United. Already looks a shoo-in for this season’s European and world player trophies. A year younger than Rooney and Ronaldo but already perhaps the most feared player in Europe Barney Ronay

Sir Alex says there could be plenty of goals in Wednesday’s clash.

Michael Owen and Ji-sung Park sit out training ahead of Wolfsburg clash.

Nemanja Vidic is confident in Reds’ ability to deal with German champions.

Ji-sung Park has a virus, and is a major doubt for Wednesday’s match.

Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick score the goals as Manchester United come from behind to win at home against Wolfsburg.

MANCHESTER United go in search of a second successive Champions League victory against Wolfsburg on Wednesday.


Here is a look at where the match might be won and lost.

PARK Ji-sung has been ruled out of Manchester United’s Champions League clash with Wolfsburg.


The South Korean has contracted a virus and missed training, so Sir Alex Ferguson had little choice but to rule him out.

CHECK out these pictures of Manchester United training for their Champions League clash against Wolfsburg.

FIND out more about United’s next Champions League opponents.

FIVE years ago Wayne Rooney was the talk of Europe following his explosive debut hat-trick for United against Fenerbahce.


He was a month short of his 19th birthday and his Champions League and Reds bow had Old Trafford salivating.

NEMANJA Vidic insists United’s nightmare in Rome will drive them on to be champions of Europe again.


United relinquished their Champions League crown with a 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in May - but are aiming to reach a third final in a row this season.

• Serbian defender wants to avoid repeat of final defeat
• Says United are ’still not in best form’

Nemanja Vidic believes the experience of losing a Champions League final will drive Manchester United to do better this season. United play the German champions, Wolfsburg, at Old Trafford tomorrow in the second round of matches in Group B.

“It is a very bad feeling when you go to a final and lose and that one is a particularly bad memory,” said Vidic of United’s defeat by Barcelona in May. “You do have to acknowledge it is better to get to the final and lose than not be there at all and that to stand up you need to sit. But it is hard. We all know how we felt. We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

United have won seven matches in a row, suggesting a balance has been found following the loss in the summer of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

“Ronaldo and Tevez are quality players, there is no question about that,” Vidic said. “But it is hard to say whether we have got over losing them. We will probably only know that at the end of the season.

“If we don’t win trophies, people will say it is because they have gone, although that is not necessarily the case. At the moment we are doing well. We have had the best start in the four years I have been here. There is no question we have quality players but, for me, the really encouraging sign is that we are still not in the best form.

“You don’t want to be at your highest level at this stage. We have to be ready for the most important games at the end.”

When Ronaldo made his world record £80m move to Real Madrid, more attention was focused on Wayne Rooney.

“It is wrong that people are suddenly looking at Wayne,” Vidic said. “He has always been an important player for us so, in that sense, nothing has changed. Sometimes he does things the fans don’t see because he is doing a job for the team.

“This year he is even more noticeable because he is scoring goals and has a different role in the team. But we don’t need to put pressure on him. We know all about his ability.”

Betfair have all the odds covered ahead of Wednesday’s European game.

BEN Foster admits he had to force himself to watch a video nasty of his derby disaster.


The United keeper was downcast and his initial reaction was to ignore the media coverage of the errors against City that almost cost the Reds victory in the 4-3 showdown.

Speaking after United’s win at Stoke, Berbatov says the best team won.

IF you thought replacing Cristiano Ronaldo was a toughie - two more hazards are on the horizon for United.


I am not talking about searching for Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes’ successors long-term because they seem to have discovered the elixir of life.

SUPER-SUB Ryan Giggs won the plaudits of United’s match-winning goalscorers against Stoke City.


Dimitar Berbatov benefited from the Welshman’s craft when he opened the goal account latching onto an assist. “The game changed when Ryan came on,” said the Bulgarian striker.

It was as if the master had been summoned to deliver a lesson to the pupil. Having endured the frustration of watching Nani spend the best part of an hour tormenting his team-mates, rather than the Stoke City defence, Sir Alex Ferguson decided enough was enough. On came Ryan Giggs and 22 minutes and two assists from the Welshman later, the Premier League champions were cruising to a seventh successive victory.

As cameos go it was about as good as it gets and Giggs deserved all the praise that came his way afterwards. Yet the veteran’s contribution merely underlined Nani’s shortcomings and raised further questions about the 22-year-old’s lack of progress at United. This is the Portuguese’s third season at Old Trafford and he continues to make the kind of poor decisions in possession that leave Wayne Rooney apoplectic.

The fans as well as the players’ patience seems to be stretched, and when the substitutes’ board was raised in the 55th minute it was hard to discern whether United’s supporters were applauding Ferguson’s decision to withdraw Nani or celebrating the introduction of Giggs. Either way, the change had the desired effect as the 35-year-old slid a low centre into the six-yard box that Dimitar Berbatov tapped home. Giggs had been on the pitch for seven minutes.

“He’s different class, isn’t he?” said Ben Foster, the United goalkeeper, who did not have a save to make once the warm-up was over. “You saw the difference he made when he came on. A cool head in those situations is exactly what we needed and that is Giggs all day. He found himself in a position where other players might have lashed it across but he picked someone out and it was 1-0.”

Foster did not mention names but Nani’s immediately sprung to mind when imagining how someone else would have handled the same situation. When the winger broke clear on the right in the first half, instead of cutting the ball back for Rooney, who stood unmarked inside the penalty area and pleaded for a pass, he chose to go it alone, cut inside and blazed over. Cue Rooney’s furious reaction.

Cristiano Ronaldo was often guilty of selecting the wrong option and trying to beat one defender too many when he first joined United but the penny eventually dropped. When, United supporters might ask, will the same happen with Nani, who was two years older than Ronaldo when he arrived at Old Trafford and, at £17m, cost significantly more.

Ferguson was asked whether the former Sporting Lisbon player should learn from Giggs, who set up United’s second with a free-kick that John O’Shea glanced beyond Thomas Sorensen.

“Yes, of course – he’s only 22 years of age, he’s young,” said the manager. “When he was on the pitch he offered a different thing from Ryan. He looks to penetrate all the time, he’s brave, he’s quick. But Ryan’s intelligence was the deciding factor.”

The only blemish on Giggs’s display was the shot he lifted over late on after Paul Scholes, who could go on playing for another decade if he is given this much time and space every week, picked him out. By that point it was a case of damage limitation for Stoke.

“That’s the first time this year that we never looked full throttle,” said Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager. “Every Manchester United player had too much time on the ball.”

It seemed odd to think Pulis had described the Britannia Stadium as “a horrible place for visiting teams” in his programme notes. With half of the pitch bathed in sunshine, home supporters making for the exits in droves and the United fans amusing Ferguson with their demands for some additional injury-time, the Premier League leaders could hardly have wished for more convivial surroundings.

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis concedes that Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes were the difference between his side and Manchester United during their 2-0 defeat on Saturday.

A day to forget for Carlo Ancelotti - Cech sent off and Chelsea beaten.

Sir Alex impressed with United’s patience against stubborn opposition.

John O’Shea was delighted to mark his 350th United game with a goal.

Sir Alex had plenty of praise for Ryan, who made both goals in the 2-0 win.

SIR Alex Ferguson felt Ryan Giggs’ intelligence was the difference for table-topping Manchester United in their 2-0 win at Stoke.


United were struggling to turn their overwhelming dominance into goals at the Britannia Stadium until Giggs replaced Nani 10 minutes into the second half.

Comment on today’s talking points, including Man Utd going top, Liverpool and Spurs’ goalfests and Chelsea’s defeat at Wigan

The big surprise of the afternoon was Chelsea’s defeat to Wigan Athletic, who made history by recording their first victory against a top four side since their promotion to the Premier League. The turning point was the sending off of Petr Cech after he brought down Hugo Rodallega, who duly converted the penalty before Paul Scharner made sure of victory by adding a third in the final minute.

Is this a mere blip for Chelsea? Meanwhile, the evergreen Ryan Giggs turned the game for United as he leapt off the bench to pick the lock in Stoke’s defence for Dimitar Berbatov’s second-half goal before John O’Shea scored a game-sealing second.

Elsewhere, Fernando Torres has been prolific for Liverpool since Rafael Benítez criticised the Spaniard’s attitude when dealing with physical defenders little over a month ago. Was his hat-trick today further proof that perhaps Benítez is a better man-manager than many would give him credit for? Phil Brown may have saluted the Hull fans who sang his name as his team were capitulating at Anfield, but isn’t it time he put those supporters out of their misery and left the KC Stadium?

Robbie Keane bested his former team-mate by rattling four past Burnley, who look a different team to the one that beat Man Utd and Everton at Turf Moor when they are on their travels.

What interested you this afternoon? Post your comments below the line.

MANCHESTER United picked up their seventh consecutive win in all competitions thanks to goals from Dimitar Berbatov and John O’Shea against Stoke.


As expected Stoke provided tough opposition but the introduction of Ryan Giggs after the break sparked United, who are now top thanks to Chelsea’s defeat at Wigan.

Don’t believe the hype. While Manchester United may be back on top of the Premier League as a result of their fifth successive win coupled with Wigan’s unlikely toppling of Chelsea, the extent to which the champions are relying on Ryan Giggs is in danger of becoming embarrassing.

For the second weekend in a row United were indebted to their veteran winger for securing the points, this time by coming on as a second-half substitute and showing his team-mates the way to goal. Before the 35-year-old’s introduction United seemed to have no idea how to break down Stoke’s massed defence. The visitors looked as if they could play all day without scoring – as indeed did Stoke, though that is nothing new – until Giggs arrived and quickly helped set up goals for Dimitar Berbatov and John O’Shea to make winning look easy again.

“Ryan made the goals, I felt his intelligence would bother them on that side of the pitch,” said Sir Alex Ferguson, in what may or may not have been a veiled criticism of 56 empty-headed minutes from Nani. “We showed fantastic composure in possession, because this isn’t an easy place to come, but we didn’t create enough before the goal came. Ryan is important, his movement was marvellous for the first goal.”

United must have known what to expect when they saw the Stoke teamsheet, with Tuncay and James Beattie on the bench and only Dave Kitson as a notional front man. Sure enough, the home side spent the first half getting nine or 10 men behind the ball, even when that meant backing off Paul Scholes and allowing the United schemer all the space he could have wished for in midfield.

It ought to have been a recipe for trouble, yet United failed to use their wealth of possession creatively or even advantageously. With Nani and Antonio Valencia neither speedy nor incisive on the flanks, and Wayne Rooney and Berbatov struggling to reach any sort of understanding through the middle, nothing ever came of the long balls and short passes Scholes sprayed around. It was perhaps significant that United’s best chance of the first half came from a Stoke error, when Ryan Shawcross let Valencia clean through. Finishing has never been the former Wigan player’s strong point and though he drew the goalkeeper he managed to miss the target.

Nani brought a good save from Thomas Sorensen on the stroke of the interval, though the same player had earlier incurred Rooney’s wrath by shooting wastefully into the Boothen End when a return pass to the unmarked striker looked a better option. Rooney himself was having an off day, and was guilty of similar selfishness later on.

If it sounds as if the first half was all United, that was exactly the case. Stoke stayed mostly behind the half way line. The supposedly nervous Ben Foster never had a shot to save before the break, and was far from busy afterwards. “We were flat,” Tony Pulis admitted. “We didn’t give it a right good go. I don’t blame the players, they are only human, but you need to be at your absolute maximum to compete with top-four teams and we were never able to wrestle control from them.”

The United support had been chanting Giggs’s name long before Ferguson sent him on in the 56th minute. The visitors were ahead six minutes later, after Dean Whitehead allowed Darren Fletcher to run through and pick up Giggs cutting in from the left, for a short, squared pass for Berbatov a tap-in from a couple of yards out. Simple but effective, and apparently beyond Nani or Valencia.

Stoke sent on Beattie and Tuncay once they had to chase the game, only to be undone by Giggs’s accurate delivery from a 77th-minute free-kick, finding O’Shea’s head for the goal that sealed the points.

Presented with an opportunity to score from a Scholes pass just before the end, Giggs lifted a shot over the bar in a manner that had the travelling support inquiring what on earth he was playing at. The United fans were in relaxed mood by, demanding to know what had happened to Stoke’s famous atmosphere and wittily suggesting it was just like watching Port Vale. They weren’t singing those songs in the first hour, though. Before Giggs brought a touch of calmness and class to the proceedings, with due respect to the Valiants, it was a little too much like Port Vale for comfort.

FIND out how we rated the United players for their performance in the 2-0 win at Stoke.

United will play at Oakwell in the Carling Cup fourth round.

Boss says club will sit down for talks with Van der Sar at Christmas.

MANCHESTER United have been drawn against Barnsley away in the fourth round of the Carling Cup.


The teams last met in May 1998 when the Reds won 2-0, and earlier in that season United enjoyed a 7-0 victory over the Yorkshire side.

• Everton to take on Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane
• Both Manchester clubs avoid Premier League opposition

Liverpool face a trip to the Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal in the pick of the draw for the fourth round of the Carling Cup. The last time the two sides met in the competition was at Anfield in January 2007 in a memorable match which Arséne Wenger’s side won 6-3.

Premier League teams were drawn against each other in five of the eight matches. Everton have a similar journey from Merseyside to north London where David Moyes’s side will take on Tottenham Hotspur, while Chelsea have a home tie against Bolton Wanderers, who booked their place in the fourth round thanks to a 3-1 win after extra-time against West Ham in midweek.

Elsewhere, both Manchester clubs avoided meeting Premier League opposition. United will travel to Barnsley while City will take on Scunthorpe at Eastlands.

The full draw for the fourth round of the Carling Cup, ties to be played week commencing 26 October

Blackburn v Peterborough

Manchester City v Scunthorpe

Tottenham v Everton

Barnsley v Manchester United

Chelsea v Bolton

Sunderland v Aston Villa

Arsenal v Liverpool

Portsmouth v Stoke

Sir Alex hails ‘remarkable’ Giggs after impressive start to the season.

Patrice Evra says he spoke with Fabio following his red card on Wednesday.

Listen to radio commentary and read text updates as the action unfolds.

• ‘In football we have become too sensitive,’ says Neville
• United defender says rivals’ rise is good for Manchester

Gary Neville has accused football of becoming “too sensitive” over goal celebrations after the controversy surrounding Emmanuel Adebayor’s reaction to scoring for Manchester City against Arsenal and his own response to Manchester United’s winner in last weekend’s derby.

Neville was accused of goading City supporters after Michael Owen’s dramatic injury-time winner at Old Trafford. That followed Adebayor running the length of the field to celebrate in front of Arsenal fans after he had scored against his former club earlier this month.

“In football we have become too sensitive,” Neville told the Daily Telegraph. “You celebrate a goal because you are winning a football match. Fans give you loads of stick. You give them a bit back. That is football.”

Neville has been warned over his behaviour by the Football Association, which has charged Adebayor with improper conduct for his celebration.

Asked whether he understood what Adebayor did, Neville said: “You would have to ask him his motives but all I can say is that my motives are passion and winning. To be honest, we have lost games at the last minute. I have been to Man City and given goals away and you get abused for it. That is fine. It is part and parcel of the game.”

He also acknowledged City as a growing threat: “They will be up there and pushing for the top four and that is not bad for Manchester. They have good players and it is good for the city that we have two big clubs – as long as we are on top, though, because it would not be good playing for United when City came out on top. Definitely not.”

Neville added that he would decide in the new year whether to continue beyond this season. “I have given it one last go to see if I can have a season injury-free but my decision will depend on how I feel going into the new year and how the club feel. They have others and may not want this option next season.”

• England goalkeeper will play against Stoke today
• ‘We are not worrying about the odd mistake’

Sir Alex Ferguson is to persevere with Ben Foster in goal for Manchester United despite his erratic form while deputising for the injured Edwin van der Sar. Foster has made a number of mistakes and was at fault for two of Manchester City’s goals on Sunday, but Ferguson still believes he represents a safer pair of hands than Tomasz Kuszczak.

“There’s no need to change,” Ferguson said. “He [Foster] is showing great qualities. We are not worrying about the odd mistake – young players make them all the time – and, as I have said before, he has not had a great deal of game experience. But he will be OK. No, I’ve not got a problem with the boy.”

With Van der Sar still three weeks away from returning to action following surgery on a broken finger, Kuszczak came into the team for Wednesday’s Carling Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers and made some impressive saves in a 1-0 victory.

Foster’s confidence seems to have been badly affected going into a potentially tricky match at Stoke City, but when it was put to Ferguson that the goalkeeper’s communication with the back four had been poor against City, he made it clear that he did not want to discuss the matter in detail.

“I’m not getting into the City game, I’m not talking about that at all. I’ve answered the question, he’s playing. I’m not worried about it. We thought it was a good opportunity for Tomasz to play on Wednesday, as we did with a lot of the players. But Ben will play [at Stoke].”

Nonetheless, Foster’s inability thus far to live up to expectations has highlighted Van der Sar’s importance to the team and Ferguson expects to know around Christmas whether the Dutchman feels capable of putting off retirement for another year.

“He has always made that decision around the end of December and it will be the same this season. The fact is he’s out injured at the moment, we have more of a concern about him getting back rather than what will happen the following year. But he’s 39 years of age. There’s going to be a time when Edwin decides it’s time for him.”

Another of United’s older generation, Ryan Giggs, goes into tomorrow’s match needing one more goal to reach 100 in the league and 150 in total. “I don’t know what else there is to say about Ryan,” Ferguson said. “It’s not a matter of defying his age, it’s the fact there’s no discernible deterioration in his game. It is remarkable.”

Giggs played a major role in United’s 4-3 victory over Manchester City, including providing the pass from which Michael Owen scored the decisive injury-time goal. Ferguson paid tribute to the former Wales international’s professionalism. “The horrible part of being a footballer is that at some stage you are finished with the game,” he said. “It catches us all. When someone like Ryan is playing at the level he is at, he realises to stay there, he has to prepare himself in the right way. He has to look after himself and do the right things.

“His form is just the same as it was last season. He has never carried any weight. He has always been a slim athlete. That helps too. Physique has a lot to do with it.”

There will no motivational material for Tony Pulis to pin up on the dressing-room wall. “Stoke are going to be a force,” said Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday. The Manchester United manager knows how to use flattery to help his cause but he also appreciates just how difficult it can be to get a result at the Britannia Stadium following last season’s 1-0 win. The significant team news is that Ben Foster will definitely start in goal for United despite his mistakes last weekend. No prizes for guessing whom Stoke will be targeting. Stuart James

Venue Britannia Stadium

Tickets Sold out

Last season Stoke 0 Manchester United 1

Referee H Webb

This season’s matches 4 Y12, R0, 3.00 cards per game

sportingbet odds Stoke 7-1 Manchester United 7-20 Draw 16-5

Stoke

Subs from Simonsen, Tuncay, Whitehead, Higginbotham, Wilkinson, Pugh, Griffin, Beattie, Diao, Cresswell, Cort

Doubtful Beattie (ankle), Fuller (groin)

Injured M Sidibe (knee,Oct), Am Faye (back, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide DLWDL

Disciplinary record Y11 R0

Leading scorer Kitson 2

Manchester United

Subs from Kuszczak, Scholes, Carrick, Brown, Nani, Anderson, Neville, Gibson, Fabio, Owen, Welbeck, De Laet, Macheda, Tosic, J Evans

Doubtful None

Injured Van der Sar (finger, Oct), Obertan (back, Oct), Rafael (shoulder, Oct), Hargreaves (knee, Nov)

Suspended None

Form guide WWWWL

Disciplinary record Y11 R1

Leading scorer Rooney 6

Match pointers

• Stoke’s last eight home wins have all been achieved with a clean sheet

• The last time United scored in an away league game and did not go on to win the match was against Arsenal in November 2008

• Stoke are the only top-flight team to have drawn more than once this season

• United have score more second-half goals (11) than any other side this season

• Glenn Whelan has had more shots on target (four) than any other Stoke player this season; Dave Kitson has had the most shots off-target (five)

Should Sir Alex Ferguson find an alternative to his current crop of No1s?

SIR Alex Ferguson feels the knowledge Ryan Giggs is coming to the end of his illustrious career is providing the platform for the Welshman to remain one of Manchester United’s most influential players.


Giggs’ goal at Tottenham a fortnight ago took him to the brink of becoming only the ninth United player to reach 150 goals for the club.

BEN Foster will start in goal for Manchester United at Stoke after being given a public vote of confidence by Sir Alex Ferguson.


Tomasz Kuszczak had been hoping to get the nod after keeping a clean sheet against Wolves in midweek but Foster will return as deputy for Edwin van der Sar (broken fingers), who is out for another three weeks.

Betfair have all the odds ahead of Saturday’s trip to the Potteries.

Ben Foster retains league duties for a difficult trip to Stoke on Saturday.