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Papers: Ronaldo staying put
04/02/2008 11:13

Ron will stay a wide boy
Alex Ferguson will resist the temptation to make his top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo an out-and-out striker. The Manchester United boss feels his threat on the flank is more vital than his menace in the middle. Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez have formed a deadly partnership up front in the absence of injured striker Louis Saha - while wing wizard Ronaldo terrifies full- backs, lays on crosses and has still scored 27 times. Boss Ferguson said: "There have been occasions, especially when Saha was out and we were relying on Rooney and Tevez, where we’ve considered playing Ronaldo through the middle. He would be a great threat but if you take him away from the wing you lack penetration."
The Sun
Elsewhere, apart from reports on Saturday' 1-1 draw at Spurs, the newspapers begin their coverage of the Munich anniversary. Journalists including The Times' Martin Samuel and the Mirror's Tony Parsons look ahead to the Manchester derby with the hope that the minute's silence is observed by both sets of supporters.
Round up by Adam Bostock

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04/02/2008 16:51, Report by Steve Bartram

Rio goes back to school

United defender Rio Ferdinand admits he is 'intrigued and excited' as he and his England colleagues begin life under new international manager Fabio Capello.

The Italian replaced Steve McClaren late last year and, ahead of his first game in charge against Switzerland, Rio concedes that a new experience beckons under Capello.

"I think it’s inevitable that’s it’s going to be different," he told a press conference. "They're different personalities, different people, different cultures.
"The new manager was very successful with his club teams, hopefully he can bring that success and experience to the England squad and we can become a successful team.
"The only way I can explain it is that it’s like going to a new school. Or going to a secondary school from a primary school. You’re intrigued and excited. We’re just like schoolkids waiting to suck up all the information he’s got, in the hope that it makes us a better team."

The appointment of a new manager has opened the door for a new captain to be named - and Ferdinand admits he would be honoured to take the armband.
“Obviously I’d be delighted, it’s a fantastic achievement for anybody," he said. "Right now John Terry’s the captain and he’s been a fantastic captain for club and country. But if you asked anyone sat here and they said they didn’t want to be England captain, I think they’d be lying.”

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05/02/2008 12:07, Report by Steve Bartra

U18s: United 0 City 5

United's U18s suffered a five-goal drubbing at the hands of local rivals Manchester City on Tuesday afternoon.

Four second-half goals did the damage for the table-topping Blues, who were always in control of a one-sided match at the Cliff.

Both sides observed a minute's silence before kick-off in recognition of the 50th anniverary of the Munich air disaster.

It was City who quickly established superiority, however, and were a goal up at half-time through Donal McDermott's strike.

After the break, however, City ran riot and scored again through Dedryck Boyata, a David Ball penalty and a brace from Robbie Mak.

United had only one meaningful effort all match, a shot from Anton Bryan which was well kept out by City stopper Greg Hartley.

The match was the first of three meetings between the two clubs this week, preceding the Reserves' Manchester Senior Cup clash on Thursday and Sunday's senior Premier League meeting at Old Trafford.

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05/02/2008 14:50, Report by Steve Bartram

Coupet fearful of Reds

Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet is already fearing the worst ahead of his side's Champions League clash with United later this month.
The French champions currently top Ligue 1, hunting a seventh successive title, but veteran custodian Coupet doubts his side's defensive resolve can cope with the latter stages of the Champions League.
With United's trip to France for the second round, first leg tie just two weeks away, Coupet is more than apprehensive about facing the in-form Reds.
"Manchester, it scares me a lot," he told L’Equipe. "Let’s remember us what they did to Roma last year. I don’t really want to concede seven goals.
"We can be amazing but we lack rigidity. We have not got the collective strength in defence. We are professionals and we are not there to play total football."
Lyon host Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the Stade Gerland on Wednesday, 20 February before the return leg at Old Trafford on Tuesday 4 March.

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04/02/2008 19:20, Report by Steve Bartram

Manucho magic not enough

New United signing Manucho scored another superb goal for Angola on Monday evening, but it wasn't enough to prevent his side from exiting the African Cup of Nations.
Reigning champions Egypt saw off the challenge of the 'Black Antelopes' at the quarter-final stage, edging a keenly-contested match 2-1.
Abd Rabou opened the scoring for Egypt, but Manucho - already with three goals in the tournament - levelled with a surging run and scorching 25-yard drive just before the half-hour mark.
Although Angola began to dominate the match, the favourites regained the lead through Amir Zaki before half-time.
Manucho twice came close to levelling the match again, but in the end Egypt held on to book a semi-final clash with Ivory Coast.
Now that Angola are out of the tournament, Manucho will join up with Greek side Panathinaikos, where he will spend the rest of the season on loan.

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04/02/2008 15:57, Report by Steve Bartram

Loans: Brandy on target

United have six players currently on loan at clubs across England, from the Premier League down to League One. Here's how the young Reds fared at their respective clubs last weekend...

Febian Brandy continued his dream start to life at Swansea City. Just two minutes after coming off the bench, the striker hit an 85th minute winner against Oldham to notch his second goal in his last three games.

Jonny Evans completed 90 minutes for Sunderland in Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Liverpool. The Black Cats held firm for 50 minutes, but shipped three goals after Peter Crouch's opener just after the interval.
Fraizer Campbell was in fine form again for Hull City at Plymouth Argyle, but was repeatedly denied a goal by keeper Luke McCormick. Strike partner Dean Windass scored the only goal of the game as the Tigers won 1-0.
Lee Martin completed 81 minutes as Sheffield United notched a 2-2 draw at Colchester United. The tricky winger moved to Bramall Lane in January after spending the first half of the season on loan at Plymouth Argyle.
Kieran Lee was a late substitute, coming on after 75 minutes, as QPR won 3-0 against high-flying Bristol City. The result moved the Londoners to six points away from the Championship relegation zone.
Darron Gibson, who has been sidelined with a back injury recently, played no part as Wolves were dealt a damaging 3-0 defeat at fellow promotion-chasers Watford.

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04/02/2008 14:27, Report by Steve Bartram

U18s: United 2 Blackburn 1

First half strikes from Evandro Brandao and Oliver Norwood gave United's U18s a hard-fought victory over Blackburn Rovers at Carrington.
Having shown tremendous resolve to fight back for a draw against Everton in their last outing, the Reds were again in determined mood against their Lancashire rivals - and they had to be.
Paul McGuinness' side found themselves behind again in the early stages, as Francis Zenaba powerfully headed home a corner inside the first 10 minutes.
The Reds roared back, however, and drew level through Brandao after 25 minutes. The Portuguese striker raced through on goal and, although his first effort was blocked, he calmly slotted the rebound into the top corner.
United needed just 12 more minutes to totally turn the scoreline on its head. Although Oliver Norwood saw his penalty saved by Andreas Arestidou, the midfielder was on hand to convert the rebound and make the points safe.
United: Amos; McCormack, Strickland, Gill, Dudgeon; C Evans, Curran (Eikrem 63), Norwood, Galbraith; Brandao (Macheda 46), Bryan (Stewart 46).
Sub not used: Moffatt.

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05/02/2008 12:10, Report by Steve Bartram

Munich display extended

The Manchester United museum has extended its Munich exhibition to commemorate this week’s 50th anniversary of the disaster.
After months of hard graft and extensive research from the museum staff, the new display showcases an immense back catalogue of items previously too numerous to see the light of day.
“We’ve always had a permanent display on the Munich air disaster, but it’s always been a bit too small for the volume of items we’ve been collecting,” says curator Mark Wylie.
“We’ve been getting plenty of new items, some of which have come to us even though we’ve not been actively looking for them.”
From international caps collected by members of the Busby Babes through to the telegraph sent by Duncan Edwards just prior to the crash, the museum’s collection of artefacts now tells an even more detailed story of the Babes and the events of 6 February, 1958.
“Our job is to showcase the history of Manchester United, and Munich is a huge part of that,” admits Wylie. “This extended display means that we give people a real insight into how colossal and tragic an event it was.”
For those who would like to learn more about the Munich air disaster and the Busby Babes, the club’s museum - located in Old Trafford's North Stand - is open every day from 9:30am until 5pm. You can reserve your visit by calling 0870 442 1994 (option 3).

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12/02/2008 10:59, Report by Adam Bostock

Manucho named in Africa's best XI

He may not have kicked a ball yet for United but new signing Manucho is already receiving rave reviews.

The latest endorsement of the Angolan's talents is his inclusion in the Africa Cup of Nations XI, ahead of some of world football's most feared strikers. Chelsea's Didier Drogba was named among the subs, while Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o missed out altogether.

Manucho scored four goals during the tournament, one less than Eto'o who top scored with five including three penalties. Player of the tournament was midfielder Hosni Abd Rabou who also netted four times to help Egypt retain the trophy.

Young player of the tournament was Arsenal and Cameroon midfielder Alexander Song. Other Premier League players in the all-star XI were Portsmouth's Sulley Muntari, Newcastle's Geremi and Chelsea's Michael Essien.

Manucho's next move will be to link up with his loan club Panathinaikos for the rest of the season. However, this week's UEFA Cup tie against Rangers in Glasgow has come too soon for the striker following his Africa Cup exertions.

Africa Cup of Nations XI: Essam Al-Hadari (Egypt), Geremi (Cameroon), Wael Gomaa (Egypt), Michael Essien (Ghana), Sulley Muntari (Ghana), Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast), Alexandre Song (Cameroon), Hosni Abd Rabou (Egypt), Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt), Amr Zaky (Egypt), Manucho (Angola).
Subs: Richard Kingson (Ghana), Hani Said, Ahmed Fathi (both Egypt), Frej Saber (Tunisia), Stephane Mbia (Cameroon), Didier Drogba, Kader Keita (both Ivory Coast).

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12/02/2008 13:11, Report by Adam Bostock

Wenger: We're no fools

Arsene Wenger insists his Gunners won't take anything for granted in the title race, despite going five points clear of United.

The Arsenal boss seemed relieved to have won the game in hand over the Reds - "We were a bit under pressure to take advantage of the situation" - and warned of the challenge ahead.

"There is still a long way to go. You could see again tonight that as soon as you are not at your best, you can drop points," Wenger told arsenal.com, after a tense 2-0 win over Blackburn.

"With twelve games to go, we are in a good position and we believe we can do it but we are not a fool. We know it's far from being over and we will have to fight until the last minute, certainly. We have a hard programme in front of us."

The next match in Arsenal's programme is, of course, their FA Cup fifth round tie against United. Wenger's squad could be bolstered by the return of three players, including two who were away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Kolo (Toure) and (Emmanuel) Eboue came back on Monday," reported Wenger. "(Tomas) Rosicky maybe has a little chance for Saturday. (Robin) Van Persie looks better, but he is still a few weeks away."

Forthcoming Fixtures10 Feb - Arsenal v United - FA Cup

20 Feb - Arsenal v AC Milan - UCL
20 Feb - Lyon v United - UCL

23 Feb - Newcastle v United - Lge
23 Feb - Birmingham v Arsenal - Lge

1 Mar - Arsenal v Aston Villa - Lge
1 Mar - Fulham v United - Lge

UCL - UEFA Champions League
Lge - Barclays Premier League

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11/02/2008 11:42, Report by Ben Hibbs

Sir Alex eyes April showdowns

Sir Alex Ferguson believes United's matches against Arsenal and Chelsea in April will almost certainly decide the destination of the league title this season.

Defeat to City on Sunday was a major blow for the Reds' hopes of retaining the Premier League crown, especially as Arsenal moved five points clear with a 2-0 victory over Blackburn on Monday night.

Speaking to Inside United magazine before the defeat to City, Sir Alex's comments now carry even greater resonance.

United face Arsenal (12 April) and Chelsea (26 April) in the space of two weeks in the penultimate month of the campaign, which Sir Alex believes will be crucial.

"There's no doubt about it, the games against Arsenal and Chelsea will be decisive," he said.

"The fact that the league is so close makes a big difference. All the top sides have dropped points. Teams are taking points off the top sides more than ever. But it looks likely that our home game against Arsenal and the match at Chelsea could make a huge difference."

Ryan Giggs thinks that United must win both matches, saying after Sunday's derby defeat that the Reds "cannot afford to drop any more points now".

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11/02/2008 07:39, Report by Gemma Thompson

Skipper vows to return

Gary Neville has hit back at speculative reports suggesting his career may come to a premature end after a long-running injury battle.

The Reds' skipper, who turns 33 next Monday, has not played for United's first-team since rupturing ankle ligaments against Bolton Wanderers last March.

Subsequent niggles have further disrupted his progress. It has been a hugely frustrating period for the right-back, but he insists his career is far from over.

"The fact I’ve been out for so long brings about speculation regarding whether or not I’ll make it back. I understand that," he told United Review.

"Ironically my ankle has been okay for the last couple of months, I’ve just picked up little knocks here and there that have lasted a couple of weeks or so; they can really set you back when you’ve been out for so long.

"I’m training again and I am focused on getting fit. I’m not going to put a timescale on it or name a game when I’ll be back. Once I get fit, and I’m doing the best I can to get to that point, I’ve no doubts I’ll be okay."

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Papers: Reds eye Lyon duo?
12/02/2008 09:57

Fergie eyes Lyon duo
Sir Alex Ferguson has targeted Lyon duo Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa in a sensational £40million swoop. Boss Fergie made his move just a week before Manchester United face the French side in a Champions League last-16 clash. He spoke to Lyon week. Aulas said: “I spoke to Sir Alex. I told him that Benzema and Ben Arfa will not leave in the next two years. We want to build our future on them. If he wants to exchange Cristiano Ronaldo for Ben Arfa we could talk about it but they would have to also give us a bit of money.” But Aulas’ remarks will not put off Fergie, who spoke to the Lyon president before Saturday’s game with Sochaux. French ace Benzema, 20, is one of the hottest strikers in Europe with 16 goals in 24 league games this season, while Fergie sees jet-heeled Ben Arfa, 20, as a long-term replacement for Ryan Giggs, 34. The pair are also summer targets for Arsenal and Chelsea.
Antony Kastrinakis, The Sun

In other news, Ryan Giggs says one more poor display and the title will slip from United's grasp. But Sven-Goran Eriksson believes the derby defeat has already wrecked United's title dream.

Arsenal took full advantage of the Reds' defeat with a 2-0 win over Blackburn. Emmanuel Adebayor scored for the ninth successive game as the Gunners roared five points ahead of United.
Round up by Gemma Thompson

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11/02/2008 21:38, Report by Ben Hibbs

Gunners go five points clear

Arsenal took full advantage of United's slip in the Manchester derby by taking all three points against Blackburn on Monday night.

It wasn't altogether convincing against a Blackburn side missing some key players, but Mark Hughes' side never really did enough to penetrate Arsenal's defence.

From a United point of view, the game got off to the worst possible start, Phillippe Senderos heading home Eduardo Da Silva's corner after just four minutes.

However, the home side's early dominance was followed by a spell of Blackburn pressure, but a miscued Benni McCarthy header from David Bentley's precision cross was about the only real opportunity for the visitors.

Arsenal spurned a number of second half chances but finally the pressure told when Emmanuel Adebayor struck a late goal - his 19th of the season and 12th in the last nine games.

United and the Gunners set aside Premier League rivalries this weekend when Arsene Wenger's men visit Old Trafford in the FA Cup.

TeamPWDLFAGDPTS1 Arsenal2619615418+36632 Man Utd2618445014+36583 Chelsea2616733817+21554 Everton2614574123+18475 Liverpool25111134017+23446 Aston Villa2612864834+14447 Man City2612863429+5448 Portsmouth2611873626+1041

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10/02/2008 16:32, Report by Ben Hibbs

Carrick: Title race still on

Michael Carrick couldn't hide his disappointment with the result and the performance in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, but rejects the idea that the loss has seriously dented United's title hopes.

The midfielder struck the Reds' only goal in added time, but it proved nothing more than a consolation.

“Scoring doesn't really mean much because we lost, we’re all desperately disappointed,” he told MUTV. "We never got going and didn’t create the chances we normally do. That’s not like us. It was good to see that the minute’s silence was well observed. But in terms of the game we’re not going home happy.”

City took the lead midway through the first half through Darius Vassell, with Benjani Mwaruwari grabbing a second just before the interval. It left the Reds with a mountain to climb, heights Sir Alex’s men were unable to scale.

“Once City got the two goals it was hard to come back from it,” added Carrick. “They set out their game plan and it worked for them. One goal down, you always believe you’ve got a chance of coming back, but two is difficult. We needed to score right after half time to give us momentum, but when we did score it was too little, too late.”

Arsenal could move five points clear if they beat Blackburn at the Emirates Stadium on Monday, but Carrick firmly believes the Gunners will slip up before the end of the campaign.

“There are still games to play,” he said. “I don’t think Arsenal will go the rest of the season without dropping points. If they did, fair play to them. There are still going to be ups and downs in the title race, and hopefully there will be more ups for us and we can overtake them.”