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30/11/2007 10:21, Report by Steve Bartram

Eagles: Reserves are flying

Chris Eagles admits United's Reserves are brimming with confidence after posting a fifth successive victory against Sunderland on Thursday evening.
The 22-year-old winger scored the all-important opener against the Black Cats after a dominant display at the Victoria Stadium.
"It’s pleasing just to get the result because we should be winning in the league week in, week out," Chris told MUTV after the match.
"We’ve done that against a good team in Sunderland and we can just concentrate on next week (against Newcastle) now. Next week we’ll be full of confidence to go on and win again."
A fine performance from Sunderland goalkeeper Trevor Carson had looked set to frustrate United until Eagles' opener. In-form strikers Dong Fangzhuo and Febian Brandy were both repeatedly thwarted by Carson, although Brandy eventually got his goal in the final minute.
"Their keeper played brilliantly, don’t take anything away from him because on other days they could all have gone in," said Eagles. "But we kept plugging away and we got the goal.
"Confident strikers always help because they give everyone confidence and you start trying things. It’s pleasing to see Febian score today because he deserved his goal, his work rate’s unbelievable."

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Papers: Queiroz hits back
30/11/2007 09:51

Queiroz hits back at Sporting
Manchester United have hit back at Sporting Lisbon after being accused of trying to unsettle Miguel Veloso. United's assistant manager, Carlos Queiroz, confirmed the 21-year-old midfielder is on their wish list. But Sporting president Filipe Soares Franco said: "I can only regret Queiroz's declaration about Veloso. Queiroz made unacceptable insinuations." Queiroz responded, adding: "The club president is just trying to deflect away criticism of his team after we beat them."
Staff reporter, Daily Mail

The Sun reckon Gary Neville could be out until the New Year after suffering another injury setback. The United skipper, 32, pulled out of last night’s latest reserve game against Sunderland, but a club spokesman confirmed to ManUtd.com yesterday that Neville is simply concentrating on training with the first team.
Round up by Gemma Thompson

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30/11/2007 14:19, Report by Steve Bartram

Ronny makes elite shortlist

United's Cristiano Ronaldo is among three nominees shortlisted for the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

The Portuguese winger goes head-to-head with AC Milan star Kaka and Barcelona's Argentine prodigy Lionel Messi for the prestigious accolade.

Voting is conducted by coaches and captains of international teams, and the winner will be announced at a gala ceremony in Zurich on December 17.

The last United player to feature in the award's top three was David Beckham, who finished second in 1999 and 2001 to Rivaldo and Luis Figo respectively.

Ronaldo's influence was integral to United regaining the Barclays Premier League title, while his sustained fine form in the UEFA Champions League and in Portugal's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign also counts in his favour.

Brazilian star Kaka is widely regarded as the favourite for the award by virtue of his part in Milan's Champions League success last season.

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30/11/2007 11:54, Report by Steve Bartram

Rooney should face Fulham

Wayne Rooney looks likely to face Fulham on Monday night after sufficiently recovering from a twisted ankle.

Sir Alex Ferguson revealed his main striker, who was injured in a training ground accident earlier this month, has been back in full training ahead of the Cottagers' visit.

"Wayne has been training terrifically and his fitness levels are good," the United manager told his weekly press conference at Carrington.

"He did all his running last week and he got through that fine. He's been on the football pitch this week and trained with the first team today [Friday]. Now he's got three days before the Fulham game and I hope he'll be ready. He won't need long to get his rhythm back."

Prior to his injury, Rooney was in fine goalscoring form, having bagged eight goals in seven consecutive matches during October and November.

Wayne's recovery means that only long-term absentees Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Ji-sung Park, Ben Foster and Mikael Silvestre should be unavailable for selection against Lawrie Sanchez's side.

Video: Watch Sir Alex's press conference on MUTV Online.

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02/12/2007 07:29, Report by Adam Bostock

Embassy advice for Roma trip

Fans travelling to United's away match against AS Roma have been issued with some important advice on transport, tickets, stadium facilities and safety.

The British Embassy in Rome has compiled most of the information, to help supporters make the most of their trip to the Italian capital. The Reds will play at the city's Olympic Stadium on Wednesday 12 December, in their final game in Champions League Group F.

Phil Townsend, United's communications director, said: "We're really grateful to the Embassy staff for their help.

"We always give our fans information on travelling to watch the team abroad. Rome is a fantastic city and we're keen our fans enjoy their visit as much as possible."

The supporters' information can be read or printed as a pdf document on ManUtd.com.

Alternatively, fans can request a copy by sending an email to [[email protected]?subject=Roma_Advice][email protected][/email].

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01/12/2007 13:24, Report by Nick Coppack

U18s: United 2 Liverpool 2

Danny Welbeck produced a finishing master-class at the Trafford Training Centre but his two goals weren't enough to earn United's U18s all three points against Liverpool's Academy side.

Instead, the visitors rallied from two goals down to come back into the game and force the Reds' first draw of the season.

The first half saw both sides fashion half-chances but good goalkeeping and desperate defending kept the score locked at 0-0. It was clear something special would be required to break the deadlock and Danny Welbeck duly obliged on 53 minutes.

Reds midfielder Daniel Drinkwater did well to thread the ball into Welbeck's feet on the edge of the area but the rest was all down to the England U17 international. Welbeck teased a Liverpool defender into making an early challenge before executing a crafty drag-back and shooting powerfully into the bottom corner.

The United striker's second was no less impressive. Receiving the ball with his back to goal, Welbeck took one touch with his right foot before swivelling to blast the ball into the far corner with his left.

The Reds were now 2-0 up at home and would have felt confident of notching a 10th win of the season. But Liverpool had other ideas and the visitors' speedy strikers set about unnerving United's defence.

Nathan Eccleston pulled one back when he darted in front of his marker at the near post to finish first time before German centre forward Marvin Pourie used his pace to reach a long ball first and lash a stunning volley across
Woods and in off the far post.

United almost won it with four minutes to play when Federico Macheda nicked the ball from a Liverpool defender in the centre circle and broke clear. The Italian rounded the goalkeeper but his finish was headed off the line by Joe Kennedy.

The Reds then had to survive some late Liverpool pressure before the referee's final whistle signalled the end to a dramatic match.

United: Woods, Moffatt, Dudgeon (Macheda 46), James, Strickland, Evans C, Eikrem (Norwood 80), Drinkwater, Welbeck, Bryan (Galbraith 58), Stewart
Subs not used: Gill, Brandao

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01/12/2007 13:03

Reds trio front AIDS fight

Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra have joined forces with UNICEF to front a new AIDS awareness advertising campaign in Sierra Leone.

From early in 2008, the TV, radio and billboard campaign will promote HIV and AIDS prevention in Sierra Leone's 13 districts. It will be aimed at those at greatest risk - over three million young people - by tapping into United's huge popularity in the country.

Each player will deliver one of these HIV and AIDS prevention messages:

1. Stigma: “AIDS destroys your health and kills, but so can the stigma of HIV. Stop blaming others! Stigma on HIV spreads the disease.”

2. Encouraging safe sexual practice: “Keeping my body fit and healthy is vital for my game. AIDS destroys a healthy body. Keep yourself healthy and protect your loved ones. Use a condom. Only you can stop AIDS.”

3. Getting tested: “AIDS destroys your health and kills. Knowing your HIV status will help you protect your health and that of your loved ones. Get tested for HIV - Now! Know your HIV status and live a healthy life.”

Although the number of people living with HIV in Sierra Leone stands at 1.5%, the country has seen a 75% increase in all new HIV infections since 2002. With low awareness of the dangers, and infection rates rapidly rising, the need to reach young people and encourage them to change their sexual behaviour is vital. To find out more, visit www.unicef.org.uk.

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30/11/2007 12:41, Report by Steve Bartram

Skipper may make Roma trip

Club captain Gary Neville may make his first team return to action in United's final Champions League Group F clash against Roma.

Having missed eight months of action, the Reds' skipper had been expected to take part in two or three Reserves games before making a senior return.

Neville missed Thursday's Reserve League victory over Sunderland but United boss Sir Alex allayed any fears of a further setback at his press conference on Friday.

"Obviously it begs the question when he didn't play in the Reserves game on Thursday night," the manager admitted, "but at the moment he prefers to keep training with us.

"He could have played in the Reserves but he wants to get to a good level of fitness. We concur with that because it's important he gets plenty of good training sessions before he starts playing in games.

"There's a possibility that, if he comes through next week okay, I'll take him to Rome and play him in the Roma game. He's coming along well and I don't think he's far away now."
Neville has been out of action since suffering ankle ligament damage against Bolton last March, and a series of subsequent setbacks have derailed his recuperation.

With United travelling to Rome assured of topping Group F, however, it seems Sir Alex will take advantage of the chance to ease Neville back into senior action on a bigger stage.

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30/11/2007 14:09, Report by Nick Coppack

Fulham's fantastic ex-Red

Fulham will be desperate for a result at Old Trafford on Monday night and former United striker David Healy could be the man to inflict the damage.

That was Sir Alex Ferguson's assessment of the match when he faced the media at Carrington on Friday. (Video: Watch the manager's press conference on MUTV Online)

"December's a telling time for a lot of teams in the bottom half of the league," Sir Alex said.

"Once you get to January it's very difficult after that. You don't tend to see teams going on big runs after Christmas – if you get caught down in the bottom half it's not easy to get out."

If Fulham are to orchestrate a reversal of fortune – Lawrie Sanchez's side sit in 12th spot and are yet to win away from home in the league this season – ex-Reds striker Healy will undoubtedly play a big part.

"When David was with us as a young lad he was blocked from making any real progress, simply because we already had four strikers at the time," Sir Alex said.

"We had Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, so it wasn't easy for David and we received what we felt was a very good offer from Preston. That allowed the boy to get on with his career.

"Although his league football seemed to stop and start a little bit, his form with Northern Ireland has been fantastic. To score 13 goals [in Euro 2008 qualifiers] for a country who are nowhere near one of the top sides in Europe is absolutely brilliant."

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30/11/2007 16:03, Report by Gemma Thompson

Getting back on track

John O’Shea is confident the Reds will get their league campaign back on track against Fulham after the set-back at Bolton last weekend.

Nicolas Anelka’s first half winner inflicted defeat on the Reds’ for only the second time in the Premier League this season on what was an off-day for United.

O’Shea believes the Reebok result was simply a blip and says the players are concentrating on picking up three points on Monday night at Old Trafford.

“The Bolton game was just one of those things,” he told ManUtd.com. “We just didn’t click into gear all afternoon. Sometimes that’s the way things go. It’s frustrating, but it’s all about how you bounce back and hopefully we can go on another good run.

“Anything like the 5-1 win we had against Fulham last season would be very nice! They seem quite an attack-minded team and that should suit us.

"Hopefully we can break them down early because if we do that their game-plan will be gone. I’m sure they’ll have a Plan B, but it’s up to us to do what we have to do. If our tempo is sharp and we’re passing the ball around well, most teams can’t live with us.”

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03/12/2007 09:47, Report by Steve Bartram

Kaka edges out Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has been beaten to the prestigious Ballon d'Or award by AC Milan playmaker Kaka.
United's Portuguese winger finished in second place in the rankings decided by football journalists, collecting 277 points to Kaka's 444, ahead of Barcelona starlet Lionel Messi.
The award, regarded as the most prestigious individual accolade around, this year recognises the best player in world football, having previously been known as the European Player of the Year award.
Kaka has long been touted as favourite for the award after his hugely inspirational role in Milan's triumphant Champions League campaign last season.
The Brazilian put United to the sword in the semi-finals, scoring twice at Old Trafford and once again at the San Siro as Milan ran out 5-3 winners on aggregate.
He, Ronaldo and Messi are again locking horns for the FIFA World Player of the Year award on December 17, with Kaka once more favourite to take the gong.

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03/12/2007 09:32, Report by Steve Bartram

Sanchez: We'll go for it

Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez insists his side will visit Old Trafford on Monday intent on chasing three points, rather than protecting one.
Few sides have come to the home of the champions this season with more than a limited attacking ambition, but Sanchez admits such pragmatism is often folly against a team of United's calibre.
"It’s a catch 22 with the big four," Sanchez told Fulham's official website. "More often than not teams go there to defend and get beaten because once a goal goes in they’ve got no other option than to attack and that opens a team up more and consequently they lose by more goals.
"If you sit back for 90 minutes and hope then you’ll get what you deserve. You’ve got to go and make a game of it. We’ll have a go for it.
"The facts of life are that United have a terrific home record but if you don’t go there with some ambition you tend to leave with very little. I want my team to go to Old Trafford and have a go."
Fulham have taken an attacking gameplan to Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool so far this season. Although the Cottagers took just one point from the nine on offer, the close
nature of each match augurs well for Sanchez.
"We’ve gone to Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool this season and competed in every one of those games," he said. "I’m looking forward to United and I’m sure the players are looking forward to it.
"You want to test yourself against the best and Manchester United are one of the best teams in this country. They’ve got some excellent players and their squad is phenomenal."

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03/12/2007 10:55, Report by Adam Bostock

Van der Sar: Christmas can wait

Edwin van der Sar insists home is the only place where he’ll think about Christmas for the time being while there’s still plenty to do at work.
The Dutch goalkeeper recognises there’s a sled-load of points to be picked up in the forthcoming festive holidays but says the advent period is also a crucial time.
“The Christmas and New Year period is very important,” says van der Sar.
“We’ll play four games in ten days (from 23 December to 1 January) and while you could get all 12 points, you might drop some and that makes a world of a difference.
“But before we can think about Christmas we have to play Fulham and Derby at Old Trafford and then the big game at Liverpool. Although… I did put my Christmas tree up yesterday so there’s a little bit of the festive feeling in my house!”
Edwin admits he still has a feeling for Fulham, even if most of his old colleagues have left.

"Most of the guys I played with at Fulham are not there any more. Only two players are left and the coaching staff are different.

"I think they have been unlucky lately," he adds. "They’re scoring goals but they’re also conceding a lot in the latter stages of games.”
Van der Sar will hope Fulham continue that trend, at least for tonight, as United seek maximum
after a weekend in which Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all won.
“We’re not satisfied with the situation, we want to be on top,” says Edwin.
“We need a lot of hard work and some help from other teams who might get some wins or draws against Arsenal and the other big clubs.
“Liverpool are there and City are not too far behind either. We’ll have to see how long City can cope with that but for the moment they’re still up there.
“But we’re not focusing on the other teams, only on what we have to do. We just have to train hard, play our games and grab as many points as possible.”

Edwin was talking to Manchester United Radio 1413am.

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02/12/2007 14:10, Report by Nick Coppack

Phelan: Reds are ready

First team coach Mike Phelan insists United's last league outing will be the furthest thing from the players' minds when the Reds take on Fulham at Old Trafford on Monday night.

The Reds were well under par away to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday 24 December but Phelan says the players have already put that performance behind them.

"As a player, you move on," Phelan told Manchester United Radio. "You've tried your best, it didn't work, now you have to move on."

Although United's stars are encouraged to look ahead after poor performances, Phelan admits the Reds' coaching staff have analysed in detail what went wrong at the Reebok Stadium.

"As part of the coaching staff, you dissect it in more detail and perhaps you even find more faults than you want to find. Sometimes that's a healthy thing to do and sometimes it's not.

"You can't change what's already happened but we do want to improve now. We want to go on another big run and there are ways of doing that. The first step is to make sure the players are focussed on the next game."

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Papers: No January moves
03/12/2007 10:22

Fergie Happy With His Lot
Sir Alex Ferguson has ruled out a January swoop for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov. Both Berbatov and Bolton hitman Nicolas Anelka have been linked with big-money moves to Manchester United during the transfer window. But Sir Alex insists he is happy with the talent he currently has at his disposal. The United boss said: "We don't always get great joy in January and I think the squad is good enough. It takes time for players to settle in when they are midway through the season — so we are conscious of that. Maybe we are short of cover in the left-back area now Gabriel Heinze has left, but other than that we are okay."
Staff writer, The Sun
The Daily Mail are a little more optimistic about United entering the transfer market, however, with a mooted move for Bayern Munich defender Willy Sagnol.
Elsewhere, Sir Alex praises the form of former Reds striker David Healy, who returns to Old Trafford with Fulham on Monday evening, while there's deja vu all-round as United are again drawn against Aston Villa in the FA Cup.
Round up by Steve Bartram