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31/12/2007 10:33, Report by Paddy Crerand

Blog: Ronny is top dog

Paddy Crerand looks back on a memorable year for the Reds and pays tribute to United winger Cristiano Ronaldo...

Well, what a year 2007 has been for United. Winning the league was a fantastic feat and definitely one of Sir Alex’s greatest achievements. The team played a lot of exciting football and, of course, everyone played their part. But you have to say Cristiano Ronaldo has been quite exceptional over the last year. He responded in the best possible way to the criticism he received after the 2006 World Cup and I think the manager deserves a lot of credit for the confidence he gave Ronaldo. He could have wilted under the pressure, but instead he blocked out the abuse and rose to the occasion, delivering when it really mattered countless times – the true sign of a great player.

His late winner at Fulham last season stands out for me – that was a huge result and one that really set us on our way to the title. There were so many other great moments, winning at Anfield in the dying seconds with ten men, coming back from two down at Everton, the list goes on.

I’ve got extremely high hopes for 2008 and personally I’d love to see us win the Champions League again. As the manager has said on many occasions, this club should have won more European Cups and I really believe this could be our year. The squad is looking very strong and this season’s new acquisitions have blossomed since they joined. If we get the luck we need with injuries, there’s no reason why, come May, we won’t have more than one trophy in our possession.

Paddy Crerand was talking to United Review.

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31/12/2007 07:23, Report by Steve Bartram

Quartet to extend loans

A quartet of United youngsters are set to extend their loan deals and spend the rest of the season away from Old Trafford.
With the likes of Gerard Pique, Jonny Evans, Danny Simpson and Chris Eagles now fully-fledged members of the senior squad, Sir Alex Ferguson will allow his current loanees to continue their education elsewhere for the time being.
"The ones who'll be staying out will be Darron Gibson, Lee Martin, Fraizer Campbell and Ryan Shawcross, they'll all stay out," he revealed. "I'm not bringing anyone back because our squad is big enough."

The four are all currently plying their trade in the Championship. Gibson and Martin have caught the eye at Wolves and Plymouth respectively, while Campbell and Shawcross have been in excellent goalscoring form for Hull City and Stoke City.

Sir Alex is expected to make decisions about a host of his young talents during the forthcoming January transfer window. Phil Bardsley has been linked with a permanent move to Sheffield United, while QPR are allegedly trying to take Kieran Lee on a five-month loan.

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Papers: Real want Ronny
01/01/2008 11:33

Real's £45m Ronaldo bid
Real Madrid aim to once again test Manchester United's resolve to keep Cristiano Ronaldo after it emerged they were prepared to pay £45million for the winger. The Spanish club's president Ramon Calderon revealed his desire to land Ronaldo after failing to do so once before when the 22-year-old snubbed him to sign a new five-year deal at Old Trafford. United are certain to turn down any offer, but Real see Ronaldo as the player to return them to Champions League glory. Calderon said: "Who wouldn't want to have in his team a player of Cristiano Ronaldo's amazing talent? He is one of the best in the world." They have been encouraged by the Portugal star's recent admission that he wants to play in Spain while still at his peak.
David McDonnell, Daily Mirror

Meanwhile, Chelsea will make a £26million swoop for Dimitar Berbatov this month, according to The Sun. The Blues reckon the Tottenham hitman can revive their title challenge. United were also interested but accept they will be outbid by Roman Abramovich.

Blues' boss Avram Grant has warned Arsenal and United they will both face a New Year wobble - and vowed Chelsea are ready to take advantage.

The Mirror features quotes from Wayne Rooney from his exclusive interview with Inside United magazine. The striker says he believes United have the confidence and self-belief to hold on to the Premier League title - despite their slip-up at West Ham.

Elsewhere, Roy Keane will try to sign United defender Jonny Evans this month.
Round up by Gemma Thompson

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31/12/2007 10:02, Report by Steve Bartram

Gaffer happy to see McLeish

Sir Alex Ferguson will once again pit his managerial wits against one of his former players on Tuesday, but rather than an ex-Red, it's a former Don who will be aiming to put one over the United manager.

Alex McLeish, an integral part of Sir Alex's successful spell at the helm of Aberdeen, brings Birmingham to Old Trafford on New Year's Day in only his seventh match in charge of the Midlanders. For Sir Alex, McLeish was always a nailed-on certainty to make it in management.

"Alec was one of my great stalwarts at Aberdeen," admitted Sir Alex. "He and Willie Miller were without doubt the mainstay of that great Aberdeen team. I always felt Alec was going to be a manager, because he was always a great student of the game.

"Even in his early years as a manager at Motherwell and Hibs, he was always phoning me and asking me why I made certain changes, asking about training programmes and he would come down to games here all the time. He was always a certainty to become a good manager, a very intelligent boy and I'm pleased for him."

McLeish took the St Andrew's post at the end of November after taking Scotland to the brink of Euro 2008 qualification, only to miss out with a dramatic defeat to Italy. The 48-year-old's subsequent move south of the border was, according to Sir Alex, as inevitable as his foray into management.
"He was onto me all the time about it, saying that he wanted to have a go (in the Premier League)," said Sir Alex. "I think the Scotland situation only gave him the bug more than ever. I think the euphoria and success of Scotland in that campaign just gave him the bug to try England."

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31/12/2007 10:58, Report by Gemma Thompson

Blues won't be fazed

Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome insists the Blues will not be fazed by their New Year's Day visit to Old Trafford, even though he admits it'll be a dream come true to step out at the Theatre of Dreams.
The England U21 front man, who has five goals to his name this season, has supported the Reds since he was a boy and fulfilled a lifelong ambition last season when he played alongside his hero Andy Cole.
Jerome is relishing Tuesday's clash, but insists he will be putting his love for United aside as he aims to fire Birmingham to victory.
"Not many of our players have played at Old Trafford before, including me, but I don't think it will faze us," he told United Review. "We went to Anfield, another ground where a lot of us haven't played, and did well, getting a draw.
"I was a United fan growing up so it would be great to see them win the title. But I'll be doing my best for Birmingham on Tuesday and hopefully I can score and we get a good result."

Birmingham skipper Damien Johnson is a fitness doubt for the clash after suffering a jaw injury in the Blues' 1-1 draw with Fulham on Saturday.

Alex McLeish may turn to Mehdi Nafti who impressed during the second half against the Cottagers, while defender Johan Djourou will be available for the final time before returning to Arsenal after a loan spell.

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02/01/2008 12:33, Report by Steve Bartram

Tevez fears allayed

Carlos Tevez has sustained a badly bruised ankle after being carried off during United's narrow New Year's Day win over Birmingham.

The Argentine striker, scorer of the game's only goal, was substituted after 71 minutes, having suffered a heavy challenge late in the first half.

Despite fears that the injury could be serious, a club spokesperson told ManUtd.com: "Nothing is broken, Carlos Tevez has just got a badly bruised right ankle."

Sir Alex Ferguson has already confirmed Tevez is a major doubt for Saturday's FA Cup trip to Aston Villa, but the likely return of Wayne Rooney from a virus should provide timely compensation for the Argentine's absence.

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02/01/2008 07:01, Report by Ben Hibbs

Park elated to return

Ji-sung Park says he is delighted to be back in action for the Reds after making his first start and first appearance at Old Trafford for nine months.

The Korean midfielder came on as a substitute against Sunderland on Boxing Day, but he was handed a starting berth in the 1-0 win over Birmingham City.

The 26-year-old suffered a knee ligament injury against Blackburn Rovers in March 2007, but he admitted it was a satisfying feeling to run out at Old Trafford again.

“It is nice to be back,” he told MUTV. “I played for 75 minutes so that will give me confidence.

“My knee feels 100 per cent and after the game I felt no reaction, so I am not afraid of getting injured again.

“I am very impressed with the reception I got from the fans. I have been away from the pitch for nine months so for them to remember me is fantastic.”

Park missed United’s title run-in last season but he says that now he is back he hopes to influence the Reds’ defence of the Premier League crown.

“It was difficult being out for so long. But our players have done a great job in the league during that time so I am pleased with that. For me, it’s good to recover because I want to help this team continue to do well.

“This squad is even better than last season. We have a lot of very good players at this club. That will definitely help us for the rest of the campaign.”

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01/01/2008 17:22, Report by Ben Hibbs

Sir Alex bemoans quiet OT

Sir Alex Ferguson said the combination of United’s profligacy in front of goal and a quiet Old Trafford crowd prevented the Reds from making the 1-0 victory over Birmingham City more convincing.

Carlos Tevez grabbed the game’s only goal but was twice denied by the post, while Cristiano Ronaldo had an excellent header saved and another shot cleared off the line. But it wasn’t exactly a raucous start to the new year, as Sir Alex explained.

“I don’t think it was a suitable game for us in many ways,” he told MUTV. “The crowd was dead. That was the quietest I’ve heard our crowd. We need the supporters to create a good atmosphere here because the players respond to that.

“It’s all very well saying the players need to play to get the crowd going, for them to respond. But in situations like today we need the fans to get behind us. At times it was like a funeral. It was so quiet. I don’t think that helped us.”

Sir Alex did, however, concede that United were nowhere near as ruthless as they needed to be. “We were careless with some of our chances and we only really had brief moments in the game,” he added. “It was a workmanlike performance which got us the win.

“It was a fantastic goal, a great bit of vision from Ronaldo and a great finish from Carlos. We could have scored four, but it was one of those days.”

The final fifteen minutes of the game were far from plain sailing. The precariousness of a 1-0 lead was not lost on Sir Alex, who like the rest of the 75,000 supporters, endured a nail-biting end to the match.

“It only takes a second to lose a goal,” he said. “They had a lot of possession in the final third of the
field, albeit abetted by the referee and linesman’s decisions. There were some bad decisions. But we held out. Vida was absolutely outstanding at centre-half, it was a marvellous performance.”

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02/01/2008 14:13, Report by Steve Bartram

Reds defender joins Valiants

Reserves defender Adam Eckersley has joined League One side Port Vale on a permanent transfer.

The 22-year-old left-sided defender came through the ranks at Old Trafford during a 13-year affiliation with the club but, with limited senior opportunities on the horizon, he has moved permanently to the west midlands.

Eckersley, whose brother Richard has also been a regular in the Reserves this season, spent a month on loan at Vale Park late last year.

Despite being sent off in only his second appearance and subsequently suffering a knee injury, Eckersley made a sufficient impression for Vale manager Lee Sinnott to move as soon as the January transfer window opened.

"I'm happy to be back," Adam told the official Port Vale website. "It's a good club with good people here and I believe we have a good chance of staying up in League One."

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02/01/2008 08:00, Report by Steve Bartram

Choccy backs on-song Dong

Reserves caretaker manager Brian McClair feels the improvement in Dong Fangzhuo's game is down to the striker finally breaking his goalscoring duck.
The Chinese international failed to find the net at all for the Reserves in his first 15 appearances but has looked a different player since bagging a brace against Stockport County in November.
"You have to look at the circumstances with Dong," McClair told ManUtd.com. "It took him a little while to settle in Belgium with Royal Antwerp, it’s been a big change for him again coming here and it’s taken him a while to adjust.
"One of the major problems for Dong was that he hadn’t scored a goal, so he was very keen to do that and much of his decision-making was based on his desperation to score. That’s not the be-all and end-all when you’re looking at footballers."
With the Reserves well in the hunt for silverware going into the New Year, Choccy is hopeful that Dong can be central to a successful second half of the season.
"Since scoring he’s come into form and we’re looking for him to improve and impress over the next few months and see where he ends up," said McClair.

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Papers: Ramos firm
02/01/2008 09:46

Ramos: Berba Stays
Spurs boss Juande Ramos last night insisted Dimitar Berbatov will see out the season at White Hart Lane. The 11-goal Bulgarian striker gave a subdued display in yesterday's defeat at Aston Villa and his negative body language backed up claims by agent Emil Danthchev that he wants to quit for Manchester United after stalling on a new Spurs deal. But Ramos is determined to retain the £44,000-a-week marksman and claims he will honour his original contract which ties him to the club until 2010. Ramos said: "Berbatov's agent is looking to do his business and he is making these comments but we are happy because we have the player on a contract and we plan to keep him."
James Nursey, The Sun
In The Telegraph, United are linked with a second shock move to sign Henrik Larsson on loan, following the Swede's successful 10-week cameo at Old Trafford last season.
Following United's narrow win over Birmingham, all the tabloids focus on the game's major talking points - the muted Old Trafford crowd and Carlos Tevez's unorthodox celebration with his daughter's dummy. 'Dummies 1 Brummies 0' says The Star; 'You Suck' exclaims The Mirror and 'Dumb and Dummy' quips The Express.
Round up by Steve Bartram

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01/01/2008 17:54, Report by Gemma Thompson

Dogged display pleases Rio

Rio Ferdinand admitted the Reds were forced to grind out a victory on the opening day of 2008 as they overcame Birmingham City at Old Trafford.

United failed to hit top gear against Alex McLeish's side and had to rely on a well-worked goal from Carlos Tevez in the first half to pick up all three points.

Ferdinand was pleased with the win, insisting it's not always possible to do so in style.

"At home in particular you always like to try and get a cushion of two or three goals, but it's not always meant to be and you can't win every game in style," he told MUTV.

"You therefore have to grind out results and thankfully we managed to do that."

The Reds went into the game on the back of their shock 2-1 defeat at West Ham. Ferdinand's younger brother Anton was on the scoresheet at Upton Park which added insult to injury for the United defender.

"Losing at West Ham ruined the Christmas period for me, especially as my brother scored as well!" he admitted.

"But you've got to take results on the chin sometimes and make sure you don't drop any more points in the next match."We didn't get the exact response we wanted against Birmingham [in terms of the performance], but most importantly we got the result we needed.

"If we'd have dropped points against them we'd have been in a bad position. But we're still there or thereabouts in the title race and we'd have taken this position at the start of the season."

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04/01/2008 08:00, Report by Adam Bostock

Rooney eyes happy return

Wayne Rooney will be aiming for a repeat performance on Saturday if he's fit to return at Villa Park, the ground where he scored twice in October.

The United forward has netted 10 goals since changing his shirt number to 10 and he regards his second in the 4-1 win against Aston Villa as one of his best to date.

Rooney told Inside United (The 10s issue): "My goal against Arsenal was probably my favourite so far, but other than that I'd say it was my second goal against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

"It was a good move, a nice ball from Tevez and I managed to slot it home. I always remember my goals. As soon as someone mentions a game in which you scored, you can see the goal immediately in your mind."

Mention the FA Cup to Wayne and he could be seeing five strikes from last year, including another double at Villa Park - in the semi-final against Watford. This term could yield more goals for Rooney, in all competitions, following his change of role.

“I’ve played further up front rather than in behind a main striker,” Wayne explains. “I’d probably say I’ve enjoyed that role more as I seem to get more chances. Hopefully that means I’ll end up with more goals.”

Read the full exclusive interview with Wayne in Inside United, out now.

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04/01/2008 09:23, Report by Nick Coppack

Reds' recovery on track

United have received further good news on the injury front, as Mikael Silvestre and Ben Foster continnue to make steady progress with their recoveries from long-term knocks.

The revelation comes just 24 hours after Gary Neville declared he now felt fit enough to play in a first-team match and Paul Scholes confirmed he was on track to return in late January or early February.

Sir Alex has been without French defender Silvestre since he damaged his knee against Everton in August, while goalkeeper Foster has been sidelined since May 2007, also with a knee problem, and is still to make his Reds debut.

But the manager told Manchester United Radio the duo are yet to suffer any setbacks in their recoveries.

“Mikael’s actually doing some of his recovery in France,” the Reds boss said. “That’s not a problem as far as we’re concerned because he’s such a dedicated professional and he’ll get the work done.

“Ben’s also coming along fine and he’s doing some goalkeeping work now. But we have to be careful with him. The specialist’s assessment is that because it was a graft into the knee – he’d injured his cruciate before – we have to stick rigidly to the plan of almost a year out of action.”

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04/01/2008 10:23, Report by Ben Hibbs

Evans joins Black Cats

Sunderland have signed United defender Jonny Evans on loan until the end of the season, the Wearside club has confirmed.
The centre-back, who turned 20 this week, enjoyed a successful spell on loan at the Stadium of Light last season as Roy Keane's men earned promotion to the Premier League.
Sunderland attempted to re-sign Evans again at the start of the 2007/08 campaign, but Sir Alex Ferguson wanted to keep the Northern Ireland international as defensive cover.
Evans has made three appearances for the Reds this season - once in the Carling Cup and twice in the Champions League. He is yet to make a Premier League appearance for United and his first top-flight experience will now come for the Mackems.
The Sunderland official website reports that Evans will go straight into Keane's squad for Saturday's FA Cup third round clash with Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light.

Evans becomes the third United youngster this week to go out on loan. Kieran Lee has joined QPR and Michael Barnes has signed for Chesterfield. Both loan deals are until the end of the season.