MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL FANS

The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he was ecstatic after the 1-0 win over Fulham, which he has also said that was similar to a title winning feeling. This victory has helped United go 10 points clear at the top of the table. They will be having this lead to themselves until Manchester City take on Liverpool on Sunday. Ferguson has said that this victory was very much similar to the one they achieved six years ago when Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the game on the way to a memorable victory. Back then, Chelsea were the title contenders for United.

This time around, the club will have to contend with the noises from their arch rivals Manchester City. Manchester United had managed to take all three points from the match courtesy of a late winner from Wayne Rooney. The goal scored by Rooney was very much similar to the one scored by Ronaldo in the past. This victory has also enabled United to open a 16 point advantage over third placed Chelsea with only 14 matches remaining in the campaign. Ferguson, though, has warned against any complacency from the players after they allowed the title to slip in the final eight matches of last season.

“It was similar to when we played here a few years ago when Cristiano scored near the end and we went on to have an undefeated run after that. It was around the same time too. It was well taken and Rooney was unlucky before that, hitting the post and having a couple of shots saved by the goalkeeper. We’ve said that to him – (goalkeeping coach) Eric Steele in particular – to enjoy playing here. It’s a challenge and it’s not easy for a young goalkeeper, but he’s enjoyed tonight,” said Ferguson.

Manchester United are one of the few teams in the world capable of turning a match around in the dying moments of the encounter. It has helped the club win numerous trophies over the years including the Champions league title in 1999. Despite the squad changing numerous times over the years, they have retained the appetite for scoring late goals. It is also something that the manager Sir Alex Ferguson says he has got used to over the period of time. United were recently rescued by her late goal by Robin van Persie in the third round of the FA Cup against West Ham.

United have suffered plenty of early exits from the FA Cup in recent years, but they have at least managed to take the match into a replay that will take place at Old Trafford. Even though Ferguson has admitted that he would like to win matches more comfortably, he has said that the late goals have given him a great appetite recently. He has also praised the courage and the attitude of the players in going till the end. United have also the late goals to thank for when it comes to the league position, as they have scored many including in the 4-3 win over Newcastle recently.

“At the end of the day, the finish to these games sends everybody home absolutely over the moon. They’ll be walking down the street towards their cars, or getting in their cars and driving home, telling each other: ‘What a game, absolutely fantastic.’ I suppose the excitement of games like the Boxing Day win over Newcastle [4-3, in the closing moments] gets everyone going. You’d rather do without it,” said Ferguson. United will be preparing for a visit by archrivals Liverpool during the weekend, and they will be hoping to maintain the same advantage at the top of the table.

The Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has criticised the United defence by saying that they should be doing much better if they are to win the title this season. Ferguson saw his team concede three goals in the recent match against the newly promoted Reading. The team fell twice in the match, but survived the scare after goals from Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. One of the most depressing aspects from the match for Ferguson was the fact that United conceded a lot of goals from the set pieces. Even though the increase to the advantage over the nearest rival Manchester city in the title race, it was a game that could have easily gone the other way for United.

Sean Morrison and Adam Le Fondre were given the opportunity to score freely from headers. It was an incredible match that saw United win in 4-3 in the end, with all the seven goals coming in the first half alone. Ferguson lambasted the defence after the match by saying that it was a really bad performance from the defenders. He said that it was the worst performance he has seen from his team this season and they were extremely lucky to score goals at the other end to come out with a victory.

“I thought it might be a record Premier League score at half-time. It was really, really bad defending.  That was the absolute worst it’s been this season. We deserved to get battered today. We scored goals thankfully which rescued us. If you make mistakes like that defending then you are going to have to do rescue jobs every week. Today was another rescue job,” said Ferguson after the match. United now have a four point advantage over City at the top of the table.

After causing one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history when they knocked Manchester United out of the competition in 1993, it looks as though Galatasaray are plotting a repeat. The Turkish outfit claim that despite their respect for United, they will approach Wednesday’s clash with no fear and are looking to cause a scalp similar to the one that happened almost twenty years ago.

United were historically dumped out of Europe after dropping no fewer than four points against Galatasaray in the group stage of the competition in 1993. In the first game, they threw away a 2-0 lead and ended up drawing 3-3, while the second clash saw Galatasaray earn a goalless score line in Istanbul.

Nineteen years after those events, the omens from Turkey are suggesting that Galatasaray are looking for a similar outcome. Manager Fatih Terim told the press, “I don’t need to tell you how Manchester United are a big club. We respect to them but we don’t fear them. We are going to England for take a good result. Years ago we made history against them. I believe that Galatasaray can repeat that success.”

Ahead of the game, both sides have been boosted through recent form. United strolled past Wigan in 4-0 fashion on Saturday, yet their opponents also tasted similar success after recording the same score line over Antalyaspor. However, there’s no doubt that United are the firm favourites for the encounter, with most bookmakers slapping ridiculous odds for a Galatasaray victory.

Despite the above victory, there are several suspicions that Sir Alex Ferguson could make changes to the side that started in that game. The likes of Antonio Valencia, Tom Cleverley, Shinji Kagawa and Robin Van Persie were all left on the bench for the game and with the club poised for a huge game against Liverpool on Sunday, Ferguson will be aiming to keep his squad as fresh as possible.

Manchester United have confirmed on the Man Utd FC News website that the defender Phil Jones will not be available for up to 8 weeks after undergoing surgery for his troublesome knee. The 20-year-old has not featured for the club and so far this season. He has been injured since pre-season began and is not expected to be available for the next eight weeks. He has suffered a new injury in the training while on his rehabilitation. This is a major blow for Manchester United, who are already without a number of first-team regulars in the defence.

As a result of the absentees, Manchester United have not been strong in defence in the opening three matches of the season. The injury is expected to keep the player out of the first three matches of the Champions League group stages. It is a major injury blow for Manchester United given that Chris Smalling and other defenders are not expected to be back until the next few weeks. Sir Alex Ferguson has also been without Darren Fletcher for a long time now. Wayne Rooney could take up to a month before he sees first-team action due to the huge gash he suffered in the knee in the match against Fulham.

“Phil Jones has had surgery on a knee meniscus tear sustained in training. It will require six to eight weeks of rehabilitation,” said a statement on the official website of the club. Manchester United were defeated 1-0 on the opening day of the season at the hands of Everton. However, they have sufficiently recuperated to win the next two matches against Fulham and Southampton. However, the manager Sir Alex Ferguson will certainly not be satisfied with the two victories given that they have finished with the same scoreline – 3-2 – in favour of Manchester United.

The Paris St Germain manager Carlo Ancelotti has defended the transfer policy of the club and has also reacted to the criticism from the Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Manchester United were in pole position to sign the Brazilian Lucas only to see PSG come in with a € 45 million bid for the midfielder. As a result, PSG were able to nab the highly rated 19-year-old youngster, who has been creating waves with his amazing talent in Brazil. Carlo Ancelotti has said that the club has spent close to £ 150 million in the summer because they want to be competitive straight away.

He has said that there is no need for criticism from the Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson because they were willing to pay one price, while PSG were willing to pay another price. This is the law of the market according to the former Chelsea manager. PSG have been one of the most active clubs in the transfer window after they have brought the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, and Lucas. Many other players have also arrived for a combined outlay of £ 150 million, but the PSG manager said that the next season they are unlikely to spend this much money.

“Players now come to PSG for the project. Lucas will join a strong Brazilian colony here and for him it is better to live in Paris. United offered one amount and PSG offered slightly more. It’s called the law of the market. This year we have invested so much because we want to be competitive straight away, but we won’t always buy four or five players. Next year we’ll be shrewder,” said Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the match with Bordeaux. PSG have made a disappointing start to the new season.

Manchester United have welcomed captain Nemanja Vidic back into the first team as pre season preparations gather speed.

Following tour games in South Africa and the Far East with a squad comprising of a handful of first team players and a selection of reserve and youth players, the Red Devils have brought a number of big name players back into the fold for their recent match against Valerenga, including forward Wayne Rooney and Serbian Vidic, who had previously been out for 8 months after sustaining knee ligament damage against Basel in December.

Despite the return of these first teamers, United were unable to find a way past their Norwegian opponents, with an eventful match ending goalless, and will be hopeful for a more positive outcome when they face Barcelona in Gothenburg on Wednesday.

However, Vidic has spoken of his happiness and relief to return to the team after a length and frustrating spell on the sidelines, which saw the skipper miss the entirety of his side’s title run in.

“I felt well,” said the defender. “My knee felt well and hopefully the next game will be better.”

Vidic’s return is timely as manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who left the team in the capable hands of his assistant Mike Phelan while undertaking as yet unspecified “other club business”, is facing something of a minor defensive injury crisis as his team gear up for the opening day of their Premier League campaign against Fulham in two weeks’ time.

Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans are both on the road to returning from injury, and the Brazilian Da Silva twins are similarly indisposed, as Rafael is representing his country at the Olympic Games and Fabio has joined QPR on a season long loan. This leaves Ferguson with only four first choice defenders.

“We do have Phil Jones, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra, though,” said the Scot of his threadbare defence.  “That will be the back four on tour. Hopefully we don’t get any more injuries as it would leave me a bit short.”

Portuguese club FC Porto have said that they have not received any offers from Manchester United for the midfielder James Rodriguez. It is thought that Manchester United are willing to spend up to £ 40 million to bring the 20-year-old to Old Trafford. He is being viewed by the Manchester United officials as the ideal replacement for Nani, who has been linked with a move away from the club in the summer. Nani only has a few seasons left on his current contract, but is unwilling to commit to a new contract unless Manchester United offer him wages of around £ 120,000 per week.

Due to the strict wage structure at Manchester United, it is thought that the club would be willing to listen to offers for the 25-year-old. They are also looking at replacement for the Portuguese and have identified James Rodriguez as the best option. The 20-year-old winger has been one of the main reasons for FC Porto winning the title this season ahead of Benfica and SC Braga. Even though it is thought that he will not be moving to a main European club until a few seasons later, the urgency of the situation has meant that Manchester United have decided to move in.

“We have not received any formal offer for James Rodriguez, only rumours from the papers and that is normal for this time of year. If something should arrive then we would study it and evaluate the situation, we do know Manchester United and other English clubs have watched various games this year,” a Porto source said to Sky Sports. The Colombian winger will be very eager to move to Manchester United after a number of Porto and other Portuguese players have had tremendous success at Old Trafford in the past.

Nemanja Vidic, the Manchester United captain, is all set to reject another transfer offer from Italian Serie A giants Juventus. In an interview with Italian media Tuttomercatoweb, Silvano Martina, Vidic’s agent told that he has no contact with the Turin club regarding his transfer. Since the end of previous season, the thirty year old United centre half has been mentioned several times and Juventus is believed one of the many top clubs who is looking for to sign this Serbian player.

Martina told that the United captain, who is recovering from a ligament injury, will return fully fit and begin training for his club and prepare for the next season.

At present, Juventus are sitting at the top of the Serie A standings by a single point from AC Milan. With two matches in hand, the Italian giant is already getting themselves ready for a busy transfer season as well as for the next season’s Champions League which they have qualified for the first time since 2009.

According to reports, Juventus have substantial transfer funds to make a good squad for next season’s Champions League and there have been reports that with Spanish forward Fernando Torres may also join the Italian club this after the end of the season.

Previously it was reported that Nemanja Vidic may not honor his deal with Manchester United that runs up to 2014 and would like to seek a move to Spain as the most likely destination. Reportedly the former Serbian international rejected a move to Spanish giant Barcelona last season and said that he wants to be at Old Trafford in the coming seasons.

Manchester United midfielder Antonio Valencia has been transformed into one of the best players in the Premier league this season. He has made numerous assists whenever he has played this season, although that has been reduced due to the number of injuries he has suffered this season.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reckons that the club would have been challenging for all the top honours had Valencia been fit for most of the season. Only a few games remain in the Premier league, and United look on course to lift the 20th Premier league title. As a result, Valencia is ready to post on an ankle operation in order to be fit for the remainder of the matches.

The Ecuadorian could also delay the operation much longer in order to help his national team qualify for the World Cup. The World Cup qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil will begin in the summer. The European players will be involved in the Euro 2012, while the South American players will be competing in the qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ecuador are one of the teams hoping to be present at this mega event in Brazil. As a result, Valencia wants to delay the operation on his ankle so that he is available for the national team.

“I raised this situation with Antonio in January and we agreed to wait and see how things evolved. I spoke to Antonio before the game against Blackburn and the most important issue is his physical situation, but we hope that they [United] are happy not to get involved. Hopefully, the plate will not disturb Antonio and everything will continue to be good over the final month of the season so that he can be with us for the World Cup qualifiers,” Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rueda said.