Transfer rumours: March

Although the transfer window is months away from re-opening, there is still plenty of transfer speculation doing the rounds as the papers ponder which players might be joining United this summer.


Much of the gossip centres on goalkeepers and the supposed search for retiring Edwin van der Sar's replacement. Midfield is another popular position for the back-page rumour-mongers, with Everton's Jack Rodwell and Sunderland's Jordan Henderson among the names being linked with the Reds.


Manchester United has a policy of not commenting on transfer speculation. Read more...

Today at Old Trafford

Wednesday 23 March


18:26 Two members of Sir Alex Ferguson's first United squad are celebrating their 50th birthdays this week. Tomorrow it's the turn of Peter Davenport - previously, Jesper Olsen reached his half-century, hence the compilation of goals from the Reds' first great Dane in our video links on the left. Many happy returns to both ex-Reds. (AB)


15:37 United's trip to face Newcastle has been rearranged, and will now take place on Tuesday, 19 April with a 19:45 BST kick-off, and will be televised on Sky Sports. The Reds had been due at St James' Park on Saturday, 16 April, but the fixture was shifted by a clash with the FA Cup semi-finals. (SB)


12:44 It's quiet here at Old Trafford during the international break. Of course, that usually means the press go wild with transfer rumours. Today's no exception. In this morning's edition of What The Papers Say, we report on rumoured moves for Daniele de Rossi, Douglas Costa and Charlie Adam. Meanwhile, The Daily Mail claims Tomasz Kuszczak is on his way to Turkey. (NC)


11:05 If you're wondering what's happened to our Player of the Month poll, it's still alive... we just had to take it off the Homepage for a wee while due to some technical gremlins. The story can be found in Football News. What's more you can also watch a video of our candidates in our Features section by logging in to the website. (AB) 10:30 Anyone already fed up with this international break? I know there are some important Euro 2012 qualifiers coming up, but it's the real business end of the domestic season and having a halt in proceedings at this point is pretty annoying. Saying that, as the manager said last week, it could well be a blessing in disguise for us given all the injuries we've got at the moment. With no United game to watch at the weekend, I will definitely be tuning in to the England/Wales qualifier to see how Wazza gets on. Talking of the England striker, see what team-mate Michael Carrick had to say about him in his England heroes feature. (Gemma Thompson)

Tuesday 22 March

17:10 We've added today's MUTV news bulletin to a growing list of videos for this week. Helen McConnell is on presenting duties this afternoon. (AB)

13:55 John Terry's just given his first press conference after being reinstated as England skipper. "I feel for Rio," he admitted after confirming Ferdinand has been in touch with him to pass on his best wishes. What are your opinions on Fabio Capello's surprise U-turn and the treatment of our classy centre-back? Personally, I feel it's difficult to comprehend and there seems no doubt that Rio deserved far better treatment from the England coach over the way it was handled. Please air your views about the subject on our Talking Reds forum. (AM)

13.50 I'm Adam Marshall and new to the team so I look forward to discussing all things United with everybody on here as the season reaches its climax. (AM)

10:55 Ruud van Nistelrooy notched a classic hat-trick - and one of his greatest-ever goals - on this day in 2003. It was one of six trebles the Dutchman scored for United, but where do you think that places him in the Reds' all-time list of hat-trick hitmen? You're about to found out, in a feature coming soon to the Homepage. In the meantime, you can read more about Ruud's feat against Fulham by logging into our OT100 archive. (AB)

10:50 With no more games due until April now, we can make an earlier than usual start to ManUtd.com's Player of the Month contest. Look out later today for the video, article and poll, all currently being prepared for your delectation and consideration. It was a strange old month - a month of two halves, or of two-fifths and three-fifths, with two defeats followed by three victories (just! thanks again Berba). It'll be interesting to see which of our four candidates gets your vote. (AB)

10:19 Many of today's papers lead on Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden's assertion that Jonny Evans is not to blame for his long injury lay-off. It's good to see him sticking up for a fellow pro - after all, both players went in for a 50-50 ball and Holden was unlucky to come off second best. Credit to Trotters boss Owen Coyle, too, who has also refused to attach any blame to Evans. (NC)

10:15 Good morning from sunny Manchester. No, really. It's bright and relatively warm this morning... and we're stuck in the office. I wonder if the club would object to us taking our laptops onto the forecourt and setting up a makeshift workspace outside the Megastore? (NC)

Monday 21 March
18:35 As you'll hopefully have seen on our Homepage by now, the Reserves did win 2-1, so well done to Warren Joyce's side. Look out for the action on MUTV at 17:30 tomorrow and thereafter on MUTV Online. (AB)

16:40 United Reserves, by the way, are on the verge of a hard-fought victory at Newcastle. Hope I don't jinx the Reds by typing this but Warren Joyce's side lead 2-1 with just a few minutes remaining, thanks to Gabriel Obertan's brace. It's been a much livelier second half; the only fireworks of a goalless first period resulted in two red cards, one apiece, for the Reds' Ravel Morrison and Newcastle's James Perch. (AB)

15:29 I had no idea it was World Salt Awareness week until I rocked up at Old Trafford's staff canteen and found all the salt shakers missing. To be honest, I never use them myself but my colleague, Steve Bartram, will be furious when he returns to work tomorrow. (NC)

14:54 In Stewart Gardner's blog today, he talks about Saturday's last-gasp goal being like the "Steve Bruce moment" in 1993. For me, the sense of deja vu dates back to something much more recent - Berbatov's 90th-minute winner against the same opponents, albeit at Bolton, in January 2009. That one sticks in my mind because I was due to interview Sir Alex less than 48 hours later, so I had extra reason to hope for a good result. Thankfully Berba found the onion bag with moments to spare, as you can see again in our video clip - click the link on the left. (Adam Bostock)

13:16 Newcastle, meanwhile, are sending out a strong starting XI that includes Tim Krul, James Perch, Steven Taylor and Shefki Kuqi. (NC)

13:15 United's Reserves play Newcastle at 15:00 today. Here's the Reds' squad: Sam Johnstone, Reece

Brown, Joe Dudgeon, Oliver Norwood, Scott Wooton, Oliver Gill, Marnick Vermijl, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Joshua King, Ravel Morrison, Gabriel Obertan, Michael Keane, Sean McGinty, Davide Petrucci, Tyler Blackett (NC)

13:10 Bolton's Stuart Holden has revealed he's just taken a "sincere phone call from Jonny Evans". Our man wished Stu all the best in his recovery and the Trotters midfielder has also absolved Evans of any blame. He says: "It definitely wasn't intentional, just part of the game." (NC)

12:58 Berbatov, Scholes, Giggs, van der Sar, Park and Brown may all have retired from international duty, but there are still plenty of United players jet-setting around the world this week. For a full round-up, including those at junior level (U-21, U-20, U-19), check out Adam Marshall's International Reds story in our News & Features section. (NC)

12:30 It's 27 years to the day since United overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit to beat Barcelona 3-0 at Old Trafford in the Cup Winners Cup. Even today people talk about Bryan Robson's courageous performance and the noise generated by the Stretford End that night. We'll have video highlights for you to enjoy this afternoon. Don't go away! (NC)

11:35 There's bad news for Bolton's Stuart Holden, who was stretchered off against the Reds on Saturday. It looks like he'll now miss up to six months of football with a knee injury. Jonny Evans was sent off for the offending challenge, although Bolton boss Owen Coyle later admitted he felt "both players went into a 50-50 committed". (NC)

10:53 You've probably heard a few whispers about Paul Pogba over the last 12 months. And there's a good chance you'll hear a lot more about him if the young Frenchman keeps scoring goals like the one he netted on Saturday in the Under-18s' 2-2 draw. Click on the link in the left-hand menu to view his latest stunner. I say "latest" because he's developed something of a habit of producing the spectacular. (NC)

10:21 Who impressed you most in Saturday's victory? It wasn't a game that will live long in the memory, but it could prove crucial in the title race. So far, fans have voted overwhelmingly for Wayne Rooney in our Man of the Match poll. Do you agree? Have your say at www.manutd.com/polls. (NC)

09:22 Sir Alex's men weren't the only United players in action on the weekend. The Academy's Under-18s drew 2-2 at Derby on Saturday in a game that featured another fantastic goal from Paul Pogba. We'll hopefully have footage of that goal for you later today. In the meantime, read Steve Bartram's match report. (NC)

08:43 Saturday's win against Bolton didn't come without its costs. Most noticeably, the Reds suffered another injury to a defender, with Wes Brown unable to carry on after the half-time break. And Jonny Evans was sent off for a tackle on Stuart Holden, which means he now faces a three-game ban. Midfielder Michael Carrick finished the Bolton game at centre-back. And that's why this international break might have come at just the right time. It gives United's medical staff precious time to patch up some of the walking wounded. Nemanja Vidic, for instance, is expected to be fit to face West Ham for the Reds' next outing, on Saturday 2 April. (NC)

08:42 The first port in which we'll dock the good ship TAOT (this nautical theme's getting tired already, isn't it?) is at the Premier League headquarters. There we can take a look at the state of play and find United, after Saturday's 1-0 win against Bolton, sit five points clear of closest rivals Arsenal, who drew 2-2 at West Bromwich Albion. But who's that coming into view behind the Gunners? It's Chelsea, and they're moving fast. The Blues beat Manchester City 2-0 on Sunday to keep their title hopes well and truly alive. (NC)

08:40 Not only is Carrington noticeably quieter during the international break, as players fly off around the world to join their respective national teams, but the ManUtd.com office also tends to shed a few bodies. After all, it's the perfect time for people to grab a few days' holiday. Not me, though. I'll be steering the TAOT ship for most of the week, bringing you the latest news and views from inside Old Trafford. (Nick Coppack)

The views expressed in this article are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United. Read more...

Perusahaan Induk Merugi, MU Tetap Belanja

Manchester - Perusahaan induk Manchester United, Red Football, baru mengumumkan telah menderita kerugian Rp 1,543 triliun. Kendati demikian, MU dipastikan tetap punya uang untuk belanja.

Red Football adalah perusahaan yang dibentuk keluarga Glazer saat mengambil alih MU tahun 2005. Dua hari lalu, Red Football mengumumkan telah mencatat kerugian 108.9 juta poundsterling.

Kabar itu membuat pendukung MU cemas bahwa klub mereka tidak akan punya uang untuk belanja pemain baru musim depan. Kabar ini ditepis oleh Direktur MU Joel Glazer.

Kepada Manchester Evening News, Joel Glazer berucap, "Kami punya cadangan uang cukup, untuk investasi memperkuat skuad ini."

Pernyataan Joel Glazer itu menegaskan hal yang pernah diungkapkan oleh Chief Executive David Gill pada Oktober tahun lalu.

"Kami punya uang di bank, jadi tidak ada tekanan, tidak ada tekanan untuk menjual pemain bintang manapun. Filosofinya adalah mempertahankan dan mengundang pemain terbaik. Kami punya 165 juta pounds di bank," seru Gill ketika itu.

Read more...

Secercah Harapan untuk Ferdinand

Manchester - Manchester United masih berpeluang dapat diperkuat Rio Ferdinand yang jadi pilar di lini belakangnya. Ia telah melakukan perawatan di Jerman yang memungkinkan dia dapat kembali di sisa musim ini.


Ferdinand tengah berjuang dengan cedera betis yang membuatnya sudah absen hampir tujuh pekan belakangan. Saking parahnya cedera tersebut mantan kapten MU dan timnas Inggris itu bahkan diprediksi terancam absen hingga musim ini berakhir.


"Kami tidak membicarakan waktu singkat. Dia (Ferdinand) belum juga sanggup berlatih dan sepertinya kami beruntung jika dia bisa fit sebelum musim ini berakhir," ujar Sir Alex Ferguson beberapa waktu lalu.




Akan tetapi harapan untuk melihat aksi Ferdinand di sisa musim ini masih ada. Menurut laporan Guardian, Ferdinand pergi ke dokter spesialis Muller-Wohlfahrt, dokter klub Bayern Munich yang juga pernah mengobati Steven Gerrard, mantan pesepakbola Brasil Ronaldo dan sprinter top Usain Bolt pada Senin (21/3).

Disebutkan Ferdinand kemungkinan akan menerima suntikan di punggungnya untuk mencoba menyembuhkan masalah di betisnya yang diterimanya saat tampil menghadapi Aston Villa, awal Februari silam.

Bek tengah berusia 32 tahun itu saat ini berada di dalam pengawasan medis MU. Meskipun Ferdinand masih belum mampu tampil saat menghadapi West Ham pasca jeda internasional namun dilaporkan Ferdinand kemungkinan dapat bermain di leg kedua perempatfinal Liga Champions menghadapi Chelsea, 12 April.

Jika perkiraan ini berjalan akurat, tentunya kehadiran Ferdinand akan dapat membantu "Setan Merah" dalam menggapai ambisinya untuk mengulang treble winners 1999. Bukan hanya itu, Ferdinand akan mengurangi krisis lini belakang yang dialami MU saat ini.
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Sir Alex Dinilai Mengancam Integritas Sepakbola

London - Asosias sepakbola Inggris (FA) menyesalkan sikap manajer Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson yang sering berkomentar keras soal wasit. FA menilai bahwa tindakan Sir Alex bisa mengancam integritas sepakbola.


Kecaman teraktual yang dilontarkan oleh Ferguson adalah kepada wasit Martin Atkinson, yang memimpin laga antara "Setan Merah" kontra Chelsea. Akibat tindakannya, manajer asal Skotlandia itu dikenai sanksi dilarang mendampingi tim sebanyak lima pertandingan dan denda 30 ribu poundsterling.


Komisi independen regulator FA dalam laporan tertulis yang dirilis hari Rabu (23/3/2011) menilai tindakan Ferguson berpotensi mengancam integritas dari sepakbola.


"Apa pun anggapan yang diambil oleh seseorang terkait kinerja Mr Atkinson, atau juga wasit-wasit yang lain, menghormati integritas wasit adalah hal yang penting dan itu juga demi integritas dari permainan ini," tulis FA dalam laporan tertulis itu, seperti dilansir dari USA Today.

Dalam laporan tersebut juga dijelaskan bahwa sikap Sir Alex yang tak mau minta maaf kepada Atkinson merupakan faktor yang sangat memberatkan hukuman bagi manajer MU sejak 1986 itu.

"Meski pun dia (Ferguson) membantah segala tindakannya yang mempertanyakan integritas Mr. Atkinson, Ferguson seharusnya paling tidak menyadari apa yang dia katakan. Sebenarnya pengakuan bisa membuat sanksi yang didapat oleh Sir Alex berkurang. Namun karena tidak dilakukan, maka kesempatan untuk itu pun hilang."

"Sebagai tambahan, menyusul penolakan dia dari tuduhan tersebut juga tidak ada klarifikasi atau pencabutan dari apa pun pernyataan yang telah dibuat oleh Sir Alex dan tidak ada permintaan maaf yang diajukan kepada Mr.Atkinson, bahkan setelah sanksi dijatuhkan."

Ferguson sendiri memutuskan untuk tidak mengajukan banding atas hukuman ini.
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Bayern Berhasrat Pulangkan Dimitar Berbatov Ke Bundesliga

Bayern ingin mendatangkan eks penyerang Bayer Leverkusen itu di musim panas.

Bayern Muenchen tertarik memboyong striker Manchester United, Dimitar Berbatov, ke Allianz Arena. Bild mengabarkan Die Roten berhasrat mewujudkan hal tersebut pada musim panas mendatang.

Meski eks striker Tottenham Hotspur itu kini tengah memuncaki daftar topskorer di Liga Primer, terbukti ia tak selalu mendapat tempat di starting XI tim asuhan Sir Alex Ferguson.

Apalagi negosiasi perpanjangan kontrak pemain yang sempat merumput di Bundesliga bersama Bayer Leverkusen pada 2001-2006 itu dengan kubu Old Trafford masih macet.

Bayern berniat menjadikan Berbatov sebagai amunisi tambahan di musim mendatang untuk memperbaiki prestasi buruk mereka musim ini yang dipastikan tanpa gelar.

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Pelatih Kiper United Pantau Langsung Neuer

Kiper timnas Jerman itu sangat direkomendasikan oleh Eric Steele kepada Fergie.

Eric Steele diketahui berada di Jerman pada akhir pekan lalu.

PA memberitakan pelatih kiper Manchester United itu ditugaskan oleh manajer Sir Alex Ferguson untuk memantau langsung penampilan kiper Schalke 04, Manuel Neuer, dalam laga Bundesliga kontra Bayer Leverkusen.

Neuer adalah salah satu incaran utama Setan Merah sebagai suksesor Edwin van der Sar yang akan gantung sarung tangan akhir musim ini.

Di antara para kandidat lainnya, kiper timnas Jerman itu sangat direkomendasikan oleh Steele kepada Fergie.

Walaupun klubnya mampu lolos hingga perempat-final Liga Champions, Neuer dikabarkan tak senang dengan performa Schalke di liga domestik. Hingga spieltag 27, Schalke masih terpaku di papan tengah klasemen sementara.

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Rooney: Chicharito Tidak Akan Jadi Sombong

Rooney menilai Chicharito adalah salah satu pemain yang paling rendah hati yang pernah dia temui.

Wayne Rooney menyatakan bahwa tidak mungkin rekan setimnya di Manchester United, Javi Hernandez, membiarkan kesuksesan yang diraihnya membuat dirinya besar kepala.

Rooney mengungkapkan bahwa Chicharito adalah salah satu pemain yang paling rendah hati yang pernah dia temui selama hidupnya.

Kepada United Review, Rooney menyatakan bahwa Chicharito adalah pribadi yang murah senyum tetapi garang ketika di lapangan.

"Dia terus melangkah. Dia adalah rekan yang ramah, dia selalu tersenyum di ruang ganti dan ketika di lapangan dia menjadi brilian. Anda dapat melihat bahwa dia memiliki mata yang alami untuk membidik gol, tetapi apa yang membuat kami terkejut adalah dia sangat bagus di udara. Dia berlatih keras setelah sesi latihan usai." ungkap Rooney.

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Kembalinya Valencia Bikin Rooney Bahagia

Manchester - Wayne Rooney amat senang Antonio Valencia sudah kembali merumput. Kehadiran si pemain sayap diharapkan bisa membantu Roo meningkatkan produktivitas gol-nya yang tengah seret.

Usai cedera patah engkel yang membuatnya absen lama, Valencia menjalani start pertamanya saat Manchester United mengalahkan Bolton Wanderers 1-0 akhir pekan lalu.

Musim ini jumlah gol yang diciptakan MU tidak sebanyak musim lalu tanpa Valencia yang sering megancam dari posisi sayap. Rooney yang ketergantungan kepada winger asal Ekuador pun menderita permasalahan yang sama.

Baru sembilan gol yang dicetak oleh bomber Inggris itu sejauh musim ini bergulir amat kontras jika dibandingkan dengan torehan gol Rooney musim lalu yang mencapai 34.

Di sisi lain, Valencia memegang peranan penting untuk membuka keran gol Rooney. Memang musim lalu ia cuma mencetak tujuh asisst. Namun ia terlibat dalam menciptakan 93 peluang yang mana berujung gol untuk Rooney dan rekan-rekannya yang lain.

"Mungkin aku orang yang paling senang di tim untuk menyambut Antonio kembali," girang Rooney seperti dikutip Daily Mirror. Dia sepertinya tidak pernah absen.

"Memiliki Nani di sayap satu dan Antonio di sayap lainnya sangat fantastis karena mereka membawa sesuatu yang berbeda. Nani telah mencetak banyak gol tapi dia lebih kepada menggiring bola dan menembak langsung."

"Berbeda dengan Valencia yang lebih fokus untuk menusuk pertahanan dan mengumpan bola. Ini adalah kombinasi bagus buat kami," lugas Rooney.

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