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"I was wrong"
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted he was wrong to question the club's ambitions going forward.
Rooney, 25-year-old, stunned the football world when he handed in a transfer request at Old Trafford in October after his contract talks broke down.
The former Everton striker said the club's failure to sign big-name players and a lack of ambition was reason behind his decision as speculation ran wild as to where Rooney would head.
But just 4 days later, the issue was smoothed over and Rooney had signed a new 5-year deal.
"I went to see the manager and David Gill and asked them for answers", Rooney told MUTV.
"Now I realise it has nothing to do with me but I wanted to make sure it was the right thing for me to do. I got the answers in the end but looking back it was probably wrong of me to do that."
Rooney said a visit from 30 fans to his home, although alarming, made him understand the reaction to his comments, but he denied he would have signed for arch-rivals, Manchester City.
"I looked out and saw 30 blokes with their hoods up. I wasn't going to invite them in for tea", Rooney said.
"I understood some of the fans were disappointed and felt let down. But it was just one of those things I had to get right. Thankfully I have sorted it out now. I have made the right decision and made myself happy."
"But I didn't even think about where I was going to go. There was no way I would have gone to Manchester City and there was more chance of me going to City than Liverpool."
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Fergie to field strong side against Liverpool
Sir Alex Ferguson will take nothing for granted ahead of Manchester United's blockbuster FA Cup tie with Liverpool on Sunday.
Ferguson has an excellent record in the world's oldest competition, winning the trophy on 5 occasions.
However, last season brought one of his least favourite moments as United were dumped out in the third round for the first time since he arrived at Old Trafford in 1986.
Even worse, defeat came at Old Trafford, at the hands of a Leeds United side who were trying to gain promotion out of League 1.
So, with the standard of opposition far higher, and the rivalry just as intense, Ferguson has no intention of making life easy for the Merseyside giants.
"It was a bad result last season against Leeds, especially considering the rivalry between the two clubs", Ferguson told Inside United.
"In hindsight I could have picked a stronger team. I won't be making that mistake this time."
Having left Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Edwin van der Sar out of his starting line-up to face Stoke City, Ferguson has experienced options at his disposal.
He also has a former Liverpool player in Michael Owen, who was on target for the Reds when they last travelled to Old Trafford for an FA Cup tie in 1999.
That game was remarkable for the fact Liverpool led for 85 minutes, yet contrived to lose thanks to late goals from Dwight Yorke and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
"I don't forget Michael Owen's goal", recalled Ferguson.
"It was a header and Gary Neville was caught napping at the back post. But we battered them after that."
United famously went on to beat Newcastle in the final, completing the second leg of their momentous Treble.
And though they have been to 3 finals since, they have won just one, when they beat Millwall at the Millennium Stadium in 2004.
It is a statistic Ferguson feels needs to be put right.
"It is an important trophy so there is a strong desire to get our hands on it", said the United boss.
"We haven't won it since 2004, or been to Wembley in the final since we lost to Chelsea in 2007."
"So we definitely want to get back there. And we want to win it."
Shock loan deal ?
Kaka could be heading to Manchester United in a shock loan deal this month which could lead to a permanent £50 million move.
The Brazilian superstar midfielder has been heavily linked to a move to Inter Milano - with Real Madrid wanting £50 million.
Chelsea, too, are seriously interested in grabbing the playmaker who has now fully recovered from an ankle injury after surgery. The link has already been established with Kaka, 28-year-old, winning a Champions League trophy with Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti when they worked together at AC Milan.
But United, according to reports in Spain, have now emerged as clear favourites with Real boss Jose Mourinho happy to do business with his old sparring partner Sir Alex Ferguson.
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FA Cup preview: Man United - Liverpool
Liverpool have only won 3 of the 15 FA Cup matches against Manchester United and only one of the last 10, but that victory was in the last meeting (the 2006 FA Cup semi-finals).
The last 4 times Manchester United and Liverpool have met in FA Cup (1985, 1999, 2006 and obviously the 1996 final), the winners have gone on to win trophy.
United have won 6 and lost one of their last 7 matches against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Steven Gerrard has scored 3 goals in his last 3 games against United.
Fernando Torres has scored 3 goals in the last 4 meetings with Man United.
Nemanja Vidic has been sent off in 3 of his last 5 games against Liverpool.
There have been 6 red cards in the last 8 matches between Man United and Liverpool.
United have won their last 7 home Premier League games.
Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov has scored 7 times in his last 4 appearances at Old Trafford.
Park tops poll
United fans have voted Park Ji-sung the Reds' Player of the Month for December.
The South Korean, currently away on international duty and preparing for the AFC Asian Cup, garnered 40% of almost 25.000 votes in ManUtd.com's end-of-month poll. He has now won back-to-back monthly honours after also picking up November's gong.
The Reds' midfielder shone particularly brightly in December against Valencia and Arsenal. He was a potent attacking threat in the second half against the Spaniards and his stinging shot led directly to Anderson's equaliser. Then, when the Gunners came to Old Trafford, Park married a typically energetic performance with the only goal of the game when he cleverly headed home at the end of the first half.
Park wasn't the only star performer during December and that's reflected in the poll's results. Dimitar Berbatov only just missed out on the award, attracting 38% of the vote, while Anderson polled a respectable 15%.
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Darron Gibson says the players are determined to add an FA Cup winners' medal to their collections with a number of senior stars still missing the prize.
The likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Sar are yet to taste FA Cup success and after last year's shock third round exit at the hands of Leeds United, Gibson says the Reds are keen to go all the way this time round.
"The banter has been flying round the training ground in the last few days because it's the only trophy a few of the senior lads haven't won", the midfielder told ManUtd.com.
"It's strange that we haven't done that well in the Cup over the last few years. The defeat to Leeds last year was hard to take and we want to win it this year if we can."
"The FA Cup is a magic competition", he added.
"I've watched it since I was a kid and would love to win it.
"The experience of playing at Wembley is unbelievable. You want to play in as many finals as you can and win as many medals as you can. Getting there and playing in front of so many fans is a big incentive and hopefully we'll be there again this season."
Last edited by beavis; 10-01-2011 at 21:30.
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United tracking Kagawa
Manchester United are reportedly plotting a £15 million move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa.
The Japan midfielder has scored an impressive 8 goals in 17 appearances since joining the Bundesliga side at the start of the season, sparking rumours of a move to the English Premier League.
News of the World claims that United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been following the 21-year-old since his move from Cerezo Osaka.
He is reportedly being considered as a long-term replacement for ageing stalwart Paul Scholes.
United are believed to have scouts observing Kagawa at the Asian Cup in Qatar.
Kagawa has already been recognised for his exploits in Germany, winning Kicker magazine's award for the top discovery of the Bundesliga season.
He received 29% of the vote after 286 of his fellow professionals were polled for their choice.
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Strength in numbers
The Reds will hope to have Wayne Rooney and Nemanja Vidic available for Sunday's visit to White Hart Lane, but United may have to wait on the return of Edwin van der Sar.
The 40-year-old Dutch goalkeeper has been suffering with a virus and has missed the last 3 games, while Vidic sat out Sunday's FA Cup tie after picking up a knock in training and Rooney was left out having aggravated an ankle injury sustained at West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day.
"We thought Wayne would make the game", Sir Alex explained.
"But he came in to the training ground on Saturday and he'd felt it again. We therefore decided there was no point risking him. Vidic got a knock in training but should be all right for Sunday. Edwin may be out for another week or so."
Tomasz Kuszczak has stepped in to replace Van der Sar, while Sir Alex has Anders Lindegaard eligible for selection and he made the bench on Sunday. The United boss is also pleased with the latest outings for young defenders Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling. Evans was outstanding against Liverpool in the FA Cup third round win, while Smalling excelled in the Premier League victory over Stoke City a few days earlier.
While Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic remain United's first-choice pairing at centre-half, Sir Alex is encouraged that going into the business end of the season he has two able deputies with bright futures at Old Trafford.
"Jonny was excellent against Liverpool", said Sir Alex.
"I was pleased with him. He tired a little before the end, that's why we brought Chris on."
"But it's been a great week in the sense that Chris played against Stoke and I was able to play Jonny on Sunday. They both need games and these two boys are excellent players."
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United eye new Giggs contract
Manchester United chief executive David Gill is planning on opening contract talks with veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs.
The 37-year-old Welshman, who is closing in on 20 years as first-team player at Old Trafford, is approaching the end of his deal at Old Trafford.
But Gill is keen to keep him with the club for another season, telling Daily Telegraph: "I wouldn't be surprised if he extends his contract for another season".
"That will be addressed in the next month or so. He has been playing well, keeps himself in great shape and is a wonderful advert for the modern footballer."
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson called Giggs an "incredible human being" on Sunday after he made his 600th league appearance for the club against Tottenham Hotspur.
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Rafael fined, escapes extra ban
Rafael has escaped with an £8.000 fine and a warning about his future conduct following an FA disciplinary hearing into his reaction following the red card he received during Manchester United's goalless draw at Tottenham last week.
Referee Mike Dean gave Rafael his second caution for a foul on Benoit Assou-Ekotto 18 minutes from the end of the White Hart Lane encounter, forcing United to play out the game with only 10 men.
Rafael was fuming and remonstrated with the official before finally being ushered to the dressing rooms.
The 20-year-old subsequently apologised for his actions and pleased guilty to a misconduct charge, which could have brought a further suspension, in addition to the one-match ban he will serve by missing the encounter with Birmingham City.
However, a specially convened panel, which heard evidence from both Rafael and Sir Alex Ferguson by video link, opted against lengthening the ban, leaving the player free to face Blackpool on Tuesday.
Old Trafford to stage League 1 and League 2 play-offs
A clash with the Champions League Final means Old Trafford will host the League 1 and League 2 play-off finals this year, the Football League have announced.
The Championship play-off final will still be at Wembley on 30 May, the traditional Bank Holiday Monday slot, 2 days after the Champions League Final is played in the evening at the same venue.
The League 2 final will be on 28 May with the League 1 final on 29 May at United's ground and all 3 play-off matches are scheduled to kick-off at 3 PM.
Manchester United chief executive David Gill added: "We are delighted Old Trafford has been chosen to stage these 2 finals".
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Move over Wayne Rooney
The stats show why Berbatov and Chicharito are the strike duo United need
"It's not an unusual situation where a striker goes a length of time without scoring and it's a confidence thing. I see it often - when they score they don't think they're going to miss and when they're not scoring they don't think they're ever going to score. It's a fact of life."
Those were Sir Alex Ferguson's words on the eve of the New Year, after a 12-month spell which had seen star striker Wayne Rooney score just once for the club since injuring himself in the Champions League quarter-finals against Bayern Munchen in March.
Rooney did indeed get his goal, in the third minute of the 2-1 victory over West Bromwich. But 2 games on, the England striker has failed to add to his tally.
Despite Rooney's barren run, Ferguson has continued to show faith in his prize asset. But has this choice come to the detriment of fellow strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez?
Scoring goals is as much about confidence as it is technique and ability - even the poorest of forwards have been known to go on striking sprees down the years. The golden rule is, when a sharpshooter is on form, play him.
This, however, has not been the case with Berbatov and Hernandez, and the table below makes for stark reading.
So while Rooney has a significant advantage in assists over both Berbatov and Hernandez, the Englishman trails his foreign team-mates in every other category.
Much scrutiny has surrounded Berbatov in particular since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2008. Signed for £30 million from Tottenham Hotspur, his first 2 seasons saw him contribute 37 goals in 106 games, a strike rate of 35%, while Rooney found the net at a rate of 56%, with a return on 64 goals in 113 appearances.
This season however, Berbatov's goals have not only carried Manchester United to the top of the table, but overcome Rooney's lacklustre form.
Thus far, in 18 Premier League appearances - of which he has started 17 - United's no. 9 has hit 14 goals, a ratio of 77%. Yet, rather astonishingly, Berbatov has been omitted from 3 matches, most surprisingly the home clash with Arsenal, when he was an unused substitute - on the back of netting 5 goals against Blackburn Rivers. It is hard to imagine Ferguson doing the same to Rooney on the back of a 5-goal performance.
As for Hernandez, his smattering of appearances is somewhat acceptable, in what is the 22-year-old's debut season in England's top flight. Nonetheless, in light on Rooney's misfiring - and injury-restricted - season, the Mexican can feel slightly aggrieved to have been handed only 7 starts so far.
Hernandez had 27 attempts on goal in Premier League this season, and scored 6 times, a strike succes of a goal in every 4.5 efforts.
Berbatov, United's top goalscorer, has a shot success rating of one goal in every 4 attempts.
As for Rooney, 2 goals from 42 attempts produces an unispiring return of one goal from every 21 efforts.
With an average of 3.5 attempts per game, Ferguson can expect Rooney's next league goal to occur away to Wolverhampton, on 6 February, in 4 games' time.
Last edited by beavis; 22-01-2011 at 15:27.
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