Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[tenggiri]

These are exciting times at Manu - epl Champs and all - but we must also give the new signings time to settle down in their new enviorinment.

But when they start to gel, watch out, its gonna be:

Attack, Attack, Attack

[DatukSeks]

I thought Alex Ferguson said they will be signing 3 players this season. With Hargreaves, Anderson and Nani on board, does this mean no more signing ? So no more signing of a world class striker ? Will Glazer's wallet run out ?

What you think ?

[JWNY]

thought this was an interesting article by Jon Carter and wanted to share bros...

JWNY

United storm ahead in transfer market
Jon Carter

On the day that Ryan Giggs decided to retire from international football, Manchester United announced that they will sign two of the world's best young players. The irony won't be lost on those in the red half of Manchester as the rest of the Premiership have been left stunned while United blaze ahead in this summer's transfer market.

Tottenham may have beaten the Red Devils to the signing of young Welsh full-back Gareth Bale, but it is a combined fee of around £30million for the duo from Portugal that has tongues wagging before the first day of June has even arrived.

It is not known whether Bale, a snip at £5million (although rising to £10million with a series of contract add-ons), was ever a real target for Sir Alex Ferguson, or just the subject of idle tabloid tattle. But Fergie's double transfer coup from the Portuguese league certainly suggests that if he had been, we certainly wouldn't have known about it.

Like Tevez and Mascherano's arrival at West Ham back in August, United's interest in the pair has been kept quiet.

Anderson is a player who has been coveted by the world's best teams. At 19 years old, the Brazilian is widely regarded to be one of the players of the future. He impressed while on international duty with Brazil in the 2005 U-17 World Cup and is already called 'the next Ronaldinho' in Portugal.

Scouted by Barcelona and praised by Arsene Wenger after Arsenal met FC Porto in the Champions League in September, the midfield starlet has certainly been raising eyebrows. Although nobody would have thought they would have been those at Old Trafford.

Not that Ferguson doesn't have an eye for a good player, far from it, but having spent £18million on Michael Carrick and a further £17million on the impending arrival of Owen Hargreaves, central midfield was not a position he needed to fill.

Still, United have shown a propensity for splashing out cash in order to secure the world's leading young players. Wayne Rooney cost nearly £30million, Rio Ferdinand a similar amount and Cristiano Ronaldo can be labelled a bargain at a measly £12million.

In Portuguese youngster Nani, United have the next addition to this list, at a reported £17million. The winger is virtually a carbon copy of Ronaldo and came from the same club, Sporting Lisbon.

But unlike Ronaldo, Nani had been attracting the gaze of Premiership clubs, notably Tottenham and it was widely expected that he would move to White Hart Lane. Spurs were reportedly quoted a £12million price tag, but reports also emerged that his buy-out clause was in the region of £17.5million.

The player himself showed a desire to join the club back at the start of May, telling the Daily Mirror: 'I would only leave Portugal for a club like United.' But as with all tabloid talk over the summer, it was hard to know what to believe.

Confirmation, of course, came with the news that United's assistant Carlos Queiroz and Red Devils chief executive David Gill, were in Lisbon to agree a deal. Even then, as the news broke, first it was Anderson who was announced, with Nani added later on. As if the duo had gone to Portugal with a shopping list and found the prospect of buying the winger too good to refuse.

Which of these starlets was the priority remains to be seen, but Ferguson would never squander money on players without doing his homework first. Certainly we can take the news that United were going to buy 'three new players', as read. With Owen Hargreaves on his way on July 1, that quota has now been filled.

What may come further along in the transfer window, is more spending, with a striker and a defender top of the list. Fernando Torres, Dimitar Berbatov and Klaas Jan-Huntelaar have all been linked to Old Trafford, but with the cost of his summer arrivals almost topping £50million already, Ferguson will have to be careful.

A world-class striker would not come cheap, while the manager would have to let one of his fringe defenders go before signing a new one. Gabriel Heinze has attracted a lot of interest from Europe, notably in the form of Real Madrid, and would command a fee of at least £5million if he were to decide his future lay elsewhere.

In fact, United already have a well-stocked defence with Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre seemingly happy to play second fiddle to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic while Northern Irish youngster Jonny Evans is pushing for a first-team place after impressing on loan at Sunderland. Spaniard Gerard Pique has spent the season on loan at Real Zaragoza and is said, by some sources, to have been promised a role at Old Trafford next season.

But players are likely to go, especially in midfield. Darren Fletcher and Kieran Richardson look prime candidates, although not, as some would expect, Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes. The two new signings would replace them nicely in terms of positioning, but neither of Ferguson's stalwarts are ready to give up the ghost just yet.

In contrast, if anything can be gleaned from their respective decisions to retire from international football, it is that they are hungry for domestic success, particularly in the Champions League. Nominations for the PFA Player of the Year suggest that their skills on the pitch have not deteriorated with age and both were instrumental in the club's title win.

United may have spent a lot of money on two young starlets to improve their squad for next season, with possibly more to come, but the experience that the likes of Giggs and Scholes can pass on in training is something that money can't buy.

[alex18122003]

Originally Posted by JWNY

thought this was an interesting article by Jon Carter and wanted to share bros...

JWNY

Bro JWNY, tks for sharing the news with us.....Cheers

[JWNY]

Originally Posted by alex18122003

Bro JWNY, tks for sharing the news with us.....Cheers

Bro alex, hope you all win the shield...it's bad luck...i don't want!!

JWNY

[alex18122003]

Originally Posted by JWNY

Bro alex, hope you all win the shield...it's bad luck...i don't want!!

JWNY

Maybe during shield... the score end up with penatly kicks.

[alex18122003]

Originally Posted by JWNY

Bro alex, hope you all win the shield...it's bad luck...i don't want!!

JWNY

If MU won the shield...Coz of John Terry score his own goal into it net.
Who's r we going to blame...HeE

[JWNY]

Originally Posted by alex18122003

Maybe during shield... the score end up with penatly kicks.

If 90 mins draw we will share shield bro....EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

JWNY

[alex18122003]

Originally Posted by JWNY

If 90 mins draw we will share shield bro....EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

JWNY

As we both team had been qualify for Champion League 2007/2008 already. And how's far can they reach..... that's the only challenge
u agree with me

[mr_missile]

Originally Posted by JWNY

thought this was an interesting article by Jon Carter and wanted to share bros...
JWNY

Thanks for sharing this article, especially from a Chelsea fan at that.
The recent 3 signings surely have created a buzz in the Premiership.
Now it remains to be seen who, if any, SAF adds to the strike department.
Huntelaar? Torres? Berbatov,Tevez or even Owen?
Or will SAF pull out another coup and surprise his rival managers with a signing from an unexpected source?
Waiting with much eagerness for any news on this.

[asiancigar]

Anelka next on United's list as summer spending hits overdrive

Dominic Fifield
Friday June 1, 2007
The Guardian

Manchester United's pursuit of a striker has prompted them to lodge an inquiry with Bolton Wanderers about the availability of the France striker Nicolas Anelka, with the Premiership champions having already taken their potential summer spending beyond the £50m mark with the purchase yesterday of Owen Hargreaves.
The England international followed the Portugal winger Nani and the Brazilian midfielder Anderson to Old Trafford, allowing Sir Alex Ferguson to turn his attention to supplementing his striking ranks. His initial targets had included Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o and Dimitar Berbatov of Tottenham Hotspur, though they have effectively been priced out of his budget following this week's spending.

Another highly-rated striker, the Ajax forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who scored 23 goals in 34 league appearances in Holland last term, has indicated he would prefer to remain in the Eredivisie for a further season, leaving Ferguson searching for alternatives. Anelka, 28, has emerged as a surprise target.
The France international moved to the Reebok from Fenerbahce last summer for a club record £8m. He played a significant part in securing Wanderers' Uefa Cup qualification, scoring 11 league goals, but he is keen to compete again in the Champions League and has been unsettled by Sam Allardyce's departure.

Indeed, Allardyce had admitted that he would listen to offers for Anelka this summer had he stayed at the Reebok. Sammy Lee, Allardyce's successor, is keen to retain the striker, however.

Hargreaves' arrival, confirmed some 24 hours after the two signings were secured in Portugal, ended a year-long pursuit of the England midfielder with the 25-year-old expected to sign a five-year contract at the end of next month when he returns from a family holiday in his native Canada. The fee is understood to be £17m, with Hargreaves to provide support for Michael Carrick, allowing Ferguson to use Paul Scholes more sparingly next season.


Hmmmmm.... one French poodle to another.... hehehe

Cheerz
AC

[JWNY]

Originally Posted by mr_missile

Huntelaar? Torres? Berbatov,Tevez or even Owen?
Or will SAF pull out another coup and surprise his rival managers with a signing from an unexpected source?

Honestly, i don't think any new strikers of a big magnitude will arrive at Old Trafford...and the closest would be Michael Owen, if it is indeed true he has a get-out clause of a paltry £9million - i really don't see that happening though

After spending £31million, i think the likes of Berbatov, Tevez and Torres will also not be heading South. Huntelaar is unproven at both club and international level, and most great Dutch strikers make it early - Kluivert / Van Basten etc.

Most likely a defender could fill up any transfer activity with the impending move for Gabriel Heinze. But even so, i will not be surprised if no one else came along as O'Shea can slot into left-back. The good news is, the defenders on loan to Sunderland last year would be coming back and those youngsters are pretty useful.

I would fancy a goalkeeper heading to Old Trafford. Van Der Sar would be past his prime and let's not kid ourselves, like Carsson, Kirkland and even Robinson at times, Foster isn't up there like Buffon / Cech

JWNY

No more signings for Manchester United:

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/sto...160127,00.html

United set to stop splashing cash
Manchester United chief executive David Gill has indicated the Red Devils' triple transfer swoop could mark the end of their summer spending.

United have confirmed England international Owen Hargreaves will join them from Bayern Munich on July 1, with only the 25-year-old's signature required to complete a £17million deal.

The news came less than 24 hours after transfers were agreed 'in principle' for outstanding young duo Anderson and Nani, who were captured from FC Porto and Sporting Lisbon respectively following a hectic day of negotiations in Portugal by Gill and Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant Carlos Queiroz.

Although the total initial outlay of around £40million is the most significant investment since Malcolm Glazer's controversial takeover in 2005, it was still felt there would be more to come as Ferguson looks to bolster his striking options.

Samuel Eto'o, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Dimitar Berbatov and Jermain Defoe have all been linked with the Old Trafford outfit over the past few days.

However, while Gill refused to totally rule out more new arrivals, he hinted strongly the Premier League champions' major business had now been done.

"We will see what happens over the next two or three months but by and large that will be the major element of our business," Gill told MUTV.

"If a player comes up that Sir Alex is convinced will make us better, I am sure we will find the funds but that is a major bit of business we have done this week."

In 19-year-old Anderson, who is part of Brazil's Copa America squad, and Nani, the 20-year-old who is already a Portugal international and earned favourable comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo, whom United also signed from Sporting Lisbon, United are clearly looking to the future.

Hargreaves though is a signing for now, the Red Devils completing a deal Ferguson hoped he would force through before the start of last season.

The Calgary-born players left no-one in any doubt he wanted to make the move, only for Bayern to block the deal fearing supporter unrest after losing Michael Ballack to Chelsea.

Ferguson was hopeful of resurrecting the deal in January but those plans were scuppered when Hargreaves - who has family which hails from Bolton - broke his leg on club duty against Armenia Bielefeld in September.

However, there was little doubt the United boss was determined to push the transfer through once the season was over and Bayern's failure to qualify for next year's Champions League only made it more certain Hargreaves would end up at Old Trafford.

"It is no secret that we tried to get Owen last summer," reflected Gill.

"We tried again in January but to no avail. Thankfully, we have managed to secure him now and we are delighted with that.

"It is good business for us, good business for Bayern Munich and good business for Owen. He is a great signing."

Hargreaves' arrival should help take some of the weight off Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick, who shouldered most of the midfield responsibilities last term.

Neither Anderson nor Nani can expect to play as many games as their fellow new arrival, although if either man shows the type of form Ronaldo produced when he first landed at Old Trafford four years ago, it will not be long before they are providing stiff competition for the likes of Ryan Giggs, who has quit international football in order to prolong his United career.

Queiroz said: "It is really worth stopping to imagine what an attack formed by Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson could do.

"They are players who blend creativity and magic into football.

"It really is wonderful to be able to mould and enhance their capabilities.

"I have always worked with players in this formative process and this is a significant investment in Manchester United prospects for the next 10 years."

[asiancigar]

United storm ahead in transfer market
Jon Carter

On the day that Ryan Giggs decided to retire from international football, Manchester United announced that they will sign two of the world's best young players. The irony won't be lost on those in the red half of Manchester as the rest of the Premiership have been left stunned while United blaze ahead in this summer's transfer market.

Tottenham may have beaten the Red Devils to the signing of young Welsh full-back Gareth Bale, but it is a combined fee of around £30million for the duo from Portugal that has tongues wagging before the first day of June has even arrived.

It is not known whether Bale, a snip at £5million (although rising to £10million with a series of contract add-ons), was ever a real target for Sir Alex Ferguson, or just the subject of idle tabloid tattle. But Fergie's double transfer coup from the Portuguese league certainly suggests that if he had been, we certainly wouldn't have known about it.

Like Tevez and Mascherano's arrival at West Ham back in August, United's interest in the pair has been kept quiet.

Anderson is a player who has been coveted by the world's best teams. At 19 years old, the Brazilian is widely regarded to be one of the players of the future. He impressed while on international duty with Brazil in the 2005 U-17 World Cup and is already called 'the next Ronaldinho' in Portugal.

Scouted by Barcelona and praised by Arsene Wenger after Arsenal met FC Porto in the Champions League in September, the midfield starlet has certainly been raising eyebrows. Although nobody would have thought they would have been those at Old Trafford.

Not that Ferguson doesn't have an eye for a good player, far from it, but having spent £18million on Michael Carrick and a further £17million on the impending arrival of Owen Hargreaves, central midfield was not a position he needed to fill.

Still, United have shown a propensity for splashing out cash in order to secure the world's leading young players. Wayne Rooney cost nearly £30million, Rio Ferdinand a similar amount and Cristiano Ronaldo can be labelled a bargain at a measly £12million.

In Portuguese youngster Nani, United have the next addition to this list, at a reported £17million. The winger is virtually a carbon copy of Ronaldo and came from the same club, Sporting Lisbon.

But unlike Ronaldo, Nani had been attracting the gaze of Premiership clubs, notably Tottenham and it was widely expected that he would move to White Hart Lane. Spurs were reportedly quoted a £12million price tag, but reports also emerged that his buy-out clause was in the region of £17.5million.

The player himself showed a desire to join the club back at the start of May, telling the Daily Mirror: 'I would only leave Portugal for a club like United.' But as with all tabloid talk over the summer, it was hard to know what to believe.

Confirmation, of course, came with the news that United's assistant Carlos Queiroz and Red Devils chief executive David Gill, were in Lisbon to agree a deal. Even then, as the news broke, first it was Anderson who was announced, with Nani added later on. As if the duo had gone to Portugal with a shopping list and found the prospect of buying the winger too good to refuse.

Which of these starlets was the priority remains to be seen, but Ferguson would never squander money on players without doing his homework first. Certainly we can take the news that United were going to buy 'three new players', as read. With Owen Hargreaves on his way on July 1, that quota has now been filled.

What may come further along in the transfer window, is more spending, with a striker and a defender top of the list. Fernando Torres, Dimitar Berbatov and Klaas Jan-Huntelaar have all been linked to Old Trafford, but with the cost of his summer arrivals almost topping £50million already, Ferguson will have to be careful.

A world-class striker would not come cheap, while the manager would have to let one of his fringe defenders go before signing a new one. Gabriel Heinze has attracted a lot of interest from Europe, notably in the form of Real Madrid, and would command a fee of at least £5million if he were to decide his future lay elsewhere.

In fact, United already have a well-stocked defence with Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre seemingly happy to play second fiddle to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic while Northern Irish youngster Jonny Evans is pushing for a first-team place after impressing on loan at Sunderland. Spaniard Gerard Pique has spent the season on loan at Real Zaragoza and is said, by some sources, to have been promised a role at Old Trafford next season.

But players are likely to go, especially in midfield. Darren Fletcher and Kieran Richardson look prime candidates, although not, as some would expect, Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes. The two new signings would replace them nicely in terms of positioning, but neither of Ferguson's stalwarts are ready to give up the ghost just yet.

In contrast, if anything can be gleaned from their respective decisions to retire from international football, it is that they are hungry for domestic success, particularly in the Champions League. Nominations for the PFA Player of the Year suggest that their skills on the pitch have not deteriorated with age and both were instrumental in the club's title win.

United may have spent a lot of money on two young starlets to improve their squad for next season, with possibly more to come, but the experience that the likes of Giggs and Scholes can pass on in training is something that money can't buy.

Cheerz
AC

[asiancigar]

United storm ahead in transfer market
Jon Carter

On the day that Ryan Giggs decided to retire from international football, Manchester United announced that they will sign two of the world's best young players. The irony won't be lost on those in the red half of Manchester as the rest of the Premiership have been left stunned while United blaze ahead in this summer's transfer market.

Tottenham may have beaten the Red Devils to the signing of young Welsh full-back Gareth Bale, but it is a combined fee of around £30million for the duo from Portugal that has tongues wagging before the first day of June has even arrived.

It is not known whether Bale, a snip at £5million (although rising to £10million with a series of contract add-ons), was ever a real target for Sir Alex Ferguson, or just the subject of idle tabloid tattle. But Fergie's double transfer coup from the Portuguese league certainly suggests that if he had been, we certainly wouldn't have known about it.

Like Tevez and Mascherano's arrival at West Ham back in August, United's interest in the pair has been kept quiet.

Anderson is a player who has been coveted by the world's best teams. At 19 years old, the Brazilian is widely regarded to be one of the players of the future. He impressed while on international duty with Brazil in the 2005 U-17 World Cup and is already called 'the next Ronaldinho' in Portugal.

Scouted by Barcelona and praised by Arsene Wenger after Arsenal met FC Porto in the Champions League in September, the midfield starlet has certainly been raising eyebrows. Although nobody would have thought they would have been those at Old Trafford.

Not that Ferguson doesn't have an eye for a good player, far from it, but having spent £18million on Michael Carrick and a further £17million on the impending arrival of Owen Hargreaves, central midfield was not a position he needed to fill.

Still, United have shown a propensity for splashing out cash in order to secure the world's leading young players. Wayne Rooney cost nearly £30million, Rio Ferdinand a similar amount and Cristiano Ronaldo can be labelled a bargain at a measly £12million.

In Portuguese youngster Nani, United have the next addition to this list, at a reported £17million. The winger is virtually a carbon copy of Ronaldo and came from the same club, Sporting Lisbon.

But unlike Ronaldo, Nani had been attracting the gaze of Premiership clubs, notably Tottenham and it was widely expected that he would move to White Hart Lane. Spurs were reportedly quoted a £12million price tag, but reports also emerged that his buy-out clause was in the region of £17.5million.

The player himself showed a desire to join the club back at the start of May, telling the Daily Mirror: 'I would only leave Portugal for a club like United.' But as with all tabloid talk over the summer, it was hard to know what to believe.

Confirmation, of course, came with the news that United's assistant Carlos Queiroz and Red Devils chief executive David Gill, were in Lisbon to agree a deal. Even then, as the news broke, first it was Anderson who was announced, with Nani added later on. As if the duo had gone to Portugal with a shopping list and found the prospect of buying the winger too good to refuse.

Which of these starlets was the priority remains to be seen, but Ferguson would never squander money on players without doing his homework first. Certainly we can take the news that United were going to buy 'three new players', as read. With Owen Hargreaves on his way on July 1, that quota has now been filled.

What may come further along in the transfer window, is more spending, with a striker and a defender top of the list. Fernando Torres, Dimitar Berbatov and Klaas Jan-Huntelaar have all been linked to Old Trafford, but with the cost of his summer arrivals almost topping £50million already, Ferguson will have to be careful.

A world-class striker would not come cheap, while the manager would have to let one of his fringe defenders go before signing a new one. Gabriel Heinze has attracted a lot of interest from Europe, notably in the form of Real Madrid, and would command a fee of at least £5million if he were to decide his future lay elsewhere.

In fact, United already have a well-stocked defence with Wes Brown and Mikael Silvestre seemingly happy to play second fiddle to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic while Northern Irish youngster Jonny Evans is pushing for a first-team place after impressing on loan at Sunderland. Spaniard Gerard Pique has spent the season on loan at Real Zaragoza and is said, by some sources, to have been promised a role at Old Trafford next season.

But players are likely to go, especially in midfield. Darren Fletcher and Kieran Richardson look prime candidates, although not, as some would expect, Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes. The two new signings would replace them nicely in terms of positioning, but neither of Ferguson's stalwarts are ready to give up the ghost just yet.

In contrast, if anything can be gleaned from their respective decisions to retire from international football, it is that they are hungry for domestic success, particularly in the Champions League. Nominations for the PFA Player of the Year suggest that their skills on the pitch have not deteriorated with age and both were instrumental in the club's title win.

United may have spent a lot of money on two young starlets to improve their squad for next season, with possibly more to come, but the experience that the likes of Giggs and Scholes can pass on in training is something that money can't buy.

Cheerz
AC