The Official Manchester United Thread

[Guest Portuguese]

ive watched de gea a fair amount... put it this hes got mistakes in him

i think hes far too young

[Kompressor]

Read an interview time ago with Gill (bout year ago) saying all future transfers would need to fit the ideal squad profile which was young, long term international starters with either champions league of international tournament experience.

Seems De Gea fits the bill perfectly.

Lol, you forgot that he also mentioned the possibility of sell on value when buying new players.

Hope De Gea settles well, his chances of settling quickly will probably depend heavily on The Rio and VIdic partnership staying fit and getting off to a good start

Next season.

[Michel Kane]

Sick.

[Marly Mar]

that yat is flames

[Black Ant]

[Guest Klitschko]

Lol denied on two counts

The picture is sick though can't lie

[Mr. Gayle]

Dont think that kinda talent will ever be anytime soon TBH

Sick pic

[Lenny]

that yat is flames

[JOHN DOE]

oii nicky butt looks OLLD

scholes looks more or less the same

my niggas

bar p.nev -hated tht guy

[Jam]

Sick.

[MF Cunt]

^ Emotional.

De Geas teng.

BOOM

De Gea lucky was lucky Cech has no current plans for moving on at Chelski

[Guest Klitschko]

You could see Giggs black side in him a lot more back then. Now it's just accepted that he's white.

[The King]

Joshua King has agreed a new two-year contract with the Reds, extending his terms until the summer of 2013.The Norwegian forward has been a regular member of the reserve team that won their league and lifted the Manchester Senior Cup this season.

Earlier in the campaign, the 19-year-old picked up some valuable experience during a loan spell with Preston in the Championship.

King is a versatile forward with explosive pace and was on the substitutes' bench for the first team's 4-0 victory at Wigan.

Although showing a real eye for goal when playing through the middle, the teenager was also deployed in a wider role towards the end of the term.

[TF S4DK]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/06/manchester-united-ravel-morrison-charge

Any news on this?

Manchester United youngster Ravel Morrison was today fined £600 by a court for throwing his girlfriend's mobile phone out of a window in a row after she read his text messages.

Morrison, 18, admitted a single charge of criminal damage to the phone but denied assault by beating his girlfriend, Reah Dixon.

A not guilty plea was entered on the assault count which was accepted by the prosecution at Salford Magistrates Court.

Morrison, wearing a black jumper, white shirt, dark trousers and a red and white tie, spoke only to confirm his name and address during the brief hearing.

The youngster, who gave his address as Urmston, Greater Manchester, is highly regarded at Old Trafford, where he is reportedly compared to the likes of Wayne Rooney.

As well as representing England at Under-18 level, he has appeared for the United first team in the Carling Cup this season and scored twice in his club's victory in the FA Youth Cup final second leg against Sheffield United on Monday.

Morrison already has one caution for common assault dating from 2008 and an incident described as a "domestic assault" in 2009 where his girlfriend did not want to press charges, the court heard.

He is also the subject of a 12-month referral order imposed in January, and must report to probation and the Youth Offending Team in Trafford.

Today Tina Cunnane, prosecuting, told the court on April 19 this year the defendant and Miss Dixon, aged 17, were at her parents' home when the incident happened:

"During the evening, Reah looked at the defendants' mobile telephone. She became angry as a result of reading a text message and threw his telephone across the room.

"In retaliation the defendant threw her telephone across the room. He accepts it was retaliation, and her telephone went out of an open window. This had not been the intention of the defendant.

"They then argued but the defendant denies any physical assault on Reah."

The £150 mobile phone was destroyed and has been replaced by Morrison, the prosecutor added.

David Fish QC, prosecuting, told the court the defendant and victim had been together for three years and were still "very much a couple" with a two-week holiday booked in June.

He produced a "positive" report from probation officers in Trafford which described Morrison as, "helpful and willing to learn".

Mr Fish said no violence had been used against the young woman and suggested to District Judge Jonathan Finestein, the matter could be dealt with by way of a fine.

"As I think you are aware, he is a professional footballer," Mr Fish added.

"Can I hand in his contract? I would rather not deal with these matters publicly unless I have to."

Morrison's earnings were not given in open court, however after Judge Finestein looked at the contract he said as fines now had to be related to a defendant's income, this would make for a "rather expensive" penalty for such a minor matter.

Morrison was fined £600 and ordered to pay £85 costs with a £15 victim impact surcharge.

Judge Finestein added: "You are somebody with a considerable future and you must at all times know that losing your temper, no matter what the provocation, is not acceptable."

Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Manchester-United-youngster-Ravel-Morrison-fined-600-for-throwing-girlfriend-mobile-out-of-a-window-in-a-row-after-she-read-his-text-messages-article740775.html#ixzz1NO6jKUcc

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[Agony]

Fábio and Rafael: twins united in mission for the Republic of Silva

Only one of the Brazilian brothers will start at Wembley but both believe Manchester United can hurt Barcelona

Rafael da Silva, left, and his twin brother Fábio, right, revel in Manchester United's Premier League triumph. Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

Luiz Henrique da Silva giggles at the question: how do you spot the difference between Rafael and Fábio? The big brother, who came to England to look after the Brazilian twins, seems genuinely puzzled by how, as in the lyrics of the chant that echoes around Old Trafford, when the boys run down the pitch, one can't say which is which. "When they were babies it was hard, and my mom managed to feed Rafa or Fábio a bottle twice," Luiz Henrique says. "But now they are totally different in the way they look and behave."

He observes how Fábio moves his arm oddly when he runs and the chickenpox spots and scars on Rafael's face. But uncertainty remains in the Manchester United dressing room, with even Sir Alex Ferguson confusing the duo. Fábio says: "There was a match where he came to me in the dressing room and started to tell me off, but calling me Rafael. He still gets us confused, but it doesn't matter. Sir Alex knows everything about football and he loves the Brazilian style. He is crazy about Cafu, our idol."

That "style" is another trait the pair have in common, and in terms of ability there is little to separate them. The brothers have been fighting for the same position in the team since Ferguson began experimenting with Fábio, a right-footed left-back, on the side of the pitch for which Rafael was originally signed to occupy. As a result Rafael will likely be sat with the Scotsman on the bench at the start of the Champions League final at Wembley, with Fábio expected to make the starting XI. Rather than sulk, however, Rafael sees half full a glass that until very recently risked emptiness.

"I am happy to see my brother bouncing back after a difficult start at United," he explains. "He got injured a few times and didn't get many games in the first two seasons. There was even talk about him being loaned out. We have been together throughout our entire career and would love to keep it this way for as long as possible."

The 20-year-olds live together at the same house in Cheshire with their wives and Luiz Henrique, who is also married and has a daughter. As well as Brazilian TV channels, the troupe appreciate the expatriated cuisine and the scent of black bean stew can be detected emanating from the kitchen. Carla, Rafael's other half, calls their home the Republic of Silva, with the twins' parents and other relatives from Brazil sometimes spending time there too. "The boys are very quiet in terms of social life," she says. "They say that after all the travelling and training the last thing they want is to go out. Sometimes we nag them a bit and might get to go to a restaurant, but most of the time we are all here."

After three seasons at Old Trafford, the twins feel integrated into the United ethos and praise Ferguson for helping them settle. Even when Rafael's sending off against Bayern Munich in the 2009-10 Champions League quarter-finals cost United dearly, the Brazilian was not on the receiving end of the hairdryer in the dressing room. "He was angry but it was more a paternal dressing-down than anything at full blast. It actually made me feel more ashamed than if he had screamed. But he always talks to us about taking time to learn with our mistakes and not being too anxious."

They are also thankful for Ferguson's comprehension of their bond. "He understood when I went down the dressing room to see my brother after he got hit badly in the head [against Blackpool last January]," says Fábio, who would otherwise have replaced Rafael on the pitch. His familial duty was also tested during a run-in with Craig Bellamy. "Dirty player, always moaning and trying to wind people up. He pulled Rafa's hair once and I wanted to punch him."

Looking after each other was something they learned early on. Sons of working-class parents, the twins grew up in Rio de Janeiro's Peak District, where rich country houses share space with more humble surroundings. Football saved them from menial work, and they are proud of their father's job as a porter in a deluxe condominium. "We are grateful for what he and my mom have done for us," Rafael says. "We didn't have much but were never obsessed with money. I guess that helped us a lot when United came knocking."

They claim to have turned down an offer from Arsenal because it would have bypassed their then club, Fluminense, in the negotiations. "My mum was adamant," Fábio explains. "We could not turn our backs to the club that took us on when we were only 11, even though they then refused to allow us to play in the first team when the contract with United was signed."

The episode is still brought up in the Brazilian media as the twins became a symbol of a new era where younger talent would, as the Portuguese phrase goes, take the airport way. Signed at 16, Rafael and Fábio had previously arranged to play a season for Fluminense so that the transition to the Premier League would not look so daunting, but there was a change of directors and the boys were told by no less than World Cup winner and former full-back Branco that they were surplus to requirements. "Some supporters thought that we were the ones refusing to play but I reckon people understand it now," says Rafael. "If we ever play in Brazil again, we would definitely listen to Fluminense, as much as my brother and I support [local rivals] Botafogo."

The twins ended up as full-backs by accident. In their early days in the Fluminense academy, based in the outskirts of Rio, Rafael's preference for the right side of the pitch had more to do with escaping the scorching heat than beating his marker. "The training pitch had a shadow on the right side and I, then a midfielder, went through there a couple of times during a game so I could escape the sun," he recalls. "The manager liked it and moved me to right-back."

Fábio's journey to the left side was more circuitous. Originally a striker who once fed off his brother's long balls to score goals galore in a local team in Petrópolis (a mountain town near Rio and historically important for hosting the Brazilian emperor's summer palace), at Fluminense he struggled to find a place until the first‑choice left-back was dropped because of forged documentation. "The manager put me there and I ended up enjoying it more than playing up front, as much as Sir Alex sometimes has to remind us that we can't bomb forward as much as Brazilians full-backs do."

On Saturday United will come up against one such player, Barcelona's Dani Alves. The Da Silvas are respectful of the Catalan team but see no reason why they should be apprehensive about sharing the same pitch. "We have a side full of confidence and good players and shouldn't fear Barcelona," Fábio says. Rafael, as he often does, enforces his brother's viewpoint. "I don't see why we can't hurt them if we stick to a game plan where we don't make the same mistakes made by some of their opponents. Basically, Barcelona do not like being attacked or pressured. We need to make them feel uncomfortable."

Our conversation is in Portuguese but the twins' English is not as hesitant as might be expected in their discussion with the photographer. It is good enough to understand a rare joke by Paul Scholes – "He is a quiet guy and nobody expects him to say something funny, but all of sudden he will," says Rafael – and to realise they should not push Wayne Rooney too hard during kickabouts. "Wayne can get quite competitive, but that's why he's such a great player," explains Fábio. Nani still amazes the twins with his tricks and they also admire how Dimitar Berbatov casually executes plays.

In the dressing room Rio Ferdinand has filled the role performed by their brother at home. "He was always joking with us since the beginning, trying to make us relax," says Rafael. No doubt the twins will be similarly supporting each other on Saturday, even if only one can make the starting line-up.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/25/rafael-fabio-da-silva-manchester-united-barcelona

[Guest Fat Eric]

that phone business is some petty sh*t

[Guest Klitschko]

Originally a striker who once fed off his brother's long balls

Bwhahahaha

[Guest haze-e]

Originally a striker who once fed off his brother's long balls

Bwhahahaha

Loool. So childish

[Young £]

Absolutely love Fabio & Rafael

[The King]

Absolutely love Fabio & Rafael

[BATTY BOY BUM BANDIT]

Hope Fabio starts at RB on sat

[Gambino]

Ashley Young to be Uniteds next signing.

[Agony]

United's Rooney has become the quintessential English No. 10

Do statistics reflect truths hidden to everyday observation, or are they the great betrayers? To most, Wayne Rooney last season reached new peaks. He won the players' and the football writers' player of the year awards and scored 26 Premier League goals, 10 more than his next best season (2005-06). Then he was injured in the Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich in March, United went out of that competition, its title challenge faltered and Rooney's form was destroyed for the best part of a year.

This season that same narrative has Rooney desperately struggling, threatening to leave Old Trafford, looking a passenger to the extent there were serious questions as to whether, at 25, his best soccer might be behind him, before finally the muse favored him again. In the last month of so he has looked once again one of the most devastating footballers on the planet.

So, last season excellent until March, then nothing; this season dreadful till March, then excellent. Except that last season, Rooney scored 26 Premier League goals and assisted three, at a rate of one direct contribution to a goal every 93 minutes and 54 seconds. This season he has scored 11 and assisted 11 at a rate of a direct contribution every 100 minutes and 55 seconds. That hardly speaks of a great discrepancy between the two years; in fact two weeks ago, Rooney was making direct contributions to goals more frequently this season than he was last. United, meanwhile, is Premier League champion this season, and will play the Champions League final a week come Saturday. As Rooney took the individual awards last season, his club lifted only the Carling Cup.

What to conclude from that? Two things, probably. Firstly, soccer is a game that eludes simple statistical analysis. To count merely goals or assists or any other measure is an incomplete guide; it is not a sport of discrete, readily analyzable passages. And secondly, that most people in soccer -- pundits, fans and players -- get carried away by goals. Rooney's emergence as an out-and-out center forward last season was variously portrayed as the moment at which he matured as a player, as him stepping out of Cristiano Ronaldo's shadow.

Actually the opposite was true: Rooney's strength as a player is that he was prepared to remain in Ronaldo's shadow; he and Carlos Tevez are complex, occasionally difficult characters, but they did a huge amount of selfless work that contributed to Ronaldo's remarkable goal scoring record in his last couple of seasons at Old Trafford -- work Ronaldo is perhaps only just beginning to appreciate. Rooney is that rarest of beasts: an English number 10, somebody who naturally operates on the mezzanine between midfield and attack, somebody with the imagination and confidence to control the game from that position. Yet people wanted goals.

Last season, Dimitar Berbatov's loss of form and the sales of Tevez and Ronaldo meant Rooney needed to play as a lone striker. He did it superbly well -- surprisingly so, given his frustration in the role when injuries compelled him to play it for England at the 2006 World Cup and led him to stamp on Ricardo Carvalho before being sent off -- his heading in particular improving. As such, the season enhanced his range of skills and has probably made him a better player. Even last year, though, the thought remained that his hold-up play, while perfectly adequate, wasn't up to the standards of the rest of his game.

At the World Cup, Rooney was the victim of a perfect storm of circumstance. His fitness was questionable. Tabloid revelations about his private life were imminent, and the assumption is that he knew about them. He was being asked to play in different positions for club and country and seemed unable to reconcile the two, playing too high and too close to Emile Heskey in the opener against the USA, and then chasing the ball far too deep as he tried to make amends thereafter.

At the start of the season, he was still a distracted, discontented figure. Perhaps even he was confused by what he was supposed to be doing, seduced by the praise with which he'd been showered last season and reluctant to surrender the glory of goal scoring to Berbatov and Javier Hernandez. That frustration, as paparazzi dogged him even more closely, desperate for further indiscretions, led in October to Rooney's transfer request. There was talk of a rift with Sir Alex Ferguson, while Rooney, in what was surely an indication he was feeling the pressure of being the most recognizable player at the club, spoke bitterly of the lack of quality of recent signings (hopefully every goal Hernandez scores makes him feel more embarrassed by that comment).

And that was when Ferguson showed his brilliance as a manager. He gave an emotional press conference, explaining the club had offered Rooney a new contract and insisting he was "dumbfounded" that he'd turned it down. He managed simultaneously to suggest Rooney had betrayed him for greed, while making clear how much he was still wanted by the club. A few days later, Rooney signed a new deal. Did Rooney win, his brinkmanship forcing the club to offer a more lucrative contract than it intended? Did Ferguson win because he persuaded the player to stay? In the end, it doesn't matter: a 19th league title heals all wounds. Ferguson got what he wanted and if it cost a little more than he'd have liked well, frankly, the Glazer family, which owns the club, owed him something having slashed transfer spending.

Even after that it took about three months for Ferguson to coax Rooney back to form. Now he is back, though, he is a phenomenon; because as both a typically English player and a number 10, he offers a unique blend of skills. Perhaps his touch is not quite as deft as a Luka Modric or a Juan Roman Riquelme, perhaps his close control is a fraction off; but he is explosive and powerful and seems almost to relish tracking back. He is somehow both midfield shuffler and creator and while that may diminish his aesthetic appeal, it also means United can field two ball-playing central midfielders in Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs without fear of being overrun.

This has been the most difficult season of Rooney's career so far, but he has come through it. Win one more game, against Barcelona at Wembley, and it may also be the most satisfying.

Jonathan Wilson is the author of Inverting the Pyramid; Behind the Curtain; Sunderland: A Club Transformed; and The Anatomy of England.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jonathan_wilson/05/17/united.rooney/