The Official Manchester United Thread

[Agony]

United are likely to continue efforts to resolve Januzaj’s future quickly and his elevation to the Champions League squad will enable him to feature in the club’s four remaining Group A games.

Januzaj will become eligible as a B List player in the Champions League squad with Monday marking the second anniversary of his registration as a United player.

“If we had put him onto the ‘A’ list ]senior players], we would never have been able to class him as a youth-team player,” Moyes said. “So we needed to wait for two games to do that.”

 

[Kuffir]

that is news these days for u man

 

coming like arsenal more with each day

[Yoshie]

that is news these days for u man

 

coming like arsenal more with each day

 

Would be news for any team that a talent signs.

More so for us with out recent record with keeping 'wonderkids'

[Thizz]

http://talksport.com/football/man-united-fans-celebrate-fellainis-injury-facebook-13100763125

 

[Zizouz]

their main complaint was that he's slow  

 

that and the article described him as a striker 

[Gambino]

Comments were spot on. Guy offers nothing but aerial ability.

[darkman]

And all for the price of £30 million

[Agony]

Wayne Rooney wanted to leave because he was being played out of position

• Manchester United player 'happy' and 'settled' under Moyes

• 'I got told to play in midfield and I didn't want to'

• Stops short of saying he'd like to stay beyond this season

Daniel Taylor

The Guardian, Wednesday 9 October 2013 22.29 BST

Wayne Rooney has spoken publicly for the first time about his reasons for wanting to leave Manchester United and blamed his disillusionment on Sir Alex Ferguson playing him out of position after the signing of Robin van Persie.

Rooney described himself as "happy" and "settled" at Old Trafford now David Moyes is in charge but the England striker notably stopped short when asked to clarify whether that meant he wanted to stay in Manchester or if he would renew his attempts to leave next summer. Choosing his words carefully, all Rooney would say on the subject was there would be more discussions behind the scenes.

The England striker, preparing for the World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Poland, went on to offer his backing to Roy Hodgson in the wake of Harry Redknapp's comments that he would not trust the "clueless" Football Association "to show him a good manager if their lives depended on it". Despite admitting he initially wanted Redknapp to get the job, Rooney says Hodgson has turned out to be the England manager he has enjoyed playing for the most, and that the FA made "the right decision" choosing him ahead of Redknapp.

However, it is his relationship with Ferguson that provides the backdrop to Rooney's explanation about the chain of events that led to him trying to engineer a move to Chelsea in the summer. He does not mention the former United manager once by name. Yet, in another sense, Ferguson is implicated in everything as the picture emerges of a player who had started to feel undervalued and mistreated after Van Persie's arrival from Arsenal.

Asked whether he had raised his concerns with the relevant people at Old Trafford, Rooney opened his arms to show his exasperation and smiled knowingly. "Yeah, and …" That was the meeting at which he apparently told Ferguson he might leave and an already strained relationship was fractured. Ferguson dropped Rooney from his team and, to the player's dismay, publicised what had been said during a live television interview, describing it as a verbal transfer request.

Rooney's account is that, after nearly a decade at the club, he felt he had done enough to warrant a place in "my position", namely as centre-forward, and was fed up of being told to help out in midfield. "Everyone at the club knew where I wanted to play and I think that's why I was disappointed. I got told to play in midfield and I didn't want to. I just think there had to come a point when, for my own career, I had to be a bit selfish really."

This goes back to last spring, not long after he had been left out of United's starting XI to face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final. "I actually felt when I played in midfield I did OK, but I didn't want to play there. I've had no problem in the past playing out of position. But I felt I deserved the right to play in my position and that wasn't happening.

"I think, naturally, I was a bit disappointed and maybe that affected some of the games I played. I know myself that last year wasn't my best season but there were times when I was playing in different positions. I didn't feel I got a consistent run of games up front. Sometimes when you're not playing in one position all the time it's difficult to adapt."

Rooney was the subject of two Chelsea bids – £23m on 16 July and £25m on 4 August – and José Mourinho challenged him in the final week of the transfer window to go public with his desire to leave. Mourinho's information was that Rooney wanted to join them but by that stage, as the Guardian revealed on 13 August, it had already been established within United's boardroom the player would not be allowed to move to Stamford Bridge at any price.

"I'm sure the club made that clear," Rooney said. "Obviously there's been a lot of stuff happening and everyone has been waiting for me to say something, but I've spoken to the people who matter at the club and we've known ourselves what was going on.

"I didn't want to come out saying anything. I just wanted to concentrate on my football. That's what I've done and that's what I'll continue to do. I'm not going to go around saying: 'I wanted to stay' or 'I wanted to leave'. I'll concentrate on my football and see what happens after that."

To the direct question of whether he would like to stay at United, Rooney was happy to answer, but only to a point. "You can see I'm playing and I'm happy in my football. I'll have more discussions with the club and we'll see what happens from there." That was as far as Rooney would go on the subject of a new contract, with his present deal expiring at the end of next season.

From United's point of view, it offers a flicker of encouragement, though not a great deal more. "David Moyes has come in, he's playing me up front and I'm enjoying it," Rooney continued. "I'm not saying I wouldn't [go into midfield] for instance if it was the last 10 to 15 minutes of a game, if we were holding on a bit and I got asked to drop to the left, or drop back, to help see out the game. I'd always go in and try to help the team. I'm not saying I'd throw my arms up and not do it. I can play in midfield. Maybe when I'm a bit older, losing my legs a bit, I can go back there."

The slight contradiction here is that Rooney was used only sporadically in midfield last season rather than it being the matter of routine that he appears to suggest. Rooney's versatility was always seen as an important asset at Old Trafford but, in the vast majority of games, Ferguson actually used him alongside Van Persie.

Whether it is correct for any player to tell his manager where he ought to play is another matter, particularly in the case of Ferguson and United, and there is also the irony that Rooney blamed the club's lack of ambition in the transfer market for handing in a transfer request in October 2010 and it is essentially the signing of Van Persie that has cost him his status as first-choice striker. Rooney has always maintained that he has no issue with Van Persie and he sought to make sure there was no misunderstanding. "I don't mean I want to play as the only centre-forward, but one of the two."

In short, Rooney believes he was messed around during their 20th title-winning season. But it is a complex issue. At United, they will say there is a lot more to it than that and, specifically, that Rooney's adviser, Paul Stretford, is prominently involved in influencing his decision-making. At the same time, the clear briefing from the relevant people around Rooney is that he still believes Ferguson has an influential role at Old Trafford and therefore remains at the club against his choice. Then take into account the potential for another wave of headlines if Ferguson chooses to reveal more in his forthcoming autobiography. The book is released later this month, with a press conference and publicity tour, and it is difficult to see how Ferguson can ignore the Rooney issue.

Yet there are mixed signals here, too. On the one hand, Rooney makes it clear he was aggrieved with the way he was treated. Then, in the next sentence, he states that he has not been unhappy at all.

"To be honest, I've been settled all summer. I really have been happy all summer. From the outside looking in, it might not have seemed like it. But I have been settled. My wife had a new child and I'm just delighted to be back playing and injury-free. I've got my head down and worked hard. I've been focused and I've been wanting to prove to people that I am a top player. That's what I've really tried to do."

On the face of it, it seems strange that a player with legitimate ambitions to overhaul Sir Bobby Charlton's scoring records for club and country – Rooney is 47 short of Charlton's total of 249 goals for United and needs 13 more to equal his 49 for England – would have to prove himself to anyone.

"I wanted to prove it to myself really rather than anyone else," he explains. "I wanted to come back fit, sharp and scoring goals. I've done that. I've scored a few goals and I'm playing every week, so I'm enjoying it.

"It's a bit different in terms of David Moyes and his staff coming in. The training is different, there's a different style, a different way of thinking about how he wants us to play. Honestly, the training has been so hard. We've done a lot more running. Long running, quicker running, sharper running.

"I feel that's really benefited me. I feel as fit as I ever have done. I had a couple of injuries pre-season but I feel great and in good shape. It's a mixture of things, but I am happy and I am enjoying my football."

All of which should be greatly encouraging for Hodgson before the two games that will determine whether England reach the World Cup, go into the play-offs or even worse.

"Over the last five or six years this is probably the most excited I've been about England games," Rooney says. "We've got two games at Wembley, we need six points, and it's great. There have been a few doubters in recent games and we have to prove we're good enough."

Rooney was one of the players mentioned in Redknapp's autobiography for sending him text messages saying they all wanted him to get the England job. "At the time, I did," Rooney says. "I remember tweeting about it… He was doing a tremendous job with Tottenham and everyone thought Harry was going to get the job. The way it was made out, it looked like he was nailed on. But then, obviously, Roy's popped up.

"The FA have gone with Roy and, for me, I feel now that was the right decision. I feel he's going to take us to the World Cup. It's probably the most I've enjoyed working for any England manager. His man-management is really good. He really speaks to us. And he's shown a lot of trust in me, both on and off the pitch."

On Friday, when England take on Montenegro, Rooney is looking forward to developing a new partnership with Daniel Sturridge. "Good players can work with good players," he explains matter-of-factly. "I don't know what Roy is going to do with the team but if he plays the two of us up front we're both capable of coming short and going in behind. We can mix it up."

He does not appear to have given a huge deal of thought to the Adnan Januzaj debate – "He's a tremendous talent, but is he from Belgium, or Croatia, or something?" he asks of his Manchester United team-mate – but the same could not be said when it comes to Charlton's goals target.

"To be honest, I'm actually a bit disappointed with my record. I feel I should have scored more for England. But I do believe I can get to that 50-goal mark, which would be an unbelievable achievement. There's a long way to go but it's something I want to do." As for Charlton's scoring record at Old Trafford, no word on that one just yet.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/oct/09/wayne-rooney-reasons-leave-manchester-united?

 

Rooney has always maintained that he has no issue with Van Persie and he sought to make sure there was no misunderstanding. "I don't mean I want to play as the only centre-forward, but one of the two."

 

So we basically have to keep playing a 4-4-2 to stop him from throwing his toys out the pram 

 

f*ck Rooney

[Mame Biram Diouf]

So he is basically manager lol

 

''I want to be one of the two strikers''

 

So we have to play 4-4-2 because of him then

 

Fuck this guy

 

He is the reason we aren't playing Kagawa

 

Ah just fuck this guy

[Benicio del Toney]

4-3-1-2 could see working for United

[Gambino]

What happened to doing anything for the team. I like CR7 but Rooney is just another Ronaldo, craves the limelight and wants everything to evolve around him. RVP is a far better Striker than Rooney and it looks to me like his game is suffering now that he's playing alongside Wayne. Look at that game when Wayne wouldn't square the ball to him for an open goal and ended up going himself and missing it, selfish c*nt.

[Mame Biram Diouf]

And Fabio admits a potential return to Fluminense, the club he and his brother left to join Manchester United five years ago, could be on the cards.

 

"I don't know. I think the time has come and maybe in the next window or even next season, I think I might leave. There are good possibilities."

 

"I'm looking for other clubs. There's nothing certain, we'll leave it for later.

 

"I want to be happy. I want to play, I want to be close to my family. I may go back to Brazil, or maybe not, I'm checking with my manager to see what is the best for me.

 

"The affection I have for Fluminense is very big, for sure. I played there for seven years, and certainly if I have to go back to Fluminense I'm going with great pride because I have a special affection for them."

 

 

Didnt even get a chance

[Mame Biram Diouf]

 

Cant believe I thought Fergie would make a man of this guy lol

 

Fully had me convinced

[Mame Biram Diouf]

Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez has hinted that he may have to quit the club to seek more regular playing time, according to the Mirror.

 

Hernandez has started a mere two games out of 11 under new manager David Moyes and has yet to play a full 90 minutes of football for the champions this season.

 

The 25-year-old has been with United since 2010 but has always played the role of “impact substitute” with many of his appearances in the last three years coming from the bench.

 

And though the Mexican says he is happy to remain at Old Trafford, he conceded that he may have to move to another club in order to achieve his aim of starting games on a regular basis.

 

Hernandez, who was a target for Atletico Madrid over the summer, admits his lack of playing time is a concern for him when it comes to assessing his future.

 

“I strive for that [to start more games], I am working towards that – earning a spot as a starter. I know that my performance on the pitch will allow me to achieve that goal someday either here [in Manchester] or elsewhere for any other club.

 

“I am going on four years here [at Manchester United] and really, like I have always said, I am happy to be able to play for one of the best clubs in the world, doing my best every single day to earn more minutes on the pitch.

 

“I just need to be given more opportunities to showcase what I can do, because all of us want to be able to contribute our part so this team can win championships.”

Hernandez realises he is down the pecking order at United, with Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney both preferred by Moyes, while the gradual return to form of

Danny Welbeck is also keeping him out of the side.

[Mame Biram Diouf]

[Mame Biram Diouf]

And 19-year-old Angelo Henriquez will be brimming with confidence after scoring a classy hat-trick for Real Zaragoza on Sunday.

 

The forward continued making key contributions in a 4-2 win over Mallorca, helping to maintain his excellent start to life in the Spanish Segunda Division.

 

With his side a goal up, the United striker doubled the lead in the 39th minute with a predatory near post finish at the Iberostar Stadium.

 

Just moments later, he scored again, this time showing plenty of composure to convert from six yards after his initial head was saved from close range.

[Mame Biram Diouf]

Manchester United striker Federico Macheda has returned to the Premier League champions from his loan spell at Doncaster to receive treatment for a hamstring injury.

Macheda, who joined Rovers in mid-September on an initial one-month deal, is expected to be out for around three weeks.

Doncaster plan to resurrect the deal once the 22-year-old Italian is fit again.

 

 

He recently bagged the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Torino, and Evra admits his departure was a major blow to the defending champions.

"His [Pogba's] talent on the pitch, his aggression, his presence, is very rare," said Evra in an interview with TF1. "He very quickly earned the respect of players like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

"It's true that have you have to win over the manager too, but to have won the dressing room like he did [was impressive].

"It was truly a huge loss when he left the club

[Mame Biram Diouf]

Something I have been thinking about

 

Fletcher recovers and comes back somewhere near his form couple years ago

 

Does he start? over who?

[The King]

Fletcher is not ever going to be close to what he was.

/

Fuck Wayne Rooney. Sounds like there might be a deal with Chelsea next season. We need him to have a couple months out injured so the team can gel without him and show he's not needed.

/

All this talk about hard training is worrying. Fully expecting RVP to be struggling with niggling injuries this year

[The King]

Marouane Fellaini injury poses problem for David Moyes

James Ducker

Last updated October 10 2013 1:01AM

Fellaini will wear protective cast for Belgium’s two qualifying games

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Marouane Fellaini could be out of action for between two to three months once he has undergone surgery to repair ligament damage to a wrist.

Although Kris van Crombrugge, the Belgium team doctor, suggested on Tuesday that Fellaini was likely to be sidelined for only a maximum of a fortnight after an operation, The Times understands that United’s medical staff fear the player will face a much lengthier layoff because of the severity of the injury.

Fellaini is expected to play for Belgium in their World Cup qualifying match against Croatia in Zagreb tomorrow wearing a protective cast on the wrist and, provided he suffers no adverse reaction, at home to Wales four days later.

Van Crombrugge claimed that surgery would be delayed until December or January, which, if true, would suggest that David Moyes is happy for Fellaini — a £27.5  million signing from Everton last month — to play with the injury for the foreseeable future. Nonetheless, if the operation is put on hold, Fellaini’s subsequent absence would increase the pressure on the manager to sign a new midfielder in the January transfer window.

Javier Hernández has left the door open to move away from Old Trafford should he fail to secure a regular starting place under Moyes.

Although Hernández said that he was “happy” at United, the Mexico striker, who has started only two of Moyes’s 11 games in charge despite scoring 51 goals in 122 appearances for the club, hinted that he may have to reconsider his future if more first-team opportunities are not forthcoming. “I strive for that [to start more games],” said Hernández, who was a target for Atlético Madrid in the summer.

“I am working towards that, earning a spot as a starter. I know that my performances on the pitch will allow me to achieve that goal someday, either here [in Manchester] or elsewhere for any other club.

“I am going on for four years here [at United] and really, like I have always said, I am happy to be able to play for one of the best clubs in the world, doing my best every single day to earn more minutes on the pitch.

“I just need to be given more opportunities to showcase what I can do, because all of us want to be able to contribute our part so this team can win championships.”

[i5_PRODUCER]

Something I have been thinking about

 

Fletcher recovers and comes back somewhere near his form couple years ago

 

Does he start? over who?

 

Cup game player until he shows form. Cant see him playing Saturdays over Fellaini

 

Although if he ever catches form again him >>> fellaini. as a CM that is.

[Flojo]

"It's a bit different in terms of David Moyes and his staff coming in. The training is different, there's a different style, a different way of thinking about how he wants us to play. Honestly, the training has been so hard. We've done a lot more running. Long running, quicker running, sharper running.

 

lol I like this

[Mame Biram Diouf]

Reported Manchester United target Ivan Cavaleiro has played down talk linking him with a move away from Benfica.

 

Recent reports have suggested United were eyeing a move for Cavaleiro after he caught the eye while featuring for Benfica B this season.

 

The 19-year-old has scored seven goals in 10 appearances so far this season and United scouts are thought to have cast an eye over him.

 

However, Cavaleiro insists he is not thinking of leaving Benfica and is determined to establish himself at the Estadio da Luz.

 

"My job is to earn an opportunity for the first team and this depends on the coach," Cavaleiro told radio station Antena 1. "There are very good strikers at Benfica and it is not easy to get into the first team.

 

"I have a contract until June 2018 and I feel good here.

 

"For me it's a huge honour to represent Benfica because it's the club of my heart. I want to continue here and succeed in the first team."

 

Was out on loan for me on FM for like 5 seasons in a row

 

Didn't really make the grade for me

[Wavant]

"It's a bit different in terms of David Moyes and his staff coming in. The training is different, there's a different style, a different way of thinking about how he wants us to play. Honestly, the training has been so hard. We've done a lot more running. Long running, quicker running, sharper running.

 

lol I like this

 

And was it Jagielka saying Everton's training sessions are more ball-based now?!

 

#Life