Manchester Utd

Man Utd v Portsmouth
Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville have been declared fit for Manchester United after missing the FC Copenhagen defeat. Striker Louis Saha will return to the starting XI with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer carrying a slight hamstring tear. Portsmouth's defence will feature two new faces with Andy O'Brien and Noe Pamarot replacing injured duo Linvoy Primus and Glen Johnson. Sean Davis has recovered from a bout of flu, while Gary O'Neil and Benjani Mwaruwari face late fitness tests. Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre, Heinze, Evra, O'Shea, Fletcher, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Jones, Giggs, Richardson, Rooney, Saha, Smith. Portsmouth (from): James, Pamarot, O'Brien, Campbell, Stefanovic, O'Neil, Pedro Mendes, Davis, Taylor, Benjani, Kanu, Lualua, Cole, Fernandes, Kranjcar, Thompson, Hughes, Koroman, Kiely. # Manchester United defender Gary Neville on boss Sir Alex Ferguson's 20th anniversary at the club: \"It would not surprise me if he was to go on for five to 10 years. \"Why should he leave? He's as determined as ever. \"It's a continual challenge to be at this club. I know that from being a player, I know that from being a fan. That will keep him young. \"There was a period when people were talking about him retiring but that has gone away. \"It is a void you cannot fill, whether you leave this club as a player or a manager. It is impossible, losing that excitement, that thrill.\" # Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp: \"We are short of numbers at the back even though defensively we have been very good this season. \"It is when you lose key players that you begin to struggle and I'll probably look to add one or two in the next transfer window. \"But Andy O'Brien has always done a sound job and we need him to do that.\"

Southend v Man Utd
Southend are without striker Matt Harrold, who is cup-tied having played for Yeovil at Southampton earlier in this season's competition. Manager Steve Tilson is also sweating on the fitness of central defender Adam Barrett who has a stomach injury. Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo will figure for Manchester United, with only Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar missing the trip. Ryan Shawcross, David Jones, David Gray and Kieran Lee will all be involved. Man Utd (from): Kuszczak, Heaton, Gray, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Silvestre, Heinze, Lee, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Jones, Richardson, Ronaldo, Smith, Saha, Rooney, Shawcross.

Southend 1-0 Man Utd (LOSERS HAHA)
<center>Southend pulled off a massive shock to dump holders Manchester United out of the Carling Cup at Roots Hall. The Championship strugglers progressed to the quarter-finals thanks to a stunning first-half 30-yard free-kick from top scorer Freddy Eastwood. United winger Cristiano Ronaldo was denied by two magnificent saves from Darryl Flahavan as United attacked. David Jones' drive crashed against the post and Wayne Rooney saw Flahavan expertly tip over his cross-shot. After Monday's celebrations for United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's 20 years in charge at Old Trafford, the Scot was brought crashing back down to earth. 11,532 had crammed into Roots Hall to see a potential upset and Ferguson picked a strong side in an attempt to prevent the Premiership leaders from slipping up. Ronaldo and Rooney were included and the England striker went close twice from the edge of the area as he started in lively fashion. Both chances forced comfortable saves from Flahavan, the second after a magical piece of skill bemused two defenders and created a yard of space. But Southend were not being over-ran and just before the half-hour mark they took the lead in sensational circumstances. Jones fouled Jamal Campbell-Ryce 30 yards out and Eastwood stepped up to curl a wonderful free-kick around the wall and into the top corner past Tomasz Kuszczak. The screamer sparked wild scenes of jubilation, but United nearly levelled immediately as Jones' fierce left-foot drive slammed against the inside of the post. United poured forward and Ronaldo hit a cracker from 30 yards that Flahavan somehow tipped one-handed over the crossbar, a magnificent save from the 27-year-old. He needed to be alert straight after the break as well as Ronaldo tried his luck from 25 yards, this time Flahavan parrying away a shot straight down his throat. It was becoming something of a duel and Ronaldo was denied again on the hour mark, a 25-yard free-kick forcing another remarkable save as the ball screamed towards the top corner. Soon after it was Rooney's turn, his cross-shot from the right hurriedly turned over by Flahavan as it looped goalwards. Gabriel Heinze then got in on the act, the Argentine's sweet left-foot drive flying inches wide of Flahavan's left-hand post with the keeper - for once - beaten. Eastwood remained a menace as Southend threatened on the break, but his wonder goal proved enough to send Southend into the last eight and end United's hold on the trophy.

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Blackburn 0-1 Man Utd
Manchester United maintained their three-point advantage at the Premiership summit with a hugely impressive victory at Blackburn. Louis Saha turned in the 64th minute winner after Ryan Giggs had brilliantly retrieved John O'Shea's cross. Wayne Rooney should have put United out of sight in the first half, missing two glorious chances to score. But Blackburn were barely seen as an attacking force, and United's victory margin should have been more emphatic. Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, predictably, were United's main source of danger in a first 45 minutes they dominated completely. And Rooney was guilty of missing three glorious opportunities to score the goal United's slick approach play deserved. He escaped the attentions of Blackburn's defenders after 20 minutes, but hit the outside of a post from a tight angle. Rooney was then left holding his head in disbelief 12 minutes later when he somehow failed to apply the final touch to a perfect Ronaldo cross with the goal at his mercy. He was also off target four minutes before the interval after Blackburn keeper Brad Friedel could only push out Saha's shot from 20 yards. Frustration got the better of Rooney on the stroke of half-time when he was booked for dissent by referee Mike Riley after he turned down penalty appeals when Saha tumbled under challenge from Brett Emerton. United were forced into a change at half-time, with the injured Gary Neville being replaced by O'Shea. Blackburn almost took the lead against the run of play after 49 minutes when Zurab Khizanishvili glanced Morten Gamst Pedersen's corner just wide. Rooney was having no joy in front of goal, and he was denied by a point-blank reflex save from Friedel after turning inside the Blackburn penalty box. Blackburn were living a charmed life, and it was no more than United deserved when Saha gave them the lead after 63 minutes. O'Shea's cross was turned in by Giggs at the far post and Saha was perfectly placed to finish the job. United were flowing, but Blackburn were not out of it yet and Edwin van der Sar had to be alert to stop Benni McCarthy getting on the end of David Bentley's cross. And McCarthy almost grabbed an unlikely equaliser three minutes from time when Tugay's misplaced free-kick arrived at his feet, but he shot straight at Van der Sar. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blackburn manager Mark Hughes: \"No complaints about the result, but I thought we put in a good effort and created a problem for them. \"I think United will go very close this year. They have a lot of pace and power in their team and I think they are more dynamic this season. \"They have also got really good movement in forward areas and I think they will go close, but I was pleased with our performance and if we continue to play like that we will win more than we lose this season.\" Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson: \"Our results have proved we have got a chance this year and it is good we have stayed with Chelsea early on. \"They have done fantastic to win the league so early in the last couple of seasons, but we have had a good start. \"I think January will be pivotal and we need to keep the injury situation low-key. \"I was really pleased with the guts we showed here and we worked really hard for the result.\" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blackburn: Friedel, Emerton, Ooijer, Khizanishvili, Neill, Bentley (Peter 79), Mokoena, Kerimoglu, Pedersen, Nonda (Jeffers 84), McCarthy. Subs Not Used: Brown, Henchoz, Gray. Booked: Mokoena, McCarthy, Khizanishvili, Peter. Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville (O'Shea 46), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra (Silvestre 89), Ronaldo (Fletcher 90), Carrick, Scholes, Giggs, Rooney, Saha. Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Brown. Booked: Vidic, Rooney, Evra. Goal: Saha 64. Att: 26,162. Ref: M Riley (W Yorkshire).

Ronaldo shrugs off Ferguson fears
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo insists he is ready to play for Portugal, despite the concerns of his club manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Ronaldo picked up an ankle injury at Blackburn and Ferguson does not want his player unnecessarily risked in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Kazakhstan. But Ronaldo said: \"I am fine. It was just a small knock. I think one day or two will be enough to be back to 100%. \"The only thing I can say is that on Wednesday I will be fine for playing.\" Ferguson had earlier said: \"It's against Kazakhstan so you would have thought Portugal could handle that without Ronaldo. \"If he has got one of these injuries that is 50-50 I hope he doesn't play.\" Meanwhile, Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has tipped Ronaldo to become a future captain of the national side. \"We are currently working on a leadership that will be important for the future of the national team with Ronaldo,\" said Scolari. \"I would like him to become one of the captains of the national team. He has charisma, he is young but he is learning very fast how to overcome some problems within a team.\"

Rooney quizzed over club 'brawl'
England football star Wayne Rooney will be questioned by police investigating reports of a fight outside a nightclub. The 21-year-old Manchester United striker will be interviewed by police over claims that a photographer was assaulted outside a club on 15 October. Rooney has not been arrested and the man did not need medical treatment after the alleged incident outside the Panacea nightclub in Manchester. Greater Manchester Police said inquiries were continuing. A spokesman said: \"An appointment will be made for a 21-year-old man to attend a Greater Manchester Police station to be questioned in connection with an incident on John Dalton Street on Sunday October 15.\" He added: \"Shortly after 5.05am on October 15, police received a report that a man had been assaulted on John Dalton Street in Manchester city centre.\" Manchester United beat Wigan away the day before. Rooney played in the match, but did not score.

Derby set to make Man Utd signing
Derby County hope to conclude the signing of Manchester United midfielder David Jones on Wednesday. A deal has been agreed that Jones, 23, will initially move on loan to Pride Park with a £1m-plus transfer becoming permanent in the January. Jones played for Rams boss Billy Davies in a loan spell at Preston last season. Personal terms have yet to be settled but Davies hopes they can be sorted so Jones can join training on Friday and play against Luton on Saturday.

Tax issue to halt Hargreaves sale
Bayern Munich claim Germany's tax laws make it impractical to sell Owen Hargreaves to Manchester United. Chairman of the executive board Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insisted Bayern will again rebuff any United overtures for the England midfielder in January. Rummenigge said: \"We thought about what to do if we got a good offer, but only the finance minister would be happy. \"Even if we got 30m euros we can only get the tax back on contracts, so we will not sell Hargreaves.\" Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has made a long and persistent pursuit of the England international to the point where Bayern considered asking Fifa to intervene. Hargreaves, 25, is recovering from a broken leg, but is thought to be keen on a move to the Premiership. Bayern were powerless to prevent Michael Ballack joining Chelsea last summer when his contract expired, and they are determined to cling on to Hargreaves. But Rummenigge insisted it is not in Bayern's financial interest to sell Hargreaves. The former West German international said: \"Thirty millions euros over four years is 7.5m euros each year and that means we have 22.5m euros the first year and we have to pay tax on that. \"So Hargreaves will not be going.\"

Neville may require calf surgery
Manchester United skipper Gary Neville may need surgery to cure his calf problem, says boss Sir Alex Ferguson. Neville, 31, is expected to play against Celtic in Tuesday's Champions League match, but Ferguson is concerned about his future. Ferguson said: \"The injury has been a concern. If it happens again we will have to take a long-term view and do something about it. \"If it keeps going on and on and on, we might lose him for a long period.\" Ferguson revealed that he is unsure what exactly is causing the problem. He added: \"Had it just been one calf, we would be saying to ourselves 'give it time'. \"But because Gary is getting it in the left one as well, it suggests it is something different.\" Fluid which had been developing in Neville's right leg has now started to appear in his left, prompting Neville's half-time substitution at Blackburn a fortnight ago. He then missed England's friendly draw in Holland last week before returning to the United starting line-up for Saturday's win at Sheffield United. Although both Wes Brown and John O'Shea are capable of filling the right-back berth, Ferguson is keeping his fingers crossed the problem will rectify itself. \"Gary is our captain,\" he said. \"He has the experience and we want him in our team all the time.\"

Man Utd v Man City
Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra is a major doubt after picking up a calf injury. Evra was only able to do some light jogging on Friday and will be replaced by Gabriel Heinze if not fit. Manchester City midfielder Dietmar Hamann could be promoted from the bench depending on which formation manager Stuart Pearce employs. Utility player Sun Jihai (hamstring) and winger Trevor Sinclair (knee) are both missing with long-term knocks. Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre, O'Shea, Evra, Heinze, Ronaldo, Scholes, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Richardson, Rooney, Solskjaer, Saha. Man City (from): Weaver, Hart, Isaksson, Onuoha, Richards, Dunne, Distin, M Mills, Thatcher, Jordan, Trabelsi, Reyna, Barton, Hamann, Ireland, Vassell, Corradi, Dickov, Samaras. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manchester United captain Gary Neville: \"If we win to go nine points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table it would be a great boost for us. \"We have got a squad which I believe is ready to do something. We're determined and happy with the way we are playing. \"We are playing with such attacking penetration and speed that one thing we are confident of doing is creating chances. We just have to take them.\" Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce: \"It's our local derby, we're looking forward to the game and our tails are up a little bit. \"I honestly believe that the club's going forward. We've got a good squad of players here. \"You can never got to Old Trafford and be complacent because they are too good a side. But we have to go there and impose ourselves on them.\"

Ferguson predicts Giggs will star
Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has tipped Ryan Giggs to have a big impact in the derby with Manchester City - and for a long time to come. Ferguson said: \"I can always sense when Ryan is coming to the boil. When he gets into those pockets of form we know he is capable of, he is devastating.\" And Ferguson feels Giggs can go on to challenge Sir Bobby Charlton's all-time appearance record for United. \"Ryan is 71 games behind, it is a realistic target,\" added Ferguson. As for the present, Ferguson is delighted with the form of his Premiership leaders going into the match against their neighbours. He said: \"The football we have been playing recently is as good as anything that we have seen over the past few years. \"To win the league playing like that must be a great motivation for them all.\" However, opposing number Stuart Pearce remains optimistic that his team can knock Ferguson's men out of their stride and give City fans a boost. He said: \"It would be nice to give our fans something else to celebrate. \"I know exactly how much they would love it if we could win tomorrow. \"In the past there has been a lot of talk about United's big games nowadays being against Liverpool and Chelsea. \"But I am sure some of their fans live in this city too and they won't want to go into work knowing our supporters are the ones who have the bragging rights.\" But Pearce is also aware that he sends his team out to face a side who are at the top of their game. \"At the start of the season I would have said Arsenal were the best passing team in the league,\" he added. \"At the moment, it is United.\"

Ronaldo is handed November award
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the Premiership's player of the month for November. The Portugal winger, 21, helped the Red Devils remain unbeaten in the league during the month as they maintained their place at the top of the table. He also scored twice in that time, with a free-kick in the 3-0 win over Portsmouth and a long-range effort in the 3-0 success against Everton. It is the first time that Ronaldo has won the award.

Van der Sar extends Man Utd deal
Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has signed a new contract at Manchester United. Van der Sar moved to Old Trafford 18 months ago and boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes the 36-year-old Dutchman could keep playing for another two seasons. Ferguson said: \"Edwin's fit, he's lean, he's hungry and he can play for another two years, easy. \"It all depends on what what he wants. Our approach with players in their 30s is to give them one-year contracts and we've given him another one-year deal.\" Van der Sar has impressed Ferguson since his move from Fulham and is the undisputed first-choice at the club, who have loaned Tim Howard out to Everton this season. \"Edwin's probably got a new lease of life coming to United,\" Ferguson added. \"He did well at Fulham having previously been with Juventus and Ajax, but coming to us has given him an extra spur that a lot of goalkeepers get at that age. \"He is good in the dressing room, too. \"He's not a terribly demonstrative person - he's not like Peter Schmeichel for instance - but what he says has an authority about it because he has been there and that experience and personality is helping.\"

Man Utd gain work permit for Dong
Manchester United have secured a work permit for Dong Fangzhou, ending a three-year wait to bring the China international striker to England. The 21-year-old, who signed from Dalian Shide for £3.5m in January 2004, will head to England next month. Since signing for United Dong has been on loan at Belgian feeder club Royal Antwerp, during which time he has won seven caps for the China national side. \"The boy has a big chance,\" United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told MUTV. Dong has made a few appearances for United on a couple of pre-season tours The striker will be one of seven loan players to return to Old Trafford in January. Lee Martin and Phil Bardsley will come back from Rangers, along with Chris Eagles (NEC Nijmegen) and Giuseppe Rossi (Newcastle), plus Jonny Evans and Danny Simpson, who have been playing with Dong at Antwerp. And on Saturday Ferguson will welcome new arrival Henrik Larsson ahead of a week's training before the Swedish striker begins his 10-week loan spell at Old Trafford next month.

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