Reborn Rio will be better than ever
Rio Ferdinand lived a " dog´s life" for eight months but came out of it a better man than ever before. Banned from the game and forced to watch Manchester United lose their Premiership crown and England´s Euro 2004 glory bid from the sidelines, Ferdinand might have gone the wrong way. " He surprised everybody. He certainly surprised me," said Neville. " I never expected that anybody could show the professionalism he did, to come into training every day and keep that focus despite not having that game on Saturday to play in. Yet he trained every day, gave his all every time. He came in every day and did everything right, as if he was going to be playing on Saturday. He gained a lot of respect for that. He wanted to show the man he is and to come back stronger."
Martin Lipton, Daily Mirror
I´m on your side
Rio Ferdinand is never a prouder man than when he represents his country. Now Manchester United’s star defender is back for the World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Azerbaijan. And the support of Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson and England coach Sven Goran Eriksson was vital in helping him get through the ordeal. Ferdinand, 25, said: “Both managers were superb for me. Alex gave me all the help he could. And Mr Eriksson could not have been more supportive, either. He was in a very difficult position but he never worried about that. He rang me many times and said he was on my side. He could have sat on the fence and washed his hands of the situation - but he didn’t. It is things like that which show why the players are so loyal to him."
Shaun Custis, The Sun
Ferd degree on Hartson
John Hartson may have a reputation as a tough guy but the striker admits he used to take a training ground bashing from Rio Ferdinand. Wales hitman Hartson was playing for West Ham when the likes of Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole were coming through the ranks. Celtic star Hartson, 30, revealed: “Rio used to rough me up on the West Ham training ground! He was like he is now when he was 15 or 16. He has everything a world-class centre-half needs. I’ll go into the game as I do with other games. Rio will know all about me and I reckon it will be physical but I’ll meet fire with fire. It’s a challenge I thrive on, playing against the best."
Janine Self, The Sun
Gary: My pal Giggs will be a real test
Gary Neville last night claimed that Ryan Giggs will be in esteemed company if he gets the better of him in Saturday´s World Cup qualifier. " If you´re playing against Ryan you have to be on the absolute top of your game," said Neville. " You hope that during the game we will have a lot of the ball which means he´ll have to spend time in his defensive position. But there will be occasions where he gets the ball and, at that point, you have to defend in the best way you know how." Neville concedes that only two wingers have had the better of him in the past but is aware that Giggs has the ability to become his third conqueror. He recalled: " When Alessandro Del Piero played for Juventus on the left side, I could never get near him. Zinedine Zidane in the quarter-final against Real Madrid a couple of years ago was another one."
Martin Lipton, Daily Mirror
Roo´s the new Pele
Wayne Rooney was last night hailed as the " English Pele´´ by the man who captained the greatest player ever in the 1970 World Cup. Carlos Alberto said: " There have been other fantastic players since Pele but you have to say Rooney is extra special and he has a brilliant future. You do not have to be Brazilian to play like that. There is no such thing as an English style or a Brazilian style when you have the best players in the world. I like players who touch the ball and who try to score goals. I saw Rooney during Euro 2004 and he did that. I love watching Manchester United because of their style and now they have added another tremendous player in Rooney. There is so much skill in his game and he is an astonishing talent."
Martin Rogers, Daily Mirror
Roo was begged to sign
Wayne Rooney last night revealed that his England team-mates begged him to join their clubs while he was at Euro 2004. " A few of the England lads had been saying I should join their club but I´d made my mind up I wanted to play for United," said Rooney. " I told David Moyes and the chairman when I got back from holiday. It was the toughest decision I´ve ever had to make in my life." Ironically, last season he was targeted by United fans who chanted " Fat boy, what´s the score?" when he was with Everton. " I remember the stick, but it was the same at most grounds," added Rooney. " I laugh at it. It´s the fans being fans. I would do the same if I was in the crowd."
Sports staff, Daily Mirror
Saha eyeing United return
Louis Saha launches his second comeback in an injury-hit season tonight. Saha is scheduled to play for the reserves against Birmingham a month afer aggravating a medial ligament injury. If the £12.8million former Fulham striker comes through without any problems he will join Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and Alan Smith in giving Sir Alex Ferguson a fully-fit £66m quartet of star forwards for the first time in the Premiership clash at Birmingham in nine days. Ferguson may be tempted to use all four at the same time, saying: " If we go 1-0 down in an important match the four of them could be on - but not before half-time!"
Richard Tanner, Daily Express
Glazer ´to keep United board´ after takeover
American tycoon Malcolm Glazer will keep the current Manchester United board and coaching staff in place if he is successful with his plans to buy the Premiership club. Sources close to Glazer have revealed that the 76-year-old owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would entrust the club to his son Joel, who would assume a senior position on the board.
Sports staff, Daily Mail
Glazer spur is a family affair
Behind the Glazer family´s interest in Manchester United lies a shocking secret...a fondness for Tottenham Hotspur. While Malcolm Glazer´s desire to take over the Old Trafford giants may be all about bulking up his billionaire status, his eyes were first turned across the Atlantic by his son Joel. " Joel gained his fascination with soccer, as they call it in the States, when he roomed at college with a Spurs fan," a source close to the family told me yesterday.
Harry Harris, Daily Express
We´re still No.1
Patrick Vieira has told Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson: We’re still No 1. The Arsenal skipper insists the Gunners are England’s best team despite Wayne Rooney’s sensational arrival at Old Trafford. He admitted: “It will be a really difficult season for every team. I think this year Chelsea will be there until the end because they’ve got quite a strong squad of 20 players and, of course, Manchester United will be there as well. They know how to win the Premiership. I think teams like Newcastle and Middlesbrough can surprise a lot of people but I think we are still the best team in the country.”
Charlie Wyett, The Sun
The extracts on this page are taken from selected national newspapers. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Manchester United PLC.
Certes, on ne domine pas outrageusement en Angleterre ou en C1, mais on est 4es et sur une série correcte de matchs sans défaites. Il y a 9 points d´avance pour Arsenal, mais ils sont dans la meilleur forme de leur histoire, alors je trouve cet écart " raisonnable" voire faible vu le début de saison totalement cauchemardesque de MU ^^