Rio Ferdinand is satisfied with Tour Workout

Rio Ferdinand reflected on a tiring but beneficial tour after the Reds' two-week trip to Asia and Germany ended with defeat in the Audi Cup final.

United lost on penalties to Bayern Munich after a goalless draw in the Allianz Arena, but enjoyed the physical benefits of the most competitive pre-season game so far.

"We're disappointed not to win the game, but the most important thing was for us to get a good run-out," said Ferdinand

"The games in Asia were fairly straightforward, but it was still good to get our feet on the ball and get used to being a team again.

"The standard improved against Boca Juniors and again against Bayern, which made for a good trip physically."

Rio admitted the Reds were now looking forward to the couple of days off promised by Sir Alex Ferguson, before the squad step up training at Carrington on Monday.

"It’s been a long two weeks but we've enjoyed being around each other, training and working hard. Now we’re pleased to get home to see our families," he added.

Source: Red View.

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Owen Hargreaves could comeback in two months

Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves may have to be put his comeback from injury on hold.

The 28-year-old has had operations on both knees in the past year in a bid to cure tendinitis and there were hopes he would be back at the end of September.

But Hargreaves, whose last game was in September 2008, is out of the Audi Cup in Munich, which raises new concerns.

"We had hoped he would be joining us but he is still in rehabilitation," said United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

"He has had major operations on both knees and we are not rushing that."

Hargreaves is currently in the United States being treated by renowned knee surgeon Dr Richard Steadman.

The England international will be desperate to reignite his United career, having only started 25 times for his club since a £17m move from Bayern Munich in July 2007.

It has been a frustrating spell at Old Trafford for the Canadian-born midfielder, who last played for United in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on 21 September 2008.

Hargreaves had surgery on his right knee last November and on his left knee in January, with the procedures carried out under the guidance of Steadman.

The leading surgeon has previously operated on former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, new United signing Michael Owen and ex-Red Devils forward Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is now at Real Madrid.

Hargreaves' rehabilitation has had to be a long and delicate process, with BBC Sport revealing in June that he could be forced to quit top-level football in the next two years if the chronic knee problem were to persist.

His condition, patellar tendinitis, can be described as inflammation of the tendon that attaches the quadriceps (thigh muscle) to the tibia (shin bone).

Hargreaves may not have joined the United squad in Germany but centre-half Nemanja Vidic and summer signing Antonio Valencia have travelled to Munich.

Vidic appears to have recovered from an ankle injury he picked up playing for Serbia in June, while winger Valencia - seen as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has joined Real Madrid - needed to go back to Ecuador to gain a UK visa following his move from Wigan.

Ferguson also revealed that winger Gabriel Obertan would miss the first three months of the season with an injury that was already known about when he signed from Bordeaux.

Source: BBC Sports.

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Sir Alex thinks Valencia will shine this season

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes new signing Antonio Valencia will have a big influence on his side next season.

The Ecuador winger, 23, who signed from Wigan for about £16m this summer, scored on his debut in United's 2-1 win against Boca Juniors in a friendly.

"I think he'll figure in many games," said the United manager.

"He is a good athlete, has good power and running ability, as we saw with the way he created a good goal."

Source: BBC Sports.

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Sir Alex Ferguson says Real Madrid is unlikely to threaten in Europe

Big guns: AC Milan coach Leonardo, Luis van Gaal of Bayern Munich,

and Alfio Basile of Boca Juniors pose with Sir Alex Ferguson in Germany

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has joined forces with two of European football's superpowers to cast doubt on Real Madrid's prospects of securing success in return for their huge summer spending.

Ferguson, in Munich preparing for United's Audi Cup opener against Boca Juniors in the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, will hand £18 million summer-signing Antonio Valencia his club debut against the Argentines.

Valencia has been United's most expensive summer recruit following the £80 million sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Madrid last month. The Spanish club have also invested a further £92 million in Kaka and Karim Benzema.

With Real president Florentino Perez signalling a newgalacticos era at the Bernabeu, however, Ferguson, supported by Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal and AC Milan coach Leonardo, claims that Madrid will require more than star names to conquer Europe.

"There is a great example of a team not buying success," said Ferguson.

Sunderland spent so much money in the Fifties that they became known as the Bank of England club, but they didn't win anything and, in the end, they got themselves relegated.

"I'm not saying Real Madrid will get relegated, but they will have plenty of problems with balance. I do not know how coach Manuel Pellegrini plans to pick his side because it has no balance.

"I told Ronaldo before he flew out that he will end up playing centre-half because I don't think they have one!"

Milan, who will play Bayern following the United-Boca clash, sold Kaka to Real for £55 million, but newly-appointed coach Leonardo believes Madrid's policy is flawed.

"It will not be easy for Real and they have not succeeded in the past. They had their experiment with the galacticos, yet at the end of it all, they did not win anything.

"You can buy up good talent and create possibilities, but it is not easy to construct a squad and manage players like Kaka, Ronaldo and Benzema.

"You need more than just money to build a team. You need more than talent, you need spirit and we will have to see if Madrid have this spirit."

Bayern coach Van Gaal said: "My philosophy and belief is that you have to make a team. You just cannot go out and buy one.

"Sometimes you can – Alex Ferguson has done it for 20 years and I believe that I have managed to do it sometimes – but I know it is very, very hard." Having spent the last 10 days at United's Carrington training base while his new team-mates have played a four-game tour of Asia, Valencia will begin his career at the club in the right-sided position vacated by Ronaldo.

The positivity surrounding Valencia's debut has been overshadowed by the failure of Owen Hargreaves to link up with United in Munich.

Hargreaves, 28, had been due to begin light training with the squad in Germany after undergoing double knee surgery during the winter.

But the England midfielder's return to first-team action could be delayed until late autumn with Ferguson admitting that Hargreaves has remained in the US to continue rehabilitation.

Ferguson said: "Owen hasn't joined us in Munich because he is still in the United States.

"We hoped that he would be here with us, but he had two major operations and there is no point rushing him.

"He is still young and he has plenty of time on his side, so he won't be rushed."

Source: telegraph.co.uk

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Red's interview with Zoran Tosic

"I’m trying to do my best in every training session and every game. I hope I’ll get a chance. I’m not thinking about how many games I want to play – I just want to train hard and take my opportunities."

How have you enjoyed your time at Manchester United so far?

Well, I’m very happy to play for this club and I’m trying to do my best every day. I hope that in the next few games [during pre-season] I’ll get my chance and when I do I’ll try to play the best I can.

We’ve seen you play a lot in the Reserves. How has that been for you?
For me it’s important to play games. In the last six months I haven’t played for the first team so much. If I’m only training then that’s not good – you have to play. I’m happy to play a few games for the Reserves because it helps me keep in good condition and means I’m ready if I get a chance in the first team.

How does the game in England compare to that back in Serbia?
It’s a very different kind of football and I was very nervous during my first few matches here. You have to be strong and very well prepared for every game. Everything’s different but I’m used to it now. It’s normal for me. I think it’s the best league in the world, but also the hardest.

What have you had to do in order to adapt to playing in England?
I have to do more on the physical side. In a game you have so many challenges – you need to be very strong at all times. I’m working in the gym a lot and I’m improving so I hope I’m ready when the season starts. I’d like to play more.

Who’s been the biggest help since you arrived at the club?
Of course, Vida [Nemanja Vidic] has helped me the most. I know him from the national team. He’s told me a lot about the club, the way we like to play and what to do both on and off the pitch. He’s with me all the time and helping me a lot. But not only him – all the players have been very good to me.

What’s it been like on those occasions when you've played for the first team?
The day I made my debut was the most important day in my life because I played for the club that I loved since I first started playing football. There were 75,000 people there so it was a very good atmosphere. You can only enjoy that.

What’s it like travelling to the other side of the world and playing in Asia?
This is my first tour but I hope there’ll be more in the next few years. It’s very hot so the games are tough. We have to train very hard and it’s difficult in this weather. But I think it will help us for when we get back to England – it will help us prepare for the new season.

What are your aims for the upcoming campaign?
I’m trying to do my best in every training session and every game. I hope I’ll get a chance and I’ll try to make the most of that chance. I’m not thinking about how many games I want to play – I just want to train hard and take my opportunities.

From watching you in the Reserves we know you’re very quick and you have lots of tricks in your locker. What do you most enjoy about your game?
Playing for the first team is different to the Reserves. In the Reserves you have more space and you can play free football. In the first team it’s quicker and stronger – there’s not so much space to do tricks. Instead you have to play the ball quickly. I just want to do my best to do well for the team. Then after that, maybe I’ll try some tricks!

We've heard you can take a good free-kick. If you get a chance in the first team will you put your hand up to take them now Ronaldo’s gone?
Of course I will… if they let me! I’m practising every day on the training ground and I’m doing well.

What have you made of Michael Owen?
I’ve been watching Michael since I was a kid and I remember the goal he scored for England against Argentina 10 years ago. I’m very happy to be playing with him and the rest of the team. I’m happy for him because he scored on his debut and I hope that I’m going to score soon.

Source: manutd.com

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Friendly: Malaysia 0 - 2 United

Two matches, two goals. If beginnings are vital in sport, then Michael Owen has begun his Manchester United career almost perfectly. The only difference between his first and second goals was that there were around 60,000 fewer watching. The sudden rearrangement of this fixture, following the cancellation of the Indonesian leg of the tour, meant there had been only two days to sell tickets and for once in Asia, Manchester United played to banks of empty seats. The airless humidity that has accompanied them in Malaysia was the same and the relentless drumming from the stands would also have been familiar.

The game began much as it had at the weekend, with United going two goals up, but this time the Malaysians did not claw their way back. Both goals were somehow typical of their scorers. Federico Macheda's opener was a muscular effort, after he seized on a return ball from Darren Fletcher. Owen, as so often in his pomp, benefited from being in the right place at the right time as Malaysia made two feeble efforts to clear their lines from a cross by Zoran Tosic.

"It was a typical Michael Owen goal – first to react in the penalty box – and when he struck the post, that, too, was absolutely typical, beating the defender to the near post," said his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. "I was pleased with his overall contribution on a difficult pitch. It was warm just watching it and these are very difficult conditions for Manchester United. But it was a much better performance than on Saturday and I'm looking forward to getting to Korea where the standard is higher."

Wayne Rooney's introduction in the second half lifted the tempo of a contest that was beginning to fall well below the lethargic and there was even a flash of temper when he flattened the midfielder Amar Rohidan. Even the fanatically loyal Malaysian crowd thought this was worthy of some kind of punishment. On another day and when points were at stake, Rooney would have risked dismissal but this foul warranted only a gentle talking-to from the referee.

"It was a momentary explosion of anger," Ferguson, said. "He was annoyed because he'd just had a bang on the ear and that's had to be stitched." At least Rooney looked enthused by the evening, although repeated attempts to find the net finished in the side-netting and on the athletics track the frustration began to mount. Dimitar Berbatov, the only striker yet to find the net on tour, looked lethargic by contrast. But that would be true whether it was Malaysia in July or Middlesbrough in January.

Source: Guardian.co.uk

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Alex said He won't do more transfers this summer.

United have brought in Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia and Bordeaux's Gabriel Obertan to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.

Alex Ferguson said "It's the end of our business," about the possibility on bringing a new player.

But Sir Alex feels that the market is over-inflated and he doesn't want to pay over the odds for players.

"There are some amazing numbers being talked about, not all of them realistic. It is very difficult to get some value now. For example, Real Madrid have spent in excess of 170m pounds for Kaká, Benzema from Lyon and Ronaldo,"added Ferguson.

The Scot thinks United have a good squad, which meant there was no need for knee-jerk reactions.

Michael Owen will be wearing the number seven shirt - after this was vacated by Ronaldo.

Owen is confident that he can still do a good job in a top team like Manchester United, he is hunger of succeed.

"There is no questions that he (Owen) will score a lot of goals for us and he has been great for years and years," said Alex Ferguson.

Carlos Tevez has joined to local rivals Manchester City for several months.

Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Madrid next season and Alex Ferguson said that he has a good relationship with the Portuguese's star.

"He was a fantastic player for us, a good lad and gave us no problems, We wish him the best of luck in Spain," said The Scot.

Source: BBC Sports.

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Michael Owen signs for United

Manchester United is delighted to announce that it has signed Michael Owen on a two-year contract. The striker was out of contract so no transfer fee is involved.

Sir Alex said: "Michael is a world class forward with a proven goalscoring record at highest level and that has never been in question. Coming to United with the expectations that we have is something that Michael will relish."

Owen said: "I had just begun to talk to other clubs when out of the blue. Sir Alex phoned me on Wednesday afternoon, invited me to have breakfast with him the next morning during which he told me that he wanted to signed me. I agreed without a moment's thought."

"This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I look forward to being a Manchester United player and I am fortunate that I already know so many of the players here. I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me and I give him my assurance that I will repay him with my goals and performances," added Owen.

Owen Facfile:

DOB: 14 December 1979.

Formers clubs: Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United.

Club records: 322 apps, 157 goals.

International records: England, 89 caps, 40 goals.

Honours:

UEFA Cup 2001, UEFA Super Cup 2001, FA Cup 2001, League Cup 2001 & 2003,

European footballer of the year 2001.

Now, I want to say that Michael Owen will be a hope for United, after the exit for Ronaldo & Tevez. Owen was a great player on 2001. Will be a great player on 2010? Will he score much goals for United? Have your say!

Written by Paul Grippo.

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Source: manutd.com