Wayne Rooney to miss the derby

Sir Alex Ferguson is pleased with the strength of his squad, despite injury set-backs for Wayne Rooney and Owen Hargreaves.

Rooney, who signed a five-year contract after an intense few days of speculation at Old Trafford last week, is currently recovering from an ankle injury and has been told to rest. He suffered the injury in training on 18 October, so a three-week absence would have meant he was back in the days leading up to United's visit to Manchester City on Wednesday 10 November, but he has effectively been ruled out of that game now.

"Wayne's away at the moment, so there's no recovery," said the boss. "He did his remedial work before he went away, but thereafter we're happy that he's resting." Asked if the three-weeks prognosis still applied, Sir Alex added: "I think it may be longer."

Nevertheless, the form of Javier Hernandez has been a huge bonus in Rooney’s absence, and Sir Alex feels his squad is looking strong. “The only injuries to report are the ones we know about. Ryan [Giggs] should start training on Monday, I think he’s progressed quite well now. Michael Owen unfortunately picked up a hamstring injury in training. That’s disappointing for him and he’ll be out for four or five weeks. “Owen Hargreaves is still recovering from a long-term injury. I can’t see [him playing in the next few weeks]. He was making very good progress when he first came back, but it seems to have stalled a little bit and he is back with the physios now. But they’re the only injuries we have at the moment and we have quite a strong squad at the moment. We hope it stays that way.”

Source: manutd.com

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Wayne Rooney will be out for 3 weeks

Wayne Rooney was for signing a new five-year deal, but an ankle injury has tempered out and keep him out for three weeks. Rooney has been hampered by serious lesions on one of his legs against Bayern Munich in the last term.

But with his future now seemingly resolved, Sir Alex has confirmed that his talisman will be out until the middle of next month.

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Wayne Rooney intent on leaving United

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney's concerns over the club's squad strength are behind his decision to dramatically seek an Old Trafford exit.

The 24-year-old, whose deal expires in the summer of 2012, revealed he had spoken to chief executive David Gill.

A statement from Rooney read: "He did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad."

The England star added that he was "surprised" by some of United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's comments.

On Tuesday Ferguson admitted he was "shocked" and "disappointed" to hear that the former Everton player intended to leave.

However in a strongly worded statement released only hours before United's Old Trafford Champions League clash against Bursaspor Rooney countered: "I was interested to hear what Sir Alex had to say [Tuesday] and surprised by some of it.

"I have never had anything but complete respect for the club. How could I not have done given its fantastic history and especially the last six years in which I have been lucky to play a part?

"For me it's all about winning trophies - as the club has always done under Sir Alex. Because of that I think the questions I was asking were justified.

"Despite recent difficulties, I know I will always owe Sir Alex Ferguson a huge debt. He is a great manager and mentor who has helped and supported me from the day he signed me from Everton when I was only 18."

Rooney has been linked with a number of clubs, including wealthy local rivals Manchester City, but he insisted that a concern over United's ability to attract the world's top players was at the heart of his decision to seek a move.

Source: BBC Sport

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Rooney's Future In Doubt As Man Utd Drop More Points

Over the weekend many would have thought that the biggest news story surrounding Man Utd would be the 2-2 draw at home to West Brom on Saturday, which saw Man Utd again lose a two goal lead to get their fifth draw of the league season. However the biggest story of the weekend was the news than Wayne Rooney is refusing to sign a new contract with the club and could leave as early as January.

Wayne Rooney has been in the newspapers for all the wrong reasons over the past couple of months with his form appearing to suffer for it. His performances in Man Utd shirts have been a shadow of what we have come to expect. The club have left him out of important matches appearing to want to protect the player but it appears as if there has been more to it with rumours that Rooneys relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson has deteriorated, possibly beyond repair.

The stories surrounding Rooneys refusal to sign a new contract are varied with some stating that the club simple won't meet his wage demands with others seeming to point directly to his relationship with his manager.

Unsurprisingly there will be a number of clubs interested in signing Rooney with Chelsea, Man City, Barcelona and Real Madrid all clubs linked with possible moves. Man City are thought to be the early favourites being able to meet the transfer fee and salary demands. Whether he will be seen in the new Man Utd shirt next season remains to be seen.

The speculation surrounding Rooney is the last thing Man Utd need. The club are not too far behind in the league at the moment but need to start wining games if they are to realistically compete for the title this season and with their top striker possibly looking towards the exit door it doesn't exactly inspire the other players in the team who looked to Rooney last year to drive the team forward.

There are sure to be a number of developments over the coming weeks with this story but if it proves to be true, and Rooney is heading for the exit door, then this will intensify the need for Man Utd to invest considerably in their squad. Man Utd already look weak in some positions and depend on players that are coming to the end of their careers. These players need to be replaced with top quality players and if Rooney goes, potentially relatively cheaply, it will be near on impossible to replace everyone with players of a similar standard.

Written by Colin Hill, a sports writer who blogs about football shirts.

Sir Alex wary of West Brom Albion

Sir Alex Ferguson says United must be on top form to avoid an upset against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford.

The boss has warned his players not to underestimate Roberto Di Matteo's men, following their strong start to life back in the top flight.

“I think they had a bad game losing 6-0 to Chelsea right away but since then their form has been very good,” said Sir Alex.

“They have drawn with Sunderland at home, beaten Birmingham in the local derby and then they went to Arsenal and won 3-2. 

“That is good form and they’re playing attractive football so we expect a tough game. We have got to recognise their performance at the Emirates, three goals against Arsenal tells you something. We just need to make sure we perform properly.”

Although away wins in the league are still proving elusive, United have maximum points at Old Trafford. The Reds are also unbeaten anywhere this season, and have only once come close to losing in the manager's view.

“It’s only the Sunderland game where I feel we were probably a little bit lucky to get a point," admitted Sir Alex. "Sunderland played very well and I think we had a bit of an off day, but that can happen in the context of going through a season. We know our position at the moment [five points behind Chelsea], we just have to get on with it."

Owen Hargreaves wait continues

Owen Hargreaves will not line up against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday, contrary to reports in the media earlier this week. Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson revealed the midfielder has picked up a calf injury and is not available for selection.

“Owen’s not ready. He’s injured,” Sir Alex said. “He got a calf injury and has missed training for the last few days.”

The news contradicts reports from across the Atlantic that suggested Hargreaves was set to make his first senior start since September 2008. Dr Richard Steadman, who has overseen part of Hargreaves’ rehabilitation, was quoted this week as saying: “Owen should play some part on Saturday.”

But Sir Alex insists the statement is “not accurate”.

“I pick the team and I have been doing that for a while,” he said. “We’re having some difficulties with the doctor [Steadman] in Colorado. It’s not fair to the player, to the fans and to ourselves to say the player is going to be playing. It’s ridiculous.

“It’s a small interference that has caused a bit of confusion. Owen’s not available for West Brom.”

One player who could take to the pitch is Ryan Giggs. The Welshman missed United’s games against Valencia and Sunderland after picking up a hamstring injury in the Reds’ draw at Bolton in late September, but Sir Alex says he’s now ready to re-enter the fray.

“Giggsy’s been out for a couple of weeks but he’s fit again.”

Source: Red View & manutd.com

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Striker Crisis Threatens To Derail United Bid

They say confidence is everything in football - never has that been truer than in the case of Wayne Rooney. A player who at one point last season was unstoppable, turned in another abject performance last night during England's dismal 0-0 draw with Montenegro, leaving Sir Alex Ferguson with a major dilemma ahead of Saturday's crucial Premier League match with West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford.

Rooney's recent performances for England have been dreadful and his performances in a Man Utd shirt haven't been much better. It represents a major decision for the United boss just what to do with his star player. Rooney clearly isn't operating at full fitness and his mental state cannot be much better in the wake of recent press allegations regarding his personal life.

In an ideal world, I believe Ferguson would like to take Rooney out the splotlight for an extended period, allowing him to regain his fitness and passion for football. The problem he has though is that by the time Rooney comes back, United's title bid could be all but over. Already five points behind Chelsea, United have no margin for error and finding the right combination up front in Rooney's absence has proved problematic.

Dimitar Berbatov is a certain starter and has been in fine form this season but the reality is, goalscoring is not his game and while he will chip in, he cannot be expected to score the goals necessary for a title winning team. Javier Hernandez has shown glimpses of real talent and has scored some great goals, but he is still young and learning and for every good game he has played so far he has also played one bad one.

Similarly, Kiko Macheda is in need of a regular run of games to find the form and consistency required to play in a team like Manchester United, but can United risk giving him this time when they are already behind Chelsea? A few weeks ago, it had looked like Michael Owen could be the man to solve the crisis, after he followed up a double at Scunthorpe with the equaliser at Bolton. There were even calls for him to be added to the England Euro 2012 qualifiying squad, but when handed his first start he was promptly hooked at half time.

All this points to the importance of Wayne Rooney to United and the likelihood that he will start against West Brom on Saturday. Whether or not he can recapture his form his open to debate and I would lean to the thinking that it could be some time before he does, but the facts are Manchester United will not win the Premiership title this season without Wayne Rooney, so Ferguson will just have to hope his man can rediscover his magic touch - and quickly!

Written by Colin Hill, a sports blogger who writes about new football kits.

Can Man Utd Afford To Replace Club Legends?

It is fair to say that Man Utd have not had the greatest start to the season and that the teams looks considerably weakened without a fit Wayne Rooney. Rooney has struggled to regain the form he showed prior to his injury earlier this year, which has meant that the team has needed inspiration from other parts of the team.

Baerbatov has had a fantastic start to the season for Man Utd both scoring and creating, however he is not able to have the same impact that Rooney. He is not the same type of player as Rooney and he doesn’t have himself as a strike partner like Rooney had last year. How United must hope Rooney can use next weeks Euro 2012 qualifier for England to help him regain his best form.

News leaked out this week that Edwin Van der Sar looks set to retire at the end of the season, this hasn’t been much of a surprise with Man Utd continually being linked with goalkeepers throughout Europe, but it has opened up a debate on whether Man Utd can actually afford to replace players they will be losing in the near future.

Van der Sar has been a great servant for the club but the two main players that Man Utd will lose within the next couple of seasons are Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Despite the huge array of top talent that has circulated through Old Trafford in recent years, these two have always been among the best selling names on the back of man utd shirts. The starting line-up is considerably weakened without them and the youngsters tipped to replace them, like Anderson and Nani, simply don’t appear to be good enough.

Even with Man Utd selling Cristiano Ronaldo for £80 million two seasons ago the club still haven’t been able to spend huge sums of money on a top quality replacement and with three of their starting line-up set to retire within the next couple of seasons Man Utd look in desperate need of a cash injection into the squad.

However, the club just posted an £80 million loss without a huge investment in the squad so where is the money coming from to buy players? Also with Fifa looking to introduce more restrictions on footballing finances even more problems could be on the way for Man Utd.

The club don’t need to hit the panic button quite yet, yes they are currently 5 points off the top of the table at the moment but only 7games have been played and there is a long way to go. They will however need to look soon at how to replace their top players, which even with an unlimited budget it would be hard to do, but with clubs like Man City spending big can Man Utd afford not to spend the money to replace Scholes, Giggs and Van der Sar and risk not being the top team in Manchester?

Written by Colin Hill, a sports writer who blogs about new football kits.