Pogba to face Palace?

"We've won two Carling Cup finals with young players, which is good going. It's become an important tournament for us in terms of getting the youngsters an introduction into winning and having an understanding of the progress they're making."

- Sir Alex Ferguson

27/11/2011 10:07, Report by Adam Marshall

Sir Alex Ferguson has dropped some hints as to his likely team selection in Wednesday's Carling Cup quarter-final with Crystal Palace.

The boss will again rely heavily on youth, as he has in the previous rounds against Leeds United and Aldershot Town, and has suggested that Paul Pogba could be handed his first senior start for the Reds. The Frenchman came on as a substitute at Elland Road and the EBB Stadium but is now in the running for a place in the initial eleven, alongwith fellow FA Youth Cup winner Ravel Morrison.

"There will be complete change," revealed Sir Alex. "Just the same as we had at Leeds and Aldershot. Ravel Morrison was in the squad for Wednesday's game [against Benfica]. He's a very, very talented boy, of course, and he'll possibly be on the bench, at least, in midweek. But I've got other players needing a game like Mame Biram Diouf and Federico Macheda.

"All the younger players [will come in] - Zeki Fryers, the two Da Silvas [Rafael and Fabio] are possibles. Chris Smalling has come back and I may be able to play him on Wednesday. He's still young and it'll be a young squad against Palace. The only area where I've got problems is centre midfield. It's possible I could play Pogba in there but we'll wait and see. I've got enough players to choose from, that's for sure."

"I think the League Cup has turned into quite a good tournament," added the manager. "Clubs like United are able to introduce young players and ones who have not been playing regularly in the first team and it's been good to us over the years.

"We've won two finals at Wembley with young players, which is good going, and I think it's become an important tournament for us in terms of getting the youngsters an introduction into winning and having an understanding of the progress they're making."

Sir Alex has a well-established system in place in terms of how to develop the youngsters coming through the ranks at Old Trafford.

"The reserves' league is more of an extended youth league but we rectify that by putting players on loan," he explained. "We've got quite a lot of players on loan this year, as we have every year, most of the 19 and 20-year-olds.

"The nucleus of the youth team last year have all had first-team experience this season. They've all been involved in the League Cup and travelled to European games with us. One of that youth team is out on loan in the Championship [Ryan Tunnicliffe at Peterborough] and it's valuable experience for the younger ones."

Sir Alex Ferguson was speaking to journalists from the national Sunday newspapers.

source : Manutd

Vidic: No need to worry

26/11/2011 09:17, Report by Adam Marshall

Nemanja Vidic has stressed the champions are not panicking at being five points behind leaders Manchester City at this stage of the season.

In an exclusive interview with this Saturday's United Review, the official matchday programme, the centre-back says it is far too early to be analysing the league table in too much depth and the Reds are determined to be in the shake-up come May.

"When you look at the league table, we’d obviously prefer to be closer," he conceded. "But nobody in the team is panicking. There are tough games for everybody ahead and there’s more than half the season left to play. We have a lot of talent, experience and desire in this squad – certainly enough to win the league."

Shrewd observers will have noted Vida swapped with Rio Ferdinand and played on the right side of the central defence in the match with the Magpies' North-East rivals Sunderland, with the skipper revealing it was merely a tactical switch from Sir Alex.

"Sometimes the manager wants to try new things or make a tactical change," he added. "As he did against Sunderland. It's no problem for me to play on the right or for Rio to play on the left. We can cope either way. The boss had a reason why he wanted Rio and I to swap against Sunderland and it worked well."

source : Manutd

United v Benfica

21/11/2011 02:30 , Mark Froggatt

United welcome Benfica to OT knowing a win will seal progress to the UEFA Champions League last 16...

Form guide

United recorded a fifth consecutive win and clean sheet on Saturday with a well deserved victory over Swansea City in the Barclays Premier League, adding to earlier triumphs against Aldershot, Everton, Otelul Galati and Sunderland. Another three points against Benfica would guarantee the Reds safe passage through to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, though the Portuguese giants know a similar result would seal their own qualification. Impressively, the Leões are unbeaten in all competitions this season and have won 13 out of 20 games.

Ins and out

Sir Alex Ferguson is without Tom Cleverley (ankle) and Michael Owen (hamstring) who have both been ruled out until Christmas, while captain Nemanja Vidic is suspended following his straight red card against Otelul Galati in Bucharest. Danny Welbeck (hamstring), Chris Smalling (foot) and Ashley Young (toe) are all in contention, as is Wayne Rooney, despite the striker sitting out Monday's training. Galati are without Enzo Perez (knee) and should be missing Javier Saviola (knee) and Nemanja Matić (foot), however Javi García has recovered from a dead leg and is likely to feature.

Last meeting

Ryan Giggs earned United a well deserved draw in a difficult Group C opener in Lisbon, firing home from 20 yards to cancel out Oscar Cardozo’s similarly impressive strike at the Estádio da Luz. The Welshman’s goal extends his record as the competition’s oldest scorer to 37 years and 289 days.

Top man

In contrast to his diminutive figure, Nicolas Gaitán is a powerful weapon in Benfica’s attacking arsenal and is definitely a man to watch. Although naturally a centre-midfielder, the former Boca Juniors man is regularly deployed on the left of a three-pronged attack, adopting the role of creator-in-chief for towering striker Cardozo. The Argentine was a standout performer against United in September and has since been linked with a £40million move to M16.

Quote/unquote

“You do want to finish top. First and foremost, you look to qualify for the knockout stages. But you want to finish top, for the last-16 draw and for other perks like playing the second leg at home.” – Darren Fletcher

Any sub-plots?

Both United and Benfica sit joint-top of Group C, meaning Tuesday’s match will go a long way to deciding which team finishes first and avoids the big guns in the knockout stages. This fixture also evokes memories of 1968, when the Reds beat Eusebio and co at Wembley to lift the European Cup for the first time.

Whistle blower

Promising Turkish official Cüneyt Çakir has enjoyed a steady ascension since his European debut in 2003, taking charge of five Champions League games and several more in the Europa League. The Insurance worker from Istanbul is yet to referee either side.

Rivals watch

Elsewhere in Group C, Otelul Galati hope to register their first points of the campaign against FC Basel in Romania while Manchester City travel to Italy to face Napoli in Group A.

source : Manutd

Swansea v United preview

16/11/2011 15:16 , Adam Marshall

United head to Wales for the first time in Barclays Premier League history...

Form Guide

It's been four wins and four clean sheets since the derby defeat to City and the 1-0 victory against Sunderland kept United within five points of City at the top of the Barclays Premier League. The Swans have been in good form of late, after being unluckily pegged back to a 2-2 draw at Wolves, the Welsh side saw off Bolton 3-1 and held Liverpool to a goalless stalemate at Anfield. City are still unbeaten at home all season and have yet to concede a goal to an opposition player at The Liberty Stadium as Bolton's consolation came when Danny Graham put through his own net.

Ins and Outs

Danny Welbeck withdrew from England duty in midweek and Michael Owen is out for six weeks so the striking options may not look as plentiful as in the past. Ashley Young and  Ryan Giggs will hope to push for inclusion but Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck are out and Fabio picked up a knock whilst away with Brazil. Stephen Dobbie could feature for the hosts as he returns from an ankle injury and Kemy Agustien is over a hamstring problem.

Last Meeting

United sank the Swans 2-1 in May, 1983, towards the end of the successful FA Cup-winning campaign. Frank Stapleton and Bryan Robson scored the goals for Ron Atkinson's side in front of almost 36,000 fans at Old Trafford.

Top Man

Michel Vorm has proved to be one of the shrewdest signings of the close season and is one of the main reasons behind the club's five clean sheets this term. The Dutch keeper was snapped up from FC Utrecht and has looked a class act since day one, even managing to shine in a 4-0 thumping at Manchester City.

At 28, he is part of Holland's plans ahead of the European Championship and United will be looking to provide a test for his shot-stopping ability this weekend.

Quote/unquote

"It’s a wonderful game for everyone to look forward to, but it’s also a celebration for the people of this city that we are going to entertain one of the biggest clubs in the world and one of the greatest managers in the world." - Brendan Rodgers.

Any sub-plots?

The Liberty Stadium will host a record sell-out crowd and United will be hoping for a better record than the one enjoyed at Swansea's previous home. In eight games at the Vetch Field, the Reds lost six times and drew twice, ensuring it was something of a bogey ground.

Whistle Blower

Mike Dean takes charge of matters in Wales - it's the first time he's overseen United this term. He officiated City's 4-0 win against Swansea in the clubs' first game of the season so a similar result would be much appreciated. Dean was the man in the middle for several of the champions' fixtures during the last campaign and sent off two Reds - Rafael and Paul Scholes against Tottenham and City respectively.

Rivals Watch

Leaders City entertain Newcastle at 3pm on Saturday after Arsenal are at Norwich in the early kick-off. Chelsea face Liverpool in Sunday's big match at Stamford Bridge.

source : Manutd

Fletcher lauds Swans

“They play football the right way and have been a breath of fresh air since coming into the Premier League. It’s going to be a real challenge.”

 - Darren Fletcher

17/11/2011 12:16, Report by Mark Froggatt

Darren Fletcher has praised Swansea City's attacking intent ahead of United’s first-ever Premier League trip to Wales on Saturday. Fletcher lauds Swans

The Reds midfielder has been impressed by the football on show at the Liberty Stadium, where Brendan Rogers’ newly-promoted side are still unbeaten after five home games in the top flight. Overall, the Swans have earned a respectable 13 points from a possible 33.

"It’s a new experience for us all. They’re the first Welsh team in the Premier League and going there will be a great experience," Fletcher told ManUtd.com.

"Swansea have been applauded for the football they’ve played this season. When I was on international duty, I spoke to a couple of my Scotland team-mates who have played against them and they told me how well Swansea keep the ball.

"They play football in the right way and have been a breath of fresh air since coming into the Premier League. It’s going to be a real challenge for us on Saturday.

"I’m sure this is the sort of fixture Swansea and their fans have been dreaming about for years. Welsh fans are always passionate and I’m sure the stadium will be packed out so it should be a fantastic atmosphere."

Saturday’s game also provides Fletcher with an opportunity to meet up with his former United colleague Alan Tate, whose Old Trafford career ended seven years ago with a switch to Swansea, then in League Two, following two successful loan spells.

"It’ll be nice to see my old friend Alan Tate who I played with in the youth team," Fletcher recalled. "He was a couple of years older than me and always looked after me and made sure I was okay when I first came to Manchester.

"I’ll always remember him for that. He’s recovering from a bad injury at the moment and the sooner he gets back in the team the better it’ll be for Swansea because he’s a top player."

source : Manutd