In an interview with the Daily Mirror SAF told that the squad for next term his best squad since 1999 is, warning not only rivals but also everyone contending for a regular spot in the squad.
And honestly, our team for the 2007/2008 Season is not only the best squad since 1999 but could become the best generation since many years again.

No-one will play all the games next year and hopefully they accept that and move on to the business of trying to achieve success for us.

SAF has built a young and exciting squad, more than just the Galacticos in Europe. SAF has done what Arsene Wenger still hasn’t managed, he built a squads made of talents, talents with an already proven track in competition on high level. And above all a squad with many years of future.
And if Tevez would join us, that move can only raise the Samba level at Old Trafford. To spice things even more up, today SAF said that he doesn’t want to sell anyone, even not players who are highly expected to leave, but at the same time he admitted that some might want to leave because they want to play more games.

I don’t expect anybody to leave

But it may happen because some players will view the situation and think maybe they won’t get enough games to satisfy them.

It is sure that people like Heinze, Smith and even Rossi will want to be regularly part of the first team, and Nani and Anderson might not get the numbers of games they wish to play during next season, because how things look now… SAF can build 2 teams. Two teams, both playing for Europe. The first team competing on every front, the second team with the likes of Smith, Brown, Saha, hopefully Evra and not Heinze, and Anderson and Nani, would compete for direct UEFA Cup qualification.

Lets have a look at the possibly strongest line-up for next season. And I might be controversial here, but I opt for 3-4-3 instead of 4-4-2.
Goal: Van Der Sar
Defense: Rio, Vidic and Neville.
Midfield: Heinze (defensive midfielder, same position as Didier Deschamps during France 98), Giggs, Scholes/Carrick (considering Scholes might not play 60 games) and Hargreaves.
Attack: Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez.

Who’s left over for the second team, competing for direct UEFA Cup qualification or more even?
Goal: Kuszczack
Defense: Evra, Brown, O’Shea, Silvestre, Lee
Midfield: Anderson, Park, Richardson, Flecther, Nani
Attack: Solksjaer, Rossi, Saha, Smith.

Ooopps, there are more than enough players to build a competitive second team. It seems to me that SAF’s biggest problem next year will be to satisfy everyone, unless some players were to leave.

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The Tevez transfer has turned in to a soap box, a soap box I don’t really want to comment on until a transfer has been finalized… or blown off. Of course we’d love to see Carlos join and be part of the most exciting squad, the Galacticos made in Britain.

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Does it really surprise anyone that Carlos Tevez is being closely linked with a move to the Theater of Dreams, Old Trafford for a reported 20 million? Sir Alex always has been of a fan of the Argentinian worker, master deliverer and striker.

I guess the only real surprise we could call is the attitude of the Glazer family. Daily more and more Malcolm and Family seem to become a group of angel investors putting Russian playboy Roman in the shadow lights.
50 Million Pound Sterling so far, for only 3 players and the spending spree goes on. 20 Million for Carlos Tevez. Another talented youngster. That would nothing less than 70 (seventy!) Million in only 5 weeks.

I’ll admit that I was happy when the Glazers took over. Happy because they were American.
Not that I particularly love Americans, they are nice people as long as they don’t discuss politics, which they sadly do way too often. But when it comes to sports, only Americans could have fitted Manchester United, because Americans understand exactly what the deonthology of ManU is.

To entertain.

And who could better word our spirit than the club director Sir Bobby Charlton, remembering the words of the legendary Sir Matt Busby?

People often ask me what it is that makes Manchester United so special. When I played for the club Sir Matt Busby always used to say that the lad who works on the factory shop floor, but finds it boring, wants excitement in his free time… that when he goes to football at the weekend he wants excitement. He therefore used to tell us that we therefore had a responsibility to entertain. It is a philosophy that has continued right through until today and that has made the club popular the world over.

And entertainment is one thing that Americans understand. And the Glazers show that they understand entertainment.

Entertainment at the Theatre of Dreams, entertainment at Old Trafford. And the new signings will surely add to the ManU Entertainment level, it’ll be Red Devil Samba!

Roman, you’ll have to spend more if you want to enjoy real entertainment. Other than entertainer Jose that is, I mean entertainment on the pitch, because we’ll show you what it is.
It’s part of the ManUnited History, it’s our spirit. ManU is Entertainment!

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Cristiano and Sir Alex have another hairy bet going during the next Premiere League term.
The Portuguese super star is expected to tell the gabber

I’ll shave my hair off if I don’t score 20 Premier League goals – you shave your hair off if I do.

This sounds much more fun than a £400 bet as both had last year. Honestly, I hope that Ronnie will win the bet, not only because it would mean that he’d have scored at least 20 times for us, but more even because I think it would be awesome to see Fergie shaved.

In other news, I still have problems accepting that Gabriel Heinze is on the verge of leaving us, especially for a meager £4 million. Even though Patrice Evra has been preferred left back last season, I still am not convinced by the French man, but I must admit I have always been an opponent of Mikael Silvestre as well, somehow French defenders just don’t do it for me. Of course I would sing another song if their name would be Liliam Thuram and surely Laurent Blanc.
Even if Evra would show consistency next season, I still am the opinion there are other areas where Gaby can be useful. More than useful even. And with our midfield and attack, why can’t we play with a 3 man defense with Gaby in front of the defense, leaving all freedom to Carrick, Cristiano and Giggs in the wide, allow Owen and Scholes to move forward as their little heart desires (trust me, I’ve seen Owen several times at Bayern Munich and his game is much more offensive than one would think) and in front we can play Roon, Anderson, Nani and even Saha or Smith, who suddenly is considering staying again. Who wants to leave Old Trafford anyway?

Who says we really do need one more striker?

Ole!

Roy Keane and Kieran Richardson seem to become a team next term again, and honestly, although it’s might be a leaving talent, I wish Kieran more playtime. I’m still in favour of a new loan deal though, but who am I?

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Wayne Rooney is set to join the ManU legends next season. Wayne will wear the legendary number 10, last worn by Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

The number 10 was United Legend Denis Law’s favourite number and now the honour to wear the number 10 jersey comes to Wayne Rooney, our biggest talent.
Wayne obviously is honoured to endorse the legendary ManUtd. #10.

When I was offered the chance to wear the number 10 shirt I jumped at it

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It has been a quiet week, most players are on a well deserved break and the traditional transfer gossip kitchen has tried to keep awake United Fans, but sadly failed.
Today the fixtures for next season were announced and I am delighted to see that we can start with a rather slow program.

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After a successful year for the United Reds, Sir Alex Ferguson is not taking his team’s chances lightly for the upcoming season. After Omar Hargreaves had been openly publicized as joining the Reds next season, Ferguson is still looking for other available players in the market.

Among the players being mentioned around the rumor mill includes that of Mark Viduka from Middlesbrough, Fernando Torres, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Samuel Eto’o, Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov.

The players mentioned are certified marquee players that can certainly make an impact to the United Red’s cause next year. The target positions being eyed to be filled up are a striker, a full-back and a winger. Based on the available talent outside the names tipped to be on the transfer block, Sir Alex Ferguson is sure to come up with another winning roster to uphold the United Reds winning tradition for the coming season which promises to be another banner year for his team.

[tags]united reds, sir alex ferguson[/tags]

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Soliciting raw talent from the available resources during the break is perhaps the goal of every organization now that the summer break has set in. And no other than the big bosses of the United Reds have been preparing for it. With these developments, Sir Alex Fergusson has nothing but good words for the efforts being exerted by the heads led by David Gill.

Gill disclosed that the Glazer family will be putting up funds for future signings of players since it has been evident that the Reds have been suffering from a spate of injuries as well as players transferring and leaving.

Among the eyed players are Owen Hargreaves and hopefully it may become a wish come true. Overall, the Reds are not planning to make drastic changes and are geared more on enhancing their current line-up with one or two quality players to bolster their formidable line-up and maintain their class and position.

[tags]manchester united, alex fergusson, owen hargreaves, david gill[/tags]

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Manchester United’s China international striker Dong Fangzhou has signed a new contract with the Premiership leaders.

Dong was granted a work permit in December, and his new deal will keep him at Old Trafford until 2010.

The 21-year-old signed from Dalien Shide in January 2004 for £3.5m and was loaned to Belgian club Royal Antwerp.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson told the club’s website:

“We’re all excited he has eventually arrived and can start playing.”

During his time in Belgium, Dong scored 36 goals in 61 games for Antwerp.

Ferguson added:

“He sacrificed two-and-a-half years at Antwerp, which showed great patience and determination. He’s quick, athletic and he can only improve by training with the first team squad here.”

Dong’s only previous first-team appearances came in non-competitive matches on Man Utd’s pre-season tour of South Africa, where he scored the winner in a match against Kaiser Chiefs.

[tags]dong,chinese football, man utd[/tags]

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Manchester United have made a fresh offer for Owen Hargreaves, the Bayern Munich midfielder.

“It’s been official today that Manchester United have made an offer for me,” said Hargreaves, who has been out since September with a broken leg. For a club like Man Utd to make an offer is something I appreciate.”

But Bayern director-general Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insists it is “out of the question” that the 25-year-old will leave during January.

German newspaper Bild reported on Friday that United had bid £20m for the England international.

Although Rummenigge was adamant the central midfielder would not leave Munich during the January transfer window, he admitted something could be sorted out in the summer.

“We will see this summer how things work out,” Rummenigge told Bild newspaper.

United first bid for Hargreaves last summer, but Bayern blocked the move after losing Michael Ballack to Chelsea.

Hargreaves is contracted to the Bundesliga champions until 2010 but has made no secret of his desire to move to Old Trafford.

“Manchester United have developed into such a talented team. They have got such a great nucleus when you look at Rio (Ferdinand) and Wazza (Wayne Rooney), and Cristiano Ronaldo is probably one of the best players in Europe at the moment.”

The midfielder also paid tribute to United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

“When you look at the success and the amount of titles he’s won, he’s been very successful. I think any player would love to have the opportunity to play for a manager like that and all the players speak in the highest tones for him.”

Yet he admitted his future is in the hands of the Bayern hierarchy at the moment.

“I can’t really do much, it’s not on my side,” he said. “That’s down to the club really for those things to be decided. I’ve got a contract and I’m focused on my half, which is football and playing well. We’ll see what happens in the coming weeks and possibly months.”

Hargreaves has been out of action since September after breaking his leg.

But he returned to training on Monday and is aiming to return to first-team action in February.

He said: “The most important thing for me now is to come back healthy and playing strong.
I’ve been out for a few months and am looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of playing again and representing England.”

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