Manchester United's Headliners, Articles and Rumours

[qbdp]

Barca meet Ron agent in London

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes that Cristiano Ronaldo could move to Barcelona after reports in Catalonia suggested Barca technical director Txiki Begiristain had met with the Manchester United star's agent.

Begiristain was in London to watch Portugal's 2-0 win over Brazil on Tuesday evening, a match for which 22-year-old Ronaldo was made captain. Catalan dailies Sport and El Mundo Deportivo reported that agent Jorge Mendes met with the former Barca player to discuss a possible transfer.

"It is not impossible, but very complicated that Cristiano Ronaldo moves to the Camp Nou," Fabregas opined.

"[However Manchester United] will not let him go easily and will request a huge amount of money from whoever signs him in the future.

"Cristiano is the most popular player at United and the fans are enchanted with him now in spite of the criticism he received after the World Cup."

Fabregas warned that it would not be easy for the flying winger to get into the Barca side, but added that the club would love to sign him.

"In Barcelona he would have to fight for a place with players like [Lionel] Messi, [Samuel] Eto'o and Ronaldinho," he acknowledged. "For that reason it may be difficult.

"But Ronaldo is a great player. Great players can walk into any club."

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This Arse-anal player wishes that Ronaldo will leave Man Utd so that his team has a glimmer of hope next season.

[Singster]

Really hope Alex dun sell Ronaldo to Real Madrid

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by qbdp

...Arse-anal player wishes that Ronaldo will leave Man Utd so that his team has a glimmer of hope next season.

My fear is that all this talk will gain momentum b4 season is out. Ron's striking hot form is no help either. Definitely not the last we see or hear of such (hopefully idle) talk In that eventuality, what a BIG payback

[gaia]

I think even if man u win the title this season, it will be very difficult to defend the title next season if ronaldo is not around....

[qbdp]

Originally Posted by gaia

I think even if man u win the title this season, it will be very difficult to defend the title next season if ronaldo is not around.

Originally Posted by yinyang

My fear is that all this talk will gain momentum b4 season is out. Ron's striking hot form is no help either. Definitely not the last we see or hear of such (hopefully idle) talk In that eventuality, what a BIG payback .

Originally Posted by Singster

Really hope Alex dun sell Ronaldo to Real Madrid

We all know that Ronaldo is on form this season but if he refuses to sign a new improved deal (rumoured 100k/wk) and commit his future to the club then he ought to be sold this summer. The club cant be held ransom.

Man Utd should easily get above 30-35m pound from the sale. With the money Sir Alex can buy a couple of players to replace him.

Sir Alex always remind the players that no one is bigger than the club.

[qbdp]

Larsson skills wow Reds team-mates

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted veteran striker Henrik Larsson has produced tricks in training that have left even United's stellar names baffled.

In Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes United have three of the most gifted players in world football, but 35-year-old Larsson has already taught them a few lessons in his short spell at Old Trafford.

"I didn't expect anything else," Solskjaer told MUTV.

"We all know Henrik is a quality player. I have said before I think he is the best Scandinavian player since Michael Laudrup - and he has shown that in training and games.

"His touch is something we can all learn from.

"You never stop learning as a player and Henrik has done a few tricks in training that have had us all standing up and looking and saying 'we have not seen that before'."

Calls for United to keep Larsson beyond the present March 12 deadline have been long and loud, although so far both Ferguson and the Celtic legend continue to insist the present deal will be honoured.

Larsson is expected to start on Saturday when United look to maintain their six-point lead at the Premiership summit against relegation-threatened Charlton at Old Trafford.

Rooney is a doubt after being ruled out of England's friendly with Spain after suffering an injury at Tottenham last week, although with Louis Saha now back in action after a minor knock, Ferguson still has plenty of striking options available.

[XueJing]

Post first since got delay ... paiseh

MU 4 Charlton 0

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by qbdp

..but if he refuses to sign a new improved deal (rumoured 100k/wk) and commit his future to the club then he ought to be sold this summer. The club cant be held ransom.

With momentum ever growing, and fact of life is that there is "no smoke without fire" -realistically, we have to expect he's moving for his OWN vested interests (this summer or by next). MU's great on his resume, but the weather's (women too?) even more conducive across Iberian pensinsula

[qbdp]

Originally Posted by yinyang

With momentum ever growing, and fact of life is that there is "no smoke without fire" -realistically, we have to expect he's moving for his OWN vested interests (this summer or by next). MU's great on his resume, but the weather's (women too?) even more conducive across Iberian pensinsula

He wanted to leave before the World Cup began and his bad relationship with van Nistelrooy could be the reason. Plus the media making him the scapegoat of Rooney's red card only reinforce his decision.

van Nistelrooy has left and Sir Alex and Queiroz convinced him to stay after the World Cup. He should be settled now. Not forgetting how the club stood by him when his father passed away and is alleged rape case

His form has been good this season and now he is refusing to quash rumours of him leaving this summer. Does he really want to leave or is he trying to gain any advantage for contract negotiation?

Seriously, I dont think Sir Alex's patience will last very long if this continues. I am one who wont feel sad if he leaves but I will be devastated if Rooney wants to leave.

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by qbdp

...His form has been good this season and now he is refusing to quash rumours of him leaving this summer. Does he really want to leave or is he trying to gain any advantage for contract negotiation?
Seriously, I dont think Sir Alex's patience will last very long if this continues. I am one who wont feel sad if he leaves but I will be devastated if Rooney wants to leave.

Early signs yet, but me thinks we ought to expect the inevitable. Any leverage on contractual part is part of the equation with Barca or RM. That's how the dice (err, ball) rolls.

As for Roon, think it's a different ball game..

[mr_missile]

Originally Posted by qbdp

He should be settled now. Not forgetting how the club stood by him when his father passed away and is alleged rape case
His form has been good this season and now he is refusing to quash rumours of him leaving this summer. Does he really want to leave or is he trying to gain any advantage for contract negotiation?
Seriously, I dont think Sir Alex's patience will last very long if this continues. I am one who wont feel sad if he leaves but I will be devastated if Rooney wants to leave.

My sentiments exactly bro qbdp.
SAF certainly will not let any individual place himself above the club. This is one reason SAF has my utmost respect.
If there is any player found to have overstepped the line, SAF has shown many times (read ince, stam, beckham, RVN to name but a few) that he will not hesitate to ship them out.
I do hope Ronaldo will remember what the United had done for him, plucking him out from near obscurity at Sporting Lisbon and making him what he is now, and commit himself to the club long-term just like what Rooney has done.

[qbdp]

Originally Posted by yinyang

As for Roon, think it's a different ball game..

I find Rooney plays more for the team. His vision is good as Scholes and Giggs or even Carrick.

As for Ronaldo, his dribbling skills are exciting to watch but he still has to learn to release the ball earlier to team mates and pass when they are in better goal scoring positions.

[yinyang]

Originally Posted by qbdp

I find Rooney plays more for the team. His vision is good as Scholes and Giggs or even Carrick.

Yo, even if Ron fails to get on score sheet he does many "assists". And he gives >100%

[yinyang]

More trivia on OUR club... money, money

Man Utd drops down wealth league

Real Madrid and Barcelona top the league despite contrasting seasons
Manchester United have dropped from second to fourth in the list of the world's wealthiest clubs, trailing Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.
United headed Deloitte's Football Money League for eight years until being deposed by Real Madrid last year.

English clubs fill eight out of the top 20 spots in Deloitte's table, based on revenues generated during 2005/6.

United remain the world's most profitable club, making a £49.7m profit in the year to June 2006.

Deloitte's figures take into account income from ticket sales, merchandising and broadcasting contracts but do not include transfer revenues and does not calculate profitability.

Between them, the top 20 clubs had sales of more than £2.1bn.

Real Madrid retained its crown as the world's wealthiest club, in terms of sales, despite securing no silverware for the third consecutive year.

Its revenues rose to £202m from £186.2m the year before.

Barcelona leapfrogged Manchester United into second place, boosted by their victory in the Champions League final, while Italian club Juventus moved up one spot to third.

WORLD'S WEALTHIEST CLUBS BY REVENUE
1)Real Madrid: £202m
2)Barcelona: £179.1m
3)Juventus: £173.7m
4)Man Utd: £167.8m
5)AC Milan: £165m
6)Chelsea: £152.8m
7)Inter Milan: £142.8m
8)Bayern Munich: £141.5m
9)Arsenal: £133m
10)Liverpool: £121.7m
Source: Deloitte: 2005/6

United dropped into fourth place after its revenues rose from £166.4m to £167.8m.

Deloitte said it believed this fall may only be temporary as further expansion of their Old Trafford ground should significantly boost the club's match day income.

"Manchester United may be in fourth position this year but with the completion of their stadium development we can expect them to move back up the list in 2006/07," said Deloitte's Paul Rawnsley.

Chelsea dropped a place to sixth despite their revenues rising to £152.8m while Arsenal, helped by their appearance in the Champions League final, jumped a place to ninth.

The other British clubs to make it into the list were Liverpool(10), Newcastle United(13), Tottenham Hotspur(15), Manchester City(17), Rangers(18) and West Ham(19).

Galactico effect

With a lucrative new TV contract coming into effect next year, Deloitte said Premiership clubs could fill more than half of the list by 2007/8.

But Deloitte added that Spain's two footballing giants would not give up their positions at the top of the table lightly.

"The two clubs have had contrasting strategies, with Real focusing on driving commercial revenue from recruiting its Galactico players and Barcelona having a more balanced revenue portfolio," said Dan Jones, a partner in the firm's Sports Business Group.

[qbdp]

Ronaldo’s winter of discontent chills United

The dreary weather in England was a significant factor in dissuading Ronaldinho from joining Manchester United in the summer of 2003 and, as Sir Alex Ferguson was pressed yesterday on concerns that Cristiano Ronaldo may be pining for a warmer climate, it emerged that the Portugal winger — the best player in the world on present form, according to his manager — was at home in bed nursing a “heavy head cold”.

Ferguson and David Gill, the United chief executive, have dismissed suggestions that Ronaldo could move to Spain this summer, but, with Barcelona having joined Real Madrid in confirming interest in the 22-year-old, yesterday’s medical bulletin served only to heighten the belief, hinted at by the player, that a young man brought up on the island of Madeira would regard Spain as a more natural habitat.

Ronaldo has proved himself to be anything but a fair-weather player this season, maintaining an outstanding standard for United through the winter months. Ronaldinho has been widely acclaimed as the world’s best player since snubbing United to join Barcelona from Paris Saint-Germain 3½ years ago, but it is tempting to wonder whether Ferguson might have struck the better long-term deal by paying £12.24 million for a largely unknown 18-year-old from Sporting Lisbon.

Ferguson accepted for the first time yesterday that Ronaldo may be tempted by a move to sunnier climes, but he suggested that neither the Nou Camp nor the Bernabéu Stadium could match the newly expanded Old Trafford as a stage on which Ronaldo can exhibit his remarkable skills.

“The better climate is always an attraction, but when you think about it, look what you get from Manchester United,” Ferguson said. “We get 76,000 people in the stadium for every home game. You don’t get that anywhere else. I know Barcelona, Real Madrid and AC Milan can fill their stadiums when they have big games, but their stadiums are not full every week. Old Trafford is.

“Cristiano is at a good club and he knows it. There are no issues because I know the boy is happy here. I don’t need to sit down with Cristiano because in modern-day football, you have to accept that speculation will be rife.”

That speculation will continue, not least because there is a belief in both Barcelona and Madrid that the player can be enticed to Spain. The conspiratorial whispers grew on Tuesday after Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo’s agent, was pictured alongside the Barcelona sporting director, Txiki Begiristáin, at Portugal’s friendly against Brazil at the Emirates Stadium, but Ferguson said: “That doesn’t bother me. Clubs have to make agents feel wonderful. That is the name of the game.”

The name of the game for United at present is winning and, with Ronaldo hopeful of shrugging off his cold, another victory is expected when Charlton Athletic visit Old Trafford this afternoon.

Wayne Rooney should also be fit to face Alan Pardew’s team, having missed England’s midweek defeat by Spain because of a back problem, but Ferguson confirmed that the forward, who is suspended for next weekend’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at home to Reading, may be given a short break next week to recharge his batteries before the resumption of the Champions League campaign.

Ferguson also expressed his pleasure at Ben Foster’s debut for England and indicated that the goalkeeper, on loan to Watford, will pose a serious challenge to Edwin van der Sar when he returns to Old Trafford next season.