United May Yet Show That Kids Can Lead the Way

Football legend Alan Hansen’s famous remark “You’ll never win anything with kids” has been sarcastically quoted whenever a team consisting of a significant number of youngsters challenges for the title.

Hansen, a Liverpool-player-turned-commentator, coined the phrase in 1995 after a Manchester United squad with unproven young players Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Nicky Butt and David Beckham lost to Aston Villa on opening day. United won the title that year, leaving Hansen red-faced.

We know how Scholes and Co. went on to carve their names among the Old Trafford greats and the latest batch of Fergie Fledglings has made itself known by spellbinding displays in the first three Premier League matches. The emergence of Tom Cleverley, Chris Smalling, Danny Welbeck, David De Gea, and Phil Jones makes United fans believe they’re witnessing stars in the making.

How good are they really? Let’s start from the one who excites me the most. Spending 18 million pounds ($29 million) for a 19-year-old defender is considered too much even by United’s standards. So there’s got to be some huge talent in Phil Jones, one of United’s summer signings.

Jones was purchased from the Blackburn Rovers and is said to have caught the attention of United manager Alex Ferguson when Jones featured in Blackburn’s 7-1 loss to United. Ferguson liked his leadership and the fact that a young player managed to rally his teammates.

Jones has played in every United match this season, looking like he’s been on the team forever. He possesses unusual calmness for a player his age and he defends like a colossus. His tackles are perfectly timed and the way he trailed and denied Tottenham Hotspur winger Gareth Bale from meters behind thrilled fans. He’s also gifted with passing ability and can be deployed as a holding midfielder. Rio Ferdinand better be worried about his position.

Smalling’s transfer raised eyebrows last season and cynics said the boy wasn’t good enough for Fulham, let alone United. Smalling has proven the naysayers wrong by offering a solid performance in the back and this season he’s been deployed in another position. At 1.92 meters tall, he might look suitable playing at center back, but Ferguson assigned him the role of right back to replace the injured Rafael da Silva. Smalling has excelled in that position and even won his first cap with England playing as right back.

After a remarkable loan season with Sunderland last year, local lad Danny Welbeck is starting to look like a gem. Welbeck broke onto United’s first team three seasons ago, but it’s been his successful stint on the Wearside that has made Ferguson believe he is worth a place in the starting 11. Welbeck has managed to keep last season’s top scorer Dimitar Berbatov on the bench and scored two goals, including a cheeky backheel assist to Anderson against the Spurs. He’s expected to fight with Javier Hernandez for a place in the staring lineup.

Cleverley is not Wesley Sneijder and he’s yet to be on similar stature with the Dutch world-class playmaker, but Ferguson was convinced to not prolong the stalled negotiation with Sneijder because Cleverley showed a lot of promises. He was one of the brightest United academy graduates in years but it wasn’t until his loan in Watford two years ago that it looked like he was meant to shine on a bigger stage.

Cleverley might be an instant replacement for the retired Scholes but he needs to get more involved in the game. He is not yet a great midfielder, but he can be expected to pull strings behind United strikers.

Of all the new kids with United, De Gea is the one who has received the most stick for his performance. Filling the assuring gloves of Edwin van der Sar is not an easy task for a 20-year-old goalkeeper and De Gea looked nervous at times and responsible for fluke goals against Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal. He may need time to settle down but it is unbelieveable how some people already comparing him to Massimo Taibi.

De Gea is an amazing shot-stopper and has showed it on several occasions, but he needs to work more on how to deal with low shots. Because he’s still adapting to English football, he has looked awkward and sometimes too soft on opposing strikers, but he has astute ball distribution — he rarely sweeps the ball away and prefers to pass to players in the middle of the park.

I’m not sure whether installing the young boys this soon was Ferguson’s primary plan because it could’ve been different had they lost to Manchester City in Community Shield — the defining match where United came back from a two-goal deficit after the boys were sent on. But United is reaping the benefits of casting its faith upon youngsters at the moment.

How good are they? I think good enough to challenge domestically even though they may need extra effort to fight for a place in the Champions League final, although Barcelona will win again with more than 60 percent ball possession.

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Rooney double helps England cruise

Wayne Rooney scored two first-half goals as England cruised to a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria to extend its lead in Euro 2012 qualifying Friday.

Defender Gary Cahill grabbed his first goal for England in the 13th minute, beating goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov as he toppled to the ground.

Rooney twice punished Bulgaria's casual defending. He beat his marker to head in a corner from Stewart Downing in the 21st minute, and then tapped in a ball on the break just before half time.

England leads Group G with 14 points from six games, pulling ahead of Montenegro which stayed on 11 points after losing 2-1 in Wales. Bulgaria, coached by former German great Lothar Matthaeus, has five points.

England's Football Association reported to UEFA that racist abuse was directed at England midfielder Ashley Young by a section of home fans.

Matthaeus said he was not “well informed” about the incident. But he added: “It is very regrettable for such things to happen. I would like to apologize on behalf of the Bulgarian Football Federation.”

It was the only sour note of the night for England, which followed up its 4-0 home win over Bulgaria in its opening Group G match with another comfortable victory.

Coach Fabio Capello picked Tottenham's Scott Parker and Manchester City's Gareth Barry in central midfield, meaning Frank Lampard was left out of a competitive match for England for the first time since 2007. He played for the last 10 minutes, coming on for Barry.

Capello said he used “the best players at this moment,” and said he was delighted with the result that leaves England needing three points to qualify from two games — at home against Wales next week before travelling to Montenegro.

“We're really happy because (Rooney) scored. We're really happy with the performance of the team. Tonight the players were very focussed at every moment,” Capello said.

“Bulgaria had lots of chances in their game against Switzerland but tonight they had only one.”

Rooney increased his England goal tally to 28, and said a knock on his foot during Friday's game would not stop him playing against Wales next week.

“We've got one foot into the finals. If we win on Tuesday we will more or less have qualified and we are capable of doing that,” he said. “This was a good performance from the whole team and we fully deserved the three points.”

Matthaeus fielded five defenders, but his side still struggled at the back. Spells of pressure, and boisterous fans at Vasil Levski stadium, failed to help Bulagria score a qualifying goal at home at the third attempt.

England goalkeeper Joe Hart blocked a close-range header from Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov 10 minutes into the second half — Bulgaria's only clear chance.

Downing answered for England a minute later, heading down a skilful cross from Theo Walcott, but the ball struck the far post with Mihaylov again beaten.

Matthaeus said England had simply outclassed his players.

“The win was fair ... We made very obvious mistakes and handed them as a gift to our opponents,” Matthaeus said. “The difference in quality between the players was very clear. In all areas of the game, the English were a class above us.

“That's the difference between us and the great football nations.”

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Manchester United's Tom Cleverley goes to top of class of 2011 with England call-up

Cleverley, named alongside Manchester United team-mates Phil Jones and Chris Smalling in Fabio Capello's England squad for the euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales, has been ever present this season, filling the void left by the retired Paul Scholes in which Ferguson had hoped to deploy Inter Milan's Wesley Sneijder.

Manchester United's Tom Cleverley goes to top of class of 2011 with England call-up

The 22 year-old's energetic performances in midfield have embellished the club's 100 per cent start to the campaign, which has also seen Jones, Smalling and striker Danny Welbeck play central roles in the 3-0 victory against Tottenham and 8-2 triumph over Arsenal at Old Trafford.

But Cleverley insists that their emergence is merely the latest chapter in a lengthy process. "I have been coming to Old Trafford for 10 years and have always looked on, thinking one day I want to be on the pitch. At the minute it is happening, but I have got to work hard and stay there.

"It is what I have been working towards for the last two or three years while going out on loan [to Watford and Wigan]. I knew I had to work hard in pre-season and impress the manager and hopefully that is what I did. "I have waited a long time for this chance and I want it to go on as long as possible. We are a young, high-energy team and hopefully we will keep putting on performances like that [against Arsenal] and the trophies will come."

United's start to the season has seemingly set up a Mancunian battle for honours with neighbours City – a clash of youthful promise against big-money signings. Cleverley's impact even led to a banner being unfurled at West Bromwich Albion, stating 'Who needs Wesley? We've got Cleverley.' Cleverley laughs off the comparison and says it is too early to judge United's young crop.

"Wesley Sneijder is fantastic, but if the fans think that, then I must be doing something right. Nobody wants to get too carried away, but this is a youthful squad and it's exciting to be a part of it. "We have to remember that we're only a month into the season and there's a long way to go. Some of us younger lads don't know what it's like to win the Premier League yet, but that's where the experience of others comes in. A few older players have left the club in the summer, but we've still got experience in abundance."

Although Cleverley insists he aims to build his own reputation, he admits he purposely chose the 23 squad number to emulate David Beckham.

"The manager offered me 22 or 23, but due to superstition, I prefer odd numbers. Also, David Beckham was my idol and he wore 23 at Real Madrid and still does with LA Galaxy. I looked at Scholes and Beckham, top professionals you can model your game on, but I'm just being Tom Cleverley.

"Growing up around Gary Neville, Scholes, Nicky Butt and Beckham, you pick up a lot and you know the history of the club. We are not comparing ourselves to them just yet, but this is a good batch of young players."

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Manchester United cash in with sponsored kit and caboodle

There is nothing for it but to doff your heavily branded caps to Manchester United, which has found £40m down the back of its metaphorical sofa, having secured a deal with DHL to sponsor its training kit. The arrangement outstrips what all but a couple of other Premier League clubs pull in for even their shirt sponsorship, with United's chief executive, David Gill, declaring: "This breaks new ground in the English game." Quite so. The kit will be on TV screens only for the brief flashes of pre-match warm-up – and even then not for European games – so DHL is forking out to advertise on something that will primarily be worn around United's well-appointed Carrington training complex.

Indeed, given that no plans have been announced to make the club's training sessions more open to cameras, let's assume that the deal is at least in part a marketing push aimed at the guests who frequent its facilities most frequently. Namely, the much-courted football hack demographic – or the Scribblers' Pound, as it is known in consumer circles. Though the spending power of this group has yet to rival that of other lazily stereotyped tribes such as the Pink Pound or the Pre-School Pound, Her Majesty's Sports Press is clearly being targeted for its ability to influence the wider market. "Get a pair of DHL jogging bottoms on Woolly Woolnough," a made-up Old Trafford insider tells me, "and you see an almost immediate spike in the Asian retail figures."

Furthermore, I am reassured to read that United is now actively looking beyond traditional areas of branding. The message is that the training kit deal is far from the end of it. And why not? Every garment or accessory in the footballer's wardrobe should be regarded as virgin snow into which some sponsor or other might stamp its imprimatur, and I imagine Mr Gill is already firming up the possibilities.

Clearly they should begin with sponsored sleepsuits for night flights. One day we will marvel that players for the game's biggest financial powerhouse ever flew home from European ties, or out to summer tours, wearing anything other than branded winceyette rompers. The convention for squads to pose on the plane steps, or to stalk through aircrafts looking grumpy, would appear the ideal opportunity to do so while drawing people's eyes to the branding of an electronics firm or brewery.

The club suit is beginning to look hopelessly undermonetised, given that all we hear about them is that they are made by M&S or whoever, when they are crying out for more logos. The DHL-branded training kits will doubtless soon be available in the club shop for sale to completist fans and so, ideally, would the club suits, allowing fans to share in the magic of combining sharp tailoring with shilling for a fast-food chain. If sponsors are worried about how little wear the club suit would get, they should be aware that the garment is a more integral part of some players' sartorial arsenal than others. Did you see Luis Boa Morte's appearance on Cribs? It was remarkable for the fact that he lived in a modest semi, had a Vauxhall Corsa in the drive, and his wardrobe contained a single suit – his club suit. I know. It was like he was openly urinating on the values of an entire generation. I can only hope that MTV has locked this blasphemy in a vault marked "NEVER REBROADCAST", as Viacom tried to do with the South Park episode in which Tom Cruise is trapped in a closet.

The next logical step would be washbag sponsorship, which would see players come off the bus for away games clutching not the standard Louis Vuitton but a club-issue toiletries tote, perhaps bearing the logo of CK In2U, or one of the more misery-engendering online casinos.

Finally, it is a sad fact of the modern game that every now and then a player will end up having to defend himself against trumped-up charges of disco-brawling, or demanding a Phil Collins record with menace. For this, he will need a courtroom suit, which is of course different from a party suit, and should be carefully targeted club issue. There is no earthly reason why denying an assault charge should not be combined with promoting a kiddies' charity. Of course, should a player be before a judge to obtain a superinjunction, his kit would ideally be seen by nobody at all. Yet ought wearing an item in camera really preclude its being monetised by any truly enterprising 21st-century club? The way things are going, only a dinosaur would suggest such a thing.

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Ferguson delighted with United youngsters

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has praised his younger players following the 3-0 victory over Tottenham on Monday. The Red Devils took the lead in the second half through Danny Welbeck, before further goals from Anderson and Wayne Rooney secured a convincing win. Now the Scot has hailed the likes of Tom Cleverley, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Danny Welbeck for the part they played in the match.

"It tells you we still believe in young players. All the fans appreciate that," Sir Alex said. "This is what the club is all about. We have always had confidence to play young players and this group has such fantastic ability it forces you to play them really."

With Welbeck putting in impressive early-season performances and Javier Hernandez having returned to fitness following a concussion, the presence of Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen has given the boss a selection headache.

"If you look at Berbatov, Michael Owen, Chicharito (Hernandez) and Wayne Rooney, we have different qualities," he said. "You have to utilise all that and make changes as best you can. But the horrible part for me now is, with Chicharito back, what do we do. It is going to be a big problem."

Sir Alex added: "He (Welbeck) has always had that ability but he has made slow progress because when he was growing up, he had a knee-growth problem. It was a situation where we knew we had to wait for him. We put him on loan to Sunderland (last season) and that is when he became a man. He has grown up and the lad has a great future."

The 69-year-old was also happy with David de Gea having kept his first competitive clean sheet for United and also praised Chris Smalling, who has played at right-back so far this season. Sir Alex said: "David was very confident. He was excellent. He got a bit slack towards the end of the game but other than that, he was very confident."

"He (Smalling) had a marvellous season last year and he is showing more maturity," the boss added. "He has done a great job at right-back. You'd think he'd played there all his life. We are pleased with all these players. They have all done well tonight and you cannot criticise any of them."

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Manchester United beats Tottenham 3-0 in Premier League

Manchester United delivered a vibrant second-half performance to beat Tottenham 3-0 on Monday and make it two wins from two in the Premier League. Tottenham, seeking a first win at Old Trafford since 1989, kept the scoreline blank in the first half, with American goalkeeper Brad Friedel marking his Spurs debut with a full-stretch save from Tom Cleverley's well-struck shot. United turned up the heat after the break and Danny Welbeck broke the deadlock in the 61st when he headed in Cleverley's precise right-wing cross.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp responded with a double substitution on the 74th but two minutes later, Welbeck set up Brazilian midfielder Anderson to stroke home the second goal. Substitute Ryan Giggs crossed for Wayne Rooney to head in the third in the 87th to wrap up the win and leave the defending champions on six points from two games, behind league leader and cross-city rival Manchester City on goal difference.

"The second-half performance was absolutely fantastic," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports. "It was a fast game in the first half, it was end-to-end. Tottenham had a lot of possession, but in the second half we just took off." Tottenham was playing its first game of the season after its opener was postponed in the wake of the London riots.

Redknapp chose not to select Chelsea transfer target Luka Modric in his squad, but said afterward he expected the Croatian playmaker to stay at the club. "For sure, he's a fantastic professional," Redknapp said. "We need him back playing. "We need one or two more players. We've got good footballers but we just lack a spine to the team. I know who we need and if the chairman can help me bring them in we'll be fine."

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Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur: Alex Ferguson stands by his man as David De Gea struggles to find his feet

When Tottenham Hotspur visit Manchester United, two goalkeepers with reputations for inconsistency — one reputation recently earned, the other of a more long-standing vintage — are due to face each other.
David De Gea’s beginning at Old Trafford has not exactly been the ticker-taped coronation imagined after slow-witted performances against Manchester City in the Community Shield and West Bromwich Albion last weekend.

On the Spurs side, Heurelho Gomes is also a No 1 with previous, and none more so than at Old Trafford. In this fixture last season, it was his comic misunderstanding of the free-kick laws that allowed Nani to dispossess him unchallenged, score and win United the fixture.

But when it comes to goalkeeping errors at the moment, it is United who are occupying the glass house into which stones are being thrown, yet manager Sir Alex Ferguson remains undaunted about De Gea’s start and believes he will prosper under the Old Trafford lights, claiming that he was hindered by West Brom’s physical style of play as opposed to any personal faults. “He coped with the crosses into the box with no problem; he just didn’t get any protection,” Ferguson said. “You saw the challenges — an elbow in the face, a boy went under him and he didn’t get the free kick.

‘‘It’s disappointing when you don’t get the protection but he’s at home against Spurs and it won’t be a problem. It’s just away from home where he might get subjected to that. I have no problems with him.”
And when it comes to toughening De Gea up, Ferguson insists no special treatment is required.
“He’ll go through the same programme of core work as the rest of the players do when they come here,” he said

“Van der Sar was still a tall skinny kid when he won the European Cup in 1995. He was the same — David’s only 20.”Ferguson’s rigorous defence of his new goalkeeper must surely be tempered by his concern that Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, his principal central defenders, may be ruled out for as long as six weeks and five weeks with respective hamstring and calf complaints.

However, the United manager believes he has the strength in depth via Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, to provide the necessary cover for De Gea and he was particularly open in his praise for Jones. The former Blackburn defender was brought to Old Trafford earlier this summer for around £17  million in a move that widely seen as a purchase made 12 months earlier than Ferguson wanted to in order to keep him out of the clutches of the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool. Yet Ferguson denied that and argued that Jones’s acquisition was a proactive move rather than a reactive gesture.

“He was just one that we couldn’t miss,” Ferguson said. “He’s definitely got all the parts, there is no doubt about that. He has got the desire to play and he’s a good trainer and great determination about him.
"When he was playing against us in the 7-1 [defeat Blackburn suffered at Old Trafford last season], after the fifth goal he was running out and giving everyone stick and he was only 18 then. I was very impressed.

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Sir Alex Ferguson coy over Dimitar Berbatov's Manchester United future

Sir Alex Ferguson has cast doubt over the future of Dimitar Berbatov at Manchester United after appearing to suggest that the Bulgarian could leave the club.

Ferguson made the admission after his reserve side's 8-2 defeat in a charity match against Marseille in Monaco on Tuesday evening. A French television journalist asked the United manager if Berbatov could play with Paris St-Germain, who are interested in signing the striker. "Yes," a smiling Ferguson replied. "Absolutely, no problem."

The French club are reportedly willing to pay £18-£20m, which would help United to recoup some of the £50m they have spent so far this summer on Ashley Young, David de Gea and Phil Jones.

Berbatov was United's top scorer last season and, alongside Carlos Tevez, the joint winner of the Premier League's golden boot, but Ferguson appears to have lost trust in the Bulgarian's ability to influence the more important matches. The club-record £30.75m signing from Tottenham Hotspur was not even on the substitutes' bench for the Champions League final against Barcelona in May, a decision that devastated him to the point he did not even leave the Wembley dressing rooms.

Nonetheless, Ferguson's statement represents a considerable change of direction for the champions, who have maintained all summer that Berbatov is not for sale and can still play a significant part in their attempt to win a 20th league title next season.

David Gill, the United chief executive, said at the weekend that the club had never considered moving on the Bulgarian. "Everyone has been talking about Berbatov from the outside, saying he wants to leave or that we want him to leave, but we don't want him to go. We want him to stay. He scored 20 goals last season, so there is no desire on our behalf to see him go."

Gill also said nothing sinister was to be drawn from the fact Berbatov was the only player at the club in the final year of his contract not yet to be offered an extension. "People keep telling me he's in the final year of his contract but there is an option on the club's side to extend Dimitar's contract by another year. We can do it whenever we want, there are no conditions around it and that means, in effect, he has two years to go."

It also makes Berbatov more valuable in the market if PSG, who have a £37.7m deal in place for Palermo's Javier Pastore that would smash the French transfer record, are serious about adding him to their new-look side.

Ferguson also attempted to brush off the latest speculation about Wesley Sneijder, saying it was "just all the newspapers" when he was asked about the possibility of signing the Holland international from Internazionale.

United have been trying to play down the matter for weeks, repeatedly informing reporters they are not interested in the player, but a deal is actually in place providing Sneijder agrees to lower his financial requirements.

Ferguson was quoted in one Sunday newspaper saying: "If he [Sneijder] wants to come, he must accept our contract offer. If not, we have other options in mind. We're done talking." The United manager has since denied saying such a thing but this is, in fact, the accurate and latest position.

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Manchester United are our main target

Andre Villas-Boas will challenge his players to topple Manchester United when he meets the first-team squad for the first time. The new Chelsea manager will hold a team meeting this morning when he will introduce his staff and outline his philosophy. When he took charge of Porto last summer, he made the squad watch a video of Benfica's championship party, which began a season that saw his side win four trophies.

"We just need to make the right moves, maybe a United photo, to show they've been successful. United are the reference – that's pretty clear," Villas-Boas said. Chelsea are to step up their interest in Spurs' Luka Modric this week.

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Nasri wanted by Man City and Manchester United

Both Manchester teams are set to fight for Arsenal star Samir Nasri and are reportedly willing to pay between £15-22 million ($24-35.2 million). Arsenal Left Back Gael Clichy is said to be close to a move to Manchester City for a fee of £7 million ($11.2 million).

Arsenal are set to beat local city rivals Tottenham in the signing of Cote D’Ivore forward Gervinho for a reported fee of £12 million ($19.2 million). AC Milan have ruled out a move for Arsenal star Fabregas, who is wanted be Barcelona who have apparently upped their previous bid to £35 million ($56 million).

Barcelona have rejected two big money bids for starlet Thiago Alcantara. Arsenal and Manchester United are thought to be the teams. Arsenal are believed to want to buy Chelsea long-term target Romelu Lukaku and are willing to break their transfer record to sign him.

Arsenal are thought to have a bid of £10 million ($16 million) and Bendtner rejected for Bolton and England defender Gary Cahill. Bolton want £17 million ($27.2 million) for the defender. Meanwhile, new Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has had a £9 million ($14.4 million) bid rejected for Birmingham defender Scott Dann.

McLeish also wants to sign Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips to fill the gap left by Ashley Young’s move to Manchester United. New Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is set to complete his first signing for the club in Barcelona youngster Gael Etock.

Chelsea are also thought to have bid £45 million ($72 million) for Palermo and Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore. Palermo want £55 million ($88 million) for their star player. Chelsea will move for Porto midfielder Joao Moutinho if their bid for Pastore fails.

Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez is set to reject a move to Chelsea and Manchester City in hope of signing for Barcelona. Everton want Niko Kranjcar to replace star man Mikel Arteta who wants to return to his native Spain.

Everton are also favorites to sign ex-Cardiff striker Jay Boothroyd, who left on a free transfer at the end of the season. Liverpool are rumored to want Napoli star Ezequil Lavezzi and are willing to pay his release clause of £25 million ($40 million). Blackpool star Charlie Adam wants to join Liverpool and his current club want £9 million ($14.4 million) for him.

Brazilian star Diego is on Liverpool’s radar and has claimed that talks have begun. Barcelona will swoop for Manchester United winger Nani if a move for Alexis Sanchez fails. Leeds United are thought to want former Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek on a free. Emmanuel Adebayor has rejected a move to Blackburn, saying, “It is clear that I will not win trophies at Blackburn.”

Stoke want West Ham striker Carlton Cole and are willing to pay £7 million ($11.2 million) for him. Marcos Senna will not be joining Swansea, manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed. Tottenham want to sign Spanish striker Fernando Llorente for £ 28 million ($44.8 million), but have to sell two of Roman Pavlyuchenko, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe.

QPR star Adel Taarabat is a target for newly rich PSG. Sunderland want to add Manchester United duo Wes Brown and John O’Shea for a combined fee of £8 million ($12.8 million). Manchester United want to sign Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra but do not want to pay the player’s £23 million ($36.8 million) evaluation.

Aston Villa are going to complete the signing of Wigan star Charles N’Zogbia over the weekend for a reported fee of £9 million ($14.4 million). West Brom want former Goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak to replace Scott Carson who joined Traponsanzor last week. Leicester want to sign former Tottenham defender Johnaton Woodgate, who was only played 49 games in the last three seasons.

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Keeper De Gea joins Manchester United

English champions Manchester United agreed a deal to sign highly-rated young goalkeeper David de Gea from Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. The 20-year-old, who helped Spain's under-21 team to win the European Championship title last weekend, passed a medical at Old Trafford on Monday and will join on a five-year contract. He follows England winger Ashley Young and under-21 defender Phil Jones in moving to the UEFA Champions League finalists in post-season transfers.

De Gea, who had long been linked with United as a replacement for the retired Edwin van der Sar, is likely to miss the start of the club's pre-season tour of the U.S. as he has been given an immediate vacation by boss Alex Ferguson. "The manager said that I should enjoy the holiday I've been afforded now, but of course I'm more excited about getting started in training and meeting my future teammates," De Gea told the club's television channel.

"Edwin has been the best goalkeeper in the world while here at United. I hope to emulate him and spend a great number of years here. Hopefully I will equal or even surpass the performance and contribution he made to the club."

De Gea is the second new goalkeeper brought in by Ferguson, with Denmark international Anders Lindegaard signing in the January transfer window. Their arrival casts some doubt on the United future of Poland international Tomasz Kuszczak, who was Dutchman van der Sar's understudy. "I am young but I'm coming here on the back of two full seasons in La Liga in Spain so I think I've got enough experience to contribute to such a big club," De Gea said. "When a club the size of Manchester United comes in for you, it obviously makes you very happy. I saw their interest as an extra motivation to work even harder to show off my ability."

De Gea's international teammate Thiago Alcantara, who scored Spain's second goal in the final against Switzerland, has signed a new two-year contract with European champions Barcelona. The 20-year-old is now tied to the Spanish league winners until mid-2015. Spanish club Racing Santander have appointed Hector Cuper as coach to replace Marcelino Garcia Toral, who left to join Sevilla last month. The 55-year-old Argentine has previously coached Valencia, guiding the La Liga club to Champions League finals in 2001 and 2001, and Italy's Inter Milan.

United's Premier League rivals Sunderland have signed England under-21 international striker Connor Wickham from second division club Ipswich for $12.8 million in a deal that could potentially be worth $19 million.

Wickham, 18, has agreed a four-year contract after being linked with moves to bigger clubs such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham. French champions Lille have signed defender David Rozehnal after the Czech Republic international impressed on loan from German side Hamburg last season.

Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama has also joined on a three-year deal from Israeli club Hapoel Tel Aviv. Lille had already brought in strikers Dimitri Payet and Ronny Rodelin plus defender Marko Basa since winning a domestic double. Ivory Coast international center-back Abdoulaye Meite has joined promoted French club Dijon on a three-year contract after leaving English side West Brom.

On a busy day for French clubs, Toulouse signed Turkey international striker Umut Bulut on a three-year deal from Turkish club Trabzonspor, while Sochaux loaned defender Steven Mouyokolo from England's Wolverhampton. Italian club Fiorentina announced on Wednesday that Brazilian defender Romulo Caldeira will join once the 24-year-old has passed a medical, while Serbia under-21 defender Matija Nastasic is also expected to sign.

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Manchester United duo will get better: Cole

Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole has tipped the twin-striking force of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Wayne Rooney to get better in the 2011/12 English Premier League season.The former Manchester United player said this as he launched a youth football development programme that will see mobile phone operator Airtel Kenya sponsor this year’s Kenya Secondary School Term Two “B” Games to the tune of Sh10.5 million.

The player, part of the 1999 Manchester United’s Dream Team, initiated the football talent search programme on Tuesday at Upper Hill Secondary School, which will focus on identifying and nurturing talent in Kenya from the grassroots onto the national stage.

“It is a great honour for me to be here in Kenya. It’s a fantastic feeling to see how young players want to break to stardom,” said Cole. According to the former United player, he sees plenty of himself in current Old Trafford prodigy “Chicharito,” and praised the young Mexican as the signing of the season

“Chicharito is a very talented player, especially having come from South America. He’s young and full of talent. “Well, as for Rooney, he’s phenomenon,” said the United star. “This partnership will only get better and that’s good news for United.”

The culmination of the talent search programme in October will see two players travel to Tanzania for a clinic by Manchester United coaches, giving the talented Kenyan footballers a chance to be spotted by one of the world’s most popular clubs.

“Football is the universal passion and there is no bigger club in the world than Manchester United,” said Airtel Kenya managing director, Rene Meza. “I’m tremendously excited by the opportunities for young Africans to interact with the brand, win exclusive match tickets and have the chance to train with coaches from one of the leading academies in world football.”

In the agreement, Manchester United will support the Airtel All Stars’ search for young African football talent while Airtel Kenya subscribers win tickets to watch the Red Devils play in Manchester, take part in coaching sessions and access exclusive club news.

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Nani insists he's glad United have signed Young

Nani claims he does not fear losing his place to Ashley Young and says sitting on the bench is “boring”. Nani welcomed Young’s £16million arrival at Manchester United from Aston Villa and claims the England winger will help the team win more trophies. The Portuguese winger is unfazed by the increase in competition among United’s widemen, after having to go up against Cristiano Ronaldo when he first came to Old Trafford.

“Of course I have to welcome everyone they sign,” he said. “I think Man United is a fantastic club and when they bring in new players, they know if it is good for the team or not, and Young has to help them.

“I was at United when Cristiano was there. Cristiano was one of the best players in the world, but I had no worries about him. “It’s good for the team. We want more good players to help us to win trophies.”Nani, 24, is confident about his first-team prospects because he produced his best-ever campaign for United last season.

He topped the assists chart with 18 and finished joint-top of the combined goals and assists table with 27 to earn the club’s Player of the Year accolade.

However, his form was not good enough to earn him a starting place in the Champions League Final defeat to Barcelona when he was replaced by Antonio Valencia. Nani was hurt by this snub and says watching the final from the bench at Wembley was “boring”.

He refused to criticise Sir Alex Ferguson for dropping him though, and admits his performance levels might have dipped because he was tired after a long season.

The former Sporting Lisbon star says he now feels refreshed after a month off and is ready to start pre-season training on Monday. “Last season I played more games than ever at Man United,” he said. “That’s why maybe in the last games I didn’t look the same as in the first games.

“It was boring not playing in the Champions League Final because you want to play - everyone wants to play. Finals are for playing, but the manager makes the decision. He knows who is better for the team and I have to respect that.

“Now I’m on holiday to rest and get my power back. At the start of the season I will be fine to start strong again, start to do what I know.”Nani did come on for the last 20 minutes of United’s 3-1 defeat and refuses to accept that Fergie’s side cannot beat Barca.

He claims United will begin the new season believing they can defeat Pep Guardiola’s side, despite losing two finals against them in three years. "They are the best team,” he said. “But they are not unbeatable.

"In a different game we could beat them, you never know. A game is a game and you never know what’s going to happen.”Nani has been amused during the break by Wayne Rooney’s admission on Twitter that he has had a hair transplant. He can’t wait to rib the England star when they meet up on Monday and says he will Tweet his verdict on Rooney's new barnet. “I will see and then after I will write something,” he smiled.

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Sir Alex Ferguson not afraid to wield the axe at Manchester United

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists that he is not afraid to dispose of his senior players, if the circumstances should make it necessary for him to do so. The Red Devils boss has in the past made hard choices for the greater good of the club, and has managed to realise his dream of knocking Liverpool off their perch by surpassing them in terms of the number of league titles won. The Old Trafford outfit have now won 19 league titles, with 12 of them coming under Sir Alex's reign.

"You cant get sentimental in this job," said the Scot, according to The Mirror. "I love the players I’ve had. I’ve been very, very fortunate to have had great players. And I’ve been very fortunate to have had players come through with me for a long, long time.

"At United, [Ryan] Giggs, [Gary] Neville and [Paul] Scholes. Even Phil [Neville] and Nicky Butt, guys who were the spirit of the club. They have remained part of what I see is Manchester United.

"And all the players I’ve had here have played a part in that. "But when I see something happening I have to act. In the case of Nicky Butt and Phil Neville I had to release them because I was getting to the stage where I was terrified of talking to them. Telling them they were not playing a game.

"And it wasn’t fair to them. They were good players. Players that played a big part in the resurrection of Manchester United, no doubt about that. "So when the time came for me to let them go, I knew it was cutting strings. Loyal strings. And I didn’t enjoy it.

"But my job is to manage Manchester United. My job is to produce results. I’m not any different from anybody else. I need results here. I’ll not be regarded here – and the club will not be regarded – in the same way if I was unsuccessful."

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Manchester United set to reignite interest in City target Alexis Sanchez

Manchester United are set to step up their interest in Udinese's Alexis Sanchez, according to the Daily Mail. United have been linked with a move for the former River Plate man since last summer, when he produced some impressive performances for Chile at the World Cup. Sanchez continued his form into the domestic season, scoring 12 goals in Serie A for Udinese.

It is understood that United chief executive David Gill met Gino Pozzo – the son of Udinese owner Giampaolo – in Barcelona on Tuesday to discuss a move. Manchester City are believed to have recently bid £27 million for the services of the attacker often compared to former United star Cristiano Ronaldo, but his club are believed to be holding out for at least £30m, a fee City seem unwilling to meet due to the new financial fair play regulations coming into practice soon.

Giampaolo Pozzo just days ago claimed City are the favourites to land the Chilean, but Sanchez’s agent, Fernando Felicevich, has insisted it is far from a one-horse race. He said: “Sanchez’s future is still wide open. After meetings with City, today we will have new appointments.”

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Manchester United celebrate Phil Jones transfer triumph but Blackburn claim to have secured inflated fee

Blackburn are adamant that United were forced to increase their original offer of £16.5 million after the club’s owners, the Venky’s poultry group, sought legal advice to prevent the Old Trafford side signing the player for the value of a release clause inserted into his contract earlier this year.

A statement on the club’s website confirmed that the fee surpassed the £17.5 million received from Manchester City for Roque Santa Cruz in 2009, describing the Jones deal as a “potential club record”. However, Kean revealed that when, and if, a variety of performance-related clauses are met Blackburn could stand to earn more than £20 million. “With all the bits and pieces, all the games he will play it will go above £20 million,” the Scot said. “It is a very big fee. But do not let that disguise the fact that we wanted to keep him here. We gave it a real good fight and made a fantastic offer. “Both myself and the owners spoke to him at great length.

"We offered him the biggest contract in the history of Blackburn to stay here. It was a staggering offer for a 19 year-old but Phil wanted to play Champions League football. “I think United have signed a future captain of England. He will be an England regular very soon.”Sources at United insist, though, that Jones did not cost any more than the £16.5 million offered prior to Venky’s objection, as well as the late offers from both Liverpool and Arsenal that were made in an attempt to take advantage of the confusion over the status of his move to Old Trafford. That confusion has now been solved with United announcing on their website that the player, who passed a medical last Wednesday before joining up with England’s Under-21 squad playing in the European Championship in Denmark, has signed a five-year deal.

Jones expressed his delight at finally becoming a United player, describing the chance to join Sir Alex Ferguson’s side as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” on Twitter. “I’d just like to start off by saying that I’ve loved my time at Blackburn and I will always be a huge fan,” he wrote. “But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am looking forward to a new challenge. Thank you for all your kind messages.”

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Ashley Young heads to Manchester United but Phil Jones deal stalls

Manchester United will officially sign Ashley Young when the Aston Villa forward returns from holiday later this month but their capture of Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers has been delayed by a dispute over the defender's transfer fee.

Jones passed a medical and agreed personal terms with United on Wednesday after the Premier League champions met the £16m release clause in the contract Blackburn awarded the 19-year-old in February. He then joined the England Under-21 squad in Denmark in preparation for the European Championships convinced, along with United and his agent, that the deal had been done.

Blackburn's owners, Venky's, have since said they do not have to accept a £16m transfer fee and, mindful of interest from Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal, believe he is worth more. Venky's have refused to transfer the player's registration and it may fall to lawyers to decide whether the wording in Jones' contract allows him to be sold at £16m or merely speak to clubs who meet that price. United are said to have no concerns that Jones' transfer will be completed and for £16m.

Young is believed to have agreed personal terms on an initial £16m move to Old Trafford from Villa Park but the transfer will not be formally announced until he has completed a medical. The England international is due to travel to the United States on holiday and is not expected to have had his medical before then. But Young, who had also been courted by Liverpool and Tottenham, has agreed to join United and, with an £18m deal in place for the Atlético Madrid goalkeeper David de Gea, will take United's committed spending to £50m.

Wesley Sneijder has committed his immediate future to Internazionale despite interest from Sir Alex Ferguson as he attempts to rebuild the United midfield for next season. The Holland international and Tottenham's Luka Modric were both under consideration by the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, who is also keen on Arsenal's Samir Nasri but Sneijder has said: "There is a family atmosphere at Inter and there are all the ingredients to aim high. Milan is marvellous, picturesque and full of elegance. I love it. At the moment I am very happy here and I don't see why I should leave."

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed Eric Cantona will take charge of New York Cosmos when they provide the opposition for Paul Scholes' testimonial at Old Trafford on 5 August.

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Liverpool and United splash cash but where are Arsenal?

It is three years to the month that Arsène Wenger pulled off his last notable transfer coup when he persuaded Aaron Ramsey to choose Arsenal over Manchester United when it had looked like the then 17-year-old was a cert for Old Trafford. Ramsey was invited to fly out to Switzerland to meet Wenger who was then working as a pundit covering the France team at Euro 2008.

Ferguson had relied upon his assistant Mike Phelan to sell Old Trafford to Ramsey who was also sent on a stadium tour open to members of the public, which was not quite the gold-plated reception that a nervous teenager anxious to meet his prospective famous manager had hoped for. He met Wenger, got his assurances in person and agreed to sign for Arsenal there and then.

Three years on and Ferguson is not taking any chances this time. The transfers of Phil Jones, the 19-year-old from Blackburn Rovers, and Ashley Young, the emerging star of the England team, now on his way from Aston Villa, have both been negotiated by United within 17 days of the end of the season. It is widely regarded as Liverpool who have lost out in both deals but where were Arsenal?

Arsenal met with Jones but failed to convince him, just as they did with Chris Smalling before he joined United 18 months' earlier. Jordan Henderson has gone to Liverpool. Signing the best young players – the likes of Theo Walcott and Ramsey – was once Arsenal's answer to their big-spending rivals, but now everyone else is doing that, what exactly is the policy that they intend to pursue?

As is his custom, Wenger was watching France play Poland in Warsaw last night, although not as a co-commentator on French television, and is to go on holiday today. The club's head of youth development, Liam Brady, promised yesterday that the club would be active in the transfer market this summer and it is not implausible that Wenger might be about to pull a stroke that will fire the imagination at the Emirates.

But as ever yesterday, it was more about who will go. The perennial Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona story is spinning again. The Spanish newspapers are already anticipating that Fabregas will spend his summer in Ibiza with Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol. "He [Fabregas] is a great player and he's a player for Barcelona because he already knows the language we speak on the pitch," Pique said yesterday. "He is a great friend of mine and of course I want him to end up wearing the Barcelona shirt."

We have heard it all before but if Barcelona offered £45m-£50m Arsenal would let him go. They are working on the basis that if Darren Bent is worth £24m then an offer of, say, £30m for Fabregas would simply not be entertained. Wenger is opposed to deals that involve players coming in the other direction – to the extent that even if he wanted a Barcelona player he would do that transaction separately to any deal for Fabregas. It is about making the player joining Arsenal feel that he is not a simple footnote to a transfer, but a valued individual himself.

Wenger has sold his last two star-name captains at just the right time and, while Fabregas is still young at 24, injuries have meant that last season he was eclipsed by Jack Wilshere. The 19-year-old Englishman is ready to be the new stellar presence in the side and the club obviously think so, too. You can see that by the prominence he is afforded in all their marketing for next season.

The real scandal at Arsenal, however, is how Samir Nasri and Gaël Clichy have been allowed to drift into the last year of their contracts without anyone at the Emirates being able to shore up two of the most valuable assets in the squad.

This newspaper's revelations that representatives connected to Nasri have already made contact with United show just how close Arsenal now are to losing the player. Whether they sell him this summer at a reduced price or lose him for nothing in 12 months' time, it is an unsatisfactory scenario either way. In the event of a major offer for Nasri failing to materialise, Wenger is understood to be in favour of keeping the player in the hope that he will sign a new deal next season. It sounds like wishful thinking.

Had Nasri been a United or Tottenham player the club would have offered him the stark choice last summer of either signing a new deal or being sold immediately. Somehow, Arsenal took their eye off the ball and they have now surely lost him for good. Nasri was close to signing before the first leg of the last-16 Champions League knockout round tie against Barcelona in February. The deal was all but agreed between the club and his agent but at the last minute Nasri decided to hold off and Arsenal have been unable to bring him back to the table since then.

As for Clichy, the consensus is that he can go, with Liverpool the key English club interested and failing that, an offer from Italy is expected. The player will not give the club another season – he wants to go now – so they will sell him providing they get the valuation they want of around £7m to £8m.

As with most professional footballers, the money on offer is important. But the growing anxiety among the likes of Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Nasri and Walcott – who is entering the last two years of his deal – is whether they will ever be in a position to win something with Arsenal. And when that anxiety is heightened by the departure of high-profile team-mates, it stirs up even more unease.

The signing of 19-year-old Carl Jenkinson from Charlton Athletic for around £1m in compensation is intriguing but not quite the deal that might kickstart a summer of optimism. The likes of Mamadou Sakho (Paris St-Germain), Eden Hazard and Gervinho (both Lille) and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton) remain possibilities. At least, unlike Chelsea, Arsenal have a manager in place to make the big strategic decisions but they have made a slow start to the summer and after last season that is not something that they can afford.

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Manchester United star Paul Scholes the best of all time

It was right at the start of the ’90s that I heard the name Paul Scholes for the first time. The football world and the media, this newspaper in particular, was waking up to the fact that something unusual and wonderful was taking shape at Manchester United.

A group of kids who were growing up together at Old Trafford were starting to make ripples. Some of them who were aged just 16 or 17 were already pushing for a place in Alex Ferguson’s first team.

So I took myself off to United’s old training centre, The Cliff in Salford, to have a chat with the Reds­ youth team coach Eric Harrison who watched over that talented bunch of youngsters like a mother hen. Of course Eric was eager to sing the praises of David Beckham, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt.

But Eric became even more animated when talking about the boy I had never heard of. That boy was Paul Scholes. “You won’t believe this,” said Eric, “but Scholesy has got a fan club. “Have you ever heard of a 17-year-old footballer with a fan club, because I haven’t. “But scores of young girls turn up at The Cliff just to watch him training.

“He’s tiny, he’s got a mop of ginger hair and he suffers from asthma. But to those young girls he’s already a star. Of course Scholesy doesn’t take advantage of his stardom. “He’s only interested in playing football. At least that’s what he tells me. “What those young fans are seeing, I believe, is that they are watching the birth of a great career in professional football at the very highest level.

“And do you know what? I couldn’t agree with them more. The scrawny ginger haired kid I am talking about is going to become a superstar over the years ahead.”Let’s wind the clock on 20 years to an interview with Thierry Henry broadcast by Sky Sports earlier this season.

The programme was filmed in New York where the brilliant French striker was giving the interviewer a grand tour of the Red Bulls Stadium where he now plays. The conversation turned to the days in the late ’90s and early 2000s when Arsenal and United comprehensively dominated the Premier League.

Henry was asked if he and his Arsenal team-mates feared any of United’s players. Roy Keane for his ferociousness perhaps, or maybe Ruud van Nistelrooy for his goal-scoring ability?

Henry’s reply was instant and revealing. “We respected all of United’s players,” he answered diplomatically. “But there was one United player we genuinely feared – and that player was Paul Scholes.

“Scholes had everything.

“We prided ourselves on our defence but he could split it open with one pass.

“He could score fantastic goals out of nothing and, although he was small in stature, to say he could take care of himself on the pitch is a massive under-statement. “At his peak he was one of the greatest midfield players of his generation, not just in the English Premier League but right across Europe.”

Genius: So there it is. Two tributes to the ginger genius from north Manchester separated by two decades. The first from his former youth team coach Harrison could be expected. Eric treated the members of that famous class of 1992 as though they were his adopted sons. But when you look again at that second tribute 20 years later from one of the world’s greatest strikers, there is only one conclusion to be reached.

That scrawny asthma-stricken kid, born in Salford but raised in Langley, was THE greatest English midfield player of his generation and arguably the greatest English midfielder of ALL time. Why then was Scholes not showered with personal honours throughout his glittering career?

Why no PFA Player of the Year award? Why no Football Writers’ Player of the Year honour? Those questions are difficult to answer. The only explanation I can come up with is that throughout his career Scholes preferred to keep himself under the radar.

He never sought publicity. Quite the reverse. He was dynamic on the field but purposely anonymous off it. To him giving an interview to the press was the equivalent of having your teeth pulled out with pliers – without the anaesthetic.

Had he been more media-friendly he would certainly have banked extra millions during his career from sponsorships and various TV advertising campaigns.All right, he didn’t have the film star looks of a Beckham or a Jamie Redknapp, but that hasn’t stopped Peter Crouch making a fortune outside the game has it?

And he’s twice the size but half the talent of Scholes, that’s for sure. But that was the Ginger Prince wasn’t it? Turn in a match-winning performance, take a shower, get dressed and then it’s off home to take the wife and kids to the pictures.

A man who somehow managed to live a normal life in an abnormal profession. United have granted Scholes a testimonial match later this year to celebrate his extraordinary career.

If the organisers of that match haven’t yet fixed up an opposing team for Scholes’s testimonial I would urge them to look no further than United’s ‘noisy neighbours’ from Eastlands. For almost two decades now my fellow Blue Mooners have ‘hated’ the little ginger haired midfield genius from Old Trafford.

But I’m sure I’m speaking for every true City supporter by saying that if Scholes had been wearing the sky blue shirt instead of a red one throughout those years he would have been idolised.

The Eastlands congregation would flock to Old Trafford in their thousands to say a last goodbye to one of football’s true greats. A fellow Mancunian who reached the very peak of his profession with the minimum of fuss and the absence of publicity. We will not see the likes of him again, more’s the pity.

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Samir Nasri hints at move to Manchester United

Samir Nasri has infuriated Arsenal by refusing to dismiss a move to Manchester United. The midfielder issued what amounts to a 'come and get me plea' to United manager Sir Alex Ferguson with his comments in a French TV interview. His stance echoes that of Spurs star Luka Modric, who last week dropped more than a few broad hints about a possible switch to Old Trafford.

Nasri is coming into the final year of his contract at the Emirates and Arsene Wenger may be forced to cash-in rather than lose him for nothing next summer. The Arsenal manager insists his 23-year-old French international will not be joining United - but unless Nasri commits himself to a new deal soon, Arsenal may have no choice but to let him leave the club.

Nasri, on international duty ahead of France's Euro 2012 qualifier with Poland, said on TF1: "I don't know if I will sign a new contract. Anyway, the discussions are ongoing. "For the moment, I don't think about this. We will speak about it after the match with Poland. "Do I want to go to Man United? First, we should see if it's real and if it is concrete."Ferguson is determined to revamp United's midfield for next season, especially after seeing that particular department swamped by Barcelona in the Champions League final.

He wants Modric to replace the retired Paul Scholes, while Nasri is earmarked as a successor to Ryan Giggs. Nasri's international colleague Patrice Evra infuriated Arsenal fans ahead of United's Champions League final with Barcelona when he claimed the Arsenal player would have to head to Old Trafford to fulfil his ambition for silverware.

Evra said: "Little prince, if you want to become king you know where you should go. "Every year at Manchester is a guarantee of a title. "I have been here five years and cannot keep count of the trophies I've won - 12? 13? 15?"

But Wenger remains determined not to lose one of his star players to Ferguson. "One thing's for sure: we're not selling him to Manchester United," he said. "Are we still in discussions with Nasri? Yes, but we are still in disagreement over the financial contract on offer, which we haven't settled. "We are trying to extend his deal."Arsenal, who have Clichy in a similar position, had hoped to secure Nasri on a new five-year deal worth around £90,000 a week.

Both players' contracts expire in the summer of 2012 and Wenger is unwilling to allow them to leave for nothing under the Bosman ruling, as Mathieu Flamini did for Milan three years ago. Nasri played in France's 1-1 draw in Belarus on Friday and is expected to feature in tomorrow's friendly in Poland; talks will resume upon his return.

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Manchester United must be punished if they field weakened team against Blackpool, says Wolves chairman

Wolves were given a £25,000 suspended fine in February 2010 after Mick McCarthy rested 10 first-team regulars for a game he did not expect to win at Old Trafford. Wolves lost 3-0 and nine of the players were promptly recalled for the next fixture, against relegation rivals Burnley, which Wolves won. A precedent having been set, Morgan said he expected Manchester United to be fined if Sir Alex Ferguson rested Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Nemanja Vidic against Blackpool, who are fighting with Wolves, Wigan and Birmingham to avoid following West Ham down.

“It would be pretty hypocritical if they weren’t fined,’’ said Morgan, although he stressed his admiration for United. “United put out a second string XI against Schalke and it didn’t do Schalke much good.”"United are a very professional club and they’re not going to want to lose on the last day of the season, the day they get presented with the Premier League trophy. They might put their full XI out. Chances are they probably won’t.”Blackpool manager Ian Holloway, however, says it would be insulting to Blackpool for the FA to charge United.

Holloway said: “It’s pretty annoying to think United might be fined if they make a load of changes and we beat them. People are saying we cannot beat them, and I just can’t see that. It is massively disrespectful to us. "The suggestion is that they should always beat us, because we’re supposed to be crap. Don’t try telling me that.

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Manchester United will not be intimidated by Barcelona in the Champions League final, says Rio Ferdinand

Rio Ferdinand can give no guarantees about Manchester United lifting the Champions League trophy at Wembley Stadium on May 28.

But one thing the England defender can state, without any fear of contradiction, is that Manchester United will not stand beside Barcelona in the Wembley tunnel prior to kick-off and feel intimidated. It is often said football is a game played in the mind. Ferdinand knows it is true. He has emerged from the home dressing rooms at Old Trafford often enough to know there are days when he looks his opponent in the eye and knew he was going to win. Barcelona experience similar sensations at times. With Lionel Messi leading their team and Xavi and Andres Iniesta offering pretty substantial support, who wouldn't excuse the Catalans from nursing a sense of superiority?

They have been talked up as the best team in the world so often, it must be true. Indeed, earlier this season, Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp suggested Barcelona were the best club side ever. However, after securing a record 19th league title and reaching the Champions League final for the third time in four years, something Barça cannot match, Ferdinand does not see why United should be the ones with an inferiority complex. ''You do see the aura a little bit,'' said Ferdinand.

''We had it here. There would be times when we felt in the tunnel we had a game won. But I can guarantee that won't happen with us. ''We have experienced players who have played against a lot of great teams throughout their careers. ''When I look around my own changing room, it instils me with confidence.''Not that Ferdinand is downplaying the abilities of Barcelona's 'Holy Trinity'. As Messi is widely acknowledged to be the best player in the world at present, and Xavi and Iniesta were the inspirations behind Spain's World Cup triumph last summer, he could hardly do that. But the 32-year-old does feel it is pointless getting hung up on three players, when there are another eight who could cause damage as well. ''You watch the games and see Barcelona on TV and they obviously have fantastic players,'' he said. ''They have got three of the best in the world if you go by the various awards. But it is not just down to them.

''If you try to mark one player out of their team, you still have another 10 to contend with. ''They are experienced and they know how to win. They have consistently collected trophies over the last two or three years. ''But I am sure they will be thinking exactly the same about us.''And, though the defeat to Barca in the 2009 Champions League final conjures up largely negative thoughts in Ferdinand's mind, in the context of the rematch, there are some positive ones. For a start, as badly as United performed, they still created opportunities, so who would argue they will fail to muster any if they actually produce a display to match their ability?

''We had opportunities that day without playing to anywhere near our maximum,'' said Ferdinand.

''It makes us think we will have chances again. We know we are capable of causing them problems.

''I am not bothered about it being a good match. I wouldn't mind it being the best Manchester United against the worst Barcelona. ''We will try and do whatever it takes to win. The biggest thing in football is to never come off the pitch with any regrets. ''There were regrets that night and I don't want to experience that again.'

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Manchester United's Darron Gibson shuts Twitter account after fans’ abuse

Northern Ireland-born Manchester United midfielder Darron Gibson was forced to delete his Twitter account less than two hours after joining the site after being subjected to a tidal wave of sectarian and personal abuse.

The latest display of bigotry from so-called football fans comes days after it was revealed Lurgan man and Celtic boss Neil Lennon was targeted by parcel bombers. Darron Gibson, set up the account dgibbo28 shortly after midday yesterday but instead of affection and sporting chat, he was inundated with abuse.

In 2007 Gibson was at the centre of a dispute over his international allegiance. He was involved in a tug of war between the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland. His decision to play for the Republic of Ireland instead of Northern Ireland infuriated some football fans. At the time of his decision Gibson told the Belfast Telegraph: “I don’t see why there is a problem, or why people have to make such a big deal of it.”

Last night chief executive of the IFA, Patrick Nelson, told the Belfast Telegraph the abusive Twitter comments were “unacceptable” and said it was completely “inappropriate behaviour.”“I do not condone any negative comments. There is no place for this sort of abuse,” he said. Gibson has had limited success since his Old Trafford debut in a League Cup match in 2005.

He is currently in Gelsen-kirchen, Germany, as part of the Manchester United squad for |the Champions’ League semi-final first leg against Schalke tonight. A number of Manchester United players use Twitter to communicate with their fans.

Wayne Rooney joined the site at around the same time on Saturday and now has more than 207,000 followers on his Wazzaroon08 account. Piers Morgan jumped on Rooney's repeated grammatical errors and text slang.

After Rooney sent a mangled message to United teammate Michael Owen, Morgan wrote, "It's 'You're', 'have' and 'you'" before adding, "Amazed Wazzaroon08 hasn't been suspended from Twitter yet - for repeated fouling of basic grammar & spelling."

Rooney took the jibe in good spirit, though, replying, "piersmorgan yes sir thank YOU for correcting me."Some of the messages posted on Gibson’s Twitter page included:

dgibbo28 the biggest compliment i can give you is that you are better than Carrick dgibbo28 is on Twitter, a traitor to his country and a s**** footballer #gawa #mufc dgibbo28 You are a (sic) abysmal excuse for a footballer. You're a one trick pony - a s*** one at that. What Fergie sees in you I do not know...”

dgibbo28 Nothing would make me happier than if we sold you this summer. Other Manchester United fans were dismayed by the abuse directed at Gibson and created a page in an effort to encourage the midfielder to return to the site.

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Manchester United To End Everton’s Run

Manchester United have the opportunity to temporarily extend their lead over Chelsea and Arsenal at the top of the Premier League to 9 points when they face Everton in the early kick off at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The hosts take a 6 point lead into the weekend with just 5 league games remaining. However, the title race isn’t quite over yet as they have an away game at Arsenal in between their Champions League semi final clash with Schalke 04, and then play Chelsea the weekend following the second leg.

Sir Alex Ferguson will know his team can settle for nothing less than 3 points on Saturday. Everton come into this game with one of the best records in the league over the past 7 games; winning 5 and drawing 2. However, all of these opponents are outside of the top 8 and include out-of-form sides Sunderland and Blackburn as well as bottom of the league Wolves. Manchester United will be a different test and a tougher challenge for David Moyes’ side.

Everton have the players in position to deal with crosses from Antonio Valencia, Nani or whoever plays down the wing for Manchester United; Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin can deal with crosses. However, Nani running at them and the nifty Javier Hernandez are capable of causing them great difficulties.

Wayne Rooney is set to face his former side, but it will be interesting to see Ferguson’s selection with half an eye on the away trip to Schalke 04 on Tuesday night in the Champions League; looking to reach his 4th Champions League final as Manchester United manager.

Everton’s last two away games have been victories over Newcastle (2-1) and Wolves (3-0) respectively. The creativity of both Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini remain absent for this game, while Tim Cahill is listed as a doubt for this weekend’s game. Jermaine Beckford is now only 2 goals behind Everton’s leading scorer Cahill, but has still only completed 90 minutes once as a Premier League player.

Manchester United have kept 14 clean sheets in the league this season; 9 of those have come at Old Trafford in the 16 games they’ve hosted. West Brom remain the only side to have taken a point on their travels to United this season and it will be a tough ask for Everton to repeat that feat. I don’t see it happening.

After last week’s successful tip, I am going to suggest Manchester United to to beat Everton at 1.48 with Betfair this weekend. If you’re feeling confident in Manchester United’s defence, they are 2.38 to win to nil. Stay tuned for more football betting tips.

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Chelsea can run United to the finish line, but only if they save the Fernando Torres project until next season

Despite the obvious improvement in performance from his Chelsea team since reverting to a 4-3-3, Carlo Ancelotti refused to commit to deploying a three-pronged attack for the rest of the season after his side's convincing win over Birmingham.

Nor did the Italian confirm that £50 million man Fernando Torres, left out of the starting line-up for a second consecutive game, may have to get used to life on the bench. Chelsea's dominant attacking display in the first half at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday seemed a world away from the uncoordinated and disjointed performances that have undermined the champions' season.

Yet remarkably for a team that had seemed out of the title picture for months, the Blues now find themselves just six points off table-topping Manchester United with five games left to play.

With the front-runners facing a gruelling run of games in weeks to come, there is still every chance that United can be overhauled – a fact Ancelotti acknowledged with a wry smile last night.

But if Chelsea are to realise their burgeoning title ambitions, one thing has become abundantly clear: the Torres problem will have to be put to one side until summer.

The change of formation to a 4-4-2 to accommodate the misfiring Spaniard has taken Chelsea out of a tactical comfort zone that fits key personnel at the club and has been the basis of success in recent years. And the proof was in the pudding last night as the more familiar shape was adopted, once again leading to a convincing win.

Florent Malouda’s brace, sandwiching Salomon Kalou’s excellent strike from range, saw a return to the blistering form for the duo that characterised the side that romped to the title last year and flew out of the blocks last August.

However, the main star against Birmingham was talisman Didier Drogba; a bustling and intimidating performance showed exactly why the Ivorian is still the main man for this team. The triumvirate of Kalou, Malouda and Drogba all put in excellent individual performances, but it was the fluid interchange between the three that won the game so convincingly for the Blues.

The fact that Chelsea were so dominant despite Frank Lampard and Michael Essien underperforming once more underlined the effectiveness of the front three. After the game, Ancelotti remained coy over the sustained use of this more familial tactical approach – stating that different shapes and personnel are required for different challenges ahead of Saturday’s clash with West Ham. Yet, despite his seeming ambivalence towards a P45 being thrust his way at the end of the season, the Italian is no fool.

Torres started on the bench again after the side impressed in a 3-1 win at West Brom on Saturday without him, and Ancelotti’s team selection at the weekend will likely determine the extent to which he is prepared to sacrifice the Spaniard for the sake of success.

With a genuine chance of snatching the title from the clutches of Manchester United, this surely is no time to be experimenting with square pegs and round holes. Few doubt that Torres will become a central figure at Stamford Bridge for years to come – with Ancelotti himself calling the striker the "present and the future of the club" – but 725 minutes without a goal is a problem that needs addressing later with the Blues having just 450 Premier League minutes of their season left.

£50m was a considerable amount to spend on one man, but it does not mean that he should be played at the expense of the club's newfound title hopes.

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United expected to foot bill over damage to Wembley dressing room

The Football Association will consider today whether to bill Manchester United for damage to their Wembley dressing room which took place in the aftermath of Saturday's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City.

The dressing room was used by Stoke City the following day but not before staff at Wembley had to fix a wall that had been damaged on Saturday evening. United have made it clear that they will pay for the damage and have indicated that none of their players were involved in the incident.

The FA carries out minor repairs to the dressing room as a matter of course over FA Cup semi-final weekend after they are cleaned. However, if the damage is assessed to have been sufficiently bad – it is understood that a hole was kicked in the wall – they may decide that United should foot the bill.

The incident caps a bad four days for Manchester United, who play Newcastle United at St James' Park tonight in what will prove a pivotal game in the title race. If they win, United will go nine points ahead of second place Arsenal who play Tottenham at White Hart Lane tomorrow.

Sir Alex Ferguson said yesterday that he would not shy away from the tough decisions needed this summer to maintain the club's dominance.

The preparations for next season have already begun. Ferguson dispatched his brother, Martin, to Spain to scout the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea, who is a prime candidate to replace Edwin van der Sar when the Dutchman retires next month. The close season at Manchester United is expected to be a busy one with the future of players such as Owen Hargreaves, Wes Brown, Michael Owen, Tomasz Kuszczak and even Dimitar Berbatov uncertain. Ferguson told The Manager, the magazine of the League Managers Association, that he was not afraid to bring a player's career to an end.

"It is a horrible thing to say but you cannot be sentimental in this job," the 69-year-old said. "I love the players that I've had and I've been very, very fortunate to have had great players who have come through my career with me.

"All of the players I have had here have played a part in my success so when I see something happening – as in the cases of Nicky Butt and Phil Neville – I have had to release them to other opportunities.

"It was getting to the stage where I was terrified of talking to them and telling them they weren't playing. It wasn't fair to them because they had played a big part in the resurrection of Manchester United. When the time came for me to let them go, I knew I was cutting really important, loyal strings and I didn't enjoy it.

"My job is to manage United and to produce results and I am no different to any other manager. I will not be regarded in the same way if I am not successful. Everything to do with me is black and white. If it's on the football field and I see something that I feel is a retrograde step for the club, I have to act and make decisions.

"I can make quick decisions and I am lucky that way. In management, you have to be able to make decisions and sometimes you are not right, but that doesn't concern me too much because the important thing is being able to do it."

That Manchester United are perhaps three games away from recapturing a championship lost to a resurgent Chelsea 11 months ago is one of Ferguson's many great achievements. United's football may have lacked the magic of previous campaigns but they have forged a consistency that in a wildly unpredictable Premier League should prove decisive. Nevertheless, Manchester City's victory in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final was, said City defender Joleon Lescott, a shape of things to come. "I know United are top of the league and will probably go on to win the league but I think they are looking over their shoulders now and thinking about the way we are progressing," he said.

"In the next couple of years we are going to be getting to semi-finals and finals a lot more. We'll meet them more and more. Manchester City winning a trophy would be huge. I don't think there is a deadline or a need to win by a certain date. It would be great to win any silverware but the FA Cup is a bit different."

Berbatov, who on Sunday night was named in the Team of the Year voted for by the Professional Footballers' Association and is still the Premier League's leading goalscorer, is likely to begin tonight's game at Newcastle on the bench, just as he did when United and Chelsea locked horns for a place in the semi-finals of the European Cup.

Berbatov, given an opportunity on the grand stage, squandered two early chances in the Wembley semi-final against City, moments that in a bland post-match interview Ferguson singled out as decisive.

As Ferguson proved when getting rid of Dwight Yorke and Ruud van Nistelrooy, the manager has a keen sense of when a striker is past his peak. Berbatov's contract expires in 14 months' time and Manchester United have a unilateral option to extend it an extra year – another of the big decisions Ferguson will have to take in the summer.

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Manchester United football signed by all first team players in Coventry raffle

IT COST Manchester United nearly £90 million to secure the signatures of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov. But they could be yours for just £1. This Manchester United football has been signed by every member of the current first team squad. With the club standing on the brink of the treble it could soon become a genuine piece of footballing history.

And a group of committed Coventry fundraisers are offering you the chance to own it – or a one in 2,000 chance to be precise. Retired police sergeant Steve Mayor convinced the world-famous club to part with the ball so they could raffle it in aid of two great causes. He said: “Manchester United have been marvellous to give us the ball.”“We want to raise a fair sum, but give someone local a great opportunity to win the ball and a one in two thousand chance is just that.

The group is selling 2,000 tickets and will donate £1,000 to Parkinsons UK, with the other half going to the Neurofibromatosis Foundation. Steve was diagnosed with the nerve disorder Parkinsons five years ago and it has steadily grown worse. “It has progressed quicker than I expected,” he said. “Now I can’t smile and my left hand and leg shake. I need help with simple little tasks.”

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Manchester United v Chelsea: Carlo Ancelotti left on the brink after team fail yet again

He got his tactics right; he got his formation right; he coaxed a better performance from his squad. But he made one grave error. He went against his instincts and selected Fernando Torres ahead of Didier Drogba.

It didn’t work. Torres departed at half-time — a new low in his sorry time at Chelsea so far — looking every bit the Andrei Shevchenko of Jose Mourinho. He is the owner’s man, not the manager’s. The tension is there and Ancelotti has been caught in the worst position. He started Torres; he failed and he had to take him off.

It made a fool of Ancelotti, it made a fool of Torres, who remains a very good player, and it also made a fool of Roman Abramovich who sat in the directors’ box before departing just before the end.

Abramovich would now be an even greater fool if he sacked Ancelotti but that appears to be what is in danger of happening. It is very hard to see the manager surviving this. Sir Alex Ferguson talked of the “pressure” being placed on him coming from the media but that is not right. “It is stupid,” Ferguson said of the likelihood that Ancelotti will now go but that stupidity is not driven by the press. It is from within. Chelsea are owned by one man and that one man decides.

And he has a history of acting brutally. He will look at Torres and the £50million he has committed, to win this trophy this season, and he will look at his hundreds of millions of investment and then he will look at Ancelotti – when all that is weighed up it is the manager whose position is under the greatest threat. Such is Roman’s way.

Ancelotti’s instinct, despite his protestations last night, was to drop Torres and start with Drogba. He thought about it, he toyed with but, in the end, he did not do it. The fact that Chelsea were far more threatening once Torres was pulled off at half-time; the fact that Drogba carried the menace and drove in the equalising goal that gave that flicker of hope only compounded the crisis. It did not make Ancelotti look what he is which is a very, very good manager.

He is a coach from the highest tier; he is in the same peer group as Ferguson who paid his own tribute to a “shrewd” rival. He has achieved so much in his career and has executed everything that has been asked of him by Abramovich at Chelsea.

One well-placed club source indicated last night that there would be no sense in sacking him. Who can do a better job, was the gist of that argument and it is right. The problem does not lie with him. He deserves time. Not relentless scrutiny. Ancelotti has said he thrives on that pressure but it is irrational and counter-productive.

He deserved better than having to go into the Champions League quarter-final fearing that defeat would lead to his departure. And this from a manager who has won this competition four times, twice as a player, twice as a coach, and who won a Premier League and FA Cup double with Chelsea last season.

He won the European Cup on this ground back in 2003 with Andrei Shevchenko scoring the decisive penalty in the shoot-out; two years later he became the last coach to beat Manchester United at home in the knockout stages of the Champions League, with goals from Hernan Crespo, on loan from Chelsea, and then last season he beat United here.

Agents, advisers, figures of influence already scent blood and not least because Chelsea have previous. Ferguson had hit the point by stating that winning the European Cup has become Abramovich’s “obsession”. It has effectively become the Holy Grail. But here was compelling evidence — if any were needed — that Ancelotti deserves another chance. Chelsea played well but paid the price for missed opportunities. Not least by Torres who, twice, fluffed chances.

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Ghosts of Manchester United's European past keep Sir Alex Ferguson’s warrior spirit alive

Nobody mines the misery of the past more productively than Sir Alex Ferguson. Sifting through memories of wrecked campaigns, Manchester United’s driven manager finds even more fuel to stoke his burning “obsession” with the European Cup.

Much is made of how Ferguson uses censure of him and his players as a motivational tool. The longer the editorials, the shorter the required team-talks runs the legitimate thesis on Ferguson’s reaction to criticism. Painful episodes of history similarly stir Ferguson. Defeats stay with him.

Ferguson largely leaves the celebrating of his triumphs to others, famously once observing that the glow of victory swiftly evaporates, even by the time he’s left a jubilant dressing room. He has new trophies to chase and old scorelines to settle. If United protect or embellish their first-leg advantage over Chelsea tonight, Ferguson will immediately be plotting for the semi-finals, probably against Schalke.

This evening marks a century of European games for the Scot at Old Trafford and praise flows freely. United’s programme pays its own sepia-tinted salute, lauding “the best of the Boss’s Continental clashes” at the self-styled Theatre of Dreams. Reminiscences abound of the Ryan Giggs-inspired 3-2 win over Juventus in 1997, the 7-1 thrashing of Roma in 2007 and the edgy 1-0 defeat of Barcelona secured late on by Paul Scholes that allowed United to squeeze through to the 2008 final against John Terry and company.

Reminded on Monday of that nervy night against Catalonia’s finest, Ferguson could recall only on the distress it stirred. Typical. “I always remember that last 10 minutes was absolute agony,” he said. “You don’t deserve to be put through that.”

Even a win bequeaths a grievance, a source of motivation. It’s the memory of adversity that makes such men as Ferguson even stronger. It’s the easy games and flattering headlines that blunt a warrior’s edge.

Listening to Ferguson holding court in the Europa Suite at Old Trafford on Monday, his audience was left in no doubt that this was an individual who never forgets. He still had an issue with the year 1997. “When we lost the first Champions League semi-final to Borussia Dortmund it was devastating because we missed 15 one-v-ones that night,” he reminisced. “I always remember that.”

Always. He often mentions that night. He can’t escape it. Trailing 1-0 from the Westfalenstadion, Ferguson picked a very attacking team for the home leg, starting with Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Andy Cole, yet could still not break through the German defence.

United’s task was rendered hopeless when Lars Ricken scored. A frustrated Ferguson stayed up late reviewing the game, almost punishing himself but also ensuring the hurt stayed, driving him on. In the morning, Ferguson was informed by a devastated Cantona that he wanted to retire. Ferguson, though, kept fighting. It’s in his DNA.

It’s because of the disappointments stored in his mind that need tackling. “Losing the semi-final against Dortmund, I thought we were never going to do it,” he reflected of his obsession with the Champions League. “So when we won in Barcelona in 1999 it was the greatest feeling of all time and it took the monkey off my back a bit.” A bit.

The restlessness remained. As he looked forward to tonight’s game, ghosts continued to invade his thoughts. The year 2002 needed addressing.

“There was that semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen ... I don’t know how we didn’t get to that final.” Battling oblivion on the away-goals rule in the BayArena, United finished with an attack of Solskjaer, Diego Forlan, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Giggs. With the clock running down, and the life ebbing from another excursion in Europe, Forlan unleashed a shot that seemed destined for the back of the Germans’ net. Then Diego Placente headed off the line. Soon after came the whistle.

United were out. These are the moments that underpin Ferguson’s obsession. Only two of his seasons in the Champions League have brought glory and Ferguson knows this is the stage on which he will be judged by history.

His is a glorious obsession, frequently scarred. Other near-misses must filter through his mind, the David Trezeguet away goal for Monaco ending United’s European dream at the quarter-final stage in 1998.

Last year’s exit to Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena still exercises Ferguson. “It looked as if it was going to be an absolute slaughter job,” he said, “we were 3-0 up and it could have been four or five.

“They got a goal just before half-time and then we had Rafa [Rafael] sent off, a really harsh decision, I felt, and the game swung their way. We looked as if we were going to hang on until Arjen Robben hit that absolutely fantastic goal.”

Ferguson recounted the details with a clarity as if the match had only just concluded. The final whistle goes but the memory remains.

So it was little surprise when Ferguson slightly bridled at the suggestion that Chelsea had an “obsession” with the competition. “You can understand the obsession but it doesn’t make Chelsea any more desperate [to win tonight] than Manchester United, believe me,” he emphasised. “We will be desperate to win. It’s all or nothing for us as well by the way. Make no mistake. You are all running away with sympathy for Chelsea at the moment. We need to win, believe me!”

He needs to win to fight the memory of the bad times. Typically, when talk turned to the Premier League this season, it was the poor away displays at “Sunderland and Anfield” that drew a mention.

Even last season’s disappointments chipped away at him. “Look at the Blackburn game last season when we had lost Wayne Rooney a couple of weeks before. We knew if we could win that game we could win the League. But we didn’t do it. We had one chance.” One chance. He forgets neither the stats nor the pain. No wonder, Ferguson’s so fired up for the business end of the season. The past demands it.

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