manchester united

Park Eyes United Stay

2008-09-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Park Eyes United Stay

South Korean winger Park Ji-Sung has reiterated his desire to stay at Manchester United, and believes that he has a bright future at the club.

The 27-year-old was thrilled to put his name on the scoresheet in yesterday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea after enduring a torrid few months.

After recovering from injury and playing a considerable part in helping his side reach the Champions League final last May, the ex-PSV Eindhoven man was dropped from the panel altogether for the Moscow showpiece.

He subsequently re-injured a fragile knee on international duty over the summer, and that meant he was prevented from making the trip to Beijing for the Olympic Games in August.

With the Champions League snub in mind, Park reflected on the clash in London yesterday and stated that he still had a long career in front of him at Old Trafford

He told the press: "It has been a hard time for me. I have to show my abilities so I don't suffer that experience [being omitted from a squad] again. This was a chance to do that and I need to take them because I still believe I have a big future at Manchester United."

Although he is still regaining some part of his match fitness, the Korean coped admirably in his wide position yesterday. Park was forced to pin Jose Bosingwa in his own half while trying to make an impression at the business end. Overall, he was pleased to have made a contribution.

He continued: "I was quite pleased with my performance. My fitness is coming back now. I have been in the gym a lot and prepared as much as I can, so I am pretty much recovered."

Park also commented on the performance of Mike Riley during yesterday's fixture; the referee admonished seven bookings to Manchester United players and only one to Chelsea. Although no protests were made at the final whistle, inkeeping with the 'Respect' drive of the Premier League, Park was quick to vocalise the perceived persecution felt by his side.

He stated: "It was unfair. The Chelsea players did the same tackles but the yellow cards went to us. A couple of their men deserved them as well."

Ferguson defends booked players

2008-09-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ferguson defends booked players

Manchester United manager boss Sir Alex Ferguson saw seven of his players booked in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Chelsea but did not feel it was a dirty match.

Ferguson also refused to be drawn on the performance of referee Mike Riley.

"It was a competitive game but I did not think there was one bad tackle in it," said Ferguson.

"People are saying what is going on here but it is difficult to say anything about the referee. I do not want to get involved."

However, United will now face questions from the Football Association as an investigation is automatically triggered when one side has six players cautioned and they could be fined up to £25,000.

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari was quick to suggest any punishment meted out to United on the pitch was deserved.

"That is what the referee is there for," said Scolari. "If players do not respect him, it should be yellow and red cards. It doesn't matter who you are - Liverpool or Manchester United, whoever."

The FA is also likely to assess the clash between United defender Rio Ferdinand and Chelsea's Didier Drogba, which left the striker needing treatment.

That incident was the last of the match as Riley blew the whistle for full-time after the pair collided in the air.

Matters continued to be aggravated off the pitch as United's team coach was attacked after leaving Stamford Bridge.

A bottle was hurled from the pavement, cracking the windscreen, although no-one was injured, with United officials eager to play down the incident afterwards.

"There was an incident but the matter is now in the hands of the police," said a club spokesman.

As for the game itself, Scolari was relieved to escape with a point after injuries to Deco and Ricardo Carvalho.

Deco injured a thigh in the warm-up and Carvalho suffered a knee injury early on.

Scolari said: "The game is one of the best games we've played this season, because we have many problems.

"After we lost Deco, Manchester controlled the game for 15 minutes and they played better than us.

"They made a goal - and after this, we improved. We had more chances than them but we missed some chances in front of goal.

"At half-time I said we wanted Lampard and Ballack more up front, nearer the strikers - and we put Drogba on."

Ferguson admitted he was disappointed not to be leaving London with a victory after his side led for much of the game.

"I feel we have missed a good chance, obviously. If we had had a bit more energy, we would have been OK," he said.

"We started to drop off the pace a bit in terms of the speed we were playing at.

"That was a bit of a disappointment because it allowed them to regroup at half-time.

"We started to give the ball away in the second half and that got them back into the game. They had a couple of chances, but that's about all they had."

Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd

2008-09-22T07:49:00.000-07:00

Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd

Salomon Kalou's late equaliser preserved Chelsea's long unbeaten home league record and earned a deserved point against Manchester United.

Ji-Sung Park put United ahead in the 18th minute after Chelsea keeper Petr Cech fumbled Dimitar Berbatov's shot.

United lost keeper Edwin van der Sar to injury in the first half and Chelsea took control of a disjointed game.

Joe Cole and Nicolas Anelka wasted great chances before substitute Kalou headed in with 10 minutes left.

It stretched Chelsea's unbeaten sequence in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge to 85 games, but Sir Alex Ferguson will be frustrated that his side failed to build on a perfect start and lost their way as the game went on.

Chelsea will be delighted and relieved with a point - but they should have claimed all three after dominating the second half.

United opted to keep Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, where he was joined by Carlos Tevez as Berbatov and Wayne Rooney were paired up front.

Chelsea were forced into a reshuffle of their own when Deco injured a thigh in the warm-up, although they were hardly weakened by the subsequent inclusion of Michael Ballack.

United opened with real purpose, Darren Fletcher scrambling a finish wide and Rooney hooking just off target after a poor clearance from Cech.

Chelsea had a chance of their own in the eighth minute when Joe Cole ran clear after appearing to use his hand, only to shoot wide.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's side suffered a serious blow three minutes later when defender Ricardo Carvalho departed with a knee injury, with Alex coming on as substitute.

United's ambition was rewarded with a deserved opener after 18 minutes, when Park pounced from close range after Cech could only parry Berbatov's shot.

Van der Sar had been having a mixed afternoon, his mood not helped by a knee injury sustained in an accidental clash with Florent Malouda.

And it was no surprise when he limped off and was replaced by Tomasz Kuszczak after 31 minutes following another fumble.

Kuszczak was quickly in action to block a long-range effort from Alex, but the game was degenerating into a scrappy affair littered with stoppages.

Chelsea made another change at the interval, sending on Didier Drogba for Malouda, while United waited until nine minutes after half-time before sending on Ronaldo for Paul Scholes.

Joe Cole wasted another great opportunity after 65 minutes, shooting straight at Kuszczak after being released by Ballack's superb pass.

And Anelka was guilty of a shocking miss seven minutes later when he was set up by Joe Cole, but he failed to even apply a touch only three yards out with the goal at his mercy.

But Chelsea were building up a head of steam and it was no surprise when they drew level with 10 minutes left.

Rooney was booked for a crude lunge at Ashley Cole, and the punishment was doubled when Kalou headed Jon Mikel Obi's free-kick beyond a static Kuszczak.

And it took a desperate block from Gary Neville seconds later to deny Kalou, bravely deflecting his shot over the top as United hung on for a point.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Carvalho (Alex 12), Terry, Ashley Cole, Obi, Joe Cole, Ballack (Kalou 74), Lampard, Malouda (Drogba 46), Anelka.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Bridge, Belletti, Ferreira.

Booked: Obi.

Goals: Kalou 80.

Man Utd: Van der Sar (Kuszczak 32), Neville, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Scholes (Ronaldo 55), Park (O'Shea 75), Berbatov, Rooney.
Subs Not Used: Brown, Giggs, Nani, Tevez.

Booked: Scholes, Ferdinand, Neville, Berbatov, Rooney, Evra, Ronaldo.

Goals: Park 18.

Att: 41,760

Ref: Mike Riley (Yorkshire).

Roma v Man Utd

2008-03-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

Roma v Man Utd

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER-FINAL FIRST LEG
Venue: Stadio Olimpico.
Date: Tuesday, 1 April.
Kick-off: 1945 BST.

Roma skipper Francesco Totti has been ruled out of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg after suffering a thigh injury on Saturday.

Totti, Roma's top scorer with 14 goals, is set to be replaced by Mirko Vucinic.

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar looks set to return to the side after missing the 4-0 win over Aston Villa with a groin injury.

Mikael Silvestre has overcome a knee ligament injury, but Nani and Louis Saha are both ruled out by injury.

French defender Silvestre has not played since suffering the injury against Everton in September.

His return boosts Sir Alex Ferguson's squad after Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs complained of knocks after Saturday's emphatic win over Villa.

Totti suffered his injury in Saturday's 1-1 Serie A draw at Cagliari but hopes to return for the second leg at Old Trafford.

In his absence, Roma will look to Vucinic, who has scored four goals in the Champions League this season and was rested for the match against Cagliari.

Central defender Juan has a foot problem so Christian Panucci looks set to cover with MarcoCassetti, Max Tonetto and Cicinho battling for his right-back slot.

The two sides met twice last season at the same stage of the competition, with Roma winning 2-1 in Italy before suffering a humiliating 7-1 thrashing in Manchester.

They have already played twice in this season's group stage, United winning 1-0 at home before the teams drew 1-1 in Rome.

The matches have been marred by violence between supporters and both clubs have been working on ways to avoid further problems.

Italian authorities are providing free transport to the stadium for United fans in a bid to keep them away from any possible trouble.

They have also introduced a voucher system for ticket collection in a bid to stop touts.

Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Evra, Hargreaves, Ferdinand, Brown, Ronaldo, Anderson, Rooney, Giggs, Park, Vidic, Carrick, Scholes, Pique, O'Shea, Silvestre, Kuszczak, Tevez, Eagles, Heaton, Welbeck.

BIG MATCH STATS
Head-to-heads

AS Roma and Manchester United have met four times before in European competition.

Last season, on 4 April 2007, AS Roma won 2-1 at home in the CL quarter-finals, but Manchester United recorded an emphatic 7-1 victory at Old Trafford six days later, to progress to the semi-finals. It was AS Roma's heaviest ever European defeat and the biggest ever victory margin in the CL knock-out stages.

In this season's group phase, the Red Devils beat the Italians 1-0 at the Theatre of Dreams on 2 October, through a Wayne Rooney goal in the 70th minute. The return match in Rome on 12 December, ended 1-1 through goals by Gerard Pique and Alessandro Mancini.

European history

In the 1960-61 season, AS Roma won the Fairs Cup, their only piece of European silverware. They have also reached two other European finals; the 1983-84 Champions Cup final, which they lost on penalties to Liverpool, and the 1990-91 Uefa Cup final, which they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Internazionale. Roma have never reached the semi-final stage of the CL in their history.

Manchester United have won three European trophies - the 1967-68 Champions Cup, 1990-91 Cup Winners' Cup and 1998-99 Champions League. Last season, after knocking out AS Roma 8-3 on aggregate in the CL quarter-finals, United were eliminated themselves by AC Milan in the last four, losing 5-3 on aggregate.

Current European form

AS Roma have not lost any of their last six Champions League matches and are undefeated at home in nine in this competition.

Manchester United are unbeaten in eight Champions League matches, since the 3-0 loss to AC Milan in last May's semi-final second leg in Italy. United are one of three unbeaten teams in this season's Champions League. Chelsea and FC Barcelona are the others.

Player and disciplinary info

Simone Perrotta (AS Roma) is suspended for this match. Mirko Vucinic, Marco Cassetti, Cicinho, Daniele De Rossi and Max Tonetto (AS Roma) are all one yellow card away from suspension. Nani and Patrice Evra (Manchester United) will also be suspended upon receiving a yellow card.

Francesco Totti has made more appearances (36) and scored more goals (11) than any other AS Roma player in Champions League history. Vucinic leads Roma goalscorers in this season's Champions League campaign, with four.

David Pizarro and Daniele De Rossi are the only AS Roma players to have appeared in all eight of their club's CL matches this season.

Portuguese defender Antunes (Roma) celebrates his 21st birthday on the day of the match.

Cristiano Ronaldo is joint top scorer in this season's Champions League having netted six goals.

Rio Ferdinand will play his 50th Champions League match if selected. Ferdinand made his competition debut on 13 February 2001, for Leeds United against Anderlecht (2-1).

Nani is the only Manchester United player to have appeared in all eight of his club's CL matches this season.

Other miscellaneous facts

AS Roma drew 1-1 at Cagliari on Saturday with Francesco Totti scoring. Roma are second in Serie A, trailing leaders Inter Milan by four points.

Manchester United beat Aston Villa 4-0 in the Premier League on Saturday, and top the table, five points clear of Chelsea.

Concern over quintet

2008-03-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

Concern over quintet

Fingers will be crossed for five United players ahead of Tuesday's trip to face AS Roma in the Champions League.

Michael Carrick, Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand were all withdrawn in a triple substitution during Saturday's 4-0 win over Aston Villa. United then played the last five minutes with ten men after Ryan Giggs also left the field.

"I had to make the changes because of injuries," said Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Carrick, Rio and Patrice Evra all had injuries and then Giggs got injured towards the end. With the rain continually coming down, the pitch was starting to prove very heavy and that can be a problem with hamstrings. Hopefully they'll be all right (for Rome)."

The fifth player causing fresh concern for the manager is Edwin van der Sar. The Dutchman missed the Villa match, leaving Tomasz Kuszczak to start in goal with Ben Foster - who is ineligible for Europe - on the bench.

"Edwin van der Sar may be a doubt for Tuesday," admitted Sir Alex.

"He’s got a groin problem again, it’s happened two or three times in the last few weeks. We'll see how he is over the next few days. Not risking him today gives us a better chance."

Man Utd 4-0 Aston Villa

2008-03-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

Man Utd 4-0 Aston Villa

Man Utd's Patrice Evra congratulates Wayne Rooney after his first goal

Manchester United stretched their lead at the Premier League summit to six points with a stunning display.

Cristiano Ronaldo's outrageous flick started the agony for Aston Villa after 17 minutes and he provided Carlos Tevez with a simple second before half-time.

Wayne Rooney rounded Scott Carson for a third after 53 minutes and he slid home the fourth with 20 minutes left after more superb creativity from Ronaldo.

Shaun Maloney missed Villa's best chance, but United were outstanding.

Cristiano Ronaldo opens the scoring on 16 minutes at Old Trafford with a cheeky flick

United's football was mesmeric, despite atrocious conditions, and Martin O'Neill's fast-fading side could easily have been on the end of an even heavier beating.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson took a precaution ahead of the Champions League quarter-final visit to AS Roma by resting goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who was suffering from a slight groin strain.

Tomasz Kuszczak returned in goal, but spent much of the evening admiring a virtuoso United attacking display.

Ronaldo had already tested Villa keeper Carson before he produced a finish that was brilliant even by his own sky-high standards to give United the lead after 17 minutes.

Villa could not clear a Ryan Giggs corner, and when Rio Ferdinand chested the ball towards Ronaldo, he produced an outrageous flick between the legs of Martin Laursen to beat Carson.

Ronaldo turned creator as United extended their lead after 33 minutes, producing a perfect first-time cross to provide Tevez with a simple headed finish.

Ronaldo then crosses for Carlos Tevez to add a second for the Red Devils before half time

Villa were facing a long and arduous 90 minutes, and their situation was not helped when striker John Carew limped off with a groin injury before half-time, to be replaced by Maloney.

Rooney should have sealed the points for United after 48 minutes when he was put clear by Tevez only to shoot wide - Maloney then wasting an equally good chance for Villa in a similar position seconds later.

England striker Rooney made amends for his miss after 53 minutes when he took another flamboyant touch from Ronaldo to round Carson and score with ease.

Kuszczak was called into action after 55 minutes to save from Maloney's curling angled drive, but it was a minor inconvenience to a United side threatening to run riot.

Ferguson made a triple substitution in the 61st minute, sending on Owen Hargreaves, Anderson and John O'Shea for Patrice Evra, Michael Carrick and Ferdinand.

Hargreaves was in on the action instantly with a perfect cross that Tevez somehow headed wide, before Rooney struck the outside of the post with a measured finish.

Ronaldo and Rooney were irresistible - and combined once more for United's fourth in the 70th minute.

Rooney slid in a right-foot finish after being played in by another stunning touch from Ronaldo.

Wayne Rooney scores twice in the second half and almost bags a hat-trick to complete a comprehensive win

• Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson:

"The players reached a peak last week and we've continued that.

"They realise now it's a race to the line, we need consistency and real focus and we showed fantastic energy.

"The title doesn't feel that close for us, but there is great confidence in the way the team is playing and that's great at this time of the year."

• Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill:

"If you could ever try to set the benchmark, that's it.

"We came up against a team on top of their game; we have to admit they were splendid.

"There were things there to give us heart. The scoreline was pretty strong, but we had one or two chances that could have made it more respectable."

Man Utd: Kuszczak, Brown, Ferdinand (Hargreaves 62), Vidic, Evra (O'Shea 62), Ronaldo, Carrick (Anderson 61), Scholes, Giggs, Tevez, Rooney.
Subs Not Used: Foster, Park.

Booked: Vidic.

Goals: Ronaldo 17, Tevez 33, Rooney 53, 70.

Aston Villa: Carson, Reo-Coker, Mellberg, Laursen, Bouma (Osbourne 80), Agbonlahor, Petrov, Barry, Young, Harewood (Salifou 69), Carew (Maloney 41).
Subs Not Used: Taylor, Knight.

Booked: Bouma.

Att: 75,932

Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

O'Neill: United are class act

2008-03-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

O'Neill: United are class act

Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill was left awestruck by United’s “terrific” performance in the 4-0 win over his side on Saturday.

O’Neill, unlike some managers that bring their teams to Old Trafford, refused to shut up shop and try to frustrate the Reds. You may ask why if it means losing so comprehensively. But the Villa boss says United’s performance is something every team should aspire to.

“That is why Manchester United are a class act,” he said. “We lost at home to Sunderland last week and I was very down. We’ve lost 4-0 at Old Trafford, but I’m actually OK.

“We went at it with everything we had. I think that’s why Manchester United enjoy playing against us. We try to play and we don’t try to close the game up.

“You have to go and play. Isn’t that the enthralling part of football? What’s the point in coming to Old Trafford and putting ten players behind the ball and have them break you down eventually? Having witnessed Manchester United’s performance, that’s what you have to aspire to. It really was terrific stuff.

“I thought we had quite a bit of possession of the ball. The difference was that we didn’t close them down enough and prevent them having time and space on the ball, because that is when they will cut you open. They are a very fine side, there is no question about that.”

Players' energy pleases Sir Alex

2008-03-30T04:53:00.001-07:00

Players' energy pleases Sir Alex

Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with United's effervescent performance against Aston Villa, on a day when fatigue could have been forgiven.

Continuous rain made for difficult conditions at Old Trafford but the players coped brilliantly, not only to compete but also to create some wonderful play for the enthralled home fans.

"I think we showed fantastic energy," said Sir Alex. "That's very pleasing, considering some of the players had been away for internationals and the pitch was very heavy."

Ferguson's men followed on from their 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool with a display that gave Villa little hope of ending a miserable run of 13 straight defeats against the Reds.

"I said last week the players had reached a peak and that continued today," said the boss.

"I think the players realise now it’s a race to the line and we need consistency, we need real focus. They want to play at their very best. There’s good evidence of that in the last two games. Being at home is always an advantage of course but we’ve played against two very good sides so these (last two games) are good omens for us."

However, Sir Alex insists he won't relax yet - not with Chelsea and Arsenal still on the schedule, and the Gunners gaining a last-gasp win at Bolton earlier in the day.

"We don’t feel that close (to the title) with six games left. We wish it was only one. Nonetheless I think there’s great confidence in the way the team is playing and that’s always good at this time of year."

Rooney's wait is finally over

2008-03-30T04:34:00.000-07:00

Rooney's wait is finally over

Wayne Rooney was pleased to end a six-game run without a goal, and a five-month wait to find the net in the league at Old Trafford, with two goals against Aston Villa.

The Reds striker, whose last league striker at home came in the 4-1 win over Middlesbrough on 27 October, saw a couple of chances go begging and feared his barren spell was set to continue.

But after striking twice in a hugely impressive 4-0 victory on Saturday evening, he revealed his relief that the wait was over.

"I'm very pleased," said Rooney. "It's been a bit frustrating in the last few weeks.

"I had a chance just before I scored that I missed. I should have scored, and I felt like I wasn't going to score again. But I was delighted to get two goals in the end."

Rooney's goals may grab the headlines, but there wasn't a bad performance in a red shirt. Now with just six games to go in the race for the title, United are getter closer and closer to retaining the crown.

"It was a good game for us," he added. "Coming after international matches, it can be tricky. But we got two goals in the first half which settled us down, and then we got two more in the second half. It was a good performance all-round and a well-deserved win.

"Each game we get closer. But we have to keep playing our game and picking up the wins in every game. If we do that that will hopefully see us through."

Foster kept as cover

2008-03-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Foster kept as cover

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Ben Foster will remain at Old Trafford for the remainder of the season, providing top-class cover for Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak.

The England international was set to build his match fitness with a short-term loan deal until the end of May.

However, Sir Alex opted to exercise caution after van der Sar's recent injury.

"Ben was ready to go out on loan, actually," the manager said on Friday. "I talked to a few managers, then Edwin got his groin injury.

"It's the third time he's had a groin injury this season, so the old dog maybe needs a bit more protection!

"And when Tomasz got his sending off it brought Ben back into the limelight.

"With only seven games to go I think it would be silly to take chances. We have the option, if something were to happen to Edwin again, or even Tomasz, of having England's goalkeeper for the future."

Foster stepped in for the 1-0 win over Derby when van der Sar was injured and Kuszczak was suspsended.

Further chances of first-team football may be limited, however, because Foster is not registered for the Champions League, which means Kuszczak is ahead in the pecking order should van der Sar get injured or need a rest.

Sir Alex admits Foster would most likely have preferred to sample competitive action after so long on the sidelines, even if it meant going out on loan, but paid testament to his selflessness at remaining in Manchester.

"We could have let him go out to Coventry, Nottingham Forest or Stoke City, the teams who enquired about him," said the manager. "But really I think it was an easy decision.

"I don't think it suits Ben entirely, but in fairness to the lad he understood.

"At 24 years of age his career's in front of him, he will do very well."

Scholes holds the key

2008-03-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Scholes holds the key

Sir Alex Ferguson is confident that Paul Scholes has returned to top form in time to inspire United to a successful end of the season.

The veteran midfielder has been feeling his way back to fitness and form after being dogged by knee problems, but Sir Alex is confident that his display against Liverpool last Sunday suggests a timely return to his devastating best.

“Last Sunday's win over Liverpool was a great sign for me in terms of the confidence and composure of the team," he told his weekly press conference.

"But what pleased me most was the performance of Paul Scholes. After three and a half months out he’s taken time to get back to real Paul Scholes form.

“He was absolutely head and shoulders above everyone on the pitch – and there were some fantastic performances. His form over the next few weeks will be important for us.”

Scholes remained at Carrington during this week's international programme, leaving him fresh for the visit of Aston Villa on Saturday - a prospect which is sure to daunt Villans manager Martin O'Neill, who is a huge admirer of the midfielder.

"Winning is about being able to compete week in, week out,” said O’Neill. “All you have to do is look at Paul Scholes.

“He’s won umpteen Championships and he still plays as if he’s 18. That comes from within and from being really successful and hungry."

Man Utd v Aston Villa

2008-03-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Man Utd v Aston Villa

Old Trafford
Saturday, 29 March
Kick-off: 1715 GMT
Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live & highlights on Match of the Day

Mancheser United's Darren Fletcher is out for six weeks after damaging his knee ligaments playing for Scotland.

Striker Louis Saha (hamstring) is also sidelined while Nani is doubtful because of a thigh problem.

Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg is set to return from suspension and replace Craig Gardner.

Martin O'Neill has to decide whether to keep faith with on-loan Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson who has looked short of confidence in recent games.

Manchester United (from): Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, 0'Shea, Ronaldo, Scholes, Nani, Anderson, Hargreaves, Carrick, Giggs, Park, Rooney, Tevez, Kuszczak, Foster.

Aston Villa (from): Carson, Taylor, Mellberg, Gardner, Laursen, Knight, Bouma, Agbonlahor, Osbourne, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Barry, Berger, Maloney, Young, Carew, Harewood, Salifou.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"I need to have one eye on Roma when it comes to team selection tomorrow because it is such an important fixture.
"But that must not lessen our thoughts about the match against Villa.

"The most consistent team will win the league and we have to prove that consistency in the coming weeks."

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill:
"The long and the short of it is we have got ourselves in this predicament and we have to do something about it.
"To me, there is no sense of the season fizzling out. We've got to get back to winning.

"We've got seven games left, we're on 49 points, which means we're not a phenomenal distance away from the other teams and it's still worth chasing."

BIG-MATCH FACTS
Victory from the 150th league meeting with Aston Villa will send Manchester United eight points clear at the summit, and would see retain that margin on Saturday night, if Arsenal lose at Bolton in the 1500 hours kick-off.

United are looking for their 700th win under Sir Alex Ferguson (counting cup ties decided on penalty shoot-outs as either a win or a defeat). The Red Devils boss is also looking to add to the 18 major titles he has masterminded for the Old Trafford club.

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is chasing a 25th win in his 70th Premier League match in charge. Villa also need only a draw to total 100 points under O'Neill.

The Midlanders have lost their last two, without scoring, and are eight points short of fifth place. They're facing United for the third time this season and first since losing 0-2 at home in the third round of the FA Cup.

United are defending an unbeaten home Premier League record against Villa. They are chasing a 14th league and cup victory over the Villans home and away, and 11th in a row in the league.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 27 goals in 25 league starts for United, and needs 13 more from the minimum of nine remaining games, and maximum of 12, to break Denis Law's club record of 46 in a season.

CLUB FORM
MANCHESTER UNITED

Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 1st
Lowest could fall: 1st

All statistics and sequences refer to the Premier League only, unless otherwise stated.

1. Lost one of nine (all competitions).

2. Won nine of the last 11, including the last five against Newcastle (a), Fulham (a), Derby (a), Bolton (h) and Liverpool (h).

3. Secured 23 victories, dropped 20 points, scored 64 goals, at one every 44 minutes on average, and conceded 15, at one every 186 minutes (three hours six minutes); the best in all four categories.

4. Registered the joint fewest draws, alongside Reading; four each.

5. Not conceded in 371 minutes (six hours 11 minutes), since Abdoulaye Diagne Faye's consolation for Newcastle in the 5-1 home win over the Magpies on 23 February. Kept more clean sheets than any other club; their 19 shut-outs, is two ahead of the next nearest, Chelsea.

6. Opened the scoring in an unmatched 25 games (won 22, and lost just one of them); and allowed the opposition to score first in five matches - that's fewer occasions than any other club.

7. Scored 16 goals in the last 10 minutes, 10 of which were in the last five minutes, seven of those being in stoppage time; no club can beat those, although Arsenal and Reading can match their stoppage time return.

8. On the longest current run since a goalless draw of 30 matches; and the longest since failing to score of 17 matches.

9. Lost two of 32 home league games.

10. The next fixture after this is the Champions League quarter-final, away to Roma next Tuesday. The league run-in is:-

Middlesbrough (a)
Arsenal (h)
Blackburn (a)
Chelsea (a)
West Ham (h)
Wigan (a)

ASTON VILLA

Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 6th
Lowest could fall: 9th

All statistics and sequences refer to the Premier League only, unless otherwise stated.

1. No win in four; drawn two and lost two since winning 1-2, away to Reading on 24 February.

2. Not lost three in a row since 16-30 December 2006 when four successive losses were suffered.

3. On the longest current sequence without a clean sheet of 17 matches; the 0-4 away win over Blackburn on 28 November being their last shut-out.

4. Not finished higher than sixth since their fifth placing in 1996-97. The current tally of 49 points after 31 games is their best return to this identical stage in 11 years.

5. Come from behind on an unequalled 13 occasions, and recovered 17 points from losing positions. Won three, against Fulham (h), Wigan (a) and Newcastle (h), and drawn eight, in which they were behind.

6. Scored more headed goals than any other club in the division (13), while 31 of their 52 goals have been scored from set pieces (corners, free kicks and penalties), and a league high 56% of their total have from come from within the six-yard box (29).

7. Fielded fewer players than any other club, with the exception of Blackburn (21 each).

8. Won one of the seven against the 'Big Four' this season; drawn the last three.

9. Won one of the last five away; 1-2 over Reading at the Madejski Stadium on 24 February.

10. The run-in is:-

Bolton (h)
Derby (a)
Birmingham (h)
Everton (a)
Wigan (h)
West Ham (a)

KEY PLAYER NOTES
MANCHESTER UNITED

Cristiano RONALDO is Manchester United's top scorer with 34 goals.

The Portuguese is also United's leading Premier League marksman with 25 from 25 starts, and is leading the race for the Barclays Golden Boot.

Wayne ROONEY needs one goal to total 50 in the Premier League for Manchester United.

If on the field from the outset:-

Chris EAGLES will be making his 50th club league start (Manchester United, Watford and Sheffield Wednesday).

Long term injury, Gary NEVILLE will be making his 350th Premier League start for Manchester United.

ASTON VILLA

John CAREW is Aston Villa's top scorer with nine Premier League goals.

Wilfred BOUMA and Martin LAURSEN have started every one of Villa's Premier League games this season.

If on the field from the outset:-

Nigel REO-COKER will be making his 200th career league start (Wimbledon, West Ham and Aston Villa).

HEAD TO HEAD
Manchester United are unbeaten in 22 home league games against Villa, and have not lost to them in a league clash at Old Trafford since a 1-2 reverse on 5 November 1983, with the aid of a brace from Peter Withe.

Villa have lost more Premier League games against the Red Devils than any other club

Villa were one of 12 clubs United did the double over last season; United were the only club to do the double over Villa last term.

United are on course to double the Villans for the 10th time in the Premier League and fifth season running.

Home and away
League (inc PL): Man United 73 wins, Villa 42, Draws 34
Prem: Man United 22 wins, Villa 2, Draws 7

at Man Utd only
League (inc PL): Man United 48 wins, Villa 10, Draws 16
Prem: Man United 11 wins, Villa 0, Draws 4

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Manchester United 3-1 Aston Villa
13 January 2007 - Ref: Hoeard Webb
Man Utd scorers: Park 11, Carrick 13, Ronaldo 35
Villa scorer: Agbonlahor 52

THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Aston Villa 1-4 Manchester United
20 December 2007 - Ref: Rob Styles
Villa scorer: Agbonlahor 13
Man Utd scorers: Rooney 36, 44, Ferdinand 45, Giggs 75
Sent Off: Reo-Coker 60, Carson 66 (both Villa)

REFEREE
Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

Fletcher out for six weeks

2008-03-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Fletcher out for six weeks

Darren Fletcher's season may be at a premature end after it was confirmed that the midfielder will be out for six weeks with knee ligament damage.

The 24-year-old picked up the injury on international duty with Scotland. He was substituted seconds from the end of the 1-1 draw with Croatia at Hampden Park on Wednesday. For Sir Alex Ferguson, the injury raises question marks over international friendlies at such a crucial stage of the season.

"It's a bad blow that emphasises the futility of these games," he said. "Darren was recovering from a bad chest cold, which is why we rested him against Liverpool. He should have only played for 45 minutes, 60 at most, but he played the full game for Scotland. Now we've lost him for six weeks."

The Reds boss, who plans to make "two or three" changes for Aston Villa's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday, will be disappointed to lose Fletcher, who had turned in some excellent recent displays.

However, he is confident his squad has strength-in-depth and experience to cope with the demands of the title run-in. "There are some very interesting games ahead," he added. "I still believe the most consistent team will win the league. I'm confident in my squad. We've got proven winners and enthusiasm to succeed. We have to keep our momentum going and enjoy it."

Villa present a tough challenge, having taken points off all the other top four sides this season. "I find it interesting that Martin O'Neill works with a small band of 17 players. He picks virtually the same team every week, which provides consistency. The players' endurance is also impressive. That's why they're challenging for a UEFA Cup place. We look forward to the challenge."

Duo bolster Reserves

2008-03-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Duo bolster Reserves

Ben Foster and Mikael Silvestre will line up for the Reserves against Newcastle on Thursday evening as they bid to hone their match sharpness.

England goalkeeper Foster recently started the second string's victory over Middlesbrough, while Silvestre starred in last week's thumping win over Manchester City.

Danny Welbeck was the hero against the Blues last week, scoring a hat-trick, and he looks likely to start against the Magpies with either Chris Eagles or Italian starlet Federico Macheda alongside him.

Highly-rated Irish youngster Robert Brady is also named in Brian McClair and Jim Ryan's squad, and could make his first Reserves appearance as United play their penultimate league game of the season.

The match takes place at the Marston's Arena, Northwich (KO 19:00 GMT) and will be shown live on MUTV.

United squad: Foster, Zieler; C Evans, SIlvestre, Eckersley, Chester, Norwood; Jones, Possebon, Cleverley, Galbraith, Eikrem, Brady; Eagles, Welbeck, Macheda.

Carrick: Barry's one to watch

2008-03-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

Carrick: Barry's one to watch

After being left out of Fabio Capello’s latest England squad, Michael Carrick was forced to watch Gareth Barry partner Owen Hargreaves in the centre of midfield on Wednesday night.

This weekend, Carrick says he’ll have his eye on Barry once more, as Aston Villa come to Old Trafford in search of three points.

“Gaz is a very good player,” Carrick told ManUtd.com. “He’s got a great left foot and it’s pretty reliable, so we have to be careful when he’s on the ball and not give away too many free kicks in the final third.

“He’s played in a few different positions during his career. I think he started at centre half and then played at left back before moving onto the left wing.

“Now he’s settled into the central midfield role and developed a good partnership with Nigel Reo-Coker. Those two work really well together.”

In last season’s corresponding fixture, United won 3-1 and Carrick scored his first goal in a United shirt.

“It was an important goal although I’ve probably scored better ones since,” he said. “Hopefully there’s one or two more from me before the end of the season.”

International Reds

2008-03-27T05:20:00.000-07:00

International Reds

Rio Ferdinand lived the dream of leading England out as captain on Wednesday night, but there was no fairytale ending as the Three Lions slumped to a 1-0 defeat in the Stade de France.

A first-half Frank Ribery penalty was enough to hand the home side victory in a match that also saw David Beckham win his 100th England cap.

Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves completed 90 minutes in Paris, while Wayne Rooney (45 minutes) and Wes Brown (63 minutes) also turned out for England. Patrice Evra was an unused substitute for the French side.

In London, Reds midfielder Anderson came on for the last half-an-hour as Brazil beat Sweden 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium. A large section of the crowd, presumably Arsenal fans, booed Anderson’s every touch.

Darren Fletcher was also involved in international action, with Scotland coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Croatia at Hampden Park.

Elsewhere, Tomasz Kuszczak was an unused substitute as the USA ran out 3-0 winners in Poland, while Nemanja Vidic played 74 minutes in Serbia’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Ukraine.

Ji-sung Park played in South Korea's World Cup Qualifier against Korea DPR, which ended 0-0.

Pat primed for final push

2008-03-27T04:02:00.000-07:00

Pat primed for final push

Patrice Evra wants to maintain a big match mentality as United approach the final seven fixtures of the league season.

The French left-back helped the Reds to produce a powerhouse performance against archrivals Liverpool and insists all remaining games should be treated in the same way by the champions.

"Psychologically it was very good for us to win against Liverpool," says Evra.

"It was a massive game, an important one for the fans and for the club. But we have seven games left to play and we need to win them too. They are like seven finals. We have the destiny of the title in our hands, that's why I hope we continue to win."

Wes Brown's rare goal against Liverpool means Evra is the only member of this season's regular back four not to have scored in this campaign. But Patrice was nonetheless delighted for his fellow defender.

"I think Wes has had an unbelievable season. He works hard every day, in every training session and he's played for United for a long time so it's great for him to score the first goal against Liverpool. I'm very happy for him."

Foster Bid Blocked

2008-03-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

Foster Bid Blocked

Ben Foster's bid to go out on loan to the Championship has been blocked by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. The once-capped England keeper asked if he could drop down a level and sign on loan for the rest of the season, but Fergie has refused despite Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuzszack being fit. Foster had been given the go-ahead to leave before making a shock debut at Derby County but now Fergie has told him to wait for his chance.

Boss: Shades of Best

2008-03-27T03:49:00.000-07:00

Boss: Shades of Best

Sir Alex Ferguson admits Cristiano Ronaldo reminds him of George Best.

The Portuguese winger rewrote Best’s club record for goals in a season from midfield when he notched his second against Bolton last Wednesday.

It took Ronaldo’s 07/08 tally to 33, a figure he added to on Easter Sunday in United’s 3-0 win over Liverpool.

“There are certainly similarities [between Ronaldo and Best], “ Sir Alex told Manchester United Radio.

“When George played as a winger I don’t think he ever stayed still. He roamed from side to side – he played on the right, the left and through the middle.

“I’ve looked at Best’s goals and a lot of Cristiano’s are similar. He starts from wide positions before cutting inside. The boy’s in tremendous form right now."

Ronaldo may have eclipsed Best’s tally, but United’s club record for goals in a season still belongs to Denis Law. In the 1963/64 campaign, Law found the net an incredible 46 times.

“Denis was a fantastic player – he was my hero – but I didn’t know that,” Sir Alex said. “That even beats my record! I scored 45 in 51 games for Dunfermline back in 1965/66.”

Michael Carrick - Midfield Engine

2008-03-27T02:11:00.000-07:00

Michael Carrick - Midfield Engine

With outstanding vision, quick feet and a broad-ranging repertoire of passes, Michael Carrick proved in his first season at United to be an ideal partner for Paul Scholes, albeit a very different one to the previous number 16, Roy Keane.Contrary to the usual central midfield blend of crafter and grafter, Carrick and Scholes' playmaking talents were key to the free-flowing football which won a ninth Premiership title for United.

Darren Fletcher-The Unsung Hero of Manchester United

2008-03-27T02:01:00.000-07:00

Darren Fletcher-The Unsung Hero of Manchester United

The Unsung Hero of Manchester United "Darren Fletcher".
Fletcher is not given the Hype he needs...
Many of the goals in the past few years have been majorly assisted by Fletcher..
When people think of good players in Man United; Darren Fletcher is often forgotten.. He is good player and has the potential of being a great player.. He is one of the spear heads of Sir Alex Fergusan's youth sensation..
Remember the goal at Old Trafford against Chelsea???

Phew!!! What an Unbelievable header!!!!

Ji Sung Park - "Three-Lung Park."

2008-03-27T01:41:00.000-07:00

Ji Sung Park - "Three-Lung Park."

The prolific Korean international was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from PSV Eindhoven for £4million on a four-year-deal.

In 1999 his football career began by crossing the sea of Japan, leaving his homeland for J-League side Kyoto Purple Sanga. He quickly won his first international cap against Mexico in 2000 and became a regular in the Korean team. In 2002 he was selected for the World Cup in which South Korea were joint hosts with Japan.

Park became a national hero during the tournament, scoring the winner in the Korean's stunning defeat of Portugal which knocked them out of the World Cup and sent the hosts into the knock out stage. The team amazed thw world by defeating both Italy and Spain and reached the semi-final's only to lose 1-0 to Germany. In 2005 Park's home city of Suwon unveiled a road named after him, 'Park Ji-Sung Road' to honour his contribution to the team in the tournament

Park is reknown for his good attitude and strong work ethic which have helped him excel for both club and country.

United fans have given Park the nickname "Three-Lung Park." These nicknames stem from his impressive stamina, which enables him consistent play for a full 90-minute games.

Park's first official league goal came against Arsenal on April 9th 2006, in Manchester United's 2-0 victory at Old Trafford.

Gerard Pique - The Catalan Talent

2008-03-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Gerard Pique - The Catalan Talent

Gerard Piqué arrived at United in the summer of 2004 with great promise and potential. Highly-regarded at his former hometown club Barcelona where he was nominated as the Catalonia Player of the Year, Piqué opted to relocate to Old Trafford in search of first team chances.

Now in this season hes been featuring often in the first team for Manchester United and proving what a great talent he really is.

Skipper Remains Patient

2008-03-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Skipper Remains Patient

Gary Neville is itching for first-team football but admits he may have to wait until next season for his chance.

The United skipper has eased his way back from injury with a handful of appearances for the Reserves, most recently in last Thursday’s 4-1 win over Manchester City.

“I’ve played three times for the Reserves since the turn of the year and this is the longest run I’ve been on in terms of training and playing games,” Neville told Manchester United Radio.

“It’s going to take time for me to get back to full match sharpness after being out for so long (it’s now more than 12 months since Neville played for the first team). I’m probably a little bit away from first-team sharpness but the only way I’ll get that is by continuing to train with the first team.

“Hopefully I’ll get a game somewhere but that could prove difficult with the significance of the matches we have over the next few weeks. I just have to hope and pray that I get my chance at some point.

“Usually when you’re coming back from injury there’s an opportunity to throw you back into the side – maybe in one of the cup competitions – but every game’s so important now.”

Anderson aiming high

2008-03-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Anderson aiming high

Brazilian midfielder Anderson could already lay claim to an unforgettable debut season. But, as he told United Review, there's more he can do to make it even better...

How would you sum up your first season at Old Trafford?
I feel I’ve improved my performances both in matches and in training. At first, it took me time to get used to the way things work at United, but from then on I’ve just tried to improve step-by-step and give my best for the team. I’m very happy with everything about my life at Old Trafford.

Which do you feel has been your best performance so far?
If I had to pick one I’d say the 4-0 win over Wigan [in October]. It was only my fifth appearance for the club and I came on after [Nemanja] Vidic got injured. It was a great win for the team and I felt I was the best player on the pitch that day [laughs]!

You’re a big favourite with the fans already, does that mean a lot to you?
I love it – we all sing each other’s songs in the dressing room when we’re joking around. I find it difficult to describe how it feels to hear the fans sing my name – it’s amazing. It gives me extra strength on the pitch and makes me want to do my best to repay the fans for the fantastic support they have shown me since I joined. They’ve all made me feel very welcome.

The words of the song describe you as a midfield magician and we’ve seen you play in a number of midfield positions – where do you feel your best position is?
I don’t have a preference, to be honest. I just want to play in as many games as possible. Even if I have to play in goal, I’ll do it! I’ve enjoyed every match I’ve been involved in this season and the different positions I’ve taken up. In the long term, I’m sure themanager will play me wherever he feels I will be most effective.

Are you pleased to have avoided Liverpool in the Champions League draw and how much are you looking forward to facing Roma again?
To be honest I didn’t really have a preference as to who we were drawn with in the quarter-finals because at this stage of the competition every game is a tough one, no matter who you play. It’ll be a little strange to play Roma again so soon after the group matches, but I’m really looking forward to the tie. We all want to win the trophy and we know we’ll have to fight very hard to do that. But we have a great chance.

Aside from helping the team win trophies, presumably you’re looking to add goals to your game sometime soon…
I’m literally praying for goals [laughs]! I’m hopeful that when I start scoring I will score some important goals in important games. I’ve certainly got some good celebrations planned!

The fixture schedule is going to be very busy between now and the end of the season – are you looking forward to the challenge?
It’s a beautiful thing to be involved in a finale to a season such as this one. We’re in a good position in the Premier League and the Champions League and we are focused on winning both trophies. Do I get nervous? [Puts on his sunglasses and reclines in his chair, grinning] No, never. I’m always happy! And I hope I will be even happier come the end of the season.

CHRISTIANO RONALDO The Magician from Portugal

2008-03-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

CHRISTIANO RONALDO The Magician from Portugal

United’s title success was undoubtedly a team effort, but one player was central to almost every major plotline.Dazzling wing-play was backed with regular assists and crucial goals, led United to their first EPL title in 4years.

His form brought renewed interest from Spain, but United’s No.7 signed a new five-year deal until 2012 insisting, “I’m happy here.” In 2006/07 he claimed 14 individual awards and, most crucially, his first Premiership medal.The soundtrack to Cristiano’s campaign may have begun with a chorus of boos, but it ended with cacophonous applause.
so WHO DOESNT LIKE HIM??..

Rio hails Reds rearguard

2008-03-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

Rio hails Reds rearguard

Rio Ferdinand says United's defensive solidarity is down to consistent selection of a settled back four.

The Reds have earned 25 clean sheets from 45 matches in all competitions so far this season. And it's no coincidence that Wes Brown, Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra have started 22 games as a complete unit.

"I said when I first signed for United that when we got a settled back four we would see the benefits as individuals and collectively. That's what we're seeing at the moment."

United's defence once again proved impassable against Liverpool on Sunday, and Ferdinand and Vidic in particular were outstanding. The pair silenced Fernando Torres, who arrived at Old Trafford having scored nine goals in six games.

It was the continuation of one of the most formidable central defensive alliances in the Premier League, and Ferdinand says their understanding happened completely naturally.

"It takes time to get used to playing alongside some players, but myself and Vida hit it off quite quickly. Our styles just gelled, it's as simple as that," he told MUTV. "There are some players that happens with, and long may it continue."

Wayne rooney -The wonderkid

2008-03-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Wayne Rooney, the wonderkid of the Football world.

His skills, speed, tricks and match winning tactics make him one of the best strikers in the world.

SQUAD PROFILE - Chris Eagles

2008-03-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

Chris Eagles

Eagles, dubbed in some quarters as 'the new David Beckham', was welcomed into the Manchester United first team reckoning in late-October 2003 when handed the squad number 33.
The right-sided midfielder, who began his career in north London with Watford made his debut for the Red Devils in the Carling Cup victory at Leeds United at the age of 17. He likes to take on the defender in the Ryan Giggs mould and get to the byline. Chris spent time on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and Watford between 2005 and 2006.

In 2006-2007 Eagles agreed to spend four months on loan at Dutch team NEC Nijmegen but by December Eagles had returned to United after struggling at Nijmegen to get many games.

On 28th April 2007, Eagles scored his first senior goal for United in a 4-2 Premier League win over Everton after coming on as a second half substitute. He made a full start a few weeks later against Chelsea on the 9th May.
Shirt Number: 33

Position: Midfield

Date of Birth: 19th November 1985

Birthplace: Hemel Hempstead, England

Height: 5'10"

SQUAD PROFILE - Mikael Silvestre

2008-03-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Mikael Silvestre

Mikael Silvestre began his career with French First Division club Rennes in 1995/96 season. After a growing in reputation in the 1997/98 season Inter Milan signed him in time for the 1998/99 Serie A season.
He made 18 League appearances, scoring once and played six times in the European Cup, including the quarter-final second-leg, against Manchester United who defeated Inter 3-1 on aggregate. Although he can play as a left-back his preferred role has always been centre-back.

Silvestre signed for United on September 10, 1999 costing £3.5 million. When he arrived he never really settled properly with Jaap Stam in the centre of defence. He didn't have a great season by any means in his first United year but in his second year the Frenchman came on leaps and bounds, answering his critics and rapidly become a vital member of the United squad. Making 50 appearances in the 2000-2001 season showed how much the manager has come to value his contribution.

There was no doubt Sir Alex Ferguson loved Silvestre's attacking threat as much as his defensive skills. When played as a left-back Silvestre's speedy run's and dribbling skills gave United an extra attacking option, most noticeably against Panathinaikos when he ran 50 yards, past two defenders and set up a goal.

His excellent form at both centre-back and full-back attracted the attention of the France national team who gave him his first cap for France at the Stade de France against Germany. Mikael even scored for French in Paris against Portugal in April in a 4-0 win. He also deservedly got his first goal for United at home to Leicester in March 2001. In 2001-2002, although the United defence was not the most solid, Silvestre was one of the few defenders who can be praised.
In 2002-2003 he played at centre back for a while alongside Wes Brown and has always stated that this is his favourite position. But given United's massive outlay on Rio Ferdinand, the French star found himself back on the left side when the £29 million man returned from injury.

Silvestre had a fine season in 2003 and made his contribution in making sure the Champions had the best defensive record in the Premiership. He also scored the winning goal in the 2-1 home win over Leeds and started more games than any other player. Alongside Rio Ferdiand, he formed a rock solid partnership as Sir Alex switched Mikael into a central defensive role. As a regular French International he could consider himself a vital defensive lynchpin of Fergie's best eleven and was improving all the time.

Yet, he ended the 2004-2005 season on an less than satisfactory note. The high point was undoubtedly scoring both goals in United's 2-1 win over Liverpool but with Fergie often giving Wes Brown preference, there was now real competition for places in the United back-four.

The Frenchman could take nothing for granted the next season either, with Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra arriving to increase the pressure for first team places. However, an injury free season allowed Silvestre to start in 43 games and make 4 appearances as substitute.

2006-2007 was not a good season for Silvestre as injury limited him to just 13 starts and 8 appearances as substitute. A broken a metatarsal in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in September and a dislocated shoulder in the win against Lille in March disrupted his season and the defender was unable to hold down a place in the team. He still has a contract at the club until at least 2009 and insisted in May 2007 his firm intention to stay at Old Trafford despite rumours of a move back to France.
Date of Birth: 1977-08-09
Place of Birth: Chambray-Les-Tours, France
Height: 6'1 ft
Weight: 13st 7lbs
Career Details

Club: Man Utd (No 27)
Position: Defence

SQUAD PROFILE -Danny Simpson

2008-03-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Danny Simpson

Salford born Danny Simpson played originally for Eccles youth team Parkwyddn AFC and by the age of 15 had attracted the scouts of Manchester United. He joined the United youth system as a trainee and made rapid progress to the reserve squad in 2005. In January 2006, in order to gain match experience he was loaned to United's Belgian second division feeder club Royal Antwerp for the remainder of the season. He became a 1st team regular with the club.

Back at Old Trafford in the summer of 2006 he made his senior debut for United on the club's South African tour against Kaizer Chiefs on 18th July 2006, which the Reds won 1-0. Sir Alex Ferguson stated that Simpson looked "anything but a player making his first start for Manchester United". The first half of the 2006-07 season Danny was back at Royal Antwerp again. In January 2007 upon returning to Manchester, he was taken by Roy Keane to Sunderland for his second loan of the season were he joined up with another young United defender, Jonny Evans. Both won praise for playing a big role in Roy Keane's side winning promotion to the Premier League.
Simpson signed a new contract with Manchester United in August 2007 to keep him at the club until 2010. He made his first competitive appearance for United on 26th September 2007 in a shock home 2-0 Carling Cup loss to Coventry City. His Premier League debut was a much more happy occasion on 6th October 2007 against Wigan at Old Trafford. Coming on as a 30th minute substitute for John O'Shea, he assisted the fourth goal, crossing for Wayne Rooney in a 4-0 win to United.

His European debut came on 23 October 2007, when he came on as a substitute against Dynamo Kiev and made his first full European start at home to Dynamo Kiev in November when United won 4-0. Fans have been impressed by his confidence on the ball, tackling, pace and solid performances at right back.
In March 2008 he is once again loaned as Gary Neville returned to first team action. He joined Ipswich Town on loan until the end of the season.
Danny Simpson
Squad Number: 21
Position: Defence
Place of Birth: Salford, England
Date Of Birth: 04/ 01/ 1987
Height: 5'9
Weight: 11st 5lbs

This Season
Appearances: 4(5)
Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
Minutes on Pitch: 428

SQUAD PROFILE - Wes Brown

2008-03-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

Wes Brown

A former student at the FA School of Excellence at Lilleshall, Wes Brown also played for Manchester and Greater Manchester youth sides as a schoolboy. A local lad from Longsight, Manchester, he signed as a trainee on leaving school in July 1996 and became a professional just four months later on 4th November 1996.

In his first full season at Old Trafford, Brown picked up a Lancashire FA Youth Cup winners' medal and a Lancashire League Division One medal together with the Denzil Haroun Young Player of the Year award. Performances throughout the season earned him a place on the substitutes' bench against Leeds United on 4th May 1998. Brown appeared in the starting line-up for the first time the following week as United defeated Barnsley 2-0.

His performances in the 1998-99 season caught the eye as an accomplished central defender for someone so young. Brown gained a regular first team place deputising for the injured Denis Irwin at full-back. Quick and able to surge forward down the wing, Wes was very impressive all-round. An international at Under-18 and Under-21 level, Brown received his first senior cap under Kevin Keegan, playing against Hungary in Budapest. Wes' first team opportunities became rarer towards the end of the season, but he had played his part in the club's Treble success.

The defender had set his sights on making an impact on the team again in the 1999/2000 season, but a accidental fall on the training ground inflicted him with the dreaded cruciate knee injury. His season was over before it even began.

He was raring to go for the 2000-2001 season however. Playing mainly in the heart of defence with Jaap Stam, Brown had many impressive performances throughout the season as United boasted the best defensive record of any Premiership team.

He gained the praise of many plaudits for his composure and technical excellence while the absence of Ronny Johnsen gave Brown his chance to make over 50 appearances. Brown broke into the England squad and it appeared likely he would be a regular in the national team. While a couple of own-goals were the blight on a great season, Wes showed the potential to become a world class player.
The first months of 2001-2002 were not the best for Brown though, United had constant defensive problems and in December he suffered a medial ligaments injury setback. He returned at the end of April for the season's finish and was able to impress Sven Goran Eriksson enough to win a place in the World Cup Squad for Japan/Korea.

The following season got off to a bad start with a broken ankle that kept him out until October. Sir Alex had always envisioned Wes playing alongside Rio Ferdinand and this became the established central pairing for the second half of the season - a period in which United went unbeaten in the League. A high point was the big defender scoring his ever first goal for United at home to Juventus, however the season ended the way it began with injury hell. Wes again injured the cruciate ligament in his knee in the final game of the season, as the Reds celebrated their Premiership title victory at Everton.

He did not return until the first game of 2004 at Aston Villa in the FA Cup 3rd Round. Unfortunately instead of a gradual return to first team action, Rio Ferdinand's suspension meant that Ferguson had to throw Brown into the heat of the action right away. The young defender suffered as he was still finding full match sharpness. He bore the brunt of the criticism for United's defensive problems that plagued the team in the early months of the year.

Yet, eventually Wes found his good form of old and put in two colossal performances against Arsenal in the Premiership and FA Cup semi-final. Brown went on to win his second FA Cup winners medal as United beat Millawall 3-0 in the Cardiff final. He continued improving in the following two seasons and was largely free of serious injury, playing throughout the campaigns. An achilles and thigh injury in September 2005 hindered his start but by November he was a starting regular.

Last season Sir Alex favoured Brown and Ferdinand in the centre of defence but competition for defensive duties was high with the likes of Heinze, O'Shea, Vidic, Evra and Gary Neville all capable of fulfilling the role. Vidic and Ferdinand became Ferguson's 1st choice central duo, switching Brown to right back. When either Vidic or Ferdinand was missing, Brown reverted to his centre back role.

He made 31 starts with 5 as substitute and was especially important during the injury crisis that hit United's defenders in March and April. It seems after two seasons that Wes has put his serious injury woes behind him and will be an important part of the Manchester United team in the years to come.
Squad Number: 6
Position: Defence
Place of Birth: Manchester, England
Date Of Birth: 13/ 10/ 1979
Height: 6'1
Weight: 11st 11lbs

This Season
Appearances: 36(4)
Goals: 1
Yellow Cards: 6
Red Cards: 0
Minutes on Pitch: 3304

SQUAD PROFILE -Rio Ferdinand

2008-03-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Rio Ferdinand

South-East Londoner Rio Ferdinand began his schoolboy football years playing as a centre-forward. He later moved to central midfield and it was at Eltham Town U14 he caught the eye of the West Ham scouts. He was signed as a schoolboy, aged fourteen and at sixteen he opted to stay with the Hammers, despite interest from Middlesbrough and Chelsea.

On a two-year YTS contract as an apprentice in his now familiar role of central defender, he helped West Ham's youth team to win the South East Counties League in 1995/96 with a record number of points.

The then Hammers manager Harry Redknapp was impressed with Rio's growing ability and signed him on his first professional contract at the age of 17. Ferdinand got his first taste of senior football on 5th May 1996, on as a substitute against Sheffield Wednesday at Upton Park.

The following season saw Redknapp make use of the loan system to send Rio to Bournemouth for two character-building months in the Football League. The defender made ten appearances in Division Two between 9 November 1996 and 11 January 1997, and returned to West Ham ready for his big break into the senior team.

Rio's senior West Ham debut on 25 January 1997 was a memorable one for all the wrong reasons as a shock result saw Wrexham knock the Hammers out of the FA Cup, 1-0, at Upton Park. Rio's first full Premiership starting appearance came on 1st February 1997 in a 2-1 defeat against Blackburn at Ewood Park, in which he coincidently also scored his first goal.

Rio made 152 (6) appearances for West Ham, scoring two goals and was regularly promoted as the footballing reincarnation of Bobby Moore. His reputation was that of the best young defender in the country, a supremely elegant footballer who defends with intelligence and guile, but also uses the ball when possession is gained.

He made his England debut against Cameroon at Wembley on Nov 1997 and made steady progress consolidating a place in the national team (although Kevin Keegan didn't select him for the disastrous Euro 2000 campaign).

He was catching the attention of the top clubs (including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona) but none would pay the massive outlay Redknapp insisted was required to prise Rio away from Upton Park.

That is, until Leeds United manager David O'Leary was prepared to take the gamble and pay up. O'Leary shocked the football world by smashing the British transfer record with the £18 million fee on 26th November 2000. A world record fee for such a young defender had many sceptics baffled at the huge sum. However, Rio helped the Elland Road side to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League in his first season and a series of superb performances for Leeds proved it was money well spent.

Rio's second season at Leeds, 2001/2002, was less successful for the team but he began to raise his game up a level. The move north undoubtedly benefited the Londoner who claimed a regular spot in the England set-up alongside Sol Campbell as the old English rear-guard players of the 1990's were phased out. With Leeds captain Lucas Radebe injured, he was made club captain. A transfer to Manchester United was suggested even before the World Cup Finals, in which Ferdinand showed that he was the best defender in the competition.

Rio's transfer value rocketed during the 2002 World Cup but Fergie and the PLC were not deterred. After weeks of constant speculation, followed by days of negotiation, they signed Rio Ferdinand for a new British record fee of £31.1 million. United had got a world class player who at 23 had a long career ahead of him. The sum also put Rio in the position of being the world's most expensive defender again, topping the £22m that Juventus paid Parma for Lilian Thuram in 2001.

In his first season Ferdinand was solid but not outstanding. He picked up an ankle injury in a pre-season friendly with Boca Juniors, which delayed his full United debut until the 5-0 Champions League qualifying victory over Zalaegerszeg at Old Trafford. His Premiership debut came a few days later in a 1-1 draw at Sunderland and he went on to make 46 appearances through the season.

He was always going to have difficulty living up to his huge transfer fee and part of the problem was not having an established central partner. Even so, United still had the best defensive record in the Premiership so he must have been doing something right.

2003-2004 began well with Rio beginning to justify his huge transfer outlay. With his excellent defensive performances along with Mikael Silvestre, United were rock solid at the back and top of Premiership at Christmas. However, this was not to last as a cloud had been hanging over the player since September.

Rio had been ordered to take an FA drugs test at Carrington on September 23rd 2003, but left without undergoing the procedure. Claiming he forgot because he was moving house at the time and was distracted, he instead went shopping in Manchester city centre. Upon discovering his blunder, Ferdinand later contacted the club to offer to take the test, but was told it was too late - the FA testers had gone. He provided a negative urine sample within 2 days but the issue was not whether he was on drugs but that he had simply missed the test.

An independent tribunal found the defender guilty of misconduct and gave him an eight month ban starting from 20 January 2004. This meant he would miss the rest of the season and Euro 2004. United appealed against the punishment but were unsuccessful. One moment of forgetfulness set off a chain of events that cost the club dearly. Without Rio, United's defence fell apart from late January to mid March. The team shipped goals and dropped points with only one clean sheet in 11 (at Northampton Town).

The next season, Rio had to make up for the mistake that he could never have envisioned becoming so destructive. Making his comeback against Liverpool on 20th September he was a regular starter throughout the season, missing only seven Premiership matches and a cool presence at the back.

In late Arpril 2005, negotiations for a new contract angered the United faithful as the defender not only asked for a reported £120,000 a week but was seen at a meeting with his agent Pini Zahavi and Chelsea's Peter Kenyon.

2005-2006 saw a United first for Rio as he finally scored for the Reds - a header at home to Wigan in mid December. He went on to score twice more, most excellently the injury time winner in the 1-0 triumph at home to Liverpool. He also picked up a League Cup winner's medal and played more times than any other United player with 54 appearances. On the downside he suffered the first sending off in his United career away at Blackburn.

Last season Rio was a rock at the heart of the United defence and missed very few matches, with 48 starting appearances. He scored again against Liverpool in a 2-0 win, his only goal of the season. He did also score twice at the wrong end with an OG at home to Fulham and away to Portsmouth.

Alongside Nemanja Vidic he formed an excellent partnership but whether it is Vidic, Brown or Heinze matters little to Ferdinand's consistency. As one of the best defender's in the world and a much prized asset, Rio is one of United's most important talents and is at the peak of his career.
Born 1978-11-07
Age 29
Height 188
Weight 83
Birthplace Peckham England
Position Defence
Shirt 5

SQUAD PROFILE - Dong Fangzou

2008-03-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Dong Fangzou

Born in the Northern Chinese coastal city of Dalian, Dong began his career as a striker with local Chinese B League side Dalian Saidelong FC. His goals helped them to finish as runners-up in 2002 and he was selected to the Chinese U-23 national team. He then made a big move across town to Dalian Shide FC, the most successful club in Chinese professional football who have won 7 titles from the Jia A League and one Chinese Super League in 2005.

Dong signed for Manchester United in January 2004 for an initial fee of £500,000 which could eventually rise to £3,500,000 depending upon appearances. He became the first Asian player to sign for Manchester United and sceptics were quick to speculate the move was as much as to do with merchandising possibilities.

After signing for he was unable to play for United in the UK because he had no work permit. The law stipulates non EU players to have played in 75% of their nation's international matches over a two year period to qualify. In Belgium, employment laws were less restrictive and Dong was immediately loaned out to get first-team experience at Belgian Second Division team Royal Antwerp FC.

In his first season he scored 1 goal in 9 appearances while in 2004-05 he finished with 7 goals in 22 appearances in all competitions. He did finally play with United on their 2005 pre-season tour of Asia and was given his unofficial debut in a friendly against a Hong Kong XI in which he scored in a 2-0 victory.

In the 2005-06 season back at Antwerp Dong finished as the League's top scorer with 18 goals including two hat-tricks. In 2006, he again joined Manchester United on a pre-season tour which this time was in South Africa and scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Kaizer Chiefs.

He is seen as a future star of Chinese national side and scored his first goal for the Chinese national team in a 4-1 loss to Switzerland in a friendly pre-2006 World Cup warm-up match. Dong began the 2006-07 scoring 11 goals in 15 appearances for Antwerp. On 15th December 2006, almost three years after his original signing with he had made enough appearances for the Chinese team and Dong was finally given a UK work permit.

Sir Alex Ferguson recalled him to Manchester and gave the player a new contract until 2010. Dong was added to Manchester United's first-team squad on 17th January 2007. Fangzhuo made his Old Trafford debut for Manchester United in a UEFA charity match against Europe XI on 13 March 2007. He is a regular for Manchester United Reserves, and on 9th May 2007, Dong made his Premiership debut for United against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, partnering Ole Gunnar Solskjær up front. He has been an unused substitute for several UEFA Champions League games.

Unlike the stereotypical image of a Chinese person, Dong is tall and muscular. With good physical strength he is an imposing forward with good ball possession and control, speed and shooting. He was also part of the China squad for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification tournament. So far in 93 professional appearances across four teams, he has scored 53 goals.
Position: Forward

Height: 6'2

Weight: 11st 11lbs

Date of Birth: 1985-01-23
Dalian, China

SQUAD PROFILE - Louis Saha

2008-03-23T10:13:00.000-07:00

Louis Saha

Born in Paris to parents from the French island of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, Louis Saha came to the Premiership on loan to Newcastle in January 1999. He made his debut against Chelsea but injured his hamstring and was out for a month. The unsuccessful loan period finished with only 11 appearances in six months.

He returned to England in June 2000 signed from FC Metz for £2.1 million. Any doubts of Louis’ ability from his Newcastle days were laid to rest when, he fired in twenty goals by the end of November 2000.

Strong, agile, quick, able to take on defenders and powerful in the air, Saha tore the First Division apart. He finished as the country’s leading goal scorer with 32 in all competitions and won the Nationwide Player of the Year 2000.

In the Premiership with the now promoted Fulham, Saha showed class from the start with two brilliant goals in Fulham's opening game against United at Old Trafford in August 2001. Fulham fans saw glimpses of the First Division Saha but the Frenchman was dogged by injury and was out of action for four months.

However, immediately on his return to the first team he scored against Birmingham City in the FA Cup and, from there, looked to be fast returning to form with goals against West Brom, Sunderland, Southampton and Charlton. By the end of the campaign he was looking like the Louis of old.

Saha scored 15 goals season and was on Sir Alex's shopping list for the transfer window. The 25-year old had been heavily linked with a switch to Old Trafford as Sir Alex looked to bring in some support for Ruud van Nistelrooy. Saha admitted he would love to make the move saying "I cannot say no - United is my dream and I want to go there," in November. "United is my dream and I want to go there. This is an opportunity I cannot let go by."

Fulham accused United of trying to unsettle Saha with manager Chris Coleman insisting that they would not sell. The player then hit back at the London club saying he was now nothing more than a 'product' to them now that United's interest had became known.

Eventually after much bidding and negotiation Fulham did sell as United gave them an offer they couldn't refuse. On Friday 23rd January 2004 Saha completed a £12.8 million move to United with the Frenchman given United's number nine jersey - which has been vacant since Andy Cole left for Blackburn in 2001.

Sir Alex Ferguson stated at the time: "Louis is a young and exciting talent and has made incredible progress. When he starts sticking the goals in everyone will forget he cost that much." Ferguson was also hoping Saha could form a potent attacking force with Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. "The last really effective combination we had was the one between Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole that was so integral to winning the European Cup in 1999. Hopefully this one will be equally as successful".

Saha certainly looked an impressive signing with 7 goals in his 10 starting appearances of the 2003-2004 season. He scored on his debut against Southampton and followed it up with a brace at Everton. As is customary he scored against his old club Fulham - a fantastic breakway run and thundering finish. Louis also scored United's late equaliser at Highbury after coming on as sub.

He then got an international call-up for France, scoring on his debut versus Belgium and made the Euro 2004 squad for the tournament in Portugal. Unfortunately he was unable to play in the FA Cup final win over Millwall, being cup tied due to an earlier appearance with Fulham.
2004-2005 was a stop-start season marred by constant injury. Saha never really got going making only 11 starting appearances, 11 from the bench and scoring two goals. In September he picked up an knee injury playing for France against the Faroe Islands which cost him a month. Then in November he picked up the injury again, also playing for the national side and costing nearly two months out.

At the end of February 2005, the problem re-occured, again leaving Saha out for a further two months. With serious doubts over fitness, his long term future at Old Trafford was highly uncertain. The Frenchman was again sidelined by a hamstring strain for the first three months of the new season and there was talk of him leaving in the January transfer window.

He finally returned in November 2005 and eased back into side as a sub and starring in League Cup matches. To the surprise of many, the French striker recaptured his intial good form and started banging in the goals. Six goals in the League Cup run saw him usurping Van Nistelrooy as the first choice strike partner for Rooney.

Saha took Ruud's place in the Cardiff final against Wigan and this signalled an extraordinary turn-a-round in fortunes for the two players. It left the once omnipresent Dutchman consigned to the starting bench for the rest of the season with Saha Sir Alex's preferred choice up front.

Few would have thought come the end of the season it would be Van Nistelrooy heading for the exit and not Louis Saha. In all, the Frenchman scored 15 goals in 2005-2006, enough to persuade Fergie that he should be his first striker alongside Wayne Rooney for season 2006-2007.

The new season in August 2006 saw his return from the World Cup in Germany where he had played for France making three appearances as substitute. Saha began in fine form scoring after 7 minutes against old club Fulham in the opener and went on to score regularly throughout the first half of the campaign.

This included two at home to Celtic, goals against Man City and Chelsea plus crackers away to Charlton and Benfica. He also took on penalty duties but missed a last minute kick at Celtic that would have given the Reds a 1-1 draw.

Saha signed an extension to his contract in December 2006, lasting to 2010, but from then on the old ghost of injury problems would haunt him again. Groin and hamstring injuries restricted appearances and meant he only scored one goal in the 2nd half of the season. He returned as substitute at Roma but then soon picked up an knee injury.

Ferguson is rumoured to be unhappy with the player and has grown tired of his endless fitness woes. The Frenchman has insisted he has no intention of leaving the club when he talked to L'Equipe: "I want to stay." Asked about the Samuel Eto'o rumours, Saha said: "I know nothing. I love this club and I don't want to leave. "If they are saying other good strikers are coming to United I find that good, if that helps us defend our title and win others next year.
Position : Forward
Height: 1.81m.
Weight: 72.00kg.
Nationality: France
Born: 08/08/1978 in Paris
First professional match: Metz - Bordeaux : 4-1 on 08/08/1997

Gary Neville

2008-03-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

Gary Neville

After playing for both Bury and Greater Manchester Schoolboys, Gary Neville joined Manchester United on schoolboy forms in July 1991 and signed as a professional eighteen months later in January 1993.

He was a part of the successful Youth team of 1992 and 1993 which produced several players for the senior squad. Gary made his first appearance for United in the UEFA Cup in September 1992 against Torpedo Moscow.

Alongside him at Old Trafford was his younger brother Phillip and they would remain team-mates at both club and international level all their careers until Phil joined Everton in 2005. Sometimes they would even find themselves as rivals for a place in the United side as both could play at left or right back.

During the 1994-95 season, Neville became a regular in United's first team, replacing the injured Paul Parker at full-back. He then suffered the disappointment of an FA Cup Final defeat in 1995 with United losing 1- 0 to Everton.

However, the following season in 1996, Neville collected both League Championship and FA Cup medals. A member of England's unlucky Euro 96 squad, Gary played in every game apart from the semi-final when he was suspended. Neville added another League Championship medal in 1997, but the 1998 season was to prove a disappointment with the title going to Arsenal. In the summer of 1998 he represented England in the World Cup in France, playing in three of their four matches.

A local lad who supported the team as a boy, Neville represents the die-hard spirit. You can see how much he loves Manchester United by the way he kisses his badge after any successful victory or goal scored. The United fans have been known to sing (to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down) "Gary Neville, he's a Red, he hates Scousers!!!"

He found himself starting the 1998-99 season in central defence instead of his usual right-back position. Mainly because of injuries to Johnsen and Berg, United's defence was decidedly dodgy for a period. When he assumed his favored right-back role, United soon began to tighten up the defence and mount a surge towards the treble.

Gary had a great relationship with best friend David Beckham in which he put in crosses on the overlap while Beckham moves into central midfield on attacks. In recent years he has continued this set up with Cristiano Ronaldo. Let us not forget of course, his long throw-in technique, which is almost as good as a corner.

Neville is a great ball-winner who has become an invaluable member of the United first team. A very reliable, composed player who is rarely injured, he is always one of the players with the highest total appearances every season. In the treble year, he even managed to score against Everton, the second goal of his career.

Like the United defence as a whole, Neville had a mixed season in 1999-2000. His usual solid reliability came into question on numerous occasions, most prominently during the World Club Championship in Brazil when his blunders gifted Vasco Da Gama two goals.

However Neville accepted his errors and worked hard to regain his form and help United to the title. 2000-2001 saw a much improved United defence that conceded less goals than any other Premiership team. In Jaap Stam's absence through injury, Gary played with assurance in central defence and made more appearances than any other player during the season.

The following season with Ronny Johnsen and Wes Brown injured for large parts, Neville was again deployed in central defence with Laurent Blanc on many occasions. Unfortunately in the Champions League semi-final with Bayer Leverkusen, by bizarre coincidence Gary picked up the same metatarsal bone injury that afflicted David Beckham a few weeks earler. This left United's right wing badly weakened at a vital time in the season and the severity of the injury meant Neville missed out on England's 2002 World Cup challenge.

Gary returned for the new season but the opening months did not run smoothly for United and it reached a new low when Manchester City won the local derby 3-1 at Maine Road. Neville made an error that gifted the second goal and was amongst those up for a scolding by fans and media alike. However after that game he knuckled down with the rest of the lads to produce a run of form that would drive United to the title.

He was even appointed captain for some games when Roy Keane was injured. Season 2003-2004 saw him add another two goals to his scoring record and a headbutt incident with Manchester City's Steve McManaman in a derby match only further enhanced his reputation as a true red.

At heart he really is just a typical United fan who has been lucky enough to become a player. There is plenty of football left in Neville and at the same time he is a player of vast experience. It may be a surprise to many that Gary held the record for most the number of appearances in the Champions League for a period in the late 1990's.

He has also has a reputation as the 'Shop Steward' in the side because of his outspoken defence of team-mates against the FA and media. He was allegedly the ringleader of a plot to boycott a Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey in support of Rio Ferdinand who had banned for missing a drugs test and was believed to be behind a player protest in support of Alan Smith, after he was dropped from the England squad because of a unproven allegations.

And whilst Sir Alex has invested heavily in new defensive signings in recent seasons, Neville remains one of the first names on his team sheet every week. He was awarded a 5 year contract in July 2004 setting up his career at Old Trafford for the rest of the decade.

2005-2006 season was notable for three major events in Neville's career. In December 2005 Gary was appointed United club captain. A groin injury had ruled him out for most of the first half of the season but having tried numerous candidates, Sir Alex saw him the natural choice to lead the team.

In January 2006 Neville found himself in the laughable situation of an FA punishment for "over-celebrating" after he ran to celebrate Rio Ferdinand's last-minute winner against Liverpool at Old Trafford in front of the Scouse fans. He was given a £5000 fine for the incident. On a positive note he also picked up his first trophy as United captain, the League Cup in February 2006 in the 4-0 win over Wigan in Cardiff.

In season 2006-2007 Neville was once again the regular right back featuring in 33 matchs up until March 2007. An ankle injury suffered on March 17 agianst Bolton at Old Trafford spelt the end of his season and though it was hoped he would return for the FA Cup final he underwent an exploratory operation instead. Neville did however lift the Premiership trophy along with Ryan Giggs on the last day of the season.

SQUAD PROFILE-John O'Shea

2008-03-23T03:14:00.000-07:00

John O'Shea

Waterford born John O'Shea joined Manchester United after spending summers travelling to England to train with the Academy. He signed professional terms with United in August 1998 and made his first team debut just over a year later, away to Aston Villa in a Worthington Cup defeat. After making twenty appearances and scoring two goals for the Reserves over the 1998/99 and 1999/2000 seasons, John joined Second Division Bournemouth on loan in January 2000, making his League debut for the Cherries against Colchester United.

Some assured displays earned John rave reviews on the south coast, with Bournemouth. He could play on both sides of the defence, displayed composure under pressure and played with assurance and confidence on the ball.

After ten starts and one goal, against Millwall, O'Shea returned to Old Trafford in March 2000, determined to break into the first team. Despite two more appearances in the Worthington Cup, away at Watford and Sunderland, it didn't quite happen for him, so he embarked on another loan spell in season 2000/01.

This time he followed in the footsteps of Luke Chadwick, Danny Higginbotham and Ronnie Wallwork by joining United's Belgium associates, Royal Antwerp. Although he was first choice central defender for the Belgians, he still found time to play international football for the Republic at Under-21 level.

John stepped up to earn his first senior cap on 15 August 2001, when he came on as an 84th minute substitute at home to Croatia. Unfortunately, the debut ended in disappointment when John gave away a penalty in injury time, enabling the visitors to make the score 2-2. He returned to the United reserves and made a handful of impressive appearances for the first team in late 2001, most notably against Lille and Boavista.

2002-2003 was a season which began with Rio Ferdinand grabbing the headlines, but John O'Shea ended up stealing the critical acclaim. It was the break-through season in the Irishman's career as he establish himself into the first team. With the squad hit by numerous injuries to defensive players early in the campaign, John was forced into the limelight earlier than Sir Alex planned. However, all at Old Trafford were highly impressed by his excellent performances and adaptability.
The versatile O'Shea was able to play at left, right back or in the centre of defence. United fans enjoyed his talent for pulling off swerves and step-overs and he was particularly effective down the wing in an attacking role. This was especially true in the 6-2 win at Newcastle but fans will also remember his audacious nut-meg of Luis Figo at Old Trafford.

By the end of the season he had played in 52 games and become a solid fixture in the Reds defensive line-up. Many even went as far to suggest he was United's player of the season and he was indeed nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year.

Season 2003-2004 was a difficult second season for John with expectation's now a lot higher than previous. And with Rio Ferdiand's suspension causing havoc amongst United's defenders his form took a dip. Yet the Irishman remained a regular in the first team starting 32 league games and scoring twice which included the winner at home to Wolves.

The following year O'Shea found his left back position under pressure from the new arrival Gabriel Heinze. He had to make do with more appearances as sub, although coming off the bench he scored with a clever 20 yard lob in the 4-2 win at Highbury over Arsenal. The Irishman also found himself playing in central midfield as a defensive holding player.

John reverted to defensive duties for season 2005-2006 due to the injuries that ruled out both Gabriel Heinze out and Wes Brown. By the end of the campaign with the arrival of Vidic and return of Brown, the Irishman was back in the midfield holding role, forming an unlikely but surprisingly successful central partnership with Ryan Giggs. Only Rio Ferdinand played in more games that O'Shea that season.

In 2006-2007 he was injury free and featured in 48 games (27 starts and 22 as substitute). The Irishman featured more at the right back position than in central midfield but he also served as an emergency goalkeeper after Van der Sar went off injured at Tottenham in February 2007. United had used all three subs but O'Shea kept a clean sheet and saved when Robbie Keane was through on goal.

Even better was in March when he came off the bench to score the injury time winner at Anfield in front of the Kop. The win was a big step in taking the Red's to their 16th League title.
Date of Birth: 30/04/1981
Place of Birth: Waterford
Nationality: Ireland
Height: 191 cm.
Weight: 75 Kg.
Role: Defender
Jersey: 22

SQUAD PROFILE -Ryan Giggs

2008-03-23T02:48:00.000-07:00

Ryan Giggs

There has been nothing less than greatness expected of the prodigy Ryan Giggs since Manchester City, where he played until he was fourteen years old, gave up the chance to sign him. Alex Ferguson quickly intervened taking him across town to United and City have been cursing themselves ever since.

His League debut for Manchester United came on 2nd March 1991, against Everton at Old Trafford, as a substitute for Denis Irwin. The winger's first League start was in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford at the end of the same season, when he scored the only goal of the match. Giggs soon made the left-wing position his own despite fierce competiton from Lee Sharpe. Ryan's early career was memorable for stunning goals against Spurs in 1993 and QPR in 1994.

After winning the title in 1993, Giggs stepped up a level and helped United to the Double in 1994. By the time of the 'Double double' of 1996 and Premiership title in 1997, Giggs was a household name and one of finest players on the planet. He played superbly in Champions League games against Porto and Juventus in 1997 as United started to make an impression on the foreign stage. Ryan was the first player to win the PFA Young Player of the Year twice and is still the youngest ever player to play for Wales at the age of 17 years and 321 days, when he came on as a substitute against West Germany.

At his peak Giggs was one of the most exhilarating sites in world football and a rare talent indeed. His devastating speed on the wing with unrivalled skill made him one of the crown jewels of Old Trafford. Giggsy's lightning runs with the ball tied to his feet scared the hell out of opponents and contributed to making Manchester United one of the world's most exciting teams to watch. As well as dribbling skills his crossing from the wings improved with each passing year making him even more deadly.

No more so was Giggsy's skill highlighted than with his "Wonder-goal" against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final replay. A truly breathtaking moment in an epic match that is up there with the greatest goals of all time. As well as his great attacking talents what is often less mentioned, is Giggs' high work rate, tireless off-the ball runs and backtracking. Despite being rich, successful and hugely talented, Giggs rarely gets abuse from rival fans, even they can respect genius when they see it.

Even though he won a treble of medals the 1998-99 season was perhaps not one of his best, as injury forced him to miss some vital games. Still, there were highlights such as the above mentioned "Wonder goal", a lovely goal against Notts Forest, two goals against Brondby and his last minute equaliser against Juventus. Not to mention getting his hands on the Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup with United's amazing end to the season.

Not that he was bad in the first part, but Ryan Giggs was absolutely superb in the second part of the 1999-2000 season. He was back to his very best, torturing opposition defenders with dazzling mazy runs and bursts of pace. It was almost a return to the early and mid 90's when Giggs' game was all about running at players with skill and pace.

He had focused on becoming a much better all-round player in past years but that season he found a greater willingness to take players on again playing more as a classic winger. This is his greatest ability of all and the one which frightens the life out of defences the world over. There was no wonder goal this time but he did score important goals and the highlights were performances away to West Ham, Middlesbrough, Wimbledon (where he did an amazing 70 yard run) and home to Fiorentina, Valencia.

One of the highlights of season 2000-2001 was an audacious 55-yard volley from Giggs at Charlton in which he ball crashed onto the bar for Solskjaer to score. It was around the Winter stage of the season that Giggs was at his spectacular best as he terrorised defences and helped create goals for others. Giggs scored a superb goal at Bradford, a great strike late at Sturm Graz and was on the top of his game.

However, reoccurrence of that cursed hamstring injury in February meant he was not at full fitness for the cruical first Quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich, although he did score with an excellent chip in the second leg. As he collected his seventh championship medal he also signed a new 5 year contract ensuring his awesome talents would be at Old Trafford until at least 2006.

Giggs was relatively free of injury the in 2001-2002 season but it can not be considered one of his best. United failed to unlock opposition defences at Old Trafford and came unstuck against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

The flying Welshman admitted his form was inconsistent - brilliant one moment, frustrated the next. He still scored nine goals though, including an excellent double at Fulham, a quality strike at Newcastle and a mazy dribble at home to Deportivo. Giggs also took over the role of team Captain in Roy Keane's absence.

The following season Ryan Giggs faced his biggest challenge yet at United. After a reasonable start his form took a severe dip and some sections of United fans started to question the Welsh winger's future at Old Trafford. It culminated in the player getting booed when he was substituted at home to Blackburn. Giggs' confidence was at an all time low, he seemed to have lost the knack of getting past players. Rumours also abounded of a dressing room bust-up between him and some of his closest friends in the United squad.

Talk began to surface of a transfer to long time admirers Inter Milan, however, into the new year Giggs was slowly but surely returning to his former glory. Not that it was a straight upward path, there was huge embarrassment for the Welshman when he somehow missed an open goal at home to Arsenal in the FA Cup. Sir Alex helped the comeback by shaking things up a bit, playing the winger as a support striker on many occasions, instead of his usual left sided position.

When he scored two goals against Juventus in the Stadio Deli Alpi in the Reds 3-0 win, things were definitely on the up. The second goal was a typically dazzling Giggsy run that cut open the Juve defence but more importantly it announced: Ryan Giggs was back.

He also got some atonement for that FA Cup howler by heading the crucial equalising goal at Highbury in United's 2-2 draw - the game that swung the championship towards Old Trafford. Giggs completed his best season for United in terms of appearances, missing just four games, and for the first time in several years his nagging hamstring problem was eradicated.

In 2003-2004 he again stayed injury free missing only 5 games and taking over free-kick duties after the departure of Beckham. A highlight was scoring both goals in United's 2-1 win at Anfield. He collected his 4th FA Cup winners medal as United beat Millwall 3-0. The following season Giggsy again missed very few matches and scored 9 goals, the new 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 formation prefered by Sir Alex allowed the Welshman freedom to both play up front and on the wing.

In May 2005 he signed a new 2 year contract that keeps him at Old Trafford until 2007. This has since been extended through to July 2008. In 2005-2006 Giggs suffered an injury to his cheekbone against Lille but went on to featured in a total of 37 matches. Towards the second half of the campaign he played a lot of matches in central midfield forming an unlikely but successful partnership with John O'Shea.

In 2006-2007 Giggs was once again a key player in a United title winning side. He featured in his traditonal wing position but found his best form as a central midfield support striker to Wayne Rooney, notably in the European games against Benfica and Roma. He had a fine season with 6 goals and nine Premiership assists. His 700th appearance came on 3rd March 2007 against Liverpool. Ryan is now less than 60 games away from breaking Bobby Charlton's appearance all time record.

He also scored a highly disputed quick free kick at Lille which led to the French team (unsuccessfully) demanding a replay. Giggsy now has that illusive ninth championship medal which puts him alone in English football history. On May 30th 2007 he announced his retirement from international football to allow him to focus his energy on club fooball in his final years.

Whilst he may have lost a bit of pace, now aged 33, Ryan is a more rounded player than ever. Still a fantastic dribbler and passer, he can score goals, has over 15 years of top flight experience, knows his team mates inside out and knows what is expected better than anyone other than only Ferguson himself. Already Manchester United's most successful ever player and rejuvanated after the title sucess, he is going for a tenth championship medal and is not finished at Old Trafford just yet!!!

SQUAD PROFILE - Patrice Evra

2008-03-23T02:07:00.000-07:00

Patrice Evra

Born in Dakar, Senegal, Patrice Evra was the youngest of eight children and the son of a Senegalese Ambassador. He was only three years of age when his family moved from Senegal to France. There he grew up in high-rise concrete blocks of Les Ulis in Paris, the same suburb in the south of the city where Thierry Henry lived.

As a teenager he joined Paris Saint Germain's youth system were he started off as a pacy striker. Evra failed to get a professional contract but was spotted by a scout who offered a chance in Italy at lowly Sicilian Serie C side, Marsala. Playing up front, he scored six times in 27 games and was popular with locals who called him the Black Gazelle. After a season, proposed moves to Lazio and Roma collapsed due to squabbling agents. In 1999 he ended up at AC Monza in Serie B side, but the coach was not interested in the teenager and he rarely featured.

A year later Evra returned to France to play for OGC Nice as a centre forward for the first few matches. An injury crisis meant he was forced to fill in at left-back for the last 15 minutes of a game against Laval. He did so well that coach, Sandro Salvioni, decided to prolong the experiment, though Evra was far from happy at switching. Despite a running row between the two that lasted the remainder of the season, Patrice shone in his new position, was named the division's best left-back and became a first team regular in their defence.

After two season's at Nice in 2002 Monaco were impressed enough to bring Evra to the Stade Louis II where he became part of a young defensive back line along with Lucas Bernardi, Gael Givet and Julien Rodriguez. Under the guidance of Didier Deschamps, Monaco had an amazing run to the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2004. Though ultimately it ended in defeat to FC Porto, Evra was an outstanding performer in the club's unexpected success and earned a call-up for the French national side the following season.

By 2005 he had the honour of becoming club captain aged just 23, however, Monaco's form that season was awful - crashing out of the Champion's League in the qualifying round and lying in the bottom half of Le Championat. Consequently his standing in the French team was affected with no further international appearances that season. No doubt Evra was concerned his World Cup place was under threat and quickly made it clear to the club he wished to leave in the January transfer window of 2006.

After facing fierce competition United secured the move for Patrice Evra on 10th January 2006. Signing at the club just days after the capture of Nemanja Vidic, Evra's arrival signalled Ferguson's intention to shore up a United defence that had been weakened since the long term injury to Gabriel Heinze.

Fergie was attracted to Evra's reputation as a committed, attack-minded player known for his veracity and pace. A quick and versatile defender, able to play at full-back or on the left wing, his lightning runs on the left wing and ball delivery became a major factor in Monaco's Champion's League run of 2004.

Inter Milan also wanted to sign the defender, but had a £3.5m offer rejected by Monaco. Upon signing for United, Evra revealed that he had rejected both Arsenal and Liverpool for the chance to walk out at the Theatre of Dreams. "Liverpool and Arsenal are great clubs but United is a completely different story. Inter were also trying to get me in the transfer window but there was only one club for me".

Sir Alex Ferguson said: "We have been looking at Evra for some time. He has improved every season, he's quick, a good football player, and the captain of Monaco. I have been looking at Patrice for quite a while. He has improved each year since he has been with Monaco. He is very quick, naturally left-footed and a good footballer. We cut the squad numbers quite dramatically at the start of the season and then with Gabriel Heinze being out for a year and Quinton Fortune missing as well, we needed to bring in a left-sided player".

Evra made his debut against Manchester City and went on to feature in 14 games for the Reds in his debut season. In 2006-2007 fans inital fears that the young Frenchman was a poor signing were quickly quashed as he put in some fine performances and made the left back berth his own.

His pace and crossing, as well as good positional sense and strong tackling gave the Reds an extra edge and the Frenchman also got goals against Everton and Roma. Evra did miss a few games with injury but otherwise with 36 appearances this was a great season for him and he even earned a place in the PFA

Position: Defender

Height: 1.75m.

Weight: 76.00kg.

Nationality: France

Born: 15/05/1981 in Dakar ( Senegal )

SQUAD PROFILE -Darren Fletcher

2008-03-23T01:41:00.000-07:00

Darren Fletcher

Darren Fletcher is regarded as one of the best of the current crop of Manchester United youngsters. Living in Dalkeith, outside Edinburgh, he was discovered playing with Edinburgh side Hutchison Vale, aged 11 by Reds scout Andy Perry. The scout immediately made plans to take him to Old Trafford to meet boss Sir Alex. Darren impressed Fergie and was asked to come down to trials four times a year.

Despite having had been on the books of both Rangers and Celtic, it was an easy decision to move south as the United manager told him if he was good enough he would get a chance no matter what superstars were in the side. Fletcher joined Manchester United as a trainee in July 2000, turning professional in February of the following year.

He was so good a prospect that Roy Keane tried to use his Irish mother as a means to make him play for the Republic of Ireland. That is until Fergie stepped in to save the day for Scotland and Fletcher committed himself to the Tartan Army, much to the Scottish manager, Berti Vogts' relief.

Sir Alex Ferguson rated the midfielder very highly given the fact he had a squad number while only 16 years of age. Fergie stated many times that he believed Fletcher had the talent to become one of the best in the country. Darren made his debut in March 2003 in a 1-1 Champions League draw at home to FC Basle at the age of 19 and has featured in several of the opening games of the 2003-2004 season.

The midfielder represented Scotland at Youth and Under-21 level, before finally earning his first full Scottish cap against Norway in Oslo on 20th August 2003 coming off the bench in the second half. Better was to come as he scored the crucial winner against Latvia to take the Scots into the European Championship play-offs in October 2003.

In his younger days Fletcher was mainly a creative central midfield player, but he was deployed largely operate on the right wing. The young Scot had a four-year contract signed in October 2003 to keep him at Old Trafford until June 2007, which was later extended to 2009.

In the 2003-2004 season he was given his opportunity to make an impression on the first team by the boss. Darren started 25 games and was sub nine times. Playing mainly on the wing, opinion was divided on the young star's contribution but towards the end of the season he had impressed many of the Old Trafford faithful with solid composed performances.

Enough that he edged out long standing stalwarts Nicky Butt and Phil Neville for a starting place in the FA Cup Final. At the end of the season he was named the new captain of Scotland despite being aged only 20 and is one of the Scots most influential players.

In 2005 Fletcher further established his place in the United first team, despite a spell on the sidelines after damaging knee ligaments in February. He returned at the end to score two goals, against Charlton and Southampton as well as playing in the FA Cup final. In the following season he scored the winner at home to Chelsea which was especially poignant having suffered the brunt of Roy Keane's stinging verbal attack in the now infamous MUTV interview. "I can't understand why people in Scotland rave about Darren Fletcher" Keane had said.

Fletcher was a regular in the starting eleven for the vast majority of the 2005-2006 campaign. His role was now becoming less creative and more as a defensive midfield lynchpin. In the last few months, despite no serious injury he was consigned to substitute appearances and did not even make the bench. Some suggested this was an indication his days at Old Trafford were numbered.

However, this was far from the case and last season the Scot started 26 matches, (including the FA Cup final) was sub 14 times and bagged 3 goals including the winner in a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough. Though Michael Carrick was the favoured partner for Scholes, Fletcher's high energy style showed continued improvement.

This was especially true in the 7-1 win over Roma in which he made sure the Reds did not miss the suspended Scholes. The Scot has gone a long way to convince fans he is now more than a utility player and will be at Old Trafford for a good while yet.

Squad Number: 24
Position: Midfield
Place of Birth: Edinburgh, Scotland
Date Of Birth: 01/ 02/ 1984
Height: 6'0
Weight: 13st 1lbs

SQUAD PROFILE - Ben Foster

2008-03-23T01:01:00.000-07:00

Ben Foster

Foster began his career with Midland Football Alliance amateur team, Racing Club Warwick. In 2002 he moved to Stoke City but never made a first team appearance for the Potters. In his three years as a Stoke player he was loaned out to Bristol City, Tiverton Town, Stafford Rangers, Kidderminster Harriers and Wrexham. Foster sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury in June 2003 while playing tennis that cost him six months out of football.

By 2005 he had greatly impressed the Manchester United scouts and Sir Alex Ferguson. In July of that year Foster was signed in a deal that could eventually be worth as much as £3 million. Stoke received an initial down-payment of £1 million but that fee could treble depending on first-team and international appearances during his time at Old Trafford. Sir Alex described Foster's capture as "a great bit of business" and tantamount to "guarding the future of the club".

In August 2005, Foster joined Watford on loan for the season and the goalkeeper helped the Hornets win promotion to the Premiership by beating Leeds United 3-0 in the Championship play-off final. Foster re-signed on loan again the following season after United secured the services of Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak.
Foster remained at Vicarage Road for the entire 2006-07 season and despite Watford's struggle to survive in the top flight he was called up to Steve McClaren's first England squad for a friendly against Greece.

He has been selected for every squad since and made his England debut in the 1-0 defeat against Spain on 7th February 2007. Watford manager Adrian Boothroyd claimed Foster to be "better than current Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar" and believes that "he is going to be the best goalkeeper in the world". His confidence at set-pieces and shot-stopping skills have made him one of the best young goalkeepers in Britain and he is widely considered to be the likely successor to Edwin Van Der Sar.

Unfortunately in June 2007 with Foster set to fight for a first team place at Old Trafford the player required surgery for another cruciate ligament problem in his right knee. "It could have been worse," Foster told The Mirror after doctors discovered bone impacting on the ligaments. "If they hadn't found that fragment of bone the surgeons told me I wouldn't have had much of a career left." This will keep him out for at least the first half of the 2007-2008 season.
] He returned to light training towards the end of 2007, before moving on to a more rigorous regime in mid-January 2008 and made a comeback in a reserves game against Middlesbrough on the 6th March 2008, Foster made his debut for Manchester United on 15 March 2008 against Derby County, as Van der Sar was injured and Kuszczak was suspended, having been sent off against Portsmouth in the FA Cup quarter final the previous Saturday. United won the game 1-0, with Foster making two crucial saves en route to keeping a clean sheet.
Squad Number: 12
Position: Goal Keeper
Place of Birth: Leamington Spa, England
Date Of Birth: 03/ 04/ 1983
Height: 6'2
Weight: 12st 8lbs

SQUAD PROFILE -TOMASZ KUSZCZAK

2008-03-23T00:50:00.000-07:00

TOMASZ KUSZCZAK

Tomasz Kuszczak began his football career with Polish 2nd Division side Slask Wroclaw and moved from there to KFC Uerdingen 05 - a German side playing in the Third Division. He impressed enough to earn a move to top flight club Hertha Berlin in 2001. After four years he was out of contract with the Bundesliga outfit and was snapped up by the then West Brom manager Gary Megson in July 2004.

The Polish keeper was called upon against United in May 2005 when Russell Hoult went off injured after just 22 minutes at Old Trafford. The Baggies were 1-0 down but Kuszczak played an outstanding game to keep United at bay for the rest of the match. An eventual 1-1 draw saw WBA grab a vital Premiership point which would help Bryan Robson’s side avoid the drop.

In 2005-2006 Kuszczak was 2nd choice keeper behind Chris Kirkland but with the accident prone Kirkland injured again in October 2005, Kuszczak was allowed a chance to become No.1 which he duly took. His performances, despite West Brom’s relegation, won much praise and obviously caught the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson who made a move to sign the player on loan. West Brom, having already turned down three offers from United during the summer, finally relented on 10 August.
After protracted discussions, United agreed to let Paul McShane and Luke Steele join the Baggies as part of the deal that brings Tomaz to Old Trafford. Kuszczak joined United initially on a season-long loan, leading to a permanent three-year deal in July 2007.

He made his debut in against Arsenal on 17th September 2006 and made an immediate impression on the Stretford End by saving a Gilberto Silva penalty. He made his first start, against Crewe in the Carling Cup but the name on the back of his goalkeeper shirt was spelled "Zuszczak". instead of Kuszczak.

Tomas went on to feature in 13 games and recieved a Premiership medal as even though he only played 5 League games the rules allow for extra medals to be struck at the request of the champions.
Squad Number: 29
Position: Goal
Place of Birth: Krosno Odrzanskie, Poland
Date Of Birth: 20/ 03/ 1982
Height: 6'3
Weight: 13st 3lbs

SQUAD PROFILE Edwin van der Sar

2008-03-23T00:34:00.000-07:00

Edwin van der Sar

Edwin Van der Sar started his career with Ajax Amsterdam in 1990 and was first choice keeper during a great period in the famous Dutch club's history. At Ajax he won four Dutch league titles, the UEFA Cup in 1992, the Champions League in 1995 and the Dutch domestic treble in 1996. In 1994 he claimed the top spot for the Dutch national side from Ed de Goey and has been wearing the No.1 shirt ever since. In season 1995-1996 he kept clean sheet for nine consecutive games, a total of 846 minutes.

Gradually the stars of the homegrown Ajax team that won the Champions league in 1995 were sold off and Van der Sar joined Juventus for £5 million in 1999. He became the first foreign keeper to play for the club but would only last two seasons. The arrival of the £32 million signing, Buffon in 2001 meant the Dutchman was no longer first choice at the Deli Alpi.

Fulham pulled off a major coup when they signed the giant stopper in a £7m deal in August 2001. The deal to bring Van der Sar to Craven Cottage smashed the club's transfer record.

Van der Sar won many plaudits for his debut season in England, making 41 appearances. A metatarsal injury 2002/03 ended his season with Fulham in mid-December, although he did return to fitness for Holland's summer matches.

The player missed only one match in 2003/04, being as dependable as ever and holding the record for the most shots saved over the campaign. He passed 100 Fulham appearances that term - and was also named Fulham's Player of the Year. He played in Euro 2004 were the Netherlands reached the semi-final's and by the end of the 2004-2005 season had made 153 appearances for the Cottagers.

Van der Sar had already been linked with a move to Manchester United and the player stated that he had rejected the chance to move to Old Trafford in January 2005 but agreed a contract extension with Fulham until summer 2006 instead. Sir Alex Ferguson had been looking for a new goalkeeper after releasing Roy Carroll at the end of May with names such as Paul Robinson of Spurs and Shay Given of Newcastle mentioned.

Neither rumours amounted to anything and in June 2005 United moved for Van der Sar and agreed an undisclosed fee of around £2 million for the player. The 34-year-old joined the club on 1 July after passing a medical and signing a two-year deal. Van der Sar said: "I am delighted to have signed for Manchester United, one of the most famous clubs in the world. I'm looking forward to joining my new team-mates to start preparations for the new season, which promises to be one of the most exciting of my career"
The Dutchman was United's first signing since the club's takeover by Malcolm Glazer and joined the squad for the July 2005 tour of the Far East. He became the latest in a long line of keepers to have been tried by Fergie since the loss of Peter Schmeichel in 1999. Mark Bosnich, Massimo Taibi, Raimond van der Gouw, Fabien Barthez, Ricardo and Roy Carroll have all came and went.

The 6ft 5in tall shot-stopper has proven his quality at all levels and with his vast experience it was thought he was a safe pair of hands to steady the ship after Tim Howard's mixed fortunes between the posts. Sir Alex made Van der Sar first choice when the new season began and pundits were soon no longer talking about "goalkeeper problems" at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman was a model of consistency and it is hard to recall an error in an excellent first season filled with fine saves and crucial stops. He completed a rare achievement starting in all of United's 38 Premiership matches - only the fourth player to start every league match since Gary Pallister in 1994/95.

At 34 years old he is certainly not a long term member of the team and it was originally suggested Tim Howard would take on an understudy role and learn from the Dutchman. However, Howard's recent move to Everton leaves Tomasz Kuszczak next in line along with Ben Foster. Van der Sar is still the Dutch No.1 and captained the Netherlands in the World Cup in Germany. He plans to continue to play internationals until at least Euro 2008.

Last season, Edwin played in 32 Premiership matches, 12 European and 3 FA Cup's. He missed a couple of matches after breaking his nose at Tottenham after a collision with Robbie Keane, otherwise he was a constant reassuring presence in the United goal.

The Dutchman made key saves, notably away at Lille, a late stop from Peter Crouch in the 1-0 win at Anfield and a save from Mark Viduka at home to Middlesbrough that averted defeat in the eventual 1-1 draw. In May 2007 he saved a penalty from Darius Vassell that sealed a 1-0 win for United over Man City.

It was a key moment as the three points secured the Premiership title the following day. Though he won 4 Eredivisie titles at Ajax Amsterdam the Premiership is Van der Sar's first sucess in one of European football's big five leagues: England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France.

Squad Number: 1
Position: Goal Keeper
Place of Birth: Voorhout, Netherlands
Date Of Birth: 29/ 10/ 1970
Height: 6'6
Weight: 13st 3lbs

SQUAD PROFILE - Michael Carrick

2008-03-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

MICHAEL CARRICK

With outstanding vision, quick feet and a broad-ranging repertoire of passes, Michael Carrick proved in his first season at United to be an ideal partner for Paul Scholes, albeit a very different one to the previous number 16, Roy Keane.Contrary to the usual central midfield blend of crafter and grafter, Carrick and Scholes' playmaking talents were key to the free-flowing football which won a ninth Premiership title for United.
It was the first major honour of Carrick’s professional career, although he did win the FA Youth Cup with West Ham in 1999, scoring twice in the 9-0 finaldemolition of Coventry City.West Ham loaned Carrick out to Swindon in 1999/2000 and then Birmingham in 2000/01 when he earned a nomination for the PFA Young Player of the Year, eventually won by Liverpool's Steven Gerrard.
Carrick spent much of the 2002/03 season sidelined with injury. West Ham were relegated at the end of it but rather than join Joe Cole, Fredi Kanoute and Jermain Defoe in an exodus, Carrick stayed for a season in the Championship. However, after losing the 2004 play-off final to Crystal Palace, Carrick decided he couldn't wait another year for a return to the Premiership and moved across London to join Tottenham Hotspur in a transfer worth £2.75million.He blossomed into an accomplished midfielder in two seasons at White Hart Lane. However, he only scored two goals in 64 games and it seemed this low strike-rate would continue at United, at least for the first few months following his £14million transfer (this fee could eventually rise to £18.6million)
.Carrick wears the number 16 shirt for Manchester United, previously worn by former captain Roy Keane.He made his Premiership debut for United on 23 August 2006, coming on as a substitute in United's 3-0 away win over Charlton Athletic.He had sustained an injury in his original debut against Porto in the Amsterdam Tournament. He made his starting line-up debut against Watford on 26 August 2006 at Vicarage road, which United went on to win 2-1.
Carrick had started almost every game for United in the 2006/7 season. He was briefly injured in late December, at which point his 'holding' role in central midfield was filled in by John O'Shea or Darren Fletcher.
Carrick scored his first goal for Manchester United on 13 January 2007 - the Red Devils' second goal in a 3-1 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
On 10 April 2007 Carrick scored two long-range right-foot curlers against A.S. Roma in United's 7-1 victory in the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League at Old Trafford. He opened the scoring with his first, thus setting United on their way to the semi finals.
With the arrival of Owen Hargreaves at Old Trafford for the 2007/08 season, Carrick acknowledged that he is not guaranteed a place in United's first team.Carrick suffered an injury setback in October 2007, breaking his elbow against A.S. Roma in theUEFA Champions League. He returned on 3 November 2007 coming on as a substitute for Anderson against Arsenal in the Premier League

Birthdate: 28 Jul 1981
Birthplace: Wallsend, North Shields
Position: Midfielder
Appearances: 70
Joined United: 31 Aug 2006
United Debut: 23 Aug 2006 v Charlton (A)
International England

SQUAD PROFILE- Nemanja Vidic

2008-03-04T01:40:00.000-08:00

NEMANJA VIDIC

Nemanja Vidic is a beast of a defender. Tall, athletic and solid as a rock, he's uncompromising in the tackle and formidable in the air. His partnership with Rio Ferdinand during the 2006/07 season drew comparisons to great United pairings like Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister.
The Reds announced his signing on Christmas Day, 2005. When he did take his place alongside Rio Ferdinand in the heart of the defence, he gelled immediately and soon began to pose an attacking threat from set pieces. Vidic scored three league goals on the way to clinching his first Premiership medal and also notched a crucial equaliser on Champions League Matchday 6 against Benfica at Old Trafford.
His form was also acknowledged with a spot in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year
Full Name: Nemanja Vidic
Position : Defender
Date of Birth : 21st October, 1981
Squad Number : 15
Place of Birth : Uzice, Serbia
United Debut : 25/1/2006 against Blackburn(H)

SQUAD PROFILE -Paul Scholes

2008-03-04T01:23:00.000-08:00

PAUL SCHOLES

You must have a rare and special football talent to impress the great Bobby Charlton. The United legend sums up Paul Scholes perfectly: "He’s always so in control and pinpoint accurate with his passing – a beautiful player to watch."

Part of the new wave of talent that ushered in Beckham, Giggs, Butt and the Neville brothers in the mid-1990s, Salford-born Scholes scored twice on his debut in the League Cup at Port Vale in 1994/95 – and on his first league outing against Ipswich – and hasn't looked back.

Neat and compact, a misplaced Scholes pass remains one of the rarest sights in football. It has been said that Paul Scholes has one of the best football brains ever seen as Manchester United. He has been compared with greats such as Bryan Robson or Bobby Charlton for his ability to make late runs from deep positions, but in addition, with quick feet he can work openings from the tightest of situations. Last season saw his brilliance in an aducauious lob to help Wayne Rooney score against AC Milan.

Now in the top seven highest ever appearance makers and the top twelve highest goalscorers at the club, Scholes is, indisputably, one of the finest talents in United's history.

Birthdate: 16 Nov 1974
Birthplace: Salford, England
Position: Midfielder
Appearances: 548
Joined United: 08 Jul 1991
United Debut: 21 Sep 1994 v Port Vale (A)
International England

SQUAD PROFILE - Carlos Tevez

2008-03-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

CARLOS TEVEZ

Argentina striker Carlos Tevez is one of the game's most lethal finishers. A clinical striker of the ball, Tevez also has the confidence and skill to take on opponents, and is capable of playing as a deep-lying forward or lead striker.At just 5ft 7in he's not the tallest centre forward to pull on a Red shirt, but his low centre of gravity aids acceleration and enables him to shield the ball from defenders and turn his marker with great speed. Tevez, once dubbed the "Argentine prophet for the 21st Century" by Diego Maradona, has also demonstrated a knack for curling free-kicks past some of the world's top goalkeepers.
Tévez was raised in the humble neighbourhood of Ejército de Los Andes, better known as "Fuerte Apache." It was from there where he got the nickname of "Apache." His parents changed his surname to his mother's during a conflict between his junior club All Boys and Boca Juniors.

Tévez has a distinctive burn mark from his right ear, down his neck to his chest. This occurred at a young age when he was scalded by boiling water in a kitchen accident. As an adult, he decided against a skin graft.
Tevez is already idolised in South America after successful spells at Boca Juniors in his homeland, and Brazilian side Corinthians. Initially he had to win over fans in Brazil, but eventually he captained Corinthians to the title and became the first foreign player to collect the league's Player of the Year award in almost 20 years.
And he's no stranger to life in the Premier League, having spent the 2006/07 season with West Ham. After a slow start where he went 19 games without finding the net, Tevez scored the Hammers' second in a dramatic 4-3 loss to rivals Tottenham. He then embarked on a goalscoring spree that saw him net seven times in just 10 matches as West Ham battled to avoid relegation.
Perhaps his most memorable goal for West Ham arrived on the final day of the season, ironically against United at Old Trafford. Tevez showed relentless commitment to charge down a Wes Brown clearance, reach the looping ball ahead of Edwin van der Sar and calmly tuck home a half-volley and ensure the visitors' top-flight survival.His impressive displays aren't limited to club football, either. He propelled Argentina to gold in the 2004 Olympic Games by netting an incredible eight timesand he's now a regular member of the senior squad. He notched in the 2006 World Cup against Serbia & Montenegro and then turned in a man-of-the-match performance against Holland in the final Group C clash.
Following the payment of £2 million to West Ham by MSI, Tévez was formally released from his contract with West Ham. Manchester United put forward a proposed two-year loan deal for Tévez to the Premier League, which was approved on 10 August.He was given the number 32 jersey, the same number as that which he had worn at West Ham. He claims to like the number as it contains the same numbers as Michael Jordan's famous 23, a sportsman who Tevez lists as one of his idols. He made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth on 15 August, replacing Wayne Rooney, who had suffered a foot injury, and set up a goal for Paul Scholes. On 23rd September he scored his first goal with a diving header, in a 2-0 victory for Manchester United against Chelsea F.C., at Old Trafford. On 6th October, Tevez hit the back of the net again, in another man of the match performance, scoring the first goal in a 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic. Carlos put in a Man of the Match performance in the following premiership game against Aston Villa where the potential of the Wayne Rooney - Carlos Tevez partnership was lauded by the press, with a brace for Rooney, an assist, and a penalty win for the Argentine. The partnership between the two grew in stature. In the next Premiership match at home to Middlesbrough, Tevez scored two goals with Rooney grabbing the other, with Rooney getting two assists. The second goal was lauded by the press for its quick passing and intelligent play involving a lob from Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira a chip from Tevez into Rooney, followed by an inch perfect backheel from United's number 10, with Tevez sliding the ball past Mark Schwarzer. Alex Ferguson said in United's official magazine that it was his favourite goal in the season so far. Tevez scored again in the home game against Kiev, netting the second goal with an assist coming from Rooney. He then went onto score in the Champions league home game against Sporting Lisbon, equalising in the 60th minute. He then bagged a double in the 4-1 victory over Derby County on December 8. Tevez scored his first away goal for Manchester United on December 16, scoring the only goal of the game against fierce rivals Liverpool, in front of the famed Kop. In addition, he scored a against Birmingham City on the 1 Jan after link-up play with Cristiano Ronaldo. Again, he was the only scorer in the 1-0 win. Tevez scored 2 goals against Newcastle United on the 12 January 2008 to bring his Premiership tally to 10 goals.

He is regarded as one of the most promising prospects to come out of Argentina. Like Argentine teammate Lionel Messi, he has been labelled as the "New Maradona". Diego Maradona once described him as the "Argentine prophet for the 21st century".Now hes one among the Red Devils Manchester United

Full name - Carlos Tévez

Date of birth - February 5, 1984

Place of birth - Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Height - 1.70 m

Playing position - Striker

SQUAD PROFILE -Anderson

2008-03-03T04:48:00.000-08:00

ANDERSON

Anderson, full name Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira, came to prominence when he was chosen as player of the tournament in the 2005 world under-17 championships.

Dubbed the new Ronaldinho, Brazilian wonder kid Anderson completed his move to Old Trafford in July 2007.

There is a striking resemblance between Anderson and international superstar Ronaldinho, not only in terms of looks. Like Barcelona's attacking wizard, Anderson is incredibly skilful and his array of talent will surely dazzle the Premiership.

Both Anderson and Ronaldinho started their careers at Gremio in Brazil. Anderson (or Anderson Luis de Abreu Oliveira to give his full name) joined the Porto Alegre club at the age of just five.

He made his first

appearance for Gremio in 2004, aged just 16 but with his club side in the Brazilian second tier it was internationally where Anderson made his name.

He shone with Brazil at the 2005 South American U-17 Championship and 2005 U-17 World Cup, winning the Adidas Golden Ball for most valuable player.

An Anderson wonder goal for Gremio against Nautico in November 2005 earned a 1-0 win and promotion back to the top flight. That goal and his impressive showing for Brazil's young side persuaded FC Porto to sign Anderson in January 2006.

He continued his promising displays at Porto. He won many honours including the Portuguese Championship in 2005/06 and 2006/07, although his progress was hampered by a broken leg causing him to miss much of last season.

Sir Alex Ferguson and his right hand man Carlos Queiroz were clearly impressed and fought off interest from Barcelona to get their man. Anderson will battle with fellow new signing Nani, Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs for a place in the starting line-up. His favourite position is wide left but he has also featured in central midfield.

On the international front, Anderson earned his first call up to the

Brazilian senior squad in the summer of 2007 and featured in the team’s Copa America campaign.

Anderson has already earned many plaudits, none more so than from Mario Zagallo, the World Cup-winning player and manager.
On 30 May 2007, it was confirmed on the Manchester United website that the club had agreed, in principle, to sign Anderson from FC Porto for an undisclosed fee, reported to be approximately £17m. On 29 June 2007, he was granted a work permit to play in England, and the move was completed on 2 July, with Anderson signing a five-year contract. He made his Manchester United debut on 3 August 2007, playing 45 minutes of a pre-season friendly against Doncaster Rovers, which United won 2-0. He was given the number 8 jersey for the 2007-08 season, the number worn by Wayne Rooney the season before.

Anderson made his competitive debut for Manchester United against Sunderland on 1 September 2007. He was substituted at half time and replaced by Louis Saha, who went on to score the winning goal. Anderson later went on to make his Champions League debut against Sporting Lisbon, coming on as a substitute for Ryan Giggs in the 76th minute. He played the full 90 minutes in the Carling Cup match against Coventry City on 26th September 2007, in a team consisting almost entirely of youth and reserve team players. Manchester United lost 2-0; however, Sir Alex Ferguson had gone on to say that he was one of the best of a very poor bunch which played in that match.

On 6 October 2007, Anderson came on for Nemanja Vidić who suffered a concussion in Manchester United's home win against Wigan and put in what was described as his best performance of the season so far. He then made his first Champions League start on 23 October 2007 as he put in a man of the match performance to help United to a 4-2 win over Dynamo Kiev. His recent performances have drawn attention and credit by pundits. He put in great performances against Arsenal and Liverpool, which made people stand up and notice.

"Everything suggests he is going to be a superstar, a prodigy, as he has undisputable quality," he said.

If Anderson lives up to the expectations, Premiership and European defenders will be having many sleepless nights working out ways to deal with his trickery.

Full name - Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira
Date of birth - April 13, 1988
Place of birth - Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height - 1.76 m
Playing position - Attacking Midfielder, Winger ,striker

SQUAD PROFILE- Christiano Ronaldo

2008-03-03T04:34:00.000-08:00

CHRISTIANO RONALDO

United’s title success was undoubtedly a team effort, but one player was central to almost every major plotline.Dazzling wing-play was backed with regular assists and crucial goals, led United to their first EPL title in 4years.
Cristiano Ronaldo has just about exhausted all superlatives, except to say that having developed and matured from a young and inexperienced winger when he joined from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, he's now among the best and most dynamic attacking forces in the world.Signed as a largely unknown 18-year-old for £12.24m, the story goes that Sir Alex was persuaded to sign him by his players on the plane home from a pre-season friendly against Sporting that summer. In truth, the boss had long been aware of his ability. The urgency to sign him stemmed from interest from other top European clubs. This was a target Sir Alex simplycouldn’t let slip through the net.
Ronaldo is a two-footed player, thus allowing him to play anywhere up front: right, left or through the middle. This has enabled Ronaldo and left winger Ryan Giggs to switch wings occasionally, allowing Manchester United to further confuse their opponents. Ronaldo has superb technical ability. Besides his multiple step-over moves, he also developed a wide array of skills, making him a tricky and unpredictable winger to come up against. Ronaldo's pace and blistering runs, either down the wings or cutting into the middle, has further established him as an important player to Manchester United. He can also strike powerful shots from outside the box. His unique playing style is a far cry from traditional wingers of the past and he can best be described as a winger and a striker rolled into one. Ronaldo is extremely good in the air and has scored a fair number of headed goals as well. In addition, his 'pin ball free-kicks' are also noted for their swerve and dip
He began kicking a football when he was three, and when he started primary school at age six, his passion for the sport was obvious. His favourite boyhood team was SL Benfica even though he would later join their rival, Sporting. He first played for an amateur team, Andorinha, where his father was the kit man, when he was just eight years old. By 1995, at just ten years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation was growing in Portugal. Madeira's top two teams, CS Marítimo and CD Nacional were both interested in signing him. Marítimo, the bigger team, missed a crucial meeting with Rui Santos, Ronaldo's manager at Andorinha, and as a result, Ronaldo signed for Nacional. After a title-winning campaign at Nacional, Ronaldo went on a three day trial with Sporting who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Ferguson decided that he wanted C. Ronaldo for his team, who were in the market for a right-sided midfielder with the departure of David Beckham to Real Madrid; Ronaldo was signed for a fee of £12.24 million, becoming the club's first ever Portuguese player. Ronaldo was handed the number 7 shirt on his arrival, a shirt number that has belonged to some of the greatest Manchester United legends, such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Ronaldo initially asked for the number 28 which he wore at Sporting, as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'no, you're going to have No. 7' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour".
Ronaldo wasted little time in showing off his sublime skills with a stunning 30-minute debut against Bolton at Old Trafford in August 2003. After 39 appearances and eight goals – including the opener in the FA Cup final win over Millwall – he was named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year for 2003/04. His second season never quite lived up to his first. But some late season form saw him end the 2004/05 campaign with nine goals in 50 appearances. In 2005/06 Ronny again reserved his best form for the latter half of the season, a clear sign that, despite his undoubted talent, this was a player still honing his talent.
Then came the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, a truly defining moment. In the quarter finals against England, Cristiano was blamed for Wayne Rooney’s sending off, the scapegoat for England’s exit. Some wondered if he would even return to Manchester. But Sir Alex’s calming words assured him. After all, it’d happened before with Eric Cantona in 1995 and David Beckham in 1998. The best players respond to adversity, and he did just that.United’s title success was undoubtedly a team effort, but one player was central to almost every major plotline. It began with the barnstorming5-1 win over Fulham – Ronaldo and Rooney running the show and very publicly rubbishing claims the two were at odds.
Dazzling wing-play was backed with regular assists and crucial goals, including seven in five games over Christmas and then a last-gasp winner against Fulham in February.His form brought renewed interest from Spain, but United’s No.7 signed a new five-year deal until 2012 insisting, “I’m happy here.” In 2006/07 he claimed 14 individual awards and, most crucially, his first Premiership medal. The soundtrack to Cristiano’s campaign may have begun with a chorus of boos, but it ended with cacophonous applause.
During the 2006-07 season, Ronaldo won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards. He received the two awards during a ceremony on the 22nd of April, 2007. In addition to winning the two awards (an accomplishment that has only been matched once - in 1977 by Andy Gray), Ronaldo was also named a member of the PFA Premiership Team of the Year, alongside seven of his fellow Manchester United teammates. On 24 April 2007, Ronaldo completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year, an award which is given by winning the most votes from fans all over the United Kingdom. In addition, he was awarded the 2007 Portuguese Footballer of the Year, and at the beginning of May 2007 Ronaldo was also awarded the Football Writers' Association Award. He also received two awards from the club itself, the Player of the Year award, and the Fans' Player of the Year award.
Ronaldo's 2007-08 season started badly with the sending off at Portsmouth. However, in his first game following the ban Ronaldo scored the only goal in the 60th minute of a Champions League away game against Sporting Lisbon on return to his old club. He was given a standing ovation by the Sporting supporters for his muted celebrations following the goal. Following this match, Ronaldo has kept his goalscoring boots on in the away fixture against Birmingham City F.C. The goalscoring continued with a brace against Wigan Athletic F.C. Ronaldo contributed three goals in both the home and away fixtures against Dynamo Kiev, a goal against Arsenal F.C. and another brace against Blackburn Rovers. An injury time winner, coming from a free-kick in the home fixture against Sporting Lisbon led Manchester United to the top of the group in the UEFA Champions League .On December 2, 2007, Ronaldo was officially announced as the runner up in the European Footballer of the Year standings, finishing behind the winner, Kaka, with 277 points. Ronaldo scored a match-winning double against Fulham F.C., one of which includes a memorable volley . He had also been booked for diving by referee Rob Styles when he went down under a challenge from Fulham's goalkeeper, Antti Niemi. Sir Alex Ferguson had claimed that it "His reputation from years ago is still playing on the minds of referees. It was a ridiculous decision." In addition to his two late penalties in the home fixtures against Derby County F.C. and Everton F.C. , he scored a free-kick just before half-time against Sunderland A.F.C. . On December 17 2007, it was officially announced that Ronaldo came in third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards, finishing behind Kaká and Lionel Messi. A 2-1 lost in the away fixture against West Ham United F.C., Ronaldo scored in the match but missed a penalty.

Ronaldo finally scored his first hat trick for Manchester United, in the 6-0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008. He scored with a free kick in the 49th minute and went on to score twice more in the 70th and 88th minutes of the match.

Name - Cristiano Ronaldo

Birthdate - 05 Feb 1985

Birthplace - Madeira

Position - Winger

Appearances - 205

Goals - 60

Joined United - 12 Aug 2003

United Debut - 16 Aug 2003 v Bolton (H)

International - Portugal

SQUAD PROFILE - Ji Sung Park

2008-03-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

JI SUNG PARK

Born in Seoul, raised in Suwon just outside South Korea’s capital, Park left school at 18 to join Japanese side Kyoto Purple Sanga. His potential to make the leap from Asia to Europe was spotted by Guus Hiddink, who coached the South Korea during their successful run to the World Cup semi finals in 2002. Later that year, Park followed Hiddink to PSV.
Ji earned widespread recognition in 2005 after scoring against Milan in the Champions League semi finals, but he had gradually been building his reputation in Holland. Park played only a fleeting part in PSV’s title success in his first season in Holland. Two years later he had fully adapted to European football and was an integral component of the side that clinched Holland's League and Cup Double.

In the closing months of the 2004-2005season, Park was vigorously scouted by top football clubs in the English Premier League and the Italian Serie A,of which the most keen were Chelsea and Manchester United. He chose to join Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United, who was impressed with Park's lively style of play, terrific pace, and unparalled fitness. On June 22, 2005 Park signed for English Premiership side Manchester United from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven for £4 million, subject to a medical and work permit. His work permit was initially denied, but was granted on July 5 following an appeal from United.
As expected, he impressed during Manchester United's pre-season tour of the Far East, as well as in the first game of the season against Everton with his tireless roaming of the pitch and relentless pressuring of opponents, such that Ferguson picked him over Ryan Giggs and the popular Cristiano Ronaldo to start against Aston Villa on 20 August the following week.During United's home game against Spurs, United captain of the day Ryan Giggs was being substituted nine minutes from time and while on the way off, passed the captain's armband to Park. Park, who was expected to pass the armband to someone more experienced such as Paul Scholes, decided to put on the armband for the last few minutes of the game. In doing so, he became the first Asian to ever captain Manchester United.
His first goal for Manchester United came on December 20, 2005, during a 3-1 win over Birmingham in the League Cup Quarter Final.His first goal in the Premier League appeared to have been against Fulham on February 5, 2006 in Manchester United's 4-2 victory at Old Trafford.However the Premier League's Dubious Goals Panel later ruled that this was an "own-goal" due to a deflection off a Fulham defender. Park's first official league goal came against Arsenal on April 9, in Manchester United's 2-0 victory at Old Trafford.
On August 11, Manchester United announced that Park had extended his contract with the club until 2010. Speaking of Park's commitment to the club, Ferguson said "Ji-Sung has had an impressive first year and I’m pleased to have secured him to the end of the decade at least. He has adapted well to the Premiership. His awareness and ability are first class." He tore his ankle ligaments in training right before Manchester United's away match against Benfica FC, which kept him out of action for three months.

Park returned after recovering from his injury on December 17 in the 1-0 defeat against West Ham United. On 13 January 2007, Park played a major part in the in a 3-1 victory against Aston Villa, assisting C. Ronaldo and Carrick in their two goals, and even scoring himself. On 10 February 2007, Park again played a significant part for the team in a 2-0 victory against Charlton, in which he created chances opening the play and even scoring his second goal of the league campaign. On 17 March 2007, Park played a decisive role in the 4–1 victory over Bolton Wanderers, scoring two of the Red Devils' four goals. On 30 March, he scored a goal and set a goal up as Manchester United won their match against Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford. He also assisted Ole Gunnar Solskjær's last goal too.
In April 2007, Park was sent to America for surgery on a recurring knee injury, putting an end to his season. Although sidelined by injury for most of the season, he still played in enough matches to become the first Korean player to win the Premiership. Expected to return to action by January 2008, Park made his return to the United team ahead of schedule as he made a substitute appearance in the Boxing Day (December 26)fixture against Sunderland and received an above average rating of 7.0 by SkySports. He made his first start for the United first team since his injury on January 1, 2008 in a Premiership fixture against Birmingham City.

Birthdate:25 Feb 1981
Birthplace:Seoul, South Korea
Position:Midfielder
Appearances:68
Joined United:08 Jul 2005
United Debut:09 Aug 2005 v Debreceni (H)
International: Korea Republic

SQUAD PROFILE - Nani

2008-03-02T05:34:00.000-08:00

NANI

Nani started his career at his local club Real de Massamá on the outskirts of Lisbon before joining Sporting Clube de Portugal youth system. He broke into Sporting's first team at 18 years of age, scoring 6 goals in his debut season.

Nani started the 2006/2007 season with two goals in Sporting's first two matches and another on his international debut for Portugal, producing a man-of-the-match display against Denmark.Sporting and Manchester United agreed a fee and personal terms for Nani to sign for Manchester United .

Nani officially joined United in July 2007 for an undisclosed fee from Sporting Lisbon after being tracked for some time by Sir Alex Ferguson and his scouting staff.

After making his Sporting Lisbon debut at the age of 18, Nani featured 29 times in the league for Sporting in 2006-07, scoring five times. During his time at Sporting he also featured in the Champions League before winning the 2007 Portuguese Cup.

He played for Portugal during the European Under 21 Championship in Holland during the 2007 close season. The Cape Verde Islands born player also earned five caps for the senior side prior to his move to United, scoring on his debut against Denmark in September 2006.

Primarily a left sided player, Nani can also play in numerous other attacking positions.

There are obvious similarities between Ronaldo and Nani. And Nani is tipped to match the standards of 2006-07's PFA Player of the Year.

"He (Nani) is an amazing player, he's an amazing kid as well, he works very hard and has got a big heart," said Portuguese Under 21 team mate Ricardo Vaz Te. "He got a gift from god which is his talent obviously."

Portugal assistant coach Paulo Sousa is another who is backing Nani to be successful in England. "Nani is very explosive and very strong. He's fast and is going to be a great signing for United," he said. "I think that in the next five or 10 years, he and Cristiano Ronaldo can become the best players in the world."

Nani's move to Old Trafford undoubtedly had something to do with assistant boss Carlos Queiroz. Quieroz is credited with

helping Ronaldo settle and improve his game, and he is expected to help out Nani too.

Ronaldo has also promised to help Nani. “I really hope he has the same success as me, or even more, because he’s got the ability to do this," he said. "He’s joining the right club to evolve as a player and as a person.”

Nani is also famed in Portugal for a trademark goal celebration. His back flips graced the pages of the Portuguese tabloids while at Sporting, and United fans will be looking forward to seeing such celebrations many times during the coming seasons.

Full name - Luís Carlos Almeida da Cunha

Date of birth - November 17, 1986

Place of birth - Amadora, Portugal

Height - 1.75 m

Playing position - Wing forward

SQUAD PROFILE - Gerrard Pique

2008-03-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

GERRARD PIQUE

Gerard Piqué arrived at United in the summer of 2004 with great promise and potential. Highly-regarded at his former hometown club Barcelona where he was nominated as the Catalonia Player of the Year, Piqué opted to relocate to Old Trafford in search of first team chances.

United’s coaches were so impressed with the way Piqué settled in that he was handed an earlier-than-expected senior debut as a substitute for John O’Shea during the Reds’ Carling Cup trip to Crewe. Piqué's 23-minute cameo in the 3-0 victory came barely a week after his first appearance for the Reserves. He looked instantly at ease alongside Wes Brownin the centre of defence, twice snuffing out the threat of then-Crewe striker Dean Ashton.He made two further first team outings during the 2004/05 campaign, as a sub for Brown in the Reds' 3-0 Champions League defeat away at Fenerbahce and as a starter in the goalless FA Cup stalemate against Exeter at Old Trafford. The young Catalan was also an integral part of the club’s quadruple-winning Reserve side, chipping in with two goals in 24 appearances. Piqué won yet more silverware in his second season at Old Trafford as he helped the Reserves claim the Treble. He was a regular fixture in Rene Meulensteen’s side, playing 26 times and firing two goals.The Spanish defender made his Premiership debut at the Stadium of Light in October 2005 as United ran out 3-1 winners over Sunderland. He featured in six more league and Cup matches during the remainder of the 2005/06 season including an impressive display at right-back in his first Premiership start against West Ham at OT in March 2006.

With so many senior contenders vying for a regular berth in the Reds' defence, Sir Alex Ferguson decided to send Pique on loan for the entire 2006/07 campaign. He joined Real Zaragoza in La Liga and although opportunities weren'timmediately forthcoming, Gerard soon had an impact on the first team and became a regular starter.Although he scored on his debut at Villarreal and again against Gimnastic and hometown club Barcelona, it was Pique's impressive defensive displays which caught the eye as Zaragoza finished a superb season with a UEFA Cup slot.Such was Pique's impact at La Romareda that the Spaniards enquired about a permanent transfer for the youngster.
On 5 May 2007, it was announced that Piqué would be staying at Old Trafford next season. It was intended for Sir Alex Ferguson to be at La Romareda to watch Piqué play on 6 May, in an effort to gauge the youngster's progress, before having a meeting with the player to discuss his future with Man Utd, but this was unable to take place, due to problems with flights.
He has since returned to Manchester United and is a member of the first team making 6 appearances so far this season
He scored on his first start in the Champions League in a 4-0 win against Dynamo Kiev played on 7 November 2007 at Old Trafford, Piqué scored the first of Manchester United's 4 goals in that match. In doing so, he became the 450th Manchester United player to score at least one goal for the club.
Following his first goal for the club, Pique got his second in another Champions League match, this time, away at Roma on December 12.

Full name - Gerard Piqué Bernabeu

Date of birth - February 2, 1987

Place of birth - Barcelona, Spain

Height - 1.91 m

Playing position - Centre Back/Right Back

SQUAD PROFILE - Owen Hargreeves

2008-03-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

OWEN HARGEAVES

The best defensive midfielder in the world..An England International who was voted as the best English player in the world cup2006 by the fans.The Bayern munich midfielder wants tocome to come to Manchester United.And finally, on 31 May 2007 it was announced that Hargreaves will join Manchester United on 1 July 2007, after almost a year of attempted negotiations between Bayern Munich and United for a fee of around £17million....
In his own words, it was “possibly the longest-running transfer saga” in football. But after a several months of prolonged pursuit, United finally signed Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich in May 2007.The Canadian-born, England international midfielder’s stock has risen dramatically in the past year. During the World Cup, one newspaper reported that he was “a shock £7million target” for Sir Alex. His eventual fee was closer to £17million when the transfer finally went through, and Hargreaves had become one of European football’s most highly-thought of defensive midfielders.
Born and raised inCalgary, Canada, where his parents moved from England in the early eighties, Owen left for Germany aged 16 to join Bayern Munich.After earning his stripes in their youth ranks, a 19-year-old Hargreaves made the step up to first-team football in August 2000 in what was a highly successful season as Bayern claimed the Bundesliga title and Champions League crown. In the semi final against Real Madrid Hargreaves showed he could hold his own against Madrid's "galacticos", and remains one of only two English players to win the European Cup with a non-English club - the other being Steve McManaman.The following season saw Hargreaves establish himself as a regular and key member of Bayern's first-team and witnessed his breakthrough at international level. Hargreaves was eligible for any one of the home nations, as well as Canada, and, had he delayed his decision, Germany under residency rules.
He plumped for England, and after several impressive Under-21 displays, he was called into the senior squad in 2001.Initially a squad player, it took until the 2006 World Cup in Germany for Hargreaves to truly be seen as a key man. In fact, he was booed in their opening match of the tournament, but went on to be named Man ofthe Match in the quarter final defeat to Portugal and was voted England Player of the Year in January 2007.Not only will Hargreaves add another dimension to United’s midfield with his determined, energetic and enthusiastic style, the 26-year-old also has vast experience. A Champions League winner in 2001 and four-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern, Hargreaves has also experienced two World Cups and a European Championships with England. Partnering Paul Scholes or Michael Carrick – or indeed both – gives a well-balanced feel to United’s engine room.
On 31 May 2007, it was announced that Hargreaves would join Manchester United on July 12007, after almost a year of negotiations between Bayern Munich and United for a fee of around £17 million. Hargreaves was finally unveiled as a Manchester United player on July 1, having signed a four-year contract with the club. He was then revealed to the press on July 9, along with fellow newcomer Nani. Hargreaves was given the number 4 shirt at Old Trafford, the number previously worn by Gabriel Heinze.
Hargreaves made his Manchester United debut in a friendly against Peterborough United on August 4, coming on as a second half substitute in United's 3-1 victory. He made his first Premier League appearance in Manchester United's third game of the season, in the derby match away to Manchester City in a 1-0 defeat.

Full name - Owen Lee Hargreaves

Date of birth - January 20, 1981

Place of birth - Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Height - 1.8 m

Playing position - Defensive midfielder

SQUAD PROFILE - Wayne Rooney

2008-03-02T05:15:00.000-08:00

WAYNE ROONEY

Wayne Rooney is a player in a hurry. He burst onto the Old Trafford stage in September 2004, just as he had burst into the Premiership with Everton, and has become arguably United’s most important player
Rooney was brought up in Croxteth, Liverpool, where he attended the De Le Salle School from 1997 until 2002. He has two younger brothers who both later attended the school.
Rooney grew up supporting Everton, and his childhood hero was Scottish striker Duncan Ferguson. Rooney first appeared for Everton in the youth team, and during his time there, after scoring a wonder-goal in the FA Youth Cup, he revealed a T-shirt under his jersey that read "Once a blue, Always a blue". However, he would end up playing just two seasons in the Everton first team before demanding, and then executing, a transfer. This has left him on unfavourable terms with Everton fans, and this showed when he returned to Goodison Park and was booed severely.
Rooney has been under an intense media spotlight since first arriving on the scene in the autumn of 2002, particularly coming to the public's notice on 19 October 2002 when he scored a memorable goal against title-holders Arsenal, ending their 30-match unbeaten run. Receiving the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box, Rooney brought it down with instant control and turned away from his marker before firing it into the top left-hand corner of the goal, beating England keeper David Seaman and giving Everton a late 2-1 victory at Goodison Park. This goal provoked Clive Tyldesley, the match commentator, to exclaim "Remember the name: Wayne Rooney!". Rooney was five days short of his 17th birthday when he scored the goal, making him the youngest ever goalscorer in the Premiership at the time. Rooney gained a huge reputation on the world stage due to his performance at Euro 2004, as he spearheaded the English attack, scoring four goals in three group games
He is seen as one of the most exciting prospects of the modern game, his transfer fee from Everton still stands as the highest ever paid for a teenager. He normally played as a second striker to Ruud van Nistelrooy for his club team before van Nistelrooy's move to Real Madrid, although during 2005-06, he showed his versatility as a player by shifting to the midfield and playing on both flanks. Rooney has been compared to players such as Diego Maradona[1]. He wore the number 8 shirt for Manchester United from 2004 until June 2007, when his shirt number was changed to number 10. He wears the number 9 shirt for England.
Much was expected of the England’s 18-year-old hero of Euro 2004 when he swapped Everton, his boyhood club, for the Reds in August of that year. Yet becoming the world’s most expensive teenager - £20m rising to a possible £30m – did little to phase him.In his very first game at Old Trafford he produced a stunning display, putting behind him the frustrations of a metatarsal injury, to blast anunforgettable debut hat-trick past a shell-shocked Fenerbahce.It was a fairytale start to his United career and very much a sign of what was to follow.
By the end of the 2004/05 campaign he’d amassed 17 goals in 43 appearances. Sadly he missed out on his first winners medal – United losing on penalties to Arsenal in the FA Cup final – but was rightly named PFA Young Player of the Year.Rooney’s second season at Old Trafford saw him again take huge strides, justifying his billing as one of the world’s most exciting young talents. He netted the Reds first goal of the season against Debreceni and ended the season with 19 goals in 48 matches. It was a contribution that saw him named both Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year by fans and PFA Young Player of the year (again) by his fellow professionals.
The young striker openly endeavours to better his goals tally each season, and the 2006/07 campaign saw Rooney achieve his aim with 23 strikes as he shook off a difficult World Cup with England.Rooney's red card during England's quarter-final defeat to Portugal caused a media storm in Britain, not least because of the involvement of United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, but Wayne rose abovethe controversy to register another excellent year at United
.A long goalscoring drought was emphatically ended with a stunning hat-trick at Bolton, while doubts over his ability to find the net in Europe were well and truly banished as he netted four goals in the Champions League latter stages; home and away against Roma and a brace at Old Trafford against AC Milan.The development of the man Sir Alex describes as “the best young player I have seen in my time” continues at a rate which causes either exhilaration or consternation, depending on who you support.

Name - Wayne Rooney
Date of Birth - October 24,1985
Place of Birth - Croxteth,England
Nation - England
Height - 178cm
Weight - 78 kg
Position - Forward
Teams - England (International)
Manchester United (FA Premier League)

Players

2008-03-02T04:33:00.000-08:00

Manchester United Squad List

Goalkeeper:
1 Edwin van der Sar
12 Ben Foster
29 Tomasz Kuszczak

Defender:
15 Nemanja Vidic
19 Gerard Pique
2 Gary Neville
22 John O'Shea
25 Danny Simpson
27 Mikael Silvestre
3 Patrice Evra
5 Rio Ferdinand
6 Wes Brown

Midfielder:
13 Park Ji-Sung
16 Michael Carrick
18 Paul Scholes
24 Darren Fletcher
33 Chris Eagles
4 Owen Hargreaves
Attacking Midfielder:
11 Ryan Giggs
17 Nani
7 Cristiano Ronaldo
8 Anderson de Abreu Olivei

Striker:
10 Wayne Rooney
21 Dong Fangzhuo
32 Carlos Tevez
9 Louis Saha
- Danny Welbeck
- Manucho

On Loan:

- Lee Martin (to Sheff Utd)
- Jonny Evans (to Sunderland)
- Febian Brandy (to Swansea City)
- Darron Gibson (to Wolves)

Club crest and colours

2008-03-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

Club crest and colours

Manchester United badge up to the most recent revisionDuring its days as Newton Heath, the club's home jerseys were yellow and green; this strip was revived as an away kit in the early 1990s. In 1902, in conjunction with the name change to Manchester United, the club changed their colours to red jerseys, white shorts and black socks, which has become the standard for most Man Utd home kits ever since. The most notable exception to this is the shirt that the team wore in the 1909 FA Cup Final against Bristol City, which was white with a thin red V-neck. This design was resurrected in the 1920s before United reverted back to the all-red shirts.

Away strips are usually white jerseys with black shorts and white socks, but other colours have been used, including a blue and white striped shirt used on-and-off from 1903 to 1916, an all-black kit in 1994 and 2003 and a navy blue shirt with silver horizontal pinstripes in 2000. One of the most famous, yet short-lived, United away kits, though, was the all grey kit from 1995–96. This kit was dropped after Manchester United failed to win a single game while wearing it. At half-time during a game against Southampton, when United were already 3–0 down, they switched to their blue and white third kit, but eventually lost 3–1. According to the players, the grey kit was not visible enough which led to the poor results. Another famous Man Utd away kit included a reversible shirt that was white with black sleeves and gold trim on one side, and gold with black trim on the other side. This shirt was released as the last kit created by Umbro for the club before the change to Nike, and commemorated 100 years since the club had changed its name from Newton Heath to Manchester United.

The United third kit is traditionally all-blue in homage to the kit that the 1968 European Cup was won in. Exceptions to this rule have included a bright yellow kit worn in the early 1970s, the aforementioned blue and white striped shirt from 1996, which proved to be a firm favourite with the fans, and a white shirt with black and red horizontal pinstripes from 2004. United have also used what were originally used as training shirts as their third kit in the past, having adopted an all-black kit in the 1998–99 season and a dark blue shirt with maroon sides in 2001 for games against Southampton and PSV Eindhoven.

Currently, Manchester United's home jerseys are red with a vertical, white broken stripe with black trim on the reverse. The stripe is adorned with the letters MUFC at the top of the bottom portion, and a silhouette of the devil from the club badge at the top of the top portion. The AIG and Nike logos are also white. A patch with the words "The Red Devils" written in white, over an image of the club badge's devil, is attached to the bottom-left of the shirt. The club crest sits on a red kiss-cut shield on the left breast. The away jerseys are similar in template to the home shirt, but are black. The crest sits in a black shield, also on the left breast. There is a red-coloured piping running from the neck to the armpit and the AIG and Nike logos are white. The shirt also features the broken stripe on the reverse.

The Manchester United crest has been altered on a few occasions, but the basic form remains similar. The badge is derived from the crest of the city of Manchester. The devil on the club badge stems from the club's nickname "The Red Devils", which was adopted in the early 1960s after Matt Busby heard it in reference to the red-shirted Salford rugby league side.By the end of the 1960s, the devil had started to be included on club programmes and scarves, before it was finally incorporated into the club badge in 1970, holding its unmistakable trident. In 1998, the badge was once again redesigned, this time removing the words "Football Club". This move was met with opposition from some supporters, who viewed it as a move away from the club's footballing roots and more into the business side of the game.

After the Treble (1999–present)

2008-03-01T05:05:00.000-08:00

After the Treble (1999–present)

United won the league in 2000 and 2001 but the press saw these seasons as failures as they failed to regain the European Cup. In 2000, Manchester United became one of 14 founder members of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs. Ferguson adopted more defensive tactics to make United harder to beat in Europe but it was not a success and United finished the 2001–02 Premiership season in third place. They regained the league the following season (2002–03) and started the following season well, but their form dropped significantly when Rio Ferdinand received a controversial eight month suspension for missing a drugs test. They did win the 2004 FA Cup, however, knocking out Arsenal (that season's eventual champions) on their way to the final in which they beat Millwall.

The 2004–05 season was characterised by a failure to score goals, mainly due to the injury of striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and United finished the season trophyless and in third place in the league. This time, even the FA Cup eluded them as Arsenal beat United on penalties after a goalless draw after 120 minutes. Off the pitch, the main story was the possibility of the club being taken over and at the end of the season, Tampa businessman Malcolm Glazer, acquired a controlling interest in the club.

United made a poor start to the 2005–06 season, with midfielder Roy Keane leaving the club to join Celtic after publicly criticising several of his team-mates, and the club failed to qualify for the knock-out phase of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in over a decade after losing to Portuguese team Benfica. Their season was also dealt cruel blows with injuries to key players such as Gabriel Heinze, Alan Smith, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. However, they were prevented from being left empty-handed in successive seasons – a disappointment not endured in the last 17 years – by winning the 2006 League Cup, beating newly-promoted neighbours Wigan Athletic in the final 4–0. United also ensured a second-place finish and automatic Champions League qualification on the final day of the season by defeating Charlton Athletic 4–0. At the end of the 2005–06 season, one of United's key strikers, Ruud van Nistelrooy, left the club to join Real Madrid, due to a row with Alex Ferguson.

The 2006–07 season saw United return to the attacking style of football that was the cornerstone of their years of success in the late 1990s, scoring almost 20 more goals in 32 matches than second placed side Chelsea. In January 2007, United signed Henrik Larsson on a two-month loan from Swedish side Helsingborgs, and the striker played an important role in advancing United to the semi-finals of the Champions' League, with hopes for a second Treble; however, upon reaching the semi-finals, United lost to A.C. Milan 3–5 on aggregate.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Manchester United's entry into European competition, as well as the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, Manchester United played Marcello Lippi's European XI at Old Trafford on 13 March 2007. United won the game 4–3.

Four years after their last title, United claimed back the Premier League title on 6 May 2007, after Chelsea drew away with Arsenal, leaving the Blues seven points behind with two games to go, following United's 1–0 victory in the Manchester derby the previous day, making it their ninth Premiership title in the 15 seasons of its existence. However, an unprecedented fourth Double was not to be, as Chelsea beat United 1–0 in extra time in the first FA Cup Final to be held at the new Wembley Stadium; the first to be held in England since the old stadium was demolished seven years earlier.

The Treble (1998–99)

2008-03-01T04:43:00.000-08:00

The Treble (1998–99)

The 1998–99 season for Manchester United was the most successful season in English club football history as they became the first and only English team to win The Treble — winning the Premiership, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in the same season. After a very tense Premier League season, Manchester United won the title on the final day beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1, whilst Arsenal won 1–0 against Aston Villa. Winning the Premiership was the first part of the Treble in place, the one part that manager Alex Ferguson described as the hardest. In the FA Cup Final United faced Newcastle United and won 2–0 with goals from Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes. In the final match of that season, the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final they defeated Bayern Munich in what is considered one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed, losing going into injury time and scoring twice to win 2–1. Ferguson was subsequently knighted for his services to football.Rounding out that record breaking year, Manchester United also won the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras 1–0 in Tokyo.

Alex Ferguson era, pre-Treble (1986–1998)

2008-03-01T04:30:00.000-08:00

Alex Ferguson era, pre-Treble (1986–1998)

Alex Ferguson arrived from Aberdeen to replace Atkinson and guided the club to an 11th place finish. The following season (1987–88), United finished second, with Brian McClair becoming the first United player since George Best to score twenty league goals in a season.

However, United struggled throughout the next two seasons, with many of Ferguson's signings not reaching the expectations of the fans. Alex Ferguson was reportedly on the verge of being sacked at the beginning of 1990 but a Mark Robins goal gave United a narrow 1–0 win in the third round of the FA Cup over Nottingham Forest. This kept the season alive, and the team went on to win the competition, beating Crystal Palace in a replay in the final.

United won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1990–91, beating that season's Spanish champions Barcelona in the final, but the following season was a disappointment as a late season slump saw them miss out on the league to rivals Leeds United. Meanwhile in 1991, the club floated on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £47 million, bringing its finances into the public eye.

The arrival of Eric Cantona in November 1992 provided the crucial spark for United, and blending with the best of trusted talent in Gary Pallister, Denis Irwin and Paul Ince, as well as budding stars like Ryan Giggs, they finished the 1992–93 season as champions for the first time since 1967. They won the double (the league and the FA Cup) for the first time the following season, aided by the capture of Roy Keane, a determined midfielder from Nottingham Forest, who would go on to become the team captain. In the same year, however, the club was plunged into mourning following the death of legendary manager and club president Sir Matt Busby, who died on 20 January 1994.

In 1994–95, Cantona received an eight month suspension for jumping into the crowd and assaulting Crystal Palace supporter Matthew Simmons, who had given Cantona racial abuse as he left the field, in United's game at Selhurst Park. Drawing their last league match and losing to Everton in the FA Cup final left United as runners-up in both the league and FA Cup. Ferguson then outraged the supporters by selling key players and replacing them with players from the club's youth team, including David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. The new players, several of whom quickly became regular internationals for England, did surprisingly well and United won the double again in 1995–96. This was the first time any English club had won the double twice, and the feat was nicknamed the "Double Double".

They won the league in 1996–97, and Eric Cantona announced his retirement from football at the age of 30. They started the following season (1997–98) well, but they finished in second place, behind the double-winning champions Arsenal.

1969–1986

2008-03-01T04:23:00.000-08:00

1969–1986

United struggled to replace Busby, and the team struggled under Wilf McGuinness in the 1969–70 season, finishing a disappointing 8th, and following a poor start to the 1970–71 season, McGuinness was demoted back to the position of reserve team coach. Busby was coaxed back to the club, albeit only for six months. Results got better with Busby's guidance, but he finally left the club for the last time in the summer of 1971. In the meantime, United had lost a number of high-profile players such as Nobby Stiles and Pat Crerand.

Despite approaching Celtic's European Cup-winning manager, Jock Stein, for the manager's job — Stein had agreed a verbal contract to join United, but pulled out at the last minute — Frank O'Farrell was appointed as Busby's successor. However, like McGuinness, O'Farrell only lasted less than 18 months, the only difference between the two being that O'Farrell reacted to the team's poor form by bringing in some fresh talent, most specifically Martin Buchan from Aberdeen for £125,000. Tommy Docherty became manager at the end of 1972. Docherty, or "the Doc", saved United from relegation that season but United were relegated in 1974, by which time the golden trio of Best, Law and Charlton had left the club. Denis Law had moved to Manchester City in the summer of 1973, and ended up scoring the goal that many people say relegated United, and politely refused to celebrate the goal with his team mates. Players like Lou Macari, Stewart Houston and Brian Greenhoff were brought in to replace Best, Law and Charlton, but none could live up to the stature of the three that came before.

The team won promotion at the first attempt, with a young Steve Coppell making his début towards the end of that season, having joined from Tranmere Rovers, and reached the FA Cup final in 1976, but were beaten by Southampton. They reached the final again in 1977, beating Liverpool 2–1. In spite of this success and his popularity with the supporters, Docherty was sacked soon after the final when he was found to have had an affair with the physiotherapist's wife.

Dave Sexton replaced Docherty as manager in the summer of 1977, and made the team play in a more defensive formation. This style was unpopular with supporters, who were used to the attacking football preferred by Docherty and Busby. Major signings under Sexton included Joe Jordan, Gordon McQueen, Gary Bailey and Ray Wilkins, but Sexton's defensive United failed to break out of mid-table obscurity, only once finishing in the top two, and only reached the FA Cup final once, losing to Arsenal. Because of this lack of trophies, Sexton was sacked in 1981, even though he won his last seven games in charge.

He was replaced by the flamboyant Ron Atkinson, whose extrovert attitude was reflected in the clubs he managed. He immediately broke the British record transfer fee to sign Bryan Robson from his old club, West Brom. Robson would come to be touted in the future as United's best midfield player since Duncan Edwards. Atkinson's team featured new signings such as Jesper Olsen, Paul McGrath and Gordon Strachan playing alongside former youth-team players Norman Whiteside and Mark Hughes. United won the FA Cup twice in three years, in 1983 and 1985, and were overwhelming favourites to win the league in the 1985–86 season after winning their first ten league games, opening a ten-point gap over their rivals as early as October. The team's form collapsed, however, and United finished the season in fourth place. The poor form continued into the following season, and with United on the edge of the First Division's relegation zone by the beginning of November 1986, Atkinson was sacked.

From sorrow to success

2008-03-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

From sorrow to success

As Matt Busby lay immobile in Munich, his trusty assistant Jimmy Murphy - who missed the trip to Belgrade because of his duties as Wales manager - had to pick up the pieces. Busby had told him, "Keep the flag flying, Jimmy."

As goalkeeper Harry Gregg recalled in his autobiography, the players who were left and able needed to play again. He wrote: “It (playing football) saved my sanity. I couldn’t get to the ground quick enough for training. Those brief moments spent running, diving, kicking, arguing and fighting were my escape valve.”

United’s chairman Harold Hardman was in full agreement. Just 13 days after the crash, the rescheduled fifth-round FA Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday went ahead in front of a highly charged Old Trafford crowd of 59,848, with thousands more fans locked outside. Beneath the headline ‘United will go on’, Hardman’s message on the front of United Review (the club's match programme) was simple, yet effective.

“Although we mourn our dead and grieve for our wounded, we believe that great days are not done for us… Manchester United will rise again.”

The teamsheet in the United Review was poignantly blank. But Jimmy Murphy had followed his boss’s instructions and somehow put together a side to face Sheffield Wednesday. Crash survivors Gregg and Bill Foulkes were in the line-up, alongside new signings Ernie Taylor from Blackpool and Stan Crowther from Aston Villa, the team that had beaten United in the 1957 FA Cup final. Crowther signed just over an hour before kick-off and was given special dispensation to play having already appeared in the Cup that season for Villa.The remainder of the team was a mixture of juniors and reserves: Ian Greaves, Freddie Goodwin, Ronnie Cope, Colin Webster, Alex Dawson, Stan Pearson and Shay Brennan, who scored twice on his debut as United won 3-0. Brennan would go on to play in the 1968 European Cup final ten years later.

For central defender Ronnie Cope, the game was a defiant stand, the chance to show all was not lost. “We’d lost some of the best players and the greatest players, but we hadn’t lost the spirit - that was what carried us through, the spirit.”

Riding the tide of goodwill, United made it through to Wembley where they met Bolton Wanderers in the final. The frail Busby sat on the bench and watched his team finally run out of steam, losing 2-0.

Murphy and his charges had pulled off a minor miracle to get that far. In the weeks and months following the crash, they had proved beyond any doubt that United would indeed go on. In the European Cup semi-final they beat Milan 2-1 at Old Trafford, before a valiant, yet comprehensive 4-0 defeat in the San Siro.

Though Busby had considered quitting, wrongly blaming his own sense of ambition for the chain of events that had ended in tragedy, his wife Jean and son Sandy convinced him to continue. Having overseen the building of greatness from an uncertain future, they believed he could - and should - aim for the sky again.

Success in '68

On 29 May 1968, ten years after Busby’s brave boys were lost in the snow, a tense night in north London climaxed with the knowledge that Matt had paid a debt to their memory.Fittingly, the exuberance of local youth - the driving force behind Busby’s dream - played a full part in United winning the European Cup final at Wembley. Brian Kidd, a young striker from Collyhurst, Manchester - deputising for the injured Denis Law - celebrated his 19th birthday with United’s third goal in the 4-1 win over Benfica.

Another Collyhurst boy, Nobby Stiles, became one of only two Englishmen to win both the European Cup and the World Cup - the other was Bobby Charlton. As a kid, Stiles had idolised Eddie Colman; on this night, he tackled and ran for all the Babes. Another young man from Manchester, John Aston Jr, whose father had played in Busby’s FA Cup-winning side of 1948, was man of the match.

As they continue to do today, United had taken the crowd at Wembley from ecstasy to despair - and ultimately back again. And as Busby collapsed into the exhausted embraces of Charlton, Foulkes and Brennan, he felt a weight had been lifted.

“When Bobby (Charlton) took the cup, it cleansed me,” he said. “It eased the guilt of going into Europe. It was my justification.”

The men we lost at Munich

2008-02-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

The men we lost at Munich

The Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958 claimed the lives of 23 passengers and crew. Here, ManUtd.com remembers the eight United players and three officials who died, through the words of those who knew them best.

Roger Byrne - aged 28, full-back. 277 appearances, 19 goals, 33 England caps.

"An aristocratic footballer, majestic in his movement. Roger was so fast but at the same time he controlled his movement beautifully, like Nureyev." - Sir Matt Busby

Geoff Bent - aged 25, full-back. 12 appearances.

"When Geoff matured and reached his twenties there were many clubs after him but he stayed loyal. He could look after himself and was a great tackler. Roger Byrne was a consistent player and very brave, that was the reason Geoff got so few games, but he was good enough to hold a regular place in any team." - Jimmy Murphy

Eddie Colman - aged 21, half-back. 107 appearances, 2 goals.

"Eddie was a chirpy lad and a terrific player. He pushed the ball - never kicked it - and he jinked past players. He was known for his swivel hips." - Wilf McGuinness

David Pegg - aged 22, forward, 148 appearances, 28 goals, 1 England cap.

"David would have been a great asset to any team because he was a natural, left-flank player. David was very, very clever. Our best left-winger by a mile." - Sir Matt Busby

Mark Jones - aged 24, half-back, 120 appearances, 1 goal.

"Yorkshireman Mark was a really lovely fellow, but my word he was a tough nut, and nobody took any liberties with him on or off the field." - Bill Foulkes

Duncan Edwards - aged 21, half-back, 175 apps., 21 goals, 18 England caps, 5 goals.

"When I used to hear Muhammad Ali proclaim to the world he was the greatest, I used to smile. The greatest of them all was a footballer named Duncan Edwards." - Jimmy Murphy

"The only player who ever made me feel inferior." - Sir Bobby Charlton

Tommy Taylor - aged 26, forward, 189 apps., 128 goals, 19 England caps, 16 goals

"I rate him as one of the all-time, best centre-forwards in the game, and he had yet to realise all his potential. He was a typically bluff Yorkshireman in many ways, often acting the clown, and a great team man." - Bill Foulkes

Liam 'Billy' Whelan - aged 22, forward, 96 apps., 52 goals, 4 Republic of Ireland caps

"Billy was a magician with a ball at his feet. I really don't think he knew how good he was and how much better he could have become. A world-class forward. There is no doubt about that. His vision and passing was sheer class." - Albert Scanlon

Walter Crickmer, club secretary / Tom Curry, trainer / Bert Whalley, coach

"Walter Crickmer always reminded me of a little dynamo, nothing was too much trouble. Tom Curry, the trainer, was someone we looked up to like a father. And Bert Whalley was certainly a tremendous help to me when I was a part-timer." - Bill Foulkes

The darkest day: 6 Feb 1958

2008-02-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

The darkest day: 6 Feb 1958

February 6 will forever be circled on the calendars of everyone connected with Manchester United.

On that day in 1958, the darkest day in United's history, 23 people - including eight players and three members of the club's staff - suffered fatal injuries in the Munich air crash.

Flying back from a European Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade, the team plane stopped in Germany to refuel. The first two attempts to take off from Munich airport were aborted; following a third attempt, the plane crashed.

Twenty-two of the people on board died instantly, while Duncan Edwards - one of the eight victims from the team - died 15 days later as a result of the injuries he sustained.

The tragedy is an indelible part of United's history, as is Sir Matt Busby overcoming his injuries to build another great team which won the European Cup 10 years later.

Roger Byrne (28), Eddie Colman (21), Mark Jones (24), David Pegg (22), Tommy Taylor (26), Geoff Bent (25), Liam Whelan (22) and Duncan Edwards (21) all died, along with club secretary Walter Crickmer, trainer Tom Curry and coach Bert Whalley.

Eight journalists died - Alf Clarke, Tom Jackson, Don Davies, George Fellows, Archie Ledbrook, Eric Thompson, Henry Rose, and Frank Swift who was a former Manchester City player. Plane captain Ken Rayment perished, as did Sir Matt's friend Willie Sanitof. Travel agent Bela Miklos and passenger Tom Cable also died.

The Busby years (1945–1969)

2008-02-27T06:47:00.000-08:00

Birth and Rise of the Babes<>

As challenges go, the manager's job at Manchester United in 1945 seemed to be the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest in bare feet.

During the 1930s, the club was twice relegated from the top division and was close to bankruptcy. Then in 1941, during the Second World War, the Luftwaffe (Nazi Germany’s air force) bombed Old Trafford, leaving United to play their home games at Maine Road - the ground of local rivals Manchester City.

Such matters were, however, incidental to Matt Busby when he agreed to take charge at United on 19 February 1945. For Busby had a glittering vision: he saw beauty in that bombed-out stadium, and the chance to create a phoenix from those flames.

A native of Bellshill, a coal-mining community in Lanarkshire, Scotland, Busby knew the value of hard work, and recognised what honest endeavour could achieve. Crucially, too, he knew both Manchester and its people, having played for Manchester City in their 1934 FA Cup success. His partnership with United would change the face of English football.

Liverpool wanted Busby back after the war as player-coach. But Busby wanted to shape the future - he dreamed of younger, fresher legs, players to mould in his image. He knew youth held the key, not only to United’s success, but the future of the game. He found a kindred spirit in his predecessor Walter Crickmer, who remained club secretary. Crickmer helped to establish the Manchester United Junior Athletic Club (MUJACs) in 1938 and from those seeds Busby’s empire was born.
Busby set up an office two bus rides from Old Trafford. “In that small office there was not much room for dreaming, or much time but dream I did,” Busby reflected. He quickly appointed an assistant, his old army mate Jimmy Murphy, who took charge of the reserves, paying special attention to the youth team.

Within two years, Busby’s pioneering, hands-on management delivered United’s first trophy for almost 40 years. The FA Cup was won in 1948 with attacking football against a Blackpool side featuring the legendary English player Stanley Matthews.

After a couple of near misses, United won the league title in 1952. But the team was ageing - the time was coming for Busby to bring young, homegrown players into his senior squad.

Roger Byrne - who had excelled in the latter stages of 1951/52 on the wing - soon became a regular at full-back. Jackie Blanchflower, who alongside Byrne had been the first players to be called “Babes”, was joined more regularly by centre-half Mark Jones, who’d also made a few appearances for 1952’s title winners. Next came Eddie Colman and a boy in a man’s body - Duncan Edwards, who made his first team debut at the age of just 17.

Rise of the Babes

Not all of Busby's players were homegrown "Babes". In March 1953, he signed centre-forward Tommy Taylor from Barnsley for £29,999. He was to form a formidable partnership with Dennis Viollet, especially in 1955/56, when at least one of them scored in 21 of the 27 games they played together.
United ran away with the title, clinching it on Saturday 7 April 1956 against Blackpool, the club they’d beaten to win Busby’s first trophy (the 1948 FA Cup). The average age of the team was just 22. “The marks of the nursery cradle were on them, but they did not show,” said Busby, glowing with pride.

The challenge was to prove that the title success in 1955/56 was no flash in the pan. But Busby wasn’t satisfied with domestic domination alone: he sought a new test in the shape of the European Cup. United entered it for the first time in the 1956/57 season, initially without the blessing of the Football Association. In the preliminary round, they demolished Belgian club Anderlecht 10-0 under Maine Road’s floodlights after a 2-0 away success. The result remains United’s biggest win in a competitive match. Having also beaten Borussia Dortmund and Athletic Bilbao, United exited in the semi-final, that great Madrid side proving too wily in a 5-3 aggregate win.

At home, the Red army marched on. A fresh young hopeful, Bobby Charlton, scored twice on his debut, appropriately enough against Charlton Athletic – and was promptly dropped, such was the quality at Busby’s disposal. A fifth consecutive FA Youth Cup trophy was secured as the conveyor belt of talent continued to move.

The league title was retained as Taylor and Viollet once again teamed up admirably, but the top scorer was Ireland’s Liam Whelan who hit 26 goals. United had became an irresistible force – almost. Aston Villa prevented them winning the first league
and FA Cup double of the modern age with a controversial 2-1 win at Wembley. The scorer of Villa’s goals Peter McParland was the villain, his shoulder barge on Ray Wood resulting in the United goalkeeper fracturing a cheekbone.

Despite that disappointment, time was on United’s side. Thoughts soon turned to capturing a third title in a row and another assault on Europe. Busby bolstered his Babes with another big signing, paying a world record fee for a goalkeeper to bring in Harry Gregg.

The season unfolded much like the previous two with smooth progress both domestically and in Europe. February opened with a thrilling encounter against Arsenal at Highbury. In an absorbing match, United edged out the Gunners 5-4; ideal preparation for the daunting European Cup quarter-final second-leg trip to meet Red Star Belgrade...

Early years (1878–1945)

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Early years (1878–1945)

The Manchester United team at the start of the 1905–06 season in which they were runners up in Division 2 and promotedThe club was formed as Newton Heath L&YR F.C. in 1878 as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath. The club's shirts were green and gold halves. They played on a small, dilapidated field on North Road, near the future site of the Manchester Piccadilly railway station for fifteen years, before moving to Bank Street in the nearby town of Clayton in 1893. The club had entered the Football League the previous year and began to sever its links with the rail depot, becoming an independent company, appointing a club secretary and dropping the "L&YR" from their name to become simply Newton Heath F.C.. Not long afterwards, in 1902, the club neared bankruptcy, with debts of over £2500. At one point, their Bank Street ground was even closed by the bailiffs.

Just before having to be shut down for good, the club received a sizeable investment from J. H. Davies, the managing director of Manchester Breweries. Legend goes that Harry Stafford, the club captain, was showing off his prized St. Bernard dog at a club fund-raiser, when Davies approached him to buy the dog. Stafford declined, but was able to persuade Davies to invest in the club and become club chairman. It was decided at one of the early board meetings that the club required a change of name to reflect the fresh start they had been afforded. Manchester Central and Manchester Celtic were among the names suggested, before Louis Rocca, a young immigrant from Italy, said "Gentlemen, why don't we call ourselves Manchester United?"The name stuck, and Manchester United officially came into existence on 26 April 1902. Davies also decided it would be appropriate to change the club's colours, abandoning the green and gold halves of Newton Heath, and picking red and white to be the colours of Manchester United.

Ernest Mangnall was appointed as club secretary after James West had resigned as manager on 28 September 1902. Mangnall was charged with trying to get the club into the First Division, and fell just short of that target at the first attempt, finishing in 5th in Division Two. Mangnall decided that it was necessary to bring in some fresh faces to the club, and signed players such as Harry Moger in goal, Dick Duckworth at half-back and John Picken up front, but it was another new half-back by the name of Charlie Roberts who made the biggest impact. He cost the club a then-record £750 from Grimsby Town in April 1904, and helped them to a third place finish in the 1903–04 season, just a point short of the second promotion place.

It was not long, however, before the club was at last promoted to the First Division for the first time under their new name, finishing in second place in the 1905–06 Second Division. A season of consolidation followed, with the club finishing in 8th, before they finally won their first league title in 1908. Manchester City had recently been under investigation for paying some of their players a salary over the amount allowed by FA regulations. They were fined £250 and eighteen of their players were banned from playing for them ever again. United were quick to pounce on the situation, picking up Billy Meredith (the Welsh Wizard) and Sandy Turnbull, amongst others. The new boys from across town were ineligible to play until New Year's Day 1907, due to their suspension, so it was left until the 1907–08 season for them to make a proper impact on United's bid for the title. And that they did, getting the campaign off to a storming start, with a 2–1 victory over Sheffield United, beginning a run of ten consecutive victories. Despite a shaky end to the season, United managed to hang on and finished the season nine points ahead of their closest rivals, Aston Villa.

The following season began with United picking up another piece of silverware, the first ever Charity Shield, and ended with another, the club's first FA Cup title, sowing the seeds for what has become a record number of FA Cup titles. Just as they were in the club's first title-winning campaign, Turnbull and Meredith were instrumental in this season, Turnbull scoring the winner in the FA Cup Final. The club had to wait another two years before winning any more silverware, winning the First Division for the second time in the 1910–11 season. In the meantime, United moved to their new ground at Old Trafford. They played their first game there on 19 February 1910 against Liverpool, but lost 4–3 having thrown away a 3–0 lead. They then went trophyless again in the 1911–12 season, which not only proved to be the last with Mangnall in charge (he moved to Manchester City after ten years with United), but also the last time the club won the First Division for 41 years, the longest time they have gone without winning the league in their history.

For the next ten years, the club went into a state of gradual decline before being relegated back down to Division Two in 1922. They were promoted again in 1925, but struggled to get into the top half of the table, and were relegated again in 1931. In the eight years leading up to the Second World War, the club became somewhat of a yo-yo club, reaching their all-time lowest position of 20th in Division Two in 1934. They were promoted and relegated once again before being promoted in the penultimate season before the Second World War. They guaranteed their place in the top flight for after the war by finishing in 14th in the 1938–39 season.

MANCHESTER UNITED

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MANCHESTER UNITED

Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and is arguably the most popular football club in the world, with over 330 million supporters worldwide; 5% of the world's population. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1993, and has played in the top division of English football since 1975. Average attendances at the club have been higher than any other team in English football for all but six seasons since 1964–65.

The club is one of the most successful in English football; for over twenty years, since the 1986–87 season, they have won 18 major honours, which is more than any other Premier League club. They are the Premier League's reigning champions, and have won the Premier League/Football League 16 times. In 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup, beating S.L. Benfica 4–1, and they won a second European Cup in 1999. They also hold the record for the most FA Cup titles with 11.

Since the late 1990s, the club has been one of the richest in the world with the highest revenue of any football club, and is currently the second richest club in the world, based on revenue.[6] Manchester United, which remains the most valuable club in the world,was a founding member of the now-defunct G-14 group of Europe's leading football clubs and its replacement, the European Club Association.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been manager of the club since 6 November 1986. The captain is Gary Neville, who succeeded Roy Keane in November 2005.