Van der Sar close to pen improved contract

February 8, 2010

Van der Sar close to pen improved contract
Edwin van der Sar is set to sign a new deal at Manchester United. The Dutch goalkeeper will pen a new, £90,000-a-week contract this week, according to the Daily Express.

Van der Sar’s current contract is due to expire this summer. The 39-year-old shot stopper had delayed agreeing to the fresh deal while he monitored the health of his wife Annemarie, who suffered a brain haemorrhage two days before Christmas.

But Annemarie is well on the way to a full recovery back in Holland and Van der Sar can now turn to his own future at Manchester United.

Last month, Sir Alex Ferguson said he hoped that Van der Sar would extend his stay at Old Trafford.

“Edwin makes a big difference, it is not just his saves, it is his composure and use of the ball.

“I know there are a few young keepers out there doing very well but Edwin is the best in the league just now.”

The Daily Express reports that Van der Sar is close to committing himself to United for another 12 months by signing a new £4.7million contract.

Van der Sar joined the Red Devils in 2005 from Fulham.

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Mourning Mancini: ‘We were unlucky’

January 29, 2010


On Wednesday night, Manchester City had a brilliant opportunity to book a first Wembley cup final appearance since 1981 but the mission of the Citizens failed dramatically.

A 2-1 lead on aggregrate out of the first match wasn’t enough for City who have now set their sights on the FA Cup. “I am very sorry because I thought we played very well,” said Roberto Mancini.

Again, the Italian manager saw Carlos Tevez netting a goal against his former club but this time without the desired result.

“We were under pressure for only 10 minutes,”stated Mancini. “We played well. We were unlucky.”

“For the rest of the game we played very, very well. I am very sorry for the players because tonight they played very well.”

Manchester United’s victory booked them a place in a record seventh final in this competition for Sir Alex Ferguson who praised United’s fans. “Our support was unbelievable. I’m very proud and I’m delighted for the fans.

“When they are like that you never want to let them down.”

Ferguson was also positive about the events on the pitch. “We missed a lot of chances,” he said. “Edwin van der Sar made one marvellous save (from a Micah Richards’ shot) after half-time but we produced a marvellous performance in the second half.

“We could have scored six or seven.”

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Two-goal Tevez back to haunt United in League Cup

January 20, 2010


Carlos Tevez, whose move across Manchester was the source of so much controversy, made the difference as City claimed a 2-1 win over United in the rivals’ League Cup semi-final first leg here on Tuesday.

Ryan Giggs’s first derby goal since 1996 handed United the lead but Tevez, whose decision to reject United and sign for their wealthy neighbours in the close season was accompanied by such ill feeling, scored twice, taking his tally to 13 goals from his last 11 games.

Tevez was always destined to play a pivotal role in this semi-final, one way or another.

Sure enough, when Craig Bellamy was held back by badly beaten United full-back Fabio five minutes before the interval, it was the Argentinian forward who was handed the responsibility of converting from the penalty spot, one he gleefully accepted with an emphatic finish.

Tevez’s gesture to former team mate Gary Neville, sat in his customary position on the United bench, told the defender to be silent and was sweet revenge for the City man having endured a half of baiting and abuse from visiting supporters.

The penalty cancelled out Giggs’s early opening goal, which came from United?s first attack of note.

Patrice Evra found Antonio Valencia on the right wing. Bellamy appeared to have stifled the danger with a challenge on the winger but Valencia slipped past the City man and took advantage of Vincent Kompany?s failure to cut out the cross.

A near-post touch from Wayne Rooney took the ball away from City keeper Shay Given and Giggs was well placed to convert into an open net from practically on the goalline.

The second half winner was vintage Tevez although it was again the result of poor defending from United, something that has happened with alarming regularity for Sir Alex Ferguson?s team this season.

Bellamy?s 64th minute cross from the left-wing caused panic in the visiting defence following a weak punched clearance from Edwin van der Sar.

Pablo Zabaleta did a good job of keeping the ball live, chipping back into the area for Kompany to cross and find Tevez who headed in from close range.

The overwrought pre-match build-up from City was perhaps understandable.

Since they last appeared in a major semi-final, of the 1981 FA Cup, a total of 54 different league clubs have reached the last four of one or other of the two major domestic knockout competitions.

United seemed in the mood to ruin City?s planned party but City’s response to falling behind was spirited with Shaun Wright-Phillips steaming to the right-hand by-line, delivering a perfect cross with which Tevez failed to connect from six yards.

United started the second half the brighter, looking to regain control of the tie, but their failure to deal with City’s corners was increasingly apparent, starting, in the 57th minute, when Evra had to make a timely block to stop Micah Richards shooting in following a Bellamy flag kick.

United responded, with Rooney crossing for Giggs whose header drew an amazing save from Shay Given, falling backwards and almost in his own net, and the England forward then sending a dipping shot rising over the bar from distance.

But, after conceding the second, things might have got worse for United with van der Sar being forced into a solid, diving save to keep out a Wright-Phillips blast following a neat pass into the area from Bellamy.

United would dominate the closing proceedings however and Rooney?s one-two with substitute Michael Owen in the 77th minute played him clean in on goal where Given made a fantastic block, Owen then steering the loose ball goalwards where Nedum Onuoha made a simple clearance.

Two minutes later Rooney was again City?s tormentor with a twisting run into the area and an audacious shot which Given tipped over. United pressed until the end with Valencia missing a far post volley from an Evra cross and Given saving well once again to deny Rooney.

MANCHESTER (AFP)

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United face Berbatov surgery dilemma

January 17, 2010


Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will on Monday make a decision on whether Dimitar Berbatov, a scorer in the 3-0 win over Burnley, requires knee surgery.

The Bulgarian striker has been struggling for a number of weeks with the injury and United had hoped he would be able to play through the discomfort, but he was bothered by his knee once again despite going on to score in United’s victory at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Ferguson took him off in the closing stages and will now consider whether he needs an operation.

He said: “Dimitar was feeling his knee again. We’ll look at it on Monday and we’ll see (about surgery). He could have come off at half-time but he wanted to stay on again and that’s good.

“Let’s hope the goal does Dimitar some good. I thought he was the one that looked like scoring and it was one of those days when he kept knocking it past the post or over the bar.

“He had so many attempts, he must have had about 10 attempts and he’ll be relieved to get his goal.”

Ferguson feels that the return of Edwin van der Sar could be a key point in United?s season.

The Dutch goalkeeper has been missing since early November due to injury and was then given compassionate leave after his wife Annmarie suffered a brain haemorrhage.

But he kept a clean sheet on his return to the team and Ferguson expects him to make a significant difference.

He added: “He was magnificent against Burnley, unbelievable. What a performance – steady, decision-making, use of the ball.

“Tomasz (Kuszczak) has done fantastically well and it’s no slight on him but Edwin made a difference simply because he’s 39 years of age, he’s got 130 caps, he’s got that experience, he’s won two European medals.

“He’s had a fantastic career and it showed again.”

Ferguson has also been impressed by the contribution of Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf, who joined the club from Norwegian club FC Molde.

After Berbatov and Wayne Rooney gave United a two-goal lead, the new signing scored his first goal in English football in the closing stages against Burnley.

And Ferguson feels that Diouf is a real prospect.

He said: “He’s got great spring the boy, he’s quick and he looks to run behind them (the defenders) all the time and he’s very good in the air.

“He’s got a lot of good attributes we can use. We’re excited about the boy.”

Ferguson has also confirmed that he intends to make a string of changes for Tuesday’s League Cup semi-final first leg at Manchester City.

He added: “We’ll have a look at it on Sunday and look at the best way to go about the game and some of the younger players will come in. Darron Gibson will play a part and young Rafael and Fabio are players who deserve a chance.”

New Burnley manager Brian Laws confirmed he hopes to keep on-loan Portsmouth striker David Nugent at Turf Moor.

Laws, who took over from Owen Coyle last week, also revealed that Steven Fletcher, who limped off with an ankle problem, was taken to hospital for x-rays.

He said: “He had a kick on the ankle and has gone to hospital for an x-ray.

“Nugent was excellent and we will try ever so hard to secure his services. Negotiations with Portsmouth are underway. We know he can?t go anywhere else on loan. He can stay with us or they sell him; that is the simple equation.”

Laws added: “My ambition is to stay in the Premier League. We knew coming to Old Trafford wouldn’t do that, this is not the game that makes the difference.

“The games that matter are playing the teams around us. If we don’t take points off them, those teams will overtake you.

“We have identified the games to take points from and win. Man United was a bonus if we had got anything out of it. The bonus is that in my first game in charge there were more plusses than minuses.”

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

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Van der Sar, Ferdinand give Fergie fitness boost

January 15, 2010


Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been given a twin defensive boost with the imminent returns of Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and England centre-back Rio Ferdinand.

Ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Burnley at Old Trafford, Ferguson has revealed that two of his defensive pillars are on the verge of getting back into his plans after recent absences.

Ferdinand has not played for United since the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on October 25 after suffering a recurrence of a back complaint that has caused shooting pains in his calf muscles, while van der Sar has been on compassionate leave following his recovery from a knee injury.

The Dutchman’s wife, Annemarie, had a brain haemorrhage before Christmas that required drastic and serious hospital treatment which prompted Ferguson to grant him indefinite compassionate leave but the 39-year-old is now ready to return.

And in further good news for Ferguson, Owen Hargreaves is also edging his way towards a first United start in 16 months as his recovery from severe tendonitis appears to be progressing nicely.

Ferguson took his squad to Qatar last week to escape the Arctic conditions in England and is confident that the warm weather training has aided his side?s preparation for this weekend.

“We have some light at the end of the tunnel during the week with Edwin van der Sar coming back to training,” Ferguson said on Friday.

“He’s done very well, he’s obviously been out for a few weeks with a personal situation but it’s great to see him back and that experience when he finally does come in will be important to us.

“We took Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves with us (on the training camp to Qatar) and both took part in some of the work we were doing and there was good light in the end of the tunnel there, particularly with Rio – he is making good progress now.”

Ferguson’s injury concerns are not completely over though as he revealed that United are still having to closely monitor the progress of striker Dimitar Berbatov.

The Bulgarian has been struggling with a knee injury for the last month which is restricting his flexibility and movement on the field, but he has told Ferguson he does not want to miss any of United?’s season and will put off a thorough examination until the end of the year.

“He wants to play through it, he doesn’t want an operation,” Ferguson added.

“The advice was to have an exploratory operation but sometimes he feels it and sometimes he doesn’t.

“He didn’t feel it in the warmer climate so he trained every day so it is something you want to keep your eye on – it’ a difficult one.”

Burnley appointed Brian Laws on Wednesday to replace the Bolton-bound Owen Coyle as their new manager.

Laws is set for a daunting first game in charge against the Premier League champions away from home. But, although Ferguson believes Burnley are in for a tough second half of the season, he thinks Laws can help the Clarets climb the table.

“Brian has experience, he has been at and Sheffield Wednesday and experience is what they need at the moment,” Ferguson said.

“I think they have to react quickly because they are at the stage of the season.

“When you are in that bottom half of the league, the second half of the season is never easy and they will be battling to avoid relegation obviously and that is not easy for them.”

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

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Van der Sar, Ferdinand set for Man U return

January 15, 2010


Edwin van der Sar might be a starter for Manchester United on Saturday, when United faces Burnley. Rio Ferdinand is also on his way back after a knee injury but won’t start on Saturday.

Van der Sar has returned from a spell in Holland where he was recovering from injury and spending time with his wife who fell ill over Christmas.

The 39-year-old goalkeeper hasn’t played a match for the Red Devils since the end of November when they beat Everton (3-0). Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is yet to decide if he will play Van der Sar against Burnley.

“We’ll see him today and see how he feels about himself (whether he can play), but he has trained every day and he is doing well,” Ferguson said on the club’s official website.

There was also good news for Rio Ferdinand. The English international made the trip to Qatar with the rest of the squad and is on the brink of a return for the Mancunians.

“Rio is making good progress now,” said Ferguson. “He won’t start on Saturday, but he isn’t far away, which is good news for us.

“That is the important issue for us – getting solid defenders back into the team. We need to get our consistency back.”

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Napoli sign Dossena

January 8, 2010


Napoli have confirmed the signing of defender Andrea Dossena from Liverpool on a four-year deal.

The Italy international has long been linked with a return to his homeland, with the Serie A side narrowly missing out on a deal in the summer.

Reports suggest the Partenopei have paid Liverpool around €five million for Dossena.

The 28-year old had joined Liverpool from Udinese for £7 million in the summer of 2008 but started only 13 Premier League games in 18 months at the club as Rafael Benitez showed a preference for young Argentinean Emiliano Insua.

The highlight of his Liverpool career was a four-day spell in March 2009 during which Dossena scored in a 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League and then lobbed Edwin van der Sar as the Reds secured a stunning 4-1 win at Manchester United in the Premier League.

But having failed to secure regular first-team football, and starting just one Premier League game in the current campaign, Dossena has returned to Italy to join Napoli on a deal that runs until 2014.

“I am happy to be able to wear the Napoli shirt,” Dossena told his new club’s official website. “I have chosen a place of great prestige with big plans. I can’t wait for the time to play at the San Paolo in front of an extraordinary public.”

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United rout Wigan to stay in touch with Chelsea

December 31, 2009


Manchester United closed the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea to just two points after ending 2009 with a superb 5-0 demolition of Wigan on Wednesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side produced the perfect response to Chelsea’s win over Fulham on Monday, which had stretched the west London’s club advantage to five points, as goals from Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Rafael Da Silva, Dimitar Berbatov and former Wigan star Antonio Valencia tore Wigan to pieces at Old Trafford.

The injury-hit reigning champions had been written off after recent defeats to Aston Villa and Fulham, but they head into the New Year suddenly in the rudest of health.

South Korean Won-Hee Cho made his first start of the season for Wigan as he came in for Jason Scotland but the visitors were otherwise unchanged from the side that drew 1-1 with Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day.

Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was absent from the United team as he is on indefinite compassionate leave to care for his sick wife, Annmarie, who has suffered a brain haemorrhage.

History has not been kind to Wigan in this fixture as they have lost all nine previous Premier League encounters with United, culminating in the 5-0 thrashing Ferguson’s men delivered at the DW Stadium at the start of this season.

Roberto Martinez’s team arrived with damage limitation in mind and played with a clearly negative approach early on which briefly neutralised United’s attacking prowess.

However, the home side finally started to make a significant impression after 20 minutes when the sheer weight of their possession started to pay dividends.

Firstly, Titus Bramble made a stunning penalty box tackle on Berbatov which somehow stopped him from getting his shot away before teammate Paul Scharner followed that example 30 seconds later when he cleared a Nemanja Vidic effort off the line.

Then Rooney then hit the post from an impossibly tight angle just a minute later as fortune favoured Wigan.

However, luck only lasts so long in the Premier League until other qualities are needed. Wigan did not possess them but United did, which was why Rooney finally gave United the lead after 28 minutes.

Da Silva delivered the simplest of crosses from the right wing and Rooney ghosted into the front post to get a crucial touch on the ball to steer past Chris Kirkland for his 14th Premier League goal of the season.

It was soon 2-0 as four minutes later, Carrick, who had otherwise been anonymous throughout the opening parts of the encounter, latched onto a pass from former Wigan winger Valencia to calmly steer into the bottom corner.

Wigan’s day then got even worse just seconds before the interval when Da Silva was given far too much room in the box and he drove past Kirkland to make it 3-0.

Mike Pollitt replaced Kirkland at the break but his luck was no better, conceding Wigan’s fourth goal to Berbatov just five minutes after the re-start.

Berbatov got his sixth league goal of the season as he poked past Pollitt from close range in an encounter that was becoming an embarrassment for Wigan.

Charles N’Zogbia missed a decent chance for the visitors as they showed a tiny glimpse of flair but the fact he crashed his shot wide from close out summed up their performance.

And when Valencia brilliantly clipped home a fifth goal in the 75th minute, United’s dominance and Wigan’s humiliation was complete.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

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Man Utd boss rules out transfer window signings

December 21, 2009


Sir Alex Ferguson will not be bringing new players to Manchester United during the January transfer window in a bid to ease the club’s defensive injury problems, the manager said Monday.

English champions United are currently without seven senior defenders – Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Gary Neville, John O’Shea, Jonny Evans and Rafael da Silva – while goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is also injured.

United lost for the second time in three games when they were well-beaten 3-0 away to Fulham on Saturday and are now four points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.

There had been speculation Ferguson would make emergency signings, although the Scot appears to have ruled out free agent Sol Campbell, the former Arsenal defender, coming to Old Trafford.

And with the bulk of his injured defenders due back in January, Ferguson said he had no need to bolster his squad.

“That has not come onto the agenda,” Ferguson told Manchester’s Key 103 radio station.

“We hope that Wes Brown will be back in a week or 10 days’ time, Rio Ferdinand is improving, Gary Neville is getting there and Rafael Da Silva has now started training.

“We are not so bad and we are not looking at signing players.”

United’s next league match is away to Hull on December 27 and they are then at home to Wigan three days later.

MANCHESTER, England (AFP)

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Ferguson fearful after Fulham run riot

December 20, 2009


Manchester United’s resources may have made them the envy of world football but Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted a lack of defensive depth may cost them a fourth straight English Premier League title.

United are struggling to cope with a crippling injury list which has deprived them of six senior defenders in recent weeks – a scenario which, even for a club with their swollen bank account, has proved untenable.

Having already slumped to a surprise defeat at home to Aston Villa this month, United’s makeshift back-line crumpled again on Saturday, as they were beaten 3-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Ferguson, having been denied the services of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Wes Brown, Gary Neville, Jonny Evans and Edwin van der Sar through injury, cited his cluttered treatment room as mitigation for this latest loss.

United spurned this chance to leapfrog Chelsea at the league summit and a poor return from a crowded Christmas schedule could leave a severe dent in the club’s title aspirations.

“There’s a fragility at the back at the moment and this was a difficult day for us all round,” said Ferguson.

“With the way the league is, it’s damaging and we just hope it’s not the one that costs us the league.

“We need to start getting some of our players back to give us a proper chance. The guys are doing their best to get the players back, working overtime, but there’s no light at the end of the tunnel.

“Maybe the fragile nature of the players at the back has given some of the others a reason to feel sorry for themselves.”

“Fragile” is a kind way to describe the nature of the back-line United deployed on Saturday.

Having shoe-horned his side into an awkward 3-5-2 formation, Ferguson’s team began with Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and Ritchie de Laet as a central defensive trio.

They didn’t enjoy the experience and the narrowing of the visitors’ defence allowed Fulham space to exploit behind United wing-backs Patrice Evra and Antonio Valencia.

In the circumstances, United could ill afford the sort of sloppy individual error committed by Paul Scholes in the build-up to Fulham’s first goal as the ex-England midfielder allowed himself to be dispossessed by Danny Murphy, who advanced and shot home from 20 yards.

Tomasz Kuszczak had already been forced into one superb save from Zoltan Gera as United drifted listlessly around a frozen Craven Cottage, but if their ears were singed by Ferguson’s half-time team-talk, it did not show.

Within seconds of the re-start, Bobby Zamora had lashed in from close range for, as Ferguson termed it, “the killer goal” and it was left to Damien Duff to rattle in the third in the 75th minute after more good work from Zamora

Roy Hodgson’s Fulham side have made a habit of bloodying the noses of the great and good in recent seasons and this was arguably their most impressive result ever in the Premier League.

“It’s a mark of how far we have come,” Hodgson said. “Our major ambition is to sustain the standard we have set.

“I would be wary to say we should try and raise the bar even higher. It’s like the elastic band story – you can pull it so far and then it breaks.”

At present, though, it is United’s resources which are more likely to snap.

LONDON (AFP)

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