FA Premier League| Matchday 3: United 8-2 Arsenal

Wayne Rooney hat-trick the highlight as champions humiliate Wenger's men. Sir Alex Ferguson's side dominated at the Theatre of Dreams to make it three wins in three so far this season for the hosts and add further woe to the hapless Gunners

 

Manchester United continued their perfect start to the season with a spectacular 8-2 win over an increasingly beleaguered Arsenal at Old Trafford. A Wayne Rooney hat-trick and a brace for Ashley Young, as well as strikes for Danny Welbeck, Nani and Park Ji-Sung exemplified the gulf in class between the two sides, as Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie replied with strikes worthy of mere consolation.

Sir Alex Ferguson insisted that Manchester City’s  5-1 win away to Tottenham earlier on Sunday would have no affect on his team prior to kick-off but with their noisy neighbours raucous in the capital, there can be little doubt that the Scot will have expected a statement of equal intent from his charges against the league’s other north London side. He named an unchanged side for the clash, with both Welbeck and Tom Cleverley rewarded for their fine recent performances with starting berths.

The youthful make up of the hosts was somewhat mirrored by their opponents, with Arsene Wenger giving 20-year-old Francis Coquelin his league debut, though it appeared a decision borne out of necessity, with the visitors’ squad left threadbare due to a number of recent injuries, as well as the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas. The champions started accordingly and the mobility of the United front line left the Gunners' prospects looking inauspicious within the opening 10 minutes and Welbeck's break away from Squillaci in the seventh should have yielded more than the limp left-footed effort it produced.

Arsenal were offering promise going forward but the air of inevitability surrounding an opener for the home side was soon justified in painful fashion for Wenger, as Anderson's fine lofted ball was allowed to bounce in the box by the Gunners' inexperienced defence, allowing Welbeck to nod home with ease on the 22nd minute. As the French boss watched on like a man down on his luck, his side were offered a somewhat fortuitous opportunity of getting back into the game, as Theo Walcott fell in the box under pressure from Jonny Evans. Assistant Darren Cann deemed it worthy of a penalty to the disbelief of the Northern Irishman but as Robin Van Persie saw his weak effort from the spot saved by the under-fire David De Gea, you couldn't help but feel that the perennial nature of Arsenal's decline was being played out with almost satirical predictability.

It was a case of it never raining but pouring for the Emirates outfit as only a minute later Young doubled the hosts' advantage. After seizing on a poor clearance from Armand Traore, the former Aston Villa man bent a simply beautiful effort past the stretching 6ft 4in frame of Wojciech Szczesny to further exemplify his seasmless transition into his new side. Andrey Arshavin was fortunate to escape a red card following a foul worthy of a second bookable offence on Young and the impressive Welbeck was cruelly forced off with a suspected hamstring pull but any suggestion that the tables were turning back in the favour of the visitors was quashed with the Red Devils' third as Rooney converted a sublime free-kick following Jenkinson's foul on Young on the edge of the area to pick up his 150th United goal. If any Arsenal performer deserved a reprieve it was the lively Walcott and his early endeavour was rewarded on the stroke of half-time as he pulled a goal back for the visitors after latching onto Rosicky's through ball to offer a semblance of respect to the scoreline.

With the visitors' collective obituary being written over the break, they returned to prove their doubters wrong and could've got back into the game with a Van Persie volley shortly before the hour mark but he was once again frustrated by the young Spaniard in the United goal. The poor defensive habits of Arsenal were proving to die hard however, and Tom Cleverley was allowed to run freely into the area to all but wrap up the game just wasted an easy chance into the arms of the grateful Szczesny. The youngster's sin was atoned for soon after as Rooney bent another free-kick past the helpless Pole into the opposite corner of the net from his earlier strike. The game, with over 20 minutes remaining, was up. However, the relentless attitude of the home side was not and they made it five soon after as Nani  found space in the area following a simple pass from Rooney split open the Gunners' back line and chipped a lovely effort home.

The Red Devils then turned the knife further, as Arsenal's chief-tormentor in recent years, Park made it six. Van Persie grabbed a consolation soon after before a red card for Jenkinson was sent off to sum up an utterly humiliating day for Wenger and his side. The perfect day for the Old Trafford faithful looked to have been neatly completed from the penalty spot as Rooney picked up his sixth United hat-trick following Walcott's push on Patrice Evra. Yet the agony for the north London side was finally confirmed in quite fantastic fashion as Young got his second his another curling wonder-strike. The home side's starting XI may have been younger than Arsenal's but following a ruthless performance of such quality at Old Trafford, Ferguson's sparkling kids proved once again that they are more than alright. Their opponents, it would seem, are anything but.

FA Premier League| Matchday 2: United 3-0 Tottenham

Red Devils begin Premier League title defence at Old Trafford with convincing second half display, as De Gea enjoys clean sheet, United secured a 3-0 victory over Tottenham in their first home game of the season, thanks to second half goals from Danny Welbeck, Anderson and Wayne Rooney.

Welbeck repaid the faith shown in him by Sir Alex Ferguson since the start of the season, with the 20-year-old influential in both United’s first two goals, whilst Rooney grabbed his second of the campaign to cap off a fine evening for the Premier League champions.Sir Alex was forced to name a new look backline following injuries to Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic in last week’s clash at West Brom, with Phil Jones and Jonny Evans slotting in at centre-back, whilst Patrice Evra returned to the team at left-back in an otherwise unchanged starting line-up.Brad Friedel was handed his competitive debut for Tottenham, replacing Heurelho Gomes in goal, as Harry Redknapp stuck with the same outfield XI that demolished Hearts 5-0 in

Thursday’s Europa League tie, with Croatian midfielder Luka Modric once again a notable absence.

The home side got off to lively start, with Younes Kaboul called into action to prevent Welbeck latching on to Ashley Young’s low cross, whilst Rafael van der Vaart’s casual loss of possession in the middle of his own half led to an early chance for Rooney, only for the striker to amely header Nani’s cross into the arms of Friedel.Indeed the American was forced into action first in the battle of the keepers, diving agilely to save Tom Cleverley’s well struck effort from the edge of the box that had seemed destined for the bottom right hand corner of his goal.Not until just before the half hour mark did United threaten again, with Rooney’s dinked cross finding Ashley Young in the box, who peeled off Benoit Assou-Ekotto well, only to see his looped header just evade the top right hand corner of the Tottenham goal.

The visitor’s were limited to shots from distance, with David de Gea overcoming the barrage of mid-week criticism and dealing comfortably with efforts from Gareth Bale and Van der Vaart, as the Spaniard instead shifted the focus onto his impressive distribution.Referee Lee Probert did well to calm a potential flash point between Nani and Kaboul after the winger caught the Frenchman with an outstretched leg, before bringing to a close a half which was void of any real moments of note.

Vedran Corluka replaced Kyle Walker at half time reportedly due to illness, although the 21-year-old had been consistently exposed at right-back throughout the first 45 minutes.Redknapp’s side enjoyed a dominant spell of possession early in the second half, but again lacked the vision and incisiveness to make it count in the final third, with United instead once again peppering the Spurs' goalmouth with shots from Young, Anderson and Rooney in succession.The deadlock was finally broken after 60 minutes, when Tom Cleverley’s fierce cross was met in the air by Welbeck, who drifted in between the Tottenham centre-backs unmarked and guided the ball into the left hand corner of Friedel’s goal.

Rooney then went close to doubling the host’s lead five minutes later from a free-kick on the edge of the box, before Welbeck audaciously attempted an over head kick as the ball bounced loosely in the area, only for Friedel to be on hand twice to thwart both attempts at goal.Jones was then on hand to stifle Bale as the Welshman looked to pull the trigger in the opposition box, before De Gea’s quick distribution found Young as United were straight back onto the counter-attack.The ball eventually found its way to Anderson, who fed the ball through to Welbeck in the box, who in turn played a delightful back heeled pass into the path of Anderson that wrong-footed both Dawson and Friedel, with the Brazilian sweeping the ball into the back of the net to give the home side a two-goal advantage.

Spurs were then unlucky not to take advantage of a questionable moment from De Gea, who failed to collect Corluka’s cross whilst under pressure from substitute Roman Pavyluchenko, with Defoe lashing his effort off the left hand post after the ball landed at his feet.Rooney was on hand to add a third after 87 minutes, rising well to meet Ryan Giggs' cross and nod the ball into the back of the net to cap a convincing display from the current Premier League champions.The victory puts Ferguson’s side level on points with Wolves and rivals Manchester City, with all three sides enjoying a perfect start to the season.

FA Premier League| Matchday 2: United Vs Tottenham Spurs [Preview]

United host Tottenham in the first Old Trafford match of the 2011/12 season...

Form guide
United began the new Barclays Premier League season with a gritty 2-1 win over West Brom at The Hawthorns, a promising sign for the Reds considering Sir Alex Ferguson’s side only picked up five away wins last season. Tottenham, meanwhile, are yet to start their domestic campaign after last weekend’s opener with Everton was postponed because of the London riots. Spurs were in action on Thursday, however, and showed no signs of rustiness in a 5-0 win over Hearts in their Europa League play-off first leg.

Ins and outs The United medical team is surprisingly busy at the minute, with up to six first-team players either suffering, or recovering from knocks. Defenders Rio Ferdinand (hamstring) and Nemanja Vidic (calf) were both injured against the Baggies and are unavailable, as is Rafael (shoulder), Darren Fletcher (virus), Antonio Valencia (ankle) and Javier Hernandez (concussion). As a result, youngsters Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones are all set to deputise at the back against Spurs, who are similarly struggling with injuries. Harry Redknapp could be without want-away Luka Modric, Tom Huddlestone, Steven Pienaar, Jermaine Jenas and William Gallas.

Last meeting Tottenham boss Redknapp had challenged his side to lay down a significant marker in the title-race by beating United at White Hart Lane in January, though he did not get the result he craved. The match produced a tightly-fought 0-0 draw, a result that extended the Reds' unbeaten league run to 21 games.

Top manGareth Bale wins the awards, Rafael van der Vaart scores the goals and Peter Crouch does the dancing; but there’s no mistaking which player makes Tottenham tick. Modric, the diminutive Croatian playmaker and architect of attack at White Hart Lane, has been ever-present in the Spurs midfield since signing from Dinamo Zagreb in 2007 and is a world-class talent. Although a doubt for Monday’s match, Modric is definitely a man to watch.

Quote/unquote“Tottenham are a good team who like to play football the right way and they have the ability to beat anybody in the league. Last season, they were very strong and had some good results, particularly in the Champions League. Obviously there’s been a bit of uncertainty around a few players this summer, but whatever happens they still have good players and I think they’ll do well.” – Nemanja Vidic

Any sub-plots? What is it with questionable goals (or non-goals) between United and Tottenham at Old Trafford? In last season’s corresponding fixture, Nani somewhat controversially scored past Heurelho Gomes after the referee had appeared to halt play – it turns out he hadn’t and the goal stood – much to the dismay of Spurs. Years earlier, Pedro Mendes saw his ‘goal that never was’ denied by a linesman, who deemed the ball hadn’t crossed the line. Could lightning strike thrice on Monday?

Whistle-blower Monday’s match will be refereed by Lee Probert, who took charge of several United matches last season, including the Reds' 7-1 drubbing of Blackburn Rovers.

Rivals watchArsenal host Liverpool in one of two midday kick-offs on Saturday, while Chelsea welcome West Brom to Stamford Bridge at teatime. Manchester City make the short journey to Bolton on Sunday.

Sir Alex Ferguson ready to put trust in youth against Tottenham

With Vidic and Ferdinand injured, the Scot will give chances to Smalling and Jones after being impressed by fellow youngsters Cleverley & Welbeck at West Brom

Sir Alex Ferguson has come out before Manchester United’s match against Tottenham Hotspur in the second round of the English Premier League matches and has built up his team’s youth in his recent interview. Sir Alex who brought up the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville along with Nicky Butt and Phil Neville through the Manchester United youth academy has now turned his attention towards the likes of David De Gea, Thomas Cleverley and Danny Welbeck this season as United embark on yet another English Premier League season in which they are set to defend their 19th league title. United won the English Premier League title last year when they bested both Manchester City and Chelsea in the end to secure the league title by nine points.

They also made it to the UEFA Champions League final but lost to Barcelona at Wembley. Nonetheless, Ferguson won their first league match of the 2011-2012 season when they took on West Bromwich Albion on the previous weekend. Welbeck along with Cleverley and De Gea started for Manchester United as they racked up a 2-1 win at the Hawthorns stadium. However United are set to give a start to the likes of Johnny Evans along with Chris Smalling and Phil Jones on Monday when they take on Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford due to the injuries that were sustained by Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic during the Red Devils’ win over the Baggies. Ferdinand might return in time to face Arsenal in the next few weeks but Ferguson has already confirmed that Vidic is out for at least five weeks. With Rafael da Silva missing out on Manchester United’s start of the season due to a shoulder injury, Sir Alex is set to go with a young defensive line against Harry Redknapp’s men.

Manchester United’s manager said in his recent interview, "The team on Monday will be a very young defensive line-up, with Jones and Evans in the centre and Smalling at right-back. But Patrice Evra will be back for Spurs, which gives us experience. I'm not worried about the young players filling in at the back. Evans has ample experience, of course, and has been at the club since he was 12 years old. He's played plenty of first-team games.” He added, “Phil Jones has the experience of playing for Blackburn last season in the Barclays Premier League and I thought he and Chris Smalling were the stars for England Under-21s in the summer. Chris had a fantastic first season and he's continued his progress this year.”

FA Premier League| Matchday 1: West Brom 1-2 Manchester United

Champions recover from De Gea error as Ashley Young forces late own goal to settle entertaining clash. Red Devils count the cost of victory as both Ferdinand and Vidic limp off injured, but will be pleased with late winner after Long had equalised after early opener from Rooney

Ashley Young forced a late own goal to ensure Manchester United started the defence of their Premier League title with a hard-fought 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion. Wayne Rooney had fired the visitors into an early lead at the Hawthorns with a well-placed left-footed shot from the edge of the area, but new signing Shane Long equalised for the Baggies just before half-time courtesy of a bad mistake from goalkeeper David de Gea.

But as the game reached the final 10 minutes, a driving run and shot across the goalmouth from Young forced an own goal from Steven Reid and sealed three points for United after a tough afternoon.The result in their first game is a welcome boost given the champions' poor away form last season and the fact title rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all dropped points on the opening weekend.

Roy Hodgson handed debuts to former Manchester United keeper Ben Foster and Republic of Ireland international Long, who was signed from Reading during the week, while striker Peter Odemwingie failed to recover from an ankle problem in time to play. The visitors handed first Premier League starts for the Old Trafford side to summer signings De Gea and Young, while Tom Cleverley and Danny Welback started after returning from loan spells at Wigan and Sunderland respectively and impressing in last week's Community Shield. Patrice Evra, Javier Hernandez, Darren Fletcher and Antonio Valencia were all absentees for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, while Dimitar Berbatov, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Park Ji-Sung all were forced to settle for places on the bench along with new central defensive signing Phil Jones, who arrived from Blackburn during the summer.

Last season’s champions started off the brightest, with Young exploiting the left wing, supported by Fabio, as the former Aston Villa winger looked to get off the mark for his new employers But rather than becoming goalscorer, Young became the creator just after the 10 minute mark as he was found by fellow England international Rooney as he broke the West Brom offside trap of the left wing. He in turn repaid the compliment to the Manchester United striker, giving him the ball just outside the area, before Rooney turned and superbly shot beyond Foster’s outstretched hand and into the bottom corner with his left foot.

Manchester United should have gone two ahead as a top quality passing move involving Welback and Rooney cut open the West Brom defence, before the latter found Nani wide open in the Baggies penalty area. However, unfortunately for the Portuguese winger, his shot was high and ended up with home fans behind the goal. The winger then had another golden opportunity minutes later, after Foster failed to properly deal with a Young corner from the left wing, allowing Nani to receive the ball on the penalty spot, but once again it was the same outcome for the 24-year-old as his strike went over the bar, although this time he had been under more pressure from onrushing defenders.

With time running out in the half, United’s new keeper De Gea was forced into his first piece of real action as a long ball arrived at the feet of Long and he found the onrushing Paul Scharner, who rifled a shot that was palmed away for a corner by the Spanish shot stopper. But a minute later, De Gea was left which his head in his hands and his team-mates questioning him as Long received the ball on the left before beating United right-back Chris Smalling and hitting a shot towards the back post which crept through the keeper’s hands and into the net. The keeper’s confidence seemed to be dented by the error, as firstly Chris Brunt came close, then De Gea was forced to clear a Somen Tchoyi cross which almost crept in at the far post before he was just able to tip it to safety

Five minutes after the start of the second half, the visitors were forced into a change as captain Nemanja Vidic was forced to limp from the field with an injury that he picked up earlier in the game, to be replaced by Jonny Evans in the centre of the defence. United were dominating possession, but failing to find a way past the West Brom defence or Foster in the Baggies goal, so Sir Alex Ferguson decided to make a change to his frontline, taking off Welback and replacing him with Dimitar Berbatov in an attempt to claim all three points.

The home fans were starting to become frustrated with referee Mike Jones and his two assistants as they felt that they were not receiving the rub of the green when it came to certain incidents, such as when a Long shot seemed to be deflected for a corner, but Jones deemed it to be a goal-kick. With just over a quarter of an hour left the visitors were to change their second centre-half of the day as Rio Ferdinand limped off with what seemed to be hamstring injury to be replaced by Jones in a new-look United defence.With just over 10 minutes left, De Gea’s uncertainty crept back into the game as a free-kick from the right wing arrived at the back post and once again the Spanish shot stopper looked fragile as he failed to prevent the ball going out for a corner.

United finally claimed a winner on 81 minutes as impressive new signing Young raced in from the left wing and his cross-goal shot was touched on by Gabriel Tamas and lastly deflected off Steven Reid, before finding the bottom left-hand corner of Foster’s net. The visiting defence managed to stay solid for the remainder of the game, protecting their under pressure keeper De Gea at all costs to secure a valuable three away points, which gives them a strong start to the season after their rivals' dropped points.

Michael Carrick vows to ‘embrace’ competition for places: That's what this club is all about

England midfielder thinks youngsters Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley have bright futures ahead of them and believes team will adapt after losing Paul Scholes and Edwin Van der Sar



Michael Carrick is looking forward to fighting for his place in the Manchester United team this season. Sir Alex Ferguson has added Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David de Gea to the Red Devils squad, as well Pursuing a move for Inter star Wesley Sneijder, to bolster competition at United.

"I'm not fearful of that at all, I embrace it," Carrick told Sky Sports News. "That's what this club is all about.

"It's going to be tough but every season is as tough as each other."It's a clean slate now, we've had a bit of a turn-around with the playing staff and we've got a really young squad now."There's always competition for places here, that's what makes it so great," he continued."You've got to be on top of your game to be playing and that's probably how we've had the success over the years. If you want to be involved you really have to be at your best.

Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley have also returned to mix for the Champions after successful loan spells at Sunderland and Wigan respectively and Carrick believes young players coming through the ranks is only good for the club.

"It's great to see the young lads coming through. I really enjoy seeing the young lads progressing and getting a chance in the first team."Danny [Welbeck] did really well at the weekend and so did Tom, so it certainly bodes well for the future. They'll be chomping at the bit to get a lot of football this season."

Carrick believes Cleverley in particular has a bright future ahead of him after receiving his first England call-up to the squad that was due to play Holland on Wednesday.He added: "He's a big talent, but not only that, mentally he's spot on. His attitude's first class."He listens, he works hard and his only focus is football and how to improve. He's a got a massive chance of being one of the best."

The England midfielder thinks the loss of Paul Scholes will not affect United too badly as they will adapt to the changes like they have done in the past."It's not so much replacing him, you've just got to move on and adapt," he continued. "We've done it over the years."When Cristiano Ronaldo left three years ago, everyone said 'how do you replace him?' but we didn't replace him like-for-like, we moved on and adapted, and were still successful. That's the aim."Losing players like Scholesy, Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar, you just have to adapt. Players come in and stamp their own authority and personality within the team and the squad, and we look to move forward."

Danny Welbeck vows to fight for place: My aim is to break into the team

The young England international, who spent last season on loan at Sunderland, has expressed his determination to make the grade and work alongside his more experienced team-mates

Danny Welbeck is one of many choices Sir Alex Ferguson has to start alongside up front for Manchester United, and the youngster has vowed to come out on top.The Red Devils boss has seven forwards after the return of Welbeck, Federico Macheda and Mame Biram Diouf from their loan spells, while Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen are also competing for a spot.

Welbeck told reporters: “My aim is to break into the team, get minutes on the pitch and get a partnership going with whoever is up front. ”Welbeck participated in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City and received an England call-up.

Official: Newcastle sign Gabriel Obertan

The French winger had a medical with the Tyneside club on Monday and has moved on a five-year-deal, with manager Alan Pardew pleased that he will bring pace to the side

Newcastle United have signed Gabriel Obertan from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old winger completed a medical on Monday and has penned a five-year-deal at St James' Park.Manager Alan Pardew believes the former France Under-21 international will bring much-needed pace to the side.

The coach told Newcastle’s official website: “Gabriel is a player I've watched for the last couple of seasons since he arrived at Manchester United. “He has great pace and excellent technique and he has improved his power in the last 12 months and is ready now to make a real impact in the Premier League.“I contacted Sir Alex about him early at the start of the summer to see if there was an opportunity to bring him to Newcastle, but it wasn't until Wayne Routledge joined Swansea that we were able to bring him in. "His best years are ahead of him which is exactly what we want at this club, and with the backing of our magnificent fans I'm sure he will prove an excellent signing for us."

Obertan joins Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye, Sylvain Marveaux and Mehdi Abeid as the latest French-born addition to Pardew’s squad since the transfer window opened.The French winger will go into Newcastle’s squad for their first Premier League game of the season at home to Arsenal. The Tyneside club have lost skipper Kevin Nolan to West Ham United, however, and Joey Barton is available on a free transfer.

FA Community Shield : Manchester United Vs Manchester City [Highlights]

Manchester United forward Gabriel Obertan to complete Newcastle United move next week

Reports claim the French winger is on the brink of joining Alan Pardew's side after becoming disillusioned at a lack of first team football at Old Trafford

The Frenchman is believed to have asked for a move away from Old Trafford in January and will be granted his wish next week when he signs a deal to move to St James' Park. Should the move go ahead, Obertan, 22, would become the fourth French player signed by Alan Pardew this summer with midfielders Sylvain Marveaux, Yohan Cabaye and Mehdi Abeid having already completed transfers.Pardew has been looking to add a wide player after the departure of Wayne Routledge to Swansea, and has also been linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen's Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta.

Capped by his country at Under-21 level, Obertan signed for Premier League champions United in July 2009 from French Ligue 1 side Bordeaux. However he has struggled to cement a place in Sir Alex Ferguson's team, with his only goal for the club coming in last season's Champions League, when he netted in the club's 3-0 over Bursaspor.

FA COMMUNITY SHIELD PREVIEW VS MANCHESTER CITY

The Manchester derby is once again headed to Wembley Stadium - this time in the FA Community Shield, which is played between the English Premier League champion and the FA Cup winners. In their two league matches last season, Manchester United got the best of their "noisy neighbors" as they earned a draw at the Eastlands in a 0-0 stalemate while Wayne Rooney's famous overhead kick proved to be the winner in a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford. However, Manchester City got some vengeance in a FA Cup semi-final tie at Wembley with a 1-0 victory - this propelled them to their first trophy in 35 years after City defeated Stoke City in the final. While United have participated in 14 of the last 19 Community Shield matches, they have only met City once in this competition - a 1956 tie that United won 1-0. This fixture is typically a glorified pre-season match but both sides may potentially see this particular encounter as something more - especially when each considers who their opponent is and the context of City's ambition.

Manchester United

In preparation for the upcoming season, United embarked to the United States for a pre-season tour. While across the pond, the Reds played four matches against Major League Soccer (MLS) competition and outscored their counterparts 18-2. The grand finale of the tour was an exhibition versus FC Barcelona in Washington D.C. where United earned a small measure of revenge against the Catalan side with a 2-1 victory, whom they had just lost to in the UEFA Champions League final in May. While United certainly looked the part as favorites to repeat as Premier League champions during their tour through the U.S., perhaps the most important part of their adventure was the acclimation of newcomers David de Gea, Ashley Young, and Phil Jones. de Gea, the presumed new No 1 after a £18.9 million transfer fee during the summer, joined the tour in Seattle after helping Spain's U-21 side win the European Championship in July. Young, the former Aston Villa attacker and current rising England international, looked electric at times during his stints on the left flank. Jones, the 19-year-old defender, showed his versatility and promise while featuring both at center-back and right-back. In addition, United have mostly gone through the pre-season unscathed. The one major exception to this is the concussion that Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez suffered while training in New Jersey. It is being speculated that the Mexican striker will miss the early portion of the Premier League season. In less serious news, it has been reported that both Michael Carrick and Rafael have both received minor knocks, however, the latter participated last night in Paul Scholes' testimonial match at Old Trafford. Darren Fletcher and Antonio Valencia both stayed back in Manchester during the tour to recover from illness and injury, respectively. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has indicated each should be available at season's beginning.

Manchester City

While United's preparation for the season can generally be described as having gone smoothly thus far, the same probably cannot be said for their neighbors. Quite simply, this has to do with their talisman and Manchester-hating captain Carlos Tevez showing himself to be selfish - the reports that he had to be threatened with fines in order to show up for their FA Cup winning parade during the Spring is incredibly telling of his situation at City. While he has been linked with a move to Corinthians or for a loan spell to Inter, the Argentine striker is still a City squad member. The mercurial, but immensely talented striker will miss the Community Shield match as he is still on leave after his Copa American duty for Argentina. There certainly is a positive side though for City in regards to their summer - mainly in the £38 million acquisition of Sergio 'Kun' Aguero. The Argentine attacker is arguably world-class and he may prove to the be signing of the summer transfer window. If Tevez does depart City, Aguero could show himself to be more than suitable as a replacement. If the Tevez saga continues at Eastlands, Aguero theoretically could play in the hole right behind Tevez in attack. In addition, City have brought in Gael Clichy from Arsenal FC and the promising Stefan Savic from Partizan Belgrade over the summer.

 

What to look for:

While this is still a pre-season match and unlikely to have the pace and intensity of a league match, it is still likely to be much more competitive than a typical friendly. Thus, I will attempt to provide both a few tactical keys along with simple things to keep an eye out for in this match:

* Nani vs Clichy: It is possible that the Portuguese winger does not even start but this match-up is worth pointing out because of their history. While at Arsenal, Clichy regularly struggled with Nani and even on some occasions, he got destroyed. In addition, during the match at Old Trafford in February, Nani terrorized City down the flank with his threat of crossing the ball with his right boot from the touchline or his dangerous ability to cut in and shoot with his left.

* De Jong vs Rooney: This matchup is dependent on if Fergie elects to play 4-4-1-1. If so, Rooney's preference to operate between the lines will match him up with the formidable De Jong. During last season's run-in, when Rooney thrived in this role, he generally did well with his intelligent movement and superb technique to foil holding-midfielders. However, De Jong is arguably the class of the Premier League in this role. Even if Rooney does not play in this role, De Jong could influence the match by providing inside cover when the likes of Nani, Park, or Young cut inside from the flanks.

* Newcomers: de Gea, Young, Jones, Aguero, Clichy - this will the most competitive scenario each side's supporters will get a chance to see their new acquisitions prior to next weekend when Premier League action begins. Is de Gea up to the task as the successor to the great Edwin van der Sar? Is Young capable of displacing the superb Park or Nani as first-choice on the left flank? Is Aguero capable of being of being City's talisman if Tevez departs? Quite obviously, none of this can be answered on Sunday but subtle hints can be provided.

Sir Alex Ferguson expects toughest title race yet ahead of Manchester United's Premier League defence

The Red Devils' manager praises the Premier League as 'the best product in football' and outlines what his club need to achieve in order to retain their crown in the coming season

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claims winning the Premier League this season will be as tough as ever He also believes that any winner will have to reach 84 points in order to secure the title and that the fight at the top will be joined by both Tottenham and Liverpool.

Speaking to reporters, Sir Alex said: "To win the league in England is very difficult and it doesn't matter how you get the points, you just have to get them. You'll need 84 points to win the league next season - definitely. "There will be increased competition in the league - I expect Liverpool to be better and added to the top four you have got Tottenham, although they have not done any buying this summer which is surprising, so you expect it's going to be a really tough league."

Comparing the status of the Premier League with its counterparts in Europe, including the extremely well attended Bundesliga in Germany, Sir Alex feels what distinguishes the English league is its competitiveness.

"You are looking at a top six fighting for a top four and that can only add to the excitement of the Premier League, which I think is the best product in the game now," he stated. "In Germany next season all the season tickets are taken up in every ground and that will create a fantastic atmosphere in German grounds, but United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have full houses every week and I still think we are the best product."

He also spoke about the upcoming international fixtures as not being too much of a problem, saying: "They have been doing it for two or three years now so why should it be any different this year? I've no issue with it, some players may need a game during the week. "We may have two or three players that actually need 90 minutes." However, Sir Alex still criticised the overall international calendar, continuing: "But with more and more internationals something has got to give and that's a big issue."

'Genius' Paul Scholes bows out with a goal in Manchester United testimonial victory against New York Cosmos

The Old Trafford hero scored the opener in a 6-0 win and then declared: "I'm glad it's all over," forcing Wayne Rooney to take a penalty ahead of him

The end of an era as Paul Scholes ends his Manchester United career in front of a packed house at Old Trafford as the Reds crush the New York Cosmos 6-0. So, finally after 676 games for Manchester United Paul Scholes finally decided to call it a day with a benefit game at Old Trafford against the New York Cosmos. A rather ironic choice considering the former England midfielder’s aversion to the limelight, to play out his career in front of over 70,000 fans at a sold-out Theatre of Dreams. But then Scholes has always done it his way. From shunning the trappings of celebrity for the security of family life, to walking away from an England career because of all the travel and hassle involved.

When the likes of Barcelona’s Xavi rate him as the best midfielder, “In the last 15 to 20 years” or Zinedine Zidane description as, "undoubtedly the greatest midfielder of his generation," then the Salford born lad must have been doing something right. In short we are not talking about some ordinary talent. Probably the only ordinary thing about the 36 year old was his tackling - 120 bookings in all competitions and ten sending-offs tells its own tale. Not that Scholes is severing all links with United, he will become a club coach from the 2011–12 season onwards. 

With likes of Reds legend Eric Cantona in the New York Cosmos dugout 14 years after his shock retirement from the game coming up against his former boss Sir Alex Ferguson, then not all of the limelight was directed at Scholes, and if all else failed we had Pele, Bryan Robson, Roy Keane, Peter Schmeichel and Denis Law in the stands. Ferguson included Scholes in his Manchester United team one last time together with the 'Class of 92' (Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Phil Neville). But no David Beckham who is contracted to LA Galaxy and was unable to attend. Cantona had to make do with members of the Cosmos U23 squad plus some ‘named’ makeweights, including Fabio Cannavaro, Robbie Keane, Wayne Bridge and Gary Neville.

For the Cosmos it was mainly a chance to show that they have never really been away since their demise in 1984 as they look to secure the 20th MLS franchise. You see, for the moment the club which was most associated with those heady days of professional ‘soccer’ in the States during the 70’s, who signed Pele and looked like usurping baseball, basketball and American football in terms of popularity are now just a name looking for a league to join. Rather like the Olympics, testimonial games are all about the taking part not the winning and that presumably explains the awful version of ‘New York, New York’ we had to endure from some pitch-side crooner just before kick-off. Set back Anglo-American relations for at least 90 minutes. Then, as befits playing an American based team, the opening strike on 8 minutes was straight out of Hollywood. Scholes received the ball some 20 yards out and with the whole of Old Trafford willing him to shoot he duly obliged with a screamer past Brad Friedel. The stadium erupted.

Twenty minutes later and the hosts doubled their advantage from the penalty spot after Ashley Young was fouled. With the Reds faithful wanting Scholes to take the penalty Wayne Rooney stepped forward to a chorus of boos and converted. United were clearly the more accomplished outfit for no other reason than they are used to playing as a team, with at least eight of the starting line-up likely to begin the Charity Shield final on Sunday. David de Gea in the Reds goal must realise not all games will be like this, whilst his opposite number Friedel can only hope for a more secure defence at Tottenham.

Interestingly, considering we had Robbie Keane and Wayne Bridge out there for the Cosmos trying to impress other clubs, it was the 39 year old former United star Dwight Yorke who looked the livelier for the visitor’s. Unsurprisingly, wholesale changes were made at the break to both teams but it made little difference to what happened out in the middle. Scholes continued to show his range of passing whilst the rest of his colleagues boosted their match fitness ahead of the weekend showdown with Manchester City.

It was three soon after the restart. A neat interchange of passing ended with Anderson stroking the ball home. It was soon after this that the inevitable Mexican wave started. And during this display Danny Welbeck took advantage of some poor defending to make it four. We than had a contender for villain of the night as Patrick Vieira came on for the Cosmos to a crescendo of boos which continued whenever he touched the ball. But even the former Arsenal hard-man and fellow Cosmos defender Gary Neville could not prevent number five and six from Mame Biram Diouf as the American’s substitute keeper Chad Calderone was again exposed by a rapidly tiring back-four.

And then it happened with 16 minutes remaining, Paul Scholes left the Old Trafford pitch for the last time as he was substituted to thunderous applause.  The game then drifted to its conclusion with the only disappointment being Cantona did not make an appearance on the pitch in a playing capacity.  Scholes reappeared after the final whistle to take the applause and make one final lap of honour with his wife and children.  For Manchester United fans, The King is Dead, Long Live the King!

NEW YORK COSMOS SQUAD

21 Armando Gaitan*

7 Robert Pires (Ex Arsenal & Villarreal)

9 Dwight Yorke (Ex-Man Utd)

8 Nicky Butt (ex Man Utd)

3 Wayne Bridge (Man City)

13 Chad Calderone *

6 Sol Campbell (Ex Arsenal, Tottenham)

5 Fabio Cannavaro (Ex Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter, Italy WC captain)

14 Ibrahim Diaby *

16 Stefan Dimitrov *

1 Brad Friedel (Tottenham)

18 Marvin Iraheta *

11Robbie Keane (Tottenham)

20 Brian McBride (Ex Fulham, USA)

17 Dane Murphy *

2 Gary Neville (Ex Man Utd)

15 Yanik Reyering *

12 Michel Salgado (Blackburn, Ex Real Madrid)

19 Moriken Sangary *

4 Patrick Vieira (Ex Arsenal, Man City)

*Denotes New York Cosmos U-23 Player

MANCHESTER UNITED SQUAD:

32Mame Biram Diouf

1 David De Gea

29 Tomasz Kuszczak

34 Anders Lindegaard

40 Ben Amos

3 Patrice Evra

4 Phil Jones

5 Rio Ferdinand

12 Chris Smalling

15 Nemanja Vidic

20 Fabio Da Silva

21 Rafael Da Silva

23 Jonny Evans

8 Anderson

11 Ryan Giggs

13 Ji-Sung Park

16 Michael Carrick

17 Nani

18 Paul Scholes

18 Ashley Young

24 Darren Fletcher

25 Antonio Valencia

26 Gabriel Obertan

28 Darron Gibson

35 Tom Cleverley

42 Paul Pogba

47 Oliver Norwood

49 Ravel Morrison

7 Michael Owen

9 Dimitar Berbatov

10 Wayne Rooney

19 Danny Welbeck

7 Federico Macheda

Referee: Peter Walton

Here is a video highlights of the goals during the Paul Scholes Testimonial:

Eric 'The King' Cantona: The Red Devils will go on.

The retirement or departure of top players from Old Trafford will never stop United moving forward, according to one of its most influential servants, Eric Cantona.

The Reds' legend is back in town this week with his new team, the New York Cosmos, who will be the opposition in Friday's testimonial match for Paul Scholes. Cantona, who joined Brazilian legend Pele at a press conference in Manchester on Wednesday, is delighted to able to play his part in paying tribute to Scholes who has followed Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar into retirement.

Losing such experienced players - Wes Brown and John O'Shea have also departed for pastures new this summer - would be tough for most clubs to deal with, but Cantona insists United will always keep progressing no matter who leaves.

"You can replace any player, especially at a club like Manchester United, with a great manager like Alex Ferguson," the Frenchman told reporters. "Every time a player leaves, you think the club won't win any more. But they still do. "They are very strong and have a great history, and they work a lot every day so any player can be replaced. "Paul [Scholes] is still a great player. But I left, Ronaldo left, Hughes left, Beckham left, and United are still one of the best clubs in the world."

Sir Alex Ferguson coy over potential arrival of Wesley Sneijder: We always try to improve but there's nothing concrete yet

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has remained coy on speculation linking Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder with the club.

The Serie A club's CEO Ernesto Paolillo revealed earlier on Wednesday that the club would consider any major bids for the Dutch midfielder. With the signings of David de Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young so far this summer, the Premier League champions have made moves to replace Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville, and Sneijder has been touted as a possible replacement for Paul Scholes, but Ferguson has remained tight-lipped on the situation.

"Well, we always try to improve. But at this moment there is nothing concrete," he said.

Ferguson also took the opportunity to praise Van der Sar, suggesting that he should have made a move for the Dutchman earlier in his career.

"He had a great career because of his character," he added. "His level of performance for such a long time is amazing. He is a great human. I was just saying to [Louis] Van Gaal that Van der Sar always had good words during the half-time. When [Peter] Schmeichel left I should have taken him right away. But that was my fault. I'm happy we did after all."

The United boss also added that he would like to see the Dutchman involved with the club in some capacity in the future.

"I think there is a future for him at Man United," the Scot continued. "He will be an ambassador for the club anyway. Now he will take a year off. After that he will make his decision."

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar touched by 'incredible' testimonial turnout

The Dutchman thanked his fans, family and former clubs and revealed that he expects former side Ajax to do well next season as Louis van Gaal also paid tribute to the 40-year-old

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar admits he was overwhelmed by the turnout of fans and players at his testimonial game on Wednesday night. The former Ajax and Manchester United goalkeeper revealed his surprise at the level of support he received on his final outing before retirement.

"This is incredible," he said. "It's fantastic and touches me. I'm not someone who likes to be in the spotlight. That you get a night like this is really incredible. "So many fans and players I didn't expect. You realise you did something for Dutch football and United, but something like this was absolutely not in my mind," he said after leaving the pitch.

Van der Sar also thanked his family and revealed he has high hopes for Ajax next season after training with their squad on Tuesday.

"I want to thank Ajax for this incredible night," he added. "Also, a big thanks to the players of Ajax, who gave their best energy. I trained yesterday with you guys and I'm confident you will do well in the Dutch league. "In the end I want to thank my wife and family for all the support the last years. Thank you everyone."

Louis van Gaal also paid tribute to the Dutchman, revealing that he knew Van der Sar would have a successful career, despite an uncertain start. "This evening is fantastic," he said. "I really didn’t think this was possible. It says something about the status of Edwin. Not only the crowd, but also so many big players [have turned out].

Eric Cantona encourages Manchester United to sign Inter's Wesley Sneijder

The former Red Devil has sung the praises of the Netherlands international, insisting that the 27-year-old attacking midfielder is exactly what the Old Trafford club need

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona has expressed his hope that the club will sign Wesley Sneijder from Inter. the Dutchman has told Manchester City he would like to join the Red Devils, but the player's wage demands have continued to hold up a deal. Now the Red Devils' former player has showered praise on the Netherlands international by likening the ex-Real Madrid man to himself.

"Sneijder is one of the best. He will be great for the team," Cantona told The Mirror. "He is what Manchester United needs. There's no-one like him right now. "He's strong. Sometimes he reminds me of myself."

Cantona spent five years at Old Trafford between 1992 and 1997, winning four Premier League titles and two FA Cups.