Man Utd striker Rooney eyeing more goals after Rangers winner

Manchester United strikerWayne Rooney is eyeing more goals after netting the winner against Rangers.

Making his first start for the Reds since 26 September in the 1-0 win overRangers, the England striker was full of energy and enthusiasm, showing no sign of nerves or the ankle injury that has ruled him out for much of this campaign.

“There were not many nerves really," Rooney told MUTV. "I knew what I was doing and where I was going, I can only do that. If the keeper guesses the right way and saves it, so be it. Thankfully it went in. Obviously it is a bit of a relief for me to score. Hopefully I can build on this now, I hope I can go on a goalscoring run."

Rooney tells Man Utd fans: I apologise

Wayne Rooney has publicly apologised to Manchester United fans for threatening to leave last month.

Last night, following his match-winning penalty at Rangers, Rooney offered his apology, before revealing the intense speculation about a move to Manchester City was well wide of the mark.

"I feel like I have apologised to the fans but everyone keeps saying that I haven't," said Rooney.

"I feel like I have apologised to the fans but everyone keeps saying that I haven't," said Rooney.

"If that is the case, then I apologise for my side of things.

"I have made my point clear since I signed my contract that I am committed to this club for the long term. I want to be successful here.

"Everyone is saying that I was definitely going to Manchester City. Believe me if I had gone it wouldn't have been in England."

For two or three days, it appeared certain a move would have to be arranged as the ill-feeling towards Rooney grew.

Even since the dispute was resolved, Sir Alex Ferguson has been critical of Rooney's trusted advisor Paul Stretford.

Yet the 25-year-old now acknowledges that leaving Old Trafford could have been the biggest mistake of his career.

"Of course," he said. "You see so many players leave this club and not do so well so I am delighted to have stayed."

wayne rooney's photo! England Striker.

Wayne Rooney Thanks Manchester United Fans For 'Brilliant' Reception On Return To Action, But Avoids Apology For Contract Controversy

Striker insists long-term future is with United

By Joe Doyle

Nov 23, 2010 12:28:00 PM

Wayne Rooney has insisted that his long-term future is at Manchester United and that he is determined to repay the fans' faith in him - but has again declined to apologise for the furore caused by his contract saga.

The England striker, 24, signed a new five-year deal last month which may have raised his wages as high as £250,000 per week.

And Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed on Saturday that Rooney would be making his first start since September against Rangers on Wednesday, after his substitute appearance against Wigan at the weekend — where he was happy with the reception he received.

"It was a great feeling [to pull on the shirt again], obviously having been out for a long time and the issues that have gone on over the last few weeks," Rooney toldMUTV.

Ferdinand: True Red Rooney was never leaving Man Utd

Rio Ferdinand never had any doubts Wayne Rooney would sign his new contract withManchester United.

And the England captain branded Rooney's omission from the Ballon d'Or's list of candidates "a joke".

Ferdinand told united-latest.com: "It was really important (for Rooney to stay). Wayne is settled at this club, he is a world class player and a big part of the team.

"In my heart I always knew he would stay, he is a true Red."

Ferdinand branded Rooney's Ballon d'Or snub as a "joke".

"I just couldn't believe it!" he said. "It's a joke. He had an amazing season with United."

Manchester City (4th) v Manchester United (2nd)

The much anticipated Manchester derby takes place at Eastlands as City host neighbours United.

MAN CITY TEAM NEWS

City manager Roberto Mancini could be short of attacking options as Emmanuel Adebayor is doubtful and Mario Balotelli is suspended.

Adebayor has a calf injury and his fitness will be monitored in the hours leading up the to the match while Balotelli is banned after his red card at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.

Aleksandar Kolarov is pushing for a place in the starting line-up following his recovery from an ankle injury.

MAN UTD TEAM NEWS

Sir Alex Ferguson is crossing his fingers that the virus that has swept the Manchester United camp since their return from Turkey last week does not wreck their bid for a derby-day win over City.

After losing several key players for the weekend win over Wolves, Ferguson had to send more home from training on Monday and admits he has no idea what the make up of his side to face Roberto Mancini's men at Eastlands will be.

In addition, Ryan Giggs and Owen Hargreaves (both hamstring) are definitely out, while Nani (groin) is rated extremely doubtful to recover from the injury he suffered in Turkey last week.

SQUADS

Man City: Hart, Richards, Zabaleta, Bridge, Lescott, Boyata, De Jong, Vieira, Barry, Johnson, K Toure, Y Toure, Tevez, Silva, Adebayor, Kolarov, Given, Milner, Kompany, Boateng.

Man Utd: Van der Sar, Kuszczak, Rafael, Brown, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Smalling, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Obertan, Bebe, Carrick, Gibson, Scholes, Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Park, Berbatov, Hernandez, Macheda.

Hargreaves out for five weeks

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed he expects Owen Hargreaves to be out of action for up to five weeks.

The midfielder is sidelined with the hamstring injury he suffered against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday - and Ryan Giggs is also ruled out of Wednesday's Manchester derby.

Making his first senior Manchester United start since September 2008, Hargreaves lasted just six minutes before he pulled up indicating he had suffered a problem and had to be replaced by Bebe.

Now Ferguson has revealed the 29-year-old will be out of action until the middle of next month, although it is possible Hargreaves could play some part in the Christmas programme.

TOO MUCH

"We were at the stage where we knew Owen's knee was okay," Ferguson said.

"His training performances for eight or nine days previously had been terrific.

"He had done really well, which is why we took the chance.

"But maybe the tension in the build-up for the lad was too much and he suffered because of it."

As soon as Hargreaves came off on Saturday, Ferguson knew he would play no part against City.

But the loss of Giggs is a major blow.

The veteran Welshman was hoping to make a record 34th derby appearance at Eastlands but after feeling the hamstring injury that has kept him on the sidelines for all but one of United's last nine matches in a session just prior to Saturday's win over Wolves, Ferguson has reluctantly ruled Giggs out of his plans.

"Ryan is out," said the Scot.

The news on Nani was not much better either.

UNTESTED MEMBERS

Although there is an outside chance the Portugal winger may recover from the groin injury he suffered in last week's Champions League triumph over Bursaspor, Ferguson is dubious about Nani's prospects of facing City.

"Nani is doubtful," said Ferguson.

"At this stage it doesn't look as if he will make it. It is not a great position for us to be in. We are counting heads at the moment."

United's problems are not made any easier by a virus that has swept their Carrington HQ since the return from Turkey, with Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes all believed to be amongst the victims.

It means Ferguson might again be reliant on some of the untested members of his squad for one of the biggest nights of the season.

"There is nothing more satisfying than winning a derby game," he said. "It doesn't matter what year it is or when it is."

Rooney sent to States

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been sent to America for rehabilitation and conditioning work.

It means Rooney will miss the derby with Manchester City next Wednesday.

The Red Devils had hoped that Rooney would recover from an ankle problem in time to face their arch-rivals at Eastlands.

However, the 24-year-old, who recently ended speculation regarding his future by penning a new five-year contract, is not expected to be back in action for another three weeks.

Rather than use the state-of-the-art facilities at their Carrington training base, United have opted to use Nike's centre in Oregon, as much in a bid to get Rooney away from the constant headlines, which have dogged him since first news of his unhappiness at Old Trafford was raised nearly three weeks ago.

INTENSIVE CONDITIONING

"What we are intending to do with Wayne is send him to Nike Town in the USA for a week's conditioning training," confirmed United assistant-manager Mike Phelan.

"We have decided, with Wayne, the medical team and the coaching staff that it would be the best thing for him.

"He is going on Saturday and will return the following Saturday.

"It is a week's intensive conditioning, under the supervision of our medical team and our sports' science department."

Phelan did raise the possibility that Rooney could be back for the home encounter with Wigan Athletic on 21st November, although there is little doubt United believe the chance of working away from the glare of publicity will aid Rooney's recovery programme.

"We have the facilities," he conceded.

"We just thought it might be in the interests of him and the club to have a change of scenery for a little while.

"He has had a lot of attention lately and we want to give him the best opportunity that he possibly can to be in good shape when he returns.

"He needs the conditioning. We all agree with that. He can go there without the attention he would get around here.

"If that goes according to plan, he will be available when he returns."

SAME VIRUS

Aside from Rooney, for once the weekly medical bulletin was led by information on the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

It was left to Phelan to confirm Ferguson had been struck down by the same virus which prevented four members of his squad travelling to Turkey for the Champions League win over Bursaspor and keeps Darron Gibson out of Saturday's Barclays Premier League match at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"The manager has been ill since coming back from Turkey," said Phelan.

"He came down with a virus yesterday. He felt a little bit like that on the flight coming back.

"Yesterday he felt worse, so we have kept him away from the club for a little while.

"It is related to the virus that has been going around.

"It is one of those things that gets hold of you and is hard to shake off."

Manchester United 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Park Ji-sung struck a stoppage-time winner to give Sir Alex Ferguson a perfect 24th anniversary present as Manchester United manager.

It was perhaps a fitting way for Ferguson to celebrate his milestone given the number of times his side have snatched victory in such a manner.

Mick McCarthy will not be the last manager to thrash about in frustration after United old-boy Sylvan Ebanks-Blake had looked to have snatched a deserved point for his team, cancelling out Park's opener in the first half.

However Park's run into the penalty area in the final seconds went unchallenged and he found the bottom corner of the net.

But it was not all good news for United, with the future of Owen Hargreaves again under scrutiny after the midfielder lasted just five minutes after starting for the first time since September 2008 before limping off with a hamstring injury.

Hargreaves' fitness has been the subject of debate for a number of weeks now.

SPIRITED START

At one point his Colorado-based surgeon Dr Richard Steadman claimed he was ready to play, only for Ferguson to step in and explain the midfielder had suffered a setback in his recovery programme.

Only a week ago, Ferguson suggested he had no idea when Hargreaves would return, so the midfielder's presence in the starting line-up for this match was a big shock.

His departure was probably less of a surprise.

After making a spirited start, the England star signalled to the bench he had a problem following an attempted cross from his right-wing station.

Hargreaves tried to continue but it was impossible and he made his way off, first to the touchline, then down the tunnel, a dejected figure, even though his latest setback is obviously nothing to do with the knee problems that have kept him out for so long.

The introduction of Bebe was an obvious move given the options Ferguson had at his disposal.

Wolves sensed their opponents were in trouble and once Richard Stearman had bravely blocked a Bebe shot, they pushed forward with intent.

JUST INSIDE

Matt Jarvis was a particular threat and if Nemanja Vidic had diverted Nenad Milijas' 20-yard shot just inside, rather than outside, Edwin van der Sar's right-hand post, the stranded Dutchman could not have kept it out.

As it was, the match was still level when Darren Fletcher provided the pass of the first half, cutting in from the left before splitting the Wolves defence in two with a brilliant through-ball that allowed Park to finish smartly.

After a disappointing start to the second period, Wolves finally gained their reward for all their industry when Ebanks-Blake was in the right place to intercept a Milijas shot, turn sharply round Vidic, then drive a fine shot through the legs of Van der Sar.

Under such circumstances, the introduction of Paul Scholes was an obvious move, so too that of Federico Macheda as Bebe joined that rare breed of substitutes who have been substituted themselves.

Yet the golden chance fell to a Wolves replacement as Steven Fletcher found himself with a clear sight of United's goal following an ill-advised attempted clearance by Vidic.

Instead of calmly finding the net, the Scotland international rushed his chance and scooped it over.

Wolves thought they would at least be heading home with a point.

Then Park cut inside the area from the right wing two minutes into injury-time, and drove his shot past Marcus Hahnemann at the near post.

Report: Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City To Battle For Bayern Munich Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bastian Schweinsteiger has yet to extend his contract at Bayern Munich, prompting interest from Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City.

By Clark Whitney

Oct 28, 2010 9:36:00 AM

Highly rated midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has yet to extend his Bayern Munich contract past 2012, and if he does not do so before January, die Roten could face quite a dilemma. Should he opt out of an extension, the Germany international's transfer value would rapidly plummet. Accordingly, Bayern are facing increasing pressure to reach an agreement with the player or sell him in January.

As uncertainty over Schweinsteiger's future builds, Daily Mail have reported that Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are all interested in acquiring the services of the versatile midfielder, and could start a bidding war as soon as January.

The likelihood of Schweinsteiger leaving Bayern is still highly in question. A member of the Bayern system since 1998, he has repeatedly pledged allegiance to the Bavarian giants, and sporting director Christian Nerlinger has made clear his intentions to retain the player.

"Bastian is a key figure and not for sale. We'd prefer to keep him for the rest of his career," he said.

Since taking on a holding midfield role last fall, Schweinsteiger has become widely regarded as one of the world's finest holding midfielders. Bayern fended off interest from Real Madrid, Chelsea and City during the summer, and will be keen to avoid a media frenzy by extending Schweinsteiger's contract within the next few weeks.

The German midfielder currently sitts in the 112th spot on the Castrol Rankings.

Taylor Defends Rooney Following Manchester United Saga

PFA boss claims Rooney is an 'easy target' for abuse

By Eliot Rothwell

Oct 27, 2010 10:19:00 AM

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has defended Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney following a week that saw Rooney declare his desire to leave Old Trafford, drawing widespread criticism of the former Everton player.

Speaking to radio station TalkSPORT, Taylor referenced the press release that admitted to fans that Rooney wanted to leave Manchester United, stating that he did not believe that Rooney put together the statement himself.

"He’s an easy target and in this credit crunch it's not been the best of times to have all this talk of wages out in public. It could have been handled better, as has been said by Man United," Taylor said.

"That press release was probably put together by other people but he [Rooney] knew what was in it. He feels he wants to be at a club that’s going places, but to take on Man United and Sir Alex in that matter is not what I would have recommended!"

Taylor also outlined the task that faces the former Everton striker if he is to regain his status as a hero of the Manchester United fans and the PFA chief admitted that the only way to do that was with good performances on the pitch, citing that these events could become a "catalyst" for Rooney.

"Now he’s got to win over the fans again and he can only do that on the pitch, not off it, and everyone is hoping he will do. It’s probably a catalyst in his life and career and now it has to be a lot more constructive and progressive," Taylor commented.

The PFA chief executive also indicated his belief that Rooney should follow the example set by other players and take an active role in the community and charity work.

"I’m so pleased so many of today’s players are setting up their own charities and putting more and more back, and I’m hoping that’s the sort of thing Wayne’s going to get involved in as well," he concluded.