Manchester United Could Still Sign More Players – CEO David Gill

16 Jul 2009 08:07:33

David Gill of Manchester United

Manchester United chief executive David Gill has not closed the door on more summer signings arriving at Old Trafford.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson had previously stated he was not planning on bringing any more players to the club before the transfer window closes at the start of September.

But Gill, who flies out to the Far East with United today on their pre-season friendly tour, has suggested there could still be some transfer activity in the offing.

"I will start each day with the usual emails and correspondence and I'm sure there will be some player activity going on while we are over there," he said, according to The Daily Mirror.

After the record-breaking sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, the Red Devils have secured the services of midfielders Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan, from Wigan Athletic and Bordeaux respectively, as well as Michael Owen, whose contract at Newcastle United had expired.

Meanwhile, Republic of Ireland international midfielder Darron Gibson has signed a three-year contract extension at Old Trafford. The 21-year-old, who has broken into the first-team squad and made a handful of appearances last season, is now tied to the club until 2012.

Jamie Dunn, Goal.com

Mercurial Vapor Superfly Launching!!!

Cristiano Ronaldo at NIKE Mercurial Vapor Superfly grand opening
//Click the image for larger pics

credit : enjoyz.com

Nike Football Ads - Witness the moment

Every match has a defining moment—one opportunity to steal momentum with a single touch, to demoralize an opponent with blistering speed, to control the ball and find the back of the net. It takes countless hours of sweat and pain to prepare for it, and only a split second to seize it. And when you do, it changes everything.

Dimitar Berbatov — new Adidas face

Bulgarian football star Dimitar Berbatov will be one of the faces of Adidas for 2009.

His agent Emil Danchev reported that the Manchester United striker will also a shoot photo session for Adidas.

Berbatov will be joined by some of the world’s best football players - Leo Messi, Kaka, Stephen Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
Dimitar Berbatov will shoot the ad on February

Meanwhile, it became clear that Berbatov plans to celebrate his 28 birthday in the company of his girlfriend Elena and his frinds from the Bulgarian national team and players of Manchester City, Martin Petrov and Valeri Bojinov. They will most probably party in Berbatov’s favorite Italian restaurant in Manchester, Standart reports.

Source : http://www.adidas-outlet.com/

Sir Alex Ferguson Named As Manchester United's 'Greatest Icon'

A special poll in Manchester United club magazine Inside United, has named Sir Alex Ferguson as the greatest of the club's icons in the period since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.

Ferguson topped a list, voted for by United fans, that included the likes of French striking great Eric Cantona and midfield dynamo Roy Keane.

Ferguson has a winning record at Old Trafford that is difficult to match in the British game, with the the Scotsman having collected ten Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies, amongst numerous other cups, during his 22 year tenure in England.

Ferguson arrived at Old Trafford in 1987, after making his name in Scottish football with unfancied Aberdeen, who broke the duopoly that Glasgow giants Rangers and Celtic maintained on Scottish honours in the early 1980s.

He arrived at a club in a some state of dishevelment, with United having survived on a fairly meagre diet of a one or two FA Cups since their glory days ended in the early 1970s.

Ferguson changed that round, despite some teething problems that actually saw fans demonstrating for him to be sacked in the late 1980s, and helped turn the club into the global powerhouse it is today.

Celebrity Manchester United fan, television presenter Eamonn Holmes, spoke for all United fans when talking to The Manchester Evening News about Ferguson topping the poll earlier.

"Sir Alex is the master when it come to responding to adversity," said Holmes.

"He has always talked about the importance of bouncing back positively to either a shock defeat or elimination from a competition.

"And not only is he a great tactician and motivator, he is one of the game's great characters.

"You can say what you want about him but he is certainly not dull."

Zack Wilson, Goal.com

Park praises squad

02/02/2009 09:04, Report by Nick Coppack

Ji-sung Park says United’s strength in depth has been the key to the side’s record-breaking run of clean sheets.


The Reds have now gone 12 games without conceding a goal in the league, a feat made all the more impressive when you consider the injuries that have plagued Sir Alex’s regular back four.



“We’ve had a few injuries in the defence so it’s a great achievement,” Park told ManUtd.kr.



“Everybody played their part and the young players who were called on [Rafael, Richard Eckersley] showed great ability on the pitch.



“We started the season with a strong squad and that’s how we’ve been able to set this record. When someone is injured we have another player who can fill the gaps.”



Park also reserved special praise for goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who now holds the English league record for most minutes without conceding.



“Playing for one of the greatest teams in the world at his age [38] is really difficult. He’s a great player, one of the best on the pitch. It’s a great record for him to have. He deserves it.”


Source

Rio Ferdinand Hails 'Businesslike' Manchester United

Manchester United skipper Rio Ferdinand is delighted with his team's current form, and wants them to continue with their brisk momentum right up until the end of the season.

The Red Devils are chasing an unprecedented 'quadruple' of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, a feat never matched in England, although Celtic, of Scotland, managed such a feat in 1967, the year before United won their first European Cup.

Ferdinand has highighted the efficiency and professionalism in the current United squad, as they have overcome the adversity of a crowded fixture schedule and a long injury list to overhaul Liverpool at the top of the table in the last week.

"It is just about continuing what we have been doing. I think we have been very tight of late. We have got players who are very businesslike at the moment," Ferdiand explained to The Manchester Evening News today.

"The players want to get the job done, score goals, want to defend - and defend for our lives - and keep clean sheets.

"With that form, you are onto a good thing, but medals haven't been handed out yet so we are not going to get ahead of ourselves. We set ourselves a target, we have got to where we wanted to be at this stage, and we need to continue that now."

The commanding centre-back has missed 11 games this season due to a niggling back injury, allowing youngsters such as Jonny Evans to step into the breach and excel, but Rio remains confident that the injury can be managed effectively as he looks to help drive the side on to yet another successful season.

"I could have played a little bit longer at West Brom but the manager brought me off. I am fine. There are no problems," he added.

"I've just got to keep on top of it, keep working hard and keep doing my training, and continue to be injury free hopefully."

Zack Wilson, Goal.com

Veteran midfielder Giggs promised new Manchester United contract

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press – Sun Jan 25, 12:02 pm ET

MANCHESTER, England - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson pledged to extend the contract of 35-year-old midfielder Ryan Giggs, the club's most decorated player.

The former Wales international's contract ends in June, and he is still a key member of a team in contention for the Premier League, Champions League and two domestic cups.

"Ryan will be offered a new contract, of course," Ferguson said. "He has been fantastic for us this season - he seems to be getting even better with age.

"He could win the Footballer of the Year award and it would be fitting if he did after the career he has had. He seems to be one of those rare people who find that age and injuries don't catch up with them."

While lacking the pace to burst down the left wing as he once did, Giggs has created a new role for himself at the heart of the midfield to prolong his career with the Premier League leaders.

"I am enjoying the role," Giggs said earlier this month. "I am not able to run up and down the wing like I used to so I just use my experience, either playing off the front or in central midfield.

"I have the legs of the younger lads around me to rely on and I feel quite happy in there."

Giggs has won 10 Premier League titles, two Champions League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups in a career stretching back to 1991.

He made a club record 759th appearance in the Champions League final win over Chelsea, surpassing Bobby Charlton.

United Duo Face Three Weeks Out

Manchester United duo Anderson and Jonny Evans have been ruled out for three weeks with ankle injuries, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed.

Midfielder Anderson and defender Evans were both injured during the Carling Cup semi-final, second leg against Derby on Tuesday.

Anderson was carried off on a stretcher after the final whistle while Evans limped through the latter stages of United's 4-2 win at Old Trafford.

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Nani reveals frustration over peripheral role at Manchester United

Nani has revealed his disappointment at the bit-part role he has played for Manchester United this season.

The Portuguese winger has started just three times in the Premier League this season and has only been involved in 22 of United's 37 games as Alex Ferguson's team bid to defend the title and Champions League.

The 22-year-old played a much more significant role in last year's successes and was expected to play an even greater part this season, but the majority of his appearances have come in the various cup competitions United have been involved in this season.

But the £17m signing from Sporting Lisbon is determined to play a more central role in the second half of the campaign.

In an interview with the Manchester Evening News, he said: 'I would like to play more times but it hasn't been the same as last season. I was pleased with my games last season and my contribution to the team.

'This season I hoped it would be better. When I get my chances my aim is to do better than I did at the start of the season.

He added: 'I am still confident. It is difficult when you play one game and then are out for two matches. You want to stay in for a run of matches.

'You really need three, four or five games for your confidence to build and your fitness to be right. You can do anything when your confidence is high.'

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Park Ji-sung Proves Skeptics Wrong at United

“Is he here to sell Manchester United uniforms in Korea?”

This was the question British soccer fans asked when Park Ji-sung joined United in 2005. Former Korea coach Guus Hiddink even expressed concern that Park’s move to England might have been premature, despite having deep respect for the midfielder.

Four years later, fans and pundits have a drastically changed view of Park. The Dong-A Ilbo’s analysis of his average playing time per game from his first year with United to the past few weeks has found that Park is a major player in the world’s top-ranked soccer league.

○ Rise to starter in big games

In his first season at United in 2005-06, Park made the roster in 40 games of the Premier League, FA Cup and Carling Cup but was left out of Champions League action.

He started six of 14 games against the top seven clubs (based on final season rankings), playing 39.8 minutes on average per match.

In comparison, he made the roster in 13 matches versus five low-ranking clubs, starting 10 and averaging 68.2 minutes per game.

Thus, Park played mostly in matches versus low ranking clubs rather than the league’s Big Three of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool early in his United career.

He played in 24 games in 2006-07 and 17 last season due to a number of injuries big and small. He did appear more against strong teams in those seasons, however.

Park made the roster in six matches versus the top seven clubs in the 2006-07 season, and started four of them. He also started four of the seven matches he played in against the top clubs last season.

This season, however, Park has fully arrived as a key United player. He has played in all seven matches versus the top seven clubs (based on rankings as of Jan. 20) this season, starting five of them and averaging 58.6 minutes per match.

Park also played in all three matches against the Big Three, averaging 84.7 minutes per game. In comparison, he played in four of seven matches versus low-ranking teams, averaging 46.3 minutes per game.

○ Still evolving

The midfielder is consolidating his status as a big-game player in performance as well.

Early after his Premiership debut, he was oftentimes less than impressive.

In the 2005-06 season, Park received the lowest player rating of four from Sky Sports in a 3-0 loss to Chelsea that secured the league title for the Blues.

This season, however, Park scored his team’s only goal in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea in their first meeting. In the second, he earned a rating of eight, the second highest among his teammates, as United cruised to victory, 3-0.

Park’s upgraded status in his club is also demonstrated by his play in the Champions League. He made the roster for all eight matches in the 2005-06 season but did not start in any of the games.

Last season, however, he played the full 90 minutes in four Champions League matches, including the quarterfinal versus AS Roma and the semifinal versus FC Barcelona.

Park, however, has plenty of competition for his position of attacking midfielder, namely from Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs, Luis Nani and Zoran Tosic. He also must score more goals, hitting the back of the net just once this season.

Nonetheless, Park has proven wrong the naysayers who originally brushed him off as a marketing ploy to sell more United shirts in Korea and Asia.

source

AIG will not renew Man Utd sponsorship

LONDON (Reuters) - American insurance giant AIG said on Wednesday it would not renew its shirt sponsorship deal with European and world club football champions Manchester United.

The American company also said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters that it was "in active discussions" with the club regarding the current four-year $100 million (73 million pound) deal, which runs until next May.

Once the world's biggest insurer by market value, AIG averted bankruptcy in September last year with an $85 billion federal bailout, which later swelled to about $152 billion.

The company has started selling assets to raise funds to repay a part of the government bailout.

"Following the loan from the Fed, AIG has been reviewing all its sponsorships to identify those essential to maximizing the value of AIG businesses," AIG said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

"In October, AIG told Manchester United that it is not renewing its sponsorship. Further, AIG has been in active discussions with the club regarding the current contract, which expires in May 2010," it added.

Manchester United was not immediately available for comment.

The news comes a day after it emerged that the English Premier League champions had approached Indian company Sahara as a potential replacement for AIG.