FALCAO & RAFAEL RESUME TRAINING PLUS A PREVIEW ON THE ARSENAL GAME.

Its not been a very good first 3 months for the Reds. Like Sir Alex said "One step forward, two backwards for Manchester United this season." But there is finally some good news for the Red Devils around the world. Our Right Back Rafael Da Silva has finally resumed training along with Radamel Falcao at the AON TRAINING COMPLEX.
This seems a blessing in disguise for the Reds' given the circumstances we lay in at the moment. Rafael's injury was a bit worrying because there is no other recognised right back in the squad apart from himself. His return would be a big boost for Manchester United especially when there is a mega heavyweight clash with Arsenal knocking on the door once the Premiership resumes after the international break. Jones too is expected to be back to full fitness for the Arsenal game while Smalling will be available for selection after serving his suspension against Crystal Palace.
Another good news is the availability of Radamel Falcao who is reported to be back in training. His availability surely is a boon for the Red Devils. Of late Louis Van Gaal has stuck to a lone striker spearheading his attack and its been Robin Van Persie. But his lack of form and lack of goals isn't really helping the case. In such a scenario it wouldn't be too tough a decision to pick Falcao ahead of Persie.
STAT ATTACK- Manchester United haven't lost a game in which Patrick McNair has started.
Looking at the international break and international fixture it would be worthwhile to rest Persie for a game and test Falcao against a quality opponent.
My playing XI against Arsenal would be as follows :
Formation- 4-1-4-1
David De Gea; Rafael Da Silva, Patrick McNair, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw; Daley Blind; Marouane Fellaini, Wayne Rooney; Robin Van Persie.
I would really like to see Patrick McNair getting games after all those impressive performances he has put it. Chris Smalling didn't do himself a favour after his dubious game against the Noisy Neighbours.
What do you think?

The Next Manager at OLD TRAFFORD??

With David Moyes sacked as the manager of the Manchester United football team , the united hierarchy thinks its time to appoint a proven and a successful manager at the helm of the club. Jurgen Klopp was the numero uno choice for the post of manager but that went away in fumes when he declared that his association with the BvB fans and team was unbreakable. Luis Van Gaal looks set to take over, with reports suggesting Carlo Ancelotti also a possible man to replace Moyes.

1) Jurgen Klopp - The most sought after manager in Europe at the moment with clubs like FC Barcelona linked with him. It looks highly unlikely that he will come to Old Trafford after he stated that he was happy at Borussia Dortmund and would like to honour the agreement he has with the club till 2018.

2) Louis Van Gaal - Probably the next manager that Manchester United will appoint. Louis Van Gaal has won all the trophies that is available in the elite european competition. Be in the Dutch Eredivise & the UEFA Champions League with Ajax or be it the La Liga and the Bundesliga with FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munchen. Currently contracted with the dutch team , he will say goodbye to his international career once the World Cup in Brazil gets over. A delegation has already met him in his portugal villa, more so The Glazers admire him a lot and want to have him on board.
But again his autocratic style of management doesn't have much supporters amongst the United board management. Even the latest news where it is reported that he wants to have Roy Keane as his assistant if given the United job won't go down well for the United hierarchy. But with The Glazers and ED-Woodward set to have the final say ahead of Sir Alex, it may well be Louis Van Gaal's job. Latest news suggest Van Gaal has accepted an offer.

3) Carlo Ancelotti- Yet another strong candidate for the job at Old Trafford. Ancelotti has already won Two Champions League crowns. Apart from that he has won the Scudetto , Premier League and the Ligue 1. Presently contracted at Real Madrid he has already won the Copa Del Rey defeating Barcelona in the finals. Last night's 1-0 Champions League win at the Santiago Bernabeu against Bayern makes them overwhelming favourites to reach the Champions League finals to be played in Lisbon. If he wins the double , I don't see him leaving , neither do I see him being sacked. So if he were to be sacked , the only reason would be a failure of lifting any one between Champions League and La Liga.  As winning just the Copa Del Rey isn't sufficient for a club such as Real Madrid.

4) Jose Mourinho- Possibly the most outside of the lot, it will be a sort of a miracle if he snubs Chelsea to come to Manchester United. But believe it or not Manchester United is the biggest club in England and also one of the biggest in the World. Infact, with Sir Alex's decision to retire everyone thought it was Jose Mourinho who would replace him. But the United hierarchy made the mistake by appointing Moyes. If Jose wins the Champions League with Chelsea this year he might want to leave Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford. He then would have all the trophies with Chelsea , though this could be a difficult task for United officials and even for the man himself. But it is no doubt that he will be adored by the Old Trafford fans and also United fans worldwide. It is not a unknown fact that today all the top managers in football do want to be the one to replace someone like SAF. Jose himself wants to do so.

Sir Ryan Giggs has totally been put out of the reckoning because every individual board member believes time has come too early for him to be a manager.
Others include the likes of Diego Simeone, Laurent Blanc.

Who would you like as your next manager??

DAVID MOYES TO BE SACKED?

Man Utd officials are lining up the options of a possible replacement of David Moyes. This comes after United endured a miserable season in more than 2 decades after ruling English football. The Manchester United board is not optimistic about the fact that Moyes is the one at Old Trafford to turn things around. Though he has shown signs of improvement it is highly unlikely that the United hierarchy would believe in Moyes for a £200 million transfer kitty. They are reluctant to offer him the sum as he hasn't yet earned the trust. Things started to fall out of favour when United slumped to home defeats against Manchester City and Liverpool. Even the record signing of someone like Juan Mata couldn't affect the situation.
Manchester has been running helter skelter over the last 24 hours as the sacking of David Moyes gains wind. Although nothing official is yet to be reported most football pundits think his time at Old Trafford could be numbered and that he has been a dead man walking over the period of one month which included defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City at the Theatre Of Dreams. Nothing convincing came after that as United were eliminated by Bayern Munchen in the Champions League quarter finals. The recent loss against his former club Everton put the Glazers fretting over the dismal situation United lay under. Eleven losses in just 34 games in the Premier League leaving the dismal performances in FA Cup & The Carling Cup is unacceptable for someone who has seen United trying for treble everytime the season starts.
Pundits say Moyes deserved a chance , but Glazers don't think they can depend on a guy who couldn't even take United to Europa League places let alone Champions League places. With massive changes to take place in the squad next season , it seems the United hierarchy wants a more experienced man to take over and get players in the summer.
All the leading Newspapers , journalists , Sports enthusiast believe that Moyes will be sacked within the next 24 hours , and that the event is inevitable. Reports suggest that Sir Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt will be the replacement till the end of the season only on a temporary basis with Luis Van Gaal or Jurgen Klopp taking over after the season ends.
In my last section I will potray my thoughts on David Moyes. He according to me is a graceful person full of integrity. When he was chosen by none other than Sir Alex most of us were optimistic , but no one absolutely no one would have thought that United will finish a dissapointing lowly 7th. No matter what the outcome was David Moyes did deserve other six months according to a fan's and Manchester United faithful's point of view, but we should also remember that United are not just about emotions, there is a lot of financial and monetary matters that need to be dealt with, if Manchester United want to be Manchester United. Reports that suggest an outflow of £200 million in acquisition of new players are not false. The board doesn't have much faith in the manager and thus that sum cannot be trusted with a person like Moyes. We all know that Fellaini was a panic buy, but probably the worst transfer of the season in the Premieship.
Again when Moyes was trusted, he should have been given time. He should have been trusted with the money so that new arrivals could have created a good impact.
Lets hope for the best. We will have to keep calm and support United, whether Moyes stays or departs.
Jurgen Klopp has been touted as a possible replacement and the numero uno choice by the United hierarchy.

SUMMER TRANSFERS '14 , How important is it??

Missing out on Champions League looks a reality. Under the circumstances it would actually be difficult to attract star players to the team. No world class players would want to play for a club that doesn't feature in Champions League. So what will Moyes do? Who he should go for?
There is little doubt that the team will be totally overhauled this summer. Club captain Nemanja Vidic has already signed a deal with Inter Milan. Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand will be out of contracts this summer and there is very little hope that Moyes would actually renew their contracts. So obviously United need a complete overhaul in the defence department.
Who should Moyes target and what are the chances?
Centre Backs

1) William Carvalho-Several news reporters have suggested that a deal has already been clinched. The centre back is one of the few good names which have caught the eye of several scouts from all over Europe. He comes with a price tag of 37 million pounds which I personally think is a hefty sum that Moyes should not spend. He is with Porto and is yet to prove himself. He lacks experience at the same time.
2) Eliquiam Mangala- Yet another strong rumour. He has been linked with the Red Devils since the month of September last year when the announcement of Vidic leaving the club was made. He is a good centre back and has established himself well, all remains to be seen is whether Moyes will be able to lure him to a club which doesn't have Champions League or not.
My choices are different from both these strong rumoured interests. United even after the retirement of Rio and Vidic leaving will still have the likes of Jones and Smalling along with Evans. Jones is a good centre back and is establishing himself well. United should go for someone like a Mats Hummels or a Carles Puyol to guide the ship at the back four. Puyol is leaving Barcelona and United can always do with him for a couple of seasons. His vast experience will definitely come in handy in Europa League.
Left Back- We do need a good left back, we don't know if Evra will still be there or not? Even if he does stay, he is past his prime. Luke Shaw has been linked with the devils but again United needs experienced campaigners. Not someone like Shaw who at the tender age of 18 doesn't even has any European exposure. United should go for Fabio Coentrao anyhow. He is just 25 and is a veteran of 45 European games with a club like Real Madrid and Benfica. This will solve the defensive problems.
Total cost-
Hummels 24 M pounds
Coentrao-15M pounds.
A combined 39 M pounds will be much more effective than 37 M pounds for someone like Carvalho.
MIDFIELDERS

The curious case of Tom Cleverley is interesting. Such a great talent tottaly wasted. He along with the likes of Anderson, Young are rumoured to be getting the axe. United did acquire Mata but he only is a CAM thus Moyes uses him as a winger. But United do have quality wingers. Mata,Valencia,Januzaj,Nani are all good wingers. United needs a good CM. Fellaini of late has been good as a CDM and he has forged a great partnership with Carrick. But United still need one central midfielder. Tony Kroos is rumoured to want a transfer to United. I believe it will be a very good addition. United then will have good midfielders in their squad. The names like Carrick, Fellaini, Cleverley, Kroos and Fletcher then will have a huge impact. Moyes is looking at an option of player plus money deal for Marco Reus. The player here concerned is Shinji Kagawa who is rated highly by Klopp. Reus can play in the wings then hence solving the problem of a good winger.
As far as attack is concerned I believe people have been to harsh on Van Persie. He has had a torrid time this season because of injuries. Still till now he has scored 12 times in the premier league and not to forget a brilliant hattrick in the pre quarters against Olympiacos. Hence Moyes should trust his attack.
Thus according to me United should buy Hummels (24M pounds) Puyol (Free) Coentrao(15M pounds) in the defence.
Kroos (25M pounds) Reus (25M pounds + Kagawa)
This should be enough. United doesn't need to shell out 150 million pounds on transfers instead they need to buy tactically. The above players won't cost more than 90 million pounds in total. About Marco Reus I think if we pay him in excess of 250,000 pounds weekly he will be interested just like Kroos. Apart from that Reus is on record to have said that Man Utd is my favourite club and that he loves Man Utd.
How I see my team after the transfers.
GK-David De Gea ( Obvious choice )
RB-Rafael ( Probably one of the best right backs, still young and learning well)
CB-Jones ( Another bright hardworking talent)
CB-Hummels/Puyol (Subjected)
LB-Fabio Coentrao
CDM-Carrick/Fellaini
CDM-Kroos
RM-Mata
LM-Reus/Januzaj
CAM-Reus/Rooney
ST-Van Persie/Rooney.
Subs. Lindegaard Smalling Evans Fletcher Valencia Welbeck
Reserves. Ben Amos, Buttner, Nick Powell, Cleverley, Nani , Lingaard.

MANCHESTER UNITED-WILLIAM CARVALHO DEAL:FEE OF 37 MILLION POUNDS AGREED

MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE WRAPPED UP THE SIGNING OF SPORTING LISBON STAR WILLIAM CARVALHO.

William Carvalho is set to become Manchester United’s first big summer signing, writes Steve Bates of the Sunday People.

The Sporting Lisbon player's agent was given a tour of the club’s Carrington training ground last week and Portuguese international Carvalho will sign for United for £37million before the World Cup finals in Brazil.

United boss David Moyes is also confident he can land Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos, who is keen to move to Old Trafford even though United will miss out on Champions League football next season.

United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has been working hard to put deals in place and Sporting’s highly-rated youngster Carvalho looks like being the first of at least FIVE major signings.

The Angolan-born 21-year-old has a £37m release clause in his contract which United are prepared to trigger before the World Cup begins on June 12.

A host of top clubs are keen on Carvalho – including Chelsea – and having missed out on targets like Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas and Athletic Bilbao’s Ander Herrera last summer Woodward and Moyes have vowed not to be caught out again this year.

Moyes will also offer Southampton £26m for England left-back Luke Shaw (above) and is targeting Real Madrid star Fabio Coentrao.

PAUL SCHOLES IS BACK

SCHOLES LINED UP FOR MANCHESTER UNITED RETURN

Paul Scholes could be set for an emotional return to Old Trafford this summer.
The Manchester United legend decided to take a breather after hanging his boots up for a second time last year and, although Scholes was offered a coaching role within the Carrington set-up he wanted to spend more time with his family.
But the former England midfielder was spotted last Saturday evening in talks with David Gill and Sir Alex Ferguson at the Alderley Edge hotel.
Sources have indicated United are keen to discover what he wants to do next and want to bring him back into the fold as they look to bolster David Moyes's coaching team.
Scholes, unlike some of his former colleagues, was full of support for United's under-pressure manager earlier this week, insisting: "With all the injuries he’s had, I feel quite sorry for him really. 
"He's never been able to put out the same back four. You see all the top teams, they have the same back four every week, especially with the centre-backs, they need to get an understanding and rhythm together. 
"Michael Carrick’s been injured, Robin van Persie’s been injured, key players have been injured [but] he's not made any excuses and tried to get on with it and hopefully next year will be better."

THE COMEBACK KINGS-REDS ARE BACK TO THEIR VINTAGE PERFORMANCE

THE REDS GO MARCHING ON AND ON

Last night was a memorable night for the Red Devils in a season of despair and anxiety, a luxury of getting good sleep for David Moyes and his men has been rare and would have been so had United suffered a loss to Olympiacos and bowed out of the Champions League. Remember The Champions League is the only silverware that United can hope to get realistically, but pundits believe that reaching the semi finals would be a herculean task forget about winning it.

It really was a vintage display by the Reds and all the players performed really well. The team played as a unit. The scoreline of 3-0 in favour of the Reds could have been easily 4-0 or 5-0 had luck been on United's side. Rooney's header deflected of the post, Welbeck missed a sitter. Moyes knew that he had to go all out attack in order to get those 3 goals and thus named Welbeck in the starting XI alongside Rooney and Van Persie. The midfield comprised of Carrick the Evergreen Giggsy and Valencia. United dominated on all fronts and looked superior than Olympiacos on the night.

There were a lot of positives for United as they prepare to face Manchester City in a week's time at the Old Trafford. The Hat-trick by Robin Van Persie would prove to be vital morale booster for him. Jones as a centre back proved why pundits call him the future captain of Manchester United. He defended like a warrior. Welbeck also played well for 90 minutes and thus could see himself playing in the Manchester Derby ahead of Adnan Januzaj.

But many would also say that despite the win United were far from convincing. Olympiacos is not a very good team compared to Europe's elite. More so they sold their prolific striker Mitrogolou to Fulham in the January transfer window. Once again the concern was the defensive midfield and the full back positions to be exact. Carrick did play well but Giggs who is already 40 wasn't being able to mark players once the game entered the final stages. Well it will be unfair to say anything against him because he already has aged so much but still played better than the other CDM'S in fray with the United squad. Evra did attack well but forgot that his main objective is defending and as a result United were left napping in the defence. Once Evra moved forward and lost possession Olympiacos had acres of free space to run and create openings. These things need to be adjusted if United dream of winning the next stage, because from here on it will be business and no joking around. Evra will miss the next game and thus it will be interesting as to who takes his position in LB position.

My last segment is devoted to the heroes of the match.

• THE OLD TRAFFORD FANS
• LEGENDARY RYAN GIGGS
• RED DEVIL ANTONIO VALENCIA (Played 75 minutes with one eye after getting hit in the eye)
• THE HAT-TRICK HERO ROBIN Van Persie

But one stand out performance for me was David De Gea. He is one of the positives for United this season. He saved two clear goals and the rest is history. No Doubt he was named the Man Of The Match by the fans. 

Thus it was one good memorable come from behind win for us.

Can we turn it around?