UNITEDVIEW
NEWS
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RONALDO SET FOR OPERATION
The club have confirmed that Ronaldo will undergo an ankle operation next week. This is likely to rule him out for 6 weeks, and possibly the first few games of next season. However the club have also insisted that he isn't having the operation because he is on his way to Madrid.
Meanwhile, footie 365 discovers that United are convinced Ronaldo will stay:
Manchester United seem convinced that Cristiano Ronaldo will not move to Real Madrid this summer, according to reports. The Daily Mail claims that both Sir Alex Ferguson and United chief executive David Gill believe the Portuguese winger will remain at Old Trafford, despite constant interest from Real and speculation that a deal is close.
Madrid daily Marca claimed on Friday that a deal was 'hours or days' away from completion, but United issued a swift denial, claiming that their top-scorer was not for sale.
"It is utter nonsense and totally laughable. Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale" said a club spokesman.
Now, the Mail quotes a United 'source' as saying: 'David (Gill)'s position mirrors that of the manager. The fact is that Ronaldo will not be sold this summer.
'Real Madrid can offer what they want. It won' t happen. This whole business has infuriated everybody at the club and it is very much seen as a point of principle now. If Ronaldo is allowed to leave then what message does it send out to the rest of the squad? We would have chaos on our hands.'
The paper claims that United believe Real have 'scaled down' their pursuit of Ronaldo, and will only make a move should the player hand in a transfer request. Interestingly, it is also claimed that several European clubs - including Barcelona - have contacted United and urged them to make a stand and not cave in to Real's demands.
Ferguson is also concerned about the message it would send to the rest of his squad if Ronaldo was allowed to leave without protest, and although this situation will almost certainly re-surface next summer, it would be a significant victory for the club if they kept their prize asset in the face of such pressure.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo looks like he may miss the start of the new season thanks to ankle surgery.
MADRID REPORTS RUBBISHED BY CLUB
Manchester United have described latest reports claiming that a move by Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid is imminent as "utter nonsense" and insisted that the Portuguese winger is not for sale. Ronaldo is expected to undergo surgery on an ankle early next week after he was seen by a specialist today and may miss the start of the new season.
United, meanwhile, have been infuriated by a report in Spain claiming that the 23-year-old will sign for Real within a matter of days.
A club spokesman said: "It is utter nonsense and totally laughable. Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale."
Despite Ronaldo's desire to move and a huge fee of around £70million being on offer, United chiefs believe selling the player would cause huge disruption to the club.
Apart from the effect on the team's playing style and formation, it would also send a signal that United are in some way a lesser team than Real. The Glazer family bought United because they viewed it as the biggest club in the world so they cannot afford to been seen as weaker than Real Madrid, one of their biggest European rivals, or in thrall to their star player.
The message chief executive David Gill has given to the Glazers is that if they stand firm on Ronaldo and neither sell him nor give him another big new contract then it will strike a major blow against player-power and have long-term future benefits for the club.
There is no real financial incentive to the Glazers either - the club's profits are already covering their debt repayments easily so there is no requirement to raise new capital.
If they considered selling him, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would argue that he would need all the £70million fee as transfer funds to replace his most valuable player.
Confirmation of Ronaldo's operation comes after a specialist echoed the view of medical staff from both United and the Portuguese FA that the ankle injury needs surgery. He could be out for up to six weeks, and could be out for the start of the season.
United leave for their tour of South Africa on July 18 but Ronaldo was not going on the trip anyway.
Football 365
SURGERY DECISION STILL TO BE MADE
The decision on whether Cristiano Ronaldo will have surgery on his right ankle is still to be made, contrary to Thursday morning media reports.
Twelve hours after issuing a statement, a United spokesman reiterated: "Procedures are in place to seek specialist advice, in order to finalise the treatment plan as soon as possible."
The original club statement, as released on Wednesday evening, stated: "Manchester United medical staff met with the medical team from the Portuguese FA and Cristiano Ronaldo in Lisbon today regarding the ongoing treatment of his injured right ankle.
"As a result, further specialist advice is being sought and an announcement will be made on any action in due course."
Official site
QUIEROZ APPERENTLY SET FOR PORTUGAL JOB
ManYoo's prospects of retaining Cristiano Ronaldo have receded further after it emerged that Carlos Queiroz was nearing an agreement to replace Luiz Felipe Scolari as Portugal coach.
Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant met with Portugal officials
in Lisbon on Tuesday and, according to The Times, 'is understood to be inclined
to accept the four-year contract he has been offered'. 
'Sources in Lisbon indicated that Portugal hoped to be in a position to confirm the appointment as early as today, although United still hope to persuade Queiroz to stay at Old Trafford and may be prepared to offer him an improvement in the terms of his 12-month rolling contract,' the newspaper adds.
Ferguson remains determined to retain Queiroz, yet those hopes may be dependent on the club offering the 55-year-old a guarantee that he will be first in line to replace the Scot as manager - a commitment the Old Trafford hierarchy are apparently reluctant to make due to the uncertainty over when exactly Ferguson will stand down.
In the short term, Queiroz's departure would cause Ferguson to interrupt his search for a new striker in order to look for a new assistant, and could have serious repercussions for his ambition of retaining Ronaldo. Only last month, Ferguson depicted Queiroz as the key to that goal, explaining: "Carlos has the experience of being at Real Madrid. That is helping us now with all the nonsense we have to talk about. Carlos' experience means he can advise Cristiano quite well about that kind of club. That is a plus point for us."
Football365
NEVILLE ADMITS HE FACES A BATTLE
Gary Neville has admitted that when he returns from injury, he will face a battle for his first team place. The 33 year old has only played once since March 2007 due to an ankle problem, and Wes Brown has fit in well in that right back position.
Neville hopes the worst of his injury problems are now behind him but accepts he will have to impress in pre-season if he is to find a way back into the first team.
"It is a great challenge - a greater challenge more than ever this season to repeat last season's success and more of a challenge for me personally to break back into a team that has won the double. "I have a number of challenges and the ultimate one is to get back in the team in front of Wes, which is going to be hard because of the way he played last season.
"Pre-season is hugely important for every player but for me it's massive.I genuinely believe in my heart of hearts I will come back and be fine but until you have gone out there and done it, it means nothing."
Meanwhile Neville has been saying that he believes this current United team is good enough to dominate.
"We have to make sure we go for it again and I'm desperate to be part of it. I think we are better equipped than in 1999. The strength of the squad is enormous. I do feel we are in a better position but we have to show that mentality and show we can do it again. No Manchester United team has been able to to that. We've had to wait nine years [since we last won it]."
BLANC BACKS SILVESTRE TO STAY
Former United defender Laurent Blanc has said that Mikel Silvestre has decided to stay rather that leaving Old Trafford. Blanc is now the manager of Bordeaux, and it was reported that Silvestre could be heading down there. Silvestre then turned them down due to lack of wages that would be available to him.
However Blanc is hoping that Silvestre stays at United:
"Mikael Silvestre? It is finished. He has decided to stay in Manchester for his last season there."
ROONEY TARGETS MORE GOALS
Speaking to Manchester Evening news, Rooney praised Ronaldo, and said that he is targeting to score more goals:
"Cristiano is unbelievable. What he's done for United in the last two years is brilliant. Playing alongside him makes you work hard. You always want to be the best and I think I can score a few more goals."
MEMBERSHIP OPEN
One United Membership is now open again for the 2008/09 season. From official site:
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all set for start of the 2008/09 season.
It promises to be an interesting and exciting campaign for both the players and fans and you can experience it all by joining One United today.
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FERGIE TO ENTER TRANSFER MARKET
Fergie has said that he will be going into the transfer market this summer. Despite doing the double last year, Fergie still wants to improve the current squad. However Fergie has added that he is unlikely to bring in more the one new face.
"The European Championship derails transfer activity. Nothing really happens during the tournament. But now it's all over, managers will be back at their clubs and you can get some dialogue now if there's interest. I wouldn't think (we'll sign) any more than one player. We are looking at one or two things."
"People think it's easy to buy players nowadays but it's not. Money plays a big part, first of all. And clubs with ambitions don't want to sell their best players. So it's not as easy as you'd think. We tend to look for younger players."
THE OBSERVER ON BERBATOV
Manchester United's attempt to sign Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham is being frustrated because the north London club are still smarting over Michael Carrick's departure for Old Trafford two summers ago, a source close to the player has exclusively told Observer Sport. Reports have estimated that Spurs are asking for as much as £30m for Berbatov, which according to the source is a purposefully inflated price designed to inform United they do not want to sell to them. 'United did to Spurs what Real Madrid are currently doing over Cristiano Ronaldo by forcing the club's hand,' the source said.
But the claim was denied by a Spurs executive who insisted there is 'no bad blood between the clubs'. And if United are to land the Bulgarian they may have to find more than £30m and pay a fee far in excess of the record for a British transfer - £29m by Manchester United to Leeds for Rio Ferdinand in 2002 - as it is understood Manchester City had a £32m offer turned down last summer.
Berbatov
wants Champions League football next season. United provide this and it
is thought that the Bulgarian striker, who has scored 27 goals in 69 Premier
League appearances for Spurs, favours playing under Sir Alex Ferguson. 'He
definitely wants to leave but Spurs do not want to sell to United because
of Michael Carrick,' the source said. 'So, the problem is the price. But
the other thing for Spurs is that no other big club is interested.'
Carrick was sold for £17m in 2006, a price Spurs hoped would deter United. Despite the claim that Spurs were angered when the 26-year-old was still prised away, the Spurs executive said: 'Michael Carrick was a different situation. He had a year left on his contract and wanted to move his family closer to home.
'Dimitar Berbatov has two years left on his contract with an option of a further two years, which is our option. It's not in our interest to sell, especially to another Premier League club, whichever one it might be.'
United are also keen to sign Argentina striker Carlos Tevez on 'a long-term contract, but we are not in a rush. We know we have time,' a club official said.
The European Championships look certain to be expanded from 16 to 24 teams after the proposal yesterday won universal support from Uefa's 53 member countries. A final decision will be taken by Uefa's executive committee in September, but there was no opposition to the plan when it was raised at a meeting of association presidents and general secretaries in Vienna today.
The change would come into force for Euro 2016 and was originally put forward by the Scottish FA last year. Their chief executive Gordon Smith said he was delighted by the response. 'It's something Uefa have seen no real disadvantage to - it will only means a few extra days of the tournament and there is no downside in terms of loss of revenue.'
Cardiff have strengthened their squad with the signings of Scotland striker Ross McCormack from Motherwell and Everton defender Darren Dennehy. Meanwhile their south Wales rivals Swansea have made their second signing in two days, securing a deal for Argentine defender Federico Bessone on a free transfer from Espanyol, following the arrival of Mark Gower from Southend 24 hours earlier.
