Manchester United Fans Blog

Nani set for scan

Nani may miss the start of the Barclays Premier League campaign after sustaining a shoulder injury in United’s Community Shield defeat to Chelsea.

The winger, who scored and impressed on the left wing, was forced off in the second half after landing awkwardly following a tackle from John Terry. He’ll now have a scan to discover the full extent of the injury.

“Nani will see the specialist tomorrow (Monday) and I hope it’s not a long-term injury. But he has done some damage to his shoulder,” confirmed Sir Alex on MUTV.

The setback comes at the most inconvenient time for Nani, who had hoped to cement his position as the heir to Cristiano Ronaldo’s position as winger-in-chief at Old Trafford.

He’d made a good start in putting in his application with a stunning long-range goal after ten minutes of the entertaining Community Shield clash on Sunday.

Nani is added to an injury list that also includes Nemanja Vidic (calf), Wes Brown (thigh), Edwin van der Sar (hand) and Gary Neville (groin) ahead of the new league season.

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In the Hunt

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Scouting: Marko Marin

Player name: Marko Marin

Team: Germany, Borussia Mönchengladbach
Position: Left winger/striker
Age: 20

Match Scouted: Germany 0-0 Spain, 15 June 2009

Key Moment: Struck the outside of the post after his low shot had beaten Spanish stopper Sergio Asenjo.

Strengths: Great technical skills and bags of creativity and pace – he beat players down the wing with ease against Spain.

Weaknesses: He is only 5ft 7in but a winger doesn’t need height.

Suitability: United are in need of a good left winger to replace Giggsy and the soon-to-depart Ronaldo. Has already proved he can cut it at the top level for both club and country – he has a handful of senior international caps to his name and scored his first senior goal in the 2-0 friendly win against Belgium last August.

Estimated Cost: I can’t see him costing over £5million. He plays for one of the smaller Bundesliga clubs, Mönchengladbach, and I think they would be glad of the money.

source: http://manutd.com

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Scouting: Marco Motta

Player name: Marco Motta
Team: Italy, Roma
Position: Right-back
Age: 23

Match Scouted: Italy 0-0 Serbia, 16 June 2009

Key Moment: Completely shut out Miralem Sulejmani on the left wing and put in an impressive performance. Also made some exciting runs down the flank to support the attack.

Strengths: As skipper of the U21s he has already shown great leadership qualities. He has very good positioning sense and is decent in the air. He spent the second half of the 2008/09 season on loan at Roma and was chosen ahead of Cicinho towards the end of the campaign.

Weaknesses: Needs to work on his pace and strength.

Suitability: United have had a torrid time with injuries at right-back in the last two seasons with Neville, Brown and latterly Rafael all spending prolonged spells on the sidelines. With Motta on the right, Brown can act as cover for Ferdinand and Vidic in his preferred central position with O’Shea providing cover for Evra.

Estimated Cost: Roma haven’t yet made their deal permanent so it would be an ideal time to go for him before any big Italian clubs come his way. I’d estimate he’ll be available for between £7-10million.

Source: http://www.manutd.com 

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Scouting: Jerome Boateng

Player name: Jerome Boateng

Team: Germany, Hamburg
Position: Centre-back / full-back
Age: 20

Match Scouted: Germany 2-0 Finland, 18 June 2009

Key Moment: Kept his composure throughout and looked solid against a lively Finnish attack.

Strengths: Powerful and typical no-nonsense German defender who puts his 6ft 3in frame to good use and is not afraid to throw in a tackle. Can play in the centre of defence or either full-back position. Has gained a reasonable amount of experience at club level after breaking into the first teams of Hertha Berlin and Hamburg.

Weaknesses: Needs to be watchful of his positioning but that will come with experience. Given his height, he should be scoring more goals from set-pieces.

Suitability: His versatility would be very useful - could be used at right-back, where we have been somewhat troubled by injuries in recent years, or as cover for Ferdinand and Vidic.

Estimated Cost: Moved to Hamburg in August 2007 for a fee reported to be around €1.1million. €4-5m should be a reasonable asking price for his services.

sources: http://www.manutd.com

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Striker concern for Reds

Dimitar Berbatov has been ruled out for a further two weeks with the ankle injury he sustained against Fulham, leaving United light on options up front for Aston Villa’s visit to Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Reds are already without Wayne Rooney, who joins Nemanja Vidic and Paul Scholes on the sidelines through suspension, and now Berbatov isn’t expected back in training until the tail end of next week.

Sir Alex is waiting for Carlos Tevez and Anderson to return from international duty on Friday afternoon before making a decision on their fitness. Anderson reportedly picked up a knock in training for Brazil, although Tevez is expected to lead the line for United.

“I think he gets back from Mars about 4pm,” joked Sir Alex in reference to Tevez’s long haul trip from Bolivia. “If he’s okay, at least I’ve got one striker! I’ll have to choose who I play alongside him.”

The Reds boss may opt to pair the Argentinian with Cristiano Ronaldo or Ryan Giggs; otherwise his options extend to 18-year-old Danny Welbeck and 17-year-old Federico Macheda. One, or both, could make the bench.

There was some good news: Rio Ferdinand is expected to be fit for the match, Ji-sung Park is raring to go despite a long journey back from national duty in Korea, and captain Gary Neville may get his first start since January.

“Gary did very well in the Reserves at Newcastle,” said the boss. “You could tell he needed a game. But his training performances have been very good, and he comes into the picture for Sunday.”I’ll probably have a chat with him about how he feels about starting and if he feels strongly about it, then it’s definitely a big consideration for me.”

Sir Alex has some difficult decisions ahead of a crucial Premier League game, but he remains calm. “With the extra day’s rest after the internationals, I’m confident we can get a fit team together.”

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Sir Alex praises Magpies’ support

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Newcastle hold no fear for Reds

onny Evans is confident United can quieten the Toon Army tonight as the champions bid to restablish a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

With Chelsea and Liverpool both winning on Tuesday night, the Reds are eyeing another three points on Tyneside ahead of the visit of Rafael Benitez’s side a week on Saturday.

“It’ll be a big game tonight,” said centre-back Evans, who will be hoping to play some part in the game after his Carling Cup final exploits at the weekend.

“I didn’t play at Newcastle when I was on loan at Sunderland last season because I was injured, but I got a bit of experience of what St James’ Park is like. There’s a great atmosphere up there and it’ll be a tough match for us.”

Blackburn may have ended United’s remarkable run of Premier League clean sheets, but with an expected return to the side tonight for Wayne Rooney, who has scored eight goals in 10 games against the Magpies, the Reds have every reason to be bullish.

Evans added on ManUtd.com: “We’re always confident – at the moment when we score a goal, the defending has been that good that we’re expecting to keep a clean sheet.”

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Rooney and Evra not rushed

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BERBATOV: I FEEL AT HOME HERE

Dimitar Berbatov feels completely settled at Old Trafford, and even though his recent form has been excellent he says there’s more to come.

The in-form 27-year-old recently took his goals tally to 11 for the season following a prolific few weeks in which he’s struck goals against Middlesbrough, Chelsea, Bolton, Tottenham and West Brom - so, watch out Everton on Saturday.

He’s also chipped in with nine assists, making him the most creative player in the Premier League this season. It’s all down to his unique talent and style being allowed to flourish freely among the best players he’s ever played with.

“I feel completely settled here,” he says. “I felt that way from the minute I walked into the dressing room. The boys have been great. It’s like I’ve been here for years. I was made to feel part of the team straight away, and I think things clicked quite early on.

“That was a big relief for me. Sometimes if it doesn’t feel like home, you can’t adapt on or off the pitch. But it was so easy for me to settle here.”

But Berbatov, who describes himself as a perfectionist, isn’t satisfied just yet. “I want to train hard and continue to show what I can do in games,” he adds. “Everyone here has talent, but you need to develop the talent God gives you, work hard and, with a bit of luck, you’ll succeed.”

Read an exclusive interview with Berbatov in Saturday’s United Review.

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