What really happened at Manchester United - The Skype call that changed everything in the controversial Wayne Rooney exit saga

Date: Friday 22nd October 2010. Time: 10:00am BST, 5:00am EDT

Skype Call participants:

The Owner: Malcolm Glazer; The Player: Wayne Rooney; The Agent: Paul Stretford; The Chief Executive: David Gill; The Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

Gill: Are we all in?

Stretford: Yes

Ferguson: Aye

Rooney: Is this thing on? Can you hear me?

Gill: Loud and clear Wayne, loud and clear

Glazer: Yes I'm here. It's 5 o'clock in the freaking morning so please make it quick...

Gill: Right. Yes. I trust we all know what’s on the agenda today. Wayne you’ve asked to leave, we want you stay...

Rooney: Yeah well it’s not that I don‘t want to stay it‘s just…

Stretford: [Cough] Erm yes well either you up your contract offer or Wayne’s off to City

Gill: As I’ve already told you Paul, we’re able to offer £110,000-a-week...

Stretford: And I assume that’s after tax?

Gill: You would be correct

Stretford: Right so that’s… what… a £20,000 increase? Are you having a laugh?

Ferguson: You don’t know when you were born lad. [Under muttered breath] Bloody agents…

Gill: Right we’re clearly not getting anywhere fast. Malcolm, do we have any room to manoeuvre?

Glazer: Let me just grab the calculator… [Sound of keys tapping] [Pause of 10 seconds]

Gill: Malcolm are you still there?

Glazer: Right on. Okay. £150,000-a-week. That’s about as far as we can stretch

Stretford: Not good enough. I’ve got Garry Cook waiting on the other line, back in a …

Ferguson: Woah let’s calm down and all take a step back a minute. For Christ sake. Do you all understand the repercussions if we lose the boy? He has to bloody stay, anything and everything else just isn’t an option. Malcolm, I know I don’t speak to you very often and I don’t ask for much when I do but you need to give the boy what he wants here. For the sake of the future of Manchester United

Glazer: [Pause]. You’re busting my balls here Alex… [Longer pause]. Right. What exactly does Wayne want?

Stretford: £250,000-a-week - that’s basic wage - goal and assist bonus of £5,000 each, win bonus of £7,500. I, I mean Wayne, also wants a cut of 50% for all Wayne Rooney merchandise sold. There’s a few other requests but I can put that all in writing. Let’s just agree on this basic wage first…

Glazer: No can do. £175,000 - take it or leave it

Rooney: That sounds like a more than acceptab…

Stretford: Right I won’t even begin to discuss clauses but okay, what about assurances with regards to investment in playing staff?

Gill: We are not obliged to discuss transfer policy with agents. [Puts Stretford on hold]

Gill: Right Wayne, that’s the offer, I’m afraid we can’t go any higher than that. Five years, £175,000 a week basic. In terms of future signings, I can confirm, no promise, we will be in a position to operate effectively in the transfer market in the summer of 2011

Rooney: That sounds good to me, I’m on my way to Carrington now to sign…

Gill: Then that settles it. Alex, Malcolm, Wayne, thanks for your time.

[Call ends]

Stretford: Hello?!

A tale of two trebles: Manchester United v Barcelona

By winning the Champions League on Wednesday evening Pep Guardiola could stand (be chucked in the air) safe in the knowledge that he had become the first manager in Spain to have won a treble that comprised of a league and European Cup double.

Even though they failed to retain the Champions League it’s still been a truly magnificent season for Manchester United too and while it may be considered something of a ‘poor man’s treble’, a treble they have won nonetheless.

So Barcelona are the kings of Europe for this season at least but can it really be said that they have had the better of campaigns? I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Domestically Superior

While Barcelona have been an irresistible force in La Liga this season, breaking records left, right and centre, Manchester United have gone about their business somewhat more quietly but just as effectively in the Premier League.

An overall points tally of 90 put pay to Liverpool’s impressive title charge and is a total that they have only surpassed once before in a 38 game season back in 1999/2000. Lest we forget it has been a draining season that has seen United exceed 65 games and as well as going off to Japan to win the World Club Championships, Ferguson’s side also won the Carling Cup and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup too.

Of course you can’t argue with Barcelona’s supremacy in Spain this season having comprehensively charged towards the league title, staving off the once prominent threat of Real Madrid along the way. Add the Copa Del Ray and of course the Champions League to the reckoning and when you bear in mind that this has been achieved with a pretty minute squad as well, it makes Barca’s achievements this season all the more remarkable.

Results against Rivals

It’s always a good idea to look at a club’s results against their closest and often bitter rivals as a decent benchmark for comparison and against the current top four teams in Spain, Barcelona have pretty much wiped the floor with the lot of them. Back in September Guardiola’s side smashed Atletico Madrid 6-1 and a couple of months later they travelled to a decent Sevilla outfit and beat them 3-0.

Despite narrowly losing to Atletico in the return meeting at Vicente Calderon, Barca brushed Sevilla aside at the Nou Camp and need I even mention their two meetings with Real Madrid? Well for those of you who may need reminding, a late surge in the first El Classico of the campaign saw the Catalans triumph 2-0 and in a performance of real zest and potency, Barca made a mockery of their fierce rivals by humiliating them at the Bernabeu 6-2.

In contrast Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez masterminded a double winning feat over Manchester United, embarrassing them in the process with a resounding 4-1 win at Old Trafford. While Sir Alex Ferguson’s team rallied to take Chelsea apart in January, a defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates in November didn’t bode well. Add to that a further couple of draws against both the aforementioned London clubs and Ferguson was left with just five points from a possible 18 against his closest adversaries for the title.

Defensive credibility

Despite their less than impressive showing the other night, I don’t think this one’s even a contest and while most of you would probably be forced to agree with me, the statistics do go some way to question my judgement. Yes while on paper Barcelona possess a somewhat weaker defensive unit than United, the La Liga champions have only conceded 34 league goals this season and can boast the best defensive record in Spain.

Although compare that to United and you begin to realise exactly why Sir Alex Ferguson has such a fervent case for defence. In England’s top flight United have conceded a mere 24 goals while on average in the Champions League they afforded their opposition just over half a goal every game since they began the ultimately unsuccessful defence of their crown back in September.

Let’s face it, no game in the Premier League is easy these days which demonstrates just how impressive Edwin van der Sar’s domestic clean-sheet record of 21 hours without conceding proved to be.

In Ferdinand and Vidic United have arguably the strongest centre-back partnership in the game at present although even young Jonny Evans has proved a more than capable replacement at numerous stages during the season. The form of Rafael and John O’Shea at right-back has forced Gary Neville out of the reckoning for the most part and while cutting a figure of inconsistency at times, Patrice Evra has been an ever-present at left-back.

Attacking style and flair

Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola are clearly blessed with an embarrassment of riches when you look at their respective starting elevens. Littered with some of the finest footballers in the modern game, just a brief look at some of the attacking options both teams have almost brings you to salivation.

Barcelona have this extraordinary three pronged strike force of Messi, Henry and Eto’o while United look to Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov and Tevez as their primary attacking threat. But just listen to this. The Catalans, with that fearsome threesome at the forefront, have conjured up an astonishing 104 goals in La Liga this season with the aforementioned trio contributing 71 towards that tally alone.

While Manchester United are a fluid and at times breathtaking counter-attacking side, that fascinating front four I mentioned earlier have only mustered up 44 Premier League goals between them. Of course that’s not catastrophic by any stretch of the imagination but it doesn’t even come close to matching what Messi, Henry and Eto’o have achieved as a unit.

It would be easy to argue that the Premier League is a far tougher environment than La Liga and United have often opted for a far less attacking but effective outlook throughout the season but in my opinion you can’t take anything away from that Barcelona front line. As long as Guus Hiddink isn’t in sight, it’s pretty unstoppable.

Messi vs Ronaldo

It has been a fundamentally decent season for both Messi and Ronaldo and separating them is a difficult task but when you look at his goals and influence on the Champions League Final, the little Argentine takes it for me.

Yes while Ronaldo finished as the second top scorer in the Premier League and at times single handedly carried United to the Final of Europe’s premier club competition in Rome it was Messi who stole the show when it mattered most.

Messi’s performance was simply sublime the other night. A menace if you like as he glided past challenge after challenge, contributing a goal to his team’s cause too. Despite a surprising look of desire and determination, Ronaldo just couldn’t get his side back into the game, however hard he was trying.

Throughout the season Messi has been the main focal point for Barcelona and with 38 goals, the World Player of the Year crown surely awaits.

Soccerlens Podcast: A Pep talk, Iniesta and the brilliance of Barcelona

On the fourteenth episode of the Soccerlens Podcast, Stephen Darwin is joined by the editor of TEAMtalk.com, Simon Wilkes to look back at Barcelona’s triumph over Manchester United in the Champions League final in Rome.

The show will be debating exactly where things went wrong for Sir Alex Ferguson and his side and Simon will be offering his thoughts on just how good this Barcelona team is under the leadership of Pep Guardiola.

Download link (mp3, 20mb, 22 mins)

Wayne Rooney - The only option left?!

It’s been quite a regular occurrence of late hasn’t it? No I’m not talking about Ronaldo winging or even a Carlos Tevez transfer story. I’m specifically referring to Wayne Rooney, his versatility and this endearing quality he possesses to play left wing.

Ok so it’s not the biggest revelation since the discovery of electricity as it has been tried and tested before. Although there’s no denying that what it does provide us with is options, affording Ferguson complete freedom to tinker and tweak his attacking line-up however he pleases. And boy has it worked admirably the last few games.

With Rooney operating on the left we have seen Berbatov and even Ronaldo flourish as the central striker. Who knows as Ferguson studies this alternative system, he may even see sense and grant a certain Argentine a future with us that he so desperately craves. With a tighter more compact system and Rooney as an out and out striker, surely that wouldn’t have been the case.

In fairness Wazza squandered the simplest of chances against Wigan on Wednesday, a simple header that he would normally have buried in his sleep. Although since being deployed on the left Rooney has rarely failed to excel and fears that his talents were being wasted out wide were quickly put to bed.

We all feared that a fleet footed Theo Walcott would rip a confidence stricken Patrice Evra to shreds in the Champions League although on both occasions (at OT and the Emirates) Rooney played a part in thwarting the pacey England man to almost a non existence.

The spirited and industrious Rooney may not be the best tackler in the world but he’ll certainly put in a decent shift to aid forward thinking Evra who we all know can be prone to getting caught too far up the pitch. While it’s fair to say that Rooney’s defensive duties haven’t really been tested to the max this season, a meeting with Messi later this month will surely be a decent benchmark to determine his full credentials. Not to jinx it but I’m sure he’ll pass with flying colours.

There’s no doubting Rooney’s genius in the role just behind the striker but in my opinion he’s been given something of a new lease of life on the left. With Giggs a seemingly better option in the middle these days, Nani hardly being flavour of the month with Sir Alex and Tosic something of an unknown quantity at first-team level at least, Rooney is certainly the best viable option for me.

The way he cuts in with that bludgeon of a right foot and lashes towards goal, defenders will often know exactly what he’s about to do but stopping it is a completely different ball game. It’s certainly a joy to watch anyway.

To digress ever so slightly, Rooney’s aggressive nature has led to much criticism for years but to be honest I feel that it is a key component in his armoury that makes him such an unassailably brilliant player. Yes he needs to keep his anger in check in the most precarious of situations but a lot of the time he successfully channels his temper and he can often unfairly get into trouble purely for a reputation that precedes him.

While Ronaldo will never comprehensively commit his future to United we will all still justifiably admire his mercurial ability. At completely the other end of the spectrum you would have to literally drag Rooney out of the dressing room if he’s ever to leave Old Trafford - a trait that I think should draw much praise and adulation as I don’t know where we would be without this sublime scouser.

Manchester United vs Arsenal - Premier League Live!

The champagne is on ice and one more point against Arsenal will hand Sir Alex his eleventh Premier League title.

Join me on Saturday from 12:15PM (BST) to follow all the action from Old Trafford and hopefully we can celebrate lifting the Premier League trophy for the third successive season!

It promises to be an exciting afternoon of football that's for sure!

Old Trafford expansion just the ticket? Not a chance!

When the suits at the FA decided to build the new Wembley they probably envisaged, or at least hoped, that they would possess a stadium capable of eclipsing that of any other in the country. I imagine the conversation ran something like this: ‘Well Old Trafford stands at around 60,000, let’s make Wembley 90,000, just to be on the safe side.’

Nine years on from that time and Wembley Stadium will soon rather inevitably have to relinquish the mantle of highest capacity football venue in England, or so we are led to believe. Although it’s not gospel and is yet to be comprehensively confirmed, recent news suggests that Old Trafford will soon be extended to 95,000 seats.

Obviously this is fantastic news for supporters in terms of creating more opportunities to see United up close although is it fair to say that ticket prices will fall as a result? I beg to differ.

It is believed that Sir Alex has long lobbied the Glazer family for expansion, urging our American owners to improve the affordability of watching United in hope of attracting a new generation of supporters. Although with ticket prices set to go up even further once again next season, it’s easy to see why fans have voiced their frustrations.

So when the likely developments to the South Stand and presumably the South and East quadrants do take place, can you really foresee a drastic change in club policy?

In all honesty I can’t see why the Glazers wouldn’t want to squeeze every last penny out of us. They aren’t stupid and they know that Manchester United is a club, nay a brand, that has the potential to attract supporters from around the globe and will have little trouble filling even 95,000 seats on a regular basis. So why drop ticket prices when the market will, however begrudgingly, continue to fork out £40 odd a ticket to see the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney et al.

In 2004 the most expensive ticket at Old Trafford was £29. Four years on and that amount has risen to £49. Who knows what the price may be come 2014. A scary thought for the regular match-goer no doubt.

As much as our success on the field has provided an ideal smokescreen for the Glazers, there is no hiding the fact that the club is experiencing elevated levels of debt and that £700 million figure is rising every day.

The cost of stadium expansion will likely surpass the £100 million mark and with the need to maintain consistency on the pitch too, costs could quite worryingly spiral out of control in the future.

Who’s to say that when Sir Alex does eventually decide to call it a day we may initially struggle in a new era and spend a couple of seasons out of the Champions League? Imagine how damaging that could be for the Glazers in generating profit. Imagine the cost of a ticket then…

As featured on RedRants

Champions League Re-cap: Our Journey to Rome...

The dust has just about settled following our magnificent victory over Arsenal that has booked us a place in Rome to face Barcelona in the Champions League final. I wouldn’t say I’m relieved to be playing the Catalans but having lost the trophy in the manner that Chelsea did last season, revenge would have been very much on the agenda for Terry et al so in a way I’m glad we’re avoiding them. With the news that a Fletcher appeal may just be on the cards too, well it doesn’t get much better than this does it?

So what better way to celebrate then to have a re-cap of our tremendous run to the Stadio Olimpico which has comprised of twelve games and eighteen goals. Enjoy!

0-0 vs Villarreal at Old Trafford (Opening Group E fixture) - 17th September 2008

Having just succumbed to Liverpool at Anfield the previous weekend and thrown away the chance of silverware in the Super Cup prior to that, the defence of our Champions League crown started as frustration personified.

Despite this particular fixture yielding the return of Ronaldo, we failed to break through the resilient Yellow Submarine with both sides striking the upright during the 90 minutes.

Team: Van der Sar; Neville, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra; Park (Ronaldo 62), Fletcher, Hargreaves (Anderson 62), Nani; Tevez (Giggs 81), Rooney.

3-0 vs Aalborg at the Aalborg Stadium (2nd Group E Fixture) - 30th September 2008

Rooney 22, Berbatov 55, 79

I think we all remember this match as the evening that Dimitar Berbatov announced himself in a Manchester United shirt. There was also a debut for a once little-known Brazilian Rafael Da Silva too.

After Rooney gave us the lead in the first-half we kicked on after half-time and Berbatov atlast silenced some of his critics to score two goals, taking us to the top of the Group E table.

Team: Van der Sar; Rafael (Brown 66), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Scholes (Giggs 16), O'Shea, Nani; Rooney (Tevez 59), Berbatov.

3-0 vs Celtic at Old Trafford (3rd Group E Fixture) - 21st October 2008

Berbatov 30, 51, Rooney 76

The Battle of Britain, or so it was billed, saw us ease past Celtic as a brace for Berbatov and a fantastic strike from Rooney handed us all three points.

Although with Villarreal beating Aalborg, only goal difference separated us from the La Liga side going into the fourth round of group matches.

Team: Van der Sar; Neville (Brown 60), Vidic, Evans, O'Shea; Ronaldo (Park 82), Anderson, Fletcher, Nani; Berbatov (Tevez 60), Rooney.

1-1 vs Celtic at Celtic Park (4th Group E Fixture) - 5th November 2008

McDonald 13, Giggs 84

It was always going to tough facing Celtic in Scotland and with Scott McDonald opening the scoring after 13 minutes, we knew we had a game on our hands.

On a night when Fergie opted to give Ben Foster his European debut fortunately Ryan Giggs came up trumps to head home late on following Boruc’s failure to deal with Ronaldo’s swerving effort.

Team: Foster; Rafael (Evra 66), Ferdinand, Vidic, O’Shea; Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani (Berbatov 46); Giggs, Tevez (Rooney 71)

0-0 vs Villarreal at El Madrigal (5th Group E Fixture) - 25th November 2008

Another meeting with Villarreal produced yet another stalemate but it mattered not as we secured our passage into the knockout stages of the competition.

The talking points from this one? Well a certain Italian referee that we’re all too familiar with took centre stage as he dished out a red card for Villarreal’s Spanish full-back Joan Capdevila (and rightly so too it should be noted).

Team: Kuszczak; O'Shea, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra; Ronaldo, Fletcher (Gibson, 80), Anderson, Carrick (Tevez, 86), Nani (Park, 84); Rooney.

2-2 vs Aalborg at Old Trafford (6th Group E Fixture) - 10th December 2008

Tevez 3, Jakonbsen 31, Curth 45, Rooney 52

With qualification already secure the final group game against Aalborg presented Ferguson with the perfect chance to rest some first-team regulars including Ronaldo, VDS, Vidic, Fletcher and Berbatov.

Celtic’s victory over Villarreal afforded us the luxury to be able to draw this one and still finish top of the group and with goals from Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney that is exactly what happened.

Team: Kuszczak; Neville (Rafael 76), Ferdinand, Evans, O'Shea; Nani, Gibson (Park 46), Anderson, Giggs (Scholes 46); Rooney, Tevez.

0-0 vs Inter Milan at the San Siro (First knockout round first leg) - 24th February 2009

It certainly looked a daunting task on paper. With no Vida and Wayne Rooney not included in the starting line-up we were facing an inform Inter Milan who were more than capable of causing us problems on the night.

Yet in a fascinating spectacle we took the game to the Italian giants and were unfortunate not to have nicked a goal, especially in the first-half.

With chances aplenty for the likes of Berbatov, Giggs and Ronaldo we were desperately unlucky not to be heading back to Old Trafford with an away goal but we were certainly in the driving seat with a draw.

Team: Van der Sar; O'Shea, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra; Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Park (Rooney 83); Berbatov, Ronaldo.

2-0 vs Inter Milan at Old Trafford (First knockout round second leg) - 11th March 2009

Vidic 4, Ronaldo 49

I think everyone inside Old Trafford that night had the lingering image of Jose Mourinho sprinting down the touch-line lodged somewhere in their heads.

Surely our defence of the European crown wouldn’t be brought to an abrupt end by the former Chelsea manager of all people!

Fortunately Vida gave us the perfect start and after Inter had squandered some decent chances to score that all important away goal, up popped Ronaldo to head us into the quarter-finals and send Mourinho packing.

Team: Van der Sar; O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes (Anderson 70), Giggs; Rooney (Park 84), Berbatov.

2-2 vs FC Porto at Old Trafford (Quarter-final first leg) - 7th April 2009

Rodriguez 4, Rooney 15, Tevez 85, Mariano 89

I don’t know where on earth they mustered this performance from but Porto looked potent and a worryingly decent outfit in the first leg.

We can make excuses about the players being tired but credit to the Portuguese side for coming to Old Trafford and having a real good go at us.

After Rodriguez' opener and Rooney’s leveller I think we were all just relieved when Carlos Tevez pounced and looked to have given us the win in a game where we deserved little.

But with Mariano snatching a late equaliser, the return leg in Portugal looked ominously tough even with the array of attacking talents at our disposal.

Team: Van der Sar; O'Shea, Vidic, Evans (Neville 72), Evra; Fletcher, Carrick, Scholes (Tevez 72); Park (Giggs 58), Ronaldo, Rooney.

1-0 vs FC Porto at Estadio Dragao (Quarter-final second leg) - 15th April 2009

Ronaldo 5

One magical swing of Cristiano Ronaldo’s wand of a right foot was enough to put us into an all English semi-final tie with Arsenal.

The timing of the goal was absolutely crucial and seemed to knock the stuffing out of a Porto side that had looked so threatening a week earlier in Manchester.

With Rio and Vidic in commanding form, nothing was going to stop us in Portugal as we made history by becoming the first English side to win at the Dragao.

Team: Van der Sar; O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Giggs, Carrick, Anderson (Scholes 78); Rooney, Berbatov (Nani 68), Ronaldo.

1-0 vs Arsenal at Old Trafford (Semi-final first leg) - 29th April 2009

O’Shea 17

Who would have thought it? Our only goal-scorer in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final turns out to be our versatile if not majestic defender John O’Shea!

Wenger claimed one goal wouldn’t be enough and after dominating from start to finish against the Gunners, Fergie and the lads were undoubtedly frustrated at having only beaten an in-form Almunia once.

Team: Van der Sar; O'Shea, Ferdinand (Evans 87), Vidic, Evra; Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Giggs 66); Ronaldo, Tevez (Berbatov 66), Rooney.

3-1 vs Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium (Semi-final second leg) - 5th May 2009

Park 8, Ronaldo 11, 61, van Persie 76

Cristiano Ronaldo effectively put those ‘not a big game player’ jibes to bed in a masterful performance that booked our ticket to Rome.

In all fairness the whole team was in imperious form as we brushed Arsenal aside, running Arsene Wenger’s young guns ragged for ninety minutes without reprieve.

Park got us off to the perfect start and then Ronaldo’s thunderbolt of a free-kick put us firmly in the driving seat before his second, a superb flowing counter-attack put the icing on the cake.

The only sour point of the night arrived 14 minutes from time when Fletch was wrongly sent-off for a challenge on Cesc Fabregas but there could still be light at the end of the tunnel following today’s revelation from UEFA secretary David Taylor.

Team: Van der Sar; O'Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra (Rafael 65); Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson (Giggs 63); Park, Ronaldo, Rooney (Berbatov 66).

? vs Barcelona at the Stadio Olimpico (Final) - 27th May 2009

So this is it! Will we create history in Rome by becoming the first team ever to win successive Champions League titles?

Well with Abidal, Dani Alves, Milito and Marquez all unavailable, Barca will certainly have their work cut out trying to contain our frightening attacking line-up.

As featured on RedRants

Photo Credit: PA

All Tickets to Rome!

The latest edition of the Manchester United Football FanCast that I host alongside Daniel Lomax and David Schiavone is now available for your listening pleasure!

I hope you enjoy the show and Feedback is always appreciated!

Arsenal vs Manchester United - UEFA Champions League Live!

Rewind a week and one of the unlikeliest of heroes took the plaudits as John O’Shea smashed home to give us a one goal advantage going into the second leg at the Emirates.

Join me from around 19:15 (BST) tonight for Live Blog coverage of the match as we look to book our place in Rome for the Champions League final!

Wembley Stadium Tour

Nicola, my fiancee, arranged for us to visit the home of English football, Wembley Stadium, to carry out the Stadium tour!

I'm not usually too big on doing these sort of things but it really was a thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes!

So without further ado, rather than describe the day in words please see below for some pictures from the experience and feel free to comment!

The original crossbar from the 1966 World Cup Final

Fantastic view!

A proud Englishman

Nicola enjoying the day!

Rio! Rio! Rio!

Nicola's favourite player Wazza!

Embracing the FA Cup

Nic with the FA Cup

Manchester United vs Arsenal - UEFA Champions League Live!

Can Arsenal bring an end to Manchester United's sublime Champions League record of 23 games unbeaten or will Ronaldo deliver another thunderbolt to send Arsene Wenger's side packing?

Join me at around 7:15PM (BST) tonight for a good ol' fashioned British (Well half the Manchester United team + Theo Walcott and perhaps Kieran Gibbs) clash of momentous proportions!

It is ofcourse the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg and it certainly promises not to disappoint!

Manchester United vs Arsenal - UEFA Champions League semi-final Preview

Arsenal and Manchester United prepare to do battle at Old Trafford this evening in the first chapter of their Champions League semi-final with both sides desperate to steal a march in the tie as they look to book a place in Rome for the final.

It’s Wenger vs Ferguson as two masters and age-old adversaries of the Premier League meet for what Sir Alex has already predicted to be a ‘terrific’ encounter between two giants of the English game.

Wenger himself has pre-warned United that the Gunners are a ‘different animal’ to the side that were knocked out by Liverpool in last season’s competition.

Arsenal know they have a daunting task ahead of them if they are to be the first team to beat Manchester United in the Champions League since AC Milan two years ago.

With match winners scattered all over the pitch, it’s certainly going to be an intriguing two-legged affair.

Team News

Manchester United

The only major injury concern for Manchester United will be that of their captain Gary Neville who will definitely be missing for the first-leg at least. John O’Shea, Wes Brown and Brazilian youngster Rafael are all in contention and will be vying for the right-back slot.

Carlos Tevez will be eager to be given the nod upfront having helped turn the game in United’s favour following the 5-2 victory over Tottenham on Saturday. A four-pronged attack of Tevez, Berbatov, Rooney and Ronaldo is an option for Ferguson but it would be bold move by the United boss.

Recently crowned PFA Player of the Year Ryan Giggs looks set to make his 800th appearance for the Red Devils and having been rested against Spurs, he could be in line for a start tonight.

Manchester United (likely): Van der Sar, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs; Berbatov, Rooney.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger’s rather inexperienced side travel to Old Trafford with plenty of injury worries. Former United centre-back Mikael Silvestre is a doubt for the clash while Gael Clichy and Robin van Persie are both definitely missing.

In-form Russian Andrey Arshavin is ineligible for the Champions League having featured for Zenit St. Petersburg earlier in the competition and stand-in left-back Kieran Gibbs is another doubt as he nurses an ankle injury.

On a positive note for the Gunners, Johan Djourou is available for selection again which will help ease their defensive problems with William Gallas a long-term casualty.

Arsenal (likely): Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Djourou, Silvestre; Song, Nasri, Fabregas, Denlison, Walcott; Adebayor.

Two Key Tussles

Evra vs Walcott

Having been given a torrid afternoon by Aaron Lennon on the weekend, Patrice Evra will be under further pressure tonight to deal with the pace and direct running of Arsenal’s whizz kid Walcott.

Young Theo proved exactly what he is all about during Arsenal’s 4-4 draw with Liverpool and with Evra struggling for form, this duel could be the most significant of the night.

Adebayor vs Ferdinand

Togolese international Emmanuel Adebayor certainly has the physical presence to cause problems for messers Ferdinand and Vidic.

Ferdinand was a man mountain for United in Porto but he faces a striker in form when it comes to Europe in the shape of Adebayor.

The Gunners’ front man has five goals in five games in the Champions League this season and he undoubtedly has the ability to produce moments of magic, just like that goal against Villarreal.

Champions League Form

Manchester United: X,D,W,X,W
Arsenal: L,W,L,X,W