Latest News …
Guardian: Manchester United have sent Louis Saha to see a specialist amid growing concerns at Old Trafford about their injury list. Although most of Ferguson’s problems are in defence, the United manager has become increasingly concerned by Saha’s inability to recover from a recurrent hamstring strain that has limited him to four starts since the turn of the year.
Saha was a virtual ever-present for the opening half of the season but has not begun a match since February 27, when United beat Reading 3-2 in an FA Cup fifth-round replay, and the club’s medical staff are uncertain about how much part, if any, the Frenchman will be able to take in the remaining few weeks of the season.
The better news for the Premiership leaders is that Rio Ferdinand and John O’Shea hope to be available for Saturday’s game at home to Middlesbrough. However, Ferguson is without Nemanja Vidic until mid-May because of a broken collarbone, Gary Neville is still recovering from a groin strain and Patrice Evra faces extensive treatment for a calf injury if he is to be available for Milan’s visit to Old Trafford on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. There are also concerns that Park Ji-sung’s season may be over because of a knee injury.
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Guardian: Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted he could retire as a player next year, the Norwegian newspaper Verdans Gang (VG) quoted him as saying on Thursday.
Solskjaer, who joined United from Norway’s Molde in 1996, said he was not planning to continue playing once his current contract expires, but still aimed to perform at a high level next season.
“I’ll most likely stay here,” the 34-year-old Norwegian told the newspaper. “I have one year left on my contract and aim to do well enough to stay on. I’m pretty sure I’ll be better next season when I’ve had one more year since the two or three years of being out (injured),” VG quoted him as saying.
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Guardian: Everton will benefit by £1.65m if Wayne Rooney and Manchester United end the season having secured a treble success in the Premiership, FA Cup and Champions League.
The England striker moved from Goodison Park to Old Trafford in the summer of 2004 for an initial fee of £20m but the terms of the deal include bonus payments of up to £7m. Some £23m has now been paid to the Merseyside club even though none of the clauses relating to the securing of honours has as yet been activated.
That could change in the next few weeks as United attempt to secure their first Premiership title since 2003 and meet Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley next month. Those honours would earn Everton £500,000 and £150,000 respectively, with another £1m due should Sir Alex Ferguson’s side edge beyond Milan in the Champions League semi-finals and go on to lift the trophy in Athens against either Liverpool or Chelsea on May 23. Should United lose in Greece, Everton would still benefit by £500,000.
The total could rise to £7m depending on events up until 2009. Everton will receive £3m even if none of these events occurs provided Rooney, 21, remains registered with United until June 30 2007, and if United sell him Everton will receive 25% of any sum received by the Old Trafford club in excess of all amounts paid under this agreement.
What Everton gets
Champions League
Winners £1m, runners-up £0.5m
Premiership
Winners £0.5m, runners-up £0.25m
FA Cup
Winners £0.15m
Contract extension
£1.5m
England
20 caps £0.5m; further 20 caps £0.5m
Payable until 2009
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Sun: DIEGO MARADONA has admitted his pain in hospital is being eased by the joy of watching Cristiano Ronaldo.The Argentinian legend saw Manchester United star Ronaldo in action from his sick bed as the Reds destroyed Watford 4-1 in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.
Maradona told personal physician Alfredo Cahe he was ‘enchanted’ by Ronaldo and called him a ‘phenomenon’.
Maradona, 46, was rushed to the Los Arcos clinic in Buenos Aires last Friday suffering from abdominal pains. He was diagnosed as having a relapse of hepatitis.
The World Cup winner was desperate to watch his former side Boca Juniors take on River Plate but doctors would not let him out for the match.
So Maradona had a 42-inch plasma TV installed in his room and insisted his sedatives be lowered so he would not fall asleep during the game.
He continued watching when United’s clash with Watford followed the Boca Juniors match.
Ronaldo scored one and combined with Wayne Rooney to take Watford apart. It was while watching one of Ronaldo’s runs and passes that he told Cahe ‘he is a phenomenon’ adding he was ‘enchanted’ by the Portuguese star’s play.
Maradona’s praise comes just days after United boss Alex Ferguson claimed Ronaldo could match the Argentine and Pele for talent.
Ronaldo, 22, is favourite to win both the players’ and sports writers’ Player of the Year honours this season. He has hit 21 goals as United close in on another Treble of Premiership title, Champions League and FA Cup.
Fergie said: “He has the talent to get to the level of Pele or Maradona. “At 22, Cristiano is definitely reaching the level of the best players in the world. Now it is up to others and all the other coaches in the world to decide if he is as good as Pele and Maradona.”
But Brazil idol Pele reckons Ronaldo has more to do before he can become a footballing great.
The Samba legend, who won three World Cups for his country and is widely regarded as the game’s greatest, admits it is too early to say the rampaging Red Devil is the best player in the world.
And Pele believes Ronaldo has not yet earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as him. Pele earned the moniker of best player ever after helping Brazil win the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He was only 17 at the 1958 tournament in Sweden.
He said: “Cristiano Ronaldo is a good player, no doubt. But to say now he’s the best player — it’s too soon. It is always difficult to say who is the best or not.
“We had someone like Zinedine Zidane for 10 years at the top. He was the best player in that time. I don’t know what happened to him with France at the last World Cup. He lost his head but no doubt Zidane was for 10 years the best.
“Then for the last five years we have had Ronaldinho. Everybody agrees he has been the best. But selecting the best player is not about six months or one year. It’s about maintaining that form for longer.”
Pele is also hoping United old boy David Beckham can inspire a new footballing revolution in America like he did 22 years ago. The striking superstar played for New York Cosmos in the old North American Soccer League, sparking a wave of interest in the game and record crowds.
Former England skipper Beckham will begin a new chapter in the Major Soccer League at Los Angeles Galaxy this summer after leaving Real Madrid.
Pele added: “I was one of the first players who went to the US to help improve football at the time. When I went to the States, there were other big names like George Best, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff.
“Football in the US became one of the best pastimes. But since then people over there haven’t paid much attention to the game.
“Yet a lot of people between the ages of eight and 20 play it. Once they get to 20 and the professional level, they have a problem and have to compete with basketball and American Football.
“With Beckham, maybe he can help to create more opportunities and create competition to rival the other sports. But they need more big names. Just David Beckham is not enough. They need more to try to close that gap between training and tournaments.
“I hope Beckham has luck there and can promote football in the States like we did before.”
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ENGLAND star Rio Ferdinand joined Tony Blair yesterday in a crusade against teenage gun and knife crime.
The pair met in Downing Street and agreed to launch a scheme in which Premiership footballers will warn kids of the perils of getting involved in gangs.
Man United defender Rio, 28, and other players will tour schools. PM Mr Blair wants all 20 Premiership clubs to provide at least one superstar to become an “ambassador”.
They would also visit youth clubs to help organise sports activities. A source said: “Our football stars could be a prize asset in tackling the root cause of gun culture.”
Mr Blair invited Rio to Number 10 when they met during a visit to gun-plagued Manchester in February.
An insider said: “They chatted about what could be done to halt the spread of weapons culture. Rio had some good ideas about how he and other footballers could get involved.”
A wave of fatal shootings and stabbings has seen seven teens killed in London this year.
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Sky: Even the news of Cristiano Ronaldo signing a new five-year deal at Manchester United has not convinced Real Madrid to concede defeat in their pursuit of the Portuguese star.
The frontrunner for the PFA Player of the Year award, who has lit up English football with his tremendous performances this season, committed his future to Sir Alex Ferguson on Friday after being constantly linked with a move to Spain.
Ronaldo’s very public show of faith in United had appeared to put a lid on talk of a potential summer switch, but Real sporting director Predrag Mijatovic has again raised the spectre of interest from the Bernabeu.
The Real official admits he was not surprised to see Ronaldo pen his new five-year contract, and even though any move for the star would be fiercely resisted Mijatovic is refusing to rule out a sensational coup for Los Merengues.
“We knew that it could happen [Ronaldo’s new deal], he is a player with a lot of quality and plays in an important team that is playing very well,” Mijatovic told Radio Marca.
“We are going to see what happens in the summer.
“I see it as being very difficult, but it is not necessary to discard anything.
“In soccer today can be one thing and tomorrow another one.”
Ronaldo has again been linked with a move to the Bernabeu in the same week that Real captain Raul has been mooted as a possible summer target for Liverpool.
The Spanish international called on the club to clarify his position on Monday, and Mijatovic has obliged by underlining that he sees Raul as an integral part of Real’s plans.
“He is our captain and we already know what he has given and what he can give and it must be here.”
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Guardian : Rio Ferdinand has been signed up as the first of a potential string of Premiership “ambassadors” to lure vulnerable young people away from street gangs and knife crime.
The Manchester United defender met Tony Blair in Downing Street yesterday to take on the role. Other top-flight footballers may follow his example.
The idea came out of a “gun summit” in Moss Side, Manchester, earlier this year, when the prime minister met Ferdinand to discuss the problem.
Downing Street is now hoping that at least one star player from each Premiership side will copy Ferdinand’s example and go out into communities and schools to try to dissuade young people from taking part in violent gang culture.
Although Mr Blair, in a controversial speech in Cardiff last week, called on the black community to denounce gang culture and identified the culprits as “young black kids”, No 10 said that “any willing” footballers - not only black players - could take up their offer.
After-school clubs offering career and skills advice are also part of the new thinking coming out of the summit.
Meanwhile, Labour’s plan to use the new Wembley stadium for a massive fund-raising bash soon after Mr Blair steps down has been criticised by the Conservatives.
The troubled ground - now more than a year overdue - is to host a Labour dinner for 1,000 people on July 12.
Sports stars such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Steve Cram and Monty Panesar will attend, and paying guests will be given an exclusive film by Lord Puttnam, the Labour peer.
Donors will also get to play football - or a choice of other sports - at the new ground.
But the shadow sports minister said it was “particularly inappropriate” to use the new national stadium for a party political event.
Hugh Robertson told the Sun: “We will need assurances the stadium has not been offered on anything other than proper commercial terms.”
