Manchester United could face similar transfer ban to Chelsea

Manchester United could be the second of the Barclays Premier League's “big four” to be hit by a transfer ban after Le Havre confirmed yesterday that they are pursuing a “very similar” case to that won by Lens against Chelsea.

Alain Belsoeur, the managing director of Le Havre, told The Times that the outcome of the Chelsea hearing was “very important and very encouraging” as they seek Fifa sanctions against United for allegedly “stealing” Paul Pogba, the teenage prodigy.

Le Havre insist that Pogba was under contract to them when he left for United this summer. They claim to have a pre-contract agreement signed by the player - and witnessed by his parents - in November 2006 that committed him to a professional contract from his 16th birthday, in March. Instead, the player allegedly walked away and turned up at Old Trafford.

The French club claim to have evidence that inducements were offered to Pogba's parents and say that details will be included in their submission to Fifa.

United have strenuously denied that they made any payments or have done anything against the rules. “It is complete nonsense,” a spokesman said. “Everything has been done within Uefa guidelines.”

Nevertheless, Fifa has yet to grant international clearance for Pogba to represent United and, with the French federation supporting Le Havre, it appears certain that the case will go before the world governing body.

“Of course we are still pursuing our case,” Belsoeur said. “It is a very serious case. We are confident that we'll win because it is in the best interests not just of our club but of sport.

“We spend €5million [about £4.3million] on our academy every year out of a turnover of €12million. It is a huge investment. We do that to give a chance to our players to develop for our first team, not to be an academy for others. What is the point of investing in an academy if the players leave at 16? This is clearly a message from Fifa to protect the education system.”

Le Havre, from Ligue 2, have a history of developing teenage talent and also of litigation against English clubs. They were engaged in a legal battle with Newcastle United over Charles N'Zogbia that lasted more than three years.

Le Havre insisted that N'Zogbia had breached his contract and were initially awarded €300,000 in compensation by Fifa. They appealed and in 2007 the Court of Arbitration for Sport insisted that N'Zogbia should pay £440,000 and Newcastle £200,000. “It took 3 years and we received about a quarter of what Newcastle received from Wigan when they sold the player,” Belsoeur said. He described Newcastle at the time as “predators”.

In the case of Pogba, Le Havre signed him at 13 from a small club in Paris. They had high hopes for the defensive midfield player, who has captained France Under-16s. But they heard rumours in May that United were interested.

They claim that they rang Old Trafford to explain that Pogba was under contract and say that they spoke directly to Brian McClair, United's academy director.

United went ahead with signing Pogba as a scholar and, according to Belsoeur, offered him a deal worth £3,500 a week as soon as he turns 17, the age at which players in England can sign full professional contracts.

Belsoeur said that many clubs in Europe would be delighted at the punishment against Chelsea because they were fed up with rich Premier League clubs poaching the best young talent. “We are not the only club who have had players stolen,” Belsoeur said.

“The reputation of British clubs is that they don't produce many players for their national team but take them away from foreign countries. We hope this [Fifa's ruling] will change the behaviour of English clubs, but we will have to see.”

Reserves: United 2 Wigan 1

Barclays Premier Reserve League
Moss Lane, 3 September 2009

MANCHESTER UNITED 2
Anderson 38, Eikrem 48

WIGAN ATHLETIC 1
Cwyka 17 (pen)

The Reds' perfect start to the 2009/10 continued on Thursday, with a hard-fought victory over Wigan Athletic.

Despite falling behind early on through a Latics penalty, United roared back to take the three points through goals from Anderson and Magnus Eikrem.

The Brazilian midfielder shone all evening, completing 90 minutes and linking the midfield and attack with distinction, while club captain Gary Neville also notched a full run-out in the centre of defence.

The England international was rarely troubled as United dominated proceedings, and only some wonderful saves from Latics goalkeeper Lee Nicholls kept the score respectable.

From the off, United were on top - only for the visitors to take the lead when Cameron Stewart felled Tomasz Cywka inside the area. The Polish livewire dusted himself down and clinically sent Ben Amos the wrong way from the spot.

Undeterred, the Reds continued to make all the running. Sam Hewson was only fractionally away from turning in Eikrem's centre, before the Norwegian drew a fine low save from Nicholls.

The Latics 'keeper was helpless shortly afterwards, however, when Anderson accepted an infield ball from Febian Brandy, fashioned space for himself with a clever body-swerve to bypass two defenders, and then lashed a powerful shot inside Nicholls' near post.

Stewart almost had United ahead before the break, but could only skew his effort wide after a delightful one-two with Matty James.
Parity's end was in sight, however, and the Reds needed just three minutes of the second half to establish a telling lead.

Anderson was again involved, releasing half-time substitute Josh King down the left flank, and the Norwegian youngster showed terrific trickery to free himself from his marker before crossing for Eikrem to sidefoot home.

While United dominated for large spells thereon, Wigan's Callum McManaman twice came close to levelling matters; firstly with a hooked effort which James Chester superbly headed over his own crossbar, then with a long-range belter which thudded against Amos' woodwork.

Moments earlier, King had headed Anderson's cross against the Wigan bar from deep inside the six yard box, while Nicholls performed a quite stunning save to keep out a close-range header from Hewson.

The visiting goalkeeper then thwarted Brandy at close quarters, and was at full length to turn James' effort round the post. While those spurned chances made for nervous watching, Eikrem's goal ultimately proved enough to maintain the Reds' 100 percent start to the new campaign.

United: Amos; Fabio, Neville, Chester, Dudgeon; Stewart (King, 46), Eikrem (Norwood, 72), Anderson, James, Hewson; Brandy (Gill 88).
Subs not used: Devlin, Wootton.

Report by Steve Bartram, Manutd.com

Rooney: I'm no cheat

WAYNE Rooney has rounded on anyone trying to drag him into the on-going diving debate by declaring: "I am an honest player."

Amid the furore that accompanied the two-match ban Eduardo has received for "deceiving the referee" during Arsenal's victory over Celtic last week, Rooney's conduct at Old Trafford was questioned at the weekend.

Most former professionals have argued the penalty Rooney earned against Arsenal was perfectly fair because Manuel Almunia put his arms in front of the Manchester United striker before he went down.

However, TV replays showed that Rooney appeared to be heading for the turf before the Arsenal keeper made contact and that the spot-kick should not have been given.

The allegation he cheated is something the 23-year-old strongly rejects.

"Everyone who watches me play knows I am an honest player," he said. "I play the game as honestly as I can. "If the referee gives a penalty there is nothing you can do. It is a penalty. "If they want to take punishment further it is down to UEFA and the people who run the game. As players you just want to play."

Arsenal intend to appeal against Eduardo's punishment, with Arsene Wenger particularly aggrieved because he believes the Croatian was touched by Celtic's Artur Boruc.

There have certainly been far worse instances this week alone, Emmanuel Eboue being a prime example.

However, Rooney does not believe the problem is any worse now than it has been in the past.

"Diving has been in the game for years," he said. "Probably the coverage the game gets now, with all the cameras around, it gets highlighted a bit more. "But it hasn't got any worse."

Certainly, Rooney can see a problem if the authorities try to clamp down on the diving issue as Wenger has demanded.

And, rather than rely on TV evidence, the Merseysider feels the referee is the best person to deal with such issues, even if there are instances when he might get it wrong.

"It is difficult to prove," he said. "You see some that should not have been penalties but get given and others that are clear and do not. "The decisions are down to the referee. It is a difficult job but they do the best they can."

Rooney does feel players have a role to play as well. Although traditionalists bemoan diving as a continental disease, there are plenty of instances when British players have bent the rules to gain an advantage.
But the United man feels players who dive are not just cheating the opposition, they are duping the paying public as well.

"England has always had a good record of being honest," he said. "It is important you try and play honestly. "You don't like to see anyone cheating. It is not fair on the fans or the opponents."

Berba: I'm still learning

Dimitar Berbatov takes his art very seriously.

A born entertainer with a penchant for the unpredictable, the 28-year-old striker admits he and his colleagues relish every chance to wow the Old Trafford crowd. We recently caught up with the Bulgarian at United's Carrington training ground...

Dimitar, you’ve looked very sharp in the early part of this season. Has it helped to have a pre-season campaign and some stability, as opposed to last summer’s last-minute move to United?
It has. Pre-season is important to every player and I think now we are ready for the long season ahead. Again we are going for everything there is to win, like every year. We have a good squad. I don’t need to introduce anybody – everybody knows what Manchester United players are capable of, so we are ready to go again.

How big a relief was it to get off the mark at Wigan?
It was a relief, it is always good to start scoring. Plus, I prefer to score beautiful goals than ugly goals, and this one was really nice. I was going for the ball and aiming to catch it before him [Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland]. I did it and I was thinking: 'Now I’m going to smash it in the net!' It turns out I didn’t catch it so well, but it still ended up in the net. A goal is a goal!

How highly do you rate Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, your fellow senior strikers?
What can you say about Wayne? He’s been here for so many years, playing top football and it’s amazing that he’s only 23. When he reaches around 28, he’ll be even better. We see in training, and you can see in games, the unbelievable passion he has for football. As for Michael Owen, he won the Ballon d’Or – that says everything. I think Sir Alex was right to bring him here and he will have the chances to score many goals for us.

You’re three very different strikers – are you learning from one another?
I don’t think you stop learning until you quit football. With all the talents we have in Manchester United, they do stuff that sometimes I honestly cannot do – and I don’t even try to do because I would look like a fool! Sometimes you want to try new stuff, you see people doing things and you ask them about it. You learn from each other. To develop, you have to.

What about Danny Welbeck and Kiko Macheda?
I think they have bright, maybe even great, futures. But if they want to achieve that then I think the only man they have to listen to is the boss. They have the potential, that’s why they’re here. If you want to achieve something you need to develop that talent. The place to do that is right here, under the boss.

What have you made of United’s start to the season?
Sometimes it takes time to start well. Against Birmingham we were probably at 70 percent, then that loss against Burnley was devastating and hurt everybody. But we struck back well against Wigan.

Was the Arsenal game the sort of match the team relishes?
It’s always good to play against your rivals for the title. The way Arsenal have started this season has been unbelievable. They have scored many goals and have players who are very technically gifted. That’s what is good about them; they play good football and move the ball around quickly. Arsene Wenger has been here so long, and he has a talent for developing young players into superstars.

Last season United’s record against other members of the ‘big four’ was one win from six games. Is that something the players are aiming to rectify this season?
It is. We didn’t do well against them, but in the end we were champions. If you ask any of the other sides which they would prefer, to beat the big teams or be champions, what do you think they would say? The main goal is to win the Premier League again. We did it last year and I think we’ll also improve our results against our rivals, but in the end it’s all about winning the Premier League.

Is it true that you’re perhaps the biggest movie buff in the United squad?
Everybody in the team watches a lot of movies, but with me it is a real hobby. When you are a foreign player in another country sometimes you have a lot of time on your hands. I am always watching movies at home. If I wanted to, I could open a video store with my DVDs! At the moment, though, I am more into watching TV shows. I watch House and Entourage, and I’m waiting for the new series of Heroes and Lost. My favourite is House, I never miss an episode.

Report by Steve Bartram, Manutd.com

Evans Risks Fergie Fury

Jonny Evans could be heading for trouble with his Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson after putting country before club.

The Daily Star reports that Evans has told Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington he will be available for his country’s two most important games in a quarter of a century.

He needs an operation on a troublesome ankle but has put the hospital visit on ice until after he plays in two vital World Cup qualifying games against Poland on Saturday and Slovakia next ­Wednesday at Windsor Park.

The ankle injury has dogged him for the last nine months and forced him to miss last weekend’s victory over Arsenal.

If Evans, 21, aggravates it while playing for the Irish, it could hamper United who currently have ­injured Rio Ferdinand sidelined.

But Evans, who is with the Northern Ireland squad in Belfast, is desperate to help push them into the World Cup finals.

They are currently ­second in Group Three, two points behind leaders Slovakia.

Boss Worthington said: “Jonny called me to say that he needs to have an operation. But he wants to try to battle through the next two internationals and see how he copes with that.

“It’s great news for me and the squad that Jonny wants to keep going and make himself available for the games and he ­recognises the ­importance of the games.”

Arsène Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson head for Uefa showdown

• Managers in Nyon for elite club coaches' forum
• Duo nursing grievances from Old Trafford fixture

Arsène Wenger will discover tomorrow how his complaint about Manchester United using "anti-football" tactics has gone down with Sir Alex Ferguson when the two managers come face to face while still nursing grievances from last weekend's controversial fixture at Old Trafford.

According to The Guardian, Wenger and Ferguson will be in Nyon for the next two days as part of Uefa's elite club coaches' forum, when it could conceivably be stiff handshakes all around between the representatives of the English clubs. Rafael Benítez, of Liverpool, has confirmed he will travel to Switzerland at a time when his relationship with Ferguson appears to be irreparably damaged.

Ferguson is angry and disappointed about the way Wenger has attacked United since Arsenal's 2-1 defeat in Manchester last Saturday. Wenger's comments about United's perceived foul play surprised the management at Old Trafford where there is a sense that he has broken a gentleman's agreement between him and Ferguson to refrain from criticising each other's clubs.

Relations between the two old rivals have significantly improved over the last two seasons and Ferguson felt they parted at Old Trafford on good terms, having a cordial conversation and shaking hands before Wenger boarded the Arsenal team coach.

Sir Alex was particularly aggrieved about the implied criticisms of Fletcher. Wenger complained that one United player had made 20 fouls without being booked whereas the official statistics say that Fletcher gave away six free-kicks, the same number as the Arsenal's Robin van Persie.

Manchester United include Owen Hargreaves in Champions League squad

• Player not due back training until late September

• Midfielder likely to be available for Wolfsburg game

Owen Hargreaves has been included in Manchester United's Champions League squad.

Hargreaves is not due back at United's Carrington training complex until 23 September to step up his rehabilitation work after undergoing operations on both knees to cure a career-threatening tendinitis problem.

By that time, United will have already started their quest to reach a third successive Champions League final against Besiktas in Istanbul.

In theory, Hargreaves would be available for the home encounter with the German champions Wolfsburg on 30 September. More likely though, the former Bayern Munich midfielder will come into contention later in a group that also includes CSKA Moscow.

In total, United have registered 35 players for the competition, a number swelled by 10, including Anderson and Jonny Evans, who were born after 1 January, 1988, and have spent two years at the club.

£504 million shelled out by English Premier League sides

English Premier League were the biggest spenders in transfers by breaking the £500 million barrier.
In other leagues, Spanish clubs splashed out 477 million euros on new players during the summer transfer window, more than half of which was spent by Real Madrid, according to tally by a Spanish newspaper today.
But the total is still less than the 504 million shelled out by English Premier League sides, El Mundo said, one day after the official close of the transfer season. Real and Barcelona accounted for more than 75 per cent of the transfer fees in Spain’s Primera Liga, the paper said.

Real paid Manchester United a world record 94 million euros for Cristiano Ronaldo, part of a record 250 million they spent on new players, including Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso. They also sold a number of players —notably Dutchmen Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar — for a combined fee of 93 million, sports newspapers AS and Marca said.

Spanish and European champions Barcelona forked out 110 million euros. Barca chairman Joan Laporta claims the club spent 80 million but Spanish media said the real amount is 110 million as Samuel Eto’o left for Inter Milan in part exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Both Real and Barca have announced record budgets of more than 400 million euros for the 2009-10 season.

In Europe, the only English club in the same league was Manchester City, which spent 140 million euros, El Mundo said. After the English and Spanish leagues came Italy’s Serie A, where clubs paid 422 million euros for new players this summer, the French first division (245 million) and the German Bundesliga (220 million).

City lead the way in summer Premier League spending: Manchester United 8th

Manchester City's millions provided the Barclays Premier League with the major transfer news over the summer months.

Last week's capture of Joleon Lescott took Mark Hughes' summer spending to £118m - more than double that of Aston Villa who finish second in the biggest spenders chart.

But just who will provide value for money?

Ferguson keeps cool despite fears of United complacency

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted harbouring doubts about his team's commitment after the defeat at Burnley two weeks ago but appears determined to stick with the players he has, declaring it would be an "insult" to abandon his instincts and launch a deadline day foray into the transfer market.

"After the Burnley game, I examined our commitment, but after analysing our failings, I didn't think we were lacking in that area," Ferguson said. "I must always guard against complacency. Some players can drive themselves on while others are happy to settle for an easy life, but Manchester United cannot afford that kind of player. You don't suddenly scrap your transfer policy because of one defeat, even if it was a bad one."

It certainly seems that Ferguson will be as good as his word, with only an eleventh-hour move by cash-strapped Valencia to sell David Villa likely to alter that picture.

Though the absence of an offensive threat, following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, appeared to be Ferguson's most substantial problem, it was United's midfield which raised question marks in the unconvincing 2-1 win over Arsenal. Key to United's strength there is the rehabilitation of Owen Hargreaves who is back in training on 23 September after operations on both knees.

Ferguson remains uncertain of how near to match readiness he is. "The difficult part will be to get him back in the football side of it," the manager said. "I say 'difficult' because we've not really seen him operate at this moment in time. We're relying on information we're getting from the States. We're certain of one thing, his fitness will be good, his endurance work will have been done, we will just have to gauge when the right time is to put him into the football side of it. You don't have a player who has been out for over a year and suddenly throw him into the fire right away. I think we'll be taking our time."

By Ian Herbert