Manchester United

Nani scores a controversial goal against Tottenham 30-10-2010

2010-11-01T02:56:00.001-07:00

href="">

Reds face Hammers

2010-10-31T04:23:00.000-07:00

United will play away at West Ham in the Carling Cup quarter-finals.

Following Saturday's draw, the cup holders will travel to Upton Park the week commencing 29 November.

It'll be only the second meeting between the two sides in the League Cup. The first and only clash took place in October 1985 with United running out 1-0 winners at Old Trafford.

This season, victories away at Scunthorpe United in round three and at home to Wolves last Tuesday have ensured United's progression to the last eight.

After coming from behind to thump Scunthorpe 5-2 at Glanford Park, the Reds had Javier Hernandez to thank against Mick McCarthy's men last Tuesday after he struck a last-minute winner following a battling display from Wolves at Old Trafford.

Elsewhere in the draw, Arsenal will host Wigan, Aston Villa travel to Birmingham and Ipswich entertain West Brom.

Carling Cup draw

Quarter-finals

Arsenal v Wigan
Birmingham v Aston Villa
West Ham v United
Ipswich v West Brom

Ties to be played week commencing 29 November.

Squad sheets: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur

2010-10-30T03:33:00.000-07:00

Manchester United are the only unbeaten side in the division but are five points behind Chelsea, largely because Sir Alex Ferguson's team have already drawn more games than in the whole of last season. Tottenham have gone 25 games without beating United in all competitions, their last victory at Old Trafford all the way back in 1989, a 1-0 win courtesy of Gary Lineker. Wayne Rooney will be absent again for the home side but that is not as significant a setback as it would have been this time last year and the biggest threat to Spurs may be Javier Hernández, with three goals in the last week. Daniel Taylor

Venue Old Trafford, Saturday 5.30pm

Tickets Sold out

Last season Manchester Utd 3 Tottenham 1

Drunk ref

2010-10-29T12:53:00.001-07:00

Carrick: We've got positive vibes

2010-10-29T09:03:00.001-07:00

United have come through a turbulent start to 2010/11 that included worrying dropped away points and a crisis over the future of the team’s star player. With both matters seemingly resolved, midfielder Michael Carrick says there is left behind a positive feeling that the team can get on with challenging for honours.
The Reds have won three games in a row and, even when Stoke City equalised at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday, looked like a team galvanised with intent, determined to take all three points.

“We need to focus on putting a good run together,” Carrick told. “But you can’t look too far ahead and start planning how your run will pan out. We’ve got a huge game against Spurs and we’re focused on that first, but around the camp the atmosphere is bubbly and the lads are happy. It’s a really positive vibe at the moment. Hopefully that carries us through.

“The games come thick and fast now, and thankfully we’re in the cups and fighting in the league. The challenge is there for us to stick together and really mount a challenge. That’s what we’re focused on. The games we’ve drawn, we feel like we’ve thrown them away. But we’re still unbeaten, which gives you confidence, and we’ve got three wins in a row.”

Carrick faces former club Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday tea-time, but he's taking no comfort in United’s unbeaten home record against Spurs in the Premier League. “Records like that won’t affect the game,” he says. “If we’ve had a bad time somewhere, we go into it as a fresh game. It’s all new. We need to be on our guard because it’s a big test. They’re playing well and have had some great results. They’ve got such a strong squad that it’s going to be a challenge. But we rise to challenges, hopefully we do that again.”

Hernandez eases the burden

2010-10-29T06:44:00.001-07:00

United are without two experienced front men for Tottenham's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday as Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen face extended spells on the sidelines. But the form of Dimitar Berbatov and emergence of Javier Hernandez as a ready-made Red means United are in good shape.
Chicharito has six goals this season, including four in his last four games and two winners in the last two matches. “We’re all pleased with him,” says Sir Alex. “Everyone at the club is excited about him. He has the right desires, trains well and is very receptive to coaching. He looks after himself, and he’s got good pedigree, everything's in his favour.”

That’s some endorsement. But Sir Alex isn’t completely surprised by how quickly Hernandez has settled since swapping Mexico for Manchester. “We’re not surprised - we identified a lot about him before we signed him. We did a lot of work on him. Seeing him in pre-season and in training, we thought he'd do well and he has.

"You never know with a young boy coming from Mexico because it’s a different culture. But he speaks the language and that’s important. His winning goal on Tuesday demonstrated again that he’s a very good finisher."

It’s not just Hernandez that has instigated a turnaround in fortunes for United, now with three straight wins. “The players are focused,” explains the boss. “It was a great result at Stoke. Everyone knows how difficult it is there. It was good coming back from losing a goal. Given our record this season, it could have been a killer. But it galvanised the players and we played our best football after that. The fans were brilliant too. It was a big lift for everyone.”

Brown backs Reds rookies

2010-10-28T12:29:00.001-07:00

Ravel Morrison may not have touched the ball but taking to the field was still a feat to behold, according to his captain on the night Wes Brown.
The 17 year-old attacking midfielder replaced Ji-sung Park in injury time, just in time to make his debut as the Reds played out the final moments of the Carling Cup win over Wolves.

"Ravel’s a great player," enthused Brown.

"He’s been training with us, on and off, since the start of the season. I think the gaffer really likes him, he’s very talented and he’ll obviously be delighted to have come on, even if it was for just a couple of minutes and he didn’t touch the ball. He’s a good lad and hopefully he can keep on progressing."

It was also a big night for Bebe - the 20 year-old Portuguese plundered his first goal on the occasion of his first senior start for the Reds.

"Coming to Manchester United is a very different experience for Bebe," said Wes. "But he’s settled in well and he’s training well. Games like this will really help him. He's shown a little bit of what he can do and we know he’s capable of a lot more."

The close-fought victory over Wolves was testament not only to the talent of the young players, believes Brown, but also to the staying power of the entire side, including elder statesmen like his good self.
“I think I was the oldest player in the team by a good few years so I got the armband tonight," said

Now watch Anderson go

2010-10-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

Nani is backing his friend and team-mate Anderson to follow in his footsteps and establish himself as an important and regular performer in United's first-team.
Both players arrived from Portuguese Liga in 2007 with vast promise to be top players for the Reds.

After showing sometimes sporadic flashes of his undoubted talent, Nani has fully realised his promise and become a key figure at Old Trafford. Now he's backing Anderson to do the same.

"Everyone knows the quality that Anderson has," Nani told ManUtd.com. "He was unlucky with the knee injury that he suffered because he was just starting to play well and show us what we know he can do."

Anderson suffered cruciate knee ligament damage against West Ham in February earlier this year. He's since returned to action and shown he's back on track to be a key man for the Reds. But there's plenty more to come from him, according to Nani.

"We all know here that he is an amazing player," he says. "He is strong, he is a very clever player too and he can be a very important player in this team.

"He is a strong character too, which you need at this club. He’s not scared of anything. He’ll take the ball in any situation and he can be a top player for Manchester United."

Live: United v Spurs

2010-10-28T11:52:00.001-07:00

United entertain Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday tea-time (kick-off 17:30 BST) and you can follow the action live on ManUtd.com.

United: To be confirmed around 45 minutes before kick-off

Match Tracker provides minute-by-minute text commentary, while Magic 1152am's live audio commentary will be streamed live on MUTV Online.

Both live services, radio and text, will be available from around 15 minutes before kick-off (17:15 BST), and you can post your comments as the game unfolds in the official Match Tracker thread on our Talking Reds message board.

Our in-depth coverage after the game includes our match report, player ratings feature, reaction from Sir Alex Ferguson and the team, and a gallery of photos.

Mobile text messagesOut and about? Don't miss a thing with MUmobile's SMS alerts direct to your phone.

Video highlights*
Watch the best action on MUTV Online from midnight on Saturday, together with post-match manager and player interviews. To subscribe, visit manutd.com/video.

(*23:00 on match night for Champions League games, 24 hours after the final whistle for Carling Cup games and 00:00 midnight for other fixtures).

Papers: Owen's end game?

2010-10-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Owen could hang up his boots
Michael Owen may quit football if Manchester United release him at the end of this season. Owen, 30, is in the final season of a two-year deal and there have been no talks with boss Alex Ferguson about a possible extension. He said: "I would honestly love to stay but you will have to ask the manager about the long term. I could score at this level for many years and would love it to be at a top club like United. Whether I would want to be dropping down to a poorer Premier League team, I don't know. Yes I could score goals but I would probably get less opportunities and less enjoyment. I just don't feel my game is suited to a team that is really struggling. I won't drop down leagues."
Neil Custis, The Sun
The word 'quit' is, in fact, associated with two United strikers in The Sun - the other being Javier Hernandez. The paper takes quotes from our feature on Chicharito's rise, in which his father Javier senior says: "He doubted himself. He doubted he was capable of playing in the First Division."

Other quotes from Michael Owen - following a personal appearance for BT - include an update on his fitness. The Reds' number seven was shaping to face Wolves in the Carling Cup but says he "had a setback in training" with "a different muscle injury and some damage to my hamstring." Owen expects to be out for a few weeks. (Mirror)
If that makes Owen doubtful for the Manchester derby on 10 November, he's not the only one... City's former Reds striker Carlos Tevez has reportedly flown home to Argentina to "rehab a leg injury." (Mirror)