Ferdinand and Evra back to face Blues
January 9, 2009
Rio Ferdinand will be back for United this weekend to face Chelsea after the defender returned to training following injury.
Ferdinand has been out the last four matches since suffering a recurrence of a back injury but returns in time for the Reds top of the table clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference Alex Ferguson said “Rio is fit to play. He’s missed the last few games and that’s given us time to get things settled down. He’s very good; he’s trained for the last few days and is feeling much better.
He is one of the best centre backs in the world, and it does make a difference because he’s got the stature and presents to play in the big games.”
Ferdinand’s return to action will be a disappointment for young centre back Jonny Evans who has come on leaps and bounds this season. With Ferdinand back to partner Nemanja Vidic at the centre of United’s defence, Evans will have to make do with a spot on the bench.
Manchester United have an almost complete squad to choose from for the match at Old Trafford and the team is also boosted by the fact that Patrice Evra will be back following his four match suspension following the incident at Stamford Bridge last season.
“We had 24 players training this morning” said Ferguson. “Patrice will be the freshest man on the pitch on Sunday. He’s had a nice break, but he’s training well, he’s looking forward to it and it’s a great boost because he’s been fantastic this season. So we’ve everyone fit the Sunday except Wes [Brown] and Owen [Hargreaves], which is a really good position to be in.”
Patrice Evra charged but Rio is in the clear
July 19, 2008
Patrice Evra has been charged with improper conduct over the incident at Stamford Bridge last season when Manchester United lost 2 – 1 to Chelsea as the season drew to a close.
After the game, the United players were warming down when what was reported as “a brawl” (a better description might be handbags) broke out with Evra at the centre.
A statement on the FA’s website read:
“The FA has today issued charges against Manchester United defender Patrice Evra and Chelsea groundsman Sam Bethell in connection with an incident that occured on the pitch after the match at Stamford Bridge on 26 April.
“Both Evra and Bethell have been charged with improper conduct in respect of their altercation. Bethell has also been charged with using abusive language aggravated by reference to nationality/race.”
Rio Ferdinand was involved in a altercation involving a female steward after the match but the FA have issued no charges on the basis that the incident was an accident and an apology had been issued.
You can read the full statement here
Evra signs on for another 4 years
June 12, 2008
Patrice Evra finally penned a new contract at Manchester United today tying the in-form left back to the club until 2012.
Patrice Evra had only 12 months left on his current deal which meant the French International would soon be free to talk to other clubs with a view to moving on a free. United were keen to ensure this didn’t happen and tie one of our key players to a long term contract.
Evra joined us back in January 2006 for what has turned out to be a bargain at just £4 million. After a slow start, he firmly established himself as first choice left back, ousting Gabrielle Heinze who eventually moved to Real Madrid to accommodate Evra.
The signing will dispel any rumours of Evra leaving for Italy thankfully. “The last two-and-a-half seasons have been the start of a dream for me,” he said. “It is a pleasure and an honour to be part of this fantastic side and to be coached by Sir Alex Ferguson and his staff.”
Patrice Evra to replace Eric Abidal says Eric Abidal
June 10, 2008
Its a little unusual but Eric Abidal has backed calls for Patrice Evra to take his stating place in the French starting eleven. France were booed by their own fans after a disappointing 0 0 draw with Romania on Monday and Abidal has been highlighted as one of the worst performers of the team.
Abidal had a poor first season with Barcelona in contrast to Evra who had an outstanding season with the European Champions. Evra is undoubtedly in great form which beggars the question, what on earth was Raymond Domenech thinking of when he put Abidals name on that team sheet?
It now looks certain that Evra will be given the nod in Frances upcoming match against the Netherlands with even Abidal himself backing the calls. Asked whether he would mind being replaced by Uniteds number one, Abidal said:
“Im for it, it wouldnt annoy me, its a good pressure. He has won many titles. I am for competition, it helps the squad grow. Theres no problem if you give everything on the pitch.”
United’s contingent at Euro 2008
June 7, 2008
Being Premiership Champions and Champions League Winners, you would be forgiven for thinking the bulk of our players will be away at the Euros which start today. Unfortunately for us (the supporters, England ones in particular), but fortunately for United, that won’t be the case as only 5 of our players will compete in this summer’s tournament.
In his time at United, Ferguson has always created a squad with many British players and his latest squad is no different. Throw in a few South American’s, a South Korean and a handful of Europeans and you’ve got our team. With no British teams qualifying, many of our players will be putting their feet up in preparation for the new campaign so on a positive note, we can expect to hit the ground running next season.
That said, here’s the players that will be representing their countries in this year’s tournament and how we think they will fare.
Cristiano Ronaldo & Nani for Portugal
Obviously tipped to be one of the stars of the tournament but will all the hype surrounding his potential Real Madrid move have any impact on his performance? We should expect to see both Ronaldo and Nani playing key roles for Portugal with both trying to get on the ball and play.
Portugal have been drawn in the group A along with Switzerland, Turkey and Czech Republic and will kick off tonight against Turkey followed by matches against Czech Republic and Switzerland. Playing the home nation is never an easy task but a I fully expect them to qualify with 2 if not 3 wins.
Patrice Evra for France
Despite a successful club campaign last season, Evra will start as second choice to Barcelona’s Abidal. With the speed and versality of Evra, I fully expect him to have a role to play for France, especially if things are not going well. Evra will probably be used as an impact player.
France have been drawn in group C and will start their campaign against Romania on Monday. It is then two very difficult games against the Netherlands and Italy with both of these teams having a very realistic chance of qualifying. This is a tough group to call but I’m going for France and Italy, sorry Holland.
Edwin van Der Sar for the Netherlands
This is Van der Sar’s last outing as an International player so it goes without saying he will want to go out with a bang. The Dutch squad is strong this season but they are in a very difficult group starting out against Italy on Monday followed by games against France and Romania.
The Dutch have an excellent chance of progressing but it remains to be seen whether the team can play to their potential having fallen so many times before. Unfortunately for Edwin, I fear the Netherlands may be one of the early casualties of the tournament.
Tomasz Kuszczak For Poland
Unfortunately for Kuszczak, he probably wont get a game this summer unless there is an injury to Poland’s usual goalkeeper Artur Boruc.
Poland are in group B and play their opening game against Germany followed by matches against Austria and Croatia. Germany are sure-fire favourites to win this group and I expect Croatia to join them in the latter stages.
