Man Utd managed to convince Ronaldo to stay at the club, but it remains to be seen if Tottenham will be successful in trying to hold onto Berba. Juande Ramos stated that the Bulgarian hitman is in his plans, and that he is not for sale. However, Berbatov is more determined than ever to make the move to Manchester happen. The relationship between Tottenham and Man Utd continues to crumble, and it is yet unknown if the two parties will reach an agreement before the 1st September.

While on international duty in his home country Bulgaria, Berbatov was stopped by a Manchester United fan who asked him to sign the shirt for him. Without any hesitation, Berbatov took the shirt and signed his name and the number 9 next to the club badge. The Sun has the exclusive photo and ran the story first, with comments from onlookers and ex-Tottenham players. The general consensus by the Tottenham fans is that the club should sell Berbatov, but most of the Man Utd fans believe that he is not the best option out there. Many Red Devil fans would have preferred having Huntelaar in the team. However, fans will always support Ferguson’s decisions, and his persistency to get this player signals that he must be the man to improve the club’s goal tally. Berbatov has been criticised for sulking, thinking he is bigger than the club, and acting unprofessionally when things are not going his way. His numerous goals at Old Trafford, will surely make the fans forget all this, and chant his name as Man Utd attempt to repeat the 1999 Treble.

The Sun story - official link

It is not a very common thing to have players transferring between the top clubs in English football. However, it has happened before, and thus it is only a minor shock to have a player joining his previous club’s biggest rival. This is what Mikael Silvestre, the 31-year old Man Utd defender has just done. It was officially announced that the player has joined the Arsenal party to strengthen the defensive department of the club. Although undisclosed, the fee is thought to be around £750,000. The move goes against Wenger’s policy of giving one-year contracts to over-30 players, as Mikael has signed a two-year deal.

After spending 9 years at Old Trafford, but rarely getting a straight run of first-team action, Silvestre acknowledged the effect that the club has had on his career, and thanked the United faithful for their support. The defender and full-back appeared 249 times in the famous Man Utd shirt, netting 6 goals in 9 years. Previously he played for Rennes and Inter Milan, before joining Man Utd in 1999 for £3.5 million. He will now join fellow Frenchman Arsene Wenger and wear the number 18 shirt for Arsenal. The last player to make the move from Man Utd to Arsenal was Brian Kidd in 1974.

Silvestre was praised by his teammates, Man Utd manager and Arsenal manager, as a great player with good knowledge of the game:

“I’m very surprised, I have been with Mikael basically all the time I’ve been in the first team squad. He is a great professional and it is sad to see him go. But he has not been playing many games at the moment and he wants to play, so all the best to him. If he wants to go I’m sure it will be good for him, as long as he is happy with it and plays games. It is rare to move from Manchester United to Arsenal, but if you are going to go anywhere why not go to a good team and I’m sure that’s what Mikael will be thinking.” - Wesley Brown (Man Utd defender)

“Mikael was a great servant and a wonderful professional. We wish him all the best at his new club and thank him for his service.” - Sir Alex Ferguson (Man Utd manager)

“Mikael’s versatility, experience and calibre will provide the extra depth we need to reinforce our challenge for honours this season. His defensive adaptability will serve us well and it’s a big plus that Mikael has top-level experience and a great understanding of football in the Premier League.” - Arsene Wenger (Arsenal Manager)

Valencia is cash-strapped and would negotiate with clubs in order to cover its expenses. The fee being mentioned by the press is in the region of £18 million, which is a bargain for the talented winger. Silva provides an exciting addition to the 2008/09 midfield department, and with Man Utd having cash to spend and a manager-backing board, it seems that this deal could materialise even before the Premier League kicks off. Apart from this transfer, Man Utd would also be in contention for a striker. The chance to sign a sensational Spanish target does not come knocking often, and Fergie will not miss this opportunity to sign Silva, if reports are to be believed.

The ageing Barcelona striker is on the downturn of his career which reached its peak at the Gunners. Repeatedly he has stated that he is still an Arsenal fan and if he ever return to the Premiership, it will be with Arsenal. The Barca striker is will soon be 31 years old, and goes against the current trend of buying players for the future (Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Nani, Anderson). This can be seen as a strategical statement by Fergie to get the true target that he has in mind: probably Dimitar Berbatov.

A move for the Tottenham striker was made more difficult when the relationship between both clubs slumped, after the Tottenham chairman launched a scathing attack on the Man Utd boss, branding him a hypocrite for his comments regarding Ronaldo. The breakdown can be tracked back to the transfer of Michael Carrick, with Tottenham believing that they could have got more for the midfielder. Tottenham have slapped a £30 million price tag on the striker for Manchester United, while saying that the player can go for £25 million to any other club (Milan and Barcelona). It is unlikely that the two clubs would come to an agreement before the mentioned deadline by Ferguson, unless the player goes on strike and refuses to play in the opening match for Tottenham.

A much more attractive target, and one which has the backing of nearly all Man Utd fans is Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, nicknamed the Hunter. The Ajax striker exhibited his goalscoring prowess last season when he scored 36 goals in 39 games, an average of 0.92 goals per match. Ajax are practically using the Dutch lad to gain qualification for the Champions League. This was confirmed by statement made by the Ajax administration, who said that if Huntelaar helps them qualify for the Champions League in the coming two seasons (2008/09 and 2009/10), it would bring a total of 20 million euros in revenue to the club, and then the player can move for a free transfer when his contract expires in 2010. If Man Utd can give Ajax a more secure option: getting 20 million immediately; it may tempt them to sell. Huntelaar stated that he would be delighted to follow in van Nistelrooy’s footsteps and be a success at Old Trafford. He would be the ideal partner for Tevez and Rooney in attack, and surely return a 30+ goal tally.

Although my personal preference is that Ferguson moves for Huntelaar, I would back the old man’s judgment on who is the best for Man Utd. He brought players before that were a huge success, and he will surely do it again. This is why he keeps all Man Utd fans believing in this great club, and he will make us proud again by retaining the Premier League 2008/09 trophy. We started the same as last season, by winning the Community Shield. If we keep our performances on a high, we CAN do it again!

After a pleasing pre-season, players have now gone back to business, with the new Premiership season fast approaching. The first competitive match for the amazing club from Manchester was played today, Sunday 10th August, exactly one week before the Premier League opener against Newcastle. Their opponents were last season’s FA Cup winners, Portsmouth, which beat Man Utd on their way to clinching the 2007/08 FA Cup trophy.

Many were predicting a difficult match for the Red Devils, with the absence of Rooney, Ronaldo and Anderson being the main reason behind this. Also, the need for a striker to partner the existing strikeforce lacked firepower for Man Utd up front. Gary Neville started the match with the captain’s armband, with this match being his first start in 17 months after he was hit by an injury that put him out of most of last season’s games. Van der Sar kept the number 1 jersey and looks set to do so for most of the coming campaign. The other players were Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, O’Shea, Scholes, Giggs, Nani and Tevez.

Brown (for Neville 66′), Carrick (for O’Shea 66′) and Campbell (for Nani 78′) came on from the substitute bench. However, none of them could get the much-awaited first goal of the season at the Wembley. The match went goalless for the 93 minutes played, and a shootout was required to decide the winner. Portsmouth went first, but Diarra wasted his chance by shooting over the bar. This gave Man Utd the advantage, as they went on to score all their penalties. Van der Sar saved Mvuemba’s shot, and Glen Johnson shot the fourth penalty wide, to give Man Utd a clear victory in the shootout. It was the second competitive shootout victory in a row, after the Red Devils defeated Chelsea in Moscow last May.

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Ferguson has promised to bring in a new striker by next Sunday to cover the club’s striker worries. Although Rooney is expected to return for the Premiership start, one cannot expect him to be on top of his form. Saha continues to recover more than play football, but Ferguson wants to keep him. Campbell may become a good striker for the club if given the chance, but expecting too much from the young lad would ruin his career. Tevez is apparently the only real striker for Man Utd for the Newcastle encounter and the following early matches of the league.