Transfers: Ashley Young

25-year-old winger, Ashley Young, has apparently agreed on personal terms and signed a £15m transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester United. (Transfer supposedly to be complete in 7 days.) With Valencia, Nani, Giggs and Park Ji-Sung all fit and in good form – many fans have been questioning why and even how we could use him to improve our squad. There are several great qualities with Young, but the one we need the most is set-pieces. When in form, Ashley Young has been known to score quite a few beautiful free kicks and can also deliver great balls from a corner – something we’ve been lacking ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left for Real Madrid.

We’re Going to Wembley!

After the disappointing loss at the Emirates, Manchester United hoped they would quickly bounce back and finish up the job in Europe v FC Schalke 04. After 9 changes were made in the XI that played v Arsenal, some were left raising their eyebrows at Sir Alex Ferguson – but we should all know not to question his brilliance when it comes to winning trophies. As usual, as the game kicked off, Schalke seemed to have a little bit of an edge with the possession until the squad kicked into their stride.

It only took 26 minutes for Darron Gibson to set Valencia free, with an absolutely beautiful ball. Valencia scored the goal, and after that, I don’t think we heard from the Gibbo haters for the rest of the night. In quick succession, it was Valencia who set Gibbo free at goal – and we scored in the 31st minute. Nothing like a “thank you” in the form of a goal for Gibbo, eh? Schalke would then come back into the game slightly, scoring a goal in the 35th minute. But after that, the game was pretty much done and dusted as the aggregate scoreline read 4-1.

Manchester United Sink Chelsea!

Everyone knows Chelsea’s owner, Roman Abramovich, is quite obsessed with winning the UEFA Champions League. In 2008, Chelsea reached the final, but failed again to win it in a penalty shootout against Manchester United. John Terry could have won it for his club, but slipped and put the ball wide. Then, man of the match, Van der Sar put in a top class save from a poor penalty by Anelka and won the UEFA Champions League for Manchester United in Moscow. One of the most memorable matches against Chelsea, in my opinion.

Manchester United Set for FA Cup Semi-Final

The Red Devils were visited by the Gunners today in an FA Cup sixth round tie. It was, on paper, set to be an absolute classic (remembering the 1999 semi-final replay between the two sides). When the match kicked off, it was the Reds who seemed to be in most control of the ball, quickly linking up passes and attempting to go for goal. Shortly after, Arsenal began to get into the groove of their own, passing the ball around and holding off Manchester United. However, the Gunners lacked the final pass and the final ball and did not threaten Manchester United in any way during the first half. And Manchester United would punish them for not taking chances; with Fabio, Rafael and Rooney setting up a goal for Javier Hernández. Manuel Almunia saved The Little Pea’s header, but it fell straight for Fábio da Silva; who made no mistake putting it into the roof of the net. Manchester United were up one-nil in the 29th minute.

The Welsh Wizard, Ryan Giggs

Ryan Joseph Giggs was born on 29 November 1973 to Rugby Union player Danny Wilson and Lynne Giggs. As a mixed-race child, he was often teased as a child. Sir Alex Ferguson first sent a scout to Giggs to offer a trial in 1986. On his 14th birthday, Sir Alex arrived at his house to offer him a two-year contract on schoolboy terms. 2 March 1991, Ryan made his first appearance for the club, coming on for the injured Denis Irwin against Everton – a 2-0 defeat for the Reds. 4 May 1991, Giggs was credited his first goal for Manchester United against Manchester City, even though it seemed to be an own goal. That year, Manchester United finished runners-up to Leeds United, but won the League Cup Final – Giggs’ first piece of silverware with the club. He was also voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

Chelsea FC v Manchester United FC – Preview

Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge for their next match against Chelsea. Chelsea are the reigning champions of England, and Manchester United are looking to take their title away and bring it back to Manchester. Fernando Torres was brought into the Chelsea squad in January, and has yet found the back of the net for Chelsea.

Marseille – What Went Wrong? Statistical Breakdown

Manchester United went into the match against Marseille as the favorites to win it. At the beginning of the match, the tempo was very fast and the players continued to link up with each other using short passes. Chris Smalling and Michael Carrick took some time to settle into the match, but once they did things seemed to flow pretty well. Smalling was solid at the back, letting few balls past him, while Carrick in the first half seemed very nervy. He attempted 24 passes in the first half, while only 19 were successful.