Rio Ferdinand to focus solely on Manchester United in light of England recall talk

Rio Ferdinand to focus solely on Manchester United in light of England recall talk

After John Terry's international retirement talk has surfaced linking the centre-back with a return to Roy Hodgson's plan, while he praises the recent form of Rafael

Sep 26, 2012 10:50:00 AM

 

By Sean Kilgallon

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Rio Ferdinand is concentrating solely on his commitments to Manchester United in light of speculation linking him with an England recall.
The 33-year-old defender missed out on a place at Euro 2012 after Roy Hodgson chose to drop the former West Ham man due to “footballing reasons”.

But, following John Terry announcing his retirement from international duty on Sunday, the door on a return to the England set-up appears to have reopened – but Ferdinand admits his main focus lies with United and securing the Premier League title.

"Personal performances and accolades come way down the list when you are winning at places like Anfield," he is quoted as saying byESPNStar.
"I have always said I just want a consistent run of games. At the moment that is what I am doing and I am really happy."
With the likes of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Nemanja Vidic all ruled out for the foreseeable future, Ferdinand has praised fellow defender Rafael for stepping up.
The Brazil international drew his side level against Liverpool with a fine curling effort from inside the area, and the former West Ham centre-back says he sees a lot of himself in the 22-year-old.
"Rafa is his own worst critic," he continued. "He is emotional and sometimes when he makes a mistake he has to make up for it immediately. That comes out in his game at times.
"When I was his age I was a lot like that. I used to be more interested in what was happening in the attacking part of the game and further up the pitch than defensive play.
"I realised it when I went to Leeds at 22. I was more of a maverick under Harry Redknapp at West Ham and when I went to Leeds David O'Leary pulled the reins in and made me think about my defensive duties first.
"He said everything else would come naturally. I speak to Rafa about it similarly and he's a quick learner."

'Scholes is a genius' - Carrick hails Manchester United team-mate on 38th birthday

'Scholes is a genius' - Carrick hails Manchester United team-mate on 38th birthday

The England international has praised his veteran midfield colleague, citing him as a major influence on his career since his move to the Red Devils six years ago

Nov 16, 2012 11:25:00 PM

 

By Joe McPhee

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Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has heaped praise on team-mate Paul Scholes, as the Old Trafford legend celebrates his 38th birthday.

Scholes, who recently chalked up his 700th match for the club, is nearing a year back in Sir Alex Ferguson's squad following his decision to return from retirement.

And Carrick - set to mark a milestone of his own by making the 400th league appearance of his career this weekend - believes having Scholes as his mentor has had a major effect on him.

"It is fantastic to play with Paul Scholes," Carrick told the club's official website. "He is a genius. We all know what he can do. A lot of them you simply cannot "You can learn and take things from his game, as I have done since I have been here. Whether he realises or not, he has helped me enormously just by watching him and taking things in. 

"But there are some things only he can do. It is fabulous to play with him. I have enjoyed it immensely since I came here."

The former Tottenham man went on to reveal that he was unaware of reaching his upcoming landmark and insisted silverware remains his main focus.

"It's the first I have heard of that," Carrick confessed. "It is one of those things. I have been playing for a number of years and the games add up. It is not something I look for.

"It is more about the trophies, what people win and what they can achieve. Maybe at the end of your career you can look back and see what you have done. But at the moment, it is just about winning trophies for me."teach. 

Manchester United sweating on Kagawa but Lindegaard fit for Chelsea clash

Manchester United sweating on Kagawa but Lindegaard fit for Chelsea clash

The club are awaiting the results of the Japan international's knee scan on Wednesday and have welcomed back the goalkeeper to full training following his recent thumb injury

Oct 25, 2012 5:55:00 PM

 

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By Jonathan Birchall

Manchester United have been boosted by the news that Anders Lindegaard is fit to faceChelsea after injuring his thumb last week, but are still awaiting the results of Shinji Kagawa's recent knee scan.

Lindegaard trained with the first-team squad on Thursday after sustaining the knock that saw him miss out on United's thrilling 3-2 win over Braga in the Champions League in midweek.

The Dane is now available for selection ahead of the crucial clash at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, despite Sir Alex Ferguson having ruled him out of contention earlier in the week. 

"Lindegaard's ready," a club source told Goal.com on Thursday. "He has recovered quickly and is definitely an option for Sir Alex ahead of the Chelsea match."

However, the Old Trafford outfit are sweating on the fitness of Kagawa ahead of their trip to Roberto Di Matteo's league leaders, with the Japan international having been sent for scans on Wednesday. 

Kagawa looked uncomfortable despite playing on after sustaining the twist to his knee against Braga and was eventually replaced by Nani before being sent for tests at Carrington in the morning.

Club medical staff are concerned that a twist could keep the former Dortmund man out for up to a month, but will assess his condition and the results of Wednesday's scan before travelling to west London.

United will be looking to close the gap on Chelsea at the top of the Premier League to a single point on Sunday, as the European champions attempt to bounce back from a comprehensive 2-1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening.