Tosic's twin aims

Zoran Tosic will take to the field in Malmo, Sweden on Tuesday night with two ambitions on his agenda.

Not only will the young winger be seeking the win that Serbia need to stay in the UEFA Under-21 Championships, he'll also be aiming to further impress United staff and supporters alike on the eve of an important season.

The January signing from Partizan Belgrade has made just three substitute appearances so far for the Reds but with two senior attacking players set to leave Old Trafford, the 22 year-old Serbian can be forgiven for spying an opportunity in the coming campaign.

"I want to try to have a breakthrough," said Tosic, "so these few games (with Serbia Under-21s) are very important for me.

"Then, when we (United) go on tour, I hope I'm going to get a chance and I'm ready for it."

Tosic has played in both of Serbia's matches so far at the Under-21 tournament in Sweden but unlike fellow United player, England's Fraizer Campbell, he's yet to book a place in the semi-finals following two 0-0 draws.

Zoran came very close to snatching a late winner against Belarus at the weekend but his direct free-kick just missed the target. Now he must set his sights on doing better against the host nation if Serbia are to progress and he's to keep his summer on schedule.

Tosic was quoted in the Daily Mirror.

Report by Adam Bostock

Papers: Bidding for Benzema?

Sir Alex to bid for Benzema
Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to rebuild his shattered strike force with a £30million bid for French star Karim Benzema. The United boss returns from holiday this week and will try to patch up his depleted squad with his biggest summer transfer splurge ever. Benzema is United’s prime target and despite publicly resisting a transfer, Lyon are already making moves to replace their 21-year-old striker. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan have looked at Benzema but United, with the cash from the Ronaldo deal, head the queue and progress is expected this week.
Simon Bird, Daily Mirror

The Daily Telegraph features quotes from Benzema's agent who says his client wants to stay in France for another year to prepare for the World Cup.

Former French international Marcel Desailly has urged Sir Alex to pay 'as much as it takes' to sign Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich. "I would put Ribery in the top two wingers in the world. It's Cristiano Ronaldo and then straight away after it's Ribery," insisted Desailly.

Meanwhile, the Mirror reckon Carlos Tevez agreed to join Manchester City two weeks ago and will complete the £47.5 million transfer in the next few days. The paper also features quotes from United striker Fraizer Campbell who is stalling on his £6million move to Hull City. He refused to commit his future to the East coast club yesterday, despite the fee being agreed a fortnight ago.

Round up by Gemma Thompson

Iker Casillas

Ashley Young

Douglas Costa

Fernando Torres

Sergio Aguero

Samuel Eto'o

David Silva

Arjen Robben

Joao Moutinho

Antonio Valencia

Franck Ribery

Karim Benzema

Edwin van der Sar

Tomasz Kuszczak

Ben Foster

Owen Hargreaves

John O'Shea

Dimitar Berbatov

Jonny Evans

Rafael Da Silva and Fabio Da Silva

Rafael Da Silva

Rio Ferdinand

Nemanja Vidic

Ji-Sung Park and Sir Alex Ferguson

Anderson

Darren Fletcher

Darron Gibson

Federico Macheda

gary neville

Michael Carrick

Paul Scholes

Ryan Giggs

Wayne Rooney

Zoran Tosic

Sir Alex Ferguson and Nani

Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo

08/09 Review: Tevez

Despite the speculation which clouded his second and ultimately final season at United, Carlos Tevez still created, scored and sweated for the cause in 2008/09...

Start to finish: Tevez started fewer league games than Wayne Rooney or Dimitar Berbatov in 08/09, but there was no denying his contribution to a triumphant league campaign. He provided Boxing Day cheer with a late winner at Stoke, laid on Berbatov’s last-minute clincher at Bolton and then, just when the Reds needed him most, he inspired a sensational comeback against Spurs at Old Trafford in late April.

In position: Carlos was at his best for the Reds when tucked just in behind the main striker, although he also had the pace to play on the shoulder of the last man. Covering an awful lot of ground, his constant harassment of defenders often forced errors.

Season highlight: All those long-haul flights to South America for World Cup qualifiers paid off on Boxing Day when Tevez reacted quickest to poke home a winner at Stoke.

Beating the Potters may not seem significant on the face of it, but it was a major boost when you consider the Reds were trailing Liverpool by seven points at kick-off.

Vital contribution: With United 2-0 down to Tottenham, Sir Alex threw on the Argentine at half-time. The effect was instant and Tevez’s enthusiasm rubbed off on both his team-mates and the crowd. Within 12 minutes United had the ball in the net; within 34, the Reds were winning 5-2. The manager’s verdict: “Carlos won us the game.”

Any lows: After bagging four against Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup, Tevez found himself warming the bench in the Reds’ next fixture. Frustrating, perhaps, but Sir Alex’s squad rotation ensures everyone’s kept fresh. Indeed, in his next start - at home to Aalborg in the Champions League - it took Tevez just three minutes to find the net.

Any other business: He often celebrated in front of the north-west corner, where his family sat. “They've been very supportive, I like to share special moments with them."