Heroes: Part 1

www.manutd.com

From the home front to the global game, we find out who gave Sir Alex and his players the rush...

Sir Alex on Denis Law
Denis Law was my hero as a player. I idolised him. When I first met him I was so excited. It was at a game in Paris, he had played in the first half and we went for a cup of tea afterwards. I thought, ‘This is it, I’ve made it, I’m having a cup of tea with Denis Law!’ He epitomised to me what a Scotsman is. He was daring and courageous, he had that bravado about him and he had style. He was a truly fantastic footballer.







Gary Neville on Bryan Robson
I always thought he was everything that a United player should be, and still do. Even when I watch footage of him in action now I always think of him giving everything for the cause at the defensive end of the pitch and then throwing everything at the ball to get it in the back of the net at the other end. Roy Keane was very similar in that sense and I’m sure that if I’d have been a kid growing up at school watching when Roy was playing he’d have been my hero. For me, those two players are just everything I think a Manchester United player should be. Blood, guts and thunder with real class as well. Don’t get me wrong you’ve got the skilful players like Giggsy, Scholes, Cantona and all those, but for me growing up it was always the Bryan Robson-type player that I loved.







Rafael on Roberto Carlos
It has to be Roberto Carlos. He won three World Cups and did very well in Europe even though he was very small. Sometimes, coming from Brazil, players don’t succeed in Europe, but he was successful for a long, long time. My favourite goal that he scored was for Real Madrid, the shot that he hit from the corner flag that flew into the top corner. The other was a free-kick against Italy in Le Tournoi, it was going about a metre wide and swerved in – just an unbelievable goal from a great player.







Anderson on Rivaldo, Ronaldinho
I’m a big admirer of Rivaldo for his technique, his passing and his aggressive way of playing and I’m also a huge fan of Ronaldinho. They are both excellent with the ball at their feet – the way they treat the ball is fantastic. I’m sure they’ll be remembered in football history for many years to come. Some people have made comparisons between myself and Ronaldinho and I feel very proud about that, but you have to remember that Ronaldinho is an established top class footballer who has been named the best player in the world twice. He’s a great guy and a good friend of mine, but no two players are the same – Ronaldinho is Ronaldinho and Anderson is Anderson. It’s an honour to play alongside him [for Brazil], it’s something every footballer in the world would like to do. He’s a great player and I hope one day I can reach the level he has reached.







Rodrigo Possebon on Zinedine Zidane
I think Zinedine Zidane is one of the greatest ever players. I loved watching him play, even though he almost single-handedly knocked Brazil out of the World Cup twice! He had everything and I always used to look up to him.







John O'Shea on Paul McGrath
Paul McGrath was a big favourite at United, but I watched him a lot for Ireland too. What I liked about him was he was as comfortable at playing in midfield as he was at playing centre-back. It wasn’t a problem to him. He was the versatile type! And not only did he have great ability, he was also very calm on the ball. He was written off with his knees, but he went on to become the PFA Player of the Year. That shows you what a top player and determined character he was. He was a special player and someone who I looked up to.







Jonny Evans on Roy Keane
I reckon 80 per cent of young players now who supported Manchester United when they were growing up would tell you Keano was their hero, just because of the way he was and the character he is. He was an awesome player and an incredible leader. I watched the Treble season as an 11-year-old in Belfast, having supported United all my life, and can still see those images in my head of the Champions League semi-final against Juventus and how Keane totally changed the game. He grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck even though he knew he was suspended for the final. That stuck in my mind when I was growing up. There are other moments as well like when we won 4-2 at Arsenal and the banter between Keane and Vieira in the tunnel beforehand. As a supporter it doesn’t get any better than that.







Read more in the latest issue of Inside United

Blog: Possebon's progress

www.manutd.com

Blogging regular Gavinio looks forward to seeing the fruits of Rodrigo Possebon's season-long spell in Portugal...

Getting somewhat lost in the reaction to Michael Owen's arrival was the announcement that United's talented Brazilian midfielder, Rodrigo Possebon, will be spending the 2009/10 season on loan at Portuguese side Braga.

As a follower of United's reserves, I've taken a keen interest in Possebon's progress so far. Few reserve-team players have impressed me as much as he has in his short time at the club - in fact, I was so impressed by his accomplished, high-energy, box to box midfield displays, I even had his name and number printed on my blue replica shirt last season.

This time last year, he joined the senior squad in South Africa after a string of fine pre-season performances – and some stunning strikes – for the reserves. Following his unofficial debut in the Vodacom Challenge final against the Kaizer Chiefs, Sir Alex said: “I think the lad has got a chance.”

Just a couple of weeks later, Rodrigo made his first competitive appearance in the opening 1-1 draw at home to Newcastle. After coming on as sub for Ryan Giggs, he looked calm and confident on the ball, rarely giving away possession and not once shirking a challenge. As with Federico Macheda later in the season, many admirers inside Old Trafford that day wondered who the young foreign lad was but those of us who had seen Rodrigo in the reserves, either in the flesh or on MUTV, stood by smugly and declared we were witnessing the debut of a future United star.

Of course, injury prevented further progress when, in the first Carling Cup game of the season, he was the victim of a horrendous challenge from Middlesbrough's Emanuel Pogatetz. Seeing Rodrigo leave the field on a stretcher had many fearing the worse and it was only through sheer good fortune that the only physical damage done was a sizeable gash to the shin. Perhaps the psychological impact was more serious because when he was fit to play again, I felt his form was adversely affected and he did not feature for the first team as often as many of us had hoped.

Towards the end of the campaign, his form picked up again and he was rewarded with a cameo appearance in the last day win at Hull, where he looked back to his old, assured self. Although I was glad to see him in the first team again, I had already voiced the opinion on Talking Reds that his next season with us might be better spent on loan in order to aid his development.

I initially thought he might join a lower-division English club (in the Championship or League One) so the news he will be playing in Portugal came as a surprise. It could however prove to be a highly beneficial experience for Rodrigo. Braga finished fifth in the league last season and as a result will be taking part in the first Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup.

So all being well, not only will Rodrigo be playing regular first-team league football, the prospect of him gaining valuable European experience means that next summer we could be seeing an even better player back at M16 to compete for a first team place. I for one wish Rodrigo well for the next 12 months and look forward to his return.

The views expressed in this blog are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.

Reserves fixtures 09/10

Report by Nick Coppack


PRE-SEASON FRIENDLIES

Fri 17 Jul – AFC Fylde v United A
Mon 20 Jul – Rochdale AFC v United A
Sat 25 Jul – Norwich City v United A
Tue 28 Jul – Luton Town v United A
Tue 4 Aug – Altrincham FC v United A
Thu 6 Aug – Katwijk v United A
Mon 10 Aug – Royal Antwerp v United A

BARCLAYS PREMIER RESERVE LEAGUE NORTH

Mon 24 Aug – Bolton Wanderers A
Thu 27 Aug – Bury H (MSC)
Thu 3 Sep – Wigan Athletic H
Thu 17 Sep – Liverpool A (19:30)
Thu 24 Sep – Manchester City H (MSC)
Thu 1 Oct – Sunderland H
Tue 6 Oct – Everton A
Mon 12 Oct – Oldham Athletic A (MSC)
Thu 22 Oct – Blackburn Rovers H
Tue 3 Nov – Manchester City A
Thu 12 Nov – Burnley H
Tue 24 Nov – Hull City A
Thu 3 Dec – Bolton Wanderers H
Mon 14 Dec – Bolton Wanderers A (MSC)
Thu 14 Jan – Liverpool H
Tue 19 Jan – Sunderland A
Thu 18 Feb – Everton H
Mon 22 Feb – Blackburn Rovers A
Thu 11 Mar – Manchester City H
Tue 23 Mar – Burnley A
Tue 30 Mar – Wigan Athletic A
Thu 8 Apr – Hull City H
Wed 5 May – Play-Off

All home games will be played at Altrincham FC (Moss Lane).
All games will kick-off at 19:00 unless stated otherwise.
Fixtures are subject to change.

Papers: Owen's vow

I'll be a crock of gold
Michael Owen reckons he can become the bargain signing of the summer after insisting his Manchester United career will be full of goals – not injuries. Owen was officially paraded by the Premier League champions yesterday and immediately went on the offensive as he hit back at his critics. “The thing that angers me is the injury thing," he said. “There is no doubt that I have had injuries in my career, but then most players have. I’ve played over 500 games for club and country, so that says it all. Owen, who jets out on a pre-season tour of the Far East with his new United team-mates on Thursday, added: “I am hungry to do well. If this challenge doesn’t create a hunger and put a spring in your step and a smile on your face, then nothing will. I am as hungry as I have ever been to succeed and I honestly believe I can still do well in a top team like Manchester United."
Neil Johnston, Daily Star

In other news, former Red Carlos Tevez will sign for Manchester City, subject to a medical. The Argentine striker is expected to sign a five-year deal at Eastlands and will wear the No.32 shirt, just as he did at Old Trafford. There are quotes from Sir Alex who admitted on Monday that he 'half expected he would be going a long time back.'

Despite the fact they already have six strikers, City are reportedly set to launch a £25million bid for Arsenal's Emmanual Adebayor.

Round up by Gemma Thompson

Heroes: Part 2

www.manutd.com

The Heroes series continues with tributes to more football legends...

Ben Foster on Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel was always the player I looked up to. He was a cut above the rest in his era and he changed the face of goalkeeping. I still try to model myself on him and use aspects of his game in mine. He produced some unbelievable saves - I still watch a lot of them again on You Tube. One that sticks out is the starfish jump to deny Zamorano in United's Champions League win over Inter in 1999. That moment just summed him up – he made himself unbeatable at times.







Dimitar Berbatov on Ivan Berbatov, Marco van Basten, Alan Shearer
There are three players I really looked up to when I was a kid. My father, Ivan (who played professionally for local club Pirin Blagoevgrad) taught me a lot, so I have a lot to thank him for. The others were Marco van Basten and Alan Shearer. When you hear these names - maybe not my father! [laughs] - van Basten and Shearer, you don't need to know why they were great players. They scored goals and played magnificent football. They were the best. But I didn't ever try to copy them, because you must have your own style of playing. If you start copying someone, I don't think it will be you. You must stay with what you have. They inspired me to be the best player that I could be rather than made me want to replicate everything they did. But I watched them a lot, I had many video tapes of them and all their goals. Sometimes I watch the videos just to remind me of how good they were.







Darron Gibson on Roy Keane
I'd have to say Roy Keane. Obviously he's Irish and was arguably one of the greatest midfielders in the world over the last ten years. His goal and performance against Juventus in the 1999 Champions League semi-final were just fantastic.






Patrice Evra on Romario
I didn't have a football hero when I was a child; I just loved to play the game. I never thought to myself one day I'd like to be as good or as famous as a certain player - I simply played football because I loved the game. As I got older I started to follow Romario a lot. I wouldn't say he was my hero, but he was certainly a player I got excited about watching.







Edwin van der Sar on Marco van Basten
I didn't really have a hero growing up, but the player that stood out for me as I got older was Marco van Basten. His famous volley in the Euro '88 final [against the Soviet Union] which helped clinch the European Championships for Holland is definitely my favourite moment. He was top scorer in the tournament and that goal is one of the best anyone's ever scored.







Ji-sung Park on Dunga, Jung-Hwan Yoon
When I was young I looked up to Dunga, the Brazilian, as well as Korean midfielder Jung-Hwan Yoon. As a kid I played in the same position as Dunga, so I admired him because of that. Also, it seemed like everyone around him was so confident in him – the fans, the coaching staff and all the players. If he was on the pitch, people believed the team would win. I liked the way he inspired everyone and I wanted to do the same.







Darren Fletcher on Fernando Redondo
It was Fernando Redondo. He was a brilliant central midfielder and that’s where I always played when I was growing up. He’s a player who caught my eye from a young age. I loved the way he played, how he sat in midfield and controlled the game. He sprayed passes around and was very intelligent on the ball. He was also good at breaking up opposition attacks and could be physical if necessary. I remember watching the 1994 World Cup when he played centre midfield for Argentina and he was just unbelievable. He had a great tournament and from there I followed his career at Real Madrid. He was their focal point. I remember when Madrid came to Old Trafford - it was a special moment because two of my idols – Redondo and Roy Keane – came up against each other.






Federico Macheda on Marco van Basten, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
I used to watch videos of Marco van Basten playing for Milan and I'd try to copy the things he did in games. He was always my favourite striker when I was really young growing up in Rome. He's what made me want to be a footballer and, especially, a striker. When I got a bit older I used to love watching Ibra [Zlatan Ibrahimovic]. They’re both good players and very strong on the ball. They are the type of forwards that I look up; strong and skilful. They’re two of the best strikers ever in my opinion.