Teen trio turn pro

Report by Nick Coppack

Teenagers Matthew James, Scott Wootton and Oliver Gill all signed professional contracts with United on Wednesday 1 July.

The trio impressed last term in the Reserves and Academy sides, with James, in particular, catching the eye with an impressive goal haul.

The Bacup-born 17-year-old (pictured) scored six times for the U18s in just 14 appearances. He also found the net four times for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second-string, including three spectacular efforts from distance.

Scott Wootton’s contract comes on the back of his first full season at United. The 17-year-old defender arrived from Liverpool last summer and has been a model of reliability and consistency at the heart of the Academy defence.

Alongside him for much of the season was Oliver Gill. Gill, 18 and a commanding presence on the pitch, can play in the middle or on the left side of defence. His height also makes him a threat at attacking set-pieces.

To view an image gallery of all three players, click on the picture of Matthew James above.

scottwootton

scottmoffatt

robbiebrady

olivernorwood

olivergill

nickyajose

mattyjames

kikomacheda

kennystrickland

joshuaking

joedudgeon

garywoods

evandrobrandao

davidepetrucci

conordevlin

chriscurran

Cameron Stewart

Transfer Rumours: Exits

Report by B Hibbs, A Bostock

Departures have preceded arrivals in the current close season.

Real Madrid's long-standing links with Cristiano Ronaldo moved up a notch on Thursday 11 June when the Reds announced a world-record £80m offer from the Spanish club. Nine days later, United declared that Carlos Tevez would not be joining the club on a permanent basis after two years on loan.

The attacking pair aren't the only players touted for the exit door in the tabloid press, however. Barcelona and AC Milan are rumoured to be interested in Nemanja Vidic. Also linked with moves away from M16 are young trio Fraizer Campbell, Darron Gibson and Danny Simpson.

Manchester United has a policy of not commenting on transfer speculation.

Nemanja Vidic

Nani

Fraizer Campbell

Darron Gibson

Danny Simpson

Cristiano Ronaldo

Gary Neville

Carlos Tevez

DEPARTURES
Player Name --> Current Club --> Position --> Fee
Nemanja Vidic --> Barcelona --> Defender --> £25million --> Read the rumour
Nani --> Sporting Lisbon --> Winger --> Swap --> Read the rumour
Fraizer Campbell --> Hull City --> Striker --> £5m --> Discuss here
Darron Gibson --> Wolves --> Midfielder --> Not stated --> Discuss here
Danny Simpson --> Birmingham --> Defender --> £1m --> Discuss here
Cristiano Ronaldo --> Real Madrid --> Winger --> £75m --> Discuss here
Gary Neville --> Middlesbrough --> Defender --> Not stated --> Discuss here
Carlos Tevez --> Man City --> Striker --> £30m --> Discuss here

Transfer Rumours: Arrivals

The flames of speculation have been stoked this summer by the exits of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo - and the £80million offered by Real Madrid for the latter.

Brazilians Luis Fabiano, Nilmar and Douglas Costa are among the names on the grapevine, while Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery, Lyon's Karim Benzema, Barcelona front man Samuel Eto’o and Atletico Madrid’s Sergio Aguero have also been touted for transfers to Old Trafford.

Intriguingly, the Daily Mail has tipped the Reds to make a bid for Real keeper Iker Casillas, with Edwin van der Sar in the twilight of his career.

Manchester United has a policy of not commenting on transfer speculation.

Andre-Pierre Gignac

Luis Fabiano Grecia

Nilmar

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

ARRIVALS
Player Name --> Current Club --> Position --> Fee
Andre-Pierre Gignac --> Toulouse --> Striker --> £11million --> Read the rumour
Luis Fabiano --> Seville --> Striker --> £25million --> Discuss here
Nilmar --> Internacional --> Striker --> £20million --> Read the rumour
Iker Casillas --> Real Madrid --> Goalkeeper --> Not stated --> Discuss here
Ashley Young --> Aston Villa --> Winger --> Not stated --> Read the rumour
Douglas Costa --> Gremio --> Winger --> Not stated --> Read the rumour
Sergio Aguero --> Atletico Madrid --> Striker --> Not stated --> Discuss here
David Silva --> Valencia CF --> Winger --> Not stated --> Discuss here
Franck Ribery --> Bayern Munich --> Winger --> £87m --> Discuss here
Karim Benzema --> Olympique Lyonnais --> Striker --> Not stated --> Discuss here

Valencia thanks Latics

Report by Steve Bartram

Luis Antonio Valencia today begins a new life as a Manchester United player, but, before looking ahead to the future, the winger was keen to pay a heartfelt tribute to former club Wigan Athletic.

The Ecuadorian signed for the Reds on Tuesday, bringing down the curtain on a three-year stay at the JJB Stadium, and he admits he is forever indebted to the Latics for giving him his break in English football.

"It is quite simple, I owe Wigan everything," Antonio told the Wigan Evening Post. "Without them, there would be no Manchester United for me. The club has been fantastic for me, and I am genuinely sad to be leaving some fantastic memories and friends behind.

"Of course, I am excited to be joining one of the biggest clubs in the world, but I have to say I owe it all to Wigan. To Paul Jewell, Chris Hutchings and Steve Bruce, I say a massive thank you – and to the chairman Dave Whelan.

"I also want to say a big thank you to (Wigan manager) Roberto Martinez. I think I would have really enjoyed playing for him, but he has not opposed this move and I am grateful for that."

Antonio has adjusted to the frenetic pace of Premier League football during his stay with the Latics, and he hopes to see more foreign talents following in his footsteps.

"Wigan has been a fantastic stepping stone for me, and I would urge any other players like me to come and sign for this club, because they give players like me a chance," he said.

"They are the club who took a chance on me when I was only a young player, and who stuck by me in the early days when I was getting used to the pace and power of the Premier League.

"In return I have always given everything to Wigan so there is a big part of me that is sad to be leaving. I will always have a place in my heart for the club. Good luck to Wigan, they deserve it, and I hope they will do really well this season under Roberto Martinez."