Young face spell on sidelines after 'very aggressive' Fulham match, according to Sir Alex Ferguson

The 19-year-old defender will be sent for an x-ray on a suspected fractured cheek while the former Aston Villa man faces two to three weeks out due to Dickson Etuhu's tackle

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted his side could be without defender Phil Jones and midfielder Ashley Young for a number of weeks after the English pair picked up injuries in the 5-0 thrashing of Fulham on Wednesday.

Jones suffered a suspected fractured cheek after being caught by the elbow of Clint Dempsey, while Young was forced off due to Dickson Etuhu's tackle in what Sir Alex thought was a "very aggressive" second half.

"It was an elbow from Dempsey but I don't think it was intentional," Sir Alex told reporters after the match. 
"He caught Jones and we'll send him for an x-ray. We'll see on Thursday but it doesn't look great.
"But there were some very aggressive tackles in the second half and Ashley Young paid the price of that. He was hurt and had to come off as well and will be out for two or three weeks.
"We are picking up injuries at the moment. Rio [Ferdinand] got a knock on the foot on Sunday at QPR but he should be available for the Blackburn game."
That would rule Ferdinand out of United's Boxing Day encounter against Wigan Athletic, with Nemanja Vidic also unavailable long-term with a knee injury.

source

read more

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez set to launch 'total appeal' against eight-match ban for racism row, says agent and lawyer

Uruguay international will be able to play for the Reds until the process is concluded, with the 24-year-old confident of the sanctions being overturned

Luis Suarez’s agent and lawyer Alejandro Balbi insists the Liverpool striker will launch a “total appeal” against his eight-match ban and 40,000 pound fine.
The sanctions were handed down to the Uruguay international on Tuesday, two months after the initial incident during the game between the Merseyside outfit and Manchester United, with Suarez deemed to have used insulting words towards full back Patrice Evra.
Suarez’s agent is adamant that his player is innocent of the charges and says the 24-year-old is confident the decision can be overturned.
“The sanction has two items, the games' suspension and the monetary [fine]. It will be a total appeal,” Balbi told reporters.
“The counts of racism that were made against him are not true. He firmly believes that this harsh sanction can be overturned.”
He added that Suarez “is very affected” by the decision from the Football Association, but insists he is “calm because of the massive support of the club, the coach, his teammates and his captain.”
The former Ajax man is able to feature for Kenny Dalglish's side in the meantime, until the appeal process has reached its conclusion.
Meanwhile, Liverpool was held to a stalemate at the DW Stadium to Wigan on Wednesday evening, with Charlie Adam failing to convert from the penalty spot, the Latics keeper Ali Al Habsi denying the Scotsman with a superb save.
Suarez took to his official website to comment on the disappointing result and thank the club’s fans for supporting him through a trying period.
He said: “We couldn't win. I think we did everything possible. These last days have been very difficult for me and I want to thank the great support received by [sic] all of you!!”

source

read more

Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho: Ponferradina can complicate things for us

The Portuguese boss has praised his team's Segunda Division B opponents in the Spanish Cup, describing them as a "quality side" who pose a potential danger

 Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is cautious ahead of his side’s Copa del Rey round of 32 second leg clash with Ponferradina at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Having defeated the Segunda Division B Group 2 side 2-0 in the first leg away from home last week, Madrid will head into the encounter in the Spanish capital as favorite in the tie.
However, Mourinho has played down the Blancos' lead and warns that their two-goal advantage is not "definitive".
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the 48 year-old said: “The result we earned in the first leg is good, but not definitive.
“The tie will be left wide open if Ponferradina score first tomorrow and, if their motivation was high at their stadium, I think it will be even higher at the Bernabeu.
“They are a quality side who can complicate things for us.”
The Portuguese coach also commended his side on their season thus far and enthused: “It is very difficult to evaluate at the end of the actual year of football because the new year comes halfway through the season.
“We've done a good job so far. We are top of the league table, we've won our six games in the Champions League and also our only match so far in the Copa.
“We've had six very good months. In another league championship this Real Madrid would easily win the title."


source

read more

David Trezeguet set to sign River Plate deal

The veteran attacker is poised to sign a contract with the Argentine outfit and will be back in South America in time to start preseason training in January

 Veteran striker David Trezeguet is on the verge of completing his move to River Plate, the Argentine club has announced via their official website.

Released from his contract with Bani Yas at the beginning of December, the 34-year-old has already spoken of his pleasure at returning to the country in which he grew up, but no deal has yet been signed with the National B outfit.

However, the Buenos Aires side announced via its official website that the former France international has already passed his physical checks and is expected to finalize his transfer imminently.

“He passed the medical examination and this week and will sign before returning to the UAE to close issues that remained pending in the Asian country,” an official statement on the club’s website states.

River Plate has announced that Trezeguet will be ready to start preseason training on January 4, when he will also be presented to the press.

In a professional career spanning 17 years, the Rouen-born attacker is most remembered for his spells with Monaco and Juventus, not to mention his golden goal that won France Euro 2000 at the expense of Italy.

source

read more