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Both Manchester United and England fans’ hearts must have sunk when they heard the news that Owen Hargreaves’ long awaited return for Manchester United had only lasted five minutes. Thankfully for Owen Hargreaves, it was only a hamstring injury, that to be totally fair could have happened to anyone on the pitch. However, how long can Manchester United hold onto the hope that Hargreaves will be the same player that won both the Premier League and Champions League in his first season at Old Trafford. When Owen Hargreaves’ contract expires he will be 30. Is it time for Manchester United to move into the transfer market and look to replace the England international.

The worry for Manchester United fans must be the interview from Sir Alex Ferguson directly after the 2-1 win against Wolves. Ferguson spoke to Manchester radio station, Key 103 and gave his thoughts on why Hargreaves broke down only five minutes into his return.

‘It is possibly because of a lack of match fitness,’ Ferguson told Manchester radio station Key103. ‘Maybe a bit of anxiety at playing his first game had a bit to do with it too.’

This is the issue that Ferguson has to contend with. Does the manager have any faith in Hargreaves’ mental state. Before his return against Sunderland last season. Ferguson again stated that it was actually Hargreaves’ own mental state that was holding him back from returning. It is very difficult to damn a player who has worked so hard to get himself into a position where he was ready to play, but if his mental state isn’t right it seems unfair on the player to keep building him up only for his confidence to be knocked every time he breaks down. Owen Hargreaves is an exceptional player, but he is no use to Manchester United on the bench. Unfortunately it is time to look at replacing the midfielder.

In January Manchester United need to enter the transfer market in search of a world class defensive midfielder, who at the same time has the passing ability and work rate of Hargreaves. United’s top target should be Lassana Diarra of Real Mardid. With Jose Mourinho purchasing Sami Khedira it seems that Diarra is not needed at the Bernabeu. Diarra is only 23 and would retain his sell on value, a factor that should interest Ferguson. Diarra has also spoken of his frustration of being on the bench at the Bernabeu and has suggested he will be looking for first team football in January.

Manchester United need a player like Diarra. A strong robust midfielder, who has grown up since his days at Arsenal and Chelsea. Diarra would offer United a greater balance to the midfield. At the moment the problems are clear. Michael Carrick can’t tackle and Darren Fletcher’s distribution is poor at times. Added to this the fact that Paul Scholes can’t play every week, United have midfield issues. Diarra would without doubt give greater stability and freedom to Manchester United’s midfield.

Manchester United have waited too long for Owen Hargreaves to return – and to return the player he once was. The fear must be that Manchester United could wait even longer, to find out that Hargreaves will never be the player he once was. Have United waited long enough for the player to prove his fitness. The reality has to be they have, and they must look at replacing the midfielder. Without doubt, there is so much admiration and respect for Hargreaves in the way he has battled to get back to a position of recovery.

However, when the problem has moved from mental to physical, can Manchester United hold on to much hope of him returning and commanding a starting place in the team. I am not saying for one minute that Manchester United should hang Hargreaves out to dry – far from it. The facts are United need Hargreaves playing week in week out. If this is not possible, and the events of the last week suggest this, its time to look at replacing the midfielder.

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Click on image below to see a gallery of Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest lady

Lille striker Gervinho is set to announce this week which club he will join in the summer. The player has admitted a liking for the Premier League with Newcastle planning a bid of around £9.5m but there is also likely to be interest from Liverpool and Arsenal. There is also likely to be interest from Spain and Germany, so there is certainly no shortage of offers for talented Ivorian.

Gervinho’s actual name is Gervais Yao Kouassi who plays as striker for Lille in French Lique 1 – although the player can also play as a winger. Gervinho started his professional career in Belgium playing for Beveren – where he scored 14 league goals in around 2 seasons. In 2007, he moved to France and played for Le Mans and impressed despite the fact that he only scored 8 goals from 59 appearances.

In May, 2008 Gervinho was linked with a move away from Le Mans with other French teams interested but Arsenal were also linked. After hearing about the interest from Arsenal Gervinho suggested it would be a dream to play for the North London club. However, despite the continued interest from Arsenal his next move occurred in France from Le Mans to Lille for a fee of 8 million Euros.

Since moving to Lille Gervinho has really started to fulfil that potential with his goal-scoring; this season hitting 15 goals. The 24 year old striker has also made a number of appearances for his country, since making his debut in 2007. Since then he has made 19 appearances and scored 5 goals. Despite interest from a number of clubs reports in France suggest that Arsenal is the team he is most likely to join. It will certainly be interesting to see how he gets on in the Premier League if those reports proved to be correct. However, the African players that have come in to the English top flight have generally done well – so there is no reason to think Gervinho will be any different.

Check out this video on Gervinho:

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As with any local derby, whenever the two Manchester clubs met there was always that extra bit of tension in the air. Nowadays though, thanks to City’s new found riches, the game isn’t just about local pride. Honours are up for grabs.

The first match between United and the new look City caused a huge stir. Everybody in football was talking about it. For the first time ever, the blue half of Manchester arrived expectant. It was almost supposed to represent a little bit of revenge over Ferguson’s men for all the years they had to sit and watch United lift trophy after trophy.

In Ferguson’s mind, the noisy neighbours had to be silenced and a message needed to go out that there was still only one team in Manchester. It all made for a very entertaining match up and the seven-goal thriller did not disappoint.

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Lets face it, as football fans, we all appreciate our stadiums. The history, heritage and tradition that surrounds them. The emotions we dispense inside. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a hulking figure that dominate the skylines or a slither of grass flanked by a few dilapidated stands. Every football stadium has a story. Each one is beautiful in it’s own right.

Unfortunately there are some poor structures affixed with names that really do make you giggle like like a young child stuck in a laughing fit after viewing their first episode of Mr Bean. You really have to wonder what goes through the heads of some football chairmen don’t you? Naming a football stadium after a chocolate bar is both ludicrous and hysterical all in the same measure.

But, football is big business these days and no matter how absurd it my be naming a ground after the countries leading manufacturer of crinkle cut crisps or a popular Hollywood actor can financially benefit a club in the long-term. The Premier League is no stranger to such occurrences with Arsenal, Bolton, Manchester City, Stoke and Wigan all showcasing the positives of a naming rights deal. Luckily for them though their footballing cathedrals have steered clear of any madcap monikers.

There are a ton of them out there around the globe but here is the Top TEN Weird & Wacky Stadium Names.

Click on the stadium below to get started

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Real Madrid won their first Copa del Rey trophy since 1993 after defeating Barcelona 1-0 in extra-time on Wednesday.Jose Mourinho’s squad also won their first trophy since 2008 at Valencia’s Mestalla, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s terrific header in the 103rd minute.

The fixture between Spain’s two biggest clubs is dubbed ‘El Clasico’, but this match was far from a classic, with Mourinho’s side stifling Barcelona with their excellent defence and a crowded midfield.

Barcelona enjoyed most of the early possession but could not break down a stubborn Real side, who had the majority of the first-half chances.

The best of those came 10 minutes before half-time, with Barcelona’s back-up goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto, who was called up to replace Victor Valdes, required to make a low save to deny Ronaldo.

Real nearly opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time when Mesut Oezil’s ball was nodded onto the post by the impressive Pepe, who could only watch as the ball bounced wide after hitting the woodwork.

Barcelona improved early in the second half and Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta went close to scoring the opener, while Pedro did find the back of the net but had his goal correctly disallowed for offside after Messi had set him up, but played the pass marginally late.

Angel Di Maria, who was fantastic for the victors, had a chance to win the game in normal time, but his strike was well saved by Pinto as the match went to extra-time.

The goal eventually came thanks to fine work down the left hand side from Marcelo and Di Maria, with the Argentine producing an inch-perfect cross for Ronaldo, who met the ball with a powerful header to delight the Madrid half of the crowd.

Barcelona tried in vain to equalise and although Di Maria was sent off for a second yellow card in the dying stages of the second period of extra time, they were too late to grab a winner.

The result was the first defeat in a final for Pep Guardiola since he took over as coach of the Catalan giants in 2008 and could give Real a psychological edge heading into their two-legged Champions League semi-final with Barca, beginning on April 27.

Chelsea signing Fernando Torres has trained with the Blues on Thursday, heightening speculation he will debut on Sunday against Liverpool.

The 50-million-pound acquisition went through the motions at Chelsea’s Cobham training home alongside fellow signing David Luiz, who transferred to London from Portuguese club Benfica.

It has fuelled belief the Spaniard will face his old side less than seven days after transferring from Anfield to Stamford Bridge.

While Torres could lay claims for an immediate start in Carlo Ancelotti’s side despite Chelsea packing an attack consisting of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, Luiz is more realistic about his efforts to gain a place in the back four for the English champions.

“I always knew there would be competition because Chelsea is a big club and you have to be a top player to play here,” Luiz said.

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“It is a big challenge for me, but I have a strong desire to get a space in this group and establish myself and learn from my new team-mates to become a better player and have more skills.”

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has praised in-form attacker Maxi Rodriguez after his hat-trick in their 5-2 win over Fulham on Monday.The Argentine has scored seven goals in his last three games, flourishing under Dalglish after showing only glimpses of his best under predecessor Roy Hodgson.

His strikes on Monday at Craven Cottage, along with goals from Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez, saw the Reds move above Tottenham and into fifth spot in the English Premier League.

Maxi sealed his hat-trick with a 25-yard drive into the top corner, and Dalglish said he deserved the praise he was receiving.

“He’s a really intelligent footballer. He knows where to go and when to go,” Dalglish told BBC.

“Everything’s happening for him at the moment. He deserves the accolades.”

“He’s a very clever player. A lot of balls have been falling to him in the box, but you’ve got to be there to put them away and he has been.”

Fulham had won their last four games at Craven Cottage, but could not recover after conceding three goals in the opening 16 minutes against the Reds.

Second-half goals from attacker Moussa Dembele and midfielder Steve Sidwell proved to be nothing more than consolation strikes.

Dalglish’s team is unbeaten in their last five outings and he believes missing out on the Europa League’s fifth spot would not be a blow.

“Nobody would ever have anticipated the run that the boys have been on since January, would they? It’s been unbelievable,” he said.

“Even if we don’t get fifth, they’ve been absolutely fantastic. For us, the position hasn’t been as important as the response of the players.”

Fulham manager Mark Hughes said the game was all over after his side conceded three goals in the opening 15 minutes.

“Consecutive errors led to goals,” Hughes said.

“On too many occasions we were giving away unforced errors and giving the ball away in the wrong part of the pitch.”

“The game was gone in the first 15 minutes. It wasn’t something we’d expected the way we’ve played in recent months.”

Hughes said he was keen to get his players into the dressing rooms to rectify the problems they had in the first half.

“We’re not the type of team to shore up and go for damage limitation,” he said.

“We’ve been fantastic for the majority of the season. We were all taken aback by how the game panned out today (and) we just need to learn from it.”

Hughes said Uruguayan Suarez was afforded too much freedom by his defence and the attacker took advantage, creating chances and getting on the scoresheet.

“He’s a talented player. He’s an exceptional player, always in pockets of space which in fairness we allowed him,” Hughes said.

“If we dictate him then it’s OK, but he dictated us today.”

Fulham sit in 10th following the loss, while Liverpool are still in contention for the Champions League qualifying spot at four points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

Arsenal have confirmed that Jack Wilshere has received a setback in his rehabilitation from injury, but is not necessarily sidelined for the remainder of the season.

The England international midfielder has been absent for the entirety of The Gunners’ season so far due to an ankle injury, but was expected to make a return to action in January.

Reports of a stress fracture in his foot arose in the press earlier in the week, and the north London club have confirmed the player’s bad news.

“The club can confirm Jack Wilshere has a small stress fracture to his right foot, however it is not accurate to state he has been ruled out for the remainder of the season,” a statement released on the club’s official website reads.

“The injury is in a different area to his previous surgery, and it will be reassessed in around two weeks’ time by our medical team and medical experts who have worked together throughout Jack’s recovery.

“This is a recognised complication of a complex rehabilitation process and, of critical importance, Jack’s initial injury is recovering well,” it concluded.

Wilshere will have one eye on Euro 2012 also, and realistically needs to recover well before the end of the season to stand a chance of inclusion in Fabio Capello’s England squad for the tournament.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish is hoping for a little less drama after his side’s latest comeback against Coventry in the FA Cup.

Birmingham came from 1-0 down – 3-1 on aggregate – to beat West Ham United and reach the final of the Carling Cup on Wednesday.

And they were forced to repeat the trick at St Andrew’s on Saturday, fighting back from 2-0 down against Championship club Coventry to eventually win 3-2 and progress to the fifth round.

“I wouldn’t want to live through that too often with the stress levels, but I thought the team played well today,” McLeish said.

“There was a lot of really good stuff.”

“We had to show great strength of character again against Coventry and it underlined the importance of having a squad with quality. The more intense the competition the better from my point of view.”

“We shouldn’t have made it hard for ourselves because we started great,” he added.

“Coventry are obviously very dangerous up front. The big lad (Clive) Platt was a handful and of course we all know about Marlon King. But I knew there was goals in it for us.”

McLeish credited David Bentley with turning the tide – the loan signing from Tottenham struck in the 35th minute to drag Birmingham back into contention.

“Bentley’s was a cracker,” McLeish said.

“We needed that. If we’d gone in 2-0 down it would have been much tougher. The second half was again a measure of this squad’s resilience and their desire not to give up until the final whistle.”

Coventry manager Aidy Boothroyd felt his team’s ambition got the better of them as they surrendered their lead in the second half.

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“I thought it was a terrific occasion and I’m afraid we got caught up in it in the second half and wanted to try to score three and four goals rather than being sensible,” Boothroyd said.

“If somebody’s bigger than you and better than you, you don’t go toe to toe with them – and that’s what we did.”

“For some strange reason, despite what was said at half-time, we went all out to try to beat Birmingham City, a Premier League team, convincingly when really what we should have done was weathered the storm, kept calm and hit them on a sensible counter-attack.”

Andre Villas-Boas makes no bones about the fact that Chelsea’s recent plight has been self-inflicted. The Portuguese boss knows that victory tonight at Stamford Bridge will save him the indignity of being the first Blues manager not to make the knock-out stages of the Champions League.

Elsewhere in the news David Silva talks up the Champions League; Sepp Blatter says goal line technology may be used at the 2014 World Cup, while AC Milan are in talks over Carlos Tevez.

News

Villas Boas – Chelsea’s plight self-inflicted

David Silva talks up the Champions League

FA hopeful over Rooney decision

Milan in Tevez talks

World Cup to use goal-line technology

Arsenal to field fringe players

El Clasico trio battle for Ballon d’Or

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Transfer Talk

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Tottenham poised to launch £8m bid for Cahill as Redknapp eyes sales – Daily Mail

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City lay out the welcome Mat – Sun

Liverpool lead pursuit of Bologna striker – TalkSport

Gotze will stay at Dortmund! Arsenal blow in £30m chase for German starlet – Daily Mail

Donovan won’t Land at Everton – Sun

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