Rooney return delayed

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Wayne Rooney is set to miss Manchester United's FA Cup tie at West Ham this weekend - and the home league clash with Liverpool next Sunday.

"Wayne's still injured, and it looks like going to be out another two weeks or so," said Sir Alex Ferguson at Friday's pre-match press conference.

"It's a surprise as he was meant to be back training now. So he'll be out for longer than we thought and I don't think he will be fit for the Liverpool match. The injury is nothing serious. He just got clipped behind his knee. Nothing shows in the scan but he's still feeling it. Hopefully in two weeks it'll be sorted but nonetheless it's a loss."

The better team news from the boss included Nani being "expected to start training today" and Phil Jones declared available for the Saturday tea-time trip to Upton Park. Nemanja Vidic will also "be involved" after sitting out the New Year's Day win at Wigan. "I didn't play Vidic on Tuesday because he played on Saturday against West Brom," explained Sir Alex. "At this stage of his recovery and development, playing every seven days suits him better than every three to four days."

Darren Fletcher's involvement, meanwhile, could depend on the state of West Ham's pitch. "The ground has been really heavy recently and I don't think the pitches have suited him," said Sir Alex. "But we're in good shape now with good options. We've utilised the squad very well in the last few weeks."

Gutted if that is true about Wayne Rooney. Sir Alex Ferguson could be bluffing though as he has done with a few things before:p.

Glad that Phil Jones and Nemanja Vidic will be fit enough to play in some capacity at West Ham and that Darren Fletcher might possibly be involved. Best news is about Nani being back in training!

Reds aim to make cup impact

Chris Smalling admits the FA Cup third round draw could have been kinder to United after the Reds were handed an away trip to West Ham on Saturday, but the defender insists confidence is high in the squad with everyone determined to make their mark in the cup this season.

Sir Alex’s men have been left frustrated in the competition since 2004, the year of United’s last FA Cup triumph. Two defeats in finals (2005 and 2007) have since followed, while the Reds have tasted defeat in the last four of the competition in two of the last four seasons.

With the Reds faring well in the league and the Champions League put to bed until next month, Smalling says a successful FA Cup run is uppermost on the players’ priority list.

“We’ve haven’t done too well in the cup in the last few years and the manager has made that point to us,” he told ManUtd.com and PA Sport. “We need to make sure we get back on track in the competition, especially as the league is going well and we’re into the Champions League knock-out stages. We want to do well in the cup as well.

“The FA Cup has always been a massive competition. You’ve got the situation where lower league teams have the chance to play some of the top sides and it can be a real adventure for a lot of sides. We’ve not got an easy game, but I’m sure it’ll be a good, competitive one.”

The Reds will be up against a West Ham side, promoted back to the top flight this term, who have lost two of their last three home games. But Smalling still fully expects the Hammers to make the Saturday tea-time clash a testing encounter.

“We expect a tough game. When I saw the draw I thought it wasn’t the easiest one we could have had, but it’ll be a good atmosphere and Upton Park is always somewhere I’ve enjoyed playing," he added.

“Sam Allardyce has done very well and got a good team together. The fans really get behind them, especially at Upton Park, and that will make it more difficult for us compared to if we were playing them at home.

“It’s a tough draw for us, but you can end up playing anyone in the cup and you’ve got to beat everybody put in front of you. Hopefully we can put on a good show at Upton Park.”

Boss offers club's sympathies

Sir Alex Ferguson has offered the sympathies of everybody at Manchester United to Wayne and Coleen Rooney and their family, following the tragic death of 14-year-old Rosie McLoughlin.

Rosie, sister of Coleen, passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning after a lifelong battle with Rett syndrome.

"Everyone at Manchester United was shocked to hear the terrible news," Sir Alex told ManUtd.com. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this very sad time.

"I would urge everyone to respect the family's privacy at this very difficult time."

So a replay vs West Ham at Old Trafford in a fortnight and hopefully we will win to progress. Thank God for RVP scoring the equaliser and Giggsy's ball for it was class. SAF is better using Ryan Giggs as a winger and not a CM!

Tom Cleverley's solo goal to put United 1-0 up was good:).

The United defence have been annoying this season, they really need to step it up and improve.

Hopefully we will do better in the FA Cup this year...

Some stories from before the game coming up...

Sir Alex eyes FA Cup run

Sir Alex Ferguson is determined to “do something” about Manchester United’s recent barren FA Cup record as he prepares his side for Saturday’s third-round clash at West Ham.

With each passing season since United’s last triumph in the competition, against Millwall in 2004, more is made of the numerous long-serving players in the Reds squad who have never lifted the trophy, including Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick.

Sir Alex insists his side’s recent cup shortcomings haven’t been for a lack of trying and that a variety of factors have contributed, such as tough draws against fellow Premier League teams.

The Reds missed out on penalties to Arsenal in the 2005 final after dominating the game, then succumbed to a late Didier Drogba goal at Wembley two years later, which secured the first of Chelsea’s four cup wins in the last six years.

“Rio has been with us 10 years and never won the cup – it’s amazing,” Sir Alex said. “We’ll have to do something about it.

“The cup is a tournament where form doesn’t necessarily win games. Luck has a lot to do with it.

“We got to the semi-final against City but we’ve had some hard draws – twice away to Liverpool, away to City and a home tie with Leeds, when I rested a few players and we were caught short.

“Chelsea have been fantastic, though I thought they were lucky to beat us in the final when Drogba scored late on. We lost on penalty kicks to Arsenal, which everyone remembers was a travesty of a result.

“But I think with a club like ours, the closer we get to Wembley, the better we become.”

Sam Allardyce’s West Ham continue that run of tricky cup opponents and Sir Alex indicated he’ll field a strong team this weekend to give his side the best possible chance of progressing.

“It’s a particularly hard one as they’re in good form and at home,” the Reds boss said. “Sam has done a great job there, getting them promoted first of all, and their form has been good with some excellent results.

“So it’s going to be a tough game and I don’t think we’ll make too many changes. I think, more or less, we’ll play a strong team and hopefully we’ll get through.”

Keane extension agreed

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United youngster Michael Keane is set to extend his loan move with Leicester City by another month after the two clubs reached an agreement.

The 19-year-old is due to remain with the promotion-chasing Foxes at least until the end of January and looks set to feature in the FA Cup tie against Burton on Saturday.

After picking up a hamstring injury on his debut for Nigel Pearson's side at the start of November, the promising centre-back returned to the line-up in impressive fashion during the 6-1 hammering of Huddersfield.

Keane, whose twin brother Will has been sidelined after suffering cruciate knee ligament damage last year, also played for United's Under-21s in their final fixture of 2012 against Morecambe.

Meanwhile, Jesse Lingard has returned to Old Trafford after making five substitute appearances during his stint in the East Midlands.

Henriquez set for bow

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Manchester United striker Angelo Henriquez could make his Wigan Athletic debut on Saturday as the Latics take on Bournemouth in the FA Cup third round.

The Chilean international, whose loan move to Wigan was finalised on Friday, has outlined a desire to impress his temporary manager Roberto Martinez and hopes to thrive under the Spaniard's progressive, attack-minded philosophy.

“I’m hoping to get first-team appearances in the Premier League and coming to Wigan will be a very good way to do that, particularly with the style that the gaffer has got the team playing in,” Henriquez told Wigan's official website.

“Coming to the club is a very big opportunity for me and I am very grateful to Roberto Martinez because he has had the faith in what he has seen from me to bring me here.

“My job on the pitch is to score goals for the team and hopefully I can give the Wigan Athletic fans some good memories while I am here. I am available to play in the FA Cup against Bournemouth and I have been training hard to get my chance as soon as possible, I’m really excited to get going.”

Martinez, who has signed Henriquez to bolster his depleted forward line, says it is important for his new acquisition to acclimatise quickly.

“The fans will have the chance [in the FA Cup tie] to enjoy seeing the work we’ve been doing behind the scenes in helping our young players develop and see the potential they have,” the Spaniard told. “As well as that it will also be a chance for them to welcome new faces to the club, such as Angelo Henriquez and Roger Espinoza.

“It’s an important moment for them to be involved in the match preparation, the matchday environment and ensure that they adapt to our football club very quickly.

“Ideally both players would have more time to prepare and get used to their new team-mates, but they’re so desperate to play and at some stage we hope to see them on the pitch.”

Henriquez joined United from Universidad de Chile in September, bringing with him a reputation for lethal finishing, and has since scored on his senior international debut during a friendly against Serbia.

The teenager will wear the number 11 jersey at Wigan and help to fill the gap vacated by Arouna Kone, who is representing Ivory Coast at this month's Africa Cup of Nations.

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Boss unhappy with Spurs

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed his disappointment at Tottenham Hotspur's signing of his former defender Ezekiel Fryers.

The youngster was out of contract at Manchester United and looked set to join Spurs last summer but the two clubs could not agree a compensation package. Instead, the left-back ended up at Standard Liege but moved to White Hart Lane as soon as the January window opened.

The manager is urging the authorities to look into the matter as the Reds lost out on a sizeable fee for the defender but he accepts that Spurs' actions were not in breach of the current rules.

"We expected that to be honest with you," he replied to MUTV, when asked about the Spurs deal. "How would you put it? To me, I think it's a blatant manipulation of the rules.

"Tottenham did nothing wrong as he went to Standard Liege. They tried to buy him off us and we'd been looking for a certain figure. They wouldn't pay it but asked if they could take him down there on trial and, at that time, he was out of contract in June anyway.

"So he went down on trial and he went to Portugal with them. They then said they weren't prepared to pay the money and, all of a sudden, he signed for Standard Liege.

"We knew immediately and suspected that he would return to Tottenham in January and that's happened. It's a [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy deal. You know, it's his fingerprints all over it. It's the kind of thing we expected he was going to do."

Sir Alex found it hard to hide his disappointment over the matter and clearly feels the whole situation has been unfair on United, who developed the youngster at Carrington.

"There's nothing we can do about it but I think that really we should, first of all, register our discontent in it," he explained. "I think the league should look into it.

"I think the registration should be stopped until they investigate it thoroughly. There's bound to be a trail, either mobile phones or e-mails, that could give you the full story of it.

"I must say I'm disappointed in Tottenham. For whatever reason, a club that size has decided to go down this route. I'm disappointed."

Go SAF!

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Rio expected to stay at United

Sir Alex Ferguson expects Rio Ferdinand to stay at Manchester United beyond the end of the current season.

The experienced centre-back has been at Old Trafford since 2002 when he completed a big-money switch from Leeds United and has made 16 Barclays Premier League starts this term.

Although the 34-year-old is out of contract in the summer, as is the club policy when it comes to players of his age, the manager feels another extension will be signed with the defender and stresses it doesn't even come into his thinking when he's selecting his team.

"I don't think Rio wants to leave," the manager stated at his pre-West Ham press conference. "I don't think we're panicking about that. We are comfortable with that.

"I don't think his contract issue comes into it at all. It doesn't matter if he was here for another three years, we would still be dealing with his playing time the best we can.

"There is no way you would be expecting him to play every four days right through a season. Getting rest at the right time definitely helps him. His preparation is good. He does a lot of work on his pre-match preparation now. He does yoga and a lot of other things to help him sustain his playing time.

"I have said before, he can play on. I don't think he has the same issue with his back that he had a couple of years ago. It is manageable now. That is the important thing."

Jonny Evans' form has ensured he has been impossible to leave out of late and the Northern Irishman continues to attract praise from his manager.

"He is the future," said Sir Alex. "Nemanja [Vidic] and Rio know that. There is no doubt. His form is improving all the time. I think his experience helps. As he matures and gets experience year-by-year, he is getting better. There is no end to his improvement. He looks as if he is improving all the time. That, for us, is a great sign."


Hopefully Rio will sign a new contract:).

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Anders Lindegaard believes team spirit inside the Manchester United dressing room is at a two-year high following a fruitful festive campaign.

The Reds earned an admirable 10 points from a possible 12 during the busy Christmas calendar, even moving seven points clear of Manchester City as the Barclays Premier League title race heads into the New Year.

With morale boosted, Lindegaard says “it’s a joy coming into work” and praised his teammates’ ability to cope with the psychological challenges posed by a run of four matches in 10 days.

“The team spirit is as high as I can remember since I came here [in December 2010],” Anders told MUTV. “We have done tremendously well over the Christmas period and picked up some great results, only dropping points against Swansea - which was a game that we should have won in my opinion.

“We have done brilliantly and you can see that in the team spirit as well, people are happy and there’s a good, friendly and funny atmosphere in the locker room. It’s a joy coming into work at the moment.

“Training is not hard work during the Christmas period because we have so many games. We just come in and prepare for the next game and then we go again. The games are obviously very hard, but the training in itself is not as hard as during other parts of the year.

“Mentally it’s a very hard period and I think the Christmas programme this year has been tougher than others while I’ve been at United. But it’s a good feeling to come out after New Year's Day with a lot of good results, a good atmosphere and sitting at the top of the table. We can now focus on the next games and getting more good results.”

Having previously plied his trade in Denmark for Odense BK and more recently Norwegian side Aalesund, Lindegaard was accustomed to enjoying a winter break on the continent before moving to Old Trafford and the Barclays Premier League where festive football is craved and celebrated.

However, while his former teammates are enjoying an extensive rest, United’s charismatic goalkeeper insists he is not jealous and knows exactly where he’d rather be.

“It is almost not comparable. In Denmark where I played, and also in Norway, you have five or six weeks of vacation and the Danish players are probably lying on a beach in Thailand right now.

“But this is where you want to be, it’s the best country to play football in and it is all part of the fun of being a footballer in England.”

Report: West Ham 2 United 2

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Sad news about rooneys little sister inlaw

Supersubs rescue Reds

Sir Alex Ferguson says you can never write off Manchester United after the Reds clinched a last-gasp draw against West Ham in the FA Cup third round at Upton Park.

Ryan Giggs and Robin van Persie came off the bench in the second half with United 2-1 down in the tie after James Collins twice scored to overturn Tom Cleverley’s first-half opener.

Heading into the dying stages of the match fans might have been forgiven for thinking that the game was out of United’s reach.

“You never do that with our team [write us off],” the boss told ITV Sport. “But certainly when you’re 2-1 down with a couple of minutes or three minutes left, you just hope you get a break.”

United’s equaliser wasn’t any old scrambled, scrappy finish either. Giggs’s pass and van Persie’s take and finish were supreme. The boss added: “You have to say, the manner of the goal, the pass from Ryan Giggs, the first touch from Robin van Persie and his finish were absolutely world class, absolutely fantastic.”

Van Persie’s continuing impact in his first season at United shows no sign of waning. “I think it’s a challenge, coming to a new club, but his experience… he’s a well-established international, he’s a mature age now and he’s brought that maturity to our forward line. His performance coming on was tremendous.”

Skipper relishes Hammers replay

Nemanja Vidic expects ‘a different game’ when United and West Ham reconvene at Old Trafford to decide their FA Cup third round tie, but the Serbian admits the Reds will need to address problems posed by the Hammers at Upton Park.

Robin van Persie’s last-gasp leveller spared the Reds an early exit from the competition, after Tom Cleverley’s opener was overturned by a pair of James Collins headers which exploited chinks in United’s armour.

“They made this game hard,” Vidic told MUTV. “They tried to defend with everybody behind the ball, played long balls. We always know that on set-pieces they are a tough team to play against and eventually today they scored two against us from crosses.

“They scored from the second ball which we should look at again, and we are definitely a bit disappointed. It’s something to talk about. We have the height in the team, we should deal better with that, but most important is that we managed to stay in the game and I believe at home it’s going to be a different game.

“We have a wide pitch. This pitch is hard to play against, they’re good physically and in the air like they showed today and we have to give credit to them as well. They fight well and in the end I think 2-2 is a result they deserved.”

While regaining the Premier League title and plotting a Champions League course past Real Madrid are consuming priorities at Old Trafford, the scenes which followed van Persie’s equaliser demonstrated the Reds’ hunger for FA Cup success.

“We believe it’s important,” said Vidic. “We didn’t win the trophy for the last eight years and it’s a trophy we’re looking to win. We showed today in how we celebrated the goal, and I’m hoping at home it will be a different game. I think we have a big squad and we can manage to have one more game.”

The Serbian also took time out to herald the masterclass of attacking play on show in van Persie's 92nd-minute equaliser; a sublime crossfield pass from Ryan Giggs which was beautifully cushioned and fired home.

"His touch is magnificent and his finishing is top class," said Vidic. "It’s movement from the book, touch from the book, goal from the book. It’s something they can show to kids, how to move and finish in the last third. He was magnificent for us, we just hope he’s going to be in the same form in the end."


Vida is right, our defending needs to improve big time:).

Sir Alex: We're in it to win it

Sir Alex Ferguson has once again outlined his desire to win this season’s FA Cup after Manchester United secured a dramatic third round draw with West Ham on Saturday.

The boss cut a frustrated figure for some of the match at Upton Park as the Reds trailed to Sam Allardyce’s typically well-organised Hammers, who held a slender 2-1 lead during the second half thanks to a brace of goals from James Collins.

Thankfully, Sir Alex’s mood was lifted as substitute Robin van Persie showed his immeasurable class in the 90th minute, latching onto Ryan Giggs’ sublime pass to slide past Jussi Jaaskelainen and book a yet to be scheduled replay at Old Trafford.

“We want to stay in the competition and have a go at winning it,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “We’ve had some terrible draws over the years and been knocked out early, we don’t enjoy that. For us to be losing 2-1 in that game was amazing given the chances we created and the football we played.

“But when you play West Ham you have got to defend your crosses from the set pieces because they are brilliant and the best team in the league at that, but we didn’t do it. Twice, from the same position, James Collins scored from the same type of cross from Joe Cole and we lost two goals.

“Really, you could say it was a travesty but they are good at it and you have to admire that part of their game. Given some of the football we played and the chances that we missed, we should have really been home safely.

“It was a fantastic piece of play for our first goal and we played a lot of good football. We maybe should have been ahead at half-time but as I say, we have to defend better than that. They are good at what they do and you have to give them real credit because they are a handful.

“When Ryan Giggs headed over the bar, Danny Welbeck hit another over, Tom Cleverley hit one more over and then Shinji Kagawa had one blocked near the line, I thought it wasn’t going to be our day.

“But you have to praise the pass from Ryan and the first touch of the ball from Robin. The finish was absolutely world class. You are hoping he is going to score given his ability to do that. There were only a few minutes left so it was a great goal for us.”

Although the replay with West Ham is yet to be arranged, it is likely to be played during the week before Saturday 26 January, when the fourth round matches are scheduled, meaning United will have to contend with a busier than expected New Year.

However, with a host of players returning to first team training, including midfielders Anderson and Nani, and a full complement of defenders at his disposal, Sir Alex feels his squad is strong enough to cope with the physiological demands of fixture congestion.

“We have got a good strong squad and I’m sure that all of our players will be back by the time we play these games. Nani started training and is almost fit now and all of the defenders, including Phil Jones, will be ready in the next week or so. We have a strong squad so why not use it?”

Roberto Martinez hails Wigan's young loan signing Angelo Henriquez

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Roberto Martinez has tipped Angelo Henriquez to become a crowd pleaser at the DW Stadium while on loan with Wigan.

The teenage striker was handed his debut as a half-time substitute during Wigan's FA Cup clash against Bournemouth.

The 18-year-old Chilean has joined the Latics from neighbours Manchester United and the Wigan boss is looking forward to him showing his talents.

Martinez said: "There is such a freshness about his play.

"Angelo's movement was outstanding and his knack of getting a couple of yards in the box gave him a very good chance, which nearly brought him his first Wigan goal.

"I have a feeling he is going to be a real crowd favourite."

"Angelo tries to be very clever. Because he is not the most physical, he avoids 50-50 contact with defenders but his running into space is really sharp and incisive.

"We do need to get to know him a little bit better. Sometimes he made some great moves and we couldn't see him.

"But he will give us a completely different dimension.

"His attitude is incredible. He is a young man with great standards who is desperate to be successful in the Premier League."

He is likely to be used by Martinez while Arouna Kone is away on international duty for the Ivory Coast during the Africa Cup of Nations.

So a home tie whoever wins the replay at Old Trafford vs Fulham or Blackpool in the FA Cup.

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:worship::cool:.

Home draw on offer

The reward for the winner of United's FA Cup third round replay with West Ham United will be a fourth round home draw against either Fulham or Blackpool.

Just as the Reds and Hammers could not be separated at Upton Park, Saturday's Craven Cottage meeting between the Cottagers and the Seasiders ended all-square.

Both third round replays will take place in the week commencing Monday, 14 January, sandwiched between league fixtures at home to Liverpool and away to Tottenham Hotspur for United.

Elsewhere in the fourth round draw, there are no guaranteed all-Premier League ties. Stoke will host Manchester City if they overcome Crystal Palace, while Sunderland must beat Bolton if they are to face Everton, who travel to Cheltenham on Monday evening.

Full FA Cup fourth round draw
Norwich City v Luton Town, Oldham Athletic v Mansfield/Liverpool, Macclesfield Town v Wigan/Bournemouth, Derby County v Blackburn Rovers, Hull City/Leyton Orient v Barnsley, Middlesbrough v Aldershot Town, Millwall v Aston Villa, Leeds United/Birmingham City v Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion v Swansea City/Arsenal, Crystal Palace/Stoke City v Manchester City, West Ham United/Manchester United v Fulham/Blackpool, Southend/Brentford v Chelsea, Reading v Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town v Leicester City, QPR/West Brom v Sheffield Wednesday/MK Dons, Bolton/Sunderland v Cheltenham/Everton.

Sir Alex relishes late drama

United grabbed yet another injury-time result with Saturday’s 2-2 FA Cup third round draw at West Ham, and Sir Alex Ferguson is insistent that he would not trade the penchant for late drama that is encoded in the Reds' DNA.

Sir Alex called in the cavalry at Upton Park as Ryan Giggs and Robin van Persie emerged from the bench to combine for the Dutchman’s brilliant stoppage-time leveller. Prior to that grandstand finish, defeat and a subsequent FA Cup exit had looked imminent.

The Reds boss displays meticulous attention to detail in his analysis of matches – he awoke at 4am after December’s 3-2 win over Manchester City and watched the entire match again on DVD. But regardless of any errors he finds in his team's performances, the courage displayed by his players in adversity is a source of great pride.

“That’s exactly it,” he tells the latest issue of Inside United, on sale Wednesday 9 January. “At the end of the day, the finish to these games sends everybody home absolutely over the moon. They’ll be walking down the street towards their cars, or getting in their cars and driving home, telling each other, ‘What a game, absolutely fantastic’."

Asked if he would prefer the late comebacks and last-gasp goals or more routine scorelines and victories, the boss responded: “Och, I suppose the excitement of games like the Boxing Day win over Newcastle gets everyone going! You’d rather do without it, but being the manager of Manchester United you have to relish it and expect it to happen. That’s just the club. That’s how it is.”

Ruud backing for Büttner

United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has backed fellow Dutchman Alexander Büttner to make his mark in the future.

The summer signing from Vitesse Arnhem played the full 90 minutes at West Ham in the FA Cup on Saturday after Sir Alex Ferguson rested first-choice left-back Patrice Evra.

Büttner has also appeared once in the Barclays Premier League, scoring in the home win against Wigan, and featured in three European fixtures and two Capital One Cup ties.

After being bought as cover for Evra, the defender has already admitted he is pleased with his first months in Manchester.

"Alexander has made a great start," van Nistelrooy told ManUtd.com recently. "He needs a bit more time as he's definitely somebody for the future.

"He's been getting games in the Champions League. For him, it's a dream come true. He's got the ability and needs to learn to obtain more experience and he's definitely somebody to look out for."

Brown back at United

Reece Brown has been recalled from his loan stint at Coventry City.

The versatile defender, who can also play in a holding role in midfield, joined the Sky Blues in July but the club changed manager a couple of months later with former Red Mark Robins taking over the reins.

Brown's last appearance for the club was back in September in an away win at Oldham but he also picked up some useful experience in a Capital One cup tie at Arsenal.

After making 10 appearances for the Sky Blues, the 21-year-old is heading back to Manchester with the best wishes of everybody at the Ricoh Arena.

The England Under-20 international has also had loan spells with Bradford, Doncaster and Oldham.

Meanwhile, Ben Amos has also returned to the club following his stint with Hull City but, as expected, Luke Giverin's stay at Royal Antwerp has been extended.

Cleverley is star man

Tom Cleverley was the runaway victor of the ManUtd.com Man of the Match poll for the 2-2 FA Cup draw at West Ham.

The England midfielder was in excellent form throughout and scored the opening goal with a composed finish past Jussi Jaaskelainen in the Hammers' net.

Although he fired over the bar when trying to double his tally, Cleverley shone in the middle of the park and fully deserved to pick up the lion's share of the vote.

Skipper Nemanja Vidic, who became more dominant in defence as the game wore on, edged Danny Welbeck into third place with Jonny Evans finishing fourth despite also picking up plenty of votes.

Some rubbish in the papers saying that SAF will ditch David De Gea and will sign Pepe Reina or Asmir Begovic, what a load of nonsense:joker:.

Howard Webb named as the Referee for the Manchester United vs Liverpool game at Old Trafford at the weekend.