[bbfan1991]

Rooney voted star man

Wayne Rooney picked up just over half of the fans' vote to win the Man of the Match award for the 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace.



The United No10 played in a headband designed to protect the nasty training-ground injury he sustained in preparation for the visit to Liverpool.

The supporters were clearly impressed with his contribution as his free-kick added to Robin van Persie's penalty to seal a comfortable victory against ten-man Palace. Adnan Januzaj ran Rooney close with an exciting performance as a second-half substitute, with his direct play and trickery enchating the Old Trafford faithful. Michael Carrick finished in third spot after the nominations were made by MUTV pundits Gordon McQueen and Lou Macari.

"The fans love that kind of commitment," explained McQueen to the club's official TV channel. "A top player who is willing to go out and risk what is obviously a very bad gash and is desperate to play. Despite the peculiar headgear, big plaster and what not, he still came out and put in the performance that he did.

"Remember it was a great pass and he should've been scoring one and making one for Robin van Persie. It was a bad miss but a great pass by Rooney, who was probably our best player."

Macari was also in agreement with the fans' decision to opt for Rooney, who is now off the mark for the Barclays Premier League season.

"I think that's just about right," the Scot stated. "Wayne got his goal and his other play was good right throughout the game. Januzaj came on and made a big impact. The crowd liked him and the fact there was a youngster on the scene again."

Well done Wazza!

[bbfan1991]

Januzaj: I'll give everything

After sampling a first taste of Old Trafford, Adnan Januzaj is hungry for more and insists he will “give everything for the club” when given the chance.



Januzaj made his Barclays Premier League debut on Saturday in a comfortable 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, replacing Ashley Young after 67 minutes. The outing followed hot on the heels of his official bow during last month’s FA Community Shield at Wembley.

Now, the 18-year-old is desperate to impress and hopes to feature again soon, having produced an encouraging performance of great courage and verve against the Eagles.

“I felt great and shocked because I played for about 25 minutes and that was my first [league] game," Adnan told MUTV. "I think I did some good things, but it is only my debut so I have to keep doing well on the pitch. I appreciate the very good fans, they gave me a bit of power when I came on the pitch. I am very happy.

“I hoped to get a goal but I tried to do my best for the team and tried to give goals and score goals. I just tried to do my best. Of course, I want more games to play and I hope I will have another chance to play for the first team. If I have the chance then I will give everything for the club.”

Speaking after Saturday’s win, manager David Moyes revealed he almost picked Januzaj from the start and explained why the Belgian hasn’t been able to build on his impressive tour performances so far this season.

“Adnan's ahead of schedule,” said Moyes. “I would have introduced him earlier if the games had been suited but the start of the Premier League has been a bit more difficult. I thought today if I got the opportunity I'd introduce him and I considered playing him from the start.

“His performance when he came on shows that would have been merited. He did a lot of good things, he moved with the ball well. The boy's going to be a good player, he's 18 years old and he's a good talent.”

Well done Adnan, he certainly impressed but needs to keep working hard and he has a bright future at United.

[Ryan57]

Big well done to Davey.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24097097

Hope he tore Young to pieces. Dropping him would also be brilliant to see.

[bbfan1991]

United team to play Bayer Leverkusen:

De Gea, Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Valencia, Carrick, Fellaini. Kagawa, Rooney, Van Persie.

Subs: Lindegaard, Fabio, Evans, Anderson, Young, Cleverley, Chicharito.

Strong line up.

[bbfan1991]

United are playing well, a solid team performance.

I was pleased that Rooney scored, good finish despite Evra being offside and Valencia impeding the GK.

Marouane Fellaini has impressed with his workrate, tackling, interceptions and protecting the defence.

Shinji Kagawa is class to watch with his technique and vision/creativity. Antonio Valencia has been full of confidence and played well like Wayne Rooney, who has been great.

RVP has been in a bad mood, but what a ball by Valencia and class technique for the second goal.

[bbfan1991]

Rooooooooney! What a finish for his 200th Manchester United goal, amazing achievement.

[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by bbfan1991

Rooooooooney! What a finish for his 200th Manchester United goal.

Great kick fron De Gea...fantastic finish by Rooney

[bbfan1991]

Tony V scores. What a brilliant counter attack by us and ball by Wayne Rooney before the goal.

[bbfan1991]

DDG made a mistake for Bayer Leverkusen's second goal, but it is nothing to be OTT or dramatic about.

[bbfan1991]

I'm happy with that, great performance by United tonight and what a start to our new Champions League campaign.

[bbfan1991]

Match report from the Bayer Leverkusen match a few days ago:

http://www.manutd.com/en/Fixtures-An...ch-report.aspx

[bbfan1991]

Carrick enjoys new duo

Michael Carrick has spoken of his enjoyment of playing alongside Marouane Fellaini after the pair started their first match together in Tuesday's Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen.



Fellaini impressed during his first ever game in the competition as the Reds secured a 4-2 victory in their opening Group A match.

Carrick says the Belgium international has fitted in well and that his arrival has afforded David Moyes another excellent option in the squad.

"It was good to play with him. He’s a real presence in there," Carrick told MUTV. "You could see tonight that he’s such a dominant player and he gives us something that we haven’t had and that’s exactly what you want – options in the squad.

"Sometimes you want to play different ways and he gives us that option. There’s no point in having similar players. He’s fitted in well and settled in great. He’s a top player and we want as many of those that we can get."

Tuesday's win, on the back of three points in the league against Crystal Palace at the weekend, is exactly the boost the Reds wanted ahead of Sunday's trip to Manchester City.

"Tonight gives us a lot of confidence going into Sunday. As a package it was a polished all-round performance," added the England international.

"We’ve had a stop-start beginning to the season and people have been asking questions as normal. Tonight we got a good performance and result. We really meant business, we knew how important it was to get the result and thankfully we did that."

[bbfan1991]

Rooney joins 200 club

Wayne Rooney netted his 200th goal for Manchester United in Tuesday night's 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen at Old Trafford.



The striker reached the milestone with a cool finish past visiting goalkeeper Bernd Leno after he had earlier put the Reds in front with an assured side-footed volley from close range.

Only four other men in history have hit the 200 milestone: Sir Bobby Charlton (249 goals), Denis Law (237) and Jack Rowley (211).

It's taken Rooney just 406 appearances to bag his double century, meaning he scores, on average, almost a goal every other game. At just 27 years of age, the club's all-time record must surely be in the striker's sights.

"To surpass Sir Bobby would really be something," David Moyes admitted afterwards.

Rooney's goals on Tuesday also took him to second in United's Champions League scorers chart, past Ryan Giggs. He now has 30 goals, just eight shy of Ruud van Nistelrooy's record tally.

Congratulations Wazza, what an achievement at United.

[bbfan1991]

Moyes happy with win

David Moyes was pleased by Manchester United's positive start in the UEFA Champions League, having watched his side record a 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen.



Under the glow of the Old Trafford floodlights, the Reds were convincing victors thanks to goals from Wayne Rooney (2), Robin van Persie and Antonio Valencia. Those strikes outweighed a couple of spirited second half ripostes from Simon Rolfes and Omer Toprak.

As a result, United are now top of Group A ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk, who secured a fine 2-0 away win at Real Sociedad. And while that is obviously a bonus, Moyes isn’t getting carried away.

“We were really pleased with the goals we scored,” the boss told MUTV. “I was delighted to get the first one and get it started and I thought we had good control of the game from there on in. Leverkusen were a threat at set-pieces all night really, they’re a very big team. But overall we had control and we scored some really good goals tonight.

“It was important that we won tonight so that we weren’t chasing things. Things will get more difficult as we go along, but I thought Leverkusen were a decent side. We played well enough to limit their opportunities. However I wouldn’t underestimate them by any means and we won’t be underestimating Shakhtar who, by all accounts, had a good result too.”

Tuesday’s match also saw new-signing Marouane Fellaini make his Champions League debut for the club, producing a solid performance for 81 minutes before departing for Tom Cleverley. Afterwards, Moyes praised the Belgian and explained why he was substituted.

“I thought he (Fellaini) played well tonight, I thought he settled in well,” he told reporters. “He started to get a bit of cramp midway through the second half so I just thought I wouldn’t take any chances with him. But I thought he did a good job and played well tonight.”

The manager also had positive words for Antonio Valencia, who looked full of confidence on the right wing and capped an encouraging display with an excellent goal on 79 minutes, a finish that capped a superb team move for the Reds.

“We knew that if we could get Antonio Valencia plenty of the ball then he’d be able to deliver the crosses. He did do and ran the full-back a couple of times in the first half.

“It was his goal I was pleased with, he’s got a great strike on him with that right-foot and it was great to show that. I’ve said to him that he should score more goals.”

[bbfan1991]

Rooney romps MOTM poll

Wayne Rooney was the resounding winner of our Man of the Match poll after an inspired display in the Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen.



The striker made it to 200 goals for the club after netting United's first and third goals in the 4-2 victory on Tuesday night. He also made the fourth and was impressive throughout.

Users on ManUtd.com and followers on @ManUtd voted in their thousands, with Rooney claiming 75 per cent of the votes.

Team-mate Michael Carrick praised the forward after the game, telling MUTV: "It was as good as I’ve seen him for a while. He looked sharp and hungry; his movement and touch was all there and he showed exactly what a player he is. It’s great to have him in that kind of form."

Antonio Valencia, scorer of the Reds' fourth goal, was second with 16 per cent of the votes, while Robin van Persie, who volleyed home the second, collected nine per cent.

[bbfan1991]

RVP lauds confident Reds

Confidence is often the key to success and Robin van Persie believes United’s self-belief provided the foundation for Tuesday’s convincing victory over Bayer Leverkusen.



The Reds brushed aside the Bundesliga giants with relative ease thanks to two goals from Wayne Rooney, one from Antonio Valencia and another from van Persie, whose movement up front was also an eye-catching component in an encouraging team display.

And when speaking to MUTV after the match, the Dutchman was quick to praise his team-mates and explain why they were such convincing winners.

“We were very confident on the ball tonight, everybody did their bit and we scored a couple of goals,” said Robin. “Everything starts with being confident on the ball and trying to look for that pass in front, that’s what we did and that’s why we scored.”

Robin also had kind words for Rooney after his strike partner converted his 200th goal for United, whilst also tipping his cap to Marouane Fellaini following his Champions League debut.

“Wayne played really well. I love to play with him as he can do everything, he can drop, he can go in behind, he can play the short and the long game. He did really well.

“Marouane did really well also. He was very solid and gets a lot of loose balls back. He’s very confident and always tries to get the ball going forward.”

[bbfan1991]

Stat attack: Rooney's 200

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Fe...200-goals.aspx

[bbfan1991]

Smalling hails spirit

United’s team spirit and character was a key factor in the Reds’ 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen for Chris Smalling.



The German side equalised through their captain, Simon Rolfes, after United had gone into half-time ahead courtesy of Wayne Rooney’s opener, but Robin Van Persie’s superb volley saw United re-take the lead again just two minutes after Leverkusen had levelled.

United never looked back and, despite a late consolation goal from the visitors, they were good value for the three points that kicked off this season's Champions League campaign in fine style.

“If the players don't stick together you don't have any hope,” said the 23-year-old defender. “But we have a very tight knit group here and against Leverkusen we saw that. Even when they scored their first goal, we didn't let our heads drop. We were determined to go up the other end and make them pay, and we did.

“We should have cut out their sloppy goals, then we would have been really happy but overall it was a very good team performance.”

With the first group game of this season’s Champions League safely negotiated, thoughts now turn to next Sunday’s derby and Smalling, pressing for his first start in the Premier League of the season, says the prospect of facing City on their own patch holds no fears.

“It is a game that we all relish. It is better going to their stadium, it is backs to the wall and we will come out fighting.”

Smalling was a second-half substitute when United snatched all three points thanks to Van Persie’s stoppage time free kick on their last visit to the Etihad Stadium, and memories of that dramatic win last December are still fresh in the England international’s memory.

“If there was a way you could choose to win a game, in the last minute, away from home, against your biggest rivals, that was it. The celebrations and what we went through afterwards were brilliant.”

[bbfan1991]

Carrick praises strikers

Michael Carrick has hailed Wayne Rooney’s performance in the Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen as “untouchable”.



Rooney’s two-goal haul, which included his 200th strike as a Manchester United player, inspired the Reds to get their Group A campaign off to a perfect start with a 4-2 victory.

Robin van Persie was also in sublime form, volleying United into a 2-1 lead when he hooked home a cross from Antonio Valencia, and all three players were praised to the hilt by an impressed Carrick.

“It was probably Wayne's best performance that I've seen for a while,” the midfielder told ManUtd.com. “It's great to have him in that form - he can be untouchable when he’s like that.

“To have lads like that in your team is brilliant. I thought Antonio was immense on Tuesday night as well and to have Wayne and Robin scoring and assisting is fantastic. Even if they're maybe not having the best of games they can always come up with something. I thought they played really well on Tuesday.”

Carrick is convinced that the team have found form at the right time ahead of Sunday's derby.

“I don't think we've played that badly so far this season,” he added. “The Swansea game was a good game, the Chelsea one was tight, but Liverpool is always a bit of a one-off game which you can't really read too much into.

“We won at the weekend, and on Tuesday we took it to another level and improved again. Hopefully we can do it again on Sunday. The performance will breed confidence, and we'll have to do it all again on Sunday.”

[bbfan1991]

Butt hails Scholes role

Nicky Butt has welcomed Paul Scholes back into the Manchester United fold after his former team-mate's break from the game.#



Butt took charge of the thrilling 4-3 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the new UEFA Youth League and had Scholes by his side on the bench with the 38-year-old still deciding which role to pursue following his retirement.

"Scholesy has obviously had his break with his family and had a bit of a holiday," explained Butt to MUTV. "He's finished football now but, with someone like Scholesy, it's important United keep him in around the club in whatever capacity he feels he wants to be in.

"Whether it be coaching my age-group, Warren Joyce's age-group or Paul McGuinness' youth team; or even the commercial side or scouting, we don't know yet.

"He doesn't really seem to know what his niche is going to be but he's interested in coaching and knows he's got a lot of experience to pass on to the young lads. To have him here was great and we just want to have him around the club.

"It's important for us all that he's available around the club for whatever he wants to do and so that's where we are at the moment."

It was great seeing Scholesy back at United in some capacity, he enjoyed his break but you can tell he could not stay away from the club he loves for too long!

[bbfan1991]

Clubs agree Lingard loan

Manchester United and Birmingham City have agreed a one-month loan deal for Jesse Lingard.



The 2011 FA Youth Cup winner is set to join Blues manager Lee Clark at St Andrew's, where he is eligible to play in the Championship up to and including Sunday 20 October.

Of course, Lingard caught the eye during this summer’s Tour 2013 Presented by Aon by scoring four goals, more than any other first-team player.

Most recently, the Warrington-born forward also made his England Under-21s debut, coming on as a second-half substitute during a 6-0 demolition of Scotland in August.

He will wear the no.9 jersey for Birmingham and could make his debut against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

"I expect a couple more lads to go out on loan shortly, this week," revealed Reserves coach Warren Joyce to MUTV on Monday. "Then we have got to build ourselves into a settled side and get a pattern of play by having everybody at it, like we have in the last few years.

"There will be several players that need to be out loan now that we need to look at."

Good luck to Jesse with his loan spell at Birmingham City, he is a young player who I really rate and so hope makes the breakthrough at United. He is such a likeable guy too.

All sides will benefit from this deal...

[bbfan1991]

De Gea: We're in good shape

David De Gea says Manchester United will go into Sunday’s derby in confident mood following the Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen.



The Reds’ European campaign got off to an impressive start on Tuesday as Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie both scored again to help defeat the Bundesliga outfit 4-2, while Antonio Valencia got on the scoresheet too.

"The victory has boosted our confidence for Sunday," De Gea told ManUtd.com. "It was important to kick off with a win; we made a good start and got the three points, which gives us peace of mind.

"We’ve since had a few days to prepare for City and we’re looking forward to the match."

David was full of praise for Rooney, who scored twice against Leverkusen to become only the fourth man to reach 200 goals for United.

"Not only did he score goals, he played some great football, worked hard, brought dynamism to the team and played a really great game," the goalkeeper said.

"It’s good for us that he and Robin score goals. It is important; they are key players and this year they will combine to great effect."

Well said DDG.

[bbfan1991]

United boss hails duo

David Moyes has praised Antonio Valencia and Wayne Rooney for their fine form heading into Sunday's Manchester derby against City.



The duo were excellent in the 4-2 beating of Bayer Leverkusen, scoring three of the goals between them and also claiming an assist each. Valencia has, of course, reverted back to his old shirt number of 25 and sparkled down the right wing throughout the Champions League victory.

"He has done very well," stated Moyes. "They keep telling me that he needed to change his number so we got that changed for him! Sometimes, psychologically, it can make a difference to a player.

"Overall, I've been really pleased with him. I actually said to him today: 'You should be getting yourself seven or eight goals a season regularly.' He looked at me and squinted a bit! Hopefully he knows what I mean! I don't know how many he scored last season, I think it was only one or two [it was one - against West Ham]. He's got off to a good start and hopefully he’ll get close to the target I’d like to him get this season."

Rooney also excelled in the Champions League win in midweek and the boss was asked about the likelihood of the 200-goal striker signing a new contract.

"I think we just go step-by-step," he replied. "If he could score another two goals at the weekend that would be the next step forward wouldn't it and just keep his form going. I think he's played really well and we want him to maintain that. If anything, I'm asking him to step up again.

"I want him to keep getting better," stressed the manager at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

"Wayne trained really hard and was in great shape just before he damaged his hamstring in Thailand – I told you that but I don’t know if you all believed me. We thought he was going to be okay, but it wasn’t.

"We kept him working really hard. Well, he did that, I should say. He was in really good shape. I was really impressed with the condition he was in and the work he did in pre-season. He is getting the fruits of that. He’s worked hard and is showing everyone exactly what he can do."

[bbfan1991]

Boss says it's all down to Wayne

David Moyes says the credit for Wayne Rooney's good form this season should go to one man and one man only - Rooney himself.



The striker opened his account for the season against Crystal Palace last Saturday after a Man of the Match performance and he carried on where he left off against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday night with two goals which took him to the 200 mark for the Reds.

Many people have praised Moyes' man management of Rooney since taking over at Old Trafford in July, but the United boss insists it's Rooney himself who deserves all the plaudits.

"Don't for one minute think I am going to take the credit. The credit is for Wayne Rooney for getting himself the way he is. We are here to help make him better. It is up to Wayne to do it. He takes the credit for that," Moyes told radio reporters on Friday. "He was always a great player, even when he was leaving Everton he had the potential. He had all the ability in the world. Could he pull it all together? He has proved that over many years.

"Everybody is aware of what Wayne has done since he left Everton. I have only had a chance to work with him for three months here, but he has knuckled down really well. He has done his training. Everything he has done he has done himself. He has done it to make himself better.

"The big thing is he got himself into really good shape physically. He looks lean. He is back to being his aggressive self again. He is fast and hungry. I needed all those things from him if I was ever going to get Wayne back to the level he is at."

[bbfan1991]

Moyes: Derby could be crucial

David Moyes says United are in confident mood ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby, a match that he feels will influence the Barclays Premier League title race.



The Reds head to the Etihad Stadium on the back of two impressive wins against Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen, a couple of results that also saw strikers Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie return to scoring ways in clinical fashion.

As a result, Moyes is optimistic about facing City, who drew 0-0 with Stoke City last time out. The boss is also well aware of what a local derby means to fans, having played for Celtic against Rangers and most recently managed Everton against Liverpool.

“We’ve played well in the last few games and have got a bit of confidence and hopefully we’ll try and show that in the game on Sunday,” the boss told reporters on Friday.

“There is an excitement for any derbies in any big city in the world. They’re all really important to your own supporters. They’re important to the players as well but ultimately it’s about what happens come the end of the season and how many points you get together to see who is top. These points could be really important towards that, they may not be. We’ll go and we’ll try and take all the points.

“I’ve experienced derby games in Glasgow and on Merseyside. But as I said every derby in every big city is important to whichever team you support and I understand how important it is for the Manchester United fans.”

Sunday’s derby will also see two new managers – Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini - patrolling the dugouts following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and dismissal of Roberto Mancini in the summer, adding extra spice to an already potent cocktail.

Of course, the pair have done battle before in 2005 when Everton lost to Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League third round, a match that was shrouded in controversy after Pierluigi Collina disallowed Duncan Ferguson's late header for an apparent infringement.

When quizzed on that match during Friday’s press conference at the Aon Training Complex, the boss was quick to praise the Spanish club that went on to enjoy much success that season, though he did concede the result should perhaps not have stood.

“Villarreal had a really good team in 2005,” he explained. “They got to the semi-final that year, so for us to run them close gave you an idea what a good side we had at Everton. It did rankle because we thought we scored a legitimate goal in extra time.”