HB Michael Owen

Happy Birthday for our UNITED Forward Michael Owen, Wishing you all the best, and back soon on the Field.

Manchester United & Newcastle tracking Nathaniel Clyne

Manchester United and Newcastle are reportedly pursuing Crystal Palace youngster Nathaniel Clyne.

The 20-year-old defender continues to impress with numerous composed displays in the Npower Championship and is said to be attracting plenty of interest from the top flight.

According to the Daily Mail, Sir Alex Ferguson was alerted to the talents of Clyne during United's shock defeat to Palace at Old Trafford in the quarter-final of the Carling Cup.

Along with United, Newcastle are also reported to be keen on the England under-21 international who, with his contract set to expire in the summer, could leave Selhurst Park in January.

It is claimed that United have identified Clyne as a possible long-term replacement for Old Trafford legend Gary Neville, who retired last season.

Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is keen bring in reinforcements at full-back due to the uncertain contract of situation of Toon defender Danny Simpson.

Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher’s illness is a sporting shame of great proportions.

The news regarding Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher and his medical problems is saddening.

The Scotland captain has missed a large amount of football recently with the excuse of a mystery ‘viral illness’.

Manchester United have now announced the true nature of Fletcher’s condition and revealed he will be taking an extended break from football.

The illness he is suffering from is known as ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease.

It is wretched luck for any player to miss playing time through injury, but there seems an even greater injustice when it is something completely unrelated to football, as Fletcher’s problem is.

It does remind us that Premier League stars, who we elevate onto such unrealistic moral and emotional pedestals, are subject to the same ills and ailments as us normal folk.

It is an obvious statement to make but is it not strange to think of Wayne Rooney not being able to play because he has a cold? Or Robin van Persie missing a game because he has a migraine?

Fletcher deserves greater respect and sympathy from us all by the route he had to take to becoming a key squad member at Old Trafford.

The 27-year-old was not a supremely gifted footballer, to whom things came effortlessly; he was technically sound and relied on hard work to further himself.

For many years Fletcher was derided as a sub-par member of Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad, some even ludicrously suggested he was there because he was Scottish.

Never a fashionable member of the successful Manchester United sides over the past few years, Fletcher has come to be a player that Ferguson relies on in big games.

Shortly before his illness began to affect his number of appearances, the Scot had become a regular in the side and his tireless displays in the centre of midfield had led to him becoming one of the most important members of the team.

It seems doubly cruel that a player who could never be accused of being a prima dona or someone who has not fulfilled their potential, is struck down at a time when he appeared to really be coming into the prime of his career.

For the many detractors who have criticised Fletcher in the past, his honours record will be painful reading:

Four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, one Champions League and one World Club Cup.

If the worst were to happen and Fletcher is unable to return, his record would put to shame most other players who have played the game.

While Fletcher’s absence will trouble United greatly due to their current injury problem, Fletcher’s drive and determination will be greatly missed if the Old Trafford side are still challenging for the league come May.

One thing is for sure though, there is no chance that Fletcher will not be doing all he can to return to the full fitness as quickly as possible.

Cole has faith that UNITED will come good soon

Manchester United favourite Andy Cole has backed his former side to come good in the second half of the season after a topsy-turvy run of results that have seen Sir Alex Ferguson’s side exit the Champions League at the group stages.

United’s 2-1 defeat against Basel last week meant they were dumped out of European football’s premier club competition at the group stages for only the third time in 17 years, while they still trail fierce rivals Manchester City by two points in the Premier League.

However, Cole points to United’s previous resilience in the league that has seen them overcome an indifferent start to the season before powering on to the title, saying he believes they can repeat the trick this season.

"I always look at December and January as being key months in the season." Cole wrote in his column for United Review.

“Easter time is always a period I remember as being a huge part of the campaign as well but, if you can get the right results in December and January, it sets you up for the rest of the season.

"It is important to be in good form at the right time and the time to do that is always in the second half of the campaign.

“There's no point running away with it now. Just look at what happened to Newcastle in 1995/96 - they were 12 points ahead when we went there and, after our victory, we went on a great run, whereas they pretty much capitulated after that."

United were buoyed by City’s defeat at the hands of Chelsea that meant the Red Devils finish the weekend just two points behind their rivals.

However, there was more bad injury news for Ferguson as Darren Fletcher was ruled out indefinitely after a statement revealed he was suffering from ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition.

However, Cole believes that despite the mounting injury woes Ferguson faces, the mentality “ingrained” in the club will help them push City all the way.

"I don't know why we've always done well in the second half of the season,” he added.

“I think it's just ingrained in the DNA of the players. They know they have to deliver and that when the New Year comes round, it is time to really focus, get your heads down and kick on."

Wing kings thrill Sir Alex

Sir Alex was delighted with United's width in the 4-1 defeat of Wolves as Nani and Antonio Valencia produced outstanding individual performances.

The two wingers led the visiting defence a merry dance and their positivity from the outset enabled the champions to dominate and create a host of chances. Nani scored twice himself with Wayne Rooney also back amongst the goals with a double.

After the disappointment in Basel, it was important for the Reds to respond in the right way and the manager had no complaints about his players.

"We were pleased with that," he told MUTV. "On Wednesday, we worked our socks off and didn’t get a break. Today we worked our socks off and we did get a break. Some of the football was fantastic and obviously getting the second goal relaxed everyone. I know Wolves scored just after half-time but they deserved that because they keep crossing the ball into the box and they’re a real threat from those crosses.

"I thought the wide positions were a problem for Wolves today. I think we kept their full-backs completely occupied all through the game – we were getting to the edge of their box all the time. Goals are what we’re about. Although our goal tally was very good up until a few weeks ago, today was a fillip in terms of pushing us on a bit. The crowd got right behind the players today, particularly the young ones and that was good.

"In the main, our attacking play was terrific. We could have scored a lot of goals today and that’s pleasing. They were all disappointed after Wednesday. The young players hadn’t experienced a bad defeat before so it was a good thing for them."

Sir Alex will be keeping an eye on City's game on Monday against Chelsea as the gap at the top is down to two points.

"We always hope that [we put pressure on City]," he added. "But I think the important thing is to get our own game right. If we get to New Year’s Day and we’re in the frame we have a great chance in the second half of the season."