Tuesday 13 March 2012

Man Utd now favourites for Tottenham playmaker Modric

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is lining up a summer bid for Tottenham star Luka Modric.

Sources said Ferguson wants the playmaker at Old Trafford and the Red Devils have emerged as favourites to land the Croatian ace.
Modric: United top transfer target

Spurs will break the bank to try to persuade Modric to stay at White Hart Lane but chairman Daniel Levy can only offer a deal worth £100,000-a-week PLUS a £3.5million loyalty bonus.

But United will happily beat that and hand Modric a huge signing-on fee to sweeten the deal.

A source said: “United are favourites now.

“Daniel Levy managed to persuade Luka to remain at the club last summer and now he has to do it all again.

“The uncertainty over Harry doesn’t help the Spurs cause, really. If he goes to England they will have less bargaining power.”

Juventus target Pogba agrees to sign new Man Utd contract

Paul Pogba has reportedly agreed to sign a new deal with Manchester United.

The 18-year old midfielder was being heavily linked with a summer move to Italian giants Juventus as his United contract was set to expire but it is believed that he will put pen to a fresh deal.
Pogba in action against West Brom

Pogba’s agent recently suggested that his client was unsure about his future at Old Trafford but manager Sir Alex Ferguson indicated after yesterday’s 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion that the Frenchman certainly did have a role to play for the reigning champions.

“The boy is still trying to make his mind up but he knows where he should be and he has shown today the potential he has got,” he told MUTV.

“He is a first team player, there is no question about that.”

Sunday 11 March 2012

Why Barcelona are watching Montpellier sensation Younes Belhanda

“In one year we will not speak of Eden Hazard ... We will have another name in our mouth: Belhanda,” the owner of Montpellier boasted in the summer.
Younes Belhanda

These words have proven to be rather prophetic. Although Hazard’s is a name that is not going to go away, Belhanda has shown over the course of the campaign that his is also worth putting in lights.

Inevitably, Nicollin has done as much, explaining: “Belhanda has two of Hazard in his legs.”

Though he is not yet, as his president would suggest, twice the player of Hazard, the midfielder is a 22-year-old of massive potential. A glorious passer of the ball, he has a multi-faceted offensive game that should be the envy of many, yet he remains a relatively undiscovered talent.


The most eye-catching aspect of Belhanda’s play is his excellent technique. Even in crowded areas of the field, he is able to maintain control of the ball, with his quick feet taking him gracefully past players, although he does not have the raw pace that allows him the versatility to play easily in a wider role.

If he is not quite as comfortable on the wing as Hazard, he can match the Belgian prodigy in the excellence of his set-pieces, while there are a couple of aspects of his game in which he could be argued to surpass the Lille star.


Most notable is that he has the natural finishing instinct that Hazard has only just started to master. Belhanda is in a particularly rich vein of form at present, scoring three times in three games since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, including a headed goal against PSG last weekend. In total, he boasts seven league goals for the campaign, and, although that is an inferior tally to Hazard’s nine, their minutes-per-goal ratios are very similar, the African scoring on average only every four minutes after a player who is less than two months his senior.

While Hazard is the real focus of Lille’s attack, though, Belhanda is a support player in Montpellier’s. Olivier Giroud, Ligue 1’s top scorer with 16 goals, in MHSC’s key man in this regard.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of his play, though, is his patience on the ball. Rarely does the Morocco international become flustered in possession, showing a mature and intelligent head as he waits until the perfect moment before releasing his past. Already he is one of the best in Ligue 1 at this skill, often feeding balls into the channels for the wide players to centre.



Few neutrals would argue that Belhanda is yet at the standard of Hazard, but there can be little doubt that the gap on the pair is closing, and Europe’s top clubs are becoming increasingly aware of that fact.

France have already rued being too slow to snap up the young Morocco-international playmaker, who nervously laughed off questions posed to him on the matter following his dazzling display at the Parc des Princes last Sunday. Barcelona will not want to make the same error, and they will no doubt be keeping a close eye on the player’s progress over the coming weeks.

Man Utd striker Berbatov: I still have plenty to offer

Dimitar Berbatov admits a lack of playing time at Manchester United is "painful".

Berbatov has been relegated to a bench role this season.
Berbatov: The Bulgarian hitman
"It's just about being ready," he told United Review.

"We have a big squad and you know sometimes you are not going to play.

"It's sad and it's painful but you need to be strong and be prepared for when your team-mates need your help.
"We are a team and we want to win together."

Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov says he has plenty to offer in the title run in.

Despite his lack of appearances, Berbatov is still United's joint third top scorer with an overall tally of nine.

That figures includes five in two games against Wigan and Blackburn just after Christmas.

"Every time I have played I think I have done well," he said.
"I'm ready and waiting whenever the boss gives me a chance to show my quality and deliver.

"I want to do as much as I can to help us win the title."