Carlos: Reading never rest

Assistant manager Carlos Queiroz says United’s players must remain switched on for the full 90 minutes against Reading, as Steve Coppell’s men will not give the Reds a moment’s peace.

United travel to the Madejski Stadium on Saturday looking for a fourth straight win in 2008, but the Reds are unlikely to be allowed to steamroller their opponents like against Newcastle last weekend.

Having said that, Queiroz says there is no shortage of confidence in the United camp after hitting six second-half goals against the Magpies.

“Reading will make it a difficult game for us,” he told reporters on Friday. “We saw them against Tottenham and it is a team that never rests.

“But we are very confident. If we can repeat the same kind of performance as we did against Newcastle, we will have a good chance to win the game.

“Reading were very good at home last season. They have not achieved the same level of results this season, but most of the points they have picked up have come at home.

“They are very difficult to play at home. We experienced that last season. Steve Coppell is doing a fantastic job there, the team is very well organised with a great attitude.”

Reading have already admitted they fear the devastation the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney can cause. But Queiroz says the Royals have some goalscoring threats of their own.

“They have good build-up play and they know how to score,” he added. “Their two forwards, Dave Kitson and Kevin Doyle, have both been doing well and scoring goals. It will be really tough.”

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Stoke swoop for Shawcross

Stoke City claim to have completed the permanent transfer of United defender Ryan Shawcross in a deal initially worth £1million.

The 20-year-old defender has been in superb form on loan at the Britannia Stadium this season, scoring an amazing seven goals, and the Potters moved swiftly to secure his signature amid interest from other clubs in the Premier League and Championship.

As well as the initial £1million fee, United are reportedly set to reap up to the same amount again dependent on appearances and the possibility of Stoke winning promotion.

Potters manager Tony Pulis told the Sentinel: "Four clubs from the Premiership and Championship were chasing him, so to win the race is a tremendous result for us.

"I think a big factor in our favour was how happy Ryan is here, so the dressing room deserves a big pat on the back. If the spirit in there hadn't been so good, he might have been tempted to go elsewhere.

"He's a big, likeable lad who everyone seems to have taken to since he has been here. Despite coming from Manchester United, there has been no 'big-time Charlie's airs' about him. He's simply got his head down and worked hard with the rest of the lads. He' been a credit to himself and to Manchester United.

"He's still only a lad of 20 who's going to be a bit naive and will make mistakes. But what we have bought is potential because over the next two years he will develop into a top, top defender."

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Saha's goals mission

Louis Saha is determined to fire United to glory this season and finally overcome his injury nightmare.

The Reds' striker has started just eight games this season after being dogged by setbacks throughout the campaign. He did, however, make a successful return to goalscoring form during United's Boxing Day victory over Sunderland.

And despite missing out the Reds' 6-0 victory over Newcastle last weekend, the 29-year-old says he is now ready to put his injury problems behind him and make an important contribution to the Reds' cause.

"It's great to score goals. I'm a striker and that's my job and now I want to concentrate on scoring more goals for the team," he told United Review.

"I'm very hard on myself and always want to do better, so I'm not very satisfied with how the season has gone so far on a personal level.

"I know I can do better, and hopefully I showed that against Sunderland. The manager's always shown a lot of faith in me and that gives me a lot of confidence.

"I'm definitely getting there [with overcoming injuries]. I played two full games in a row over Christmas and that was the first time I'd done that for a while.

"So things are improving and I'm looking to play even more. My target now is to stay fit and keep finding the back of the net."

With United well placed in the league, through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League and into the fourth round of the FA Cup, Saha believes 2008 could be another successful year for the Reds.

"We think it'll be and we hope it'll be, but we have to make sure we finish the season well," he insisted. "From this point, we have to be very clinical in terms of results."

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Interview with Legend : Peter Schmeichel

United's former goal keeper Peter Schmeichel enjoyed eight glory-laden years with the Reds. We caught up with the Great Dane at a feelfootball.com coaching event in Manchester to discuss if the current crop has what it takes...

What have you made of United’s performances so far this season?

It’s starting to smell of big times again. I know we lost against Bolton but defeats give you a reality check and United know they need to keep working hard. Traditionally United are a stronger team come the latter part of the season and I think things look good. My main concern is when the big players are absent. I don’t believe we can play without Wayne Rooney or Nemanja Vidic. They are too important for us. Carlos Tevez is a great signing and one year down the line he and Wayne will be perfect together. But I still believe we need another striker. For me, Vidic has been the key to the defence. And he’s made Rio [Ferdinand] into a top class player. I thought Rio was a very good player before, but since Vidic has arrived they’ve got a settled partnership and Rio has developed brilliantly, just like Vidic.

Sir Alex recently commented that this is the strongest squad he’s ever had. You’ve been part of great United squads – how does this one compare?

The history of the club is something that is constantly breathing down your neck when you’re a United player. That history and the expectation level makes you go that one step further than any other player at any other club in the world. When I first joined, the history we had to deal with was the Busby Babes, 1968 and the fact that we hadn’t won the title for over 20 years. The desperation to win it was incredible and we all felt that. The current squad did brilliantly to win it last season and they have a great chance to go on to big things, but they have history on their shoulders as well because they have ’99 to contend with which is a hell of a year to compete with. So, of course, the manager has got to go out there and say they’re the best squad he’s had. He has to make the players believe that and that’s a good way of doing it. He said it in the past when I was there and after I left. What he’s saying is I’m extremely happy with what I’ve got and I love to work with these players. If Sir Alex is happy United will win matches which is the most important thing.

Is winning a second European Cup something that niggles away at Sir Alex?

Yes definitely. There's no reason why he couldn’t have won a second one, but once you get down to the last four like United did last season it becomes a lottery. And things just haven’t gone their way at the important times in the important games. They have a great chance to win the Champions League every season and I'd love to see them do it this time round.

Ferdinand and Vidic have been compared to Bruce and Pallister…

I definitely see similarities. I loved playing behind those two and for me Rio and Vidic are on a par with them. Brucey had a great heart and Pallister was superb on the ball and you see similar aspects in Rio and Vidic. The game has changed so much since I played – it’s a lot quicker nowadays and there are even more skilful players around these days. That’s why Rio and Vidic are so impressive.

What have you made of the progress Ronaldo has made since he joined United?

He’s been outstanding. He is up there as one of the five best players in the world. He’s learnt that the game is not all about doing fancy tricks, you need to do them at the right time. He’s found the perfect balance now of proving hugely effective by scoring and making goals, whilst still being able to throw in the odd trick and entertain the crowd. I believe Sir Alex is probably one of the few managers in the world who could manage a player like Ronaldo. Had Ronaldo been anywhere else I think he would be a different player – I’ve no doubt about that. Sir Alex is hard enough to put him in his place, but he’s also soft enough to encourage him as well.

There’s an interesting battle developing between United and City at the top of the table…

It’s fantastic for Manchester to see the two teams so close to each other. Obviously with my son Kasper being at City I want them to do well, but United are my team and I always want them to win. City have done brilliantly to stay up there for so long, but I can’t see them being there for the duration. The problem they have is despite doing so well this season, they still went to Chelsea and lost 6-0. It’s something that Sven [Goran-Eriksson] still needs to work on and it can take years to do that. In terms of the title race itself, it looks like it’ll be strongly contested by United and Arsenal, but I wouldn’t discount Chelsea either – they may still have a shot at it. Liverpool have an outside chance, but I don’t believe they’re as strong as United and Arsenal.

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Kuszczak aiming for the top

Tomasz Kuszczak says he’s pleased with how he fared over the festive break when he stepped in for first-choice stopper Edwin van der Sar.

Van der Sar returned from injury in the Reds’ recent FA Cup win at Villa Park but Kuszczak remains braced for a recall.

“It’s a difficult position I’m in because I know Edwin is number one,” the Polish goalkeeper told Manchester United Radio.

“But every day I’m ready for training and I approach every game ready to play. It’s important to me to play as many games as I can.

“It was a good exam for me over Christmas and I think I did quite okay. I certainly did my best and I tried to help the team win our games.”

Although Kuszczak is acutely aware of his understudy status, he insists being at Old Trafford is beneficial to his career.

“Every single game I play for United is a step forward,” he said. “I feel more comfortable and confident each time I play and that’s what a goalkeeper needs. The Champions League experience has been very good too, so I think I’m on the way up.”

Van der Sar may be Sir Alex’s current first choice but Kuszczak says he hopes to one day dislodge the Dutchman from the number one spot.

“I’ll do everything I can to push Edwin for the jersey and I think that helps both of us. We have a good relationship and there’s healthy competition on the training field.”

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Brazilian twins set for switch to United

Manchester United are preparing to announce the signing of Fabio and Rafael Silva, Brazil’s answer to the Neville brothers. The 17-year-old twins, who are identical, are scheduled to arrive in Manchester on Monday to join United in a joint £5.2 million transfer from Fluminense, a deal that has been two and a half years in the planning. Like Gary and Phil Neville, the Silva brothers are full backs, with Rafael operating on the right flank and Fabio on the left, even though both are right-footed. They caught Sir Alex Ferguson’s eye in a youth tournament in Hong Kong in 2005, during United’s preseason tour to Asia, and signed precontract agreements with the Barclays Premier League club when they turned 16 in July 2006. Initially the plan was for them to move to Manchester this summer, but the deal has been brought forward now that they have received the necessary paperwork. The twins excelled for Brazil in the Under-17 World Cup finals in South Korea last August, with Fabio, the captain, finishing as his country’s leading scorer.

Oliver Kay, The Times.

The Sun and The Telegraph say that Real Madrid will not give up their interest in Cristiano Ronaldo as they plan to shatter the world transfer record to bring the winger to Spain this summer.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror reports that some United fans are "furious" with the proposed move to search fans for drugs at this weekend's clash with Reading at the Madjeski Stadium.

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Brown's England ambition

Wes Brown is determined to feature in Fabio Capello’s plans when the new England boss picks his first squad on 31 January.

The 28-year-old defender has been almost ever-present in the Reds’ defence this season, making 20 league appearances in the absence of regular right back Gary Neville. Now he wants to be involved when England play Switzerland in a friendly at Wembley on 6 February.

Brown played just five of England’s 18 matches under Steve McClaren and was an unused substitute on a further six occasions.

But his form for United this term has been top-drawer and he may well have done enough to catch Capello’s eye.

“Hopefully that’s the case,” Brown told Manchester United Radio. “If I can stay in the United team and continue to play well then hopefully I can get an England call up.”

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