The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Man United’s Cleverley out for longer than expected Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:36 PM PST MANCHESTER, Nov 19 — Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley is still several weeks away from a return after his ankle injury turned out to be worse than thought, manager Alex Ferguson said yesterday. The 22-year-old player, whose energy and distribution skills allowed him to break into the first team this season, picked up the injury during last month's 1-0 win at Everton.  Everton's Phil Jagielka (back) challenges Cleverley during the English Premier League match in Liverpool on October 29, 2011. — Reuters pic "We did further scans...we're going to have to give him a break till maybe Christmas time." Cleverley's return was not the only date on Ferguson's mind as his second-placed side seek to make up ground on Premier League leaders Manchester City by the start of the new year, starting with today's trip to Swansea City. "By January 1 we hope we'll be in the right position in the league, which is always an important time for me," said Ferguson, whose side trail their neighbours by five points after 11 games. "It's always crucial in my diary and calendar that we get there." His mission will be helped by the return of winger Ashley Young, who has recovered from a toe injury and will be fit for this weekend's match. Despite Cleverley's longer-than-expected recovery time, Ferguson was confident he had plenty of midfield options and backed England manager Fabio Capello's confidence in teenage defender Phil Jones's ability to play a centre-of-the-park role. The Scot deployed the 19-year-old in midfield against Liverpool earlier this season, while Capello did the same thing in this month's international friendlies against Sweden and Spain and likened Jones to former Italy great Franco Baresi. "Since he's joined us his improvement has been really eye-catching in the sense that we know he's 19 years of age, we know it's a big step up from Blackburn to Manchester United," Ferguson said of his close-season signing. "He's been fantastic, he can play anywhere. He's versatile, he's two-footed, he's quick, he's got good perception of the game so I'm not surprised at what Fabio is saying. "I think he can be a really influential player for us and England in the next few years." Ferguson has not been afraid to make some bold selections this season when injuries have hit, even selecting striker Wayne Rooney in the centre of midfield where he excelled against Otelul Galati in the Champions League this month. However, he pointed out that with Michael Carrick fit, as well as Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs and Park Ji-sung, he was not short of options involving players more used to the territory. Defender Chris Smalling will miss the game in Wales but may return for Tuesday's Champions League match at home to Benfica, while striker Danny Welbeck is still recovering from a muscle strain sustained on international duty with England. Champions United are second in the table with 26 points and Ferguson was expecting a tough encounter with fearless Swansea. "I think everybody has been taken by Swansea, the way they have played," he said. "They have kept their philosophy of playing attacking football." — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Boycott by black players would force Blatter out, says Warnock Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:14 PM PST LONDON, Nov 19 — The only way to get Fifa president Sepp Blatter to resign after his controversial comments about racism is if every black player boycotts the next round of international matches, Queens Park Rangers manager Neil Warnock said yesterday. Blatter has apologised but said he would not quit after sparking outrage, notably in England where the FA is dealing with two high-profile racism allegations, for saying instances of racist abuse on the pitch should be settled by a handshake.
"But who is going to sack him? I don't see that anybody is going to sack him. "I think the only way we could get him out of the situation that he is in if every black player in the country, in every country, refused to play in the next international game. "That's the only way. Nothing else is going to get him out until he wants to go." While the English FA and other managers welcomed Blatter's apology, Warnock questioned his sincerity. "He's a clever old man. You can make any apology sound sincere if you want to," Warnock said. "I don't think he'll give two hoots if I'm honest. Not about England. Some of the other countries put (racism) under the carpet. "I look at Spain and it is not as vital or major an issue over there like it is in England." FA chairman David Bernstein said in a statement that Blatter's apology had been "necessary." "His initial comments were wrong and irresponsible," he said on the English governing body's website (http://www.thefa.com). "As I have said many times in the past, with power comes responsibility and I — with others in prominent positions in the game — have to make sure we live up to the values of which we speak. "I am mindful that — this week's comments aside — Fifa as an organisation does much good work around the world. The organisation has made great strides in fighting racism as have many national football federations." Blatter's comments were widely condemned by players and managers and even Prime Minister David Cameron before yesterday's apology. "Sepp Blatter has apologised and that's fine," Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson told a news conference. Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said Blatter would never have needed to say sorry if he had thought before speaking in the first place. "When somebody asks sorry, first you have to avoid saying those things, if you say sorry it's because you made a mistake," he told a news conference. "We all agree that Sepp Blatter has made mistakes in his comments and doesn't set a good standard but has (been) humble in his actions to retract his words." — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
"Racism does happen on the field of play and the shaking of a hand just doesn't put it right," Warnock (picture), whose defender Anton Ferdinand is at the centre of a police investigation after Chelsea's John Terry was accused of racially abusing him during a game, told a news conference.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Sports To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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