Sabtu, 25 Januari 2014

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Top chefs bring ready meals to the elderly in New York

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 06:35 PM PST

January 26, 2014

Three-star Michelin chef Daniel Boulud delivering a meal cooked at one of his restaurant to Wilda, 78, as part of Citymeals-on-Wheels, a non-profit organisation which provides food and care to New York City's homebound elderly, in New York. – AFP/Relaxnews pic, January 26, 2014.Shivering in Arctic temperatures and reeling from a brutal winter snowstorm, elderly New Yorkers got the surprise of their lives when five top chefs suddenly appeared with meals on wheels.

Whipped up in the kitchens of some of the world's finest chefs in some of Manhattan's most expensive restaurants, once a month older people can dine at home as if at an award-winning table.

The launch menu was a mouth-watering embarrassment of riches: lamb navarin with chard marmalade, poussin korma with red rice, beef bourguignon with turnips or Caesar salad and cheese cake.

And the first delivery by the chefs themselves – some kitted out in their kitchen whites – couldn't come at a better time.

After Winter Storm Janus dumped 25cm of snow on America's biggest city on Tuesday, New York hunkered down in temperatures hovering -10 degrees Celsius.

Community centres for the elderly have closed and sidewalks have been reduced to a perilous mix of mucky brown slush and ice.

The idea came from two chefs involved for years in the Citymeals-on-Wheels organisation that harnesses an army of volunteers to deliver meals to 18,000 elderly people each day.

Among them no less is star French chef Daniel Boulud, who owns a string of restaurants and whose eponymous Daniel on the Upper East Side has the ultimate accolade of three Michelin stars.

"We do this once a month with four or five chefs and about 500 servings," said Boulud, co-president of Citymeals.

Around 20 chefs have agreed to take part in the new initiative.

"We try to make good, well thought-out dishes in our kitchens. It's just to bring a bit of happiness," Boulud said.

First beef bourguignon in 80 years

Charlie Palmer, who owns progressive American restaurant Aureole in Bryant Park, said a key aspect was to introduce a new generation of top chefs to the project.

The elderly residents at the Westbeth Artists Housing complex on Bethune Street in Greenwich Village were delighted.

"I was told yesterday nobody would come today," said Toby Dennison, an 80-year-old former dancer, apologising for her slightly crumpled attire.

"It is so wonderful of you all to come and what a marvellous idea. I never had boeuf bourguignon in my life."

But she was also more than happy to have the lamb navarin or the poussin, accepting all the dishes offered with a wide smile.

A few stories down, 78-year-old painter Wilda received the chefs in her bed next to an electric heater.

Her apartment was crammed with canvases. She spoke at length, never seeming short of words, about coming from Texas and living in California.

Wilda showed off the cards she still paints, promising to send them to visitors.

Citymeals, which has 33 centres in New York, delivers two million meals a year to 18,000 old people who can no longer shop or cook for themselves, with the help of private donors.

According to director Beth Shapiro, the need never stops rising as the number of elderly increases in New York.

"We have to take care of the homebound elderly," said Palmer.

"The only contact they have in the day, sometimes, is the meal delivered to them. They are not going out today. If they are not delivered something, they might not even eat something." – AFP/Relaxnews, January 26, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Mata makes record move from Chelsea to United

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 03:05 PM PST

January 26, 2014

Spain playmaker Juan Mata (pic) has completed his move from Chelsea to Premier League rivals Manchester United for a club record transfer fee of 37.1 million pounds (RM204.1 million).

"I am thrilled to be joining United," the 25-year-old told the club's website.

"I have enjoyed some happy years at Chelsea, but the time has come for a new challenge. United is the perfect place for me and I am excited at the chance I have to be part of the next phase in the club's history."

Mata claimed the Player of the Year award in his first two seasons at Chelsea, helping the Londoners win the 2012 Champions League and 2013 Europa League, but has been out of favour this season under manager Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese has preferred Brazilian internationals Oscar and Willian and Belgium winger Eden Hazard in the three creative positions behind the lone striker, leaving the Spaniard short of game time as he seeks a spot in the World Cup squad for Brazil in June.

"Chelsea is a top club and I have many friends there, but you cannot turn down the chance to join Manchester United," said the midfielder, who was the darling of the crowd at Stamford Bridge.

"I look forward to helping the manager (David Moyes) and the team be successful in the coming years."

Mata, who has played 30 times for his country, joined Chelsea from Valencia for 23.5 million pounds (RM129.3 million) in August 2011.

The signing is a major fillip for Premier League champions United, who are out of the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup. Moyes's team are also languishing in seventh place in the league table, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal.

They are still in the Champions League, although current form would suggest they have little chance of winning that competition.

"Juan is one of the finest playmakers in the game today and it's a pleasure to have secured his signature," said Moyes, who has had a torrid spell since taking over when Alex Ferguson retired in the close season.

"He's been instrumental in Chelsea's recent success with a notable 28 assists and 32 goals in his last two Premier League seasons. I have been impressed with the excitement he has shown to be part of the new Manchester United.

"I know our fans have admired Juan for some time now - he has always played well against us - and I know they will be delighted to see him in the red of United."

Mata is unable to play for his new club in Europe this season, but could make his debut in the league against Cardiff City at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The fee breaks the previous record of 30.75 million pounds (RM169.2 million) United paid Tottenham Hotspur for Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov in 2008. - Reuters, January 26, 2014.

Liverpool ease past Bournemouth to avoid FA Cup shock

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 07:47 AM PST

January 25, 2014

Moses (left) parts a sea of red as his shot goes through the Bournemouth defence for Liverpool's first goal in the FA Cup 4th round victory. - Reuters pic, January 25, 2014.Goals from Victor Moses and Daniel Sturridge eased Liverpool through a tricky FA Cup fourth round tie at Championship (second tier) Bournemouth today although they had to work hard for a 2-0 victory.

Moses settled some Liverpool jitters at a packed Dean Court, scene of Bournemouth's famous FA Cup defeat of Manchester United in 1984, with a low finish after 25 minutes.

Sturridge then combined with Luis Suarez to finish off the hosts after an hour.

However, the visitors were matched by Bournemouth throughout the match and survived a few scares before halftime.

Lewis Grabban started and finished a flowing Bournemouth move only to see his shot deflected over the crossbar by Kolo Toure and shortly afterwards Tommy Elphick headed a great chance over the bar from a corner.

Bournemouth fell behind shortly afterwards when Moses, on loan from Chelsea, received the ball just outside the penalty area, took a step inside and drilled a right-foot shot through the legs of a defender and just inside the post.

It was tough on Bournemouth who kept plugging away and were still very much alive in the early stages of the second half when they were denied a penalty after Liverpool defender Martin Kelly blatantly grabbed the shirt of Simon Francis.

Their sense of injustice was heightened almost immediately when Suarez slipped a perfectly weighted pass through the Bournemouth rearguard and Sturridge ran on to score.

Liverpool join Arsenal in the draw for the fifth round after the Gunners beat Coventry City on Friday. – Reuters, January 25, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Bill Gates checkmated in 9 moves by ‘Justin Bieber of chess’

Posted: 24 Jan 2014 06:18 PM PST

January 25, 2014

Newly crowned Norwegian world chess champion Magnus Carlsen took just nine moves to checkmate Bill Gates (pic) in a speed game aired yesterday.

Challenged to a game in a chat show hosted by well-known Norwegian television presenter Fredrik Skavlan and shown in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, Microsoft founder Gates said before the game that the challenge had "a predetermined outcome".

Gates, 58, who was ranked by Forbes magazine this year as the world's second-richest person behind Mexico's Carlos Slim, had two minutes to make his moves against just 30 seconds for Carlsen.

He lost to the 23-year-old in around 1 minute 20 seconds.

"Wow, that was fast," he said to Carlsen, whose rockstar appeal has won him the moniker, the "Justin Bieber of chess".

The programme was recorded on Wednesday in London, Norwegian TV NRK said.

Asked by Skavlan under what circumstances he felt intellectually inadequate, Gates answered: "When I play chess with him (Carlsen)".

Carlsen, a grandmaster since he was 13, received non-stop television coverage in Norway when he beat defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India last November to take his first world title. – Reuters, January 25, 2014.

Phil Collins working with British songstress Adele

Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:27 PM PST

January 25, 2014

Veteran British rocker Phil Collins said in comments aired yesterday that he has started collaborating with compatriot Adele (pic), reported to be working on a follow-up to her hit 2011 album "21".

The former "Genesis" frontman, who effectively retired from music a few years ago, gave no more details of his cooperation with the multiple Grammy-winning British songstress.

"I've just started to work with Adele," he told a TV interviewer for Inside South Florida, adding: "She contacted me to write together."

Collins, 62, said he had not known much about 25-year-old London-born Adele, who had huge hits with songs including "Someone Like You" and "Rolling in the Deep".

"I wasn't actually too aware. I live in a cave," he joked. "But she's achieved an incredible amount. I really love her voice. I love some of that stuff she's done, too," he added.

Adele had a baby following the worldwide success of her second album, "21", released in February 2011. She won another Grammy last year for the 007 theme tune "Skyfall", and is working on a new album, according to Rolling Stone.

Some media reports have suggested it could be released in mid 2014.

Last month, "21" became the first album to pass three million digital sales in the United States, according to leading online tracking company Nielsen. It continues to enjoy robust sales and so far has sold 26 million copies worldwide.

Collins, the drummer-turned-frontman of Genesis who went on to sell more than 100 million albums as a solo artist, announced in March 2011 that he was calling it a day to concentrate on being a full-time father to two young sons.

His comments came two days before the 56th annual Grammy Awards show this weekend in Los Angeles. - AFP, January 25, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Sundance opens door on Chinese Web junkie detox camps

Posted: 24 Jan 2014 05:07 PM PST

January 25, 2014

Still taken from 'Web Junkie', a film focusing on Chinese adolescents who are considered as addicted to the Internet. - AFP/Relaxnews pic, January 15, 2014.Chinese authorities have created military-run bootcamps to wean teenage Internet "junkies" off their online addiction – and a new documentary opens the door on what goes on inside.

With 24 million young people spending more than six hours a day online, China is the first country in the world to recognise Web dependency as a medical condition, according to "Web Junkie", in competition at the Sundance Film Festival.

Filmmakers Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia gained access to one of some 400 Chinese detox centers for adolescents aged 13-18 considered as addicted, notably to online videogames.

"China is the first country to declare Internet addiction as a clinical disorder and to take action," Medalia told AFP.

Their film focuses on three children sent by their parents to the centre.

For a month, the three boys – no girls were interviewed for the documentary – alternate military obstacle courses, medical treatment and family therapy, at a cost of 10,000 yuan (RM5,511), twice the average monthly salary in Beijing.

"These parents are really desperate. They bring their kids there because it's their last resort, they really want to help them," said Medalia. "People have to pay a lot of money for it, it's not subsidised by the government.

"They borrow money from family and friends."

The documentary doesn't go into all the details of treatment at the centre – there are bizarre scenes of patients with heads covered in a helmet of wires, in theory to monitor their brain activity – although it does show how desperate the teenagers get when deprived of an online fix.

One is shown begging his parents to let him out, vowing in exchange to play "for only four hours a day online". Another boasts of having once played for 300 hours straight, barring a few short naps.

Shlam said she was not convinced that all of them are really addicted. Although some probably are.

"Is it an addiction or a social phenomenon? They don't think they have an addiction. But which addict will admit that he is an addict?" she asked.

"I think that you can call it addiction when you don't function in your own life. The children are dropping out from school, they're going to the Internet cafes day and night, they put a diaper on, not to miss one minute of the game."

Shlam pointed to two main reasons for the Chinese phenomenon: the country's long-standing one-child policy and a "very strict and competitive" education system.

"Because there is one child and the future of his family is on his shoulders, the parents are pushing and pushing them to be a better student," creating intense pressures from which they seek to escape, she said.

Even those running the camps admit that the "cure" they offer is only temporary.

Whereas it's possible to keep a drug addict from getting heroin, "How do you manage it, because we are so dependent on the Internet for the work and for communication?" asked Medalia.

The main indicator of success is probably whether the teenagers can return to some kind of normal social life. For a month, they are helped to re-learn how to talk face-to-face with their peers, and not via the Internet.

"That's what one of the children said in the film: 'When I feel lonely, I go to the Internet and I find another lonely person on the other side'," said Shlam.

Online addiction is also the subject of another film in competition at the US independent film festival, which runs until tomorrow at the Park City, Utah ski resort.

"Love Child" focuses on a case that shocked South Korea in 2010 when a three-month old baby died of malnutrition after her parents spent more time online at a cybercafe than looking after their young infant. - AFP/Relaxnews, January 15, 2014.

No health shield from vitamin D pills, shows study

Posted: 24 Jan 2014 04:58 PM PST

January 25, 2014

A new study strengthens arguments that vitamin D deficiency is usually the result of ill health – not the cause of it. - AFP/Relaxnews, January 25, 2014.Vitamin D supplements have no significant effect on preventing heart attack, stroke, cancer or bone fractures, according to a review of scientific evidence published yesterday.

Researchers led by Mark Bolland of the University of Auckland in New Zealand looked at 40 high-quality trials to see if supplements met a benchmark of reducing risk of these problems by 15% or more.

Previous research had seen a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and poor health in these areas.

But the new study, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, strengthens arguments that vitamin D deficiency is usually the result of ill health – not the cause of it.

Its authors say there is "little justification" for doctors to prescribe vitamin D supplements as a preventive measure for these disorders.

"Available evidence does not lend support to vitamin D supplementation and it is very unlikely that the results of a future single randomised clinical trial will materially alter the results from current meta-analyses," they write.

Vitamin D is a key component for healthy bones, teeth and muscles.

It is produced naturally when the skin is exposed to sunlight or derived from foods such as oily fish, egg yolks and cheese.

In March last year, British scientists, in a comparison of 4,000 women, found that vitamin D supplements taken in pregnancy made no difference to the child's bone health.

And in September 2012, researchers at New York's Rockefeller University saw no evidence that vitamin D supplements lowered cholesterol, a factor in heart disease, at least over the short term.

In contrast, a November 2012 investigation into pregnant women who lived in high-latitude, northern hemisphere countries with long, dark winters found a link between low levels of natural vitamin D and an increased risk of multiple sclerosis in their offspring.

For these women, taking vitamin D supplements to offset the effects of long periods without sunlight could be advisable, according to that research. - AFP/Relaxnews, January 15, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

Hanif Kureishi’s archive secured by British Library

Posted: 24 Jan 2014 02:36 PM PST

January 25, 2014

Over 50 personal diaries and notebooks, drafts, and other material related to Hanif Kureishi's work from 1970 up to 2014's "The Last Word" are now in the The British Library's possession.

The author (pic) built his literary career on "The Buddha of Suburbia" (1990) and soon gained a reputation for weaving autobiographical elements into his work, on occasion to the consternation of family members.

His archive is to be made available to researchers working in the British Library's reading rooms by the end of the year; prior to that, one of his diaries will be selected for display in the Library's Treasures Gallery upon its reopening on March 8 after a period of refurbishment.

"I hope with the British Library's inventiveness and resourcefulness, it might be useful to a broad audience for a long time," Kureishi said in a statement to the press.

The writer is also part of the library's multi-disciplinary event, headlining the Spring Festival in March, with a look back at the novelist's film work including "My Beautiful Laundrette" and "Le Week-end". - AFP/Relaxnews, January 25, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

Jaga kepentingan rakyat penanda aras utama KPI Umno, kata Ku Nan

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 02:02 AM PST

January 25, 2014

Menjaga kepentingan rakyat di peringkat akar umbi merupakan antara penanda aras utama dalam Indeks Petunjuk Prestasi (KPI) Umno yang diluluskan Majlis Tertinggi (MT) parti semalam, kata Setiausaha Agungnya Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (gambar).

Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan itu berkata melalui penanda aras ini, setiap bahagian serta cawangan Umno diminta meninjau keperluan rakyat di kawasan mereka dan memaklumkannya kepada kerajaan.

Beliau berkata bahagian dan cawangan Umno perlu melakukan pemantauan agar bantuan kerajaan sampai kepada rakyat di peringkat akar umbi.

"Semua diminta memantau keadaan dan kaedah yang berlaku di peringkat akar umbi bagi memastikan kerajaan dapat membantu rakyat dengan berkesan," katanya dalam sidang akhbar di Pusat Transformasi Luar Bandar Kuala Linggi hari ini.

Terdahulu, Tengku Adnan merasmikan karnival sehari Umno Bahagian Masjid Tanah yang turut dihadiri Setiausaha Kerja parti Datuk Ab Rauf Yusoh, juga Ketua Bahagian Umno Masjid Tanah, dan Ketua Pergerakan Puteri Umno Mas Ermieyanti Samsuddin.

Semalam, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak yang juga Presiden Umno berkata KPI itu akan memastikan semua kerja dapat dilaksana dengan lebih aktif serta sistematik, dan setiap anggota MT akan diberi tanggungjawab memantau KPI bahagian manakala ketua bahagian ditugaskan memantau KPI cawangan.

Tengku Adnan berkata selain menjaga kepentingan rakyat, penanda aras utama lain dalam KPI berkenaan ialah menambah anggota Umno dan bilangan pengundi baru.

"Peringkat asasnya kita mahu setiap anggota kita pastikan anggota keluarga mereka pengundi dan anggota Umno, kemudian rakan mereka juga begitu. Kita harap setiap bahagian ada penambahan (anggota dan pengundi baru) setiap bulan.

"Berapa penambahan itu bergantung pada bilangan penduduk di setiap bahagian, sekiranya bahagian itu gagal berbuat demikian, kita akan panggil dan lihat dengan teliti mengapa serta bantu mereka capai KPI," katanya.

Beliau juga berkata setiap anggota MT akan diberi antara lima hingga enam bahagian untuk dipantau KPInya, dan individu berkenaan perlu memberi laporan berkala dua bulan sekali kepada Umno pusat. – Bernama, 25 Januari, 2014.

Pihak berkuasa diminta ambil tindakan terhadap pemilik akaun Facebook ‘Man Namblast’

Posted: 25 Jan 2014 01:57 AM PST

January 25, 2014

Polis dan Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) digesa mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap pemilik akaun Facebook, Man Namblast dan Mohamed Hidayat kerana menaikkan status menyentuh sensitiviti agama Hindu.

Ketua Biro Perpaduan Pemuda Nasional Parti Gerakan V. Prabagaran berkata status yang sama turut dikeluarkan melalui Facebook menghina perayaan Thaipusam baru-baru ini.

"Jika isu sensitiviti seperti ini tidak dibendung dari awal, ia dikhuatiri akan menggugat perpaduan dan keharmonian antara kaum dan agama di negara ini," katanya selepas membuat laporan polis di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Sentul bersama Ketua Biro Aduan Bukit Bintang parti itu Sim Kai Siong hari ini.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Daerah Gombak ACP Abd Rahim Abdullah dalam kenyataan melalui Facebook polis Selangor semalam menyebut polis sedang mengesan pemilik akaun Man Namblast dan telah membuka kertas siasatan mengikut Seksyen 4(1)(a) Akta Hasutan 1948.

"Polis telah menerima sebanyak 131 laporan polis mengenai perkara itu dari beberapa buah negeri iaitu Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Kedah dan Johor yang meminta supaya polis melakukan siasatan serta mengambil tindakan terhadap pemilik akaun Facebook berkenaan," katanya. – Bernama, 25 Januari, 2014.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Poor Devils, but it’s nothing that £100 million cannot solve

Posted: 24 Jan 2014 02:51 PM PST

January 25, 2014

As a player, Shebby Singh won everything there was to win in Malaysia football, and represented the country on the international stage.

It is always exciting to see a good penalty shootout as they do not happen too often. However, I got lucky this week and witnessed two.

First up was the Malaysian FA Cup clash between Perak and Pahang. It certainly took me back to when I was a player – I was always eager to step up and take the first penalty in a shootout.

The great Welsh goalkeeper Neville Southall would testify to that – I sent him the wrong way at Merdeka Stadium one week before the 1989 Sea Games.

Enough about me, but the shocking penalties missed in the English League Cup semi-final between Manchester United (MU) and Sunderland was beyond me.

Oh, okay, there is pressure on the penalty takers, more so if you happen to be wearing an MU jersey these days. If the goalkeeper pulls off a brilliant save, hats off to him. But if the striker and central midfielder fire the ball into Row Z, who shoulders the responsibility?

Composure is the most important factor when it comes to spot kicks and the highly paid professionals, who missed horribly on the night, will only have themselves to blame.

Unless, of course, the manager selects the penalty takers.

Which brings forth an interesting question: as a manager, do you pick the five players you want stepping up to the spot, or would you rather they volunteer for the responsibility?

I would have more faith if my team-mate tells the gaffer he wants to take a penalty kick instead of having to wait for the manager to point at someone and demand they step up.

On that note, I was a guest on Formasi Extra midweek and the presenter said something that really hit home, Manchester City are the new Devils!

Most certainly, the devilish approach from the team once dubbed as the noisy neighbours is now letting their football and goals make all the din. Granted, it is still the first season into post-Fergie MU, but in terms of the business of football, one year is a very long time to make up.

This Manchester United team could spend a £100 million (RM550 million) now, or attempt to bring Sir Alex Ferguson out of retirement to rejuvenate the defending Champions.

In a purely fictional exercise, let us say we spend 100 million quid on the current MU starting line-up, as money makes the world go around. (Note: The player valuations do not include miscellaneous costs involving "third party" individuals.)

The goalkeeping department is safe, we can forgive David de Gea the blunder in midweek. Two solid stops in the shoot-out attest to that.

At right-back, Gregory van der Wiel (valued at around £10 million) would bring a complete performer no matter which half of the pitch.

The left-back slot would be nicely filled by Fabio Coentrao (valued at around £12.5 million) who needs game time and would be welcomed by the large Portuguese community in Manchester.

We have decided to retain Chris Smalling at centre-back as he seems to have the fight and know how to make it big as a composed sweeper. Alongside Smalling, we will entice Giorgio Chiellini (valued at around £25 million) from Juventus.

A readymade world class no nonsense centre-back, he would put fear into opponents and his team-mates alike.

Oh, before that, we will play a 4-1-4-1 formation with Michael Carrick as the holding midfielder. His ability to retain possession and composed passing is invaluable. Rumour has it that Brendan Rodgers has given videos of Carrick to Steven Gerrard to watch as Rodgers tries to reinvent the wheel. Sorry, Gerrard.

The four man midfield will be unlike any that Manchester United fans have ever seen before, in terms of style, pace and class.

Hugging the right touch line will be the most exciting player at Old Trafford since Cristiano Ronaldo, young whippet Adnan Januzaj.

A combination of the hips of George Best, the slaloming of Ryan Giggs and arrogance of Ronaldo has made Januzaj the most mature teenager in world football.

On the left of midfield, the German wonder, Marco Reus (valued at around £30 million) from Borussia Dortmund.

He would replicate Januzaj on the left wing with more steely determination and a sweeter eye for the killer ball.

The two central attacking midfielders would be Wayne Rooney and Shinji Kagawa. Do not underestimate their ability to work back and yet have the eye for space or the defence-splitting pass.

Would Robin van Persie complain of a lack of service?

We have decided to buy another striker who will bring different qualities that will enable MU to vary their game.

The signing of Fernando Llorente (valued at around £20 million) will not only provide cover, too, but his strength, dominance in aerial duels and incredible link-up play would offer this midfield (made up entirely of willing "give and go" runners) plenty of space to attack as defenders will be scrambling to mark him tightly.

And there you have it, we have spent about £100 million and boy, does this team not look ready for Barcelona (or West Ham, depending on the expectations currently set at the club)?

This is all done assuming...

1) these players are interested and willing to come and play for David Moyes;

2) Their respective clubs find the offers too good to refuse; and,

3) David Moyes is interested in varying his style of play and attempting (God forbid!) exciting, attacking football.

Regardless, Manchester United have a very interesting week ahead, let alone months, as they look for some positives in what has been a disappointing first half of the season. – January 25, 2014.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

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Sabtu, 25 Januari 2014